Defiance: A Farewell to Niles Pottinger

He was the Devil! But he was OUR Devil!

                Wow! Defiance is turning into Game of Thrones, killing off a lot of my favorite characters. Recently we've said good bye to our favorite sociopath, E-Rep's Niles Pottinger (played by James Murray). His appearance and departure in season 3 was too short and too soon! Not that I didn't like how he exited but they couldn't hold off on it for 3 more episodes?  

Up for a boy's day out in the woods? That came out wrong

       Pottinger was a sociopathic borderline personality (which means he over valued relationships and we've seen his museum of obsession to prove it) and he was obsessed with Connor Lang, Amanda's ex. Then once Connor died Niles moved on to his next obsession: Connor's ex Amanda. Amanda gets all the guys even the crazy ones. At first glance at the end of episode 1 of season 2 you feel like you have to hate this guy. He's a peeping Tom spying on Amanda and emotionally manipulating her by giving her drugs and going full Frankenstein with bringing Kenya to life. Jesus. But it was hard to dislike Pottinger entirely. 

School boy crush. So sweet... then it got weird & disturbing

        Turns out Niles was abused by V.C. soldiers and that's pretty bad. He also saved a Bioman's life and was loathe to sacrifice him in order to save his own life. Niles's sad face over mourning Churchill and getting torn down by his boss for a failed mission kinda had me going "awwwwww." You also got the sense that Niles knew that he was twisted. 

He's definitely crazy like Dr. Frankenstein

        Running into an hallucination of Connor showed us Pottinger at his biggest self-loathing point. Then buried under rubble he offered to kill himself so that Amanda would have enough oxygen to await a rescue. "You don't know the things I've done. I am a monster." Pretty much sums it up. He was willing to do one decent thing after causing Amanda such pain (and we learn just how much he had a hand in that). You have to admit Niles was an interesting guy. Fascinating, charismatic, clever and a bit complex. However we can't ignore a crucial fact...

"So any traumas you wanna share while we're high?"

        As it turns out, Niles was the one that raped Amanda all those years ago. He got her pregnant which Amanda aborted thereby destroying her relationship with Connor. Pottinger went full Old Yeller where we had to put him down and it was a justifiable end with Amanda fulfilling a revenge fantasy against her attacker. It was pretty satisfying. Truthfully that was the only logical end for Niles Pottinger. 

Diamonds are forever. You totally misread the situation, dude

      It's pretty horrifying finding out you got close and slept with your rapist who's been stalking you your entire life. Amanda poured out her soul to this guy about how she was assaulted and how that shattered her world and all along her attacker sat there not saying a word, looking shocked! Amanda was wrong: it wasn't by some miracle her attacker followed her to Defiance but by assignment courtesy of the Earth Republic. So I can't help but feel good for Amanda for getting some form of closure for that dark chapter in her life. 

Niles needed the gun for protection. He should have just
carried a condom if he wanted protection...

      Despite his tragic end, I'm going to miss Niles Pottinger. He made things interesting and I think if he hadn't said those fateful words: "Amanda, you're mine" then he would have stuck around a little longer to entertain us with his insanity as well as his charm. I think after Amanda refused to come to New York with him and realizing that he may never see her again made Niles snap. His goal was to insert himself into her life and without his addiction he became unhinged leading to his slip up which exposed all of his lies. So have a single malt and toast our mad Brit who delighted us with his twisted personality and stunning smile. 

His own perfect Eden. But he was more Serpent than Adam...

The Messengers: Why We Fight Review

             No Messengers tonight until July 10th. Very sad right now. Though this review is late I feel it's best shared on a night when The Messengers isn't airing to keep up it's hype. Despite cancellation news, the ratings for this show continue to rise. Right now rejoice because the Devil is on our side (sorry that came out all kinds of wrong)!

Welcome back! You avoided that white light we warned
you about...

