Killjoys Season 5 Episode 5 Review: A Bout, A Girl

This Killjoys review contains spoilers.

Killljoys Season 5 Episode 5

“Get behind me; I’m hunting asshole.”

Though “love conquers all” admittedly comes across as a trite sentiment, the most basic of all human emotions finds itself front and center as Killjoys reaches the midpoint of its final season. “A Bout, A Girl” features the welcome return of the reinvented Delle Seyah Kendry and a multi-faceted prison tale surprises viewers and inmates alike despite its familiar situations.

The cold open finds an angry man pursuing Jaq through a strange wooded area and gives Kendry a chance to remind us that this is a woman whose profound transformation significantly alters the status quo. Instead of the pampered, domineering Qreshy queen of the past, we now see a devoted protector doing whatever is necessary to insure Jaq’s safety. Whether her combat skills always included prowess with a bow seems unlikely, and after she dispenses with the immediate threat, we see another side of her as she fields uncomfortable questions about Jaq’s parentage. At first, DSK attempts to deflect queries about his mother Aneela with her usual sarcasm and wit, but it seems the young man means much more to her than she’s immediately willing to admit.

The complexity surrounding Jaq’s birth often gets lost amidst the apocalyptic future The Lady threatens, and now that he demands answers, Kendry faces some uncomfortable truths. Despite her cold exterior and uncaring demeanor, it’s obvious she loves Jaq and has no intention of allowing anything to happen to him whether or not he holds the key to Westerly’s survival. Still, she understands the gravity of the situation they face with The Lady, and when she challenges the boy to regain his focus, his psychic connection with his father momentarily threatens to derail their mission to find the mirror cube. 

Read more: Killjoys Season 5 Episode 4 Review: Ship Outta Luck

Though she comes across a bit harsh shooting down Jaq’s desire to save D’avin and the others, it’s his reaction to her honest, though ill-considered admission. Of course, she’s right to suspect a trap. “Using your loved ones enemies against them. I invented that move. It’s bad bitch 101.” But Jaq is still a boy, and when he lashes out at her with the cruelest of wishes, our hearts sink with hers. “I wish it was you we lost in the green,” he tells her. 

Kendry now finds herself in a difficult position. Jaq’s declaration forces her to reassess her feelings, and admit to herself and the boy, how she sees their relationship. “You are my son, and I am your mother. Losing Aneela doesn’t change that.” However, her decision to give Jaq some space and allow him to search for D’avin becomes moot when he reveals they’ve been at the cube this entire time and unexpectedly pulls Aneela out of the cube and into the daylight. So it now becomes a question of whether Aneela’s DNA or Kendry’s motherly sacrifices take precedence in Jaq’s mind. Of course, it’s not unthinkable for these two to renew their own relationship.

Despite the overwhelming odds against her, you have to love Dutch’s confidence that they’ll escape the supermax prison ship, return to Westerly, and stop The Lady’s plot dead in its tracks. However, the beauty of this story line resides in the twists and turns along the way, and even though at the end of the episode Dutch and the boys remain prisoners, it feels as if progress has been made. The warden continues to be a difficult read which makes their stay here even more intriguing, and when the Qreshy benefactors appear to host this year’s Bellaxion tournament, Dutch has her opening. John’s plan to disable the prisoners’ ID chips seems fairly straightforward until we realize how Dutch plans to obtain one of the chips for Johnny to use. Fair to say Dutch could now successfully guest star on Van Helsing.

Killjoys interview: Luke Macfarland on D’avin as a dad.

It would have been fine to dispense with the pretense that Dutch won’t be allowed to participate in the tournament, but it’s always good to watch her wail on a big guy. And when she polishes off her first opponent in mere seconds, it appears she’ll have a cakewalk to the final against the Qreshy champion. She keeps winning, but it’s difficult watching her absorb this much punishment, and when her last fight ends, it seems impossible she’ll have enough energy to win the tournament and her release. Of course, Dutch frequently does the impossible, so there is that. 

While Johnny’s off doing his tech thing with the prison ID chips, D’avin and Dutch enjoy a quiet moment before the final bout as he tapes her hands and she finally reveals what we’ve suspected all along. The Lady took “my Johnny away,” and she needs to get him back. We know that in the end it will all work out, but going into this fight with that weighing on her mind can’t be easy.

I have to be honest; I did not see Sparlo (Al Goulem) and Coren (Dmitri Chepovetsky) joining forces to take over the prison to spoil Dutch’s plan of escape, but in retrospect it makes perfect sense. When the gunshot rings out and the former champion falls dead to the ground, the suspect list points in a more high brow direction. Nevertheless, no plan is ever simple with the killjoys, and when D’avin agrees to murder Silas in return for Sparlo’s help to return Dutch to the tournament, how far D’av is willing to compromise his morality becomes a serious question. Naturally, we assume he plans to play the convict and do nothing of the sort, but inside the prison walls, it’s always dangerous to mess with the man who controls what takes place behind those walls. 

Amidst the complex plan to escape the prison ship and return to Lucy, there are some truly touching moments that deserve mention. The illuminating campfire dream in which D’avin and Delle Seyah talk about their frustrations taking care of their son hits home because we know that either would give his/her life to protect Jaq. Concerned that she’s not sheltering him enough, Kendry admits “I’ve been a little too murdery around him. I don’t think he’s ever had a vegetable.” Even the gentle manner in which D’avin tapes Dutch’s hands before sending her out against the Qreshy champion reveals far more than the discussed realization that they’re being manipulated by multiple sources.

With only five episodes remaining, it’s impossible to avoid speculating about the series’ end and what the fates hold for Dutch and the gang. “A Bout, A Girl” reminds us that at its core, this is a family, and like all families, it has its share of hurdles to overcome. But one hurdle at a time. First, the lady and then the relationships. 

Dave Vitagliano has been writing and podcasting about science fiction television since 2012. You can read more of his work here. He presently hosts the Sci Fi Fidelity podcast.