Killjoys Season 3 Episode 8 Review: Heist, Heist Baby

This Killjoys review contains spoilers.

Killjoys Season 3 Episode 8

“Kill Aneela, win the war.”

After last week’s startling trip down metaphysical lane, Killjoys returns with requisite, yet crucial details related to the D’avin-led assault on Aneela and her Hullen fleet. As usual, things don’t go as smoothly as planned, but “Heist, Heist, Baby” provides an insightful glimpse into the challenges facing “General” Jaqobis, and more importantly, clarifies some of what Dutch learned during her “Remnant acid trip.”

Make no mistake: there are still some weird things going on here, but the better part of tonight’s tale focuses on putting together a plan to bring down Aneela and the Hullen despite seemingly overwhelming odds. And it’s here that D’avin (Luke Macfarlane) shows just how much he’s grown not only as a leader but as a man and a friend to Dutch. Throughout the series he’s been portrayed as an intellectually simple man, particularly next to Johnny and Dutch, and the fact that he rolls with this assessment endears him to those around him. But his willingness to think outside the box and cheat to win if that’s the only viable option reveals a depth that often remains hidden.

While it’s probably not a wise decision for D’avin to risk his life to steal the giant sonic disruptor critical to his plan’s success, he has always led by example even when it may not be the most logical course of action. When he’s taken prisoner during the mission, he tells Johnny (Aaron Ashmore) and Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) to leave him behind and secure the sonic. D’avin understands the mission’s success is paramount, and no one man’s safety should jeopardize that. And while the physical stakes inherent in this decision remain questionable given the character’s status, the same cannot be said for the emotional toll that awaits all three.

Returning to find dissension among the ranks, D’avin fully understands that some, if not all, of the other commanders question the decision to follow him after Dutch bowed out. While his inclusion on the mission may be his way of showing those he commands that he’s willing to risk his own life, it certainly could be viewed as a rash move and have the opposite effect. However, it’s Dutch exhibiting a renewed sense of peace that causes D’avin to take a step back, knowing that something’s not right with her. We suspect this new attitude relates to what she learned about her relationship to Aneela, but why does she continue to hide what she learned in the green?

So what exactly has Dutch learned? She believes that Aneela made her from the green, and that she’s part of Aneela, not so removed from her initial feeling that Aneela might be her mother. But more importantly is that Dutch’s interpretation identifies Aneela as her original source material, and while that appears to be essentially true, we still don’t know precisely how and what Aneela did to bring the Dutch we know into play. Nevertheless, it’s her assessment that if Aneela dies, she does as well that totally changes the landscape on which the battle will be fought. Whether or not a double-death will occur remains unclear, but her willingness to sacrifice herself takes this operation down a road we really don’t want to travel.

Like D’avin, we know it’s highly unlikely that Dutch faces any real physical peril as she moves closer to her showdown with Aneela, but that doesn’t mean the stakes for her don’t remain high as well. Her life as she’s known it has been thoroughly upended, and now she must examine her past actions through a completely different lens. We know what her childhood was like, so we can only imagine what’s going on inside her head now that even the veracity of that period is now open to question. It appears that she’s prepared to embark on what amounts to a suicide mission if, in fact, the assessment of her connection to Aneela proves correct. And here is where Killjoys is at its finest.

Will Dutch dispense with her Yalena Yardeen persona now that it appears to be a false narrative and attempt to cut herself off emotionally from her past with Khlyen? What’s particularly striking here is the fact that Khlyen may have been telling the truth regarding the manner in which he raised Dutch. Did her assassin training simply prepare her for the inevitable confrontation with her creator? And while Aneela is no Victor Frankenstein, the similarities between the two tales are chilling.

The sense of family that Killjoys has fostered between the Jaqobis brothers and Dutch remains one of its strongest assets, and writer Julie Puckrin (Motive) exploits that connection to set up an impossible situation for D’avin. Confiding the basic premise of her plan to D’avin now requires him to not only allow her to jeopardize her own life, but his relationship with his brother as well. On the surface, her plea represents the absolute correct choice within the context of the war, but she has to know what her death and the fact that D’av knew all along will do to the brothers’ relationship. Would Johnny, as Dutch suspects, put the welfare of the human race aside to protect her?

While Dutch seems to have reached a measure of peace in her life despite the unsettling truths she’s learned, Aneela finds herself scrambling to retain the control she thought she possessed. And it’s more than just control of her fleet. Yes, Gander has used Aneela’s research to somehow impregnate Kendry, but even the Commander’s not certain how that was accomplished. But it’s this blind ambition in Gander that continues to puzzle, so when Aneela tells Kendry that they are going to “torture Gander for a bit,” we have to wonder when this madness will stop. Can’t he see he can’t win, and why doesn’t she simply end his backstabbing immediately? It’s one thing to underestimate Kendry, but the hubris he exhibits in relation to the Commander deserves to be quashed. Unless, of course, he knows something that has yet to reveal itself. That said, to a large extent, Aneela controls her own destiny.

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And finally, we return to the unexplained. On the one hand, Aneela is clearly afraid of something, and while it does make sense to ascribe that fear to the entity she refers to as “The Lady,” it seems to go deeper than that. Her relationship with Kendry and Brynn at least temporarily assuages any feelings of abandonment she still harbors, but how well she really knows Delle Sayeh and her true motivations stays unknown. She explains that “The Lady” lives in the green, and controls her ship, and presumably, at least to a point, her as well. If Khlyen placed childhood memories in the plasma, did he play a role in this as well? And even though the identity of “The Lady” expands the paranormal narrative, we expect some resolution, sooner rather than later, as Kendry appears ready to give birth at any moment. To what, we don’t know.

Ironically, the war to prevent the Hullen from absorbing the human race into its hive mind mentality represents but a microcosm of the battle between Dutch and Aneela, each of whom concurrently battles her own inner demons. Will bringing down Aneela be enough for Dutch, and can she ever put the past behind her and open herself up to personal relationships outside of the Jaqobis circle? And what about the Commander? Is she at all redeemable? Is there anything that can break down the walls of hatred she’s built up toward Dutch, or is she too far gone?

If there is a wild card in all of this, it might be Brynn, Aneela’s newest confidant. Despite the physical pleasure Delle Sayeh Kendry appears to derive from the sexual relationship with Aneela, that she truly cares for anyone but herself seems unlikely. Brynn, on the other hand, has done nothing but act in Aneela’s best interests. She does admit she fears the Commander more than Gander, but there just seems to be something about her demeanor when she’s around Aneela that emits a certain honesty. Whether or not that behavior continues bears watching.

Has the situation with Aneela and her past with Khlyen stolen Dutch’s will to live? “Heist, Heist, Baby” imparts enough details and clues to make us think that Dutch is ready to make one last stand, an act that in her mind will bring her the peace of mind she’s been searching for her entire life. The fact that she seems so at ease with this decision only makes the wait that much more difficult. Another great episode of Killjoys that just tugs at the heartstrings as we wait for the ultimate showdown and whether D’avin and Johnny will be able to pull her back from the dark abyss.

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