For now, SYFY’s “Defiance” is an awkward and slow-moving show. The pilot episode, an hour and a half long, drags. With a tangle of parallel plotlines and mismatched characters, “Defiance” seriously lacks coherence as a whole, and to make this show a success, the disparate dots need to be connected.
The show is built primarily on a father-daughter relationship between Grant Bowler’s (“Ugly Betty”) human Jeb and the alien Irisa, played by Stephanie Leonidas (“MirrorMask”). Thrown together by circumstance after he rescued her as an abandoned baby, a traditional parental dynamic develops in this adoptive family.
The show follows a set of residents in one of the last remaining towns on Earth, after which the show is named, as humans and aliens come into conflict with one another. As it is, the series will only be worthwhile for diehard fans of the SYFY channel and the devotees of the video game it is based on.
Without really establishing a plot, “Defiance” jumps right into some (not-so-exciting) action. No background is provided and the characters barely have a chance to introduce themselves. Instead they are categorized into various stereotypical molds, such as Jeb, the rebel with the cause, or Irisa, the sulky teenager. While there is certainly an element of intrigue created by the numerous alien species featured in “Defiance,” the show lacks a central focus and is too ambitious in its attempt to follow so many different stories at once.
For those unaccustomed to the SYFY channel style, this show may seem dull and tedious. The acting is contrived and melodramatic and it is impossible to keep track of so many tangential and only partially developed plotlines. Although “Defiance” features many impressive special effects, it is seriously lacking in the awe factor that usually distinguishes science fiction and dystopian stories, as in the half-dog half-bear wild beasts which attack Jeb and Irisa. With overly theatrical scenes like a bar fight between alien Alak Tarr and the human McCrawleys, before the first third of the episode is over the audience’s attention will likely be lost.
The show’s creators are simply trying to take on too much too fast. There is no clear story laid out in the pilot episode; this makes the dialogue stale and forced. The only real bright spot in an otherwise bleak landscape is Julie Benz (“Dexter”) in the role of Amanda Rosewater, mayor of the town called Defiance, formally known as St. Louis. Sadly even Benz cannot make up for the show’s haphazardly thrown-together effort.
“Defiance,” despite it’s many unique inventions – a new alien language and alternative history – falls back on age-old tropes like the disgruntled teenage girl and the sulky teen boy, in Kyle Mac’s Kupack Tarr, one of the alien royal family of Defiance.
It is hard to anticipate where the show will go from here. Certainly there are a lot of plot lines to follow up on and gaps in history to fill in, but “Defiance” charges off in so many different directions it is impossible to tell whether more detail will ever be provided. The writers seem uncertain of which storylines to develop, putting partial efforts into many smaller mini-plots.
Worst of all, despite all the unanswered questions, no one plot line is compelling enough to bring viewers back for more episodes. The most interesting parts of the show include the interactions between Bowler’s Jeb and Benzer’s Amanda, as well as the adult Tarrs portrayed by Tony Curran (“Gladiator”) and Jaime Murray (“Hustle”).
Most likely “Defiance” will simply collapse under its own weight. Such an outcome would be unfortunate only for Benz, whose talents deserve much more recognition than dull shows like this one. After experiencing success in the early 2000s following her performance as one of the lead villainesses, Darla, in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spin-off “Angel,” her recent projects have, for the most part, been less fulfilling, such as the cancelled superhero show “No Ordinary Family.” Hopefully her career continues on regardless of the fate of “Defiance,” since the show’s chances of succeeding seem as bleak as the future life on Earth it depticts.
In the end, the 90 minutes of “Defiance” are just not an enjoyable experience. Even going in with low expectations audiences will likely be disappointed, as there appears to be no real substance behind all the half-baked ideas the show’s creators are trying to cram into one series. While “Defiance” is not completely devoid of potential, the pilot was certainly not a strong start for a new series. This show is unlikely to keep up, considering all the great new prime-time shows of the season. Save your DVR space for a new series instead.
