Defiance: Ostinato in White

"Ostinato in White" is the ninth episode season three of the science fiction television series Defiance and the thirty-fifth episode of the series overall. It was directed by Allan Arkush with a script written by Bryan Q. Miller. The episode first aired on Syfy on Friday, July 31st, 2015 at 9:00 pm.

Synopsis
An Indogene woman, who looks a lot like Doc Yewll, runs frantically down a dark street. Something menacing stalks her and she screams as it corners in an alley. She is knocked to the ground and then dragged into the shadows.

A memorial service is held for those who died during the final battle against Rahm Tak and the Votanis Collective. Amanda Rosewater gives a heartfelt speech, but when it comes time for Joshua Nolan to say a few words, the angry Irathient, Indur, whose son died during the final battle, storms out of the building. Nolan is wracked with guilt and can barely keep his composure.

After the service, Amanda takes Irisa Nyira to the back alley where she shows her a crime scene - the dismembered remains of an Indogene. They take the body parts to Doc Yewll's office. Yewll examines her with some help from her new and eager assistant, Samir Pandey. T'evgin finds Alak Tarr and Alak asks him if he knows where his mother is. T'evgin lies and says that he does not. Alak is angry and tells him that just because Amanda has pardoned her, he has not. He has a message for his mother if T'evgin happens to see her. If she ever comes near him or his son again, he will kill her.

Joshua Nolan pays a visit to the grieving Indur. They talk about his son Ranikar and Indur tells him the story of "Lucy" - the custom made rifle that Indur made for his son. Indur cannot bring himself to forgive Nolan, but he appreciates the effort that he is making. All of this is proving too much for him, and he begins drinking heavily. Meanwhile, the menace that killed the Indogene finds some more victims. It slaughters a Castithan, an Irathient and an Indogene, leaving their dismembered body parts strewn across the alley. Nolan and Irisa come upon the scene and in frustration, Nolan shoots a raccoon.

Doc Yewll examines the body parts and discovers that it is a clone of herself. She has now idea how such a thing could be possible. As she examines further, she discovers spores that could only have originated in the ruins of Old St. Louis. She takes it upon herself to investigate the ruins on her own. She comes to the structure where T'evgin and Kindzi have been living and finds various scientific oddities including body parts and bodies in suspended animation. Kindzi emerges and reveals that she is the one who cloned Doc Yewll and is also the one who has been hunting and slaughtering the other Votans. She uses implant technology to take control of Doc's physical body and threatens to have her cut her own hand off with a pickaxe. T'evgin enters the chamber and orders her stand down. Kindzi lets Yewll go, but she still has control over her. T'evgin and Kindzi argue about her recent actions, and Kindzi is disgusted by the pragmatic approach that her father is taking towards the people of Defiance. T'evgin cannot abide her savagery any longer and uses an Omec drone to incapacitate her. He then places her in suspended animation.

Elsewhere, Nolan's drinking worsens and Amanda can barely tolerate his behavior. She needs his help however and they go off in search of T'evgin. They come to his chamber and ask him if he has any insight into the murders. Without revealing his daughter's involvement, he promises them that the killings will stop. Nolan isn't satisfied by this and punches T'evgin. The Omec responds in kind, sending Nolan sprawling across the floor.

Joshua receives a chirp on his Hailer from Indur. He returns to the city and knocks on Indur's door. When nobody answers, he goes inside only to find the Irathient hanging from the ceiling - an apparent suicide. Nolan has a hallucination of a soldier telling him that Indur was weak.

Later, Doc Yewll returns to her office. She is still forced to follow whatever standing orders Kindzi left with her. When Samir begins to question her about the implant on the back of her neck, Doc stabs him in the chest with a needle.

Credits

 * Gary Hutzel - Visual effects supervisor
 * Simonetta Mariano - Costume designer
 * Bear McCreary - Composer
 * Debby Germino - Editor
 * Stephen Geaghan - Production designer
 * Thomas Burstyn, CSC, NZCS - Director of photography
 * Michael D. Gibson - Producer
 * Bryan Q. Miller - Producer
 * Paula Yoo - Supervising producer


 * Paul Leonard - Co-executive producer
 * Anupam Nigam - Co-executive producer
 * Michael Nankin - Co-executive producer
 * Mark Winemaker - Executive producer
 * Todd Slavkin - Executive producer
 * Darren Swimmer - Executive producer
 * Amanda Alpert Muscat - Associate producer
 * Michael Freeman - Associate producer
 * Kari Drake - Executive story editor

Credits

 * Actor Tony Curran is credited in this episode, but does not make an appearance.


 * As of this episode, Anna Hopkins is no longer listed in the main cast line-up. She appeared last in episode 3x07, "The Beauty of Our Weapons". In the episode, her character Jessica Rainer left Defiance with Conrad Von Bach.

Appearances

 * This is the third and final appearance of Indur, who is the father of the late Ranikar. He dies at the end of this episode.


 * This is the third appearance of Samir Pandey. He appeared last in "History Rhymes".


