Killjoys - Vessel - Review

Killjoys, “Vessel,” was directed by Andy Mikita and written by Emily Andras. Mikita and Andras are both Lost Girl alums, but Mikita’s other credits include Stargate – SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe, as well as Bitten and Reign. I’m still really liking the balance the show has established of teasing out the backstory of the characters while keeping the action hopping with the warrant-of-the-week. This episode does a good job of keeping all three of the main characters busy for the central plot too.

The episode begins once again in the middle of a warrant – D’Avin’s (Luke Macfarlane) first collar – and he’ll look bad if he doesn’t get his man. I really like that while we know D’Avin is a more than competent soldier, he still does have a lot to learn about becoming a Killjoy – John (Aaron Ashmore) really is better than his brother!

Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) gets to look super cool again as she casually throws hot liquid into the warrant’s eyes. I just loved the nonchalant way she does itl I also loved them all just running through some random stangers’ house and Dutch saying, “Sorry! Smells delicious…” on her way through. The guy they were chasing turns out to have killed his supervisor and he tells them he can’t do another set in West Hall – which must be the prison. I like how the show just throws in these little pieces of information to world build. The warrant chooses to try to go over the wall and gets liquefied, so prison must be pretty bad. I also loved John’s smug, “You tagged ‘em, you bag ‘em” to D’Avin.

Once again the team gets called in to Bellus (Nora McLellan) who has another warrant for them – not one they can turn down. Bellus tells them they’ve been “volun-told.” We learn a little more about both the politics of the Quad and Dutch’s mysterious history. She has no love for the Nine who control the company and thus the Quad. To Bellus she calls them “in-bred facist nobles.” We meet one of those in Delle (Mayko Nguyen). She wants the best female Killjoy – Dutch clarifies that she’s the best, period.

Interestingly Delle assumes that John and D’Avin are both Dutch’s lovers. Delle also wants to know why Dutch has a musical instrument reserved for royalty hanging on her wall. Dutch tells her it came with the ship, but it’s clear that she’s lying. Later in the episode, Dutch tells D’Avin that she lived in an institute much like the surrogates do. D’Avin refers to it as a “rich kid orphanage” but it’s pretty clear it also has to have something to do with Khylen.

I thought the basic story of the vessels was just a little too much like the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – with some interesting twists. Dutch assumes the use of surrogates is because the nine are sterile – truly in-bred! Delle clarifies that the Nine are no more infertile than anyone else, but they do find giving birth gauche, so they outsource it. The warrant turns out to be for a baby who is the last of its line. The baby is, however, missing from the monastery where it was being housed with its surrogate.

John sets a trap for D’Avin so that when D’Avin tries to access information on Pim Jaeger – his mysterious army doctor – after he gets his accreditation, an alarm goes off. D’Avin is still embarrassed to have to tell his younger brother that there is anything wrong, that he got his “brain scrambled” during his last deployment. John is annoyed that D’Avin wouldn’t confide in him but also that finding people is “literally” what he does and D’Avin still didn’t come to him. I really like that this is mostly resolved by the end of the episode when John has gotten a partial lead on Jaeger and insists on D’Avin letting him help, with the caveat that Dutch must also be in on it. John also stipulates that D’Avin can’t “plough their sister” – their partnership is working, but only if D’Avin doesn’t try to get in Dutch’s pants. It looks like the writers are on the same page as the fans here!

Because there is a religious element to the case, they turn to Alvin (Morgan Kelly) for help. I really like Kelly in this role, and I hope we’ll see more of him in subsequent episodes. I loved his flirting with Dutch and completely ignoring D’Avin. He reassures Dutch that he’s safe baiting the soldiers because they are too afraid of “his kind.” Hopefully, we’ll get more of an explanation for that. Anybody else think Morgan and Ashmore look more like brothers than Ashmore and Macfarlane?

Alvin gives them the coordinates of a safe-house that Mother Sal (Laara Sadiq) has taken the girls to. Unfortunately, it’s in the Badlands – more filling in of the Westerley landscape! We learn this is what is left behind when the Company strips an area of all its resources – and area so toxic and polluted that Lucy can’t even fly into it! There are some great special effects when they finally realize that the safe house is protected by a security barrier. Dutch compliments D’Avin for spotting it, so John jumps right in to be the first to penetrate it.

The episode continues the fun banter between characters. I loved D’Avin telling Dutch, “Ladies first,” and her replying, “Rarely, in my experience,” and D’Avin coming back with, “They they’re doing it wrong!” When they find the surrogates, John declares it’s his favorite ambush ever. There are lots of humorous moments that don’t take you too far out of the suspense and action.

Another great case in point is when Dutch comes upon one of the attackers and says, “Oh yes. I’d love to dance. You like to lead. So do I.” This fight scene is beautifully shot, backlit in the hallway. Dutch’s dry sense of humor is really juxtaposed her with her skill as a killer. She gets the information she needs from the attacker and then cooly dispatches him by breaking his neck. John-Kamen continues to impress!

I did like that the surrogates and nuns are not what we might expect – especially given the Handmaid’s Tale similarities. The nuns have guns to protect their charges. The surrogates are, according to Jenny (Dayle McLeod) willing participants. They are the “extra” daughters from their families and being a surrogate pays very well. In addition, it’s clear the surrogates have formed a strong bond and Jenny bravely sacrifices herself so that Constance (Chloe Rose) and the others can get away. Mother Sal on the other hand, turns out to be an abject coward, willing to sacrifice Constance and the baby to save herself. It was a real surprise when Constance killed Mother Sal – I like that we have very few weak and helpless females on this show!

In fact, Dutch tries to push Constance to break away and assert her independence. However, Constance consistently stands by her belief that being a surrogate is her calling – and a worthy one. Given the opportunity at the end of the episode to remain with her baby as his nanny, she chooses instead to become a guardian and guide for other surrogates.

If I had one complaint about this episode, it’s the chilling similarity between the message the attackers send of them killing Sister Therese and an ISIS video. I thought that went a bit too far. However, they were very clear later on that the attackers were white and were clearly Kreshe house guards in disguise.

When they attempt to return the baby, Delle has pretty much hung them out to dry, but once again being RAC agents stands them in good stead and buys them enough time to land. Dutch forces Delle’s hand and she accepts the baby and agrees to be its guardian – primarily because she’ll also control his land until he’s 18. Dutch and Delle both respect each other as strong women who can be either good allies or tough enemies.

All in all, this was another solid episode with good action. It also managed to expand the universe of the show quite a bit. Ashmore does a nice job with John’s reaction to Jenny’s death. I particularly liked Dutch simply coming into the cockpit and laying her hand on his shoulder. They don’t have to speak and she has to do very little to show her support – what you’d expect of long-time friends and partners. I also very much enjoyed the music in this episode – the hard driving, leaning toward classic rock feel is perfect for the fight scenes.

What did you think of the episode? Did you enjoy this warrant? Do you like how quickly they seem to be moving along with the backstories? 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.