So sad to see this show end for the season, mostly because I have grown to love the Rockne O’Bannon epic as much as his other works. This only makes me more afraid of it being cancelled, but there’s no sense worrying about things we can’t control right? Looks like I will be diving into the video game once again during the off-season to get my Defiance fix!
But faithful readers you’re not here to read my lamentations on this awesome SYFY show, you’re here because you want to know what happened in the final two episodes of the season, right?! Well here we go!
Warning: Major Spoilage Lay Ahead!!
Episode 12 “All Things Must Pass”
This is episode where secrets are discovered, relationships are healed, and people die. I would think that SYFY would have a little more sense when it runs its previews, luckily I missed this major spoiler, unfortunately my wife did not. But let’s get that out of the way, the fate of Tommy. In the previous episode Irisa, who is possessed by “Irzu” aka the computer Ark-brain, stabbed Tommy and left him for dead. Luckily she did not kill Nolan, mostly because Irisa still has some sort of control over it.
Nolan puts Tommy on a sled and starts the long journey back to Defiance on foot. As the snow falls, Tommy starts to have hallucinations that look back on his life in Defiance since the time that Nolan and Irisa entered his life. Sadly he loses more and more blood, the more desperate the situation becomes. Nolan decides to cauterize the wound to try and stop the bleeding. Tommy has two different visions/memories, one of the first time he meets Nolan after the Battle of the Volge and the other in which he proposes to Irisa. All of this is very bittersweet, but you can only assume that the end is near for our favorite deputy. Sadly, Tommy does not make it to Defiance and he dies just as they are close enough to see the protective net that covers Defiance. When Nolan reaches the gate, Berlin is there, and she realizes that her ex-boyfriend is dead. Nolan tells her that Irisa is not herself and continues into the city, leaving Tommy’s body with Berlin and the ERep guards.
Pilar visits Rafe in prison and we learn that perhaps she isn’t the most stable person on the planet. In fact we learn that at one point she actually attacked Christie. All the while Rafe acts very distant from his wife, but grants her wish when she asks to kiss him. Even after all of this Rafe is still very concerned with his wife’s well-being. He asks if she is still sick, she claims that she is not. We will see.
The “seduction” of Amanda Rosewater continues as we watch the skeevy Mayor continues to play his lies and treachery to win her heart. All season long we have waited for him to get caught by Amanda and his true intention be revealed. In this episode they almost do, but for some reason Amanda still falls for this guy! At the beginning of the episode we see Stahma and Datak Tarr “fixing” their relationship, by having sex together at Datak’s run-down apartment. Stahma tries once again to “bargain” with her husband for an equal share to the family business. When Stahma once agains proposes that they become equal partners Datak freaks out and sends her away. Once outside Stahma is grabbed from behind and taken, the same happens to Datak when he hears a knock at the door. Assuming it’s his wife, he answers and is assaulted and taken.
The two are taken to an abandoned silo where they are tied up. During this time the two are able to talk things out and Datak actually admits to his downfalls! Especially when it is revealed who kidnapped them. It turns out it was Mayor Niles who has served up the killers of Kenya Rosewater to her sister. What a crazy plan for this madman! Of course things don’t go as planned because Amanda is a good person, and she scolds Niles for his actions. Not that it stops her from hooking up with the creep later on in the episode. Being such a strong character, I really don’t understand why she goes for this guy! Stahma and Datak are released and they take out their revenge on the people responsible for betraying them to the EReps, THEIR OWN MEN!! They quick dispose of Raiga and the other two Castithans with poison, and the lovers have a clean slate. Stahma even allows Datak to return home. Just wait till Alak and Christie get a load of this news!
Doc Yewll has been living in the mines ever since she was labeled a war criminal. With the Ego implant still in place Doc is having a good old time hanging out with her hallucination of a girlfriend Lev. When she runs out of food it’s time to sneak up to the surface to acquire more. Lev is leading the way apparently, because hallucinations make the best tour guides. Along the way they discover the Kiziri. The ships AI is quickly able to hack the EGO implant and Lev is all about becoming one with the ship. Of course Doc isn’t about to let the end of the world just happen, so she removes the implant and says goodbye to the memories of her lover. It’s time to get to the surface and warn everyone.
Nolan goes to Cai, who has been having visions of the past ever since his encounter with Irisa. Nolan takes him by force, telling him that he has no other choice than help him to stop Irisa. The episode ends with Irzu controlling Irisa as she unleashes the orbiting arks in position and unleashes their destructive power onto New York City!
Episode 13 “I Almost Prayed”
Well New York City has been destroyed and the terra-forming of Earth has begun! Who can stop it?! The citizens of Defiance are faced with two choices, Nolan’s plan of reuniting Cai with Irisa, or take the her out! As usual the lot of them choose to do things by force, especially being so desperate after the attack on NYC. Doc has returned to Definace and is quickly arrested, she makes a deal with the Viceroy to help take down the threat, for her freedom of course.
