Forcing characters into close quarters due to a cave-in or similar turn of events is hardly new in the genre.  Or, really, any genre.  In this case, Pettinger and Amanda end up stuck together, and despite his addiction-enabling and general creeper behavior, the experience leads to some bonding.  The cave-in was the result of an anti-ERep attack by Rafe’s son, for which Rafe took the fall before all was said and done.  At this point, between Yewll and Rafe, the resistance in Defiance is getting decimated.

 

This season continues to feel like an ongoing holding action as the writers take their sweet time with the whole Irisa/Irzu thread.  That confusing situation continues to move forward incrementally, though the end of the episode suggests that enough is happening that it will finally be noticed or a plan implemented.  Pressing forward with this would be a good idea, because while I appreciate the first season finale still has significance, I’d like to spend a little more time with the real Irisa, especially now that she’s a bit more mature.

 

If the ongoing saga of Stahma’s ongoing bid to control her family and the Castithan underground were maintaining its quality, then perhaps it wouldn’t matter so much.  But when it strays into the whole “love triangle” between Alak/Christie/Deidre, the momentum is lost.  Clearly something very bad is going to have to happen to Deidre, and this whole mess is going to just take up time better spent on Stahma exploiting the void creating by the bad fortune of the resistance.

 

It might just be that the episode was too focused on romantic relationships and combinations that aren’t particularly interesting.  Nolan’s fling with Berlin was fun for a number of reasons (not the least of which getting to see Berlin out of uniform), so seeing that apparently end to rekindle a love triangle that doesn’t need to happen is irritating.  There are indications that big moments are on the horizon, but the middle of the season has suffered greatly from the need to mark time while the Irzu threat simmers.