Bachelor parties, dead bodies, and Datak just can’t get a break! This week we follow Nolan, Irisa, and Tommy across Defiance to solve a cold case before the Defiance event of the season: the marriage of Alak and Christie! Will the wedding go off without a hitch, or will the father of the groom ruin everything? Tune in to find out!

Listen now:

EPISODE 10 “The Bride Wore Blackâ€

Recap

The body of a prominent businessman who disappeared nearly six years ago is discovered in the walls of Need/Want, prompting an investigation by Nolan and Tommy that exposes many secrets and causes unrest on the eve of Alak and Christie’s wedding.

Thoughts and Observations

This episode was modeled after the best Colombo episodes. You knew who the murderer was from the very beginning; it’s more about how they’ll get caught.

A lot of Castithan traditions mentioned in this episode..

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• At the Castithan equivalent of a bachelor party, Alak is pressured to sleep with a porter which apparently is a legit practice. Casti men sure do treat the women like objects.
  
• The Telo is a Castithan wedding mask with a beautiful (if not a bit S&M) premise behind it.
  
• Castithan Scrolls were protected in a temple and never unattended, even in the face of death. Much isn’t known about these scrolls but its obvious that they are some kind of holy relic.
  

Murder Mystery – Hunter Bell

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• Initial impressions (read: with Tommy) were good. They quickly soured. The further we got with the flashbacks, the more I hated Hunter.
  
• Kenya and Amanda
  
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  • Interesting.. Kenya sure seems to have the same aspirations as Stahma. She wanted to be the power behind the throne when Hunter ran Defiance.
    
  • Why did both sisters lie to Nolan? You’d think Nolan has proven his trust in the girls by now.
    
  
  
  
• Poor Jerret. “Just like Elan Bandik.” Noticed a lot of people thinking Nolan just singled out Datak with nothing to go on but a Casti blade.
  

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• Datak and Rafe
  
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  • Heh. Seeing Datak with his hair down and wearing rags as a gutter rat criminal thug is deeply satisfying.
    
  • Rafe chummy with Datak? Wonder what it was that drove them apart.. Was it something to do with WIFE?
    
  • Wonder how Datak will exact revenge on Nolan. We all know, when Datak is humiliated, it usually results in someone dying.
    
  
  
  

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  Nicki and Yewll

  
  
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  • Wow. This episode threw us for a loop! Nikki is an Indogene? She murdered Hunter Bell?
    
  • And then BAM! Nikki is dead! Remind me to stay off of Yewll’s bad side.
    
  • I loved that Doc Yewll used Nikki’s words to justify killing her. “Its for the greater good.” After all, Nicky devolved into a genocidal monster.
    
  
  
  

A White Wedding

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• The Telo is an heirloom and Casti tradition, but Christi doesn’t want to wear it. Does Stahma truly love her “Heart Daughter” or is this more of stahma’s manipulation? It’s hard not to question everything Stahma does now.
  
• Rafe tells Datak that he’s willied the mines to the Irathients, so there is no way in hell the Tarr family will ever get a piece of them after Rafe dies. “Their your mines Rafe. I don’t care what you do with them.”
  
• “The wedding is off!” Easily the best scene this episode. OK, second best.. Datak has been outsmarted and has lost the mines and there’s no point in continuing with the wedding. Furious, he puts a stop to the wedding. Alak will never have to endure the hardships we did!†defending Alak, Stahma drops her mask for a brief spell and responds in kind to Datak. The way that Stahma effortlessly switched gears at one point, moving from aggression to passive admonition was beautifully executed.
  
• Alak stands up to Daddy, finally (in a loin cloth no less), then goes to tell Christie the wedding was off anyway.. Pshh. Teenagers. though Alak had an excellent argument when he said he was born on Earth and not wholly Casti because of it.
  
• Bringing a charge blade to a good ol’ fashioned gun fight, Datak? You know better. I know swords are a gentleman’s weapon, but guns have pretty much rendered them steak knives.
  
• A veil, handmade by Stahma. What made her give in? Motive behind the gesture?
  
• Pretty wedding, dirty white everywhere, Enya in the air, a Casti playing the Cello… Wait, what?
  
• What happened, why is she not wearing the Telo? Oh Stahma..
  

Favorite scenes

Ben:

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• WHERE TO START!? Dataks furious tantrum and Stahma’s mask slip.
  
• The whole Nikki and Doc Yewll scene, from entrance to the hospital all the way to her suicide in the car.
  
• Tommy and Irisa are growing on me as a couple. Plus, Irisa is so CUTE in her wedding outfit. ^_^
  

Chris:

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• Tommy and Irisa holding hands.
  
• A knife at a gun fight.
  
• Rafe offering to help Alek.
  

Dislikes?

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• Did they really have to kill Jerret!? JERRET, NO!
  

Speculations

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• Will Tommy and Nolan buy the whole suicide?
  
• Was Birch an Indogene, too (does it really matter)?
  
• What was Nikki’s original purpose and what became her true goal?
  
• What will Doc Yewll do with the golden knot?
  