     The Lazarus Effect

               We last left our Messengers grappling with the thought of making their own deal with the Devil. Despite the benefits, Raul was still adamant the whole way through that it was a bad idea. Being that the Devil was responsible for Cesare's death, it's understandable that Raul would reject any offer Satan gave him. Still they needed Joshua so on the count of 1o, the Messengers agreed to tell the Devil about Joshua's vision about the Ploughman brothers. Farming and Famine? Perfect fit. Satisfied, Satan uttered some dark mojo, dark wings spread, over Joshua's cold corpse then presto! Joshua lives! Though he was less than happy to hear how he came to be alive again. He tells Koa that he was on his way to Heaven but felt a cold grip pull him back. He wonders if he'll go to hell now that the Messengers made that deal. Technically they'll go to hell since they made the deal, Joshua, but if you stop the Apocalypse you'll all get a pass I'm sure. Then Satan disappears leaving our Messengers as well as our Horseman to their devices. 

Wanna play Go Fish?

     Amtrak Blues

            Wasting no time, The Messengers decide to train hop to their next Horseman. Luckily Alan was invited. He always seems to lighten the mood with his humor and quick thinking. Though it wasn't the smooth ride they were hoping it would be. Is it ever? A law man recognizes Peter and Raul subdues him. So much for a smooth train ride. Being fugitives, Erin, Raul, and Peter have to hoof it to their destination. Though this troubles Joshua (apparently the new leader, that's just my opinion) our 3 fugitives end up exactly where they're supposed to be when they happen upon the tree and tire swing in Joshua's vision. But this was also a great time for our preacher and con artist to get to know each other better. Another thing we also got to know the cost of Koa's gift. Every time she takes on someone's identity she loses a piece of herself or a memory. These gifts are starting to feel like metaphors for our heroes. Joshua and Koa leaned on each other for support as well as gave each other encouraging advice. Joshua didn't think he was a great leader and Koa was starting to fear her uncertain future. Both gave the other sound advice and good support. It shows that the Messengers aren't just a group of random strangers now but forming a close knit family.

If only the kid wasn't here we could make out hard

           Getting some good old Southern hospitality, Raul, Erin and Peter stay with a nice farm family. Turns out the ranch hand was sabotaging the farm by salting the crops and all for money. The Ploughmen wanted to buy every inch of farm land to test out their own Smart Rain. That wasn't the only victory on that farm though. Feeling sympathy for a young calf (a boy no less) separated from it's mother, Peter does a kindness and reunites mother and child. I thought it was a nice touch. It mirrored Peter's tragic story where society separated Peter from his mother, the one true person that loved him, thereby destroying both of their lives. For Peter getting a calf back to his mother was like living vicariously through them in a way. Either way it just felt right. 

Ahh the fresh scent of Gain

       Carry On My Stolen Son

              Vera and Alan split off from the group once she realizes she's close to finding her son. The Devil's St. Monica pendant led her to the Fairburn's residence. Unfortunately they weren't there because the Devil called ahead. Why must he play games with Vera's heart?! Vera's probably the strongest person of the team. Despite all the dead ends and false hopes, she finds a way to keep on searching and doesn't give up. Now she has a new support group to help her get through this. This also renews my hatred of the Fairburns. I do believe the Devil is a man of his word (he got Koa her money back) and suspect that something terrible will happen where the Fairburns will have to seek Vera out or that they'll cross paths with the Messengers (since Satan had another job for them). Like with the calf and his mother, nothing seems right until mother and son reunite again. 

Feeling so crushed right now... well not yet

     This World is Going Up in Flames

             Now the Horsemen are up to no good as usual. Leland has a right to fear the Devil now that he's not playing on their team anymore. But Richards isn't scared (what a dummy). They're focusing on their plans for world domination my messing with the Devil's landing platform. There's that one pesky unknown element that they just can't seem to extract without it exploding. Yet in spite of this set back, Richards sees the bright side. Or dark side I guess in this case. That may work out for her but Vera getting crushed and only getting non-Messenger Alan is definitely a set back. Or maybe Alan secretly is the 7th Messenger. I rule nothing out. And Vera is in a whole lot of trouble right now. The 6 minute out of body experience is the least of her worries as her body is locked in the trunk of a car about to become a metal cube. 

I don't know much about science but I do know money
and this will make us all rich!

