Josh recaps Season 2 Episode 8 of Defiance, titled Slouching Towards Bethlehem, where Nolan is tasked to investigate a New York bomb threat, and Amanada finds out that Kenya is still alive! Following the recap, both Josh and Violet share their thoughts about the episode.
Don’t need the Defiance episode recap for Defiance? Click here to jump directly to Violet’s thoughts on the episode!
To see Josh’s thoughts on this week’s Defiance episode, Slouching Towards Bethlehelm, click here to get directly there!
Episode Recap of Defiance, Season 2 Episode 8: Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Season 2 Episode 8 of Defiance begins with Nolan talking to Irisa about her attempted suicide. Nolan tells her to find a doctor to help with her “situation”. Nolan decides to threaten Irzu, to little avail.
Nolan then is called by Mercado, and we see Nolan raiding the NeedWant. An Irathient is arrested for terrorism for work as a Votan. Nolan tells Amanda there is a bomb in New York set to go off soon, and Nolan is tasked with finding out where it is. Amanda then learns that Kenya is alive from a mysterious phone call. Amanda confronts Mercado asking about the bomb. Amanda comes up with a plan, but Mercado declines her methods.
Stahma is being interviewed by Tommy. Berlin is there as well, and Stahma is accused of visiting with the spy that is currently in custody. Stahma is able to figure out that Nolan has had some fun with Berlin, and passes that information on to Tommy. Berlin isn’t afraid to admit it, either.
Nolan decides to try some torture methods, and the Irathient is pretty candid about the situation.
Amanda has been watching the whole time, and receives another call. Kenya’s captors tell her to get the Irathient out of lock up or Kenya dies. Nolan and Mercado decide more drastic measures will have to be used. A device will be used to extract information from the Irathient’s brain–killing him in the process.
Datak, in his humble abode, is visited by Stahma. Stahma warns about the information being extracted from the Irathient. Datak is worried about his recent dealings, which could have him executed. But no time for worrying about that! Stahma decides to get it on. Afterwards, Datak is given a weapon to take out the Irathient. Meanwhile, Stahma’s large bodyguard beast says her people will not stand for Stahma getting back together with Datak–as he would likely kill them once Stahma forgave him.
Amanda approaches Nolan about Kenya being alive. She explains that she has to deliver the Irathient. Nolan comes up with a plan to triangulate Kenya’s captors, using his and Irisa’s hailers. While they wait for the next call, Irisa goes “out”.
Irisa has visions of some sort of fish, and pulls over. Finding a camp, she gets caught in a snare. She drops her hailer, which her captor smashes. Her captor frees her, and she tells Irisa about her urges, similar to Irisa’s–because Irisa captured her earlier. Sukar then approaches Irisa, as do many other “followers”. Irzu tells Irisa, “this is where we will begin”.
Kenya, meanwhile, tries to figure out how to escape, banging on her chains with a metal tray. She manages to break the chain holding her, and makes a break for it. She attacks one of her captors, strangling them with her chain, and a fight breaks out, which she finally wins. She attempts to start a vehicle, but is unable to. She is able to make a call to Amanda, though. She flees, but is caught again by her captor.
Nolan tries to contact Irisa, who isn’t picking up. Amanda is locked up by Nolan, as he is worried she might do something “crazy”, but before the cuffs are on, she turns the tables and locks him up.
Amanda is “borrowing” some drugs from Yewll’s lab, when Yewll walks in. Yewll decides that she is going to help, and takes back the medicine from Amanda to get her “clean”. Amanda also managed to steal an E-Rep uniform, and joins the escort moving the Irathient spy. Amanda, disguised as an E-Rep, gives some drug that makes the Irathient seize. She gets him alone, then wakes him up, and helps break him out of the building.
