Defiance

I watched all three seasons of Defiance when it first aired, and then recently went back and binged it. I'm sorry to say it's not as good as I remembered. And the main problem I have with it is it's repetitive - something you might not notice when spread out over three years but is all too apparent when you watch the whole series over a long weekend.

Let's start with the good stuff - the show had a great premise, and they did a commendable job exploring it in the first season. The special effects makeup was better than average for the small screen, the cast was competent and the sets were quirky but plausible.

Where it fell short was the writing. They rehashed the same plot devices over and over again. I counted four separate and distinct subplots revolving around alien mind control tech. One or two maybe, but by the fourth go-round you'd think the characters would say, "Gee, Mary isn't acting like herself - must be more of that alien mind-control tech..." There were also three separate instances of characters having lengthy involvement with imaginary friends.

There were less obvious repetitions, too. The bad guys (and even some of the "good" guys) behaved despicably again and again - murder, betrayal, treason - yet two or three episodes later all is forgiven, and the bad guys are trusted members of society once more.

So in retrospect I have to say the first season was quite good, but by the second season it was falling apart and by the third it was a case of "been there, done that" to the point of mind-numbing predictability. A sad fate for a show that had so much promise...

I have read reviews on this site by viewers who do not like Defiance, sometimes comparing it to Firefly. Granted, Firefly is a great show, but what did we learn from its early departure from TV? The network wanted Firefly to capture the minds of its viewers quickly, so they did not air the first episode first. Believing that a more action-packed episode would grab new viewers more quickly, they shuffled the episodes--a strategy that alienated viewers and led to the show's demise. When I read criticisms about the pace of Defiance's first episode, I say let the show develop and see where it goes.

Now that we have seen a number of episodes, I for one am glad I stuck with Defiance. Here are some of my reasons:

1. It has an array of interesting characters. They are not interesting only because the different races are interesting. Each character is well developed and multi-layered. They are not one dimensional--all good or all bad---but portray strengths and frailties, positive and negative traits.

2. The cast is wonderful. Starting with Graham Greene, you have Grant Bowler (Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged)and Mia Kirschner (great in The L Word) Julie Benz and Stephanie Leonides, etc.

3. The music. I have particularly enjoyed some of the songs they have used as background, masterpieces of mood.

4. The innovation. Some have criticized the weaponry or languages used, for instance. But the action does not take place on an alien world, so it makes sense that the weapons are a combination of past and future, mixed with earth-based technologies (same with the vehicles). Considerable time was spent devising different languages for this show. I find them interesting but not distracting.

5. The various cultures represented are deeply portrayed, with their own music, rituals, prayers, languages, religions, prejudices, and personality tendencies.

6. Although the various races/cultures have distinctive features, characters still seem to live in the same world, coping with the same issues. As one character said, "In this world we live in, there's no place for the fragile." Everyone who has survived to exist in Defiance bears the scars of their struggles, literal and figurative. Defiance is named after the town/valley where it is set, and everyone in Defiance seems to believably come from the same town, living in a hard-won and dynamic harmony of different voices.

7. Defiance is a show about values. Love can overcome bigotry. Cooperation produces better results than warfare. These are examples and I am sure we will encounter more as the show continues.

8. There are also larger story arcs developing, and this gives me hope for much more to come.

9. Last but not least, Defiance has genuinely likable characters--one of the most necessary elements for a show you want to watch.

Update 7/21/14: After many episodes, this show is still good. Good characters and challenging stories.

Reminds me of the old Masamune Shirow manga series, "Appleseed". Combine that with Mel Gibson's "Road Warrior" and a bit of "Babylon 5" with maybe a dash of "Command & Conquer" (yes, the video game), and you've got yourself "Defiance".

Now, this sort of story has been tried before many times, and it has failed each time. (Earth 2, Revoloution, Dark Skies, Terra Nova, Outcasts) Either the writing was too naive and silly, or too dark and serious, or the casting failed to deliver engaging characters we liked and cared about. Or the budget simply fell apart. Any one of a dozen problems can sink this sort of show.

"Defiance" might just get it right.

The story is nothing we haven't seen before, but so what? There are no new stories; it's all in the delivery, the fun of the retelling.

A pair of tough-as-nails left over warriors, survivors of a planet-wasting future war carve out a nomadic life for themselves in the badlands. They are tightly bonded, mismatched family for one another, an alien warrior princess and a human super soldier; they don't need anybody but themselves.

So when their path takes them into the middle of new colony filled with politics and problems, desperate, hopeful people of many races trying to build new lives, our heroes have every reason to make tracks and head for the horizon. Such a town is just too much trouble, a great place to get bogged down and probably get killed. No thank-you.

But of course, heartstrings are plucked, making it impossible to leave these babes in the woods to their own demise. Our heroes become protectors in the middle of impossible odds and ego-driven, racist rivalries and all the dirt which makes life a difficult place. A stupid, ugly town filled with stupid, ugly people. Who are also, people with good stuff inside them as well. An unfortunate mix, because if they were all bad, you could just leave them to rot without a second thought. But no, the audience is shown enough hope to want to see these people rise above themselves and just get along. It's fun as viewers to hope. And so our heroes decide to stay.

Such a story would be an unbearable cliché if it weren't done, as this one is, with such a good deal of competence.

The pilot worked, was entirely watchable, was fun, and shows plenty of promise.

No, it doesn't have the unique charismatic spark of a Firefly, or the (albeit wooden) broad-stroke genius of Babylon 5. But it does have all the parts you need for a thrilling series, and better yet, it has the casting and acting chops to make the characters engaging. And best of all, in the midst of all that grime and calamity, it retains the up-beat bounce to make the world a place to want to visit next week.

For a series pilot, getting so many difficult parts to work this well together is extremely hard to pull off. But they did it.

Presumably, as the actors settle into their roles over the course of several episodes, on-screen chemistry can only get better. Hopefully, they've got some good script writers on board to make good use of all this potential, and the budget and executive smarts needed to give this show the chance it needs for a good run.

I think it's just possible that we're looking at a winner. *Just*.

Because this particular road through the sci-fi wilderness is littered with the remains of the fallen. If they pull it off, it'll be a big first.

So I wish good luck to the aptly named, "Defiance" in the face of these long odds.

They'll need both!

I know the show is old, but I shame myself by not giving it attention earlier. I somehow get the same feeling that I got when Fringe finished: I want more, but I don't want it to spoil with overcomplicated plots and lifeless seasons.

For the 3 seasons this show got, it was seriously well made, with a lot of attention to details. I know the special effects lacked in ...well, everything, but that didn't break the narrative one bit.

Languages and dialects for all the alien races, specific music, well developed characters who blur the lines between good and bad, nice twists here and there, great dialogue, compelling storyline. I was amazed on how much love was put in this particular show.

For everybody saying it's underrated, believe them. It truly is a show that could've gone further with ease, but at the same time, it's good it didn't get to spoil at some point.

Watch it, love it, miss it afterwards.

Defiance is a fine piece of a sci-fi show: unique world-building, good actors and a very good production (without CGI overload) makes Defiance one of a few (like e.g. Firefly, Farscape). In the end the show maybe did not hold the level of the first two seasons but anyway, still good enough to beat many of those "modern" sci-fi abominations of the last few years.