TV REVIEW: Defiance “Bottom of the World” and “Doll Parts”

Defiance delivered double the bombshells this week with “Bottom of the World” and “Doll Parts.”

Before we run at the mouth about what made the second to last hours of Defiance so great (and why I think doubling up episodes works well for this series), let’s run through what happened.

“Bottom of the World” saw Ambassador Tennety come to tour the town’s mines. She was joined by none-other than Pottinger, Amanda, Nolan, Irisa, and Berlin — or as I like to call them “the perfect storm.”

While perusing the underground caverns a cave-in occurs. We later learn that it was a deliberate attack via explosion against the E-Rep. The incident claims Tennety’s life and almost kills Berlin and Pottinger. Amanda and the Mayor get trapped in the mines, bringing them closer as Pottinger’s angst is in full force. Meanwhile, with some help from Rafe, Berlin and Nolan work together to rescue their stranded friends/lovers/enemies.

Once everyone is out Nolan begins an investigation, and what he uncovers is unexpected and obviously suspect. Quentin came back to town last week and this week we learn why: to free Sarah Connor. JK It’s his mother, Pilar, played by Linda Hamilton. In the process he sets his father up for the mine explosion– a move that enrages his mother. She slaps him and we seem him look a her with all the pangs associated with our mother rejecting our evil plans. (Is anyone else starting to notice that a LOT of people on this show have mommy attachment issues?)

The episode’s smaller plots became “Doll Parts” big focus. Irisa attempts to steal a terrasphere for Irzu, but Nolan catches her. She reverts to plan b: body snatch Tommy and have him do it. After beign invaded he successfully nabs the terrasphere and brings to her where she releases it towards the sky. Irzu’s occupied followers, who stand idly by, are then cocooned comfortably down into the ground and into a city of lost souls, if you will.

This is when Irzu’s plans really begin to click into place. Nolan tracks his daughter to the middle of nowhere site where he is first confronted by the body-snatched Tommy. A fight between them ensues, however, Tommy’s body rejects Irzu and he is returned to his normal self. It’s after this that we learn the “God” isn’t a god at all. It’s a collection of robots from an A.I. machine known as Kaziri that was barried under the city in an ancient space ship. The tendrils that come in and out of people’s mouths (most often) were working to collect servants in the machine’s war against earth.

The machine’s plans? To terraform Earth and begin again with the possessed people as free rebuilding labor. Okay, okay, okay. I know I shouldn’t do this. It’s just that as a hard core sci-fi geek I simply cannot resist. Does this or does this not sound like a wild and out prequel to the Matrix? I wasn’t sure what to expect from Irzu, but it wasn’t this and I’m happy to report that yes, I am here for this. Upon uncovering the truth, Tommy and Nolan make amends and snatch a knocked out Irisa. Their dialogue and dash is interrupted when she wakes up in the back of the car, knocking out Nolan and then stabbing Tommy.

Pictured (L-R): Nicole Muñoz and Jesse Rath

Elsewhere, Alak and Christie had their falling out and Treasure Doll took full advantage of it. After Alak rejects her, Doll has a Fatal Attraction fire ignited in her stomach. Stahma bears witness to the event and attempts to take matters into her own hands. This is why when Treasure falls from the tower to an untimely death we believe momma Tarr is behind it. Then Amanda — on her first day as deputy and in honor of her NeedWant prositute family — thinks Alak is behind it. Then Stahma makes a dying man take the fall for it in exchange for providing a safe home for his daughter after he is gone. Then Stahma thinks Datak is behind it. Then Stahma laughs proudly and manically after she realizes who did.

Defiance has had some great character turns this season and while Alak’s early season development had him as my front running favorite, Christie Tarr snatched that honor right out of his hand and swished away to Beyoncé’s “Flawless.” That’s of course because we learn Christie killed the troublesome Treasure after discovering the prostitute was trying to poison her baby. Looks like Christie is more like Stahma than she realized. Amanda was there to see the Tarr family finally look like a family, but that background music and glossy stare of hers tells me Amanda isn’t going to leave this alone.

There are season 2 storylines that we had just enough time with, some I wish we’d had more time with, others less time with, and a few I wish we hadn’t had at all. Nolan and Berlin’s hook-up is one of the latter. To be honest, there wasn’t really room with everything else going on for it and while it added to the whole Nolan and Amanda distancing relationship plot, we didn’t need it to explain the tension between the two love-birds. Pottinger’s connection to Amanda and Nolan’s previously established attachment issues were enough.

On the other hand, we could have used more time between Tommy and Irisa to explain his heartfelt confession. I’ve been praying that Tommy doesn’t die this season and he’s had more than his share of near run-ins. While I’ve always rooted for the Iriathiant and Human romance, I can’t say I’m too happy about how his confession may have been his last life. Especially, again, with how little attention was paid to that plot.

Conversely, the heated argument between Irisa and Nolan was a nuanced, aware and emotionally stirring scene dealing with themes of colonization, adoption and identity. While I don’t think the “Casti” face storyline was executed as well as it could have been, this absolutely was and it was great seeing the genre do what it excels at: creating conversations and dishing out lessons about real world issues through alien metaphors.

Photo by: Ben Mark Holzberg/Syfy

One of the best things (and sometimes the worst) things about this season is how much it has allotted screen time to more of the cast. Along the way it’s been a little difficult to keep consistency and continuity as week in and week out we have major dramatic twists which sometimes took weeks to follow up on. On the flip side, offering interesting characters that once felt like only support their own substantive arcs has done wonders dramatically for Defiance. The show is fuller, stronger and more interesting than it has ever been as a result.

Two of the biggest character benefactors of this were Christie and Alak. They have managed to develop into complex and compelling aspects of Defiance’s larger plot in mere episodes. Watching Christie pull a Rosemary’s baby of sorts without dramatically altering her established character traits was spectacular. The more in-depth focus on Alak’s straddle between his human and alien sides — as well as his given and desired identity — helped keep the Tarr family at the top of this show’s most interesting list.

This week also avoided the consistency issue well, which has me wondering if doubling up on episodes isn’t a better route for the show. Most series usually deliver once weekly and there are any number of (positive and negative) reasons why Syfy programmed the last four episodes to air as two parters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it and it helped curve the issues past weeks have faced with storyline focus and follow-up.

As if I haven’t gushed enough already about the Irzu reveal, it is perhaps the most exciting thing going into next week. Where “Bottom of the World” and “Doll Parts” left us probably means the finale will consist of a few more cliffhangers than we’d like (if the writing pays due diligence to its storylines — as it should). However, it can leave this show in a great position to kick of an exciting (and highly anticipated) third season.