Defiance: The End of A Journey

Ready for one final adventure?

              Is it me or did the season 3 finale of Defiance feel more like a series finale? Well even if the show does get canceled at least we will have left the show on a satisfying ending. 

We have one rule!

      Coming Full Circle

              Irisa and Nolan's story arc though having a sad ending after three seasons where they blurred the line between co-dependency and strong family bond I feel it was the only logical ending for them. Nolan realized that Irisa has a much more sensitive soul than he did when it came to preserving life and he feels guilty for making her suffer with more death. Ever since he saved her, Nolan basically dragged Irisa everywhere but leaving her on Earth gave him a chance to give his adoptive daughter a chance at happiness; to live a life of peace without war. 

Alak & Irisa look like they're going on their own journey...
together!

         Irisa's narration also feels like it finished what she started in the Pilot where she was writing about Nolan as her father and how much she loved him and continues to refer to him as her father. She mentioned how much of an influence he had been on her but how she refuses to see this separation as a death and more of Nolan being the man Irisa knows and loves: a complicated man with a heavy heart but still full of hope and a sense of adventure. It chokes me up every time I hear Nolan call Irisa "Baby Girl" so I'll still be on the verge of tears every time I watch that scene where Nolan placed Irisa in the pod to send her back to Earth where they said "I love you" and good bye.

There's some reconciliation here that's satisfying.

   Character Arcs Coming to a Close

          I also feel like a lot of character arcs have been put to a close this season. Amanda kills the man who raped her, Stahma and Datak end with a stronger marriage, Alak makes up with his parents, Stahma and Amanda are on good terms again, Doc Yewl redeeming herself by sort of sacrificing herself to become the new arc brain to help Nolan take all the Omec away, Nolan going on another adventure, and Berlin is back to help rebuild Defiance. Amanda and Nolan finally realized their feelings for each other only to be separated again but the point is they admitted that they loved each other. 

You're never too injured for one final smooch

      Yeah in season 2 they were sleeping together but they never really had "the talk" about what that meant to either of them. And I feel like they would have been separated again at some point anyway because they're both noble characters who will sacrifice themselves for those they love. Nolan will always sacrifice himself for Irisa and Amanda will always sacrifice herself for her town.

The new HAL model is pretty awesome. Has some
lip though...

      Of course there is the whole Irisa/Alak ship that's curious. It seems that these two have a bright future and we may not see that but I feel like we don't really need to see that. We feel like it's a done deal anyway since Andina was killed and Alak has shown he has a deep admiration for Irisa that is slowly growing to romantic affection. Irisa loses a member of her family only to gain a new one which is probably one of the reasons she's not seeing Nolan's departure as a huge tragedy. He gave her the chance at a normal life and love. 

You were saying how you were done with space
exploration? We're never truly done with anything

        As for Nolan it just felt right that he and Doc Yewl go on an adventure through space. In season 1, Nolan mentioned that nobody was interested in space travel anymore but the way he looked at Earth from the Omec ship with such wonder and awe gave me the feeling that perhaps Nolan wasn't coming back to Earth. Then when he said "We're going to Jackson" before Yewl sent them through hyper drive. That was in perfect line from the beginning where he and Irisa sang that in their roller starting on their biggest adventure yet. Nolan's a soldier who I feel wouldn't have done well in peace but going on a new journey, seeing new planets, and perhaps meeting new aliens is perfect for him. Also he and Yewl were kind of antagonistic the first 2 seasons so this was a perfect reconciliation for them. I'm sure she and Nolan will have a good time keeping each other company.   

Space... the final frontier...

        The ending scene with all of them standing beneath the arc felt so final and perfect that it would sort of ruin it all if there was a season 4. Though I'm sure the show would do fine without Nolan why would you? Nolan was probably one of my favorite characters and his and Irisa's father/daughter relationship was one of the central themes to the show. Without that what do you have? The shows that I really want to see renewed are Dominion, Killjoys, and Dark Matter. Besides if Nolan came back every one would be old or dead so what does that give us? Maybe if this were a novel I'd be okay with a continuation but I feel this is too perfect and satisfying (though heart breaking) of an ending to be continued. Defiance had a good run and I would be happy with this ending if the show was canceled. 