• Is the Kiziri responsible for Nikki’s genocidal actions? What will it do to Doc Yewll?
  

Preview for next episode “Past is Prologueâ€

http://youtu.be/GixwUV3PgVA

On the eve of the election, Nolan is involved in an accident that makes the town question Amanda’s decision to appoint Nolan as lawkeeper and threatens Amanda’s own mayoral campaign.

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• Looks like Colonel Marsh and the E-Rep tries to get into bed with both candidates before the election, which is the obvious move. I wonder what they’re doing behind the scenes..
  
• Is Kendra siding with her sister and threatening Stahma with their secret to make Datak look bad to voters? Or is there something more going on between Stahma and Kenya?
  
• “Our Lawkeeper participated in wartime atrocities. This is not the first time he’s taken innocent life.†Does he mean Sukar? Did Sukar die?! Did Nolan kill someone else? Or is Datak framing Nolan for someone’s death? Connor’s? Maybe Nicki’s?
  
• Datak and E-Rep? Lucrative for him for a time sure, but Datak bows for no man or institution.
  

[Show Predictions]

Ben

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  My prediction is that we won’t find out the winner of this election the next episode. I’m betting some new disaster will halt the voting and we’ll have some kind of second voting or recount. I also secretly hope this election gets dirty. >:)

  
  
  

Chris

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  Irisa and Tommy are going to have a baby.

  
  
  
• Who shot Datak?
  

Shooting the Shtako Episode 10

http://youtu.be/-Ybm0I40z-Y

Jamie Murry and Kevin Murphy talk about the wedding.

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• Jamie: “I think I do genuinely love Christie.â€
  
  Kevin: “She’s kind of an adorable, fluffy house pet.â€
  
• Favorite Scene for Jamie was “The Wedding Off†where her mask slips and she furiously defends Alak.
  

Grant Bowler Hangs with Hoda & Katie Lee

http://www.today.com/video/today/52274246#52274246

Grant Bowler tells Kathie Lee and Hoda that he thinks the success of the show comes from a rich storyline that helps makes the show accessible and current to the audience.

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  Plan B was to be the Cultural Ambassador to Australia (huh?)

  
  
  
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  Re: working on Swelter with Alfred Molina “I like a big man.â€

  
  
  
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  Guess we’re getting a big cliffhanger at the end of the season.

  
  
  
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  TimTam Slam.. interesting trick with the tea.

  
  
  
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  Eww, chocolate kisses to Kathy Lee.

  
  
  

Grant Bowler Hangs with Jimmy Fallon during Video Game Week

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/grant-bowler-identifies-as-auziwi/n38272/

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  Born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, Bowler claims to be an Auziwi, the Prius of actors.

  
  
  
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  Toothless Meth-head of gaming. Shame on him begging for a used copy of WoW

  
  
  
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  Synergy impressed Elijah Wood while talking about Razer Rain sweeping across teh country, leaving the game and arriving in the show. “Get Out.. Thats INCREDIBLE!â€

  
  
  

Both appearances came with a clip for next weeks episode a-piece, so watch both clips for some more peeks of what looks to be another phenomenal episode of Defiance.

Reviews Across the Web

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/25/defiance-the-bride-wore-black-review

Jesse Schedeen of IGN writes:

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• Tommy benefited from this episode more than anyone. We learned about his past as an illiterate card hustler and the one act of kindness that set him on a better path. I liked that Tommy’s loyalty to the late Hunter Bell served as a driving force throughout the investigation, and that said loyalty set him apart from the rest of the cast. The flashback repeatedly showed why various the characters would have reason to kill Bell. It was nice to see one character who had reason to revere him.
  
• Almost immediately after learning about the circumstances that led to him becoming a lawmaker, it occurred to me that Tommy must harbor some amount of resentment against Nolan for showing up and taking charge out of the blue. Nolan has only been in town for a few months, whereas Tommy has spent six years honing his craft.
  
• We also saw the origins of the Rafe McCawley/Datak Tarr rivalry. As it turns out, both men started out on friendly terms, motivated by a mutual dislike and distrust of Bell. As prickly as the two are in the present, one can only assume that Datak sometimes overcompensates because Rafe is one of the few people that knew him before his rise to power and glory within Defiance.
  
• Rafe was nothing if not a bad-ass throughout the episode, brandishing firearms and generally putting the bad guys in their place. The question is how swift and damaging Datak’s revenge will be.
  
• There were some genuinely sweet moments between various characters during this scene, especially as Irisa showed up to savor the occasion with Tommy.
  
• ..with a hefty dose of darkness and some strong character growth on various fronts, this episode really showcased Defiance’s storytelling potential.
  

[What we did in game]

Ben

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• Jumped to EGO 1324 in an afternoon worth of playing, chasing after contracts and only using specific weapons that needed to be leveled up for pursuits.
  
• Tried to compete for Gold in the Time Trials to get that Black Challenger, only getting gold in 5 out of the 14 available.
  
• Created a new character. Don’t know why. Seems to be a lapse in judgement at the time.
  