Nolan’s plan involves getting Cai and Irisa back together, seeing that their ancestors were the ones that stopped this thousands of years before. He assumes that the same will happen this time around, but no one else has the faith that Nolan does. In fact, they all believe that he is blinded by his love for Irisa. Even Amanda doesn’t trust him to do the right thing, so she has the Viceroy arrest him. After a struggle, he and Cai are finally taken into custody. Of course this doesn’t last long, when they get to the jail to lock the two up, Nolan takes out the EReps like a badass! He even takes a tazer to the chest, standing up to it all the while dragging the soldier towards him! Cai and Nolan finally take out all of the EReps and they take off after the assassination party. Time is running out, because Irisa has positioned the arks above Defiance, and readies the Terraspheres to destroy the city!
Pilar is visiting the Tarr’s and of course things aren’t going so well between her and Stahma. She is requesting that Christie, Alak, and their child come live under her roof. Of course Stahma refuses. Later Pilar reveals to Christie that she is alive, and there is a nice reunion. But of course we know something is off with her return, and of course that stupid Quentin. Pilar works quickly to turn the couple against the Tarrs by revealing that Stahma has allowed Datak to return home. This of course upsets them and they decide to take Pilar up on her offer to visit a commune that is friendly to all races. This ends up being a lie, and just when Christie and Alak are about to get in the truck they realize that something fishy is going on, especially when Pillar gets very pushy when the Arks start lighting up the sky. Quentin then knocks out Alak and Pilar forces Christie into the car at gun point. Man and I though the Tarr’s were trouble! One the Tarr’s handmaidens witnesses all of this and returns to the Tarr household to tell them what had happened. They realize that the only person that can help them is locked up in prison. It’s time to rescue Rafe! Panic has taken control over the prison guards and they decide its best to line up the prisoners and shoot them. Rafe is next, when Berlin shows up. She tries to relieve the officer of his command but he assaults her and lines her up with the rest of the prisoners. Just when Berlin, Rafe, and some others are about to get gunned down, the Tarr’s come to the rescue and take Rafe with them. Berlin laughs in disbelief, so much for her propaganda agenda!
So Nolan has to stop Irisa from destroying the Earth. Luckily he and Cai are able to catch up to the Mayor, Doc, and Amanda right before they fire a sniper rifle at Irisa, who continues to do her “Jedi” trick with the rocks. Nolan quickly takes them out, knocks out Doc and the Mayor and handcuffs Amanda to the roller. It’s time to put his plan to the test! He and Cai approach Irisa and she starts to run away, but Nolan grabs her and forces her to be near Cai. One of the Nanokeys leaves her body and enters Cai, she quickly regains her consciousness and becomes Irisa again! This is one of saddest moments of the night when she realizes that she killed Tommy. Nolan tries to console her and let her know that it wasn’t her fault, that she wasn’t in control. I definitely shed a tear. Irisa wants to kill herself but Nolan tells her that she and Cai have to save the planet first, and that if she still wants to do so when it’s all over, he’ll give her the gun! Nolan tells her to stop whining and that he has taught her better than that, she gets up and is ready to do what she needs to do.
They go for the Arkbrain, Cai and Irisa know what they need to do to stop the it, just like their ancestors did in the visions. Irisa suddenly sees Irzu, who until now I didn’t realize was a vision of Irisa’s younger self! Irisa suddenly finds herself locked up in a cell in Defiance and Tommy is there. Irzu promises that it will bring back Tommy. Nolan works against this by telling her that it isn’t real and that Tommy is dead. Irisa finally makes the right decision and returns to consciousness. Cai and Irisa are able to revert the lasers from the terraspheres into orbit, destroying the arks! 
The Earth is saved! The Kaziri begins to collapse and Cai runs ahead of Nolan and Irisa to escape the destruction. Unfortunately our favorite father/daughter duo aren’t so lucky and they are seemingly buried in the wreckage!
The final montage of the season begins as we see Niles and Amanda finally hooking up, unfortunately. Doc returns to her lab. Berlin who has spent most of this episode drunk, stands up and asks everyone to raise their glass in the memory of Tommy. Rafe and the Tarrs are in pursuit of their children. The Viceroy informs Amanda that there is no word from Nolan and Irisa. Finally we see the Kaziri, the pods are still intact. Within a new pod we see Nolan and Irisa embracing each other, perfectly preserved and protected! The episode ends.
Well that’s it folks, as they say, it’s been an awesome season 2! Keep it tooned here to DFAT for news on Defiance season 3 when it comes available! Here’s praying that we get a few more seasons out of this amazing show!! Until then check out the FREE to play video game available on consoles and PC! You can catch up on Season One of Defiance exclusively on Amazon Prime!
~CynicNerd