Grimm: Nick & Adalind Less Enemies?

The 2 people that shouldn't be parents together have
to build a family together

          Amazing how Nick and Adalind's relationship changed so quickly over the course of a few seasons. First they were flat out enemies then they were convenient allies and now they're going to be parents together! The season 4 finale saw Nick showing more kindness towards Adalind than he ever had before. Though now Juliet's dead what does that mean for the new parents to be?

Just when Juliet was getting interesting...

       Season 5 is set to start after a time jump (which I really hate given how season 4 ended). Nick doesn't have time to mourn his Juliet when he hears Adalind is going into labor with their son. Apparently her life is in danger during the labor. Nick will have to choose what to do. I feel like given how Adalind has changed from selfish bitch to devoted mother that she'll urge Nick to choose the baby over her. But if she survives (because it would suck to lose another character so soon into season 5 after losing Juliet) they're going to interact  a lot more. Adalind will also be looking for a new job so will Nick offer to let Adalind stay with him? That way he can see his son more often. Since his mother was murdered, Nick's son is the only blood family he has now and he may want to keep his son close. However, what about the whole hexenbiest/Grimm offspring factor?

Did someone order a head from Amazon?

     
       I feel like it'll be like with Diana. Adalind was "human" when she conceived Diana and when she got her powers back during pregnancy the baby absorbed that power too. Adalind drank that stuff to suppress her hexenbiest so I think any gene that the baby would have concerning hexenbiests would be suppressed as well but we know that Grimms are different than normal people so we don't really know. We don't know if Nick's son will ever manifest the Grimm gene either. He could be like Josh and never become a real Grimm but still he could pass that gene down so Nick's blood line is safe... for now. Though back to Adalind and Nick how will their new relationship effect the group?

Is this a labor or an exorcism?

      Adalind's like that girlfriend that you love but all your friends hate her for one reason or another. I think there will be a new sympathy for Adalind. True the first time she met them all she was mean and hateful but then they saw a new side of her when she became a mother and they developed some compassion for her especially seeing how she was after they kidnapped her baby. Adalind then became a bitch for a more nobler reason: to get her daughter back. She only took Nick's powers away because they all helped in taking away her baby so they can hate her all they want but they did something just as horrible to her. To Adalind's credit she could have aborted the second baby by Nick but that was far from her mind. Adalind's been more humble since then making it hard to hate her. She even swore that she would raise her children the right way (which I can only assume to mean that she'll raise them to be good). No doubt there will be some tension still because of what happened to Juliet but I feel like that will dwindle as the season progresses.

Congrats parents to be!

      If Adalind dies in the opening episode, Nick will have to take care of his son on his own and while it would be interesting to see him struggle with his Grimm life and being a single dad it would be more interesting to see where Nick and Adalind's new relationship can go. Also we still need to figure out why he and Adalind are connected not just as parents but also when Nick saw through Adalind's eyes and she through his when she was captured. Adalind would be the black sheep of the team but I think after a while they'll accept her. She has a lot to offer for their rebuilding of the Grimm library after most of the knowledge was lost in the fire that Juliet started. I think Adalind and Nick have more to offer the show with being parents to another extraordinary baby.

Dominion: Hot Topics

If I had to choose between electrocution and listening to
Julian bitch all day I'd choose to be fried

           There was so much I loved about "Lay Thee Before Kings" that there wasn't one part that didn't blow my mind. So many heart-rending moments, some that will have devastating consequences in the coming episodes. I couldn't do just one blog for any of them so I'm going to talk about the major hot points that hit me hard.

The worst gifts come from above

    Not Without My Brother

           Gabriel and Michael's scenes are always my favorites. They're so organic, rich with emotion. There's conflict but there's an obvious love between the Archangel brothers. Carl Beukes and Tom Wisdom have really settled on that dynamic making us all laugh and cry with each passionate outburst or encounter in general. Watching Gabriel make a sacrifice so that Michael could escape and save Alex (even when Gabriel himself still didn't believe in him as the Savior) was really stirring. 

