'Defiance' Recap: 'History Rhymes'

All photos courtesy Syfy.

BY DAWN FEAKES

Pottinger is now really, truly dead, Defiance still has no weapons, Stahma is all out of effs to give to anyone by T'evgin, and Nolan and Irisa are being slowly killed by the mother of all migraines and/or a Votan mind meld. Could go either way. Y'all ready? Rahm Tak is on the move, so let's do this.

Irisa goes into Nolan's memories of when the Votans first arrived. Uh, okay. Flashbacks it is. Nolan is crashing when Amanda gets him to Doc Yewll who is so very delighted to see them, you know, what with the skin harvesting thing and all. Back in happy memory land, Nolan and his sister are protecting the ammunition position - they're Nolans so they have one rule: We live together, we die together. Or by ourselves when our brother falls for the Irathient enemy sob story. Well done, younger Nolan! Your reward is watching your sister die again.

Stahma heads back to Datak, why is T'evgin not dead? Well see, he's old and powerful and really good in bed.... Datak doesn't want to hear it and jeebus Stahma, now you've woken the baby what with your purple enchanter penis obsession. Oh we finally remembered Luke exists.  Let's not kill T'evgin, let's get him on our side and use Tak's fear of the Omec to secure Alak's (and my continued) release . Trust me Datak. Sure. He'll get right on that. Or not because Omec. Speaking of Alak, remember him? Your son? He's chopping the heads off of bodies so could really do with some rescuing right about now because he's a delicate snowflake.

What is wrong with Nolan? Essentially he's brain dead. Samir, what do you think? Uh, he's a vet and why don't you trust the Doc? Well, they held me down and skinned me alive. No grudges though. The one shot at saving Nolan is finding Irisa as she has the same scar. This may be tough as she's hiding under a building right now. Thanks Berlin.

You sure you want him? He'd make a lovely planter.

Berlin is a terrible liar and an even worse detective. Yes honey, follow the bloody snow. Well done. In Nolan's memories he's carrying guilt about his sister around and then later with a very young Irisa in a bar, coloring as the humans celebrate the end of the war. Hooray, Earth is for the humans. She has no memory of this but the look on Nolan's face says it all - yes, it did happen and wow, awkward. They are stabilized when they're together but still pretty brain-dead as the Votan sleeping pods were not designed for humans and the Omec deactivating the pod severed the attachment. As long as they're together the ark tech works but when they're apart, like in the weapons mission disaster, the tech tries to repair itself which is pretty much killing them. Only one thing left to do - cut the tech out.

Alak is done being bullied by the overseer so steals his keys and cuts his throat. He's on his way to steal a roller when crap, here comes Tak who just so happens to choose to discuss his plans next to the truck Alak is hiding under. Why do bad guys always do that? The humans must die! But first Tak must find out if the carnivorous plant eats Audrey. World domination foiled once again by the seductive allure of the movies. Story old as time. Right now Alak is the most useful of the Tarrs. Stahma, you're up.

Time to blow this popsicle stand

So it appears that the Need/Want is not only a bar/brothel, it also serves an hourly motel as T'evgin and Stahma make liberal use of the rooms. Her elaborate acting to guilt? Coerce? Charm? T'evgin into helping her free Alak and killing Tak is actually painful to watch. T'evgin isn't swayed and he's not using his ship for any reason but to locate other Omec survivors. That need cooled quickly. Or, Stahma, you could have just asked nicely.

As Doc Yewll removes the ark tech from Nolan's brain, the one in Irisa's grows larger to compensate. Samir can't do brain surgery. Onto Plan 'O' for 'Omec.' She needs one of their drones to do the simultaneous surgery. Please Doc, play nice. Amanda already killed Pottinger, she can't lose her other sure thing. Since you saved Kindzi, maybe she'll help us. Fine, she'll help but if Doc tries anything with the tech, Kindzi is a trained technobiologist so she'll know and kill you quickly. Just so everyone's on the same page. So far so good.

Will Irisa ever not end up flat on her back?

Nolan and Irisa wander through the woods in memory. Are you saying you adopted me because I wasn't alien enough to hate? That and you didn't grow up with horror. They come upon their younger selves beset by a group of Castithan, all of whom are dead but the one begging for his life at Irisa's feet. Casti honor binds him to come after us so what do we do? Follow through. Ah, father/daughter teachable moments mixed with a bit of an anatomy lesson that Casti hearts are on the other side. She's gutted by it but Nolan doesn't see it. But he's proud of you Irisa for shooting a man on the ground. Pretty sure you can't say she didn't grow up with horror Nolan; after all, she grew up with you.

Datak decides to take the Omec matter into his own hands and draws bead on T'evgin and his purple-enchanter penis (jealous much, Datak?) He's blocked by Stahma though; gurl, gloating is so not cool. And how is it that no one sees him on the roof with a gun? I'm just saying. Tak finds Alak free and after he insults Christie, Alak's balls finally drop and he gets the hell outta Dodge, er, Tulsa. Screw you mom and dad, I'mma do it myself. Doc continues her mirror surgery and Nolan apologizes to Irisa for the bounty hunting lesson. They watch young Irisa pull a knife on a sleeping Nolan but a creaking floorboard gives her away. Nolan thinks she was just cold and wraps her up in a blanket. Yes Nolan, that was real. She was, no, IS scared of you and doesn't want to be like that. For Nolan that memory was the first time he thought they were becoming a family, that everything was going to be okay. My god but these two need a therapist like whoa. Dr. Phil would have a field day with them. Surgery's done and they wake up; will things be the same between them? Survey says 'no.'

Go Omec or go home. 

Kindzi tells daddy T'evgin about the tech deal and he promptly loses his shtako. It's cool, the Indogene was so busy with the surgery that she didn't notice Kindzi copying her 'network'
to use in serving the awakened family. Momentarily impressed, T'evgin orders Kindzi to destroy it. Ha. Haaaaa. Predictably she doesn't understand - they are Omec; they feed on the lesser races, not fear them. Oh Kindzi, if only you comprehended the power of the Castithan chivo.

Grownups are so weird.

I guess it's good that Nolan and Irisa cleared the air, albeit unwillingly. But now what for them? She never wanted this life but knows that Defiance needs Nolan so she'll just be moving on now. Maybe after all of this is over he can come join you? Yeah, maybe. I wouldn't hold your breath Nolan. Doc's got the post-op results: you'll be fine as long as you don't get too far apart again as she couldn't remove all of the ark-tech. Well this certainly puts a damper on Irisa's being able to leave town without killing them both plan. Yewll doesn't understand why they're not both delighted by this. Doc, seriously? Would you want to be literally tethered to your adopted father about whom your feelings are very conflicted for the rest of your life?

At the Tarrs, a maid is brushing Stham's hair waxing poetic about the sexiness of Rahm Tak and his dreads of doom. No time for that love, Alak is home and he is very very pissed as he watched his mother kill his wife. Oh, right. That. I doubt your magic chivo will get you out of this one Stahma.

Hi Mom, I'm home. Check out my escape skills.

Next week Datak is finally not the most hated parent and Irisa still has to come to grips with her shackled reality. Join us on Syfy at 8 p.m. ET next Friday, July 10 for 'Where the Apples Fell.'