Sam Salama Cohén" />
Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      Sam Salama Cohén
      January 17, 2022
      Fiction, PDI Press, PDI Press Writers
    Recent
    • BETTY WHITE VS THE STUPID WORLD: The Movie

      John E. Meredith
      January 17, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Seven)

      John E. Meredith
      January 16, 2022
    • Betty White Vs the Stupid World (Chapter Six)

      John E. Meredith
      January 15, 2022
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • X (2022)

      Sam Salama Cohén
      April 22, 2022
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • X (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 22, 2022
    • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      April 15, 2022
    • The Adam Project (2022)

      Nate Zoebl
      March 16, 2022
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Sam Salama Cohén
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      The Final Girl
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Sam Salama Cohén
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • X (2022)
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
  • The Adam Project (2022)
  • The Batman (2022)
  • Entropy (2022)
  • Killer Sofa (2019)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

Dominion 1.01 “Pilot”

Sam Salama Cohén
June 26, 2014
Reviews, TV

Remember that movie called Legion from 2010? It was written and directed by Scott Stewart and was basically about God losing faith in the human race and therefore sending his angels, led by Gabriel, to destroy humanity. But the Archangel Michael saw that there were good humans, sided with them, and managed to contain Gabriel’s fury, in some pretty cool fights.

These were not your typical beautiful angels, but creepy beings – fallen angels – that were able to possess humans and have them walk over walls, have impossible strength or demonic appearance. Plus there was a pregnant woman who was going to give birth to humanity’s savior.

logo

Ok, so even though the movie didn’t get great reviews, I remember enjoying it, so when I learnt that there was going to be a SyFy TV series, with a pilot written and directed by Stewart again, telling the story of what came after the events of Legion, I jumped in. And here we are.

Dominion starts strong; presenting us with a rebellious low-ranking soldier named Alex Lannen (Christopher Egan) – part of a half-futuristic, half-Middle Ages-style Corps – of a new nation state called Vega, where the city of Las Vegas used to be. This soldier hunts and kills two of Gabriel’s angels, who, as in the movie, are occupying human bodies and have all kinds of creepy abilities, being declared enemies of the humans and all who stand with the Archangel Michael.

Michael

After this initial dose of action, a great deal of time is devoted to presenting the diverse characters and the style of life that the humans have. Through the dialogue between these characters we find out that the Archangel Gabriel – the bad guy – and his hordes have wiped out almost all of humanity, and Vega is a caste system, democracy forgotten, much like in the Middle Ages.

The city is run by the House of Riesen, and specifically by General Edward Riesen (played by Alan Dale), whose daughter, Claire Riesen (Roxanne McKee) is secretly in love with Alex and plans to tell her father the truth, believing he will approve of their marriage. However, Alex, knowing his place in the structure of things, believes the only way for them to be together is to escape Vega and start a life of their own.

Alex

To make matters worse, there’s another ruling branch in Vega, the House of Whele, and its leader, David Whele (Anthony Head), intends to marry his son William (Luke Allen-Gale) to Claire, forming a coalition and gaining power over Vega. While Edward Riesen is portrayed as the tired ruler, reconsidering his way of doing things and even thinking his abdication and going back to democracy, Whele is the other side of the coin: craving power, he tries to instill fear in the hearts of the people of Vega – control by fear, much like many of today’s most powerful countries do.

And then there is Michael (Tom Wisdom), overseeing things from the shadows, with a Matrix-esque look. He is, from his first appearance, a grim character with a mysterious look on his face, which makes it difficult to wonder if his intentions are good or evil.

Dominion - Season 1

However, maybe the best part of the episode is left for the last half hour – yeah, the pilot lasted 90 minutes! – where viewers not only get a dose of Michael vs. powerful angels (called the Powers) in the service of Gabriel (Carl Beukes) – as they fly their way from Gabriel’s stronghold to Vega, endangering the city’s nuclear power plant – but we also get very interesting character development for Alex Lannen and his missing father, Jeep (Langley Kirkwood), now back in the fold after being thought dead for years.

As it turns out, Jeep had been missing from his son’s life because he was investigating the meaning of the strange markings all over his body, which not even Michael could understand. During this fruitless investigation, he found proof that Gabriel is readying an army of angels to start a war.

