Defiance returned last night with "The Serpent's Egg." The episode finds Nolan and Irisa separated for the first time since the pilot, with the head Lawkeeper escorting Amanda and the money Defiance is using to fund their railway.
Along for the ride is the lady Irathient from the previous episode, on her way to prison for attempting to murder everyone in Defiance. Additionally, Tennety Olfin, a representative from the Earth Republic is on her way out of the city after once again failing to get Amanda to open up a trade relationship with them. With them is the driver, a priest, and Tennety's two husbands.
On that note, Defiance is the most weirdly progressive show on the air right now. It's almost like the writers ran out of ways to be realistically progressive about marriages, and is now instead trying to find every combination of species and people that they can stick together. Anyways.
Rynn, the Irathient prisoner, makes an attempt to escape using a stolen pen. Nolan puts a stop to that, but it's pretty clear she isn't going to give up. She's given another opportunity when the vehicle is hijacked, stage coach robbery style, and the priest is revealed to be the gang leader. While demanding Amanda's briefcase full of money and Tennety's credit chip, the priest shoots and kills one of Tennety's husbands. In the ensuing scuffle, Nolan shoots the priest in the leg, Rynn escapes, and the gang kidnaps Tennety.
The gang wants Nolan and Amanda to trade the money for Tennety's life. Nolan agrees, going out unarmed to make the switch. It's no surprise when he's double crossed, but luckily he knew this, and has had Amanda sneak up behind them with a rifle. The priest is killed before he can reveal who informed them of the money transfer, but otherwise, everything turned out alright right?
Not so much. It turns out Tennety was behind the entire thing. Her plan was to steal the money, thereby forcing Amanda to allow the pact between Defiance and the Earth Republic. Obviously, her surviving husband is pretty disgusted that she allowed their mate to be killed for this.
In the knick of time, Rynn returns and saves the day. Amanda decides to let Rynn go free, and Tennety's former husband hitches a ride with her (mentioning bounty hunting, this might not be the last we see of them). Amanda also decides to spare Tennety's life. Unfortunately, it's revealed that her role in the Earth Republic gives her a get out of jail free card, and she secretly plots Amanda's downfall.
Meanwhile, back in Defiance, Irisa is having her own adventure. After seeing a familiar face, who does not seem to recognize her back, she suddenly and violently kidnaps a Castithan traveler. She then proceeds to torture the poor sod, who doesn't seem to remember her at all.
Tommy discovers this, and demands to know what's going on. We get a flashback to when Irisa was a child. Apparently, her parents gave her up to some kind of Castithan/Irathient cult, who torture her with snakes. A younger Nolan, still part of the military, burst in and rescue her, killing her parents in the process.
Irisa believes the Castithan she kidnapped is the one who tortured her, although it becomes increasingly unclear when she fails to remember his eye color. After a snake Irisa brought bites him though, the Castithan admits that he is indeed the one she remembers. According to him, it was all part of a ritual that confirmed Irisa as some kind of chosen one: a destroyer and giver of life. He then pleads with her to kill him, as that will complete the process.
In the end though, Irisa sets him free, perhaps showing her own growing sense of morality. The episode's biggest development happens after that though, as Tommy reveals that he's into Irisa. Surprisingly, Irisa passionately kisses him and they make love on the floor of the police HQ.
Defiance returns next Monday with Brothers in Arms.
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