Nolan manages to find Amanda, and stops them. The Irathient pulls a gun on Amanda, but Datak from afar snipes the Irathient spy dead. Before he dies, he provides the location of Kenya to Nolan. Berlin calls for back up to that location. Amanda breaks down. The captor calls, and Amanda and Nolan bluff the Irathient still being alive.
They head to the location, and Nolan takes the captor down. There are several captors, who all motorcycle away. Amanda pries the car open that Kenya is supposed to be in, but it is empty. But Kenya approaches from behind, and is free.
Josh’s Thoughts: Defiance, Season 2 Episode 8: Slouching Towards Bethlehem
It sure is random that Kenya suddenly pops back into the pictured of Defiance. Where was she all this time? Was she ok, and just recently kidnapped? Or was she held prisoner all this time, and only brought out once this New York bombing plan was hatched? It certainly is a little weird.
Who will find it really weird, and disconcerting is Stahma. If we remember form last season, Stahma is the reason for Kenya’s disappearance, attempting to murder her via poison. Now that Kenya is back, Stahma could be in for some trouble. I have a feeling that Kenya will keep quiet about it for one reason or another. In other news with Stahma, it looks like Datak and she may be on the mend, but it might be a rough road ahead considering the threat her overgrown ape-like alien bodyguard gave her.
It was pretty messed up how Amanda didn’t trust Nolan though, Nolan has gotten Defiance and Amanda out of a lot of jams, why would she doubt him now? Pretty messed up to distrust the guy who has probably helped her the most recently. Speaking of “messed up”, what is with Tommy joining the E-Rep? I am pretty sure he was fairly anti-E-Rep in season 1. I am curious to see where this takes him and Berlin, and who Berlin will decide to sleep with next.
Lastly, I am curious to see where Irisa’s path will go. She seems to be leading some sort of cult that she created with her “Irzu”. I am wondering what Irzu is looking for, and how much trouble Irisa is going to be getting into to satisfy it. We shall see I suppose!
Violet’s Thoughts on Season 2 Episode 8 of Defiance: Slouching Towards Bethlehem
So this episode answers the question that’s been burning in the audience’s mind all season of whether Kenya is still alive. I had just assumed that Stahma killed her at the end of last season, but the way they’ve been bringing her up every so often this season made me rethink that assumption. What if the poison wasn’t as strong as Stahma thought, and she somehow survived? What if the poison wasn’t actually meant to kill her? Well now we know she is still alive. But how exactly? And where has she been all this time? Has she been held captive by these guys that were holding her captive this episode, just biding their time until the right moment occurred to use her? How’d they get her in the first place? Did they just find her wandering dazed on the side of the road somewhere? Hopefully we get the answer to these questions soon!
Ugh, I’m disappointed for Stahma for hooking up with Datak. I was hoping she was long done with him. Plus it was the cliche “I’m angry at you,” “I’m angry at you too,” “Let’s have sex” that we see on so many movies and TV shows, which is annoying. If she was just using him to get him to do her bidding, then okay, but if she’s really getting back together with him, that’s just lame. Although I guess you could argue that she has accepted the fact that her role as a female in Castithan society will never change, and she needs Datak to accomplish certain things. But isn’t that what she was using Alak for?
As for Amanda’s distrust of Nolan, I think this all stems from that hallucination she had of him when she had that defective ego implant. You know how sometimes you have a dream where someone makes you mad, and you wake up feeling mad at them, even though they didn’t do anything in reality? This is probably even worse than that, because it happened while she was awake, and was even more real to her. I don’t think she’s ever going to be able to fully shake it, even though logically she knows it wasn’t really him. Nolan probably thinks it’s the drugs that made her distance herself from him. I don’t think their relationship will ever be the same, not for a long time anyway.
So, what’s going to happen now that Kenya is back? What will Stahma’s reaction be? Will she and Nolan rekindle their relationship? Curious to see what happens next!
Scenes from Defiance, Season 2 Episode 9: Painted From Memory
Here are scenes from the next episode of Defiance, titled Painted From Memory