Michael fighting

Through the whole episode, there had been talk of “the chosen one” who would save humanity. I had my guess as to who that would be, but it isn’t almost until the end, because of a character’s death, that it stands revealed. I liked how this was presented, and how this revelation might change the characters’ lives going forward.

Overall, this was a good pilot; Well balanced, ambitious, and while maybe too many characters were introduced, by the end one had a good sense of what was going on, even if the last minute cliffhanger left us with some questions to solve.

The war is about to start. Let’s hope the ride – or should I say flight? – is a strong one.

I’ll be here, watching the skies.

(Visited 47 times, 1 visits today)
Dominion 1.01 “Pilot”
3.5Overall Score

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Alan DaleAnthony HeadCarl BeukesChristopher EganDominionLangley KirkwoodLegionLuke Allen-GaleRoxanne McKeeSam Salama CohenScott StewartSyfyTom Wisdom

Muppets 101 – Julie Andrews: One Step into Spring (1978)
Lost in Translation 101: The Four Players

About The Author

monsterid
Sam Salama Cohén
Honest Man / Thunder God

Sam is a passionate comic lover, who since an early age, found himself into the grasp of Marvel titles such as Conan the Barbarian, Captain America, Spider-Man, and, of course, his true love (after his wife Natalia, that is), the Avengers. When he was very little he created his own comic, which thanks to having relatives on the US and other countries, travelled all over the world. Now he is a happy reader. Though looking at his Resume one would think he is the serious kind of guy-Economics degree, Auditor for several years-fun and rhythm flow through his veins, and have been that way since he can remember. Spanish and currently living in Madrid, he loves travelling around the world-and getting comics wherever he goes!!! He has experience managing comic-book related online communities, and during his time on both www.AvengersForever.org and the great, unique www.ComicsBulletin.com he has had the chance to work as reviewer/columnist/interviewer, learning the ropes as he went along. As Comics Bulletin’s Social Media Manager, he devoted a lot of his time to managing and improving the site’s presence on social networks, and on building an active and interesting Community. You can find him as @SamSalama on Twitter, and as Samuel Salama on Facebook.

Daily Top Ten

  • Creepshow (1982)Creepshow (1982) by Charles Webb
  • The Darkest Hour (2011) Blu-ray ReviewThe Darkest Hour (2011) Blu-ray Review by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Angst (1983) Blu-ray ReviewAngst (1983) Blu-ray Review by Serdar Yegulalp
  • POPCORN v CINEMA: The Dawn of Huh???POPCORN v CINEMA: The Dawn of Huh??? by John E. Meredith
  • The Watcher (2016)The Watcher (2016) by Jessica Sowards
  • Anything Joes: G.I. Joe Declassified #1 / The Origin Of Shooter (1)Anything Joes: G.I. Joe Declassified #1 / The Origin… by Greg Engle
  • Advance Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro Advance Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro by Sam Salama Cohén
  • Advance Review: Slugterra: Return of the Elementals (2014)Advance Review: Slugterra: Return of the Elementals (2014) by Sean Reid
  • Maps to the Stars (2014)Maps to the Stars (2014) by John Yohe
  • Throne of Blood (1957)Throne of Blood (1957) by Rick Shingler
400x400 GI Joe Funko Banner

Weekly Top Ten

  • Page to Screen: The Boys Season OnePage to Screen: The Boys Season One by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy”Adventure Time 6.06 “Breezy” by Dave Hearn
  • Drive-In Saturday: Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)Drive-In Saturday: Heavy Metal 2000 (2000) by Alex Wolfe
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • The Watcher (2016)The Watcher (2016) by Jessica Sowards
  • Superman II (1980)Superman II (1980) by John Clark
  • The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006)The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006) by Corin Totin
  • Advance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-rayAdvance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Women in Horror: They Call Her One-Eye, or Thriller: A Cruel PictureWomen in Horror: They Call Her One-Eye, or Thriller:… by John E. Meredith
400x400 UA Affiliate Banner

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Latest Reviews

  • X (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 22, 2022
  • Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    April 15, 2022
  • The Adam Project (2022)

    Nate Zoebl
    March 16, 2022

psychodrivein

Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E38 - Greg And Joel's Favorite Modern Figures, Part 1

