Well,
maybe I was right in my prediction that every other episode of this
show would be a good one, but then that only leaves me dreading next
week's show. After last week's far too standard kidnapping plot, we
get another story that is a little cliche, but works a lot better
with the frontier western setting, such that at the very least it
doesn't feel quite as much like a script from another show altogether
that they just changed all the names to fit. Its a hostage standoff
episode, and weirdly a direct sequel to the last good one bringing
back the Hellbug luring Irathient criminal, which leads me to think
that last week's bore fest might have just been some adrenaline drug
induced hallucination.
The
Serpent's Egg follows Nolan transporting the aforementioned murderer
to the closest prison (apparently in Las Vegas) while Amanda tags
along with a macguffin sized bag of cash that leads to schemes within
schemes where various unsavory types try to steal it for various
reasons. This unnecessarily complex structure is my one big problem
with the episode, as the reveals are incredibly predictable even by
TV standards. The initial twist of the first thief's identity, and
then a later one concerning who hired them should probably be figured
out before the first gun is drawn, the first being pretty hokey in
its own right, and the second one only a little more interesting in
that it seems to set up another villain for the future.
The
much better story, which surprised me considering I'm already a bit
leery about this plot line, follows Irisa kidnapping and torturing a
man who she believes did the same to her as a child as part of some
mysterious religious ritual. Apparently at one point her family gave her up to
a Castithan cult due to the psychic ability she revealed earlier in
the season, and according to this group, she is some sort of messiah,
or will be. Its not my favorite sci-fi trope to be honest, but in
this case it expands upon the mystery of this universe's past and the
connection between these various cultures, that for example her sixth
sense isn't just an Irathient superstition that happens to be true,
but something that other races are aware of and seek to cultivate.
I
think I may have referenced this last week, but the thing I keep
worrying about as I see Defiance play out is how even when its good,
it doesn't feel like it is exploiting the scope inherent to its
premise. This show needs to be bigger, and I know that sounds strange
considering the action is centered on one relatively small location,
but there's so much more under the surface, and so far the show seems
to be getting a bit bogged down in minutiae at the expense of its
larger and more interesting elements. There are still several species
on this planet that we've had really no information about in the
series proper, and at least one that hasn't even appeared and that I
only know about via Wikipedia.
The
cult and its connection to Irisa and Nolan's past is a good start,
but if I don't see this show expand on this kind of thing going
forward, I might have to consider giving up on it. Supposedly its
something of a hit and has already been renewed for a second season,
and I hope that by the last episode of this one, they've managed to
reveal enough to keep me interested and willing to keep going with
it. With so many great shows that get cancelled before they have time
to reveal their full potential (Farscape and Firefly, the two that
this show probably owes the most to being among them), it feels like
a waste to establish so much right at the outset and then follow
though at such a slow pace.
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