Defiance: In My Secret Life
June 28, 2014 2:56 PM - Season 2, Episode 2 - Subscribe
Irisa is arrested upon her return to Defiance, but Nolan can arrange her release by capturing those responsible for an explosion that nearly killed Mayor Pottinger. Meanwhile, Stahma decides the only way to stay in control of her family's criminal enterprises is by ensuring that Datak stays behind bars.
The Han Solo rant was pretty amusing.
Is it just me or did Datak pull off that same "set someone up to kill someone, then kill that person to appear the hero" ? Am I forgetting something from Season 1? Or was it from another tv show entirely?
It's kind of cheesy, but I think the Mayor is setting himself up to use the illicit drug as a means to bring our former Mayor under his thrall. He's drying up the supply and setting himself up as the sole means for her to get her hands on the stuff.
I'm slightly confused about Tommy. Is it me or did his "You can trust me..." type of line kind of delivered as if he's getting ready to take advantage of Irisa?
The fact that Stahma has pretty much decided she doesn't want Datak back sets up the countdown clock to his return and what's going to happen when he's out will probably be a pretty pivotal event in the show's season. I get the idea that either she or Datak will end up dead.
It's good to have Nolan back as the lawkeeper.
I thought Berlin interesting, but my "do we have to be so obvious?" flag started waving when they showed her in the Fascist-like head wear.
posted by Atreides at 7:24 AM on June 29, 2014
Is it just me or did Datak pull off that same "set someone up to kill someone, then kill that person to appear the hero" ? Am I forgetting something from Season 1? Or was it from another tv show entirely?
It's kind of cheesy, but I think the Mayor is setting himself up to use the illicit drug as a means to bring our former Mayor under his thrall. He's drying up the supply and setting himself up as the sole means for her to get her hands on the stuff.
I'm slightly confused about Tommy. Is it me or did his "You can trust me..." type of line kind of delivered as if he's getting ready to take advantage of Irisa?
The fact that Stahma has pretty much decided she doesn't want Datak back sets up the countdown clock to his return and what's going to happen when he's out will probably be a pretty pivotal event in the show's season. I get the idea that either she or Datak will end up dead.
It's good to have Nolan back as the lawkeeper.
I thought Berlin interesting, but my "do we have to be so obvious?" flag started waving when they showed her in the Fascist-like head wear.
posted by Atreides at 7:24 AM on June 29, 2014
Berlin should be an interesting character, and I look forward to seeing how Nolan's presence shakes up her vision of the pure and perfect E-Rep.
I generally dislike it when shows try to draw such blatant parallels to modern politics in order to make a statement or even raise awareness. In my book it's as bad as the end tag moral lesson. "You see, Timmy..." Bones has taken to doing this on occasion, with their latest about medical marijuana usage. Very few shows can pull this off without jarring me out of the story. And Defiance was no different this episode.
Something I haven't seen anyone pick up on is the parallel between Datak's escape plot and Nolan's rescuing of Stahma. Someone tries to kill the mayor, Datak intervenes and saves the mayor's life, but the mayor refuses to reward him for it. Someone tries to kill Stahma, Nolan intervenes and saves her life, and she rewards Nolan for it by helping him be re-accepted by the town people. Obviously, Datak's situation was a schemed attempt that the mayor wisely saw right through, while Nolan's was (presumably?) a true murder attempt.
Tommy's "you can trust me" did set off some alarms. As soon as he said it I was shouting "don't trust him!" I'm not sure there's any bigger red flag in fiction than a "you can trust me" line.
posted by 2ht at 7:50 AM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I generally dislike it when shows try to draw such blatant parallels to modern politics in order to make a statement or even raise awareness. In my book it's as bad as the end tag moral lesson. "You see, Timmy..." Bones has taken to doing this on occasion, with their latest about medical marijuana usage. Very few shows can pull this off without jarring me out of the story. And Defiance was no different this episode.
Something I haven't seen anyone pick up on is the parallel between Datak's escape plot and Nolan's rescuing of Stahma. Someone tries to kill the mayor, Datak intervenes and saves the mayor's life, but the mayor refuses to reward him for it. Someone tries to kill Stahma, Nolan intervenes and saves her life, and she rewards Nolan for it by helping him be re-accepted by the town people. Obviously, Datak's situation was a schemed attempt that the mayor wisely saw right through, while Nolan's was (presumably?) a true murder attempt.
Tommy's "you can trust me" did set off some alarms. As soon as he said it I was shouting "don't trust him!" I'm not sure there's any bigger red flag in fiction than a "you can trust me" line.
posted by 2ht at 7:50 AM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
The contrasting life saving events didn't really register in my mind, so thank you for pointing that out. What's also interesting is that Stahma, like the Mayor, obviously made a conscious decision to thank Nolan. Her thanks was not out of gratitude, but out of a belief (I'm reckoning) that bringing Nolan back into the good graces of the people (and likely to become the lawkeeper) will result in something good for her (or her criminal enterprises). If anything, it was kind of revealed in this episode that anyone who acts out of conviction got screwed. The guy Datak setup to try and kill the Mayor acted out of conviction, he gets killed. Irisa acted out of trust for Tommy, and she's likely to regret it, as well Nolan, as I think Stahma will consider him in her debt some way or somehow. Even Amanda, who believes she's doing what's best for Defiance is on a railroad to being screwed by the current Mayor.
posted by Atreides at 9:20 AM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Atreides at 9:20 AM on June 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
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Not sure what to make of the new mayor yet (hm, drug confiscation? fishy fishy), but I was amused at how he dealt with Datak at the prison "saving his life."
I have to give some props to Christie for growing some spine in this episode. Not that that will probably do much good, but she's not as blandly pretty/smiling/subservient as the show is usually presenting her as. Of course, now she's in the Castithan "bathing suit," so....oy.
Poor Yewll. I hope she has the knowledge/technology to grow that back.
Incidentally, the Syfy recaps of the show are filled with snark. Yay.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:17 PM on June 28, 2014 [1 favorite]