This week opens with Mayor Amanda giving a speech about all that ex-Mayor Nicky had done for her – bringing her up from a janitor to her assistant to the replacement mayor. Datak interrupts to bring politics into the wake, noting his stance to bring the Earth Republic to Defiance when he becomes Mayor. When she is approached by the Earth Republic shortly after, Amanda declines their assistance in winning the election.
Doc Yewll is seen with the Golden Knot once again and this time she’s doing some kind of secret experiments to activate it. Interspersed with a sex scene involving Tommy and Irisa – because it’s been too long since Defiance has had one of those – at the moment when the Golden Knot appears to be fully activated, Irisa tells Tommy she can’t feel her legs (and not in a good way). Tommy calls Nolan and they take her to Doc Yewll, who does some x-rays, but seems to think that it’s all in Irisa’s head.
In the NeedWant, Kenya and Stahma are having some alone time. They argue, but quickly make up and Stahma confides in Kenya that Datak is planning to have her sister, Amanda, killed because it would be a great dishonor should he lose the election. Kenya immediately goes to tell Nolan and Amanda, but refuses to give up Stahma as her source. Nolan and Amanda argue about her safety during the upcoming debate, but she insists that she trusts him with her life. I guess Kenya and Nolan don’t have a thing going on anymore. They hardly speak and haven’t in some time.
Before the debate, Nolan confronts Datak and tells him that if anything happens to Amanda before the debate, he’ll go after Datak first. After Nolan leaves, Alak comes to his father, who has him perform an old Casti shaming ritual. This requires Alak to “give his arm” to his father and complete a job for him. The job involves recruiting one of his friends to do something that cannot be traced back to the Tarrs.
During the debate in the rain, Datak brings up the past few months and the disasters that have occurred in Defiance. He pushes for Earth Republic help, while Amanda remains strongly anti-Earth Republic in her portion of the speech. While she is rallying the crowd, Nolan spots Alak’s friend on a roof with what appears to be a gun pointed at Amanda. He pushes through the crowd and shoots the boy, killing him only to find out that the gun was just a paintball gun.
After the incident, the town council meets and argues about Amanda’s appointment of Nolan. She claims that he has her support 100%. Nolan is obviously troubled by what occurred, thinking that he could have winged the boy instead. As he tries to apologize to the parents, Datak Tarr is up in the arch broadcasting his sealed military file to all of Defiance. He mentions that this is not the first time Nolan has “killed an innocent.” Datak specifically cites the Yosemite Massacre during the Pale Wars and plays a damning clip of Nolan’s own voice at his court martial. His superiors call him a killing machine and he shows no remorse for killing Votans. Datak ends his broadcast by reminding everyone that Amanda stands behind Nolan 100%.
Knowing what this means for the town and her election, Nolan gives his badge to Amanda. When she tells him he can’t quit, Nolan tells her he’s not quitting – she’s going to fire him, disavow him, and distance herself as much as possible. His file was sealed, meaning the only way Datak could have gotten it was through Colonel Marsh and the Earth Republic. He knows that if Datak wins the election, the town as they know it will go to the Earth Republic. They know Datak must have set him up, but this is the best damage control they can come up with.
Meanwhile, Rafe’s men beat up Alak and take him to Rafe, who explains to Alak that he behaved in a way not befitting of his daughter. Alak swears he didn’t know that his friend was going to be killed, but Rafe tells him that if Alak shames his daughter again, he’ll kill him. At the same time, Kenya confronts Stahma for setting up the whole incident. She claims she’ll tell Datak everything and cause that shaming that Stahma warned her about previously.
Datak and Nolan have a brutal public fight that is only broken up by Irisa, who stops Nolan from doing something he’ll regret. They pack up to leave town at the same time Doc Yewll is preparing to activate the Golden Knot again. She begins and watches Irisa collapse, having the same reaction she had the first time. When Nolan brings Irisa to her, Doc Yewll kicks him out – claiming she needs to operate immediately. He doesn’t go willingly, but she gets him out of the building. Having seen something in her x-rays previously, Doc Yewll knows Irisa is going to react in some way to the Golden Knot.
Before Nolan can go back in to check on them, he hears crashing and glass breaking. Irisa attacks the doc and escapes out into Defiance. Meanwhile, Datak and Colonel Marsh are discussing ways to nullify Rafe McCawley’s will so that the Earth Republic can take his mines. He also reveals that the ballot boxes have been stuffed in Datak’s favor. In the final scene, Irisa is out in the woods following a younger version of herself. She collapses in the woods and Rynn finds her. Telling her that she saw what Nolan did to Sukar, she can’t think of a reason not to kill Irisa.
Next week is the season finale of Defiance so it ends on a cliff-hanger. Hopefully we’ll get some season-closing answers and a mayor that is going to do right by Defiance. What did you think of this season so far? Have they reeled you in for another season? Are you happy to see Rynn back?
English