Defiance Review by John Keegan

Defiance 2.09: Painted From Memory

Defiance 2.09: Painted From Memory

Written By:
Kevin Murphy
Directed By:
Larry Shaw

Now that “Kenya” is back, there’s the inevitable process of everyone dealing with the fallout.  That means a lot of Kenya scenes, which means that enjoyment of the episode is likely going to hinge on whether or not one cares a bit about Kenya and/or Mia Kirschner.  Given how muddled the season has been getting with all the existing plot threads, I can see why yet another set of details would be frustrating.



 

Tying this project to Pettinger and Yewll at least keeps it within the Season 2 “family”.  At least it takes the prospect of undercutting Stahma’s actions at the end of the first season and puts it to rest.  The notion that there are Votans genetically modified to believe they are human is, if I recall correctly, an established plot point.  What’s a bit disappointing is that it never really comes to anything.

 

Other than putting Yewll in a position where she needs Datak and Rafe to help her escape and hide out from Nolan and Amanda, what was the point?  Unless there is another, more successful mole out there, this feels less like an important addition to the season and more like an unnecessary diversion.  As I said at the top, if one isn’t particularly a fan of Kirschner or Kenya as a whole, then this is going to feel like an enormous waste of time.

 

I can only imagine that there was a sense that the characters hadn’t been given a proper opportunity for closure regarding Kenya’s fate, with the jump in time between seasons and Amanda’s lack of awareness of the truth.  One thing to note is that Kenya’s murder by Stahma is still lingering out there, so there’s also the prospect that this will drive Nolan or Amanda to investigate Kenya’s death.  But given that this short arc only served to remind the audience that Kenya’s fate was best left in the past, this is less anticipated and more problematic.


Our Grade:
C-
The Good:
  • Berlin seems up for a threesome, I guess
The Bad:
  • Kenya’s true nature ends up seeming pointless
  • What was the purpose of the past two episodes?

John Keegan aka "criticalmyth", is one of the hosts of the "Critical Myth" podcast heard here on VOG Network's radio feed Monday, Wednesday & Friday. You can follow him on twitter at @criticalmyth

Defiance by - 8/19/2014 7:16 AM324 views

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