        We've reached the final Horseman and I'm guessing Smart Rain will be about as helpful to mankind as Siri was for the iPhone but we still only have 3 episodes left. The producers have promised a satisfying ending since the show has been canceled which is all I can ask for at this point. Otherwise if there was a cliffhanger I'll be depressed for a month because I'll never know the outcome! Crazy yes but I'm weird like that. For now console yourselves with binging the hell out of The Messengers from the Pilot to the nail biting cliffhanger of "Why We Fight". 


          

            

Agents of SHIELD: SHIELD vs Inhumans?

SHIELD radio with Coulson as the deejay

           Never done a blog on Agents of SHIELD before but better late than never. This post I wanted to discuss what SHIELD's future with the Inhumans may look like. Ward is staying evil (thank you) and may become the new head of Hydra but the future with the Inhumans feels more uncertain.

Jiaying was crazy but she had some good points

         For starters, SHIELD has already made a bad impression. Though it was through no fault of their own Hydra made their first attack on Inhumans. They kidnapped and cut up Jiaying and SHIELD unwittingly kidnapped baby Skye. Essentially they broke up a family (but as I've said it was through no fault of their own). Inhumans have survived for hundreds of years because they kept to themselves. They know being outed would spell death and destruction for them. However now SHIELD knows who they are and may keep pushing for them to be put on the Index. Not good.

So much for the welcome wagon

       Coulson said so himself the Index acts a sort of FBI Watch List which feels more or less like a criminal profile. Coulson could try and spin it all he wants but the Inhumans won't like being monitored as if they were criminals. They know they're gifts are dangerous which is why they have their own system: psyche evaluations, physical preparation, and providing a safe environment far away from civilization to prevent catastrophe. Seems to me they have a pretty good system with only a minor breach in security. That minor breach unfortunately was handled by SHIELD. 

Lincoln has quite the spark

       Though we all understand why May killed Katia to the Inhumans (as well as to Jiaying) only reaffirmed their wariness of SHIELD. Also the Inhumans and SHIELD have different methods for the "welcome wagon". Another thing Jiaying mentioned that putting them on some list was similar to what has been happening to the human race for a long time. Mostly the Jewish population had to suffer being monitored and outed to prevent them from gaining employment. America has done the same with African Americans and the Japanese citizens in World War II. SHIELD may try to deny it but their method hits closer to being Big Brother.

Skye has the force!

       When Skye first emerged from her stone chrysalis she was put in quarantine. The isolation was terrifying as well as a cold treatment despite her visitors. Fitz was the hero for Skye when he accepted her for her new self and gave her hug telling her that there was nothing wrong with her. Jiaying gave Gordon and perhaps countless others Fitz's treatment. The transformation was scary but Jiaying was ready with a hug and some words of encouragement which seems to work better than placing them in a glass box. SHIELD may have to adjust their protocols if they want to make friends. 

This may cause problems for them...

      And Skye will definitely be put in the middle. So far her relationship with the Inhumans has caused some tension between her and SHIELD. There may be times where she'll have to choose a side. Skye and Coulson have a surrogate father-daughter relationship but a wedge is forming between them. When Skye came back after they rescued Lincoln, she spent most of her time with him in recovery more than with her own team. Personally I think being beside Lincoln was the best choice given his distrust of SHIELD. Also SHIELD's treatment and arguments about her new friends seemed to catch Skye off guard. She's a compassionate person who wants to protect everyone but SHIELD isn't going to just let the Inhumans to live as they had before without some oversight from them. 

I need a hug...

         While I'm sure not all the Inhumans agreed with Jiaying's war-like method of protecting them, I'm pretty sure they agree that SHIELD may not have their best interests at heart. SHIELD's job is to protect humanity from the weird and alien things that exist out there. Sometimes that means fighting on the home front. The solution is collaboration. Instead of putting the Inhumans on some watch list, the Inhumans could share their methods of selection and records of people who went through the mist. All the Inhumans want is to be treated as equals. Besides SHIELD is going to need the Inhumans now that the crystals have contaminated fish supplements and we may see more Inhumans evolve.

