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| Time for a family reunion |
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| Big sister has come back to play |
1. Uriel drops in and has a chat with Michael: Dominion loves strong powerful women as the producers portray one of the four Archangels as a woman. Tom and Kat play their characters well where Michael is on edge and serious, Uriel is teasing and exuberant. I loved the part where they're both up in the air, their wings outstretched and them twirling together. It kind of reminded me of two eagles in their famous acrobatic mating dance but this dance was slightly more dangerous. I could never do a trust fall off a ledge even if there's a cushion at the bottom and the ledge is only 2 feet high but Katrine just gracefully falls back, as fearless as her character who takes flight after the fall. I remember in the Pilot where Michael has the same take off style.
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| The painting doesn't do Gabriel justice |
2. Uriel, Michael, & Gabriel have a family meeting: Love that the scene took place in a library. Mostly because of the artwork the production designers decided to display. If you recall a portrait of an angel with a kind face and hands outstretched in a nonviolent manner then you just saw a portrait of the Archangel Gabriel. I suppose it's an inside joke how we once perceived angels to be these benevolent celestial beings but they're really more human with monstrous qualities. So surrounding our angel characters with art depicting angels was sort of like placing caricatures around the room. The scene was non-stop laughs and gasps while the chemistry between the actors sparked the room. You have all of these different, vibrant personalities that left no space for boring; I was always rapt in the moment. The funniest part was Gabriel feeling up a statue saying: "Didn't Father teach us to share our toys?" Does that mean Michael has to share Becca? I would think Michael would prefer that rather than hand over Alex to the sadistic Gabriel or the secretive Uriel who's motives are still unclear. But the most striking part of the scene was Gabriel's allusions to Michael's violent, bloody past. Michael was even more on edge, I thought he's punch Gabriel in his smug face. I did love Gabriel's exit. I doubt Ryan Seacrest would have had a more memorable exit.
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| "Didn't Father teach us to share our toys?" Michael is not sharing Becca... unless it's with other girls... |
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| 80s songs just pop into my head when I see this. |
3. Alex has a wet dream... literally: The tattoos turn it up a notch on Alex while he languished in solitary confinement. I can only imagine the pains the make up artists went through to paint Christopher with those arcane symbols then wash them off then paint them on again. The tattoos trickled off then spelled another cryptic message: "She died for you." What the hell does that mean? I hope they had towels ready for Chris after that scene to keep from freezing although because of the heat in South Africa I bet it was refreshing. There was something else that stood out. A red picture with a silhouette of a tree which stood in stark contrast to the templates of neutral, cool blues. Could it be the Tree of Life or one of those other famous trees from Bible legend?
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| Can archaic messages just say what they mean for once? |
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| Oh Bixby, "Red" is not a flavor but you're adorable |
4. Alex visits Bixby: It was such a nice scene. Alex would make a great dad. Christopher Egan and Betsy Wilke give off this comfortable, family vibe that allows Alex to become a softer person and ease his anger. The room is flooded with light opposite to Alex's time below in the darkness of the prison and solitary confinement. It's kind of like Alex leaving the Underworld where he thought he could keep his loved ones safe; a mental place of fear but Alex returned to the world of the living therefore coming to a mental place of courage. This scene is one of the first few scenes I think about when I remember "The Flood".
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| Watch out these kittens have claws |
5. Arika circles Noma: Noma hates being on guard duty. She seems more of an action kind of girl but I would be nervous too if I was left in a room with Arika. Her intuition is borderline supernatural. There was an interesting power struggle here. Kim and Shivani both play women who need to be assertive and aggressive because they are surrounded by men and have to survive in a male dominated profession. Arika sense that Noma has a secret but Noma refuses to let this jungle cat psych her out with her mind games. Still Arika sees that Noma has value, enough to offer her a job. Noma's a loyal friend so I'm not sure she'll leave Alex behind.
