Killjoys Deftly Pushes All Its Plots Forward
Road trips are fun, aren’t they? Well, it depends, probably. It’s not as fun for the person who has to do the majority of the driving. It’s not fun for those who get easily carsick. But if you can work out an egalitarian driving rotation, hit some clean, well stocked rest stops, pack Dramamine, and agree on the tunes that will serve as the soundtrack to your journey, a road trip can be something you remember fondly long after you reach your destination.
Killjoys’ third episode of Season 4, “Bro-dtrip” reveals another possible road trip snafu, the added complication of a borderline psychotic car-mate hopped up on hullen juice and ready to wreak havoc. What’s interesting is I can almost track how the plasma is working on Johnny. He is normally, as D’av put it, “a hug wrapped in a puppy.” But he also harbors some deep resentment that he shoves down regularly, which explodes occasionally when he’s had enough. It has happened with Dutch when he told her he wouldn’t be her conscience. It has happened with D’av time and time again, so it makes sense that his snarly side seems to harken back to some of those moments of tension from earlier episodes of Killjoys.
His cheerfully aggressive “Little brothers are the worst, huh,” puts us in the mind of their initial conflict during the Killjoys’ pilot, D’avin leaving home and abandoning Johnny to live with an abusive father and drug-addicted mother. There’s even more edge in how he infuses the silly childhood torment, “stop hitting yourself,” with such malice and rage. More directly, Johnny does point out the, perhaps, naïve, trust D’av has in Kendry considering their past. With the sting of his last conflict with Kendry fresh in his mind, D’av concedes the point even while he’s trying to gain control of this situation.
Bea and Delle Seya’s story is duly suspenseful. Warden Juno, who looks an awful lot like Warden Blackwall from Dragon Age Inquisition, is an adequate one-time villain who meets a fitting end. With the killjoys off dealing with their shit elsewhere, it gives Kendry and Bea time to strike up a lovely bond. I was impressed that Kendry was legitimately trustworthy, kind, and even she notes, maternal. I was just a touch nervous she’d do something hulleny and betray her new friend, but when she didn’t I felt all warm inside. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Bea.
Speaking of betrayal, back to the Jaqobis. As Johnny bellowed in the last episode, he’s the smart one, but that doesn’t mean D’avin is a dolt. He knows from the moment he reawakens in the truck that Johnny is not to be trusted. Even as he calmly speaks reason to Johnny he can tell that Johnny is up to something though he has no idea what that thing is. Luke McFarlane plays these moments with nuance. When D’avin is being stoic and introspective you can feel the sadness and regret push through the screen. He also brings plenty of fire and determination to make things right and fix his little brother.
It was clever to have the part of Johnny that’s still human crystalized into a hallucination of Dutch. Johnny has two angels on his shoulder both whispering positivity to him while his core self is the devil railing against both. If this were a fair world, Killjoys would get a heroes’ welcome at SDCC and be showered with Nebula Award nominations. This cast is incredible and the work Aaron Ashmore has been doing in these past two eps alone is worthy of someone bestowing a nice plaque or statuette upon him.
All of the scenes with the Quad Squad were charming, informative, and plot-propelling. I was a bit uncomfortable with Zeph’s shock therapy but I am looking forward to seeing where the doll/spider plotline is headed. Any one of the trio of Pree, Pip, and Zeph could be the comedic foils in any storyline. But the fact that they can come together in one plot thread and not trip all over each other, instead, flowing with each other’s timing like a dance, is just another testament to the skill of the Killjoys’ cast.
Killjoys really does pack a lot into each episode. Maybe 10 is the secret golden number for pacing a television show’s season.
Final Thoughts
I’m here for Zippin.
Turin is my favorite grumpy uncle.
How adorable are Zeph, Pree, and Pip while the latter two are getting deputized as Killjoys? They get on Turin’s last damn nerve.
I wonder if Spider-Pip is a knowing spy or if the thing is dormant in him until it needs to emerge or strike.
Kendry beating people up in her pretty dress and baby-filled belly never gets old.
Hullen Johnny says lots of sexy things to his bro, which is both hilarious and disturbing.
Yay! Dutch is back! The family is complete.
Golden Lines
“I get it, your body is going through changes but you need to pull your dick out of the hullen puberty sock.”
“Well yeah we thought we were gonna die and sex helps me think!”
“You will take no sides.” | “Oop, that’s kinda my thing.”
“You will take no bribes.” | “That’s kinda my thing.”
Check out the promo shots and video for next week below.
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