Alex, with all the revelations of last week, decides he
has to go tell the senate about Michael keeping the higher angels secret. He
also brings up Michael’s ancient past killing humans, because Gabriel hearsay
is such a good idea. He even exposes Noma
That’s it, the chosen one needs dropping off a cliff somewhere.
Becca goes to see Michael to be all sad about his secrets
and that the Senate plans to exile him. Michael, rather huffily (but not
without reason) decides to save them the trouble and, presumably, leave on his
own. He does ask her to keep Lewis’s secret since the higher angel doesn’t
deserve execution. Throw in some lovey stuff and he flies off.
Well not out the city – just to throw Alex around the
market for betraying him after “all I’ve done for you.” See, this is where your
“let the orphan be brought up as an outcast, showing him no emotion and
occasionally whipping him” comes back to bite you on the arse, Mikey. Dramatic gesture made, he then flies off.
Meanwhile, Baby Whele is leading his cult and now Daddy
Whele is a happy adherent. Well an adherent anyway.
Claire invites Alex to see her in her wedding dress so
they can angst and argue about, well everything rather randomly. It ends when
he storms out after saying she’s marrying William Whele because she wants the
power.
Arika and Riesen greet an entourage from Helena –
bringing Queen Evelyn’s head. This seems to be one of Helena’s customs – gift
wrapping body parts. It’s clear that Arika is behind the death of her former
wife. Arika does have some praise for Evelyn – creating a female led city in a
male world, a female focused faith in a world that had lost all reason for
faith. Which would be nicer platitudes if her severed head wasn’t right there.
When Arika is alone she’s joined by her lover – Uriel. They have more plots for Vega, including Claire somehow – also Arika is actually Evelyn. The head on the pillow is someone else, Helena seems to have quite a stash.
William and Claire are married (“nourish his every
breath”? Ok, I’ve heard worse vows. And they’re marrying in the name of the
Saviour which is hilarious when you remember that Alex is Claire’s ex)
Alex is driving out the city and I joined by Michael – it
seems the whole denunciation and flounce was actually an act. It was very
convincing –mainly because flouncing is actually how Alex communicates. I don’t
think he can leave a room if he isn’t storming out in an emotional tantrum (or
anyone else for that matter. It must cause quite a lot of queues). The plan is for Alex to earn Gabriel’s trust
then stab him until he stops moving. They go to the chosen location where
Michael admitted that actually he did go out massacring humans at god’s command
and it was a whole lot of fun. Well, everyone has a hobby.
It took Gabriel and Uriel giving him a thorough beating
and the mercy of a child to make him a decent angel. This allowed Michael to
realise that his dad’s command were sometimes pointless twisted mind games and
not to actually be obeyed (aka his god’s a bit of a bastard). Anyway the point
of this is that Alex is supposed to be redeeming Michael for obeying the orders
of god that he didn’t really mean (it’s not even theologically sound. Isn’t
there a whole parable about sacrificing one’s own son as a proof of loyalty?)
They’re joined by Angel Noma (it’s a good thing she flies because there’s no way she can run in those shoes, that should have been a hint right there). She’s lured Furiad – and was able to do so because they have been lovers. Yay, more Alex angst! Just what we need! We also have the standard “waaah you lied to me” because Noma was totally supposed to say “hey, I’m an angel!” in the angel killing city – while Noma assures him that while Michael wanted her to keep tabs on Alex, sleeping with Alex wasn’t part of the command. Alex is willing to work with her, but not pretend that nothing has changed.
Michael finds Furiad and quickly puts a knife to his
throat – throw in blackmail over Noma and I think we can safely say Furiad has
been co-opted. Through that Noma gets a wing call from Gabriel – she warns Alex
it’s dangerous and she may not come back; Alex seems to take back all that
“we’re not friends!” pouting while she forces him to promise to take Gabriel
down no matter what – including no matter happens to her
Back in Vega, Becca presents her findings from the angel
autopsies and finds several weaknesses, including the fact that electricity can
paralyse and angel. Riesen, rather belatedly, realises that Michael did a lot
of humanity and saved Vega and they haven’t exactly been nice or fair to him.
he also tells Becca of his plans to retire – and leave Vega.
Claire visits Arika and is introduced to Uriel – who is
posing as a priest who uses the excuse of a prayer to confirm that Claire is
pregnant with Alex’s child. The plan is to get Claire to Helena which will
force Alex to follow because DAMSEL and then she can read the markings, defeat
Gabriel and Michael and bring peace on Earth. Which she decides is her father’s
plan.
Noma and Furiad go to see Gabriel and Noma uses the
excuse of Michael smacking Alex as proof that Michael has gone back to his deep
dark ways (would these be his human killing ways? The ways that Gabriel is now
emulating? I… I can’t see how Gabriel is expected to buy this). Gabriel agrees
to meet with Alex but it’s clear he expects a trap.
Alex has a dream about fighting and killing his dad
because the Chosen One must be able to sacrifice everything to save humanity –
also because Alex needs MAXIMUM MANPAIN at all times. He’s woken by Michael who
has realised that their truly awful plan isn’t actually working.
