Monday Review: Killjoys
I haven’t watch Syfy original programming in years but for the occasional episode of Face-Off here or there if the hubs had it on.
I maintain the Riff-Trax theatre event for Sharknado doesn’t count because I wasn’t actually there to watch Sharknado.
Why the defection?
Because the once great bastion of all things geek decided it would be wise and profitable to give its audience, the audience who stuck with it through an absolutely insane (and might I add sexist) name change, absolute and complete sacks of crap. And I’m talking stuff that isn’t even worth hate watching.
I’ve seen Manos, Hands of Fate.
I’m a fan of the hate watch.
Last year (and the exact time frame escapes me) the president of Syfy (whose name also escapes me and which I am too lazy to go looking for at the moment) released a statement insisting the company was going to turn it around and start to once more produce decent shows instead of dinosaur turds.
I was dubious. I have been betrayed on many a previous occasion.
I am happy to announce that, at least as regards one of the new Syfy original shows (which is actually a Canadian show Syfy is co-producing, so that may explain some of the yay), we were given the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Killjoys is hella fun.
Is it groundbreaking? As a whole, probably not. The base structure is a pretty standard corporate overlord dystopia made terrifying/fascinating/not-so-distant by Blade Runner. In the Killjoys framework, it is called simply “The Corporation.” It treats the majority of the people under its sway like cattle, gives preference to the great families who’s heads form its cabal, and has so badly damaged its homework the death penalty is carried out by staking people out in the industrial waste black rain and letting them burn alive.
We start to diverge a bit with the RAC (an organization of legal, licensed bounty hunters). The polite way to address its members is “reclamation agents.” The often spat version is, “Killjoys.” RAC agents are arranged in a hierarchy, the lowest of which calls them to transport and capture, the highest of which permits (or demands) they kill.
they’re varied. Some of them live by the RAC standard, “the warrant is all,” while others, our intrepid Dutch and Johnny included, have souls and consciences (to varying degrees). They’re… you know. People. A masterful stroke, really, in our trope laden era.
Standard dystopian corporate overlord bounty hunter with hearts of gold fare in some ways, but the characters (and the writing thereof) make the show shine. A former harem-girl/assassin, a soldier with his soul stolen by the government, and the genius/comic relief/cat-herder all have subtle twists that make them interesting and fascinating and thought/heart grabbing. I have had feels. I can’t wait to see what they’re going to next. I stay up late and give up writing time to watch.
basic framework… it has that weekly mission + secondary longer-running plot that can either fly or flop. In this case, it’s just enough the viewer remembers and wants to know but not so much it drags single episodes down (Think supernatural seasons 1-3).
fully realized female captain strong and vulnerable a killer with regrets a strong personality with a deep seated fear…
boys and girls can be friends/family w/o ANY sexual tension and still have compelling: This ship is our family. Please don’t bang our sister.
the broken soldier
Doctor Pawter
The bartender
the mysterious cult leader
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