Greg & Joel (@OrderOfBattlePod) break down their favorite modern figures from the first half of the line. 
---
Listen to the guys at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #OrderOfBattle @AnythingJoesPod #GIJoe #Habro
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 415: Remaking Gilligan's Island

Gilligan’s Island was escapism comedy, with everyday and weird science devices made from bamboo and coconuts. 
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#GilligansIsland #LostInTranslation #BobDenver #AlanHaleJr #JimBackus #NatalieSchafer #TinaLouise #DawnWells #RussellJohnson
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Unboxing Kotobukiya's Dawn Moreno (Snake Eyes II) & Mighty Jaxx's Off Werk Snake Eyes Vinyl!

Greg takes a quick look at two new releases in the world of GI Joe statues and collectibles!
---
Watch Greg at the link in our profile!

#GIJoe #AnythingJoes @AnythingJoesPod #DawnMorano #SnakeEyes2 #SnakeEyes #Kotobukiya #MightyJaxx #OffWerk
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 414: I Love You, Colonel Sanders! (2019)

The game has a heart, and that heart is Colonel Sanders.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#ColonelSanders #KFC #LostInTranslation #ILoveYouColonelSanders
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 413: Cloak & Dagger (2018)

Cloak & Dagger is a coming-of-age story with superheroes, a teen drama with superheroes, and works as such.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #MarvelComics #MarvelTelevision #CloakAndDagger #AubreyJoseph #OliviaHolt
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Popcorn Cinema Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Popcorn Cinema 48: THE MULTIVERSE IS MADNESS

POPCORN raises his hands, putting them together in front of his face. He then pushes his face slowly through them as if he's giving birth to himself. 
---
Read more of John's reviews at the link in our profile!

#DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness #EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce #SamRaimi #Daniels #BenedictCumberbatch #MichelleYeoh #ElizabethOlsen #JamesHong #JamieLeeCurtis #KeHuyQuan #StephanieHsu
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E37 - G.I. Joe #12 / Three Strikes For Snake-Eyes!

It's the start of one of the most iconic Joe stories in it's entire history, and it includes the return of two pivotal characters from the past! Join Greg and Jaren as they venture into Rio Lindo to root out Cobra's next devious plot!
---
Watch Greg and Jaren at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes @anythingjoespod #GIJoe #MarvelComics #SnakeEyes
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transl Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 412: Good Omens (2014 BBC Radio Dramatisation)

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch was first published in 1990 and was a comedy about Revelations and Armageddon.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #GoodOmens #NeilGaiman #TerryPratchett #BBC #MarkHeap #PeterSerafinowicz #JimNorton #AdamThomasWright #JosieLawrence #Charlotterichie #ColinMorgan #CliveRussell #JuliaDeakin #BBCRadio
Today at https://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at https://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E36 - Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022

Greg & Jaren recount their experience meeting Larry Hama at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention 2022. Plus, the latest news, recent acquisitions, and listener mail!
---
Listen to Greg and Jaren's podcast at the link in our profile!

@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Mezco #LarryHama
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Latest Columns

  • Anything Joes: S01E38 – Greg And Joel’s Favorite Modern Figures, Part 1

    Greg Engle
    June 24, 2022
  • Lost in Translation 415: Remaking Gilligan’s Island

    Scott Delahunt
    June 24, 2022
  • Anything Joes: Unboxing Kotobukiya’s Dawn Moreno (Snake Eyes II) & Mighty Jaxx’s Off Werk Snake Eyes Vinyl!

    Greg Engle
    June 15, 2022

TWITTER

My Tweets

Look Who's Talking

Oliver Ghingold
Oliver Ghingold - 2/18/2022
Muppet Madness: You’re the Director
Do you still have these tapes? I've been looking everywhere for them! I loved the Interactive Vision...
white swan
white swan - 12/22/2021
The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
I enjoyed the article though I would never call brutality gorgeous.
Shawn EH
Shawn EH - 10/26/2021
13 Days of Halloween Day 12: Halloween Kills (2021)
Very disappointing, it's true. And very mean-spirited murders of nobodies. And I don't even see how...
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

Large_rectangle_336X280
All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Comics
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: