The Killjoys are back… or at least, some of them are.
At the end of season 2, we saw our favourite Killjoy gang disband. John Jaqobis (Aaron Ashmore) was a mess following the death of his partner. His coping mechanism? Absconding with the help of his cybernetic friend, the Hackmod, Clara (Stephanie Leonidas).
However, at the start of season 3, John and Clara have been separated. John tracks her cybernetic arm, to another Hackmod, Ollie (Tommie-Amber Pirie), and after much convincing, she agrees to help John find Clara.
Meanwhile, Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) and D’avin Jaqobis (Luke Macfarlane) are hard at work as double agents – Killjoys for the RAC and fighters against Level 6. That the RAC itself has been infiltrated by Level 6 agents is a constant source of worry. The Killjoys, and their unexpectedly helpful handler, Turin (Patrick Garrow), must keep their wits about them, more so when Banyon Grey (Karen LeBlanc) takes over as the RAC’s new head.
Dutch immediately suspects Banyon of being Level 6 but they need proof if they are to bring her and Level 6 down. It doesn’t help that Dutch is now distracted by the rise of Aneela, a new threat, one that wears Dutch’s face and commands the power of the green plasma like no other Level 6.
Over the course of ten episodes, we see our protagonists fight, win, lose, soldier on, find allies and make enemies, all the while holding on to the one thing that matters most – their acerbic wit. I mean, their friendship!
But, seriously, the humour in this series is off the charts. I had delayed watching Killjoys for the longest time, thinking I wouldn’t enjoy it. I absolutely loved the similarly-themed Dark Matter, so I should have probably given the show a shot much earlier.
Once I sat down to watch Killjoys, though, I was completely hooked. I binge-watched the first two seasons and couldn’t wait to get my hands on the third season. After binge-watching the first 3 episodes of season 3, I had to force myself to slow down. There’s only a grand total of 10 episodes per season; if I watched everything I had, I’d run out.
I’ve paced myself pretty well since then but now that season 3 is over, I can’t help but feel a little bereft. I take solace in the fact that seasons 4 and 5 are assured, unlike Dark Matter, which has been summarily cancelled with little reason. Still, we have to wait till next year for another season, so I’m going to wallow in misery for a while.
But, coming back to season 3, I would say that initially I was unsure whether it was as strong as the first two seasons. Following the new developments with Khlyen (Rob Stewart), Level 6, the Black Root and Aneela, it seemed that the show was moving too far away from its roots.
The first three episodes were probably the weakest of the season, which is harsh, I know, but I couldn’t help but feel a little let-down while watching them. Breaking up the team is always going to impact the story and it does so immensely in the first few episodes.
John’s adventures with Ollie and the Hackmods aren’t interesting, I’m sorry to say. They don’t really develop his character and just made me miss his interactions with Dutch and D’avin even more.
It doesn’t help that Ollie and John have absolutely zero chemistry whereas Clara and John were electric. I have no idea why they decided to go with this particular storyline because it was weak. John is my favourite character on the show but I struggled to generate any enthusiasm for his Hackmod story arc, especially because it ended up having so little relevance to the plot of the season.
On the other hand, Dutch and D’avin’s plotline is much better developed. We get to see how they cope on their own for the first time without John. They both realise that their reliance on him made him more of an emotional crutch than an equal partner. Without John, they have to power through because he isn’t coming back any time soon.
Not only do we get a new emotional arc for the two characters, but their side of the story is far more entertaining. They’re the ones planning a war against Aneela; how could that not be captivating?
Plus, with no John to add to the nerdiness of their group, Dutch and D’avin must find new recruits to help out. Cue more hilarious interactions, peril and added dynamics. I can’t complain!
It’s when the trio are back together that the series really picks up. They have a joint mission and they determinedly go for it. Alongside the newest recruit on the team, the trio are also helped by Pree (Thom Allison), who I never get tired of watching. The show could honestly do with more Pree!
However, where season 3 really shone for me was with the villainous Aneela. Hannah John-Kamen is great as Dutch, but at times, I feel she is a bit one-toned. I won’t be saying that anymore. In the dual role of Dutch and Aneela, John-Kamen is marvellous. I would go as far as to say that her Aneela was the most compelling part of season 3. I loved watching her as much as she terrified me. There’s something about a slightly unhinged megalomaniac that makes for a great antagonist.
Alongside the primary narrative arc, we also get stand-alone episodes. I have no idea how they managed to fit those in, but they did and it worked. In fact, I would have preferred the first few episodes to be more standalone ones that gave us some closure for events we’d witnessed in seasons 1 and 2. There are still a bunch of unresolved plots and I’m beginning to wonder whether the writers have simply forgotten them (I sincerely hope not).
If I had to choose a favourite episode, I would have to go with the season 3 finale. It’s easy to choose a finale as a favourite but this one really stands out, I promise! Killjoys usually ends its seasons with a bang and a cliffhanger but season 3 goes above and beyond and throws in some heavy feels, as well. I won’t give anything away but it is fabulous entertainment, trust me.
Visually, the finale is astounding. Almost as an homage to sci-fi great Star Wars, we are entertained with a space battle, a ground assault and a close hand-to-hand fight scene, simultaneously. It’s edge of your seat stuff but that final scene… I can hardly wait to find out more next year.
Season 3 tries to introduce new elements and characters to expand a universe that we are now familiar with and, for the most part, it does a good job. The season suffers when it moves away from its core appeal – the trio and their relationship with each other.
But, it does a lot right and it gives us fans more of what we love – John’s wit, Pree’s slowly evolving backstory, Dutch’s fantastic fight scenes, a worthy antagonist and music that we will most definitely be adding to our playlists.
If you’re dithering about this show, don’t. It’s a joy for sci-fi fans; think Firefly, without the misogyny. I’m glad I gave this show a shot; it keeps getting better and better. Season 4 can’t get here fast enough!
