This week we play a little bit of catch up with
Killjoys and look at the last two episodes. “The Hullen Have Eyes” was written by Adam Barken and directed by Ruba Nadda. “The Lion, the Witch & the Warlord” was written by Julian Doucet, who moves up to writer from story editor, and was directed by Paolo Barzman. There was lots to enjoy in both episodes, but I have to say the one thing that I didn’t enjoy in either was Zeph (Kelly McCormack). I’m not buying her future-nerd ticks and frankly, the character is just annoying. Casualty, please…
“The Hullen Have Eyes” continues the main plot of the season, but it’s also kind of the balls-out adventure that John (Aaron Ashmore) says he wants to get back in the saddle as a Killjoy. Banyon (Karen LeBlanc) only grudgingly re-instates John, but he convinces her that he’d be a better poster boy – as a Killjoy who actually returned, than as a problem – if she turns on him. She does make him get rid of his mod, however. I’m sure Ashmore was happy to ditch that piece of costume! Banyon accuses John of being the funny one, but that is always going to fall to D’Avin (Luke Macfarlane), and the episode is full of the snappy dialogue we’ve come to expect from the show.
John and Zeph do not hit it off. I’m with John on getting rid of her, but Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) insists that he try to mentor her. Zeph points out that the ship that Turin brought her to study from the Hullen is organic. And this is a bit of a huge plot hole. How did Turin get it there? We learn that of course this is the ship that D’Avin took last episode. Are we to assume at this point that D’avin brought it for Turin? And if that’s the case, why doesn’t he mention it, so no. That’s not what we are to assume. So, again, how did Turin get it there – and if he flew it, they should know how to fly it. And if it’s so similar to the one John was flying, why are they so completely flummoxed by this one?
Dutch hits the controls with D’avin’s hand (in case you didn’t see that he was the one who opened the ship, not Zeph, in the previous scene) to take the team back to the place the ship last visited. The find themselves on what appears to be a deserted planet, but quickly turns out to be a place for Hullen to learn how to act like humans – or was as it is deserted. It’s also a place that I recognize from growing up in Toronto – Black Creek Pioneer Village (where I happen to have been married – so cool!).
When a sun flare spikes the radiation, John and Zeph are spirited away by the plane, and Dutch and D’avin are lead underground by Quin (Sara Waisglass). She is a member of the Unseeing, who stich all of their children’s eyes shut. Quin asks if D’Avin has returned for the remnant. But D’Avin insists he’s never been there. The leader of the Unseeing, Yarin (David Collins) thinks they are members of the Undying and takes them to the celebration.
The Last Seer (Aidan Devine) is about to cut Quin’s eyes out as punishment for going outside, so Dutch jumps up to intervene. He then has Dutch and D’avin put in a cell. They are quickly joined by John, who managed to get the ship back to the planet only to have Zeph abandon him when he’s caught by one of the Guardians.
While the Seer questions Dutch, there’s a nice brotherly scene between D’Avin and John, who thinks D’Avin is mad because he took off. D’avin tells him that he enjoyed being the responsible one who stuck around for a change! He also tells John that this is what coming back feels like – things are never the same. Later in the episode, when D’avin is freaking out about not remembering being there before, John assures him that it’s ok and they’ll figure it out together.
D’avin and John escape, by taking out Yarin – for which D’avin hilariously refuses to feel bad about. Quin takes them to the room that sings – because it’s full of computer equipment. She also tells them that D’avin had left the last time when the alarm sounded, but that he’s promised to take her with him when he came back for the remnant. He also said that he needed it because otherwise a woman would come for it and kill everyone – Aneela no doubt!
John and D’Avin see footage of Khylen at the same time that Dutch realizes the Seer is Hullen and that he’s been waiting for Khylen to return. She also realizes that the Seer is no longer Hullen, he’s turned back into a human. John creates a distraction as Quin and D’avin get the remnant from the altar. They all escape when Zeph finally shows up with the ship.
Zeph used the DNA off the control pad to pilot the ship and Dutch reveals that the DNA wasn’t hers but D’Avin’s because she pushed his hand down. The entire fleet is now D’Avin’s! It’s clear that Khylen has somehow used his “weird” connection with D’avin to transfer them to him. They rescue Quin, unstitch her eyes, and send her to the Monks.
John is angry with Zeph – especially as she’s so stupid she doesn’t get it. He tells her that her job is always to protect the team. He assigns her the sphere to open.
