Defiance - S1E2 - Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go
Previously on Defiance “Pilot Parts 1 & 2”
This week picks up 24 hours after the Battle of The Volge. Heh. A Castithan man runs through the woods. Through a flashback, we see that he prepared for battle with the rest of the town, but dropped his gun and ran when The Volge arrived. He’s now being hunted by other Castithans in Defiance. He is captured and his sentencing and punishment is carried out in the open. Jeb tries to put a stop to the torture, but Amanda steps in and sides with Datak Tarr - the races must be allowed to practice their own religions and rituals.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s assistant Ben - who betrayed the town by bringing down their defenses and was killed last week - is brought back to life by the mysterious man who met with the town’s ex-mayor, Nicky. He is instructed to carry out their original plan since the new one - The Volge - was foiled. Ben steals some explosives and barricades himself in the mines.
Rafe McCawley, Jeb, and some of Rafe’s men go after him, entering the mines in a section of town that was buried by terraformed earth with only small pockets remaining intact.
Shady ex-mayor Nicky is cleaning out her office for Amanda and they discuss the Castithan situation. Nicky tells Amanda that she did the right thing and reminds her that the last time they interfered (forcing vaccinations on Irathient children who were dying) the Irathients revolted, many died, and the rest left Defiance. Ah, now we know why there aren’t any Irathients in Defiance.
Irisa has had just about enough of this public torture cleansing and starts to cut down the deserter who’s being stretched on a rack. As the Castithans call her names and throw rocks, Tommy LaSalle fires a shot in the air and announces the deserter will be placed under arrest for loitering. Go Tommy!
Stahma Tarr tells her husband - during a creepy bath scene (they’re big on the group steam baths) - that they should consider letting the deserter down to appease the humans. They’ll need their support when they try to take over the McCawley mines. Alak arrives (this is what makes the scene creepy) to tell them that Christie McCawley is having second thoughts about the wedding due to pressure from her father. Stahma, practically naked, caresses and hugs her son and tells him everything will be okay. Stahma later meets with Christie and befriends her, further gaining Christie’s trust and just like that, the wedding is back on.
Stahma is probably my favorite character right now.
Rafe and Jeb find Ben, who tries to taunt Rafe into killing him for killing Rafe’s son, Luke. Jeb warns Rafe that they need him alive to find out why he turned on the town. Rafe starts to put away his gun, but Ben charges and grabs his hand, forcing Rafe to shoot and kill him.
Datak Tarr and his men come for the deserter, but Tommy and Irisa hold their ground. Jeb, Rafe, and Amanda arrive and Amanda convinces Datak to let it go for the sake of no more bloodshed. He agrees, but you know he’s really full of shit.
Amanda has no time to worry about the ramifications of that or Ben’s death. She has to bury the 41 people who died in The Volge attack.
A final montage shows the town laying the people to rest, Rafe finding Luke’s hidden stash of cash and map of the mines, and Datak Tarr taking the deserter from his family so he can be killed. Jeb, Irisa, and Tommy find the deserter’s dead body dumped in front of the sheriff’s station.
What did you think of last night’s episode of Defiance?
