I'd have to disagree about 'zero characterization' [paraphrase].

I don't think of Tommy's treatment as a failure of the show. He was blatantly mistreated by Nolan and Irisa, and the show never denied it or expected the viewers to really enjoy it. Just because no character ever stuck up for him, doesn't mean the show hated him. I suspect they intentionally created a "poor Tommy"…

Thanks for the reply. I realized I was talking out of my rear end a little there, and half hoped someone would fill me in on what the game was like. On some level, I miss MMOs (but would never start another one).

Like everyone else, I keep hoping for this show to be more, and I suspect much of the consternation comes from its nature as a video game crossover. When I heard that the show was an MMORPG / TV tie-in, I almost stopped watching it on the spot. I haven't played the Defiance game, but I've played enough like it. I…

I think its plausible that they were expecting the gulanee to either be dead or sealed up in their stasis pods. They didn't need a gulanee mediator, buecause they didn't expect to find one.

That is still not what Deus Ex Machina is. Even if you think these things are coincidences, 6 episodes of coincidences leading to a fight scene between 2 major characters cannot be described as Deus Ex Machina. As far as these "coincidences" go:

Liking the show so far (especially the leads), but the ending went so hard into stupid cliche that it was painful.

I just watched the first two seasons. Great comments here. A couple things to add on gforguava's points: