Nolan loves the terrible book written about Irisa and
takes great pleasure reading it aloud to Irisa as she tries to snatch it back
(something every father everywhere would do, it is known).
Alas their fun time is interrupted by Berlin bursting in and saying there’s a VC vehicle headed to town. They assemble their militia to intercept… Stahma and Datak – Datak needs medical help
Doctor Yewl patches them up while Datak tells his story (faked)
and Amanda and Stahma exchange intense eye contact (since she knows about Kenya’s
death at Stahma’s hands). Nolan also thanks Yewl which she refuses to accept,
after last week she’s clearly having nothing to do with Nolan.
Datak tells them about the dead McCawlies while Stahma
expertly imitates tears. Nolan storms off to load up with All The Guns so he
can charge out and attack the VC camp that Datak described. Amanda inserts some
sense – she needs him to scout the camp not get himself killed trying to bring
it down single handedly.
He also briefly tries to address Irisa’s trauma – and whether
he can count on her in a fight. She won’t talk about it.
They drive out and are ambushed – Nolan kills several and
is nearly shot – only saved by Pilar. Irissa, notably, does nothing. She leads
them to her cabin. She claims she found the baby after a VC massacre and they
offer to bring her to Defiance. I think Irisa is suspicious. I think Nolan is suspicious
And when she offers to drive the next day, Nolan is quick
to refuse even if she does know the way. So she pulls a gun on them – the gun
Nolan gave them. Nolan and Irisa’s lack-of-surprise faces are classic. Of
course the gun he gave her doesn’t fire. Of course they know who she is. She
argues desperately against being captured and fights desperately to hold the
baby. When Nolan draws a gun on her Irisa, horrified, begs Nolan not to kill
her. He’s somewhat bemused – he never planned to
He planned to leave Pilar cuffed and the baby and come
back and collect them when they’ve finished, though Irisa insists on being the
baby (having a hilarious argument over it as Irisa repeatedly points out it’s a
baby and you don’t leave babies behind).
They spy on the VC camp, see the men, the vehicles – and the
Volge Rahm has also recruited. And a net cutter – artillery that will cut
through a stasis net that protects Defiance. Irisa votes to warn Amanda, Nolan
decides to blow up the artillery piece. So Irisa will cover him while he sneaks
into the camp. Irisa demands the roles be switched because humans are more
noticeable – but Nolan realises the real reason is how squeamish Irisa is about
killing. Of course she avoids this discussion.
All is going well – until Pilar manages to wiggle free and attack Nolan, the gun going off alerts the camp. Irisa is caught. Nolan holds Pilar at gun point, she says he won’t shoot the baby’s grandmother right in front of him. “Kids are surprisingly resilient” and he shoots her.
If they’re going to kill off the entire McCauley clan so
awfully, they least they could do is take out this distraction as well.
Now Rahm has Irisa at knife point and demands Nolan show
himself. While he’s pontificating, Nolan shoots several guards and Irisa breaks
free and gets a knife at Rahm’s throat – of course, she can’t kill him. She
hits him instead and runs to blow up the artillery – which they do and make
their escape.
The Tarrs return home, though it’s not that thrilling to
Stahma. They catch the maid enjoying their bath which they both find amusing
and are indulgent (I would have expected some wrath from Datak a couple of
seasons ago). Datak and Stahma do argue when she’s gone though after Datak
tells her Alakk is alive – he trusts Andina, Stahma is more wary. He argues
again for his natural superiority and how he totally doesn’t need her input.
Then he asks for help to get in the tub after just showing he doesn’t need her –
she elects to bathe alone.
That night they install a device Rahm required of them so
they can send messages to Rahm about Nolan arriving – Datak repeatedly
micromanaging Stahma much to her irritation.
Rahm gets the message and questions Alakk about Nolan
with beatings if he tries to lie. Rahm has heard of Nolan who has a reputation
from the Pale Wars – the “Butcher of Yosemite” and Rahm was at that
battlefield.