This was a shocking turn of events

        Gabriel pushed Michael out the door to give him his best chance and because he feels he still has a job to do: killing Julian. I hope he succeeds (however I love Simon Scott Merrells and his charismatic character, Julian so I'm a bit torn on this one). If Lyrae manages to possess Gabriel perhaps Alex could evict the higher angel then because Gabriel would definitely want Lyrae gone.

I'm sure your aim will improve, kiddo

    Carry On My Wayward Son

         Every flash back is a treat! It's fun to see who our angel characters used to be and how they came to be the characters we know and love now. Not gonna lie it's weird to see Gabriel so decent and kind when interacting with humans. Seeing him play "dad" to his own Chosen One made me happy which made the tragic end all the more sad when Gabriel broke down crying as he held David's lifeless body. I actually started crying a bit. I don't cry often (if at all I'm a stoic person broken down by a bipolar mother and a case of mild depression) so it says a lot about the writing of a show if you can provoke such an emotional response from me. 

This was the straw that broke the Archangel's back

     Anyway this event gives way to Gabriel losing his faith in humanity leading to his first human killing spree. This gave us an understanding at what point the brothers began to sort of switch natures and a deeper view into Gabriel's violent anger towards mankind. For a while Michael and Gabriel were on the same page but losing a child that he raised, cared for and loved broke something in Gabriel. It's not just his daddy issues that have warped him but much more loss and heart break in the past. 

I can't look at this without getting choked up. Seriously
*sniff* Not the baby!!!!!

    Hell to Pay

          Hate to say it but I kinda felt like Claire was going to miscarry the baby at some point. But that didn't make the blow any less hard (and I was praying I was wrong). The clue for me was when Claire was first bent over in pain in the War Room. Close call but killing the baby then would have just felt like a little too much. The second clue was... hate to be a pessimist but when Claire was setting up the nursery. It felt like the perfect set up for a dark ending. 

Don't hit our Queen and her sexy genius!

       Having Claire just sitting in a room while listening to a voice over, her playing back the conversation, was just enough to set me reeling a little bit. I know Zoe had nothing to do with the attack but I'm not sure Claire will listen to reason. Like with Gabriel, losing a child can make you lose all sense of reason. The V1s are in for hell as I've seen in promotional pictures for episode 8 where Zoe's lying scraped and bleeding on the ground after a fiery explosion. Claire may be out for some vengeance and I suggest Zoe find the man behind the whole thing and hand him (David of course) over quick before Claire does something we'll all regret later. 

I set you on FIRE!

     The Original Burning Man

             He had such a short appearance but I think we've found the Prophet of Mallory. Is he an angel? Is he human at all? Maybe he's nephilim! So many questions pop into mind by just that one scene. Why is it only Noma can see him? I've been wondering what if not all the higher angels came to Earth (because maybe he's a higher angel). Though it begs the question that if God's gone are the gates of Heaven closed? Otherwise why would so many higher angels be on Earth (some for Gabriel others being neutral)? Like I said. So. Many. Questions! Hope we find out a little more next episode and if not fingers crossed for season 3! The Noma and Alex scenes in the super market were very nice too. Great comic relief mixed with horror. The kiss was very sweet. Looks like some old romantic feelings are bubbling back to the surface. And wings or no, Noma is still Noma and Alex will make sure to remind her of that.

An old general just can't die in peace

    Ace of Hearts

          One last thing, Julian is devious! One of the reasons why next to Gabriel he's my favorite character. Riesen was all set to die with his secrets but Julian comes with an ace up his sleeve. He brings in "Clementine"! Amy Bailey won't make an appearance again but I feel like this new girl will do nicely. I feel like Riesen's 8ball is suffering from a major identity crisis. Remember what Noma and Arika said, 8balls have this strange desire for the objects of the person they're possessing, the life they stole. That should include people shouldn't it? 

Please don't doom the human race for some 8ball tail

      Edward Riesen and Claire were more valuable to the human Clementine than jewels, gold, or a uniform. It would make sense for the 8ball Clementine to attach herself to the General and Claire. Personally this just proves to me just how strong someone's love can be that it can tame a savage beast like an 8ball! But is Riesen the kind of guy who would put lives in danger to satisfy his heart's desires? Events in the previous season say: Yes. Hope I'm wrong though. So far season 2 has been unpredictable which I prefer as it keeps the story all the more exciting!