Instead Gabriel has gone to Vega, to stand outside the
gates covered in his bulletproof wings. The guards shoot them. And shoot them.
And shoot them. Unless someone actually buys a braincell, Gabriel will win the
war simply because all of Vega’s ammunition will used on his wings. When they
finally stop he withdrawls his wings, announces his name and pulls a sword (may
I suggest shooting him now? Maybe? Clearly the rest of him isn’t invulnerable).
And he… surrenders.
Risen has disappeared as per his plans. So Becca, Claire
and the Wheles meet to discuss this (I like the fact they’re not even
pretending the other councillors have a say) – Becca wants to execute Gabriel
now before he plots something nefarious because Becca is no fool. She also has
a plan to actually kill an archangel – a big explosion. William pushes to
question him, same with Claire (I’m not sure that knowledge from Gabriel would
be more valuable than the removing the entire reason for the war). And David
backs William up – something Claire and Becca find… dubious. Claire takes a
moment alone to basically accuse David of actually being an angel worshipper
(David has found a convenient scapegoat for the acolyte blindfold in his office)but
they agree to question Gabriel for one day – then execute him the next.
Claire decides to posture at Gabriel in his prison – but
Gabriel is much much more unnerving than she will ever be. Michael and Alex
also join her and reveal the whole ruse thing is a ruse. Alex wants to go in
with Gabriel, Claire calls on her full authority to forbid it. Naturally Alex
ignores her.
He goes in with Gabriel. After much posturing Alex plans to stab Gabriel but then Gabriel threatens to have his acolytes kill Claire and his unborn child which he knows about, apparently. Shock! Horror! Revelation! No killing the threat to them all including Claire for REASONS
Time for Gabriel and Michael to have a moment in which we
also learn that Gabriel and Michael, unlike the other archangels, are twins –
however that works with angels. Gabriel sows doubt by pointing out the humans
have being preparing weapons and devices to capture angels - um…. Yeah? How is that nefarious? War?
Remember? More probative – he points out that Lewis, the angel Michael is
protecting, is being abused.
David and William Whele meet and it seems David hasn’t entirely gone over to the dark(er) side – he protests his faithfulness to Gabriel to his son but also points out that Gabriel has clearly kept his son in the dark and maybe they shouldn’t be so trusting. William remains fearful
Alex goes to Claire about the baby and she tells him she
wasn’t going to tell him because she doesn’t think Alex can be a father – while
he protests that’s not her choice, since both she and he lost a parent she
wants her child to grow up with two parents – and without being known and the
Chosen One’s baby and being at risk. This is all overheard by William, her new
hubby, who doesn’t look pleased. To be honest, the kid’s choices are Alex, Lord
of Manpain or William, Dark Cult leader. Claire, single motherhood looks
positively awesome.
Because she now has HIS BABEH, Alex wants Claire to be innured in a secure bunker where she’s super safe. He calls Michael for more super-safety guards for Claire – but Michael is going to check on Lewis – and he has a “I’m going to kill someone” voice as he heads into House Thorne (that would be Becca’s house). He throws away his communicator. Alex also decides to kiss Claire, the new bride, in front of all the guards. Really?
Michael finds a room full of dissections and examinations
of angels that have been vivisected. They find Lewis – with his wings severed.
They free him – he’s been autopsied while still alive. Lewis begs Michael to end
it, because he can’t liv as he is – Michael kills him. Which is when Becca
arrives in the lab. Michael grabs her and forces her to look at the atrocities
around her, though she doesn’t seem upset, accusing her of manipulating him.
Alex tries to get him to calm down – he pulls a gun and tries to stop Michael
when it looks like he’s going to kill her – Michael throws him across the room.
Michael breaks Becca’s neck - Alex is
shocked. What does Alex expect? Becca just vivisected his friend, that’s not
really something deserving of much mercy.
Guards arrive and fire on Michael – he kills one. Alex fires on him to try and distract him - and Michael kills the other guard.
Michael and Alex fight – in which they both cut each
other. After Alex cuts Michael Michael stops and looks all sad and pensive.
Michael flies away through the skylight.
At the same time Gabriel announces “it’s time” and his acolytes among his guards kill the other guards. They free Gabriel then commit suicide… well it’s dramatic I suppose.
Gabriel walks into Becca’s lab just after Michael flies
off to point out eh did warn Alex that Michael had anger issues (I can’t say
his anger was especially excessive). He also mocks Alex for being obsessed with
Claire when him walking out of his cell proves just how many and how well
placed his acolytes are. He tells Alex to come to him so he can read his
markings or he will destroy the city, everyone in it and Noma as well.
Claire and William have a moment – and William reveals he
knows about the baby but that he’s also going to raise and protect the child.
He even gives her a bunch of her favourite flowers, desert sage. Which was the
secret Gabriel knew about her when they were trading barbs. Rather belatedly,
Claire has finally put one and one together. She also realises that it was
William who pushed to have Gabriel’s execution delayed.
