Wow. Just wow.

This week’s ep of Defiance seemed to pull out all the stops, as the mayoral race heats up and we find out how devious the Tarr household actually is!

Datak (Tony Curran) is intent on running against Amanda Rosewater (Julie Benz) and isn’t afraid of using deceit and misinformation to do it. Stahma (Jaime Murray) leaks to Kenya (Mia Kirshener), that Datak is planning on having Amanda killed during the debate.

Then to make sure things go as planned, he uses the Castithan shame ceremony on Alak (Jesse Rath) for the wedding last week. Alak then recruits one of his friends to ‘pull a prank’ during the debate.

This debate involves pulling a weapon with the intent of firing it at the mayor.

During the debate, for which the whole town shows up, including the anti-social Doc Yewll (Trenna Keating), Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas) uses the opportunity to go through the doctor’s office, driven by a vision of something that happened in her youth. She doesn’t find it, but we learn pretty quickly that apparently there’s a connection between Irisa and the artifact, or at least between the artifact and something INSIDE Irisa.

But things take a turn for the worse, when Lawkeeper Nolan (Grant Bowler) sees the gun on the mayor, yells, draws, and moments later puts down Alak’s friend, quickly and professionally. Only to learn that despite looking like a real gun, it was a paintball gun.

Can you say manipulated?

Then, while Nolan and the town is still reeling, Datak gets access to Nolan’s confidential E-Rep file, and reads out his reports, as well as playing a pretty damning recording of him from during the war.

Before Amanda can leap to defend him, which Nolan figures is exactly what Datak wants, he resigns, and gets ready to leave town with Irisa, but not before handing Datak his ass.

The betrayals and revelations come fast and quick this episode, as we race towards the season finale, thank goodness we have another season coming, because there is so much going on here!

I think I’ve mentioned it before, that it seems everyone has secrets in this town, and it’s going to cause a lot of people trouble.

We leave a lot of the town in dire straits by the end of the episode, Irisa is literally under the blade, the Doc’s office is a wreck after her encounter with Irisa, Nolan is a semi-hated man in town, Datak, with the E-Rep’s aid seems a lock for the election, and has found a way to strip Rafe (Graham Greene) of his mine, Alak is torn between two fathers, and we only have one more episode to go!

GAH!!

This show has completely captivated me this season and I have loved every minute of it. I cannot wait to see how they leave us hanging next week, as they no doubt will, and then I can’t wait to have them come back next year!

And keep it coming!

The season finale of Defiance airs next Monday on Showcase… Will you be watching?