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| The worst part? No chairs just a hard metal floor. |
6. All Frost hostage scenes: It would be hard to pick just one scene where Frost goes postal and holds David and Riesen hostage. The architecture of the set was pleasing. My father's an architect so I've developed a love for interior and exterior design of buildings and I just loved the set of the agriculture towers with the crops being set up in some hanging gardens of Babylon style. Lighting wise, keeping Frost in Caravaggio lighting helped to color his desperation and madness of the moment. As far as character, forcing David into a corner we saw that he's not just into giving out threats. He tried very hard to reach out to Frost with reason but when dealing with a religious nut reason doesn't really cut it. Also even though David attempted to be understanding his past of being a total ass with Frost's beliefs just made him come off pretentious. I was wondering when someone was going to shoot David. I guess Becca was just sorry that it wasn't her. Riesen managed to keep his mouth shut most of the time, however. Being a military man sometimes patience and keeping your mouth shut helps and he rushed to give David medical attention after he was shot. It could also be what Riesen said, "I wish he was crazy." So Riesen understands that Frost is somewhat right about why they want to keep the Chosen One a secret. I did notice that David was sort of nicer than usual to Riesen. It could have been the blood loss or feeling that he was going to die, but when it comes down to it, David and Riesen have been through a lot together on and off the battlefield. They have some degree of respect for each other.
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| The future of leaders of Vega |
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| Eye of the Tigress |
7. Claire is acting Lady of the City: I did like seeing Claire sitting in her father's chair but the best scene had to have been Claire going to the Agri-Towers and asserting her authority. Roxanne brings out Claire's inner-Margaret Thatcher/Iron Lady by giving that icy, penetrating stare then speaking in a low, threatening voice. She totally castrated that guy! But more than that. It's Claire coming into full terms that she will one day run Vega for real and that if this were a test, she passed with flying colors. Her reluctance to take the chair and dealing with the Senate made come off as a bit nervous and inexperienced to take the job in the Senate's point of view, however, Claire proved that she can think on her feet and that the Senate needs a strong hand to steer the ship. Claire knows now that when the time comes she can take on the challenges of leadership.
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| Maybe he needs to see ALL of the tattoos? Wink wink |
8. Alex talks down Frost/Riesen executes Frost: Alex can't help but try to do the right thing. When he heard that Frost wanted to meet the Chosen One he stepped up because lives were at stake. He volunteered to go in and talk Frost down. Caravaggio lighting strikes again adding drama to the scene with Alex and everyone else in dark shades with little light. Then there's make up showing Alex's bruises from his time in prison. That archaic message "She died for you" suddenly had more significance now but from David or Riesen's point of view I think it sounded more like a wild guess. Though they did look a little surprise. Alex wouldn't have known about Frost's daughter, Abby. The most shocking moment was when Riesen just shot a kneeling Frost in cold blood. Instead answering why he did it he just ordered Alex to put his shirt back on. I suppose Riesen killed Frost because he knew he wouldn't keep quiet about Alex. Still you kind of dislike Riesen a bit after this (even more actually).
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| Little Brother's big nightmare |
9. Uriel's Duplicity: Uriel and Gabriel have some similarities between their personalities which is probably why we'll see them get along so well but that doesn't mean Uriel won't try to make a fool of either of her brothers. The scene with Michael and Uriel was Uriel choosing Michael's side but that scene becomes more important when we see Uriel making similar promises of loyalty to Gabriel then flashing a devilish smirk while Gabriel held her in his arms. We definitely know she's up to something.
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| Alex is ready and willing to learn |
10. Alex accepts his destiny: This is a favorite of mine because of character. Alex is sitting before the Savior statue seeing the candles and gifts placed there. It has a sort of ironic feel to it being that before Alex had no faith in the Savior or even himself but now he has gained some perspective and realizes that he can't run from this. He wants to learn how to use the tattoos and end this war. Michael and Alex finally come to common ground and approach the conversation with cool heads. After years of pushing against and away from each other, these two hot heads are able to agree and want to work together. But how long will that last?
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| I'll save you a seat in Hell, David. |
11. David puts Bixby to sleep forever: This scene was emotionally powerful. The room was drenched in shadows of the night adding the intense immorality of the moment. Harming children is one of the most despicable things a person can do and there's a special place in hell for people who hurt children. Yet David doesn't kill Bixby out of malicious intent. Anthony Head gives more depth to his character by comforting Bixby as she goes into cardiac arrest, holding her hand until that last long beep. He also made sure her death was painless by increasing her morphine dose. Given how David so callously threw that Tech to his lion I was surprised to see how solemn and troubled David was. As bad as he is, David took it upon himself to get rid of Bixby. He preferred to stain his own hands but he did it for the wrong reasons. Knowing David he'll probably defend his actions as doing it to preserve the family and Vega's infrastructure but we know the truth.
