1.2 Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go The writers went some way to make the Castithans villains from the outset, and much of what went on in this story rammed that home for those who weren’t paying attention last time. Part of their culture is honour-based, and by running from battle one of them must be tortured to death in public. Seems entirely reasonable, no? Well, we’re given the line that the town accepts cultural differences, which gives the Castithans the right to do whatever they’ve decided is right, in the sort of illogical way that only science fiction stories can try to present. I can’t recall how many times we’ve seen this plot, but Star Trek in its various forms must have covered this territory at least ten times, if not more. Aliens do terrible things, humans object to them, they gain greater understanding of the alien culture, and they of ours. Yawn. Datak and Stahma scheme away in what can only be interpreted as a homage to Game Of Thrones, and they threw a spa scene with the almost naked Jaime Murray in an attempt to distract us from the almost soap-opera quality dialogue. Given that Game of Thrones is not on Syfy and can push whatever sexual boundaries HBO deems fit, I just don’t see the network-friendly version cutting much ice. Jaime Murray did have a much better scene in the diner, where she talked with Christie about how she got the man she wanted, probably by arranging the untimely death of another. Those that missed the previous hints, she’s the real architect of what goes on in Defiance, and Datak is her willing accomplice. She had one great line, “He’s kind of a jackass. Most men are. It’s a characteristic that transcends species.”, which made up a little for the cringingly awful “penny for your thoughts” opening gambit. Datak and Stahma are mildly amusing and interesting, much else of what went on wasn’t. Overall, Defiance isn’t lighting many fires in this reviewer’s soul, and they need to work on this being more gripping than it’s been so far. After two stories both with the idea that something could happen that will make everyone leave Defiance, and them not leaving, I’ll be disappointed if we return to this idea next week. And, surely someone might start asking why they’re so keen to get everyone out of there? Read Billy’s review of the previous episode, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
