Well, yes, that was the theme of that episode: people give in to unreasonable behavior when gripped with fear—particularly when fueled by pre-existing hostility. I was actually agreeing with what the episode was trying to say. As you point out, no one is actually interested in reason when they're swept up in mob…

Ugh, why must you lie to me about the Espheni content of this season's premiere?! That overlord appeared for all of three seconds (okay, 16 sec if you count the zoom into his hands). It was mediocre—not as bad as last season, but nothing over which to get excited.

I'll probably go ahead and set aside time this weekend to watch both. That's six hours of TV, I think. I might ultimately decide to drop both.

Yeah, apparently Volge aren't the robots I thought them to be. They do still wear machine-like armor on top of their organic armor, but it seems that's just how they attach their weaponry and electronic systems to themselves. I think it was the awkward CGI movements that really promoted the robot assumption.

I actually haven't watched either show yet this season, and I'm kinda debating which one I might commit some time for viewing. I like the post-apocalyptic genre, and both these shows have it, so that's where my motivation shallowly lies. I'm just not sure I could be bothered to watch both.

Hah, yeah, I don't know where the Volge could manage to hide themselves without people spotting giant robots walking past. A few of them were a couple of stories high. They lumber towards their destination in large groups, so it's not like they're hard to see.

Yeah, I'm waiting for the fallout. I like that the show has aspirations to be better, but so far it seems constrained. They broach interesting ideas, so I can tell that the writers are thinking of these things, but the execution doesn't quite fulfill their intents. I'm optimistic, though.

This show needs to swing by the Votanis Collective's colony in Brazil. It would be nice to see a fully alien community. It might be a problem, budget-wise, but they already visited Chicago and Los Angeles, so they've already opened the door to visiting the rest of the world.

I'd like the show to touch more on the chemical differences between aliens and humans. Do more like how nitrogen-breathing Liberata can be killed with oxygen (though they seem to have no difficulty breathing in our atmosphere). It could help make the Votans more believably alien, rather than just culturally different.

Ah, the Castithans probably developed a better non-stick Teflon coating for everything. They probably apply it like Scotchguard to their white clothing as well. It keeps everything a brilliant white!

Yeah, the Volge have kind of evaporated, though they were mentioned recently (I think Amanda was talking about Nolan to Pottinger). It seems no one's out looking for them, or trying to figure out who sent them to Defiance. I think maybe it's an FX issue: the producers probably don't want to spend money on them, and/or…

Hah, ya I spotted that miner guy this episode, and I was all, "Um, who is that dude supposed to be?" Took me a few seconds to remember him, and I was confused why he was at the police station looking for Bertie with Rafe. But, yeah, I wonder if Quentin's quest is gonna result in anything.

The monitors would have shown Irisa vomiting wires into Bertie's mouth, though it would still look like Bertie was ultimately killed. It seems the victims become comatose for a bit while their body metabolizes the … um, "wires". They then wake up and try to find a new target, so I expect that Bertie will eventually…

Don't they have servants? I recall the Tarrs having servants who were tending to Stahma during one of last season's bath scenes. Maybe I imagined it?

Have they got a different actor for him, or does he just look really different without the top hat?

I don't mind the multiple alien races. I'm just disappointed that nothing's really happening with any of them beyond the main three Votan types (Castithan, Irathients, and Indogenes). Creating all the other types is seemingly a decision driven by game mechanics (they wanted different character builds available to the…

… It'd explain why the main fleet brought terraforming equipment if the plan had been for the scout ship to take care of the planet themselves.

… those three millennia are when Irathients got trod upon by the other Votans and relegated to second-class citizens …

I like that Alak is actually growing as a character. I remember disliking him (and Christie) at the start of last season. The marriage and its sociopolitical ramifications made him more interesting, but what's happening this season is so much better, I think.

The ending at the Taar household was glorious. A number of narrative points converged into that fantastic debacle. Stahma was realizing her ambition, Alak was growing a spine, and then Datak came home, LOL!