Dylan Brandsema – Defiance

In the pantheon of modern-day science fiction, there’s little originality to be found. Most of what we see on television and in film tends to either be a rehash of something else or is new conceptually but immediately identifiable with something we’ve seen before. This is where SyFy’s Defiance comes in to save the day. A melting pot of several different genres, it’s likely the most original, and most distinct science fiction series, currently on television.

From its beginning two years ago, Defiance has always had a little bit of everything. While it’s science fiction first and foremost, it also has glowing elements of being a crime thriller, a small-town drama, a straightforward sci-fi actioner, and even a western. And even now in it’s 3rd season, which premiered this past June, it still manages to bring new elements to the table.

The third season premiere established a new tone and mood for Defiance, and things have grown much darker. After they killed off 3 key characters – Rafe, Christie and Alak, which nobody expected from a show like this, they’ve brought in some new talents who have already proven themselves worthy among the rest of cast. Linda Hamilton (best known as the original Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise), while technically introduced in last season’s penultimate episode, has a much more prominent role in this season and has done an excellent job as Pilar. As has Conrad Coates as T’evkin, one of the last surviving Omecs, the new race who has come to Earth in search of fuel. The biggest, and perhaps most notable addition, however, is Lee Tergesen as the evil Castithan military general Rahm Tak. Tak is a man with no remorse for anyone other than himself – a man made of pure evil, and nothing else, and Tergesen plays him with exemplary force, likely to become the series’ greatest antagonist. The remaining cast has gotten smaller since the death of the McCauleys, which only gives them more room to expand their characters and their abilities.

So far, this third season of Defiance is very different than the previous two. It’s darker, edgier, ballsier, and it’s not a show that’s afraid to take a risk at the expense of alienating its audience. That’s something television nowadays has been severely devoid of. There’s also some rumors running around that this is to be last season of this series, for a couple reasons. The first, and most practical, is that viewership declined greatly during the second season, and it suffered in the ratings. The second concerns the story. Many fans have expressed belief that, due to this season’s new dark and somber tone, the show’s story will soon draw to a close, with no announcement from the network. That would be a risky move, but this show has never shied away risks. Judging from the recent events of the first three episodes (technically four, but whatever), and the direction in which the chain of events seem to be shifting, I wouldn’t rule it out.

So, basically, for all Defiance is worth, get it while it’s hot.

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