Lips of a Savior

       So many questions and consequences from this episode and next episode we see some shocking yet familiar faces reemerge from the shadow. William's back in the flesh this time with some interesting scars that I'm sure have an interesting story behind them.
         

Dark Matter: 2's Healing Powers

2 doesn't go down gently

             I have a theory about why 2's wound healed so quickly. It's probably what everyone's thinking but I wanted to put it out there along with another theory that I have. 

I hope that zombie had all its shots

         Theory 1 is pretty straight forward: the immortality drug worked. Perhaps there was a new mutation and now 2's cells regenerate at an inhuman pace, which will stop her aging and stop her from getting sick. But I feel that's too obvious an answer. 

She enjoys kicking pigs' asses, buddy

         My second theory? This is a pre-existing condition. 2 had this strange ability before her memories were wiped. Android said that the infection was no where in her system. Seems impossible that not one trace of this failed serum was left in 2's body. Also it's a one in a billion chance that for some reason the immortality serum could have worked on 2. Those are unbelievable odds so unbelievable that not even science fiction could support that theory. We still don't know much about 2's old life as Portia. Why did she turn to a life of crime? Was she part of a government program or a corporation program that went wrong? Something to do with cell generation. 

There's more to be revealed about 2

        That seems the most logical explanation though you never what answers you're going to get here. Despite the fact that 2 was jettisoned out an air lock vent I doubt we've seen the last of her. It would be premature to just kill her off before the season 1 finale. I feel like we'll see her when we least expect it which will be how her secret will come out. 

Dominion: Gates & Claire/ Alex & Noma

Are they a couple? Unofficially...

          Some people aren't happy about the ship-switch on Dominion. Mainly Alex/Noma and Claire/Gates. But I have to say that this switch makes the most sense and feels the most natural especially when Claire and Alex are far apart having to put their missions before their hearts.

Is this their ritual now?

      Alex and Noma

             Technically Claire was a rebound. Hurts to say but it's true. Not long after Noma and Alex broke up he met Vega's princess. You have to wonder that if their SO didn't find out about their relationship then maybe they would still be together. As Alex said in season 1, "You thought the corps was more important to me than you?" To Alex nothing is more important than the person he loves which is why he left Vega, Claire and their unborn baby so he could protect them.  

Very romantic... despite the blood and the running
for their lives part

        Alex and Noma have been through so much not just romantically but also on the battle field. They're both soldiers and when you're in constant danger a sense of loyalty and sometimes romantic entanglement is bound to happen. Noma is a person who will sacrifice anything and everything for someone she cares about. We've seen proof of that when Noma agreed to watch over Alex (or spying as Alex put it), ended their romance to keep him in the corps because it was the only family he had left and again when she ripped her wings off to get loose so she could set Alex free. There has been spontaneous kissing now and again. Does that mean they're back together romantically? Being in battle again has brought them closer, allowed them to reconnect so there may be some old feelings resurfacing. 

As long as the baby daddy is out of the picture Gates is cool
with it

    Claire and Gates

            A couple of people are really on the fence about this pairing but to me it's very natural for Claire to move on. For one thing she thinks Alex is dead. This thought is reinforced by the idea that if Alex were alive then he would be there but she forgets he's the Chosen One and he has to save the world so his baby mama is going to have to take a back seat for the time being. Claire felt alone, surrounded by enemies and she was unsure if she could ever change the city let alone lead it. Until she found Gates, Vega's resident yet reclusive tech genius. 

Geniuses are hard to resist

        Gates seems emotionally unstable, especially in the beginning being cynical and critical of the House of Riesen; however as time passed, Gates became 100% Team Claire. He admires her spirit, sense of mercy, and noble nature. Gates hates the V-system seeing it as a corrupt and unfair institution separating the haves and have-nots. But unlike Old Man Riesen, Claire sees that the V-system is an issue too and wants to abolish it or at least make it more fair. Claire is a leader Gates can believe in and for Claire it's nice to have someone who believes in her and can be relied upon. Gates risked his life going down into the tunnels, facing rebels and gun fire to take down Zoe's propaganda speech so that Claire could address her people and rally them. Before Claire was pregnant, alone, burdened with her father's old mess of government but with Gates it's a bit easier and more bearable. Gates is kinda growing on me but I still feel like he's hiding something. We may find out what that is before the season's over.

