Warning: full episode spoilers follow.

Just a couple notes to start things off. Since SyFy aired the first two episodes of Defiance Season 3 as a more or less contiguous movie, I'm reviewing them both together. As with last season, I probably won't be doing weekly reviews, but I may check in periodically and will definitely revisit the show at the end of the season.

Lee Tergesen as Genral Rahm Tak

Last year's finale ended with three major cliffhangers. In terms of the larger Defiance universe, the most significant was that Irisa (controlled by the artificial intelligence known as the Kaziri) destroyed New York City, decimating the Earth Republic and one of the largest population centers left on this post-apocalyptic world. Irisa and her adoptive father, Nolan, were left sealed in a life pod and buried alive underneath the rubble of the McCawley mines. Meanwhile, Rafe McCawley found himself untied with the Tarr family as they hunted down his unstable ex-wife, Pilar, and their kidnapped children. All told, it was plenty of good setup for the new season. But with Season 2 so often failing to take advantage of its own story potential, there was no guarantee Season 3 would be any better. Luckily, there's more cause to be optimistic this year.Together, "The World We Sieze" and "The Last Unicorns" explored the fallout of all three cliffhangers. Not the immediate fallout, but rather life in Defiance seven months after the disaster in the mines. It quickly became clear that the city and its residents have grown desperate in a way we haven't seen before. The Earth Republic and many of their representatives may have been the villains of sorts in past seasons, but at least the goal was order and security. Now, with the E-Rep gone, the foundation of Defiance's economy in ruins and power supplies running low, the city is hanging on by a thread. That quickly set the tone for this season. If anything, Defiance feels more like a post-apocalyptic story than it has in the past. With the emphasis shifting to survivors desperately searching for shelter and supplies and roving bands of villains in a lawless wilderness, the show is definitely darker and more Mad Max-esque. Or maybe Game of Thrones is a more apt comparison, as winter has clearly come for our heroes. There's certainly a cold, icy aesthetic to the show's presentation this year.That said, I wasn't overly enamored with the way the premiere was playing out in its first half. "The World We Seize" showed every sign of maneuvering the characters back to a familiar status quo. Amanda Rosewater is back to serving as mayor of Defiance. Nolan and Irisa were rescued from captivity only slightly the worse for wear. And with Rafe, Datak and Stahma catching up to Pilar and the others, it seemed like we were on the verge of having everyone back in Defiance and returning to their old roles. Not the most exciting prospect.Luckily, the episode threw viewers for a big loop as "The World We Seize" reached its climax. And it's all thanks to General Rahm Tak (Oz's Lee Tergesen), one of the major new characters this season. Tak immediately threw a wrench in works by preventing Rafe, Datak and Stahma from attacking Pilar's homestead. It quickly became apparent that Tak is as crafty as he is sadistic, largely immune to Datak's scheming and Stahma's charms. Tak is by far the most blatantly evil character on the show to date, but in a way that makes him charismatic. And he's the perfect sort of villain to introduce in a world where the E-Rep's authoritarian presence has evaporated.It wasn't long before we got a glimpse of how despicable Tak can be. In the span of just a few short minutes, he casually murdered Quentin, had his men gun down Rafe, and finally forced Stahma to choose between murdering her daughter-in-law or watching her husband be killed. In one fell swoop, the entire McCawley clan was wiped out. To draw further comparison to Game of Thrones, this was Defiance's "Red Wedding" moment.It'll be a shame to see these characters go. Especially Rafe, who has always been one of my favorites. On the plus side, at least he got to go out with guns blazing. His Schwarzenegger-style charge might have worked in the Defiance video game, but here one aging miner is no match for a gang of heavily armed thugs. More importantly, these unexpected deaths showed that the writers and producers are more willing to take chances than they were in the past. They aren't being as precious with the characters. If three recurring characters can bite the dust in the season premiere, who's to say anyone is safe? I hope Defiance doesn't draw too much inspiration from Game of Thrones, transforming this world into an amoral wasteland where eventually everyone dies or suffers horribly regardless of their importance to the plot. But the added sense of danger and unpredictability those deaths generate is greatly appreciated.It seems we can look to Tak to serve as one overarching villain for the season, even if he doesn't have an overt presence in every episode. With Alak as his prisoner, he now has sufficient leverage over Datak and Stahma to force them into spying for him and aiding in Defiance's downfall. That certainly puts the two in an interesting new predicament. It remains to be seen how Pilar and her grandchild will factor into the conflict, though. Will she try to return to Defiance or continue travelling the wilderness and doing her own thing? Either way, I was a little disappointed at how late into Season 2 Linda Hamilton made her debut, and I'm hoping this season can do more with Pilar over the long-term. Seeing her murder an innocent family in order to feed and house her grandson was a start. At this point it's easy to see why her marriage to Rafe didn't last.These episodes introduced another alien race and two other major new characters in the form of T'evgin (Conrad Coates) and his daughter Kindzi (Nichole Galicia). This Omec duo was interesting in that they're not as overtly villainous as Tak, but they still pose a clear threat to Defiance. The idea that the Omecs are like the boogeymen to the rest of the Votanis Collective is cool. And it's easy to see why they inspire such fear. Their character designs alone (the purple skin, the razor-sharp fangs, the glowing armor, the vaguely Middle eastern-inspired cloaks) set them apart from the other alien species on this show. These characters featured in several memorable action scenes, more than holding their own against Nolan and the others. Yet clearly they're not invulnerable. T'evgin seemed to realize by the end of "The Last Unicorns" that he has no choice but to co-exist with the people of Defiance until he's gathered enough resources to wake up the rest of his people. That makes two threats lurking right under our heroes' noses.Irisa's Season 3 arc seems to be off to a strong start as well. Being manipulated into murdering a city of millions is no easy trauma to process. But funnily enough, while Irisa may be suffering from a powerful bout of self-loathing, most of Defiance (Berlin excluded) views her in a far different light. To them, Irisa is the heroine that saved the city. Seeing her plastered on the cover of a trashy pulp novel was definitely an amusing contrast to her current state of mind.It was also interesting to see how Irisa's relationship with her adoptive father played out over the course of these two episodes. Nolan is still locked into a "I'll protect my daughter at all costs" mentality, yet that's clearly not what's best for Irisa at the moment. Now it looks as though we'll see a rift form between the two as Irisa resents Nolan shooting a man she was in the process of helping. Actor Grant Bowler has said in recent interviews that a lot of Nolan's arc this season involves him finding other motivations and desires outside of protecting Irisa. I think that's exactly what the character needs right now, and I'm eager to see that evolution unfold.