Killjoys 1.2 “The Sugar Point Run”

We know D’avin is sticking around because he’s in the credits. The characters don’t yet.

Dutch is forced to take on a prisoner exchange by the Company. It’s about the Mayor’s daughter, who has been kidnapped and taken to the infamous Sugar Point. It was once a decent working class neighborhood until the Company decided to bust a strike by burning down the entire place.

D’avin proves he may have what it takes to be a Killjoy, but the guy they are supposed to be exchanging for the girl dies. Oh, right. He has the nuclear launch codes in his gut. Sort of.

Either way, they aren’t going to let the lady have those and yes, the good guys win.

Dutch recruits D’avin.

Johnny is not entirely happy about it.

Meanwhile, Dutch has an assassination assignment she has to carry out…that the boys don’t know about.

Killjoys 1.3 “The Harvest”

This episode pulls no punches. It’s about migrant workers and trafficking. And drugs, of course. And cortex bombs, because this is exactly the kind of show where cortex bombs will show up sooner or later.

D’avin passes his Killjoy test with flying colors and they put him straight in as Level 4…poor Johnny’s been trying to get to level 4 for years. (Yes, he’s jealous. I don’t blame him).

He still has to pass a psych eval. Which he shouldn’t. Dude has some serious PTSD going on. But he bribes the doctor anyway.

Btw, a kill joy kills for joy.

Joy is the local currency. This is obviously back worldbuilding because they wanted to use the word “killjoy” for bounty hunter.

The warrant this week is to find Johnny’s girlfriend’s husband. They do. Then intentionally set him up to be arrested by immigration.

Dick move, but he also deserved it.

Killjoys 1.4 “Vessel”

No, not a spaceship. Dutch is hired by one of the Nine Families to retrieve a missing surrogate (because the Nine are rich and why be pregnant yourself if you can afford somebody to do it for you). The surrogates are being kept in a cross between an abbey and a harem. And the child one of them is carrying is the last heir to a line.

Without this child, there will likely be a succession war. Which is a bad thing, obviously.

A major theme here is feminism. Dutch, of course, especially after being raised the way she was in some kind of weird Red Room situation, sympathizes with the “vessels” but she wants to save them.

They don’t want to be saved.

In a way, this is about sex work without obviously being about sex. It’s also about motherhood – Dutch is not a maternal person.

It’s about femininity…and about how it is okay to choose to be a mother, to choose to be a surrogate, to choose to sell your body.

And really, doesn’t Dutch also sell her body in her own way?

Killjoys 1.5 “A Glitch in the System”

And let’s take a side turn into horror. This episode is science fiction horror in the tradition of Alien…and it’s competently done.

The bad guy is an evil, rogue computer with nanites that can harm or heal…in the hands of a military that can’t be trusted and being used as a torture device.

And his poor minion. Again, it’s competently done. There are a couple of yell at the screen moments when the crew don’t realize they just switched genres.

“Don’t board the abandoned ship.”

“Don’t listen to that guy.”

We also discover Pawter has even fewer professional ethics than we thought. Approximately zero, in fact.

And what does Khlyen want?

And what is Red 17? A throwaway, or…something that will come back to haunt the team.

(Also, there’s no way Lucy isn’t at least a little bit sentient).

Daredevil 2.11 “.380”

Be aware. This opens with an extended combat sequence with strobing. Like the first five minutes.

Plot wise, this episode complicates a bunch of things. Karen isn’t talking to Matt.

Matt’s relationship with Frank gains a lot of nuance. Matt actually offers to help Frank kill the Blacksmith, the drug dealer responsible for the death of Frank’s family. Frank turns him down…for the sake of Matt’s soul.

He doesn’t want him to cross the line. He wants him to keep his honor and integrity. We are often reminded in this show that despite everything, the Punisher is honorable. In his own way.

Oh, and Frank is trying to matchmake Matt and Karen.

Meanwhile, the hospital tries to cover up the attack on the patients…which includes a guy brought back from the dead…in exchange for a substantial donation. Claire quits in disgust, which no doubt sets up for her starting that low cost clinic in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s a bit mad with Matt over it.

Everyone’s a bit mad with Matt right now.