Killjoys - Bangarang - Review

Killjoys premiered to “bang up” ratings with “Bangarang.” The first episode was written by series creator and showrunner Michelle Lovretto, who is best known up until now for Lost Girl. The episode is directed by Chris Grismer whose other credits include The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Pretty Little Liars, Orphan Black, and Kyle XY. The series features some excellent action and special effects. The basic premise of bounty hunters working outside the political systems – though within the law – is intriguing and offers some real scope for great stories.

Hannah John-Kamen stars as Dutch, the leader of the group we’re following. She’s engaging and pulls off being a tough bounty hunter, who happens to be as deadly as she is beautiful, without falling into any typical stereotypes – at least in this first episode. You don’t forget that Dutch is a woman, but you also don’t think differently about her because of it.

Aaron Ashmore is John Jaqobis, Dutch’s long-time friend and partner. Dutch is a level 5 killjoy while John is only level 3. I really liked their dynamic. They clearly care about each other but in a buddy way as opposed to romantically. While there’s some potential for romance once D’Avin (Luke Macfarane), John’s brother shows up. Frankly, I’m rather hoping they don’t go that route. I did like John warning D’Avin off.

All three have complicated pasts. John’s is mostly complicated by his brother. D’Avin has nightmares about his time in the military and is clearly the Han Solo-type, using bravado to bury his past. Dutch’s past is the most problematic. We see glimpses of her being trained to be deadly from a young age, receiving mysterious red boxes as rewards from an equally mysterious man – Khlyen (Rob Stewart). We see him, early in the episode, kill a man before he can cause trouble for Dutch, efficiently silencing him, nicely demonstrating both his willingness to kill and his apparent devotion to Dutch. He saves her again when she’s poisoned, but she thinks he’s an hallucination.

The episode had a lot of exposition to wade through, but I thought it did a good job in balancing all that information with some good action sequences. I really liked the opening with Dutch “saving” John. We learn that the Rack is the bounty hunting force and it’s made up of various brokers who assign warrants to their reclamation agents – or at least the killjoys pick the warrants up from them and report to them. The Rack operates outside all political systems and the agents give up all citizenship. They don’t necessarily know who issues the warrant and they’re not supposed to care or be partisan. Their motto is “The Warrant is all.”

Dutch’s current mentor is Bellus Haardy (Nora McLellan), but her boss is Turin (Patrick Garrow). Both McLellan and Garrow are terrific. Also rounding out the cast is Thom Allison as Pree, the group’s favorite bartender. And Sean Baek plays Fancy Lee another bounty hunter.

This episode establishes a number of conflicts. Dutch and D’Avin will, no doubt, have to face their pasts. Khlyen may have been out of Dutch’s life for some time, but the red box she receives at the end of the episode is a pretty clear indication that he intends to insert himself back into her life. We learn that while the killjoys may be non-partisan, there is a revolution brewing – at least on Westerley, one planet in the Quad. Will they be able to stay neutral, and even if they do, will it keep them out of the coming hostilities?

The episode also demonstrated the potential for humor. One final character is their ship - Lucy – voiced by Tamsen McDonough. We don’t get to hear a lot from Lucy in this episode, but I’ve been told that she’ll be a big part of the team going forward. What did you think of the first episode? Do you like the character dynamics and the basic premise? Did you like the mix of humor and actions?Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

About the Author - Lisa Macklem

I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.