KILLJOYS – Episode 101 – Bangarang – SPOILERS ⁓

Johnny Jaqobis (Aaron Ashmore) and Dutch (Hannah John-Kamen) are bounty hunters employed by The RAC (Reclamation Apprehension Coalition) an agency independent of all governments which operates throughout the ‘J’ star cluster. Dutch and Johnnny are based in a planetary system called The Quad, which consists of three colonized moons, Leith, Arkyn, and Westerley, circling a dwarf planet called Qresh. In “The J”, money is called joy and Reclamation Agents are commonly referred to as Killjoys because they, sometimes at least, kill for it.

Qresh is a blue planet with white clouds, more than half covered in water. A non-specific corporate entity called The Company manages economic activities in the system, which is ruled by a Qreshi aristocracy. For the most part, lunar residents work for The Company, and many are not particularly happy about that.

Leith is at least partially forested. Westerley’s weather and terrain appear to vary radically from place to place. Arkyn has rings.

Johnny and Dutch have a charming and slightly impudent space ship called Lucy (voiced by Tamsen McDonough). We first meet them in Westerly’s Badlands as they apprehend Coren Jeers (Dmitry Chepovetsky) for unspecified crimes, and deliver him to authorities in Westerly’s Old Town. Jeers will next appear in “One Blood” (episode 1.6) and will have a three-episode arc in Season Five.

Shortly after their arrival, Johnny is notified of an unclaimed “kill warrant” on one Kobe Andras. He tells Dutch he needs some “me time” and takes off. Dutch is suspicious because Johnny never does that. She contacts Bellus Haardy (Nora McLellan), a Warrant Broker on Leith, and discovers that John, forged her name on the Andras warrant. Only Level 5 Killjoys can pursue Kill warrants. Dutch is one of those, but Johnny is only Level 3. All Killjoys have a subdermal comlink, and Lucy tracks John to the Slaver Ship Arcturus which is more of an Indentured Servant ship that forces its passengers to fight one another for a (presumed) broadcast audience in exchange for their fares. If the “slaver ship” is named for the red giant star Arcturus, the nearest open star cluster to that is Coma Bernices. Depending on one’s viewpoint it could appear J-shaped.

Kobee Andras’ real name is D’avin Jaqobis (Luke Macfarlane). He is Johnny’s brother, and they have not communicated in the last eight years. While John tries to persuade his brother to escape captivity, Dutch shows up, and so does another Killjoy named Fancy Lee (Sean Baek) because the kill warrant has been “double-booked” indicating that someone really wants D’avin dead. After Dutch hits D’avin with a tranquilizer dart, she and John drag him back to Lucy.

D’avin can’t or won’t explain why someone wants him dead. We learn he was a soldier and is experiencing symptoms of PTSD. He calls it “battle brain”. (A war must be going on somewhere, but just where is never mentioned.) Kill warrants are persistent and if Dutch fails to execute this one, others will keep coming until D’avin is dead, so Dutch comes up with a plan and goes to see Bellus Haardy again. Bella is not happy with the situation, and at one point exclaims “Ponat nokau. Kampanine! which in Hawaiian means “Good for you. Champagne!”, then finds out that it was The Company that put out the warrant, and Dutch goes looking for something to trade for D’avin’s life.

At The Royale, a pub run by Pree (Thom Allison), Dutch consults with Alvis Akari (Morgan Kelly), the leader of the Scarbacks, a religious group whose mantra is: “Our pain is your redemption. Let us suffer for your sins.” Alvis points them in the direction of Rolly Desh (Jason Jazrawy), a rebel monk who has stolen something The Company wants back. Rolly is with a group of Scarback Monks blessing a garden on Qresh. Dutch, Johnny, and D’avin follow him there.

Because Dutch has failed to execute D’avin, the kill warrant has extended to her as well. Fancy Lee grazes her arm with a poison dart, but she is rescued by a mysterious man whom she recognizes. His name is Khlyen (pronounced “Kline”) but we won’t find that out for another couple of episodes.

KHLYEN: “Hello, Little Bird.”
DUTCH: “That’s not really you. I’m hallucinating.”
KHLYEN: “And you chose me? Well, that’s flattering. You’re hurt. Small breaths, slow the blood. What poison?”

Dutch identifies the poison as “Choline” which might be an abbreviation of C2/Carbylamine Choline Chloride, a toxin believed by many to have been developed by the KGB. We get a flashback to when Dutch and Khlyen (Rob Stewart) first met. Dutch was perhaps thirteen. Khlyen calls her Yala, and hands her a red box, and tells her: “Each time you receive a red box, you will have a duty to perform.” The box contains a “Rumari splinterstick”, a curved knife about eight inches long. He points to a terrified man tied to a chair and says: “I’ll show you how to use this, shall I?”

Before passing out from the effects of the poison, Dutch asks: “How did you find me after all these years?” and Khlyen answers “I never let you go.”

Johnny locates the fugitive monk, and is trying to negotiate with Rolly when D’avin shoots the monk dead. Dutch, who has recovered from the poison with the help of Khlyen (who has vanished) rescues the Jaqobis brothers from the Monk’s supporters using her necklace which morphs when she throws it into small explosive arachnoid robots.

Dutch is called to RAC Headquarters, and lectured at length by Turin (Patrick Garrow). She is surprised to learn she has been cleared of all wrongdoing, although she violated her oath. Turin thought she should have been expelled from the RAC and possibly executed, but he was “overruled”.

At The Royale, they drink, and listen to Westerlyn folk music (sung by Emma Pedersen. The person accompanying her on a white accordion is uncredited.) Johnny explains that he met Dutch when she caught him trying to steal her ship and offered him a job. D’avin doesn’t trust her. “You’ve seen her fight,” he says. “Someone obviously put a lot of time and money into training her. Don’t you want to know who or why?” Johnny doesn’t.

Back on Lucy, Dutch finds a red box in her quarters.

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