Defiance Episode 2.08 Slouching Towards Bethlehem

Now that Nolan knows about the demon child living in Irisa, forcing her to create an army of undead aliens, things are a little smoother between them. Funny how learning that your daughter is an instrument of genocide is more comfortable than just not knowing. Their heart to heart is cut short when Nolan gets a call from Viceroy Mercado: one of Amanda's night porters, Mesuvis, is actually a spy! This kind of international intrigue would be so dope if it weren't for the fact that he's serving as a funnel of info on a dirty nuke that's set to hit New York, imminently. Nolan drags Mesuvis into detention and starts "enhanced interrogation", but Mesuvis won't give it up - the Votanis Collective is holding his kids in Brazil, and he'll do anything to keep them alive. The clock's ticking, Nolan's getting nowhere - Mercado decides to move forward with the surefire information extraction: Ego devices. Lots of ‘em. Enough to kill Mesuvis.

Amanda spazzes out a little at the mention of the wee robots, but not because they almost killed her a couple weeks ago - well, not only that - she's also been trying to boost Mesuvis out of lockdown due to a phone call from a mysterious stranger telling her he has Kenya - alive - and that he'll kill her all over again if Amanda doesn't get Mesuvis out. Amanda thinks she's going crazy until she hears her sister's voice over the hailer. She tries to get Nolan's help, but he's not digging the notion of freeing one spy so that an entire city can die (hey, that rhymed!). He will help get Kenya back, though: if the kidnapper calls Amanda again - and he'll have to - Nolan can triangulate the origin of the hailer call.

Irisa goes to the woods to get the third point necessary for the triangulation fix, but on the way there, she sees a fish. Not a real fish, it's in her mind's eye, but it's enough to make her almost crash her roller, then wander off into the woods. Who should she find there but the Casti/Irathient girl she subjected to her metallic halitosis weeks ago! After a traditional greeting of knives at throats, the two share comfort in the fact that they both seem to kill people with little silver tendrils emanating from their mouths. Plus, they're both immortal! Ohmigosh, they have so much in common! Irisa totally forgives her for smashing her hailer, the only thing that might have saved Kenya's life, and the two cozy up to a nice fire.

After being questioned by Tommy and Berlin, Stahma realizes that Datak's life is in danger (and, by association, hers) if she doesn't warn him about the E-Rep's plans for Mesuvis. If they find out that he's been smuggling arms to Datak, she argues, they'll surely kill him, Rafe, and her, for good measure. Although, since Stahma had nothing to do with that particular bit of malarkey, we have to wonder if she's tipping her fallen husband off because she still holds an ember of affection for him… As for the animalistic schtupping they do, that could certainly be affection, as well. But with Stahma, you just can't tell what's love and what's strategy.

With no word from Irisa, Amanda falls back to desperate measures. She steals an E-Rep uniform and some powerful drugs that fake a heart attack. She uses these to get close to Mesuvis, stage his near-death, and get him to a roller. But who should intercept her but party pooper McGee, old Nolan, himself. He draws his gun, Mesuvis gets hold of Amanda's and they're in an old fashioned standoff until Datak, cloaked in shadows, shoots Mesuvis down with one shot. Nolan hunches over the spy and demands the info, which Mesuvis finally yields with his last breath.

Amanda is hysterical. The bullet might as well have gone through Kenya's chest! But Nolan reasons that her captors don't yet know Mesuvis is dead, and they can use this window to get close to her. They wrap a hood around Nolan's head and schedule a meet. The kidnappers force Nolan to reveal himself, and sprays of bullets fly both ways. The captor escapes, but Nolan and Amanda find Kenya and bring their brave girl home.

Meanwhile, at the Kumbaya Casti Campfire, a dozen or more victims of the death machine in Irisa's body (and, now, in the bodies of those she felled) are getting to know each other, getting to know they're not alone. And the little demon girl that tells Irisa who and when to kill is telling her that this will be the spot. THE spot. For Arkrise. That sounds awful! And awesome! What is Arkrise? Do we want to know? The anticipation is delicious!