Defiance - In My Secret Life - Review: "Better the Devil You Know"

    Defiance, “In My Secret Life,” was written by Executive Producer Michael Taylor and directed once again by Michael Nankin. There continue to be lots of references back to the first season to catch up new viewers and remind the returning viewers of important events that they may have forgotten in the intervening months. What I really liked about this episode is that the title could apply to virtually every single character – they all have hidden lives.

    I loved seeing the relationships between characters picked back up even while many of them have been complicated by the nine months that have passed. While this episode has some great special effects – and especially grisly ones like the casualties from the shrill bomb – the focus of the show is still on character.

    It was great to see Nolan (Grant Bowler) and Rafe (Graham Greene) commiserating over being fathers of daughters – and interesting because both daughters are caught between the human and Voltan worlds. It was also great to see that Nolan is still fond of Tommy (Dewshane Williams), but Tommy has had to change and grow up, so he’s not quite so happy to be answering to Nolan again. And, of course, Tommy is also caught off guard by the return of Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas). Actually, Williams is great in the scene when Nolan and Irisa arrive at the jail. His reactions are subtle, but there’s no doubt of the conflict that results from their return, even as he leaps to his feet to prevent the E-Rep soldier from hurting Irisa. Of course, their past is a secret life to Berlin (Anna Hopkins), who warns Tommy – ironically – that Irisa “looks like more than you can handle.”

    I’m very much enjoying Hopkins as Berlin. I’ll admit the German WWII uniform and the nickname equating the Earth Republic with the Nazis is a little on the nose/heavy handed, but I did like her backstory as rationale for joining. She’s also clearly a competent soldier and judge of character. She does best Irisa to take her into custody and she does a good job of reading Nolan. She catches him slightly off guard by calling him on how much he likes being a “happy cowboy” and comparing him to Han Solo. The fact that she refers to Irisa as his “hot Chewbacca” actually proves that contrary to his assessment she does have a sense of humor. And so does the show. I love how little moments of humor like this – and the “getting it up” remark about the stasis wall at the beginning of the episode – flow seamlessly within the show’s more serious themes. She’s not wrong that Nolan has embraced his lot in life, but she may over state how much he really enjoys it.

    Berlin sees the E-Rep as a means to keeping everyone safe. Because she had no one to turn to when her mother and brother were killed, she has dedicated herself to making the rest of the population feel safe by having cameras on them, having eyes on them. Of course, this is also a gross invasion of privacy – look at the controversy sparked by the use of such cameras in cities such as the CTTV cameras everywhere in London, UK. It’s also an interesting counterpoint to the hidden voyeuristic surveillance that we know Pottinger (James Murray) is indulging in.

    This episode starts to reveal more about Pottinger – and his secret lives. He, like Berlin, is also an astute judge of character, but his primary motivations seems to be a strong streak of sadism as he very much enjoys discomfiting those around him. He sets in motion his plan to ensnare Amanda (Julie Benz) in this episode. He knows that she’s hooked on adreno/the blue devil (a really interesting name for the drug considering that Castithans look almost blue and that it is made from human or synthetic adrenaline...). Pottinger tells Stahma (Jaime Murray) to stop selling the drug, giving a lame excuse that E-Rep soldiers are getting hooked and making him look bad. Interestingly, Stahma replies by borrowing “a human phrase: better to deal with the Devil you know.” Again equating her with the drug. Pottinger tells Stahma to bring all of her stock to him. He then makes a point of dropping a bag of the drug “accidentally” in front of Amanda. Now, when the street supply dries up, Amanda will know who to go to for a fix... She will be completely dependent on him to feed her habit – which he can also hold over her head to control her – both withholding the drug and exposing her.

    James Murray does a great job in this episode at showing Pottinger’s reactions. We see him disgruntled when Nolan shows up and Amanda starts lobbying for him. We see him annoyed when Nolan’s victory interrupts his reveal of the drug to Amanda. While he is clearly not pleased that Nolan has gotten between him and Amanda, he is also clearly turned on by watching the two of them have sex at the end of the episode.

    Pottinger is also clearly interested in exposing other people’s secret lives. He is determined to find out why Irisa’s record was sealed by Colonel Marsh. He even goes so far as to torture Yewell (Trenna Keating) to do so. I just adore Keating as Yewell. Her dry delivery is also fantastic. We didn’t see how many fingers she actually lost, nor did we see what she might have told Pottinger. She was doing a pretty good job of hiding her secrets, but it seems that she must have told him something. He certainly sees through Datak’s (Tony Curran) plot quickly enough.

