KILLJOYS -- "Schooled" Episode 204 -- Pictured: (l-r) Hannah John-Kamen as Dutch, Aaron Ashmore as John -- (Photo by: Steve Wilkie/Syfy/Killjoys II Productions Limited)
KILLJOYS -- "Schooled" Episode 204 -- Pictured: (l-r) Hannah John-Kamen as Dutch, Aaron Ashmore as John -- (Photo by: Steve Wilkie/Syfy/Killjoys II Productions Limited)

Killjoys: Ep. 204 Review, Schooled and Lessons Learned

By: Erin Conrad
killjoys Schooled syfy

Before this season started, I participated in a phone conference call with Hannah John-Kamen, Luke Macfarlane and Aaron Ashmore. Aaron had just become a new dad, and I asked about the Killjoys and kids and Uncle D’Av – and was a little surprised at how much they were all tickled by the question – guess I know why now! This week, the Killjoys used the excuse of transporting kids from Westerly to Prodigy school to investigate that transmission from Arkyn – they found it, but it’s not quite how they expected it.

So we have some idea of what happened to Pawter at the end of the last episode – she’d make a valuable captive, wouldn’t she! It could have been a case of wrong place, wrong time, but I think this may come back again. There just happened to be someone right there, waiting for anyone to come along? I don’t think the Salt Plains boss would really have been happy having Pawter married to one of her “boys” – she’d more likely end up with a dead “boy”, don’t you think? Once rescued, Pawter’s reluctant to go with Johnny – she’s just discovered the plans Jelco had that show walls around cities all over Westerly. “The Company is building a cage for this entire moon,” she tells Johnny, and is starting to think that the 9 Families may be part of the problem. I’m really intrigued by this royalty system, and I’m hoping we learn more about it this season!

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But Johnny’s concern for her was sweet – as he is. And this sets off warning bells for Dutch, but is she really concerned about Johnny picking up “strays,” or is she projecting on her own recent rescue of Alvis? D’Avin’s working hard at being a better big brother lately. He doesn’t want Dutch to be too hard on Johnny – “You lead, I shoot, and Johnny gives a shit. Do you really want him to lose that?”

In the last episode, Turin agreed to help Dutch find the massive transmission Khlyen sent out as he destroyed Red 17 – and he’s got a bead on it. The transmission has gone to an unlikely place – Prodigy School – and to get into the school, he’s turned our Lucy and our crew into a schoolbus, transporting three Westie kids. One of the children, Jake, strikes a chord with both D’Avin and Johnny. Jake’s older brother went to Prodigy three years ago, and dad doesn’t want to give up his other child, all he has left of his family after the Old Town bombing. Who can blame him? Except that he’s not just a grieving father, he’s an asshole. According to Jake. Who is eager to reunite with his older brother.

So what’s up with Prodigy School? They get there, kids in tow, nobody around, and, oops, Del Saya Kendry (at least a video of her) greets them? This woman is into everything that’s just a bit nasty. Cryopods neurofeeding lessons to kids? Pawter says it’s barbaric and illegal, Del Saya (a childhood, ummm, friend’s not the right word, of Pawter’s) snarks back that “nobody calls it that anymore” and says that it’s painless and effective – honestly, if it worked, rather than liquefying the students, it looks easier than what Neo went through in The Matrix, and certainly would eliminate those dioramas and algebra tests!

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Del Saya reveals that the school is a human seed bank – and why is that needed? Dutch tells her that there are only two reasons for a seed bank, winter or war – which is it? That depends on the info in Khlyen’s transmission, Del Saya says. First, WHY IS KHLYEN TALKING TO DEL SAYA??? And I don’t think it’s because “Daddy likes her best.” And second, what the hells is Khlyen on to? Is he out to prevent or instigate? War, we get – the Company is planning to wall off cities, the RAC has major problems, last season saw a Level 6 attack on the 9. But Winter? What is this, Game of Thrones? And how could Khlyen prevent it?

But unfortunately, as it turns out, liquefied students are, ultimately, Khlyen’s fault (as many bad things seem to be). His transmission seems to have fried the cryo units, shorted them out, triggered their systems, and killed the children. Except… for Olin, Jake’s older brother. Why was he saved? And now, he has the data imprinted on his brain, causing headaches and flashes of memories that aren’t his. Does this in any way sound familiar? Olin thinks that the class guardian is the one who killed him – she was standing over him when he came to, but she was more likely, Johnny thinks, trying to pull him out of the pod and save his life. And showing the brilliance that got him picked for Prodigy School in the first place, he creates a diversion so he can get off of the school (he would have had no way of knowing that his brother would end up there, that was a bit of serendipity) on the first ship that arrives, using a hologram of the guardian. He’s a prodigy, all right, but obviously has a major distrust of adults.

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Johnny and D’Avin have had their share of brother issues – D’Avin left Johnny in an abusive household, disappeared for years, got involved with Dutch when Johnny specifically asked him not to – and both of them can relate to Olin and Jake. (There’s a cryptic line between Johnny and D’Avin when Jake thinks that Olin is dead – Johnny says, “He just lost his brother. We know what that’s like.” Was there a third Jaqobi brother? Could that brother’s death have been the reason D’Avin left? Or am I reading too much into this? Theories, please!) The banter between D’Av and Johnny is terrific, and it’s great to see them taking the brother lessons they’ve learned and try to pass them along to to these two troubled kids.

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But there’s only so far two KJ uncles can take the boys, and Olin has info that both Dutch and Del Saya need desperately, so they can’t – and wouldn’t want to – be returned to their asshole father on Westerly. So they’re stashed for safety with Alvis and the monks on Leith – think they’re really safe?

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Remember when D’Avin asked Khlyen why he tried to turn him into a Level 6? Khlyen responded that he wanted D’Avin loyal to him – looks like that’s something that really does happen with Level 6, because Fancy Lee is definitely a Khlyen clone. He turns the crew of the ship taking Khlyen away into ground meat, lets Khlyen out of the cryopod, and off they sail to Tallinn – this is interesting. Why Tallinn? It’s the Jaqobis’ home planet. What will he find there that could give him a clue as to why D’Avin rejected the Level 6 process? Will we see any of the brothers’ home or family? Better and better!

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Quick preview note – I chatted with Lucy – Tamsen McDonough – watch for our interview!

Follow me on Twitter: @ErinConrad2 and @threeifbyspace

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