In Defiance Datak breaks into a warehouse to get some
weapons. Berlin shows up to explain why they don’t belong to him. He tries
various levels of condescension, bargaining and finally just trying to leave.
She arrests him.
With Datak in gaol it’s now time for Amanda to visit with
desperate chilling undertones. Time to have the confrontation about Kenya who
they murdered leaving Amanda with the choice – punishing them for Kenya or
moving past it for the sake of Defiance. She is willing to do that if Datak
will do everything for Defiance, organise the criminal element and generally
work to the common good. Datak swears in Castithan – but Amanda insists on
English. A definite power ploy. Datak is released – but he doesn’t get the
guns. But nor did he expect to, he has planted a nasty insect thing in the armoury.
Stahma goes to find T’evgin (who is exploring and being
stared at by everyone) – and she even speaks Omec. Because she’s Stahma and
awesome. She makes a cutting little comment about how Castithan slaves were
expected to recite Omec poetry which pushes T’gevin to denounce the bad old
days. She’s flirty and sexual but keeps mentioning that bad old history as well
which is mixed signals confusing and probably an indication that Stahma will
play him like a fiddle (my hope anyway – otherwise her sexy references to
Castithan women being kidnapped by Omec is just beyond gross).
Having being introduced they go to the Need Want and T’evgin
reveals that the Votanis Collective used shapeshifting Indogenes on a suicide
mission to sabotage the Omec arcs – since the rest of the Votans hate and fear
the Omec and didn’t want them conquering Earth from them. He claims (lies) he
and his daughter are the only survivors. He just wants to save his people not
declare war on the Votans: Staham draws on her own experiences and how she
loathes the humans before she fell in love with one and now comes to respect
and like them. With more flirty touching to make it clear the possibility
exists between her and Omec too.
Irisa and Nolan return to Defiance – and take the baby to
Stahma and Datak to their overwhelming joy. Irisa is leery about giving the
baby to the Tarrs and they both suggest that Pilar isn’t dead before hitting
the issue – Irisa didn’t kill Rahm. Nolan reams her for being unreliable in the
middle of a war.
In the armoury all the guns are destroyed. But that’s not
enough for Rahm – he sends new instructions to Datak and Stahma, to blow up the
arch.
Stahma, Datak and their culture remains fascinating.
Datak has always been more of a traditionalist precisely because he has clawed
his way to the top from the bottom – the system that kept him down is now
propping him up and he’s very invested in it. Stahma is always more of a
pragmatist – while Datak is happy to trust Andina because she’s sworn to them,
she knows that you can’t give trust so easily just because of customs. We’re getting
more insight from Rahm as well – his clear focus on the “liro” or Castithan
caste. It’s some interesting word building
We’ve also seen an excellent progression in their relationship
– while once Stahma would have been all smiles and manipulation now she is
overt in her authority. When Datak annoys her she is clear, she doesn’t bite
her tongue, she doesn’t hide her annoyance.
I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Amanda (though I don’t
dislike her), but this episode really showed why she is the leader. By both emphasising
what Kenya’s death meant to her (so not downplaying it or dismissing it) but at
the same time willing to let the murderers go unpunished we see that she is
truly, scarily dedicated to the town. It was a hard balance to strike since
they had
Stahma and T’evgin – you can almost see her weaving webs
around him. It’s a reminder that, while she has ceased to manipulate her
husband because she doesn’t need to, she’s still a master at this,
Irisa – I’m torn. On the one hand I am glad to see she is
torn and hurting after what happened last season – because someone shouldn’t be
able to walk away from something so horrendous without it hurting. Lack of
emotional turmoil would be unrealistic and dismissive. And Irisa does emotional
turmoil extremely well, it’s well portrayed, it’s well acted. But for three
seasons now Irisa has been torn and tormented over something – weird metal
things inside her, being possessed by the ship, being sought out by a death
cult. I want her to eventually not be the tormented one.
