I feel like I’m getting to know a brand new friend. It’s always an exciting process – do they like the same things you do? Do they laugh at the same jokes? Do they hate the same people? Would they be right there with you if you had to go toe to toe with, say, a deranged warlord out for revenge? So far, yes, I think the Killjoys do, and would. I love that about them. (And Johnny made a “that’s what she said” joke! I love that too.)
When the actors spoke with the press two weeks ago (start with Part 1 here), they talked about the rules that are set up in the Killjoys’ world – rules of the RAC, the Quad, the Company – and how they have to live within these rules. Learning where these boundaries are is part of getting to know our new friends. Step foot off the ship without papers? Breaking a rule. Not completing a warrant? Breaking a rule. With all the rules in place, we knew that D’Avin wouldn’t go be a miner, or a night watchman – he was destined to be a Killjoy. And who wouldn’t, from the way Dutch described it? “We’re as powerful as law enforcement, as free as mercenaries, and make joy you soldier boys can only dream of.” Sign me up! Except for the, you know, skills thing. And D’Avin has the skills, for sure. It only took the one big mission to convince Dutch. “You didn’t suck at it, and new blood’s good sometimes,” she tells him. “Plus for some dumb reason, Johnny seems to like you.” It’s pretty obvious that Johnny’s not the only one. And that Johnny’s not convinced he DOES like D’Avin, from the look on his face.
But rules were broken – or bent, at least – to get Dutch and company to Sugar Point, starting with the origin of the warrant. She’s pressed into service, blackmailed into taking the job, or losing her docking privileges, which would be a major crimp in her business. So off they go to Sugar Point, a Company-ruined Company town, to trade a convict for the daughter of a government official – and we see that the Company lives only by its own rules, bombing a city that tried to ask for more than they had, then forced to live as Company slaves. The ruin that is now Sugar Point, and its people, tells us that this isn’t an organization that values its employees, that throws a pretty nice company Christmas party. But it seems to affect everything and everyone in the Killjoys world, so learning quickly that this isn’t an organic collective is important.
The convict, Simon Muraayn (Michael Therriault) is brought back to Sugar Point, to be traded to his vengeance-driven sister (Irene Poole) for the mayor’s daughter. But R’yo doesn’t want her brother Simon – she wants the thing he’s stolen, a “smuggler’s nut,” that contains launch codes for a very nasty weapon. And Simon, knowing the smuggler’s nut is now killing him, still halfheartedly tries to escape once Lucy is brought down on Sugar Point by the other unsavory contingent. He’s probably not a great human being, but you couldn’t help but be touched by his story! The Company is not nice people. The detail here was fantastic – this destroyed city had a Mad Max vibe. But Johnny and Lucy work together to foil the bad guys – most of them – and pull the part they need off their truck.
Meanwhile, D’Avin shows off those skills – good throw, man – and gets the girl rescued. How’d she get in this predicament, anyway? And John, “the smart one,” arrives right on time, with what I hope is a typical smart-ass quip: “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your social director. Those of you who don’t wish to be blasted into a dewy mist, please step away from the firearms.” I love a good smart-ass.
So now the three have to sort out their interpersonal relationships. From the look on Johnny’s face when Dutch suggests D’Avin becomes a Killjoy, it doesn’t seem like he’s overly thrilled with the idea. Extrapolating here, but D’Avin probably overshadowed John the whole time they were growing up – good at sports, big and handsome, so the younger, smaller brother was most likely overlooked. And now he’s back again, moving in on John’s territory – who wouldn’t be a little frustrated? Johnny and Dutch make a pretty good team – she knows what kind of toys to bring him, and the smuggler’s plasma torch is a fun little present. And he undoubtedly has her back. But now there’s an interloper thrown in the mix.
D’Avin’s trying to figure out where he can fit in – with Johnny and with Dutch. “She your partner or your boss?” he asks. “She’s my partner. Boss. Partner-boss. Whatever. So?” And now, will D’Avin fit in as the junior partner? Does that make Johnny his boss? partner? partner-brother-boss? Ooh. And those looks D’Avin gives Dutch – will he settle for her being his boss? His partner – in just work? Now my head is spinning and I have to sit down for a minute. OK, I’m back. D’Avin has revealed part of his secret to Dutch in order to get her to trust him enough to complete the job – he’s looking for a doctor that he thinks can help him – with the nightmares he has? What’s happened to him?
And Dutch has started to trust D’Avin – for Dutch, trust has to be difficult. Raised and trained from a very young age, presumably, by a man who displayed tender feelings toward her, but insisted that she learn to kill on command, couldn’t have been the best parenting style. She knows the difference between right and wrong, and despite Khlyen’s tutelage, has kept that moral sense. She’s overcome her upbringing – I hope we learn a great deal more about this. The mystery of her past is fascinating. How many people could have come out of that with a strong moral compass, still able to discern the difference between necessary self-protection and blind obedience? Even as a young girl, she questions what she’s taught. “It was him or you. Never let it be you,” Khlyen warns her. “But who was he? Why him?” she asks. “Why is a question my little bird should never ask,” he responds. But she does – and it’s her questioning of the reasons behind her actions that saves her. It’s why, even though she’s a level 5 Killjoy, she has never accepted a kill warrant.
But maybe Dutch shouldn’t be trusted completely…
So our new friends have mysterious backgrounds – that’s the fun of getting to know someone new! This is a very original world we’re seeing here – the ruling families, the ever-present, omnipotent Company, and the rules of the RAC. Lucy, we’re on board.
The Killjoys Website
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