Defiance – S3E2 – The Last Unicorns (Part 2)

Tweet

Previously on Defiance, ‘The World We Seize’ 

Starring: Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, Jesse Rath, Trenna Keating, Anna Hopkins, Nicole Munoz, with Lee Tergesen and Linda Hamilton | Director: Michael Nankin

Alak (Jesse Rath) tearfully enters the safehouse to take care of the bodies of his wife and father-in-law when he and Pilar are shocked to learn Rafe is still hanging on. He has enough air left in his lungs to tell his son-in-law to look after his grandson to “forget this day.” Alak must move on with his life and do the best he can for Luke. Not soon after Rafe passes, Pilar begins stripping him of his boots and whatever supplies are on his still warm body. Damn, grandma. You cold.

Amanda presses Dr. Yewll into service yet again to save the life of the gutshot stranger and from a single look of her, Yewll refuses to give her any medical treatment. Naturally Nolan, Amanda, and Irisa have no clue what the big deal is, so Yewll has to educate the pink skins once more on Votan history. Apparently, she is an Omec, one of the earliest Votan races and thought to have been extinct. That makes sense as an early enemy in the series – The Volge – hail from Omec and are believed to have annihilated its original inhabitants. It seems that isn’t the case.

It doesn’t take long for the Omec (Nichole Galicia) to heal on her own as she has enough strength to test the limits of her holding cell. Nolan asks her a string of questions to no avail; this woman has no interest in him except how gamey he may taste. Perhaps she does so for amusement, but the Omec reveals her name to be Kindzi. That’s all the info Nolan needs to start flirting, which causes Irisa to let out a very expressive groan before slamming the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Amanda looks into these “devils” with the help of Yengi Ksaruko (Robert Joy), Defiance’s resident historian/bookseller. He informs her about the Omec’s ‘dread harvests’ on other Votan planets to acquire slaves to expand their influence. Those who weren’t strong enough would become uh, fresh meat. Who else would conveniently arrive in Defiance at that precise moment but Poppa Omec himself, proclaiming in English that he’s looking for his daughter. Dad, who goes by the name T’evgin (Conrad Coates), explains to Nolan and the Mayor that he is mining gulanite to repair his ship currently in low orbit. Amanda tries to form a partnership with T’evgin: seeing as he’s on their property, he can mine all the gulanite he needs as long as he also supplies Defiance.

At the VC camp, General Tak explains the reason for his hatred of humans over dinner with Datak and Stahma. He was educated alongside humans, learned their history and enjoyed their culture for a time. Over time, Rahm Tak believed humanity has become a poison to the purity of the Votans and they must be removed completely from the earth. Ironic, considering the Votan were the invaders. Anyway, General Tak assigns Datak to be his eyes and ears in Defiance before they arrive in full force. Stahma attempts to sway Tak so she’s partnered with Datak for this operation. Her charm backfires and The Beast now gives Datak the incentive of completing the mission or Stahma will be cut into a million pieces. Lovely. Just swell.

Pilar and Alak break through the snowy tree line to find a mobile home in the middle of a clearing. Grandma tells Alak to stay with Luke while she sees if anyone is home and has food. A couple answer the door with guns at the ready; Pilar appears to lean on their better nature and they treat her to hospitality seldom experienced in this world. It doesn’t last long as Pilar goes back outside to retrieve her rifle and gun down the charitable couple. Alak cannot eat or sleep since witnessing the McCauley’s deaths, even more so due to Pilar’s killer instinct. She tries to assuage his fear of her killing him in his sleep by claiming he’s family now. The crazy woman she was is gone, her sole goal is keep her family intact. Still, she digs on Alak’s family’s reputation while justifying her actions: “Killing strangers is necessary to save family. Your family kills family to save themselves.” Alak’s fear go unwarranted because he eventually passes out and awakens in the early morning to discover Pilar and Luke are no longer in the mobile home. Fresh footprints in the snow head back into the forest and Alak immediately heads back in the cold.

Kindzi grows more frustrated being bound in the Lawkeeper’s office and things go from worse to horrible when a group of kids led by Yengi’s curious son Monguno want to see the Omec for themselves. What better way to get the attention of a killer spider lady than by poking her with a steel rod through a broken window? Unfortunately poor Monguno didn’t know the error of his ways and takes that steel rod through his brain. Irisa and Berlin get there 5 seconds too late and Kindzi busts loose from her cell.

Yengi calls for the death of Kindzi and his rage hastily inspires a mob to form on the streets. It isn’t a difficult feat as every Votan wants both Omecs dead due to the horrors they inflicted among the species for generations. Nolan saves Kindzi just in time (of course) from a lynching yet her bullet wounds reopened and she lost a considerable amount of blood. T’evgin demands the humans save her daughter and the easiest way to do that is to procure protoform from Dr. Yewll. In a stunning turn of character, Amanda and Nolan violate Yewll and skin her to assure Defiance keeps its accord with the Omecs for the gulanite. T’evgin uses the flesh from Yewll to fuse with Kindzi’s wound, and it quickly restores her to full health.

Back at the Votanis Collective camp, Stahma finds Datak fashioning a blade to assassinate General Tak; a plan Stahma readily supports. The two slink their way to his tent only to find out he was waiting for them. Genuinely impressed by their boldness, Tak tells them they both can be his spies within Defiance… but their son Alak will stay with him.

T’evgin and Kindzi agree to terms with Amanda and all seems well for the moment until someone takes a shot at the older Omec. Yengi is still burning with hate for the Omecs and Irisa races to him in hopes to quell his fire. In an unusually personal and vulnerable moment, Irisa shares her grief about murdering so many people while under the influence of the Arkbrain. She tells Yengi that no matter how badly he wants to kill T’evgin, he’ll never be the same after he murders him. Yengi succumbs to the feelings of losing his son and is about to relinquish his weapon when friggin’ Nolan SHOOTS HIM IN THE BACK OF HIS HEAD. Why are all the leads acting like complete asses?! Without question, Defiance has made a turn for the dark and ugly.

The premiere concludes with a haunting rendition of Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” as the leads are seen at the respective locations: Pilar sings the song to her grandson as the snow falls, the citizens of Defiance celebrate as power is restored. Nolan and Irisa are staring off sullenly in opposite directions, Doc Yewll remains traumatized from her shocking violation, and the Omecs look to the stars to their tattered ship… where we are treated to its interior that is filled with thousands of Omecs in stasis. Hoo boy. We’re in trouble now.