Breakfast at Riesen's...

       Given how events are progressing it looks like Alex and Claire will meet again and no doubt there will be some awkwardness ahead for them. It'll be hard but I feel like there will also be some understanding between them. Like it or not Claire and Alex are very important and must put aside their feelings and desires for the greater good if they're to save the world.

Noma made the ultimate sacrifice for love

       

Dominion: David vs Claire

The line has been drawn. Literally!

            Very happy that I'm back from vacation after the burning sun, mosquito bites and a hangover just in time for the next all new episode of Dominion! Last we left Vega, David drew a line in the sand. Literally! Well in this case he drew a line of bombs dividing the city in two with the agri-towers on the V1's side I believe. That's not good... 

You're welcome for me saving your life

         I was actually surprised at what David did. He was adamant through out season 1 and half of season 2 that the V1s were at the bottom of the food chain and that they should stay there. But that was before he saw their poor living conditions. I suppose a part of him felt sympathy or at least appealed to the good man we know is buried in there somewhere (just very very VERY deep). However it begs the question of why didn't he accept Claire's offer to become a V4 or higher again and help her with reform?

Vega you're about to have a serious problem

        A part of me thinks that David still wants to be on top no matter his circumstances. He still holds this firm belief that the V-system should stay the way it is to keep order it's just now it seems more fair giving the V1s power over the food supply. Claire would have to negotiate a trade or some other compromise in order to feed the other Vs. And that's not the only issue now...

I bet you Arika has a harem

        We finally understand some of Arika's plan which is to take over Vega so that the citizens of Helena have a new home. Apparently Helena is suffering horrible conditions that are making the city uninhabitable. The good news is that Arika likes Claire and doesn't want to kill her even though killing Claire would benefit her plans. On the other hand even though Claire isn't on Arika's hit list the rest of Vega's citizens are and that means a lot more people are going to die in this civil war.

Okay we're gonna blow shit up now & it's gonna be awesome

       As a person who prefers compromise to war, I feel like everyone should just have a sit down and talk things out but as a realist I don't think that will happen without heads rolling plus it wouldn't be realistic for these characters. There's a lot of anger in Vega and David has made it so much worse (as he likes to do) by dividing the city in half. It's round 2 on the David vs Claire battle royal but I'm holding out hope that Zoe will have a change of heart and realize that Claire was never her enemy. I feel like the 2 of them could make the city better if they just work together. I love how unpredictable many of these characters are. It makes the story that much more fun! 

        
        

Dominion: New Alliances to Last?

Uh Oh what did Alex & Noma find out now?

                 Last episode we've seen some new alliances form but will any of them last past the next episode? 

David wants to join the "Destroy Claire Riesen Club"!

     David + The V1s

Zoe looks trapped. David is more than likely responsible

           We all know that David will do anything to get back on top and that he has no intention of abolishing the oppressive V-system but does Zoe know that? I feel like Zoe is smart enough to know that David is a snake but she's also the type to let anger cloud her judgment. Otherwise she would have seen that Claire is intent on reform and helping the V1s and would stop making things difficult for her. It would be better if Zoe allied with Claire to help her better understand the V1s and their poor living conditions. I guarantee that once David gets what he wants he'll drop Zoe like a hot potato and keep the V-system exactly the way it is. That is if he doesn't have Zoe killed first...

Raise your hand if you think Gates is a suspicious character

         Also am I the only one who suspects that Gates is undermining Claire and that he's helping the V1 rebels? He's supposed to be the smartest guy in the city but Zoe alludes him? Something doesn't feel right.

By the way our sister's dead

    Michael + Gabriel

             This is a more complicated relationship given that they're brothers. Michael and Gabriel have a love/hate brother dynamic where they're always on the opposing side but they still love each other. This means they'll come together only to fall apart immediately after one betrays the other or at the earliest disagreement. Gabriel seems determined to skin Alex alive in hopes of decoding the tattoos himself (though we know if Uriel, a scary genius, couldn't do it then he certainly won't). Michael is determined to get Alex out of New Delphi and to try again to guide him (if Alex lets him that is). So let's just hope Michael gets to Alex first before Gabriel...

