This week on SyFy Friday: But first, we kill all the lawyers doctors!
Dark Matter S02E09: After last week's AU adventure, we're back in the prime universe this week. Nyx is back and has wasted no time advancing to "grappling" with Four (for a quiet man, Four is a terrible liar). Meanwhile it's feeling a lot like Devon really is dead, or at least has been cast off as the occasional guest character.
But the focus of the story is poor Two, whose nanites are shutting down. And in an example of living by the sword and dying by the sword, if the nanites die, so does she. I appreciate that this wasn't just sprung on us and that there was at least a little foreshadowing towards this episode. None the less, it does seem like the writers had to pull something out of their aft compartment to come up with a reason for why Two would need to visit Dwarf Star Tech again. In that respect the actual problem of the week feels a bit forced, since it's resolved now and forever in a single episode.
But in any case, what we get is a solid heist episode. Break in, steal the nanites, break out. Meanwhile we get some (incredibly convenient) backstory on how Two came to be, via the only person she didn't kill in her break-out all those years ago. The plot moves about as you expect, which isn't a complaint, just that nothing about the A-story comes out of left field. Of course one can't forget the guest star for this episode, Mr. Rook (Wil Wheaton), who is perhaps a bit typecast, but he does smug bastard oh so well. You just want to hug the guy, and then punch him. I also really liked the jump drive gambit to break in; BSG has done this better, but the basic idea is just a lot of fun.
The big question mark for this episode isn't even Two - whose problems are resolved - but rather just what Rook did to Three. It looks like Rook is attempting to steal the Blink Drive tech, and to do so he put some kind of alien (or synthetic) mind control monster inside of Three. If nothing else this underscores the value of the Blink Drive - it's going to continue to be a plot point I'm sure - but more importantly this is the first non-humanoid life we've seen on the show. is it actually some kind of alien? Or just another one of Dwarf Star's nifty inventions (personal shield!)? Though I must say the Raza is interestingly equipped, having a retina duplication kit in the vault right when the crew needed it. (Side note: I'm curious who the two technicians were that Two made friends with. I'm betting they're either crew members, or there's a good inside joke there)
Finally, for a Two-focused episode, Four sure got some much-needed plot time here. His little monologue about loyalty and friends is interesting, and it brings Zairon into focus. In the AU, Ryo used the Blink Drive to take control of the planet and win the war. However in this universe, Zairon is losing the war and it looks gloomy for his home planet. I don't assume Four will actually leave, but it will be interesting to see how his character develops from here. Zairon is still trying to kill him, after all.
Other observations: The Android stealing Five's hot chocolate was a riot. That's one of those amusing little scenes that may eventually be meant to lead to something deeper, but for now it's an important moment of lightheartedness that keeps the show from getting too grim. Also, I want more of Three wearing his incredibly obvious spy glasses.
Killjoys S02E09: Can I just say that I dislike How We Got Here style openings? They spoil the episode, and they take focus away from the plot. Instead of enjoying it, you're constantly waiting for the story to catch up with the opening scene.
Anyhow, with this being the second to last episode of the season, everything has indeed gone to hell. I did not expect to see the Old Town Wall come down before the very end of the season, so that was a surprise. In fact this whole episode moved rather quickly, and it has to due to the 10 episode seasons. Which is a bit unfortunate, as it prevents certain threads from being played out over a longer time span.
I'm glad that Dutch and D'avin got to see Party Town while rescuing Johnny and Pawter. It avoids wasting time explaining the situation, and it means we get to see what Party Town was like the day after without it feeling unnecessary. Unfortunately Jelco has already started poisoning the town, so everything is in motion.
Speaking of which, Jelco is an interesting character. I wish he had just a bit more screen time leading up to this episode. Still, the previous episode did a good job establishing his card carrying villain status by having him kill one of The Nine and frame Pawter for it. Which is why his antics in this episode work; he can be deadly, but as a bureaucrat he needs a well formulated plan to do it. If and when things go sideways, he's powerless. Which leaves him stuck negotiating, relying on his status as the designated prick. Hopefully we'll get to see him next episode and see the Level 6 plan from his perspective, but if not I'm sure we'll have fun with him next season.
Overall this episode moved very quickly, so there's almost too much to cover. But I have to say I did not expect the solution to the wall problem to simply be "throw bodies at it." That seems like a genuinely poor design for a containment field. But now we know what the Company was up to: they are indeed culling the herd in an attempt to product a Level 6 army. To what end? Good question. And now there are the repercussions of that plan becoming unraveled.
But the star of this episode is of course Pawter, who it appears has been run over by the bus. After being underutilized in season 1, the writers have done a fantastic job of using her character in this season, and the actress has completely sold it. Which is all the more reason I'm peeved that they killed her. Yeah, the death flag had been raised after the prior episode. Still, I feel like it's something of poor form to kill a doctor; it's killing a good person as a cheat to show how serious the situation has become. And SyFy, for some reason, really has it out for doctors this year, apparently.
But before she goes, we get to see just what Pawter is willing to do for Westery; what she's willing to sacrifice. I suppose it was inevitable that she'd have to do something dark given the amount of time the show has spent harping on her good character. Still, to see her essentially sacrifice Angry Town residents to bring down the wall is a major leap for her character. And admittedly, some good sci-fi drama fodder (when do the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?). She did what she had to do, including making the hard choices and sacrificing something of her own to save Westerly. It's a shame, had she not died she clearly has all the makings of a good ruler, something The Nine is badly lacking.
We also see Pawter's feud with Delle come to a head here. She (wo)mans up, makes the sacrifice, and beats Delle. And in return, Delle proves that she's not to be messed with. She's not just a sneaky noblewoman, but she's a cold blooded killer who won't accept losing. Delle killing Pawter makes sense here, and definitely ramps up Delle's threat level. At the same time it means The Nine's/Delle's next move will be all the more interesting. They had a long term plan in motion, one that Pawter has apparently completely and utterly broken. So what was the point of that plan, and what do they do to the Quad now that the plan has been foiled? No doubt we'll find out next week.
Finally, we also get a Johnny-centric love triangle of sorts here. Dutch really is lost without Johnny, it seems, which is why she took the events of the last couple of episodes so hard. To hear "love" out of her mouth is a bit odd - their relationship has never been depicted as either party desiring intimacy - but I'm sure there will be some delicious season 3 ramifications out of that. But poor Johnny: he proposed to Pawter, and now she's gone. Somehow through all of this he's going to have to process all of that.
Other observations: This show doesn't shy away from the innuendo, and that's part of its charm. Still, I'm really surprised that not only were they able to get such a juvenile line like "have my Dutch and eat my Potter too" on the air, but that it actually worked so well (seriously, in context it's hilarious). Meanwhile I'm loving the extended use of Lucy this season. Having her get into an AI war with the company AI Julian was hilarious. "Julian, it's on." "Oh. Oh dear."