Defiance

Let me first point out that most of the highly negative reviews are from people that are either REALLY upset that their favorites shows were canceled, only want some super techie expensive POS, or don't have the mental capacity to understand what kind of depth and hard work went into this show.

That being said, I am a very picky viewer. Half the shows on network TV claiming to be Sci Fi are watered down and barely beyond their "grounded" approach to the genre. Defiance is first and foremost, Science Fiction.

I admit, the show started out really rocky. The pilot was confusing to a degree, and the limited budget was apparent. But unlike a lot of attention inept who've posted reviews after giving the show 40 minutes of their time, I stuck it through. Two seasons and a lot of emotions later, I can definitively say Defiance has found it's groove.

It's not going to hold your hand. This is in the day of the life of kind of drama. The show wants you to get the sense that these characters really feel, and have their own inner demons. Just when you think someone is an unabashed hero or villain without any dimension, the show begins to peel away at the outer shell and reveals multi-faceted layers.

From the whimsically religious, barbaric and sarcastic kingpin Datak Tar, his submissive yet secretly conniving wife Sahlma; Nolan the nomadic gun for hire and his mysteriously haunted alien daughter Arisa; intelligent Mayor Amanda Rosewater and her prostitute/madame of a sister Kenya who just happens to know the truest face of her clients, there is no shortage of unique interactions and dilemmas. Just when you think you know all there is to know about your favorite character, they surprise you with undeniably real and game changing actions.

The Aliens in Defiance do look human-like. So what. There is enough there to make them both familiar and yet completely other-worldly. The Linguist behind the Dothraki tongue in Game of Thrones has created some of the most beautiful and poetic languages for the major species that needs to be heard to be believed. A lot of time and thought has gone into complete religions, social structures and traditions for each of the 5 (6?) dominant species. Castithans are pale and beautiful, snobbish and cruel with severe repercussions for defying one's long standing cultural beliefs. Iratients are in tune with nature but love to fight and make love. You really must discover the others for yourself.

Special effects are here and there sometimes, but make do to progress the story along and sometimes can leave you in complete awe. And the Music? Amazing. From the Synth themes to the alien takes on well established earth tunes, it has to be heard to be appreciated.

All in all, this show surprised me, and continues to surprise me with it's depth, it's pain, and it's humanity, even if the world is completely alien to me. I never felt this honesty with Stargate, or even my fav, Farscape. With the exception of Ben Browder, they still felt like actors playing a role. These characters inhabiting Defiance seem like neighbors. With mix matched tech and the willingness to end you if you get in the way of their survival.

Give it a shot. Be defiant stop listening to the sore losers.

I have read reviews on this site by viewers who do not like Defiance, sometimes comparing it to Firefly. Granted, Firefly is a great show, but what did we learn from its early departure from TV? The network wanted Firefly to capture the minds of its viewers quickly, so they did not air the first episode first. Believing that a more action-packed episode would grab new viewers more quickly, they shuffled the episodes--a strategy that alienated viewers and led to the show's demise. When I read criticisms about the pace of Defiance's first episode, I say let the show develop and see where it goes.

Now that we have seen a number of episodes, I for one am glad I stuck with Defiance. Here are some of my reasons:

1. It has an array of interesting characters. They are not interesting only because the different races are interesting. Each character is well developed and multi-layered. They are not one dimensional--all good or all bad---but portray strengths and frailties, positive and negative traits.

2. The cast is wonderful. Starting with Graham Greene, you have Grant Bowler (Hank Rearden in Atlas Shrugged)and Mia Kirschner (great in The L Word) Julie Benz and Stephanie Leonides, etc.

3. The music. I have particularly enjoyed some of the songs they have used as background, masterpieces of mood.

4. The innovation. Some have criticized the weaponry or languages used, for instance. But the action does not take place on an alien world, so it makes sense that the weapons are a combination of past and future, mixed with earth-based technologies (same with the vehicles). Considerable time was spent devising different languages for this show. I find them interesting but not distracting.

5. The various cultures represented are deeply portrayed, with their own music, rituals, prayers, languages, religions, prejudices, and personality tendencies.

6. Although the various races/cultures have distinctive features, characters still seem to live in the same world, coping with the same issues. As one character said, "In this world we live in, there's no place for the fragile." Everyone who has survived to exist in Defiance bears the scars of their struggles, literal and figurative. Defiance is named after the town/valley where it is set, and everyone in Defiance seems to believably come from the same town, living in a hard-won and dynamic harmony of different voices.

7. Defiance is a show about values. Love can overcome bigotry. Cooperation produces better results than warfare. These are examples and I am sure we will encounter more as the show continues.

8. There are also larger story arcs developing, and this gives me hope for much more to come.

9. Last but not least, Defiance has genuinely likable characters--one of the most necessary elements for a show you want to watch.

Update 7/21/14: After many episodes, this show is still good. Good characters and challenging stories.

The first season started off a bit shaky but the characters and story line really developed over time.

It worth sticking with it to get to season 2 and 3. Both seasons had me much more emotionally invested with the characters and almost in tears at some points.

So judging from what I've read, it seems that most these reviews are only aware that Defiance existed as a TV show. Most video gamers know that Defiance also exists as a MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) video game that went hand-in-hand with the show. While the show takes place in St. Louis, the game takes place in San Francisco. Each week with a new episode of the show, came new missions in the game which were loosely tied to events of the episode. Characters from the show would periodically make appearances in the game while characters from the game would periodically make appearances in the show. While DC and Marvel have their crossovers and spin-offs, never has a TV show and a video game crossed over in such a way before. This was an innovative idea for sure! I get that not everyone plays video games but you're missing half the story. It's like writing a review about Harry Potter after only reading books 5, 6 and 7.

Now that I've sung the high praises about the concept of Defiance, let's mention the elephant in the room. Gamers know the developers rushed the game to be in-sync with the production of the show. The game could be pretty buggy at times which eventually lead to it's being taken over by another developer and rebranded. Even with all it's bugs and broken bits, it was still a game I enjoyed playing!

For the actual show itself, most of the acting was great, Grant Bowler and Stephanie Leonidas are hilarious together. He's clearly not the parenting type and he couldn't be more over his head with a crazy, rebellious alien! They made such a great team. This show had a "small community" feel to it while it still provided much action. Tony Curran and Jesse Rath play a convincing father and son butting heads over just about everything. His relationship with his mom is a bit creepy but it's a Casthithan thing I guess??

Overall it's still a good watch without playing the game, most of the important story points are touched on in the show but having a game that played out with it just makes the show that much more interactive.

I know the show is old, but I shame myself by not giving it attention earlier. I somehow get the same feeling that I got when Fringe finished: I want more, but I don't want it to spoil with overcomplicated plots and lifeless seasons.

For the 3 seasons this show got, it was seriously well made, with a lot of attention to details. I know the special effects lacked in ...well, everything, but that didn't break the narrative one bit.

Languages and dialects for all the alien races, specific music, well developed characters who blur the lines between good and bad, nice twists here and there, great dialogue, compelling storyline. I was amazed on how much love was put in this particular show.

For everybody saying it's underrated, believe them. It truly is a show that could've gone further with ease, but at the same time, it's good it didn't get to spoil at some point.

Watch it, love it, miss it afterwards.