This is war

KillJoys: Bringing the Fire

Bounty hunters in space. YES!

         SyFy is living up to expectations with it's space operas and sagas. Their newest success (at least in my opinion) is KillJoys. It's like Firefly and Nikita had a baby together and raised KillJoys. We got some space bounty hunters in a distant part of space (we're geek enough to know that this is far in the future) and a mystery femme fatale with kick ass moves but also has a heart of gold. 

I need a vacation

        We start out strong with Dutch (femme fatale with heart of gold played by Hannah John-Kamen) rescuing her platonic friend and partner John (Aaron Ashmore). It was quite a twist in that fight scene and we know right away who's top dog in this dynamic. I can't be the only one getting a Freudian vibe from that scene where Dutch was sporting a gun beneath her skirt that was on a mechanism making it rise. She certainly has a bigger piece between her legs than every guy in that room (more on Dutch's awesomeness later). The setting is very vibrant with a rich background of religion, politics, and everyday life in this universe. Was that Scar Back Priest being hung by hooks??? 

You caught me a little under dressed...

        Some curious characters with mysterious pasts. We have D'avin (I think that's how it's spelled; and played by Luke MacFarlane) who suffers from PTSD or "battle brain" who has gone off radar and only resurfaces when a kill order was put out on him. Johnny being a considerate brother decides to bend and break some RAC regulations and save him. Being grateful D'avin feels he needs to be a better brother and look out for Johnny and he's starting with finding out more about Dutch. His interest seems to be a mix between attraction as well as suspicion which is always a spicy combination to make any pairing hot. Needless to say D'avin will be sticking around to watch his brother's back... and Dutch's (for ambiguous purposes). Though so far we've seen Johnny is completely loyal to Dutch and it'll take more than his estranged brother's suspicions to convince him that Dutch is no good. 

I didn't even get to have some champagne

The cavalry has arrived

       The character that perhaps stood out the most to me was Dutch. She was the real star. Her most memorable fight scene was at the end. She walks in slow motion then lets loose her little spider bombs that were her necklace. Then she starts twirling around and kicking ass like a dangerous ballerina. While everyone compares KillJoys to Firefly I like to add Nikita because it seems that Dutch has had special training as a professional killer but then one day had enough and wanted to be free to live her own life. She's not exactly a freedom fighter but she doesn't take kill orders and minimizes damage when necessary. For me Dutch is the star as she seems to stand out most and is the most enigmatic character on the show. What was in that red box and who was that guy that's stalking her?

Summer is getting sexier

       I'm very excited for KillJoys. My summer is looking good so far. 

      


    

Defiance Season 3 Premiere

Home is where the danger is...

            I kind of have mixed feelings about the Defiance Season 3 premiere. I feel like we've cut half the cast but at the same time added some interesting new ones. Since good news is better received after bad news I'm going to start with what I didn't like about the premiere:

     
    What I Didn't Like:

Don't go all Shakespeare on my now...

          1. They basically wiped out the entire MaCauly family (except for crazy Pelar which is also what I didn't like). Though I understand why they had to kill off Quinton and Christie. Kind of felt like they were weighing the story down and their stories were finished but they couldn't spare the family Patriarch? Just when he and the Tarrs were getting along! Which leads us to number 2...

What year is it???

         2. The time jump to seven months basically skipped all the best parts. Datak and Rafe started out as enemies in season 1 then slowly into reluctant allies through season 2 and by the end they bonded accepting each other as being a part of their screwed up family. We missed them bonding over the course of those 7 months while they tracked down psycho Pelar. Come on!

What no Letter Opener?

         3. Another thing, Pottinger wasn't there to brighten things up with his charisma. All we got was "He's gone." Feels like a cheat given all the effort and planning E-Rep Mayor put into seducing Amanda and trying to get into her pants only to leave shortly afterwards. Plus the E-Rep didn't really live up to the totalitarian regime they let us believe themselves to be. More like they provided a better infrastructure for the town. The only problems were that a few citizens didn't like being occupied by them. That's it. Although them leaving as soon as the gulonite was no longer accessible was characteristic of them. New York was destroyed and without the gulonite the Earth Republic is scrambling to get itself together that plus quite a few desertions in their military. Just hope Niles returns because he and Amanda are definitely unfinished. She still hasn't found that footage he has of when he was a peeping Tom! She needs to kick his ass for that (anything goes except the face though).

