Defiance - Capt. Tightpants Rides Again! by SHINYGOODGUY

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Defiance - Capt. Tightpants Rides Again!

POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Friday, April 26, 2013 17:49
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VIEWED: 2369
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Friday, April 12, 2013 9:08 AM

As many of you may be well aware of the SyFy original series Defiance is scheduled to start om Monday, April 15 at 9 p.m. eastern.

Well, I can't say that I'm giddy about this new show, but I am looking forward to it and here's why:

It is being produced primarily by NBC Universal (they supported our BDH) and I think because of the response, and aftermath, to Serenity they are clever enough to know that they have a ready-made fan base for their show. The other producing partner is a company called Trion Worlds, which has developed a MMO game that will be incorporated into the TV series. Clever folks. But I repeat, Thanks Universal.

You will be pleased to know that you'll recognize much in the storyline of the show, such as:

There is the hero of the show Joshua Nolan, a mysterious stranger who comes to Defiance with an adopted daughter Irisa, an alien from Votan.

"The series takes place...in 2046, and largely revolves around the character of Joshua Nolan. Nolan was only ten years old when the Votans arrived in 2013 and he served in the military during the war. With the war now over, he returns to his hometown of St. Louis to find that it is no longer the city he left; it is little more than a border town renamed "Defiance". Deciding that his services are needed, Nolan takes up a position as the Chief Lawkeeper in Defiance, so he can protect the town from dangerous clashes between humans and aliens, military scavengers and other dangerous visitors who occasionally enter the town"

He served in the military (an ex-Marine), he and Irisa both scavenge to earn money, but they come to settle in Defiance. He becomes the town's Lawkeeper (sounds familiar, don't it)

There is Amanda Rosewater, the mayor - a tough cookie and it appears she's Nolan's love interest.

Kenya Rosewater, her sister, runs the local saloon and brothel (come on folks, Inara's twin - I smell a love triangle)

Datak Tarr - an ambitious alien badass who runs the underworld (Badger)

Stahma Tarr - Datak's dutiful wife, or is she?

Alak Tarr - their teenage son

Rafe McCawley - the town's other power broker and leader of the mining community

Well, you get the picture. There's old tech and new tech (brought by the aliens), there's terraforming (yes, seriously they shamelessly use that terminology). On their website they even have a background history of how the "Pale Wars" started. Instead of humans leaving Earth, the aliens come to our planet once it's discovered that their is doomed. Anyway, here's the website info http://www.defiance.com/en/ where you will find lots of goodies to keep you busy for the next 3 days until showtime Monday. They even have a 14-minute video (the first 14 minutes of the show).

The show was created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, who created the sci-fi movie Alien Nation, but also created and produced seaQuest DSV and Farscape, among others. So he's no slouch when it comes to sci-fi. He took over the reins of the show Caprica when Jane Espenson stepped down. He's no rookie.

They also have a bevy of solid actors:

Graham Greene (Dances with Wolves),

Julie Benz (who played Darla in Buffy and Angel),

Tony Curran (a British actor Blade 2, Underworld: Evolution),

Fionnula Flanagan (Irish actress who was the caretaker in The Others)

Mia Kirshner (recently played a feisty lesbian in the L Word, but I remember her solid role in Atom Egoyan's Exotica - she was a teenager)
She's easy on the eyes and could be Inara's sister.

So these guys are good solid actors and, it seems to me, that Universal is sparing no expense to produce (in Canada) and promote this series.

International Broadcast

It starts here and in Canada on Monday April 15, but starts overseas in Brazil, France, Ireland, Germany, Spain and the UK on April 16. The Browncoats down under will get it April 18 and it will open in Portugal on May 5.

I work in 30 Rock and the posters for this show are plastered all over the place. So Universal is all in for this one, you think maybe they did an in-depth study of their fan base over the years..........smart move.

I really hope it's good, mainly because of the source material, Firefly. This is a great offshoot of that ill-treated series. I know I'll be tuning in to watch.

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Friday, April 12, 2013 9:48 AM

MOOSE

After I saw the first trailers, I wanted to call it "Tales of Earth That Was". If they had not specified a timeline, it very well could have been.

"Terraforming" as a word and a concept was around long before Firefly.

It does looking interesting and I think I will give it a chance.
Like you said, there's a solid cast.
And well.. Julie Benz AND Jaime Murray?
How can you not watch?

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Friday, April 19, 2013 11:41 AM

SHINYGOODGUY

My gut reaction to Defiance: Universal/SyFy did their homework, but I have a few minor quibbles.

1. I felt they took things a bit too seriously, a bit much with the drama.

2. I felt they rushed the storyline of Nolan becoming the sheriff; the poor actor who played McCawley's eldest son (see I can't even remember his name) he was killed off rather abruptly and so I didn't really care, very little build up (what I call the set-up to the payoff, it has to make sense and develop). They could've taken more time - it's a TV series.

3. Nolan bedding Kenya right off, ok, I give 'em that one - She's fine
(she's no Inara, but on a cold night, hubba, hubba!)

