COMMENTARY: ‘Defiance’ is one of the strongest Syfy shows in years
It’s easy to look at the slate of post-apocaplytic programming available on TV and cry foul. From The Last Ship to The Walking Dead to The Strain to The Leftovers to Defiance to Dominion to … what else am I forgetting? TV writers, ever since the success of Lost, have been enamored with humanity’s undoing. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or intrepid virologist) to figure out the reasoning for this fascination with doom. The new, barren landscapes and human drama entwined with the rapture or a virus outbreak can be thrilling to decipher. The new sets of rules that the survivors need to live by and the camaraderie that needs to be achieved to secure the future are perfect themes for an episodic series.
One series rises above the rest, and this choice may surprise some. Syfy’s Defiance, currently in its second season, is near-perfect. Starring Julie Benz and Grant Bowler, the show follows a community of people trying to survive in a newly rechristened St. Louis (now called Defiance). The series moves quickly past the backstory of how the earth came to be in ravages several decades in the future, and instead focuses on the conflicts that have emerged.
The show is so strong because it focuses on more than one element. There’s a military-occupation theme, plus a political side to the series. Arts and entertainment are discussed, plus the plight of the common laborer. Young love and mature love are talked about, and cultural respect is a common thread.
The acting is uniformly excellent. From Benz and Bowler to Graham Greene, Tony Curran and Jaime Murray, the characters are fully drawn and original. The best actor on the show is Stephanie Leonidas, a real find who sinks her teeth into the complicated role of Irisa. This is an actress who delivers lines with intensity and believability.
The best quality of Defiance is that the show’s creative team has created an entire new world and stands by it. Sequences take place in bars, households, markets, offices, desert landscapes, in the air and beneath the ground in mines. At times, these varied scenes feel like they’ve been plucked from Star Wars (the cantina sequence in particular) or Battlestar Galactica.
The CGI is present but not overbearing. There are many characters, but they all receive enough of the spotlight to evolve on screen. I’m actually surprised how the creative team has been able to bring everything and everyone together into a believable, organic plot that unfolds in a realistic manner.
Defiance is a strong candidate to be the greatest sci-fi series since Battlestar Galactica.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
