'Defiance' Recap: 'This Woman's Work'

Courtesy Defiance/Syfy
BY DAWN FEAKES

Last week on "Defiance," Amanda learned to say 'no' to drugs and Datak's plotting landed him in bed with some strange fellows. Literally. Let's do this.

Berlin is videotaping Tommy sleeping then keeps it up during sexy times. Berlin dear, that's called an unhealthy addiction to technology and is certain to end up on FaceSpace and possibly land you a reality TV gig. Step carefully. (I'm totally trademarking that by the way.) But during these shenanigans, there was another Ark fall. Scavengers, ho!

Enter the Viceroy. Mercardo's in da house! He wants the fuel cell from the Ark and makes Pottinger take the expert scavenger-turned-lawkeeper with him. You know, the one with whom he's competing for Amanda's affections. Pottinger sulks but follows orders. Sit Pottinger, sit. Good boy.

And the winner of the race to the Ark-fall is...Hellbugs! If by 'winner' you mean 'first to be fried by blue electricity' of course. Wait. When did the Emperor get to town?

Setting up the away team, Pottinger tries to take point and Nolan basically laughs him down. Y'all, someday Potty's going to snap and the fall-out will be epic. Anyway, Butthurt Tommy wants in but Nolan doesn't trust him anymore. Well fine! I didn't want to be your dumb deputy anyway so I quit. Tommy and Pottinger need to have a tantrum-off. Berlin the Barbie Doll gloats and they go off to have Tommy apply for the Earth Republic force.

In the marketplace, a Castithan holy man is preaching and he calls out Stahma for her audacity to not bend to her husband's will. She tries to hide behind the traditional deference and head bobbing but she's had a taste for freedom and can't be contained. It's like talking into a wind tunnel: news flash folks, we're not in the Votanis system anymore. It's gone. We're here and we'd better assimilate. No! Never! And: GET OFF MAH LAWN. What will she do - back down or stand up?

Datak and Rafe hang out in Datak's trailer plotting the overthrow of the Earth Republic drinking when Datak brings out the secret weapon: the briefcase containing Marcellus Wallace's soul.  But shhh. It's a secret. They have to hide it when Stahma shows up for the most uncomfortable party ever. She accuses Datak of paying off the holy man to come after her but Kavi Furr? He's unimpeachable. But he'd see her on the shaming rack! I'm not sure that Datak could care less.

Tommy spots Irisa following a Castithan so he follows her in a deadly game of 'Follow the Leader'. He finds her using the silver tongue on the man and threatens to shoot. You can see the pain in Irisa's face and hear it in her voice when she tells him to go ahead, it won't matter. Izru isn't done with her yet.

Mercardo visits the Need/Want for a drink and some relaxation. No one can know about his tastes but Amanda assures him of they're utter discretion. I'm going to guess it's not Susan hammering again.

The away team makes it to the ark and down goes Pottinger immediately. Clearly he failed earning his 'sneaking' badge in Earth Republic scouts but he's in better shape than the red shirts that were outside. Hoo boy, those weren't fuel cells, they were containment cells. The rest of the strike force was cut down and Pottinger's Bioman only one to survive. The species is pure Voltan energy and is highly lethal but too late, no one left to get the message.

Stahma and Amanda have some girl time in the bar complaining about men - who are from Mars and women are from Venus. She fails to get the reference but Amanda simplifies it by saying that men are dicks. Alas, Stahma is from a culture that worships dicks and this might be my favorite exchange ever in this show. Amanda tells her that Earth women did that long ago but they got fed up and rose up by burning their bras. To start a revolution, she'll need to gather support from the other Castithan wives but Stahma's scared; she could be cast out and be alone which is even worse than the shaming rack.

Nolan, Pottinger and Bioman trek through the forest to gather parts for rebuilding the containment field. Montage! In the distance they see the creature and high-tail it back to the Ark.

Stahma takes Amanda's advice and starts her recruiting drive with Kavi Furr's wife and needlepoint circle. Another wife was beaten by her husband for not having the wamprat for making the wamprat stew he wanted so she attempts to use this to broach the idea of a revolution but the grip of tradition is too tight. She can't and won't go back so takes the next logical step: offers them all tea in bonds of friendship. Which she spiked with something as they're all dead. Stahma is cold. as. ice.

Back in the ark, Nolan's trying to repair the containment cells but needs more time. Pottinger, go make yourself useful and distract the creature. Since the Bioman was able to withstand some of the direct energy, Potty delegates to him but with great reluctance. Through the safety of the door, he watches his friend fight back and finally fall. They're running out of time and Nolan shifts into double-time MacGyver.

Pottinger is not dealing with the death of the Bioman and takes out his anger on the trapped energy creature by beating the tar out of it. And that is the most emotion we've seen from him yet.

Tommy and Irisa hang out with the deadish Castithan body for their first real conversation since she got back. He quit being a lawkeeper because he can't stand Nolan anymore. But enough about that, how'd you meet Berlin? Really? We're going there? Because there's a body in the room. Okay, fine, I was grumpy and she hung from a banner with a video camera and I laughed. The Castithan man thought it was funny too as he shot up gasping. Now Tommy, you can't tell anyone about this. I can't tell Nolan or the angry god-like thing inside of me will kill him as part of the deal I made to get him back.You're the only one I can trust. That will totally help his relationship with Berlin.

Castithan on shaming rack who looks a lot like Kavi Furr is being punished for the murders of three women in his house. Stahma is serene and Datak knows Stahma framed the man. Rather than being worried that he'll be next, he actually seems a bit turned on by her ruthlessness. Castithans are weird, man.

Back in the mayor's office, Mercado chastisizes Pottinger for failing his mission. He throws him out for ruining his evening. I guess this means that Pottinger doesn't get the job.

Berlin fast tracked Tommy's application but he's changed his mind and is staying because Irisa needs him. This goes over about as well as you'd expect. She'll stay for Tommy but he doesn't want her to get hurt so I can't tell you what's happening. She of course thinks he wants to get back with Irisa. He's confused, she's pissed and no one's getting any.

Pottinger joins Amanda and Nolan in the Need/Want to drown his sorrows at being banished to Texas and recites poetry to Amanda who immediately joins him to comfort him leaving Nolan alone at the bar but not for long! Berlin propositions him to match her in drinks so she can punch him for calling her a Barbie Doll. Dude, you don't want any of that. Stay away. Stay far away.

Mercado deals with his disappointment be performing an interpretative dance and a striptease in his office. Dammit Nolan, I told you that you didn't want any of that but did you listen? Nope. Christie and Treasure Doll play dress up at the Tarr compound and Christie's going full Castithan. What the hell is Berlin doing to Nolan? Whatever it is, she seems to have swapped out her video camera for a whip. Well okay then.

Christie's not the only one going full Castithan; Mercado dresses up as a holy man Castithan himself and approaches Christie at the Castithan club and wow the effect is creepy and I need a shower. This is the evening of the Revenge Hook Up apparently.

Okay, we've got Stahma trying to ignite a revolution of Castithan women, Datak and Rafe trying to free Defiance from the Earth Republic, Irisa's creating an army and the swinging culture is alive and well. Tune in next Thursday at 8p.m. ET for "If You Could See Her Through My Eyes."