Reviews: Defiance, “When Twilight Dims the Sky Above” + Dark Matter, Episode Nine

Defiance, “When Twilight Dims the Sky Above”:

Man, Nolan and Irisa really have traded places.

The Votanis Collective has come to Defiance, but not for war. They seek to make amends for Rahm Tak’s atrocities, and they offer the the town of Defiance much needed assistance and protection.

There’s a price, though. The Collective fears the Omec, and they will only complete their alliance if the town can broker a peace deal with T’evgin.

That would be a hard enough on its own, but there are complications. Nolan’s recent trauma has caused his mind to come unhinged, and he sees enemies everywhere. Meanwhile, T’evgin’s negligence has allowed Kindzi to escape and cause fresh mischief.

Oh, and Datak’s back. Just to make things a little more volatile.

It was nice to finally see the Votanis Collective take an active role in the story — Rahm Tak doesn’t really count. I’ve wanted to see more of the VC for a long time now. This isn’t much, but it’s something.

I also liked Stahma standing up to T’evgin — this was another very strong performance from her. And of course it’s great to see Datak back in action.

On the other hand I kind of wish Defiance’s alliance with the VC had just gone through smoothly. I know it’s not the most dramatic option, but the people of Defiance have suffered enormously for a long time, and I think a clear win is overdue. Endless tragedy gets exhausting after a while.

Plus, again, I want to see more of the VC.

I’m also a bit perplexed that Irisa didn’t really do anything to raise the alarm about Nolan’s madness. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. She knew something was terribly wrong, but she made only one — fairly weak — attempt to stop him and then apparently forgot about it.

Overall rating: 7.2/10

Dark Matter, episode nine:

Considering the history and temperaments of the Raza crew, it is perhaps a bit surprising it took this long for the bonds between them to start coming undone.

Shortly after Six’s little vacation, Four does the same (minus the cloning shenanigans) in an attempt to reconnect with his half brother and seek vengeance against those who stole his throne.

Four isn’t the only one feeling a distinct lack of team spirit, though. Recent revelations have taken One’s hatred for Three to new heights, and Six is crushed under the guilt of what the General tricked him into doing, causing him to lash out at anyone who comes too close.

Meanwhile, Two continues to beat the drum for trust and teamwork despite being the most dishonest person on the ship.

Episode nine once again illustrates that Dark Matter is very good at giving every cast member something to do, with pretty much everyonet having a strong performance. There is a slightly greater focus on Four, Five, and Six, though, and since those are my favourite characters, it’s no surprise I enjoyed this episode.

At this point I’m about 99% convinced Two was behind their memory wipes, so now what I’m wondering is why she did it. She doesn’t seem to have a clear purpose in mind for the crew, but just wiping their memories and hoping everything would work out doesn’t seem like a terribly good plan, either.

I’m also curious how the crew will react once they find out. The more she preaches about trust and honesty, the deeper she digs her own grave for when they find out the truth.

Overall rating: 7.6/10