General Tak takes one step closer to destroying Defiance but his own thirst for vengeance may get in the way.
****SPOILERS BELOW****
Stahma and Datak, working at the behest of Tak, sabotage the weapons depot in preparation for Tak’s attack. Well, Datak actually tricks Amanda into doing it herself. Why work harder when you can get your enemies to do it for you? Once Amanda discovers the trashed weapons, will she figure out who was behind it? Hopefully, she is smart enough to do so, but then that puts the Tarrs in real danger. Just don’t destroy the Arch, OK?
General Tak may destroy his own plans to take Defiance once he finds out that Nolan is the lawkeeper of the town. Alak’s attempt to use Tak’s fear of Nolan against him backfires and pushes Tak to irrationality in his pursuit of Nolan. Tak claiming the title “Butcher of Tulsa” to rival Nolan’s reputation is pretty hilarious since he seemed to be serious. His distraction allowed Irisa to destroy his biggest tank and get the drop on him, but Irisa couldn’t kill him. That inaction will definitely come back to bite them. Tak’s fanatical focus on Nolan has the potential to work to Defiance’s benefit if his thirst for vengeance distracts him from the bigger picture. Fingers crossed.
Nolan starts the episode teasing Irisa in very cute and affectionate way, but ends up berating her for not being a good soldier. He tells her he can’t trust her in battle, but really what’s frustrating is that he refuses to see the root cause of Irisa’s behavior.
She is traumatized by her experience being controlled by the alien presence from last season, and is having a hard time functioning normally as Nolan’s little killer side-kick. Nolan has to decide to be either her father or her commanding officer, because she definitely does not need the latter.
Speaking of being a father, Nolan raised Irisa but his attitude around a real baby is mystifying. First he wants to leave it with a tied up Pilar, then he takes the baby on a recon mission that turns into a fire-fight. It’s amazing Irisa made it to adulthood. Only points Nolan get’s this time around is realizing Pilar is lying by spotting Rafe’s boots and shooting her at the end.
However, best line of the episode goes to Pilar (Linda Hamilton) when she utters “come with me if you want to live” with absolute sincerity.
The big questions for next week – Will the Tarrs succeed in destroying the Arch? Will General Tak and his army actually invade Defiance? Will Nolan stop being a jerk to Irisa? Ok, the last one won’t change the course of history, but it will make Nolan a more palatable character.
New episodes of Defiance air Friday at 8/7c on SyFy.
