Defiance

I watched all three seasons of Defiance when it first aired, and then recently went back and binged it. I'm sorry to say it's not as good as I remembered. And the main problem I have with it is it's repetitive - something you might not notice when spread out over three years but is all too apparent when you watch the whole series over a long weekend.

Let's start with the good stuff - the show had a great premise, and they did a commendable job exploring it in the first season. The special effects makeup was better than average for the small screen, the cast was competent and the sets were quirky but plausible.

Where it fell short was the writing. They rehashed the same plot devices over and over again. I counted four separate and distinct subplots revolving around alien mind control tech. One or two maybe, but by the fourth go-round you'd think the characters would say, "Gee, Mary isn't acting like herself - must be more of that alien mind-control tech..." There were also three separate instances of characters having lengthy involvement with imaginary friends.

There were less obvious repetitions, too. The bad guys (and even some of the "good" guys) behaved despicably again and again - murder, betrayal, treason - yet two or three episodes later all is forgiven, and the bad guys are trusted members of society once more.

So in retrospect I have to say the first season was quite good, but by the second season it was falling apart and by the third it was a case of "been there, done that" to the point of mind-numbing predictability. A sad fate for a show that had so much promise...

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 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.

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.

OK so there were some dodgy effects, some awful acting, clichéd characters and back stories and at times poor scriptwriting. But having said that, it held my attention for some reason and has the potential to grow on me. This series will live or die on the quality of it's story-telling and inevitably it will have it's hater's and it's liker's. I am reserving my judgement for now to see which group I fall into. Well done though for at least investing in a new sci-fi series. I just hope the writers have the stones to give us something more challenging, intelligent and contemporary than the majority of the drivel on the Syfy channel.