4. Sorry but Graham Greene didn't convince me, at least in the pilot, that he's this angry hothead father who like a frontiersman/landowner (that's a John Wayne role if ever I saw one). Maybe he'll be better in future episodes.

2 reasons why here: a) When they killed his son, I wasn't convinced he cared
and b) when they killed his best friend, the sheriff, I wasn't convinced he cared (I'm sensing a pattern here).

Part of it is due to the set-up. If the sheriff wasn't going to be a main character, why write him in at all. Why not just infer his death and have Tommy, his deputy, take the reins and try and stop McCawley from killing Alak.

Score: C-

Enough with the negatives, let's see what I did like:

I like Nolan. I like Irisa. Both are solid and their chemistry is spot on.
I like them as characters and how their story flowed, it was natural (not rushed or forced) and set the tone almost immediately. The studio did the right thing casting these two as leads. They are both good together and separately, each has gravitas, but each has that little spark in their eye that can lead to comic situations when needed within the show's storyline.

I like Julie Benz as the mayor. She's solid as well.

I really like the Tarrs. Both of them are solid actors and drive the show's more wicked side. Solid casting there as well. I could do without the star-crossed lovers bit between the 2 teens, but the jury's out on that working or not (at least for me).

Jury's out for me on Kenya (horrible name) Mia Kirschner is fine but....

Grade: B-

That's about it, not much but I still liked it. But please note that I'm a sci-fi geek and watched Flash Gordon when I was a boy. Despite the terrible FX (wires flying the ship) I was in heaven. 100 hundred years later, along comes Firefly and everything seemed to gel and make sense.

The potential is there. Good thing about it is that they can make it anything they want, but hopefully will listen to fans and incorporate what makes us smile. Time will tell.

Similarities:

Nolan - former soldier, salvager, father figure to a wounded teen, lovable scoundrel (tightpants not included)

Irisa - wounded teen, special skills with knives, may have other special powers (that may yet come to the surface)

Amanda/Kenya - they took Inara and split her into 2 women/the ambassador and the whore

Need/Want Bar - Maidenhead Bar anyone, good choice and I like the name

Datak and wife - Badger x 2

Earth That Was - well, we all knew that was coming

Pale Wars - The Alliance didn't have those cool Arks floating about

Defiance - named after a battle for freedom, hmmmmm, where have we heard that before (I actually like that part of the storyline in the show)

Reavers? - didn't quite catch the name of the baddies at the end, but Nolan fought them during the war, not sure about this part of the story.

Well, you get the picture. Universal couldn't, or wouldn't, get Firefly so they create a similar vibe with this show. Well, not quite, but they use elements of our beloved series. Smart move, they have a ready-made audience clamoring for our BDH and do their best not to ruffle any feathers - both with the fanbase and network people. I liked it, for the most part, but they have a ways to go to even come close to the universe.

My message to Universal/SyFy - keep tweaking. Don't make it too melodramatic, sci-fi should be fun as well as cool (I believe they can't use "shiny" in the show). Maybe introduce a Jayne-type character, an Irithiant bounty hunter maybe, who thinks with his Johnson rather than that part 2 feet above his ass.

Sky's the limit here guys, take your best shot. We'll be watching.

Overall Grade: B-

SGG

(Posted elsewhere in: Other Sci-fi series)

Quote:
Originally posted by Moose:
After I saw the first trailers, I wanted to call it "Tales of Earth That Was". If they had not specified a timeline, it very well could have been.

"Terraforming" as a word and a concept was around long before Firefly.

It does looking interesting and I think I will give it a chance.
Like you said, there's a solid cast.
And well.. Julie Benz AND Jaime Murray?
How can you not watch?

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Friday, April 26, 2013 3:44 PM

ZZETTA13

ShinyGoodGuy…..
Yepper, I was looking for anything I thought would relate to FF, & there were several that I did believe the writers threw in because of being familiar with FF material…..all in all I think that it is an interesting show and very much worth watching. Joshua Nolan I see as sort of the Malcolm Reynolds type character…..all ready to fight for the cause until the death of his friends look him directly in the eye, hard to tell a dead comrade that they died for a just cause when you question that yourself.
Anyway, good show so far…..Z

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Friday, April 26, 2013 5:49 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

Hey Zetta,

So far, it's OK, but nothing that gives me the feeling that FF once did. My fav characters so far are Nolan and Irisa, but they need to have better writing if they're to challenge Joss' classic sci-fi western.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by ZZETTA13:
ShinyGoodGuy…..
Yepper, I was looking for anything I thought would relate to FF, & there were several that I did believe the writers threw in because of being familiar with FF material…..all in all I think that it is an interesting show and very much worth watching. Joshua Nolan I see as sort of the Malcolm Reynolds type character…..all ready to fight for the cause until the death of his friends look him directly in the eye, hard to tell a dead comrade that they died for a just cause when you question that yourself.
Anyway, good show so far…..Z

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