“Down In The Ground Where The Dead Men Go” is the second episode of the new SyFy original series Defiance. After a disappointing premiere I held on to the hope that the series could get richer with the telling. It has.

In the second episode we learn information that enriches the characters, deepens the story, and adds wealth to the Defiance universe. You may recall the Castithian that fled the battle against the Voge. His name is Elah, and he is put on the rack at the beginning of the show to cleanse his shame. Each Castithian community member adds a rock to a basket that acts as a weight, stretching his limbs from his torso.

Chief Lawkeeper Nolan tries to break up the ceremony, but is thwarted by the thug Datak, who is supervising the punishment. Elah feels as though he has shamed himself, and shamed his family, so he asks the sheriff to step aside. Amanda, A.K.A. Mayor Rosewater comes into conflict with Datak at the ceremony. He calls her Amanda, she asks him to call her mayor. It seems the arrival of Nolan and Irisa has shaken the social order.

Later on as she sits in the window, Mayor Rosewater is talking to former Mayor Riordan. “We have a town charter,” she says, “But we haven't used it in years.” We begin to see that the town has been engineered to be a bowl of chaos. And as we know, Ex-Mayor Riordan wanted to empty the town with the Voge because she is looking for something. Something that, in her mind will save the world. But Mayor Rosewater has different ideas. She understands that the Castihians have only their culture left, and that's it. But she also feels like they are building something unique to the new earth with all her humanoid species. Something new. She means to put a stop to the seemingly barbaric rituals.

I don't want to spoil it for you. Episode 2 has a myriad of little secrets, a revisit by the first villain, and reveals that add a richness to the Defiance universe. We also learn a bit more of how the aliens feel about their situation, and a bit more about where they came from. The plot gets richer. It is an original idea. I am hopeful.

Check it out!