I bet you Gabriel will think that gun is cute

   Alex + Julian

          Julian seems to be an unpredictable character bent on going to extreme lengths to protect his secrets as well as his new home. He and Alex are agreed on defeating Gabriel but Julian may not stop at one Archangel. Also Julian has proven to be untrustworthy when it comes to sharing his methods of attack or defense. We already lost Pete after Alex discovered a few of New Delphi's dark secrets. I shudder to think who else we'll lose if Alex finds out something else. After seeing a few promos I saw that Michael gets captured. I feel like the alliance will depend on Alex's reaction to that. True that Alex is still pissed at Michael for what happened in Vega but Alex isn't the punishing kind. I feel like as soon as Michael is in real danger by Julian the alliance will dissolve. 

Old Man's gotta gun!

      All it takes is one wrong move, one betrayal for a partnership to crumble. All of these alliances are marriages of convenience which seem tenuous and could shatter at any moment. If any of them last past 1 or 2 episodes I'll be surprised. 

Dark Matter: Who Erased Their Memories?

All are suspect until proven guilty.

             Little by little we're getting to know the back grounds of each of our amnesia afflicted characters: 3 is a bounty hunter who turned his life around (a little), 4 is a disgraced prince, 5 is a space urchin, 6 is an ex-rebel, and 1 is a former CEO seeking revenge for the death of his wife which 3 may be responsible for. It was discovered that one of them intentionally wiped the others' memories but accidentally wiped their own as well. Based on what we know let's see who's the likely candidate.

We all knew they were going to do the dirty eventually

       It could be 1. He has the best motive. What better way to subdue your enemy than to wipe his or her memory to make them vulnerable? Even more so to make the witnesses forgetful as well so they don't catch up with you? Afterwards 1 could return to his original face and the witnesses would be on a wild goose chase after the real Jase Corso. 1 went to extremes to get on the Rasa. He was most likely the one that tipped off the police about Jase Corso so he could con his way onto the ship. Even in 5's trip down memory lane, "Corso" didn't seem the criminal type. The original Corso is a sociopath. But then again a memory wipe doesn't seem like 1's style. He went to great lengths to get to 3 for what he may have done to his wife. Revenge wouldn't seem as satisfying if the guy doesn't remember the crime against you. 

Is she a fan girl? She looks like a fan girl...

      5 could be a candidate. 3 was about to eject her into space but somehow 5 talked her way out of it or 3 had a change of heart because we now know he's not a total tool. Wiping all of their memories would allow for her to blend in but I suppose I would need more information because I still don't know why she was put in the pod along with the rest.

Oooo what's in the box?

Hey, long time no see

      Then it could be 6 or 4. But I don't see the point in doing so. Both have scores to settle. 4 has a family feud and 6 has some boss to get back at for making him accomplice to murdering innocent people. Those are big grudges and neither 4 or 6 seem the type to let those rest so they wouldn't care about these other bounty hunters or what they knew about their real agendas. 

It's hard to concentrate with a gun pointed at my head

       3 is a possible suspect. He had a stowaway on the ship. He could have had a plan to erase the other crew's memories in order to help his girlfriend to find a cure for her disease or get her a better treatment. But he seems the type who likes the direct approach. Memory wipe seems too smart or subtle for him.

We hit the bag but we don't hit people... unless they piss us off

       Which brings me to 2. She is by far the most secretive even for a person with memory loss. Using memory wipe seems like her style. She's subtle and likes to play it close to the vest. She got up in everyone's business for keeping secrets when she's the one keeping a very big one. Hypocritical, defensive, and not much for conversation whether it's sharing her plans or her feelings. My money is on 2. 

You're definitely hiding something... they all are!

       I don't know which one of these guys did the memory wipe but it still could be any one of them. I have stronger suspicions towards 2 but I could be wrong. That's what's fun about this show. With everyone having amnesia it makes the mystery all the more exciting.