Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Without the freshness and energy of its groundbreaking transmedia launch, and without the budget a more successful Destiny-esque videogame might have provided the series, it was imperative that Defiance's second season offer more than a run-of-the-mill sci-fi saga. Instead, the writers seem fresh out of material, turning to other classic shows for inspiration and still struggling to come up with anything compelling, much less riveting. Even with dozens of characters, each one ripe for exploration, Defiance focuses -- sometimes maddeningly -- on the broader strokes of the mythos. All well and good, world creation is crucial. But without engaging protagonists, evolving conflict, menacing antagonists or an effective expansion of the series' underlying tension, there just isn't much to latch onto. Rather than wanting to learn more about New Earth, its human survivors and alien races, or the multi-planet melting pot that drives the Earth-based narrative, I found myself yearning to pull away and take a break from the decidedly smalltime dystopian shenanigans. Every cliffhanger is more anticlimactic than the next, every step in the journey more uninteresting.

There are still questions to be answered, mysteries to be solved, I just don't really care if I ever find out where it's all headed. Perhaps Season Three will patch up the show's many, many holes. Perhaps enough viewers will still be around to see a more unified and intriguing Defiance. Or perhaps it will go the way of so many defunct sci-fi series before it: nowhere.

• The Opposite of Hallelujah: While Nolan searches for Irisa in New Chicago and AngelArc, Amanda and the others come to grips with life under E-Rep domination. While Amanda takes over as the mistress of NeedWant, Rafe is forced to work in the mines and Alak runs his imprisoned father's criminal empire.


• In My Secret Life: Nolan must find the person responsible for an attack on Mayor Nottinger's life in return for Irisa's freedom. Meanwhile, Stahma plans to keep Datak in jail to maintain her hold on his crime network.


• The Cord and the Ax: When Irisa finds herself losing more and more time to blackouts, she seeks out her fellow Irathient Sukar. Meanwhile, Rafe gets news about Christie and his servant Berite goes missing, and Niles makes his intentions toward Amanda clear to Nolan.


• Beasts of Burden: Niles orders Nolan to find the raiders that stole E-Rep mining equipment and humiliated him, but Nolan soon discovers that the trail leads to a friend. Datak sets out to make an example of his wife and son.


• Put the Damage On: Amanda begins displaying strange behavior, claiming that a masked stalker is after her. Unknown to her, Niles and Yewll are also suffering from strange visions. Meanwhile, Datak convinces Stahma to give him visitation rights for his future grandchild, and Rafe moves into the Tarr house.


• This Woman's Work: Nolan, Pottinger and Churchill track an arkfall filled with a valuable technology and come face-to-face with a Gulanee soldier. Stahma works against the Castithan religious leaders in town to maintain her position and Tommy discovers a secret.


• If You Could See Her Through Your Eyes: Datak and Stahma are reunited by revenge when someone takes the eyes and the life from their beloved handmaiden. Meanwhile, Irisa meets an Irathient who is the splitting image of the man who helped her ancestor take the Votan scout ship thousands of years ago.


• Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Nolan interrogates a VC spy with information on an imminent attack on New York. Amanda discovers that a key player is being blackmailed into freeing the spy from custody to save a life. Irisa is drawn to a camp in the woods where people she has attacked begin to flock to.


• Painted from Memory: Nolan and Amanda question Kenya on her disappearance but her memories are fragmented. Stahma and Datak search out the grave Stahma put Kenya's body in for answers and are shocked at what they learn. Pottinger returns to town to ensure that his plans for Amanda have not gone awry.


• Bottom of the World: During a mine tour with an E-Rep ambassador, Niles and Amanda are trapped with a diplomat after a cave-in. Meanwhile, Alak breaks off his affair with Deirdre but discovers that there's hell to pay.


• Doll Parts: Nolan heads off in search of Irisa and gets Tommy's help in stunning her and her followers. In Nolan's absence, Amanda is deputized and takes it upon herself to find a murderer.


• All Things Must Pass: Datak and Stahma find themselves captive of Pottinger, who gives Amanda game-changing information. Nolan drags Tommy through the woods and back to Defiance to save his life. Yewll locates the Kaziri and sets out to stop it as Irisa begins to terraform Earth.


• I Almost Prayed: Irisa uses the Arks in orbit. Pilar convinces Christie and Alak to come and see an interspecies community to the south and Datak and Stahma must free Rafe from prison to find her. Nolan gets help from Kai as Yewll proposes her own plan to Viceroy Mercado which would kill Irisa.

Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the Blu-ray release of Season One, Defiance: Season Two features a fairly striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation that doesn't exhibit any sign of significant macroblocking, banding, aliasing or ringing, other than instances of crush, spiking noise and wobbly CG inherent to the series' source. Color and contrast are stronger this season, with convincing skintones, nicely saturated primaries and deep, satisfying black levels (insofar as the at-times stark lighting of the terraformed planet allows). Detail also continues to impress, with crisp, clean edge definition and well-resolved fine textures that capture the nuances of the production design and visual effects. The series' second season may not deliver, but Universal's Blu-ray presentation certainly does.

Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Season Two's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is also comparable to its Season One predecessor. Dialogue is clear and naturally grounded in the mix, prioritization rarely falters and Bear McCreary's score rounds out the soundscape with full, able-bodied ease. LFE output isn't exactly aggressive but is suitably assertive, lending weight and power to the series' future tech, alien hardware, weapon discharges, and generally explosive encounters. The rear speakers are engaging too, with notably effective directionality, smooth cross-channel pans and enough soundfield know-how to make the trip to Earth a reasonably immersive experience. Once again, the only shortcoming worth mentioning is that budgetary constraints are apparent, although it doesn't really have anything to do with the technical quality of the mix. It's a capable lossless experience, without any issues of note.

Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Season One Alternate Ending (HD, 4 minutes): Not sure why this wasn't included with the Blu-ray release of Season One, but series fans will be happy the first season's alternate ending is available somewhere.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 23 minutes): A surprisingly length collection of deleted scenes offers a number of decent bits and pieces, although nothing that makes or breaks any particular episode.
• The Lost Ones (HD, 25 minutes): Webisodes, tying the first season to the second.
• Jesse Does Defiance (HD, 22 minutes): Actor Jesse Rath provides a behind-the-scenes tour.
• Gag Reel (HD, 7 minutes): Laugh it up with the cast and crew

Defiance: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Defiance's first season was somewhat intriguing and, if nothing else, paved the way for a more absorbing second season. Unfortunately, Season Two wastes too many opportunities and squanders much of its potential, and with a furtherance of the mythos that isn't all that addicting. The series was renewed for a third season, which will no doubt delight fans, but I'm not sure the showrunners are up to the task. And with the videogame's popularity in decline, Defiance's transmedia experiment is coming down to the series and the series alone. Universal's Blu-ray release is more satisfying, with a solid AV presentation and decent assortment of special features, so no worries there. If you loved Season One, Season Two might just keep you on board. If you were already on the fence, though, nothing here is going to get you excited about a third season.