Dominion: Edward Riesen & David Whele: Vega's Heroes of Destroyers?

No country for old men...

                   Edward Riesen and David Whele are probably Vega's most powerful leaders. Riesen is Lord of the City and his consul Whele has money and amazing influence. At first, we see them in black and white: David the ambitious politician and Edward the noble leader. But as the show went on, these men have blurred into a sort of grey (no "old man" pun intended). They have their dark sides and their light sides. Edward has a hidden dark side while David has a hidden light side. And while their relationship seems toxic, they seem to be not only rivals but also friends: frenemies if you will. Not sure if this balance of personalities (if you could even call it balance) is good for Vega or bad, but I'm leaning towards bad...

House Riesen: Claire should take over no problem!

           In the Pilot episode, Riesen sort of reminded me of Julius Caesar (he even lives in Caesar's Palace Hotel/Casino too); Julius Caesar didn't want to call himself "emperor" so the people designated Caesar "Dictator for Life", which is kind of what Riesen had in mind until Vega was stable enough to form a democracy. He was prepared to step down from power after handing it back to the people but then David Whele's stunt at the jubilee and the higher angels attacked the city caused Riesen to rethink his retirement plans. 

Ugh I hope he wears protection: armor, cause her
teeth are sharp!

             Riesen really surprised me in episode 2 when we discovered that he was having an affair with an 8ball woman named Clementine. Talk about sleeping with the enemy! Then when Alex was revealed to be the Chosen One, instead of supporting him, Riesen was adamant that it stay a secret because he didn't want a religious fervor breaking out in Vega. He even shot Senator Frost when he was bowing before Alex before he could tell everyone who Alex really was. And Riesen knows David Whele is dangerous and his plans are not good for the people but he does nothing but indulge Whele. Riesen approved the betrothal between his daughter and William without telling Claire because as he said he knew that she would never entertain the idea. Of course not because arranged marriages died out with corsets. 

          I see why Michael admires Edward. On occasion I see that Riesen ennobles Michael's idea of man in some ways. Michael even went to Riesen for some advice on how to get through to Alex. "Sometimes you just have to wish them Godspeed." That should be on a fortune cookie. Riesen shows that there's no easy answer in how to get a child to do what you want them to do even if it's for mankind's benefit; you just have to hope that you've raised your kids well enough that they'll figure out to do the right thing on their own. So Riesen can be honest sometimes but I doubt that'll make up for when people find out he has secret rendezvous with his devilish angel. Would love to hear his excuses for that.

Let this dog of war sleep, he needs a nap

           The more we get to know Riesen the more complicated he seems to be. I know he cares about the city. He cares about the citizens. But Edward has been fighting a long time so I wonder if it could be that General Edward Riesen is just a tired old warrior. He doesn't want to fight anymore. Or maybe he's afraid that Alex will fail. Either way, Riesen is determined that his daughter Claire inherit his seat and rule Vega so the city and the human race can continue.

Chosen One? Hell no

            Then there's David Whele. Right off the bat, David came off as an ambitious political animal who cared for nothing except power. I'm not really surprised that David used to be a Televangelist, he's got the presence of a showman and an ego. But he was also a true believer in God so when the angels came to wipe humanity out, that was a huge wake up call. Disenchanted, his faith in God shattered, David turned to a new faith: ambition and that god always delivers. It actually turned David into a complete ass. 

He doesn't trust anything with feathers

          In the Pilot when Michael and Jeep said it was time to reveal the Chosen One, David wasn't buying it (Hell he used to sell it). What I find interesting though is that David decided to interpret the Prophecy of the Chosen One differently in that all the survivors in Vega and the other cities were the "Chosen Ones". He refused to put his faith in a savior sent by God, at least not again. I understand that but then he saw Alex as the Chosen One. He had real proof that Michael was telling the truth but still he was firm in his belief that mankind's hope didn't reside with a Savior but with themselves. He decided to see Alex as an enemy, an obstacle to his plans instead. And even though Michael is one of the few angels that is helping humanity, David doesn't trust him. David even murdered Bixby in her hospital bed because Winter overheard her talk about the Chosen One (although she didn't say it was Alex so Bixby should get points for that!). That just twisted my insides.

"In Vega we burn our dead..."

          But even after all of those sickening things David has done, I see some moments of decency and even kindness shine through on rare occasion. Once David truly believed in God's message of helping your fellow man. I could see that David got into preaching out of this innate need to comfort people who are in crisis and even sometimes to help them reaffirm their belief (whatever it is). When Arika was preparing her dead sister's body, David helped her clean the body and promised to honor Arika's wishes for her sister's burial. Arika was unsure of what to do next but David (out of his own firm belief that Arika was impressively resourceful and clever) said that she would figure a way out of her dangerous situation. And sure enough she did (on the spot I may add; always be prepared). And then David tried to talk Winter "off a ledge" but even though that didn't work (and he got shot in the attempt) I could see that David must have done it before with someone else before the war started. 

I hope Bixby comes back to haunt you

           Then there was Bixby's murder. While he was held hostage in the agriculture towers, David said he should have dealt with "that V1 runt" when he dealt with the techs. But when he finally came face to face with the task he didn't jump right in right away. For a while David just sat there. I'm sure he was grappling with his conscience because he looked very grim. David chose the least painful death: morphine overdose. He didn't have to say it out loud but: "You won't feel a thing." Then he held her hand as she passed away. I saw that old preacher again who would comfort the sick and dying. It made me hate him but also humanized him at the same time. 

These 2 old warriors need to step aside

             Edward Riesen and David Whele seem to have little if no faith at all in Alex's destiny to save the human race and end the war for good. In many myths and legends from antiquity, when it was time for a new king or a suitor came for a princess, the old king saw his rule threatened and instead of stepping down as he should, as nature intends (the young replace the old, etc.) the old king sets up obstacles for the hero so he could hold onto his power. But we all know what happens to those kings. They all die or are defeated. Riesen and Whele have been through a very bloody war and suffered a lot of heart ache so trusting in something they believe is too good to be true would make any normal person skeptical. Riesen should trust that his daughter has the instinct as well as the heart to guide Vega and perhaps mankind in the right direction. For Whele he needs to regain his hope again. I know that seems extremely difficult and it is, but if David would put his trust in Alex then the war really would end and God could even return. Really they don't have to put their faith back in God but in hope that mankind can be redeemed because all Riesen and Whele are doing is pushing mankind further into a dark spiral that will rival Babylon. They feel they're doing the right thing but they need to hope again, because a man without hope is a man doomed to fail.