• I totally need to complete Co-Op Missions
  

Chris

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• Finished the Episodic Missions. Still meh
  
• Just about to cross the bridge! Slow going but fun.
  
• Weird bug where everything went purple.
  

Defiance: Across the Badlands Episode 11

http://youtu.be/9Tzi9VhrrcE

Fan Find of the Week

Clan FreeMason had their guild gather over at the Crater Bar in game and took a group screenshot. All I have to say is get some more outfits folks? It looked like ALL of them created an identical character..

Charged Weapons

Starting at 10:00 mark, we’re treated to a bunch of concept art for the charged weapons while Greg Laabs shares what he learned about Charged Blades and Charged Firearms direct from the developers.

Blades:

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• Blades are a dedicated melee weapon that have several different modes of attack.
  
• Quickly tapping the fire button (left mouse click PC and Right Trigger on 360/PS3) you will produce a quick slashing attack, and a properly timed second tap will follow it up with another quick slash.
  
• If you hold down the fire button you will charge up a more powerful attack but it will leave you vulnerable and unable to move until the attack is completed.
  
• When in the air, either from jumping or falling, pressing the fire button will allow the arkhunter to engage in a smashing attack that will hit all enemies in a small radius around where you land.
  
• Charged blades do not accept mods other than the mod to change the color of the blades.
  
• Try out the battle arena to get your first blade.
  

Firearms:

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• Weapons can be charged up by holding down the fire button either from hip fire or aim mode.
  
• A charged weapon can overheat and be reset if you keep the weapon charged for too long.
  
• The different weapons do have different effects when charging up, so experiment with them all.
  

Both Blades and Firearms will require a more tactical approach when using them. Timing is a major factor. As of now, there is no release date for the DLC yet.

Challenge Hour:

https://www.defiance.com/en/challenge-hour/

Great news for those of you who’ve wanted to be able to participate in a challenge hour but haven’t. The next challenge hour is set for SATURDAY June 29 at 12 noon PST killing Hellbug Archers, so head over to the challenge hour website, register, and start recruiting sponsors.

Player Submitted Questions:

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• Is there a planned UI update for social features, notably a revamp for text chat. Yes we have those kinds of changes in mind. We don’t have an ETA but they are coming.
  
• Will we be able to sell cars, trade them, or break them down to resources eventually? That’s not something that’s currently planned but it keeps coming up in suggestion boards, so maybe we will be doing something sometime down the road.
  
• Can the mods be overridden or taken out one by one instead of having to remove mods and retrieve mods. That would really save a lot of ark salvage. Yes its being talked about, even a whole salvage matrix. Nothing definitive has been announced yet but please stay tuned.
  
• Are there fixes in the works for arkfalls that bug out? Yes we are still tracking solving and pushing out updates all the time to address ongoing bugs and issues.
  
• Are you guys planning to bring Dark Matter stuff into the game, like outfits, weapons, vehicles, missions, side missions, and pursuits? Yes we are! However we don’t have a date or any more information to share with you at this time.
  
• Will there ever be an EGO cap increase and will it be in the first 5 DLC or in Season 2? Perhaps. There is no current plan to increase the EGO cap at this time but its something the devs can be done pretty easily.
  
• When will rewind content will be active for plague sieges? No date for you yet, but they are all coming back.
  

 

Community Spotlight

Each episode we try to find gamers who go above and beyond to create a more immersive experience for the Defiance Community. This week we want to shine our spotlight on:

Women of Defiance

@womenofdefiance

http://womenofdefiance.tumblr.com

If you have not heard of Women of Defiance, then you’re not on twitter nearly enough. Women of Defiance bring a hilariously entertaining live tweet each Monday and bring panache to the world of Gayliens and interspecies relations. Staying off twitter for a while? Visit her tumblr (though fair warning, it may be NSFW at times)!

Also a quick shout-out to the Obsidian 360 clan who we spotlighted last week. They were awesome enough to share a video with us on twitter, showing off how large the clan is when gathered to fight an Arkfall. Check it out here: youtube.com/watch?v=IKyw8TAugDU …

Remember, if you want us to feature your clan or community site on Defiance Reporter, tweet us, leave a voicemail, or send us an email at defiance@mmoreporter.com.

Listener Letters

David Collins writes:

Sent: Tue, 10:06 am

To: defiance@mmoreporter.com

First of all, you’re sounding more like a whiny teenage girl complaining about Irisa more than she ever has. Secondly, you’re just wrong :P

You want her to be this stoic, troubled, unemotional girl who knows better because she’s “been through it all.” But no matter what she’s been through, a teenage girl is still a teenage girl. Have you ever read the Diary of Anne Frank? Despite everything she goes through, she still has teenage girl tendencies.

I applaud the writers for keeping the character multi-dimensional. Yes she’s a Badass, yes she’s emotionally walled, yes she’s calculating, but she still is a teenage girl. And for her to always act reasonable would be be wrong and would make here a caricature, not a person.

-Dave

LAST MINUTE ANNOUNCEMENTS

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