She calls for the guards and has him dragged away. Later she goes to David with the news; they agree they have to cover it up so suggest the story that he was killed when Gabriel escape. Claire is harder – she insists he not be considered a hero, that he died a coward. Oh, Claire has a hard edge – David leaves to make the announcement and the details. The details here, I assume, being actually killing William.
Uriel meets Gabriel, commenting on how well Gabriel
pushed Michael’s buttons. Uriel offers her loyalty to Gabriel.
And David takes over William’s little cult… and while
everyone chants wearing blind folds, he douses the room with flammable liquid
and burns them all. Afterwards, he leaves the city – with his son bound and
blindfolded. Davide tells him Claire is going to execute him – William protests
she has no evidence: “she doesn’t need evidence, she’s lady of the city.” David
draws the line at shooting his own son though – and leaves him with a weapon
and supplies
Alex leaves a letter for Claire – but is clearly leaving the city. The letter is for the child, the same kind of letter his dad wrote for him when he went off wandering.
Alex himself climbs to Gabriel’s fortress.
Claire, you’re having baby! You must now be super
protected! Of course, she’s already the leader of the city now daddy dearest
has gone touring, so it’s not like she wasn’t a high priority target anyway –
but no, even as the supreme leader of a near dictatorship, she’s still a lower
priority target for the evil ones than her WOMB
Other than that there was a lot of drama this episode
leaving absolutely everything up in the air and a lot of loose canons running
around the lands around Vega
Looking at the first season of Defiance, I have a sense of frustration. The concept is excellent – this is a rich, fascinating world with a huge amount of potential to develop. The dystopia, the angels raging away the conflict – it’s all definitely appealing
But the execution just… lacks. We have the rapidly
changing society in, what, less than a generation? With little to explain it.
We have a whole religion that has been built around the Saviour – but neither
is the Saviour himself treated that way (to the comic moment of invoking Alex
at Claire’s wedding which pretty clearly doesn’t have his blessing). We also
have very little actual theological questioning which, with the existence of
angels, proof of god – and proof of his ABSENCE – should really have been an issue
here. But it’s just been kind of simplistic – here’s the new religion (not
why), here’s the angel cultists (but not why they exist) – like the vastly
changed culture, we’re presented with everything as is without an explanation
for how it got there
And this is exacerbated by the main characters not being
all that compelling. Especially Alex – whose characterisation has just been
replace by 8 bajillion layers of MANPAIN. Angst doesn’t replace
characterisation, a character who spends his entire time practicing his pathos
look at the camera is not being given a full character to play. And that’s for
any character- but throw in the whole super-special-chosen-one schtick as well.
It’s tiresome. Michael is very pretty to look at, but spent most of the season
being enigmatic brooding angel who brooded and was enigmatic and making mysterious
decisions.
Those mysterious decisions are something else to return
to – because a lot of the logic of this show doesn’t hold together for me. I do
not understand the antipathy towards Michael considered he’s hailed for saving
the city (and I think “all angels bad” is a bit too simplistic even for the
average knee-jerk unthinking reaction). I do not understand Michael’s motives
for just about anything – the way he treated and raised Alex, for example.
Keeping “neutral” angels and even Michael-supporters in the city secretly
without simply saying “hey these guys are on your side too, see we oppose
Gabriel!” Or leaving said neutral angels unmonitored when it became clear Gabriel
could possess them. I don’t understand why Jeep went traveling to understand
the marks (is there anyone who understands the way of god better than the
Archangel Michael?) I don’t understand why he was called Jeep. I don’t
understand why Alex and Michael thought their awful plan with Gabriel would
actually work. I don’t understand anything Riesen did, ever. Not one damn
thing. Nothing this man did made sense.
The female characters on this show started poorly. Arika
was a background force of seductive power –but it was background and it was all
around seduction. Claire was a rather dazed non-entity cast as love interest
more than anything. Noma was a background token. Becca was Michael’s lover –
even Uriel, when she finally appeared, seemed to be more of an observer
Things picked up. Claire was still treated as a womb in
the last episode, but she has definitely stepped up as Lady of the City and it’s
clear she is the one in charge. Noma gained a much stronger role – well,
suggestion of a much stronger role – she was still damseled and there’s a
decent chance of her being fridged (because Alex needs more MANPAIN!) but she’s
certainly beyond what I thought her original role would be: WOC there for a
token. Arika/Evelyn’s plan seems to be far more involved – we still have an
issue with her being supremely oversexualised which is both a female villain
trope and a bisexual trope – but she and Uriel are definitely step up in terms
of presence and involvement in the last episode increasing POC, female and LGBT
involvement in the story. Even Becca steps up, albeit to be evil.
I think that may be a bit of a gripe – the marginalised characters
kind of lurked in the background for most of the season (swamped by the
manpain) and only really stuck their head above the trenches in the last few
episodes –or even the last episode. There’s also something of an issue with POC
being cast as other – Noma, Michael, Furiad are all angels, Arika is “foreign” –
this also applies to the lesbian/bisexual women: the
I’m intrigued by this show and the last episode has actually
caught my attention and made me wonder what is coming next; which is a massive
step up since before this episode I was pretty indifferent about the show
continuing.
