Warning: full episode spoilers follow.
As someone who’s experienced his fair share of multimedia tie-ins to video games, I look for one quality above all else when determining how successful a tie-in is. Does the tie-in tell a story compelling enough to thrive on its own if the video game never existed at all? That’s an especially important question for me, as I have no plans on actually playing the game in the foreseeable future. Fortunately, the answer is a definite yes in this case. This show certainly has its flaws, but it doesn’t need the MMORPG companion as a crutch.
After two episodes, Defiance remains a series where the world and general premise are more compelling than the characters themselves. If a little overly reminiscent of shows like Firefly, Defiance still presents an interesting post-apocalyptic scenario with an eclectic cast of aliens. The characters themselves are archetypal to a fault at times. You’ve got the roguish but goodhearted lead character, his temperamental sidekick/daughter, star-crossed lovers hailing from two warring families, and the idealistic young leader trying to hold everything together. Most of these characters were in dire need of fleshing out after the pilot episode. Unfortunately, only a handful really received the treatment they needed.
Defiance: "Down in the Ground..." Review
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