Meanwhile, Delle (Mayko Nguyen) is getting acquainted with Aneela. Still loving how Kamen is using a childish voice to help create this new character and create a real disconnect between her blood-thirsty madness and her demeanor. We learn that there are two stains of Hullen – one for leaders and one for slaves. Aneela has upgraded Delle – or so she tells her anyway! Gander (Ted Atherton) tries to guide Delle’s interaction with Aneela, but I have to admit that I enjoyed watching the fallout when she ignored his caution, and told Aneela her father was dead.
I particularly enjoyed Gander pushing Delle’s face into the blood and telling her to clean it up! Kudos to Nguyen for making me hate Delle so thoroughly! Delle isn’t, however, a coward, and she goes to Aneela and pulls her out of her grief, telling her Queens must rise. It’s a risky game, but Aneela is back on board.
As always, I was thrilled to have a Pree-centered episode in “The Lion, the Witch, & the Warlord” as I’m always happy to watch Thom Allison! The episode begins with John becoming a “man” or a five star RAC agent. This means he gets 5 “shots” from Turin (Patrick Garrow). Dutch steps in to protect him once again for the last 2 punches, tapping him lightly on the cheek instead. The celebration is interrupted by RAC agents lead by Flik (Saamer Usmani – last seen as a Pirate on Reign) who have a black warrant for John for killing Delle.
Naturally, a good old-fashioned bar brawl ensues, with Dutch, John, and Pree taking off in Lucy. I’m still not 100% clear on why Pree took off with them other than as a plot device to get them access to the Ferren. Regardless, let’s go with it as we even get Pree with hair! It turns out, of course, that Pree not only ran with the Ferren – a group of deserters who now fight for only two things – just wars and themselves – but Pree was their Warlord. He was also in a relationship with their current leader, Lachlan (Mac Fyfe).
John and Dutch end up having to fight each other through three challenges – Dutch wins the first, John wins the second, and the third is interrupted by Flik. However, the third also involves them being drugged, and John wants to know why Dutch blocked him from getting his 5 level – something Turin tells him during the celebration at the beginning of the episode. Dutch tells him that she didn’t want him turning into a murderer – or her – she wanted him to remain the happy, innocent guy she first met. John points out that she can’t protect him from everything – and more importantly, he can’t stop her from going full-Khylen. He accuses her of making it about proving that she’s better than Aneela.
After everyone is gassed, John and Dutch wake up tied up by Flik who is putting John into cryo – to take to Delle as we later learn. I did love the sequence with Dutch and John getting lose with her hairpin! And of course, John promising that he’s just a hint of mad Pirate! Flik manages to cryo John, but Dutch and Pree arrive in the nick of time to keep Flik from leaving with him.
Pree gets Lachlan and the Ferren to go after John by explaining to Lachlan that he only left so that Lachlan could be leader. The only way to become leader was when the old leader was killed. Like Dutch, Pree was also trying to protect Lachlan as Lachlan had started taking too many chances to protect Pree. The two make out – but not make up – as Pree later explains to Dutch, they are different things.
Meanwhile, D’Avin works with Gared (Gavin Fox), Pree’s barback and latest squeeze, to try to get information out of Flik and get evidence to prove the Warrant is bogus. After all, why would the Nine have waited so long to issue it? And why no state funeral if Delle is dead? Gared also helps get footage of Delle walking away after John shot her – showing that she’s not only alive, she’s Hullen. I did love the scene of D’Avin and Gared commiserating over “dudes!”
D’Avin goes to Banyon with the footage of Delle walking away, but Banyon insists that John could simply have killed her later. D’avin and Zeph then try to use the green plasma to find Delle. Zapping him with electricity doesn’t work, so Zeph concocts a drug mixture and puts some in. That does the trick and zooms him to Aneela’s ship.
Aneela has been showing Delle how to access the memories in the plasma pool, clearly taking her under her wing. D’avin “arrives” and interrupts Delle and Gander – actually it’s hilarious when Gander “bursts through” D’avin! Gander has called off Delle’s warrant because of course it draws too much attention! Gander also warns her that Aneela always grows tired of her new toys.
However, when Aneela walks in, she can see D’avin! She asks him “What did Daddy do to you?” and is naturally not happy when D’avin says she’s exactly like Dutch. She sends him back by blowing a kiss at him.
Dutch wants to know what Aneela is like. D’avin tells her, “Powerful. Possibly bonkers.” He also tells her that Aneela is coming after her and that Delle is with her and is Hullen. Dutch decides it’s time to take back the RAC – they need an army after all! Zeph manages to open the sphere with the plasma. There’s a vial full of what could be red blood – or maybe it’s a red form of the plasma? Anyway, she closes the sphere again and we don’t see her tell the team she managed to open it.
What did you think of the episodes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