 * This is the first and only appearance of the Meh Yewll clone. She is killed by Kindzi during a hunt.


 * This is the first appearance of the Ink and print merchant. He is the human who refuses to sell ink to Stahma Tarr.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Elfonz. He is the Liberata massacred by Kindzi.


 * This is the first and only appearance of Dish Gloves, whose real name is never provided. He is the Castithan slaughtered by Kindzi.


 * This is the sixth appearance of Andina. She appeared last in "Where the Apples Fell".

Story notes

 * With the absence of Jessica Rainer, it appears that Irisa Nyira has now been re-deputized as a Lawkeeper. This is implied by Amanda bringing her to the crime scene of the first body.


 * Kindzi is never directly shown killing any of her victims.

Trivia

 * This is the second episode of Defiance in a row where a cast member plays two different roles. In this episode, Trenna Keating plays both Doc Yewll and the Meh Yewll clone. In "My Name is Datak Tarr and I Have Come to Kill You", actor Tony Curran played both Datak Tarr and his father, Alak Tarr the First in flashback.


 * Actor Adrian Griffin also played a Castithan assassin in "My Name is Datak Tarr and I Have Come to Kill You". In that episode he was credited as Adrian Griffiths.


 * It is ironic that Indur should call Joshua Nolan a "butcher". Nolan's actions in the Pale Wars earned himself the nickname the "Butcher of Yosemite".


 * Elfonz is the second Liberata character played by Eric Woolfe. He also played Varus Soleptor in the season two premiere, "The Opposite of Hallelujah".

Allusions

 * An Ostinato is a phrase relating to music. It is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, usually at the same pitch. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in itself. As it relates to the title of this episode, "Ostinato in White" may reflect the character of Meh Yewll (who has white skin) and the fact that she is cloned in this episode.


 * Funeral services are held for Datak Tarr in this episode. The people of Defiance believe that he died in the explosion that killed Rahm Tak and his Votanis Collective militia. However, Datak actually survived the incident, though nobody knows of this yet.


 * Numerous references are made to Ranikar in this episode. Ranikar was the young Irathient son of Indur. Also known as "Zero", he was one of the twenty-seven militia volunteers who died in the tunnel in "My Name is Datak Tarr and I Have Come to Kill You".


 * The Indogene implant that Kindzi uses to clone Doc Yewll was taken from her in "History Rhymes" when Yell had to interface with an Omec drone in order to perform dual surgeries on both Nolan and Irisa simultaneously.


 * While inspecting the remains of the Indogene clone, Amanda Rosewater posits the notion that it could have been caused by a saberwolf. A saberwolf ia a mutated form of insectoid canine. Joshua Nolan encountered a pack of saberwolves in the first part of the pilot episode of the series.


 * Amanda Rosewater makes reference to the Bissel Pass in this episode. This is the main canyon thoroughfare leading into Defiance. The citizens of Defiance fought the Volge in the Battle of the Bissel Pass in the Defiance: Pilot (Part 2)|second part]] of the pilot episode of the series.


 * Alak Tarr makes reference to his son in this episode. His son is Luke Tarr, who was last seen in "The Beauty of Our Weapons".

Quotes

 * Doc Yewll: Keep your hands off my dead body.
 * Samir Pandey: You said I could apprentice, so let me apprentice.
 * Doc Yewll: I was joking. Did you not pick up on my withering sarcasm?
 * Samir Pandey: Oh, we'll have to work out a signal for that.

....
 * T'evgin: Have you seen my daughter?
 * Joshua Nolan: No. Is she missing?
 * T'evgin: She's an independent spirit. As a father, I find it... vexing.
 * Joshua Nolan: I can relate.

....
 * Samir Pandey: What is that on your neck?
 * Doc Yewll: It's bling. It makes me feel girlish.

....
 * Samir Pandey: So who would clone you?
 * Doc Yewll: Smart money's on the galaxy's favorite puckered rectums, the Omec.
 * Samir Pandey: Why?
 * Doc Yewll: Well, aside from me being the perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, and bar mitzvahs, the possibilities are endless and depressing.

....
 * Kindzi: We created life. Doesn't that make us gods?
 * Doc Yewll: Well, you won't be getting a hosanna from me, Purple.

....
 * Stahma Tarr: Dying in the service of others is not the end I would have expected for my husband.

....
 * Doc Yewll: Keep your hands off my dead body.
 * Samir Pandey: You said I could apprentice, so let me apprentice.
 * Doc Yewll: I was joking. Did you not pick up on my withering sarcasm?
 * Samir Pandey: Oh, we'll have to work out a signal for that.

....
 * Doc Yewll: Remember when I used your drone to heal Nolan and Irisa? Well, your sweet daughter here kept a copy of my source print and used it to make clones. Dirty birdie.

....
 * Kindzi: I care about the hunt.
 * Doc Yewll: Oh, well, there's no sport in hunting my clones. I mean, come on. Look at this girl. She's a lover, not a fighter.