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| That weapon is really cool! |
Now for some Honorable Mentions:
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| I would love to have a star gazing session with Michael... & Gabriel too |
1. Michael & Becca's stargazing session: It was just a romantic scene. Secret romances are always tantalizing and we see how human Michael is. He may hate himself sometimes but Michael wants Becca in his life as she reminds him that there's some good in him; good that he has a hard time believing is there.
Michael: "What makes you think I'm capable of love?"
Becca: "I know you are."
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| Who is this person??? |
2. Mystery Person in Black heals Michael: At first I thought it was Gabriel but the figure wasn't wearing the Archangel's signature leather pants. Rumors circulate that it's Raphael but we don't know for sure. We'll have to see in season 2 next year.
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| Should have given her that rabbit from the Holy Grail. |
3. Claire gives Bixby a purple bunny: Claire and Bixby are so adorable. If Bixby didn't die, Alex, Claire and her would have made the cutest family. Roxanne and Betsy have an equally parent-child feel like Chris. Claire gives Bixby a friend to keep her company (should have given her a dog; better protection). If only Bixby had whispered softer or kept her mouth shut then Frost would never have heard her blab about Alex.
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| Karma's a bitch, David... |
4. Frost outs the Chosen One at the Senate: Frost being an honest man thought it best to tell the Senate that the Chosen One had arrived but David being an ass not only has to deny these "allegations" but also make jokes that humiliate the poor Senator. Don't worry Karma gets David eventually. Loved the glare battle between Riesen and Frost. Frost has Riesen's number.
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| Alex doesn't take crap |
5. Alex starts a fight to get thrown into solitary confinement: This was early in the beginning. The prison system of Vega is no joke. Loved the trash talk and Alex just straight up hitting that officer in the face.
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| Conjugal visits aren't romantic but at least trailers have cots. |
6. Alex gets a visitor in prison: Even though Alex was back in Vega he thought if he couldn't run then he could hide from his destiny. Alex's vision of Claire from a previous episode was his conscious reaching out to him then the real Claire reminded Alex that he had responsibilities here like taking care of Bixby. She just had to bring up Alex's dad abandoning him to make a comparison. Truth hurts. No wonder Alex needs Claire, she's his Jiminy Cricket in heels.
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| My advice? RUN |
7. Ethan discusses the dangers of politics: Ethan doesn't think Noma should work for Arika of Helena. Mostly because of the woman in the box incident. Ethan may be a joker but he prefers the cold hard truth. When Alex revealed that he was dating Claire Riesen, Ethan responded bluntly: "The same Claire Riesen who's father orders executions?" Ethan is not on board with this Alex/Claire ship.
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| "They were once Father's greatest creation." I still debate that I mean horses, birds, and dogs are pretty amazing |
8. Michael and Uriel hug it out: Michael lays back on a couch contemplating the ceiling while Uriel sits with him. The energy in the room had gone from hot to more cool but in a good way. Tempers have been controlled so there can be a sincere conversation about the dangerous situation. Uriel shows that she's a daddy's girl who wants Father to come home and I believe her but I'm unsure about her allegiances given a later scene with Gabriel where she makes similar promises of loyalties.
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| David prefers to drown his sorrows. Forget the pain pills |
9. William and David argue what's best for Vega: David's hurt but prefers alcohol to numb the pain over pain pills. There was some comedy here especially when William walked out of the room telling Arika: "Have fun." William's other line was also significant where he said, "Alex Lannon is destined to save mankind not two old men past their prime." That shut David up. He seemed hurt that his own son should choose faith over family but he'll recover.
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| Becca, you got some splainin' to do! |
10. Becca's dirty little secret: Becca you naughty liar! She claimed before that she never saw the blade that was lodged in Michael's abdomen but I knew there was something fishy about that. Her house controls all medical and scientific issues so Becca not knowing where the blade was was pretty suspicious.
