It’s a good thing that Space and Syfy greenlit a third season of Killjoys, because, after Friday’s season finale, they damned well owed us one.

“How to Kill Your Friends and Influence People,” written by Michelle Lovretta and Jeremy Boxen—and directed by sometime Murdoch Mysteries guest star Peter Stebbings—wasn’t much of a cliffhanger, throw everything including the kitchen sink into the mix in case the show’s not renewed. Nope, Friday’s finale was very much a set-up to the adventures to come, now that our trio has vanquished Khlyen and the green plasma.

Khlyen, the masterful manipulator to the end, wasn’t ousted by a phaser blast to the chest, a spurt of rocket fire via Lucy or even a long, intimate throat cut from Dutch. We certainly would have understood that final choice; after all, he’s been a major thorn in her side, the bane of her existence … you pick the cliché. Khlyen was this show’s Big Bad and needed to be put down. But Khlyen, in a final bid to show how much he loved Dutch, used his own blood to poison the plasma pool (I’m sure there was a parable or something in that.), saved Old Town and expired in Dutch’s arms.

It was a stunning turnaround for a character I’ve loved to hate, and kudos to actor Rob Stewart for taking Lovretta and the room’s words and helping turn Khlyen into a sonofabitch I cared about. Also: did anyone else get a distinct Star Wars vibe from Khlyen and Dutch’s final scene? A bit of Darth Vader-Luke Skywalker happening? I certainly felt it, especially when Khlyen told the history of the plasma, and how he’d hoped it would be a saviour of people rather than a killer. That back story gave us the details on Aneela, and how the plasma sent her on a path to insanity. Now she’s still on the loose, sipping green drinks and strutting along white halls. We can’t have that, so Dutch, D’Avin and Johnny are … oh wait.

Still hurting from Pawter’s death—and who wouldn’t be—Johnny lured Delle Seyah into an Old Town back alley and shot her in the stomach. In sci-fi, the only real kill shot is one to the head, so I’m betting this isn’t the last we see of Delle Seyah. Johnny, not wanting to bring the heat down on his buds, planned his escape. Kudos to Aaron Ashmore for turning in a great one-sided performance talking to Lucy and showing the kind of emotion you normally do a living human. Clearly, Johnny has strong feelings for Lucy, and her initially closing the door on his departure showed a reciprocation. Thankfully, Johnny’s not going off on his own; Lucy calling on Clara to be his … um … right-hand woman was a brilliant move and I’m ecstatic at the pairing.

Speaking of partnerships, I couldn’t get enough of Fancy and D’Avin’s grudging teamwork blasting around Archive. “You’re a Six, not a 10,” “Worst partner ever,” and “Human shield bitches!” all had me laughing out loud. Thankfully, Fancy survived the great goo expulsion of whatever year we’re in and lives to quip another day, so there’s hope the pair are involved in a few more fight scenes.

Lovretta and her writing team turned out one hell of a great Season 2. They upped the ante with regards to drama, fleshed out not only our Killjoys but Pree, Pawter and Alvis too. They expanded the universe, tipped a few winks to the fans and generally made Friday nights a fun, exhilarating ride. I can’t wait to see what they do in Season 3, especially with Hannah John-Kamen playing Dutch and Aneela.

What did you think of Season 2 of Killjoys? Let us know in the comments below or via Twitter @tv_eh.