The final episode of Defiance’s second season is very much a continuation of the previous episode. “I Almost Prayed” begins where “All Things Must Pass” left off, with the Arkfleet waking and using its terraforming technology to devastate the Earth. In minutes, New York suffers the same fate as San Fransisco, the heart of humanity’s waning power extinguished in an instant.

But Irisa — or, more accurately, the Kaziri, which controls her — isn’t finished. The entire world is to be cleansed in the Devouring Mother’s flame.

The race is on to stop her. Doc Yewll finds herself pardoned of her crimes as she offers a plan that will stop the Kaziri in its tracks. Unfortunately, her method will also kill Irisa in the process, which is not something Nolan can allow to happen. One rule and all.

Nolan has a competing plan: to use Mordecai to absorb one of the Kaziri’s keys, thus ending its control of Irisa. But his plan is not supported by the Earth Republic, and the order comes to go through with Yewll’s plan.

Surprisingly, Amanda sides with the E-Rep against Nolan, shattering the trust they once had for each other and rather lowering my opinion of her as a person.

Irisa isn’t the only source of trouble, though. Pilar McCawley has decided she’s had enough of Defiance, and especially the Tarrs. She tries to convince Alak and Christie to leave the town and move instead to a commune to the south… which doesn’t exist. She goes to increasingly extreme lengths to get them to agree to her plan, with Quentin assisting because he’s a jackass.

Much like the previous episode, “I Almost Prayed” is an epic thrill ride showcasing nearly every member of Defiance’s cast at their best. I even kind of liked Berlin this time around.

Nolan, in particular, hits the ball out of the park this time around, and I was reminded why I like his character so much. Nolan isn’t a saint by any stretch of the imagination, but when the cards are down, he’s someone you can count on to do the right thing, at any cost, and to go to Hell and back for the people he loves.

Something that surprised me about this episode is how funny it was. It’s full of epic, apocalyptic danger, but the writers still find time for plenty of the one-liners and wry humour that are so common in Defiance. They manage to do it in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the tension of the episode, which is a very difficult tightrope to walk.

A lot is resolved in “I Almost Prayed,” but a lot has changed, and there is no shortage of potential for the show’s future.

The destruction of New York is a game-changer — or it should be if the writers are smart. With the heart of the Earth Republic’s government shattered, can they continue to be one of the world’s powers? Might their tenuous grip on the land fail?

Most importantly, what is the Votanis Collective going to do? This seems the perfect moment for them to strike. They’d be stupid not to, frankly. Their greatest enemy is at their weakest point since the end of the Pale Wars.

I do have a few minor issues with “I Almost Prayed.” Most notably, I am disappointed Amanda never found out what a scumbag Pottinger is. It’s a reveal I’ve spent the entire series looking forward to, but now we’ll need to wait at least another year to see it, if we ever do.

I also wish we’d gotten a few more answers about the Kaziri. What was its purpose? Why did it arrive at Earth so long before the rest of the Arkfleet?

Overall, though, “I Almost Prayed” is a strong finale.

And thus Defiance’s second season came to an end. It was a transformative season for the show, a time when Defiance found its legs and went from being a show that was worth watching when there’s nothing better on to one of the better sci-fi series in recent memory.

The most surprising thing to me about this season was that the Earth Republic stayed in power through the entire season. I thought it was going to be an “occupation of New Caprica” kind of thing where they’d be in charge for a few episodes, and then the people of Defiance would rise up and take back their town.

I think it was a good decision, though. It added an extra dimension to the show’s politics, and if nothing else, it was unexpected, and avoiding the formulaic solution is almost always a good thing.

I do hope the next season — should there be one — sees Defiance throw off its chains, though. With the E-Rep reeling from New York’s loss, there’s never going to be a better time.

It did occur to me to wonder if Berlin’s experience at Camp Reverie was a way of opening her eyes to the dark side of her organization, which may allow her to side with Defiance and thus stay on as a cast member if the town splits ways with the E-Rep.

Although I could also see Defiance needing to stand with the Republic against a newly aggressive Votanis Collective if they decide to seize the moment.

I also wonder what changes the apparent destruction of the Arkbelt might herald. I particularly wonder how it will affect the game, as the Arkbelt is a major visual set piece of the game world, and Arkfalls are a cornerstone of its gameplay. I suppose they’ll probably just wave it off by saying there are still enough wrecked ships left to cause regular Arkfalls.

All this talk of the future brings us to the elephant in the room: the question of whether Defiance will have a third season.

Considering the uphill battle sci-fi television always has and Defiance’s lackluster ratings this season, the odds are not looking good. I’m already preparing myself for a cancellation announcement that feels almost inevitable.

But I hope I’m wrong. Despite its weak start, Defiance has matured into a very good show, and in a world starving for decent sci-fi television, it’s a breath of fresh air.

Time will tell.

Overall rating: 8.9/10

It’s hard to believe this isn’t the season finale.

“All Things Must Pass” is an epic tour de force that showcases nearly the entire cast of Defiance at their best and culminates in an intense cliff-hanger that could easily have been a worthy conclusion to the season.

It starts with Datak Tarr and his wife being abducted by mysterious assailants. They wake to find themselves chained in a silo. With no escape — from their captivity or from each other — they are forced to confront the flaws within themselves and their relationship. And for all that they are the epitome of Castithan ruthlessness, there is still some good, and perhaps even a certain degree of nobility, within them.

Meanwhile, Mayor Pottinger continues his efforts to woo Amanda, but things do not go entirely according to his plan. The short version is that Amanda is kind of awesome.

Having been rescued by Quentin, the matriarch of the McCawley clan at last returns home, and there was not a dry eye in the house.

Following the events of the last episode, Nolan finds himself lost in the wilderness. He knows that the only hope of stopping Irisa lies with Mordecai, with whom she shares a mysterious connection. But before he can seek out Mordecai, Nolan must drag a mortally wounded Tommy the many miles back to Defiance.

Running low on food, Doc Yewll is forced to return to the surface, accompanied by the EGO-induced hallucination of her dead wife. Along the way, she stumbles across the wreckage of the Kaziri and realizes that Irisa has woken it.

And Irisa at last brings her plan into motion, waking the Ark fleet to do what Nim Shondu could not: cleanse the Earth in fire and create a new paradise for the chosen few.

There really wasn’t any element of this episode I didn’t enjoy. Defiance’s greatest strength, its cast, is used to its full effect, but “All Things Must Pass” also has an epic sci-fi feel that Defiance has generally lacked. Once again, I am struck by how vastly this show has changed, and all for the better.

Of course, it goes without saying at this point that the Tarrs’ plot was excellent. An entire hour of nothing but Stahma and Datak would still be worth watching. All credit to Tony Curran and Jaime Murray for their stellar performances.

Similarly, anything to do with the McCawley family is quite welcome. None of their scenes in “All Things Must Pass” advance the plot in any meaningful way, but they’re all sufficiently powerful that I don’t really care. It’s all just very well done.

Doc Yewll is someone else who never disappoints. Her acerbic banter with her hallucinatory wife offers no shortage of entertainment. I would have liked to have seen a greater acknowledgement of the emotional impact of still having her dead lover in her head, but then again, Yewll’s a pretty tough cookie.

I’d say that Nolan’s plot was probably the weakest part of this episode, but there’s nothing wrong with it. It just didn’t shine as brightly as the others. It was nice to see him and Tommy finally find some kind of peace between them.

Taken all together, “All Things Must Pass” is an excellent episode, and perhaps Defiance’s finest outing to date.

Overall rating: 9/10