    Tony Curran and Grant Bowler are always a joy to watch because they both inhabit their characters with such gusto and joie de vivre. Datak is happy to be back in action, telling Yewell her plot sounds like it could be fun. He happily approaches Karulot (Adam Bogen), pretending to be a disciple. After he “saves” Pottinger, he tells the new mayor that “the hard life in prison has taught him to respect his place in the larger scheme of things.” Yet, it’s clear to us (and apparently Pottinger) that Datak is long past the time when he will truly be subordinated to anyone. It’s a great scene when Pottinger finally tells Datak that he can be useful in 10 years at the end of his prison sentence. Pottinger takes great delight in twisting the knife...

    Pottinger also takes great pleasure in getting a reaction out of Stahma when he tells her she is going to have to give up the adreno trade. He gets quite excited when he thinks she’s about to argue with him. He has also realized that she doesn’t want Datak coming back and taking control back from her, and he uses that to his advantage. Jaime Murray is, as always, wonderful. This season, we see that Stahma is coming into her own, and she’s clearly beginning to really like having power.

    The bath scene at the beginning of the episode is so deliciously awkward! Alak (Jesse Rath) seems to be the most discomfited by having both his wife and his mother in the bath with him – in fact, he seems more disturbed than Christie (Nicole Munoz) when Stahma gets in her personal space. I loved Stahma’s comment – “You children, so particular about your space.” Just as Stahma is becoming more assertive – a more human trait – Christie appears to be becoming more subservient like a good Casti woman, but really, she’s not the push over the entire Tarr family thought she was. She calls Jesse on what he’s doing – she realizes he’s helping his mother run his father’s illegal businesses. Alak retreats in a huff, telling her ironically that “sometimes you can be such a human!” It’s almost a secret life that both Alak and Stahma are the ones acting human. It’s also ironic that Christie’s secret life is also acting like the human she really is – something she now has to hide.

    Another sign of Stahma’s growing power is the influence she has over the townspeople. Nolan is initially reluctant to track the bomber because he feels the townspeople still resent him for killing Alak’s unarmed friend. In fact, when he trips over Berlin in pursuit of Bradley Weddle (Chadwick Allen), Berlin gets him off the street because it’s clear the townspeople are agitated by his presence. However, when he rescues Stahma, her reaction and acceptance is mirrored by the crowd. I loved how she came up to him, ducked her head and did that shy smile before kissing him on the lips and welcoming him back. It was a nice reminder of how alien their interactions can be – something that seems to be getting increasingly less sharply demarcated. Jaime Murray’s performance is nicely nuanced to reflect this change.

    Nolan and Amanda’s reunion is a great scene as well. He remarks on her clothing – and that he really likes the change she’s made. He’s clearly taken aback by the fact that she’s actually working with the E-Republic, but by the end of the episode, he tells her that she hasn’t “really changed that much.” For her own part, she urges him to take on the position of Lawkeeper as a way of protecting Irisa. She tells him that having power is better than having no power – a sentiment that really resonates with Stahma’s storyline as well. She also reinforces that Defiance is their home and is therefore worth fighting for. It was a little disappointing that Nolan so quickly accepted Kenya as being dead and ended up in Amanda’s bed.

    Unfortunately, Tommy and Irisa’s reunion doesn’t go as well as could be hoped. He is – understandably angry at her for not trying to get in touch with him for 9 months, but she is more than ready to confide him now. The two are great together as he approaches her like a wild animal in a cage, gently reaching out to stroke her hands – this was a particularly nice moment in contrast to Irisa’s reaction to being touched by Berlin at the beginning of the episode.

   Irisa also calls attention to the fact that Nolan expects her to act like a human girl, but she realizes that Tommy is more accepting of her alien/Irathient side – it’s why she’s willing to take him to the mine to show him everything about the terrible thing she’s unleashed from inside herself – something she can’t (or doesn’t think) she can tell Nolan about. It’s very much her secret life. Tommy tells Irisa he’s moved on, but she’s still shocked to see that he’s moved on with Berlin – as was I!

    I very much enjoyed this episode. We’ve already seen a lot of growth in the characters from season one. I’m enjoying the mystery of what is really happening to Irisa. The drug storyline between Amanda and Pottinger seems a little obvious, but I’m willing to wait and see how that plays out. I’m also looking forward to the ramifications of Stahma forcing Alak to kill Skevur (Michael Dyson). Will he be even more repulsed by the violence or will he accept his role in the Castithan hierarchy? And if he does embrace his duty, will he prove a challenge to Stahma? What did you think of the episode? Do you think we’ll see fireworks between Pottinger and Nolan soon? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!