Killjoys S05E01 “Run Yala Run” Review

Killjoys has just started its fifth and final season on Syfy. The first episode of the season, “Run Yala Run”, tries to reconnect with casual viewers. Yet, I found it hard to follow some aspects of the story despite having watched the previous season. That said, the characters fulfill alternate roles in this episodes. The humor and drama make it a fun watch.

Killjoys is in many ways similar to series such as Farscape and Firefly. They are all set in a universes with little references to Earth or a specific period in history. This is on purpose of course, the setting may be science fiction-esque, but it is there to solely to allow focus on the stories which are purely character driven.

The Final Season of Killjoys

It is hard to accept that Killjoys has just started it final season, but also understandable. Despite a stellar cast with big names such as Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore and Luke MacFarlane the show never managed to become a smash hit. And that despite tackling topics such as class inequality, sexuality and personal identity. I myself cannot remember any articles referencing Killjoys for tackling a difficult social topic. I think it is because we live in a world in which despite differing opinions people are also blasé.

Run, Yala, Run

But enough about the perceived shortcomings of Killjoys. This episode “Run, Yala, Run” is good fun. The episode is set in a dream-like world in which the people of Westerly are mind-controlled by a powerful being. It is only after a while that Dutch appears to understand something is a miss. In real-life she was never a bartender. The purpose of the mind-control is to find the remaining people that are not under its spell.

Dutch is helped by Zeph (Kelly McCormack) who deduced how the mind-control works. Every time a person suspects something is amiss their stress-levels rise. A bracelet informs the wearer about dangerous levels of toxic pollutant. As such they should head for the nearest decontamination shower. This forces them to walk outside and receive a new dose of mind-control through rain.

It is a typical Sci-fi trope, but the viewer should not focus too much on it. This episode focuses on the alternate identities assumed by the lead characters. As such it is the proverbial ‘road not taken’ story. With Dutch married to Johnny and D’avin playing a bounty-hunter sent to find their son it is an effective scenario for some drama. In that respect I liked this episode. The interpersonal relationship were easy to understand, most of the episode it set at the bar and it is fun seeing many of the show’s characters play alternate roles.

Conclusion

That said, this episode does suffer from some problems that has always existed with Killjoys. Despite watching season 4 I cannot remember half of what happened. This whole mind-control thing was established but I cannot remember why. Killjoys also retcons issues from time-to-time. This means the viewer has to pay close attention or otherwise they lose the plot. This episode tries to partially reboot the storyline, but it does not work if you have not seen season 4. I fear this is the reason why there will only be 5 seasons of Killjoys, it is not a show for casual viewers. This despite the casual science fiction setting.