Killjoys - A Glitch in the System - Review

Killjoys, “A Glitch in the System,” was written by Adam Barken and directed by Chris Grismer. Barken’s other credits include Rookie Blue, Flashpoint, and Murdoch Mysteries. Grismer’s long list of credits include The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, Orphan Black, Kyle XY, and one of my favorite ever Canadian shows, This Is Wonderland. This particular episode was a nice mixture of mystery, horror, and science fiction and really demonstrated the show’s potential.

The show does have a bit of a formula already. We join the team in the midst of a warrant, have a couple of light-hearted moments, and then move to the warrant that will be the focus of the episode. However, even at only the fifth episode, they are able to turn that formula on its head as the seemingly easy warrant goes very bad, very quickly.

I really liked how the seemingly silly and light-hearted banter between John (Aaron Ashmore), D’Avin (Luke Macfarlane), and Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) comes back later in the episode to play vitally important roles. John’s fear of mythical space rats is the code word between he and D’Avin, and Dutch proves that John is Lucy’s (Tamsen McDonough) favorite by telling her that John is in danger to get Lucy to drop the quarantine protocols.

The episode gives us a little more backstory on our characters – some of it subtle and some of it not so subtle. It’s clear that John and D’Avin have slightly different memories of their father and their childhood – not a surprising difference between the oldest and youngest sibling. It’s clear that D’Avin is used to being the protective older brother and that John is slightly frustrated by that and is the more sensitive one – at least on the surface. I like the pace at which the two are coming to an agreement and that D’Avin has revealed his dark secret already. I like that the show isn’t dragging this on. The final scene between the two brothers with John insisting that he’s good at fixing things was great, and Ashmore was particularly good in this scene. John continues to believe in his brother, and D’Avin himself doesn’t really clue in to the fact that he doesn’t remember why he killed his squad – only that he did it.

There is little spookier that large, dark, empty – but not empty! – spaces, so the setting of this episode on the abandoned freighter worked really well. It also made sense for the three to split up to accomplish their tasks while still remaining connected via comm-link – even if that link eventually and inevitably failed. And the flashes of Hogan (Richard Clarkin) and Wilson (Kyle Mitchell) suddenly showing up was also delightfully creepy. I adored the choice of “Wilson” for a name – anybody else flash immediately to Tom Hank’s volleyball friend in Castaway?

At first, it was a bit disappointing that a soldier of D’Avin’s caliber was taken out by the likes of Hogan, until you realize that Hogan isn’t just a janitor or a salvage worker, but is a Black Ops soldier just like D’Avin – and that he’s full of evil nanites! I really liked how the episode almost mis-directs us without really lying to us. So when Lucy pulls out because the ship is “contaminated,” my first thought is that it’s a biological contamination, so that’s what I was expecting the smoke to be – a virus or biological weapon of some kind. When Dutch jettisoned herself through the airlock, I was thinking they’d gone too far to suggest that she had super powers like that. It was also a really nice mirror and contrast to Wilson. It was a great use of the nanites against themselves, however.

We definitely see that Dutch is the strongest of the three as she masters the pain that has D’Avin quickly on his knees. The special effects for the nanites was great. Macfarlane is terrific as he is clearly gutted that Dutch, but especially John, has learned his secret – that he killed his own squad. This is also a really nice parallel to the entire episode after all, Hogan has killed his entire squad too. It’s also interesting that D’Avin recognizes all the protocols for a Black Ops torture unit.

Dutch is quick to forgive and understand given her own history. I loved that she put herself in harm’s way to save D’Avin – mostly for John, but also because she’s clearly also become attached to him too. It was another moment when I thought, hey, she should have been able to take Hogan easily – but that wasn’t her plan. She needed the nanites to get to Lucy. John-Kamen is terrific in this scene as we see her master the pain and shove it aside.

In the end, the only way to stop the nanites is to blow up the ship. We are left with one big mystery, however. What is Red 17? Was this simply another malfunction of the system due to the accident or will this become significant to D’Avin’s own mysterious past? Pawter (Sarah Power) discovers that D’Avin’s previous brain injuries have been completely healed by the nanites, but there are neuro-blockers still implanted in his brain. She also discovers that his other systems still work fine… Their steamy sex scene should lay to rest any more romance between D’Avin and Dutch because please show, just no.

In the final scene, Dutch returns to her bedroom to find the hand of the man she was supposed to kill in a red handkerchief, and perhaps more disturbing, Khlyen (Rob Stewart) waiting for her. He tells her that without him, she’s becoming weak and vulnerable. He doesn’t specify what she’s becoming vulnerable to. She vows that she’s not going with him, but once he threatens John, she agrees. We already know that John is good at finding people and fixing things. There’s no way that if Dutch simply disappears that he’ll let her go.

I thought this was another really solid episode. Another scene that I really liked was Lucy essentially punishing Dutch by making her stay in the decontamination shower so long and telling her, “It’s not my fault you’re filthy!” This was a nicely written episode with some excellent parallel scenes and nuanced exposition. What did you think of the episode? Do you think Dutch will simply leave or will she try to find a way to keep John from following her? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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.