wordyblerd

Previously On Killjoys:
Memories aren’t just where you’ve been.
They’re who you are.
And if I own that, I own you.
And now that I’m out, I will own everyone.
~ The Lady

We start the season in the Killjoys AU that The Lady concocted for our intrepid heroes. The last few moments of Season 4 weren’t just happening in their minds; they’re under group hypnosis with seemingly everyone else on Westerly. The Westerlins really can’t catch a break it seems like.

There’s something distinctly Fallout-esque about this version of Old Town. It looks similar to Megaton or even Rivet City from Fallout 3. Adding to this feeling is Dutch–pardon me–Yalena being dressed like a 1940s bombshell and the old-timey song playing in the intro. Tunefind seems to think it’s a song called “Find Your Wealth” by Lee Silver Productions, but since it eludes me on the interwebs I cannot confirm or deny that.

Overall, I’m finding this alternate universe enjoyable to watch and an ingenious way for the Lady to have her victims serve as her labor force then suss out where Jaq is hiding. I would absolutely read a graphic novel tie-in about the Lady’s origin and details about how she manipulating the memories of the people who live in Westerly. Once she physically scampered out of The Green what did she do first? Maybe she ensorcelled Dutch to get her to safety since she was her first point of contact in our world. Erecting all of that industry took some doing, so it makes sense that she’s just now getting to the Jaq part of her plans.

The dynamics between our titular killjoys should feel more awkward than they are. Yalena immediately starts flirting with D’av, who’s out to get her son while her “husband,” Johnny seems to take it in more stride than any dude not looking to swing. Johnny gets competitive and snipey with him, but there’s no real heat (almost like they’re brothers or something). Maybe it’s because as a viewer we know who they actually are to each other; so them acting out that dynamic instead of how they should be acting given the new circumstances feels right.

The Lady didn’t count on Zeph in the mix with her brilliant, complex brain. Johnny is a tech genius, but Zeph has always had a connection to life science with the ironic penchant for throwing aside human emotions when she gets deep in her analytical bag. Remember, this is the girl who uses sex for, not only pleasure, but to help her think. And it’s her mind’s insistence that something is wrong with all the life around her that keeps her from giving over completely to the Lady’s delusion.

This is reminiscent of “A Skinner Darkly” when we first meet her. She ignored what the world was telling her and looked at what it was showing her. She realized the mission they were on was a simulation by analyzing the inconsistencies. Dutch said she needed Zeph at the end of that episode not realizing just how right she was. Zeph’s abilities and personality make her uniquely suited to fight the Lady. No matter what else you say about Killjoys, it is apparent that the writers know their characters inside and out. That’s what makes a good AU; sure they’re in different circumstances but fundamentally, they are who they are and that is satisfying to watch.

Speaking of callbacks, there are some other nice ones like when Johnny offers to run away with Dutch just like real-Johnny did the first time they met. The side story between Gared and Pree is very touching as well. I feel bad for Gared’s fiance but, hopefully, she finds happiness with someone else after this delusion falls — which it must… right?

Kendry’s makeover was so exciting that I will forgive the nonsense of it. She was faster and stronger as a hullen, so when she disarmed people and shot flawlessly, it was believable. But now, she’s human again and shouldn’t be able to best wave after wave of guards or Dutch. I’ll allow it, though, since it helped Jack escape the Lady.

The ending is hugely intriguing. The Lady has been monitoring, and she knows Dutch is awake. I’m so happy that she brought Khlyen out of The Green too. I wonder if he was the one that arranged for that red box and the door lock. If so, how did he pull it off as the Lady’s captor? Can’t wait for next week!

Roses

• I enjoyed seeing the new positions of all our faves. I’m no Dutch/Johnny shipper but I appreciate that those who are are getting a glimpse of what that would look like
• The utter devastation when Dutch realizes they lost
• We already know what our Big Bad wants in the season premiere
• Nice that Dutch started with Pree’s holo of “Wayfaring Stranger” to score the rest of the scene. *chef’s kiss*
• Killjoys really tells a lot of story in the 42 minutes allotted to them per episode
• I already knew the meaning of folie a deux because it was the name of a Fall Out Boy album and I’m a huge FOB stan so I listened to Pete Wentz explain it to people for the better part of 2009.

Thorns

• The way they mentioned the rain at the same time as the mass hypnosis theory completely destroyed the “surprise” of the final twist