Defiance: Season 2 Premiere Review

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June 19, 2014
Warning: spoilers for the Defiance season premiere follow.
It’s been the better part of a year since Defiance wrapped up its first season. Accordingly, nine months have passed in between the Season 1 finale and the Season 2 premiere. In that time many characters’ fortunes have fallen, while a few have risen in the wake of the Earth Republic taking control of the city. “The Opposite of Hallelujah” is largely devoted to reacquainting viewers with the main players of Defiance (those who survived Season 1, at any rate). It makes for a comfortable way to ease back into the series, though it’s not the most exciting way to kick off a new season.
This episode checked in with all the big players and their respective states of affairs. Former Mayor Rosewater (Julie Benz) has been ousted from office and resorted to taking over her sister’s role as bartender and madam of the NeedWant. Though to be fair, that job was already slated to be handed over to Datak Tarr. Similarly, Rafe McCawley (Graham Greene) is now toiling away in the mines he used to own until the E-Rep claimed them. Nolan (Grant Bowler) has embarked on a cross-country journey to track down his wayward daughter Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas) in the wake of her painful ordeal in the Season 1 finale. Of all the characters, only the Tarr family (certain members, anyway) seem to have profited from Defiance’s shift in power.
Season 2 is set to introduce several new faces to the cast, but only two make their debut in this episode. James Murray (Chaos) plays Defiance’s new leader, Mayor Niles Pottinger, while William Atherton (Ghostbusters, Die Hard) appeared briefly as E-Rep Viceroy Mercado. The slow and steady approach as far as introducing these new characters is appreciated. As it is, one of my disappointments with “The Opposite of Hallelujah” is that it didn’t have enough time to get fully reacquainted with certain members of the cast. Rafe in particular could have used more attention, and we saw very little of recurring players like Tommy (Dewshane Williams) and the McCawley children (Justin Rain and Nicole Munoz). These two new characters seem like solid additions to the lineup, with Mercado’s constant heckling of Pottinger providing some welcome amusement. It’s tough to know what to make of Pottinger just yet – whether he’s just a sleazy bureaucrat or if there is a noble streak to him.
But at least this episode focused on those plot points that mattered most coming into Season 2. It was a nice change to see Nolan venture out into the wider world, traveling to the future dystopian versions of Chicago and Los Angeles in his quest to find Irisa. That bigger scope helped make the show feel a bit more real and organic and more in line with the vast landscape of the MMORPG. These scenes allowed Bowler to do his best sci-fi scoundrel routine, and the heartwarming reunion with Irisa was a nice payoff. The whole quest might not have amounted to much given that the end result was just the two turning around and heading back to Defiance. But the increased emphasis on Irisa’s visions and her apparently uncontrollable murdering streak is certainly intriguing.

The stars of Defiance Season 2.

As is so often the case, the Tarr family were the highlight of this episode. Datak (Tony Curran) is currently rotting in prison after the events of Season 1, but his wife Stahma (Jaime Murray) and son Alak (Jesse Rath) are doing quite well for themselves and keeping the family business going. All three characters are in very interesting positions right now. Alak was so good and innocent during Season 1, it’s almost depressing to see him follow in his father’s footsteps and forgo DJ-ing for the gangster lifestyle. But if we learned anything from its episode, it’s that Alak lacks the hard edge needed to be a criminal kingpin. There was a lot of compelling interplay between Alak and his mother. Now freed of her husbands watchful eye, Stahma is able to exercise her scheming, manipulative side more than ever. She was always the true power behind Datak’s throne. Now she’s just a little more up front about that. The slightly Oedipal vibe to her relationship with Alak was back and stronger than ever.
Datak was played more as comic relief this week, though his new alliance with Doc Yewll suggests he won’t be in this predicament for long. It was fun to see such a proud character brought low. The running joke of Datak seeking sexual gratification from first his wife and then Yewll was a little funny, a little gross, and a little sad. Which pretty much sums up his character as a whole. I’m sure I’m not the only one who was reminded of Arrested Development with the prison guard yelling “No touching!”
I tend to enjoy the quirky musical montages that wrap up most Defiance episodes. This week’s number was one of the more memorable ones, featuring a catchy new single from Trace Adkins called “Across the Storm Divide.” It fit the overall tone of the episode well, with a little optimism dwarfed by a greater sense of foreboding and unease. The unexpected shot of Irisa slicing Nolan’s throat was a nice touch. And even if it was only a hallucination, it was an effective way of reminding us how much danger lies ahead for our heroes.
My main complaint with this episode was that it didn’t go bigger in terms of portraying the conflict between Defiance’s citizens and the E-Rep occupiers. The way Season 1 ended, it really seemed as if the city was in for a massive overhaul and a new totalitarian regime. But surprisingly little has changed in terms of the look of the show and the general vibe of Defiance. I was hoping for more signs of resistance and uprising and a greater sense of desperation from these characters. Hopefully those elements will come into play more as the core cast are reunited in one place again and the simmering tensions continue to build.