If he's a unicorn then I'm a fairy

      4. The Omecs want to conquer the world. Boring! Would have been better if there were just a few of them looking for a new home, fitting into the theme of the show where all these different races have to share a planet and given all the Votans hate the Omecs (probably even over the Volge) it would have made for a better story. 

Where's that evil smile we love to fear?

      5. This is a minor detail that I won't fuss over: In season 2 Christie eluded to the idea that her baby was going to be a girl. Everyone kept saying it would be a boy or just automatically calling it a "he" but Christie seemed to have this secret knowledge that it was a "she". If she can smell poison despite the mask of fruit juice then why not know the sex of her baby? Just feels like I was cheated over this one. 

I think that guy has a skin condition

      6. Another small detail: The Votan Collective's plan to destroy the human race to claim the planet. Like the Omecs' plan so boring! Be creative though I'll contradict myself later about this...


    What I Liked About It:

They Red Wedding-ed it 

        1. Strangely what I didn't like about it is what I also liked. Killing off the MaCauly clan was depressing but the impact of their deaths made for dramatic effect so we got some form of closure. Rafe hung on just long enough to see his grandson for the first and last time and no joke my eyes were watering as my chest tightened as Rafe breathed his last before he could even finish his nostalgic sentence. Even Christie's death was satisfying in the sense that she got to curse Rahm Tak in Casti and seeing her give the okay for Stahma to kill her to save little Lucas was emotionally powerful. The Tarrs and MaCaulys really came together in the end. It fits with the show's common theme: what are you willing to do to protect your family? 

She's foaming at the mouth! no wait that's blood

     2. The Omec's desire to conquer the planet may be unimaginative but introducing this dirty secret that the Votans have been hiding is very creative. It expands the Votan mythology in an inventive way. The Omecs were the first Votan race to evolve and they spent most of their time making the other Votans suffer using them as slaves for hard labor and sex and some Votans elude to the idea that Omecs would eat their servants when they tired of them. 

You like my "head" ornaments? Get it? Because they're heads?

      3. While the V.C.'s motivation is not unexpected it fits with the show's environment. The V.C. and E-Rep were two evil powers holding grudges against each other both wanting dominance over the other. We also get to see the Votan Collective in full force or as much force as they can be at this point. The E-Rep and V.C. had their head quarters destroyed by Kiziri so both are crippled but the V.C. is using this to try out their own manifest destiny on the planet. And Rahm Tak? Starting to love that psycho. Like Niles Pottinger, Tak's got charisma and a presence on screen. We're supposed to hate him but I feel he's not so black and white. (Seriously though bring Pottinger back!)

She may be little but she is fierce!

      4. Irisa is an ever evolving character with real depth. She's tough but underneath Irisa has a compassionate heart. After killing so many people, Irisa has a real self-loathing and a reluctant trigger finger. We may see her try to resort to reason more than violence though it's clear Nolan is still the shoot first kind of guy which will lead to conflict between them.

Chill bro!

      5. I liked Nolan's sort of bromance with T'evgin. Both of them are fathers with difficult volatile daughters that the world is ready to attack. I felt immediately that Nolan was going to identify with the Omec more than with any one else in town. He and Kindza (is that her name?) seem to have a curious chemistry. Nolan loves going after the kind of girl that can kick his ass. Anything with a weapon attached to her thigh, eh Nolan? But this too is rich in conflict that will drive a wedge between Nolan and Irisa. The Votans talked about how the Omec are cannibals but the producer mentioned that the Omec used the other Votan races as sex slaves so maybe Kindza's interest in Nolan is more of physical attraction. I'm guessing Omec females are like female spiders who eat their mates after copulation. Again Nolan attracts the most dangerous type of female. 

