It wasn’t until this season premiere hit the airwaves that I realized just how much I missed Defiance.  I know that for many, it was a mixed bag, and somewhat tainted by the unusual and poorly defined relationship to the MMO that is part of its “multimedia experience”.  I can’t speak to how that is progressing, since I don’t play MMOs (or shooters, for that matter), but considering how well the idea of a multimedia Halo concept was received, I find the criticisms against the idea for Defiance from gamers to be somewhat hypocritical.

 

On the other hand, the impact on the show’s narrative is perhaps fair game; in the first season, some events seemed to be a direct depiction of in-game scenes, especially in the pilot.  The most compelling material, by far, was everything that was built up around the game-based concepts.  At worst, this can make it seem like the show doesn’t know what it wants to be, but in other regards, it highlights how the writers transcend the tensions.

 

For all that, the first season finale relied on a couple unfortunate tropes, notably Nolan’s resurrection and this idea of Irisa as some “chosen one”.  More promising was the arrival of the Earth Republic forces and the notion that Defiance was about to come under totalitarian rule.  Interim mayor Niles Pittinger does little to suggest otherwise; nor does the existence of resistance posters and activities thereof suggest harmony.

 

Pottinger wants Amanda to help him gain favor in hearts and minds, even as she maintains that she must run the Need/Want in Kenya’s stead (her death is still undiscovered, apparently).  Not surprisingly, Pottinger has also noticed that Amanda is incredibly attractive.  Meanwhile, he has taken over Rafe’s mining concerns, putting him in a precarious position in the process.  The abuses taking place in the mines, and elsewhere, suggest a far more visible and palpable threat to Defiance and its ideals in the second season.

 

Not to be undone, Stahma continues to believe that she’s playing a character from Game of Thrones, from the liberal (and much appreciated) show of skin to taking control of the “family business” to giving her detained husband Datak a bit of hands-on “comfort” in the middle of an expository scene.  Stahma is not one to be trifled with, and one of the strengths of Defiance is presenting such an amazing female character.  Yes, she looks to be typical fan service, until you realize that it’s a mixture of cultural mores and camouflage.

 

Outside of Defiance, Nolan tracks down Irisa, who has changed a bit.  For one thing, she’s fighting violent impulses that may or may not have come from her experience at the end of the previous season.  She’s also a lot less willing to be honest with Nolan, which is likely to emerge at the worst possible time.  For all intent purposes, Irisa is merged with one of the Irathient deities, Irzu, and the question of who controls whom in Irisa’s psychological state is a pressing one.  Nolan may not like the answer.

 

It’s a bit of a soft return, but frankly, Defiance had to deal with a long hiatus and the necessity to bring old and new viewers up to speed.  The question is how quickly they will move on from here.  Some are balking at the time jump and the sheer number of plots and factions, but part of that is a function of what was already introduced and present in the first season mated with the real-world length of the hiatus.  Hopefully such complaints will soon be put to rest.