"If You Could See Her Through My Eyes" is the 7th episode of Season Two of Defiance and the 19th episode overall. It aired on July 31st, 2014 on Syfy.
Synopsis[]
Datak is framed for a bizarre murder and turns to an unlikely ally for help, while Irisa discovers more about her destiny after encountering a mysterious stranger.
Syfy's Fun Facts[2][]
- Last year, Rafe McCawley agreed to share some of the profits from his mines with the Irathient settlers from whom the land was stolen. When Datak became mayor, he gave control of the mines to the Earth Republic in exchange for their help in getting him elected. The E-Rep are no longer obligated to give the Irathients anything, but they'd rather pay them off than be faced with an army of pissed off Spirit Riders.
- Treasure Doll and her mother weren't the only women who sold their bodies to survive the Pale Wars. Amanda's sister Kenya Rosewater was also a "reindeer," sneaking onto Earth Military Coalition bases to sleep with the soldiers in exchange for travelling money (and the ability to piss off her sister, Amanda). When Kenya took over the Needwant, she made it clear to her employees that they should always feel in control of their own sexuality.
- Deirdre Lamb took the name "Treasure Doll" when she moved to Defiance and became a night porter at the NeedWant. Even though she no longer works there, Treasure Doll decided to keep the name when Alak hired her as a DJ for Arch radio. Few people in town know that Deirdre is her real name, since Treasure Doll doesn't like to talk about her past.
- The Votans came from a binary star system, comprised of the twin suns Sulos and Vysu. Shortly after the Ark flee departed, a rogue star collided with Sulos, causing the destruction of the Votanis system. The Votanis Collective's headquarters in Brazil is named Sulos in its memory.
- Amanda herself was once a member of the Earth Republic. Shortly after the war ended, she worked as a clerk in Manhattan, which is where she first met Ambassador Tennety and her former lover, Connor Lang.
- Kai's hometown of Tallahassee no longer exists. During the Pale Wars, humans and Votans deployed chemical and biological weapons in Florida on a grand scale. As a result, huge portions of the state became deadly to all but the most resilient forms of life. Ark Hunters enjoy swapping tales of untold riches in the Everglades, but anyone brave or foolish enough to venture there is rarely heard from again.
- Before the war, Lambert taught philosophy at Drew University in New Jersey. He was among the first settlers of Defiance and established the town's first mixed-species school. Lambert has always had a fascination with Votan culture. The parents of his alien students wouldn't be happy if they ever found out about his little kink.
- Janus was an ancient Roman god of change and transitions. He was often depicted as having two faces, one looking to the future and the other looking to the past. The symbol for the Votan trans-species club is a three headed Janus, symbolizing a new reality beyond the human experience.
- Castithans first came to planet Irath in order to enslave the Sensoths. When the Irathients rose up to defend the Sensoths, Castithans drove them underground and flooded the caves with poison gas. The surviving Irathients fled in an exodus known as the Great Diaspora. Castithans assumed control of the planet and renamed it Casti. Many centuries later, when Indogenes successfully terraformed a small moon orbiting the neighboring star of Sulos, Castithans appropriated that as well, naming it -- what else -- Casti II.
- Polio is a debilitating disease which has plagued humanity for thousands of years. Polio epidemics were common in the 20th century. Jonas Salk led the first team to develop a vaccine for polio. Unfortunately, the Pale Wars destroyed much of the world's vaccine stockpile, which has led to a rise in diseases that were once considered treatable or eradicated entirely.
- The two creatures piloting the ship looked vaguely like Indogenes, though the gold and silver tendrils certainly set them apart. What is this strange ship? Who are the intruders and why are they trying to seize it?
- Rynn first make her presence felt back in episode #3 when she used hellbug pheromones to assassinate the men who murdered her family when she was just a child. Following her escape from captivity, Rynn travelled to San Francisco, where she helped players in the video game uncover an Earth Republic plot to weaponize hellbugs. She's been wandering the Badlands ever since she took part in the gunfight at the McCawley Mines in episode #12.
- Castithan courtship gems (called kyerupavo) were created by master craftsmen back on planet Casti. There are only a limited number left, since the rare gems used to create them cannot be found anywhere on Earth. This particular gem was given to Christie by Viceroy Mercado in episode #18. Mercado must have paid a fortune for it. Of course, someone so highly placed within the Earth Republic can afford it.
- The portion of the song in Castithan translates to "I want bigger, sleeker, faster. I want satin, I want silver. I want supple, I want slender. Braver, sharper, stronger. Nimble little fingers. Razor sharp incisors. Seven extra organs. Supersonic power. I want your arms to hold me."
- "Wearing such a heavy mask leaves only my eyes and my posture to convey my emotion. But the eyes don’t lie so if you are present, it will read." - Trenna Keating (Doc Yewll)
- "Certainly one of the most bizarre images to hit TVs in 2014 will be William Atherton, the villain from Ghostbusters and Real Genius, dressed like a Castithan and singing a Kevin Murphy original song." - Anupam Nigam, Writer
Votan Translation[]
David J. Peterson, the creator of the Votan languages, has made translations available on his Archive of Our Own page.
Translations for the Votan spoken in this episode can be found at Conlang Dialogue: Defiance, Episode 207.
Highlighted Quote[]
DATAK (CASTITHAN)
May she forever shine in Rayetso's light.
TRANSLATION
Rayetso oráya ksa jena ubuno shiralu.
STAHMA (CASTITHAN)
May her own light never diminish.
TRANSLATION
Jeno oráya ksa ugano bulanu.
Trailer[]
Full Episode[]
Free Host[]
Paid Host[]
Season 2 | |
---|---|
Episodes | "The Opposite of Hallelujah" • "In My Secret Life" • "The Cord and the Ax" • "Beasts of Burden" • "Putting the Damage On" • "This Woman's Work" • "If You Could See Her Through My Eyes" • "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" • "Painted From Memory" • "Bottom of the World" • "Doll Parts" • "All Things Must Pass" • "I Almost Prayed" |
Stars | Grant Bowler as Joshua Nolan • Julie Benz as Amanda Rosewater • Tony Curran as Datak Tarr • Jaime Murray as Stahma Tarr • Graham Greene as Rafe McCawley • Jim Murray as Niles Pottinger |
Guests | Rob Archer as Churchill • Linda Hamilton as Pilar McCawley • Michael Dyson as Skevur • Kevin Shand as Raiga • Katie Douglas as Young Irisa/Irzu • Monica Parker as Bailey |
Recurring | Dewshane Williams as Tommy Lasalle • Jesse Rath as Alak Tarr • Nicole Muñoz as Christie McCawley |