We're about to open a can of crazy on this town... again

         I feel like Defiance is a show that likes to change it's environment constantly which is great because it makes for good drama as you keep your characters (and your audience) on their toes (as with those Nolan death scares every season which is turning into a pattern) but at the same time it feels awkward. I'm reserving judgement for the rest of the season but as far as I can tell I think the season is going to be one of the most tense and electrifying season yet. 

Dark Matter Review

Now that's an alarm clock. I bet you were having a nice dream too

             SyFy is hot with it's new shows lately. My latest favorite is Dark Matter. A space opera with influences from Firefly and a bit of Farscape (and I want to say Babylon 5 but I'm not entirely sure). Here were things I liked about it.

Nap time's over the ship is dying!

        The over all style is appealing. Dark and creepy it provokes a claustrophobic feeling as the camera zooms and spins onto a ship sounding the warning alarms. Plus you see these people stranded in space with no memories of who they are or why they're there. Then we add in some heartless corporations bent on sucking the galaxy dry of resources for profit. Right now they're mostly a shadow, which benefits them in this setting. It's always more frightening when dealing with a faceless, amorphous entity than to actually see what you're dealing with. These corporations seem to have a far reach. It has all the makings of a space opera. 

You're going to need a bigger gun

           Some actors I've seen while I see some new faces. The chemistry between the cast is interesting. I wouldn't say perfect because there's still some improvement to be made. However, it sort of reflects their characters' chemistry where you have 7 strangers thrown together into this scary situation. Since there's no where to run and no one can leave it sort of forces these characters to interact and work together to try and get out of this terrifying situation. So by extension they learn more about each other (as well as themselves given the memory loss thing) and already we see some characters forming a bond while others remain suspicious of the rest of the crew.   

Because guns solve everything...

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!

          I feel like this is going to be a character driven story. Characters assign themselves numbers until we learn their names at the very last minute (making a bigger impact after they thought they figured out they were supposedly the "good guys"): 1 - Jace Corso; 2 - Portia Lin; 3 - Marcus Boone; 4 - Ryo Tetsudo; and 6 - Griffin Jones. They all have interesting personalities that's a mixture of their old selves and their new clean slates. They have the muscle memory of their old selves but they also have an infancy quality to them. They band together out of a common fear of lost identity but at the same time they kind of fall into roles that may hint at a familiar pattern. 

This android has been eating her nanite wheaties

So I'm guessing everyone forgot where they sleep too?
This'll be awkward if they find something weird under the bed

        Portia (once called 2) right away seemed to take over the crew. Everyone just started following her lead. She's not just a pretty face being calculating as well as practical with a strong voice of reason to keep everyone on task. Boone (3) feels violence is the answer to every problem. Ryo (4) is the strong warrior silent type. While Ryo and Boone's violent nature is still present (reminiscent of their criminal selves), Jace, Griffin, and 5 have a more wide-eyed innocent nature. Jace seems to be more idealistic, ready to believe that he was a "good guy" who helps people. Griffin seems to be the same way as he and Portia start to bond immediately with 5. Of course no one ever wants to see themselves as the villain which was why the ending was so shocking for them. Jace and Griffin are outspoken wanting to help people in need and do the right thing but they find out that they are actually criminals sent to destroy the people of the mining colony. Bummer! Do they continue with the mission they were sent on or will they decide to become the good guys to make up for their past sins?

That hair ain't the only weird thing about this girl

        Still don't know who the girl is but like River Tam in Firefly she's got a big brain, a disarming cuteness but has a disturbing knowledge of how to kill someone while being totally casual about it. Already you can see she is the crew darling (except for Boone who reminds me of Jayne). She also seems to be having visions of her old life. Seeing as her record hasn't been recovered one may assume that she was the one the crew of the infamous Raza had kidnapped. We may assume but I won't hold onto the assumption until we find out more.

He doesn't like guns

          All in all I think it was a great introduction to the season. Pilots don't usually go well as the writers try to find their voice but Dark Matter seems to have nailed it. Amnesia seems cliché but at the same time a great plot device giving it some original content and making it more unique than previous shows like Star Trek, Firefly, and Farscape that featured in the same setting. I can't wait to see how much more this show has to offer.