It’s only fair to say that I have mixed feelings regarding this episode and how it has evolved all of the themes planted on the ninety minute pilot.
If it’s true that many things happened in that pilot and therefore had to be followed up on, in that regard the episode succeeds. However, it sadly misses the opportunity to showcase great battle scenes, or at least some that leave the viewer with the feeling of seeing a great choreographed action sequence.
And it is this latter fact that bugs me, and has me hoping Dominion has lots more in store, and hoping it’s better done. Not just regarding the scene itself, but also, and very importantly, the CGI involved. After all, if this is a series about the war between angels and humans for the dominion of Earth, its effects should at least grasp our attention. Otherwise, the great premise might fall flat.
We now face an Alex Lannen (Christopher Egan) who knows he is the chosen one, and has even had a – sort of – first revelation from the runes that now run all over his body, and that only he can decipher. His portrayal was spot-on – except from the forgettable battle with one of Gabriel’s “powers” angels – and I loved the fact that he has freaked out about having the responsibility to be humanity’s savior. He fights the idea, rejecting it and even hitting the bottle. All in all, perfectly understandable reactions, and possibly the same any human might have had.
Alex’s troubled mind and his decision about what to do — how to manage this never expected, God-given responsibility — is what drives part of the episode, as he also gets to face the reactions of the select group of people who witnessed his supposed transformation into the savior. He shares some really angry words with Claire Riesen (Roxanne McKee), who now, apart from loving him, believes that he truly is humankind’s savior.
By the end of the episode, however, and after having saved Claire from a “power,” an angel sent by Gabriel who had infiltrated the House of Riesen, their relationship is stronger than before. Ironically, and understanding that he is the only target that Gabriel cares about, Alex makes some hard choices, and by the end of the episode is no longer in Vega.
Also, and this is turning out to be the undercurrent of the series so far, after a meeting between the two angels – Michael (Tom Wisdom) and Gabriel (Carl Beukes) – it is clear that Gabriel has insiders in Vega, bringing to light once more the matter of who to trust. Especially when Gabriel’s angels can adopt any shape, and that we have already seen how William Whele (Luke Allen-Gale) is working for him, though living under the roof of Vega’s House of Whele.
Of course, nobody, not even William’s father (Anthony Head) – on a mad quest for power that will surely bring trouble with the people of the nation of Helena – seem to know that Vega is infiltrated so deep. They start to worry, though, and the sense of paranoia is building.
There’s a theme going on, that I found interesting, which is how, even when facing utter extermination as a species, the different nations of humans have a hard time uniting themselves against the common enemy, and are still intriguing against one another, making sure to end the other’s life if necessary. So, if the army of angels that Gabriel has built don’t invade Vega, maybe the city-nation of Helena will.
Interesting stuff going on all over, and another one of those last second cliffhangers that deepens the sense of infiltration. However, what Dominion lacks is not strength in the plot, but in the CGI, because, as I said, all of this is only as believable as the final product we get.
I hope that, if the series plans on focusing on all-out battles, the coming episodes bring the level up a point or two. If not, it will have been a failed attempt at an otherwise very cool idea.
Now let’s see if they get those angel battles right!