‘Defiance’ recap- 'I Just Wasn't Made for These Times'

This episode entitled “I Just Wasn't Made for These Times” was the oddest episode of Defiance’s first season. It was not bad but it laid out backstory that was just out of place and a little too late.

The episode focuses entirely on Gordon McClintock. Nolan and Tommy take a journey to the fallen ark that fell to Earth in the last episode. As the two talked, we learn a couple of things. First, Tommy and Irisa are communicating. Second, she gave him a copy of Moby Dick and Tommy had some ideas about God and his purpose in life. Nolan warns Tommy not to hurt Irisa. This warning hint at Tommy and Irisa are dating.

When the two arrive inside the ark, they see a man in some sort-of-bio bag. They cut the bag and Gordon McClintock, legendary astronaut is revealed. In order to understand, viewers get a full explanation to what makes McClintock so important. After getting checked out by Doc Yewell, Commander McClintock has a flashback where indogenes are operating on him. He pushes the Doc and is quickly re-gathered and prepared to stay with the McCawleys. When they leave the Doc’s, Nolan, Amanda, and McClintock are met with a crowd of spectators and journalists.

When they arrive at the house, we learn some major backstory for this show. First, McClintock was an astronaut on a space station when the alien arks arrived in 2013. The people of Earth made a movie about those astronauts called the Bravery Nine. McClintock was played by Robert Pattinson. They also hint that the invasion was not peaceful at first. Also, people can’t fly planes because the atmosphere is full of space debris.

While the four of them talk, eat and drink, Rafe offers McClintock Luke’s old room and clothes. He has taken an interest in him. Because everyone was so drunk that night, Rafe insists that everyone stay at his home. When everyone is sleeping, McClintock awakes and tries to strangle Amanda.

This leads to the big reveal. McClintock is jailed. Doc Yewell is brought to the jailhouse and interrogated because she knows why McClintock is trying to kill and bleeding sliver like an indogene. We find out that McClintock is not McClintock. He was a weapon programed by the indogenes to kill human leaders in the Pale Wars. So that would make him a clone with fake memories. McClintock attacks everyone and escapes to the mines.
Rafe is informed and decides to talk him into finding his long lost wife. In the end of this episode, everyone thinks that McClintock is dead. However, he finds his wife.

The theme of this episode was forbidden love or long-lost-love. Connor Lang, the Earth Rep, wants Amanda to come to New York but she refuses. These two still love each other but duty gets in the way. Amanda is also in love with Nolan. Lang warns her that the Earth Republic wants her dead and wants the raw energy underneath the town.

The second minor plot is between the Tarrs and Kenya. Kenya refuses to “service” Datak anymore. When Datak sees that Stahma is bathing alone, he is outraged but Stahma calms him down. However, she does continue to “service” Stahma. Kenya believes that Stahma is really unhappy. I don’t know what Kenya wants but she is attacking the source of the Tarr power.

This episode was okay. It was weaker than the previous two but this episode sat up a major event for the next episode: a plague is coming to Defiance. This was a weak episode but it was one of the most thought provoking of the season. Questions of faith, freewill, identity, duty and love were questioned and/or challenged in this episode. It also answered some questions about the world they live in. Defiance airs on SyFy.

Here is a trailer for the next episode:

image: NBC Universal