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| Get ready for a wild ride! The angels have invaded! |
I wanted to wait until Dominion premiered in Canada before I shared my favorite scenes in the Pilot so as not to spoil things for some future fans from the Great North. That being said there were a lot of scenes that I loved in the Pilot but I chose the top ones. I will however do some Honorable Mention scenes. I based the top picks on character, production value, and above all memorability.
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| Beautiful! Stunning work! |
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| So what's around this corner...? |
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| Horrific with an extra dash of creepy. I just got chills! |
2. Eight-Balls play Texas Hold Em: Not only was this a great introduction to Alex Lannon and a great action sequence but also it was an excellent horror scene where we got a look at the terrifying Dogs of Heaven or Eight-Balls as they're called. If you've seen the Eight Balls from Legion you'll remember they were pretty damn scary but the producers and make up artists added some spider-like black veins for a more gruesome affect. I loved the creepiness of the scene with their malicious laughter and the cracking of fingers (and the overgrown nails) as the bigger of the three beckoned Alex closer: "Join us. We have an empty seat."
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| It takes a lot to keep up with an angel's libido |
3. Michael's five-some then he takes a swan dive: We didn't get to see Michael in action (so to speak) but the shock value alone was enough to make this one of the best scenes. The opera music was perfect for the setting, really backing up the decadence of the scene as well as the low lighting. After weeks of suggestive promotional posters we finally get their meaning; who knew angels had such strong libidos. Then to top it all off, Michael's epic swan dive off the stratosphere. It was a very exciting part especially once Michael grew wings then took off.
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| Alex is in for a whipping! |
4. Michael gives Alex a whipping: We get a first look into Alex and Michael's relationship in this scene. When Alex was labeled the rebellious soldier the producers weren't kidding. Alex has a real problem with authority especially when it comes to serving the Archangel Michael. Tom Wisdom and Christopher Egan have wonderful chemistry as they stress the strain and hostility in their characters' relationship. Then Michael's face in that scene that made me laugh:
Michael: "Where were they?"
Alex: "Just outside the city a few miles away."
Michael: "What were they doing?"
Alex: "Playing Texas Hold Em."
Michael: "?"
Alex: "Not kidding."
Tom Wisdom took Paul Bettany's steely eyed, intense stoicism and added some humanizing qualities such as a sense of humor and Canadians will see there's a lot more to Michael that Tom added to make him a more complex character. Then the whipping was a harsh scene but in a good way. Alex took those whippings like a champ. And Michael dealt them with serious conviction.
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| So much ass in this scene lmao! I love how bold these guys are! |
5. Shower Scene: It's surprising just how bold SyFy allowed the producers to be when it came to showing some skin (did I say some? I meant a lot!). But it wasn't just the boldness of nudity, it was the fact that the barracks are coed. The men and women shower together showing that the gender line in Vega's military is nonexistent. Hooray for equality! Then there's the interactions between characters. Alex with his two closest friends and how they joke around in their down time. Jonathan Howard especially made us chuckle with his character Ethan's charm and his ability to lighten the mood.
Alex: "It's not a tiger, it's a lion."
Ethan: "Is there a difference?"
Alex: "Yeah stripes."
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Ethan: "We're gonna eat like tigers tonight."
Alex: "Lions."
Ethan: "Tigers!"
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| Watch out Arika's packing heat... |
6. David & Arika at bath time: I feel like I tripped into a Bond Film with the seductive, smoldering Arika played by the equally smoldering and seductive Shivani Ghai bathing then pulls out a gun on David. Anthony Head's American accent just adds some fierceness to his character I just want to point out by the way. The lighting was soft but not for a romantic feel. It was more to denote that both characters are very vague, never revealing too much so as to keep their advantage but they also love mixing business with pleasure. For Arika pleasure is just business; another tool in her arsenal that she can use to work her advantage. Her ambivalent nature makes her an interesting character to say the least and Canadian fans will be both puzzled and intrigued by Arika's mystifying, yet dangerous nature.
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| Michael is ready for a fight! |
7. The Jubilee: Lights, camera, action! This scene had all three working for it. Even without the "s", Vega is still the place to go for a show. The flashing lights, David's talent for being a show man, and the flying camera movements were enough to get my heart pumping. One of the most striking parts of that scene was our introduction to the immortal enemy: the Archangel Gabriel. Although I wish Carl Beukes featured more in the Pilot I do admit that his short time on screen was well spent. A perfect way to introduce the antagonist where I was both awed and somewhat chilled at Gabriel's ability to possess someone and surprise you.
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| Love the tint of the camera & the flowers |
And seeing Gabriel in his lair, as an art lover and someone raised in Catholicism (lax) I was happy to see some small attention to detail with the Madonna Lilies beside Gabriel's throne. Gabriel is credited with telling the Virgin Mary that she would be the mother of Christ and as the Madonna Lilies represent her, the Archangel is often pictured holding these beautiful flowers. Moving on, Gabriel's creepy smile fades slowly turning into fury which erupted into violence and we got to see Michael take flight once more to take down the rabid Eight Ball. A gorgeous shot of Michael in mid-air, wings outstretched then BAM! Eight Ball's down.
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| Someone's had too many Red Bulls |
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| I just love seeing Michael spread his wings |
8. Michael and Furiad fight scene: Furiad's armor was striking as well as intimidating. Anton David Jeftha certainly put the "Fury" in Furiad with his aggressive yet graceful movements in battle. I especially loved how the red wings sort of sung like daggers, steel on steel. The fight scene between Michael and Furiad was very well choreographed. I felt like I was watching a war dance; a dance of swords if you will. That alone made this scene stand out. Then came the BOOM when one of Furiad's higher angels did a kamikaze dive into the nuclear reactor as Michael had the red angel pinned down.
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| The laurels over head were a nice touch |
9. The Bunker, Alex is the Chosen One: Jeep's demise then Alex's revelation as he is revealed as the fabled Chosen One was enough to render me speechless. The look on everyone's faces as the cryptic tattoos transferred from Jeep to Alex. Langley Kirkwood brought a ruggedness to Jeep's character and I promise we have not seen the last of him as Jeep. You could feel everyone's shock (especially Alex's) to discover that the Chosen One was under their noses the whole time. Claire was the only one to fall to her knees of course but Alex grumbles for her to stand up. I could see he was a bit embarrassed; more because someone was bowing to him than for Claire's sake I would imagine. Also so far we saw Claire as no more than a somewhat naive person but the way she stood up to David when protecting Bixby we saw a glimmer of strength that will aid her in the future. Roxanne McKee plays her part well and we will continue to see how she has her character evolve wonderfully in the coming episodes.
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| "Save it for your flock, William!" |
10. William and David argue politics and religion: If you've read the Bible (or at least heard stories) you'll find this show has a host of daddy issues. David and William are father and son but they definitely don't see eye to eye. Luke Allen Gale and Anthony Head did very well in this scene with their characters opposing ideals. You could really see the love but also a huge amount of friction where David was the dominant while William was the submissive power (although William did manage to bear his teeth once in a while). And like Lost Girl, Dominion is all for equality as it is revealed that Arika is Queen Evelyn's wife. Yep, somehow same sex marriages don't seem to get much flack in a post-apocalyptic world which is good because there are bigger things to worry about I think.
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| I'm not even sure it's even Greek to me! |
11. Michael and Alex talk about Destiny: This was a really humanized, softer scene between Alex and Michael where they actually talk to each other instead of talking at each other. I loved how Christopher Egan delivered his line "I'm just a man." It allowed us to view into Alex's justified anxiety and uncertainty as well as his vulnerability. A huge burden has just been placed on Alex's shoulders and he's not sure if he can handle it. But Michael shows himself to be encouraging and a strong faith in Alex even if Alex himself doesn't have enough faith in himself. Tom and Christopher show that there is more to their characters' relationship and that through real communication they come to an understanding. But that doesn't mean there still won't be a few lies or secrets they'll keep from each other as when Michael asked if Alex could read the tattoos and one said "Beware those closest to you" then said he couldn't read them.
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| Beware of those closest to you indeed! |
12. The shocking cliffhanger: This scene was very short but no less astonishing as it is revealed that William is Gabriel's spy or one of his Black Acolytes. Furiad and Ronan were with Gabriel. Most likely to greater emphasize the fact that some of the higher angels have joined Gabriel's side in his war against humanity. The nature of their relationship is still somewhat a mystery to us but Gabriel calling William "son" does give us an answer but also MANY questions.
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| Just because I love Chris's smile I'm posting this! |
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| She starts out naive but Claire will surprise you with her strength; she's every bit a leader. |
1. Claire tells a story: I loved how Claire told the history of the Extermination War to the kids. We already heard the story but Roxanne McKee tells the story with much more empathy and hope conveyed to the children. Then Alex and Claire stealing a romantic moment we see how happy they are and we are informed of the V-system's guidelines and rules about who can marry who. We also got to see quickly that Claire has two suitors and how her behavior is different with each: with Alex she's elated and hopeful but with William she's teasing like a sister and somewhat awkward when William goes for intimate touches such as prolonged hand holding.
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| "You still like the highest perch." |
2. Jeep and Michael talk about Alex: As I said before Langley Kirkwood brought a ruggedness to Jeep's character as well as some sarcasm to go with it. Langley and Tom gave us some insight into Michael and Jeep's relationship which was like two comrades picking up exactly where they left off years ago. We saw how both Michael and Jeep cared about Alex even though as far as we saw there wasn't much love lost between them and him.
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| Political adversaries and sometimes friends... sometimes |
3. Riesen and David dinner by the pool: It was a very short scene but what stood out the most for me was the political and personal relationship of David and Lord Riesen. There was certainly some degree of familiarity but also a huge note of mistrust. David was the stormy wind while Riesen was the solid rock.
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| "What did you do now?" Even Bixby knows Alex has a tendency to start fights. |
4. Alex and Bixby: Besty Wilke was just adorable as Bixby, the little V-1 and we saw just how much a softie Alex was as an adoptive parent figure for her.
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| Family reunions really hurt don't they |
5. Alex and Jeep's Family Reunion: You'll find that the family reunions on Dominion can lead to some bruising. In this case the bruising was both physical and emotional. Langley Kirkwood and Christopher did a fine job with their scenes. Especially when Jeep gave Alex a picture of his mother, which may have repaired at least some damage to their relationship.
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| David is in disbelief! |
6. Michael and Jeep call a council meeting: The look on everyone's faces when Jeep walked into the room was somewhat humorous.
Jeep: "Yep, I'm alive."
David: "How?"
Jeep: "Thick headedness."
Also we got a look into the relationships of mistrust and David vs who ever stands in his way.
Next week I'll be telling you my favorite scenes from "Godspeed." I promise that by episode 3 you will be unbelievably hooked on this show!
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| It's going to be a great season 1! |
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