Dominion: Favorite Scenes: Black Eyes Blue

I was blind but now I see & it ain't pretty

                 Vaun Wilmont has announced on Twitter that filming for season 2 should start the second week of February. Excellent! Now onto my favorite scenes of "Black Eyes Blue".

What DO we use these vaults for anymore?

         1. Alex makes a deposit in the vault: Alex's compassion is what makes him great at being the Chosen One but this time Michael finds it to be a hindrance. The setting was very unique in that we got to see in a subtle way that paper money was of no value anymore in the post Apocalypse. Instead they collect dust in a Vegas vault, which is still the most secure place to hide things like a rabid eight ball. It was interesting to see how some legends can be over exaggerated especially when it came to the powers available to the Chosen One. Alex read in some Savior Bible or whatever that the Chosen One could evict the angels from the possessed but Michael quickly squashes that theory with the fact that humans like to make up stories about things they don't really understand. I feel in this episode that Alex has managed to get his emotions under control. Enough that he's able to insist calmly that Michael help him to at least try an eviction.

A little game of cat and mouse
to start David's day

         2. David is on the scent but plays with his prey: David has a thing for mind games. But really where's the fun in David just outing William? Anthony Head and Luke Allen-Gale just crackle with chemistry as their characters' tensions reach a fevering pitch. David makes William sweat in this scene with his innuendos and hints at his son's true allegiances. Before when we saw William address the masses at the holy statue everybody was standing so it filled in space. Having Luke rehearsing with empty white lawn chairs gave me personally a sense of William being on an island. Beyond the chairs is the outside world, which seems to be closing in on him but the chairs of his flock of the Savior Church keep him safe even if it's a deception. David is just a single war ship and he has just fired a warning shot.

Welcome to the family, Alex.

         3. This is uncomfortable: That line was hilarious! Some true Alex/Michael bonding in this scene with humor as Katrine sets it on fire with her character's impish charm and vitality. 

          Alex: "Your sister is making me uncomfortable."

          Michael: "Welcome to my world." 

       Since no one else in Vega is aware of Uriel's presence, it only makes sense that the meeting should take place in the stratosphere where they would have privacy. I just realized there aren't really any chairs in Michael's suite. But with a bed that takes up half the room who needs them? We discover some interesting tidbits such as angel possessions have been happening for millennia. Given that the eight balls are more demonic than angel it would make sense that humans would make that mistake. The tattoos continue to amaze by bringing back to life the pages of the Apocrypha. Funny how it showed the spell in English. Could be the book adapts to who ever is reading it like the tattoos. 

If phones were still around she'd be reading a tweet

         4. Arika meets with the Riesens: Arika just walks right past Lord Riesen onto Claire. Clearly Arika knows who's the real power in the room. Adored Shivani's outfit. For the past 4 episodes, Arika would wear purple: the color of royalty which fits because she has a regal air about her. But this episode Arika switches up a bit in wearing a more demure color: cream colored lace to make herself seem more approachable. Shivani Ghai and Roxanne McKee had interesting chemistry. Their characters seemed to click where on one hand we have a very experienced female politician who knows how to play the game while on the other we have a novice with great potential, a quick study and able to think on her feet. Curious as to see their interactions in the future of season 2. 

Romantic image of mom: shattered

         5. Claire meets her mother: Claire was the last person that needed convincing that her mother was still alive inside the Eight Ball. We gained huge insight as to the complicated, mysterious relationship between the angel and the host. While other angels take over the host completely, Clementine managed to somehow coexist with the angel although she never fully resurfaced. Clementine would usually speak in a normal voice but the editors added great FX on Amy's voice to add that malevolent whisper that Eight Balls speak to show us that truly two souls inhabit one body. Loved the camera work where sometimes the camera was placed behind trays of money inside the vault to give us that sense of "being on the outside looking in" feeling. This is an emotionally traumatic event for Claire and a desperate moment for Clementine and although we know these characters on a personal level, the camera shots made it seem like this was meant to be a private moment where we were left on the outside of it all. I didn't expect Claire to full on embrace Clementine, letting Clementine hold her arm was Claire's sign to her of trust. 

Arika, you sneaky devil

         6. Riesen sees through Arika's deception: Just because Riesen is old does not mean he's senile. Alan and Shivani didn't have much screen time together so I was a bit surprised at how they matched each other. Both characters know the dance of politics and Riesen proved his shrewdness in knowing all the facts. Shocking how David didn't know that Helena's air force was nothing more than 3 air crafts. I suppose because David is the impulsive type where as Riesen is more patient. Loved Arika's line too: "A legend is more powerful than the truth." That's a perfect tagline of the show; hell it sort of touches on the episode where Alex is concerned given his confidence that he could save everyone like the possessed based on theories of the Chosen One's power. You see that Arika had to apply some extra charm to Riesen in their conversation. It's clear that Arika needs to be extra dextrous with the general because he has all the power and the Senate follows his lead. 

The power of the Savior compels you!

         7. Clementine gets an eviction notice: Amy Bailey was fantastic! I half expected pea soup vomit but thankfully no one had to clean up afterwards. That stunt double was brave. That fall from the ceiling onto a metal tray must have hurt. Ouch! I heard that the chain holding Clementine broke accidentally during one of the takes. Please let that be in a gag reel on the DVD set! The scene was very dramatic. I discovered that I was holding my breath once the eviction ended and presto: doll black eyes turned to pretty blues. For a minute there we thought that Clementine was back but she suddenly collapsed becoming a husk of a human being; a vegetable. Claire went from tears of joy, to dismay then to anger not only at Michael but at Alex. She wouldn't even let Alex hold her hand. Claire felt betrayed and maybe a bit used by the Archangel who was only teaching Alex a lesson in failure; he used her emotions to do so.

Didn't see that coming...

David, you got served

         8. Riesen crushes David's plans: The look on David's face! The look of defeat was so delicious not only for Riesen but for the audience as well. For once we see that David, the guy who always schemes and believes himself to be a step ahead of everyone else, is out smarted by "the crippled Riesen." Don't be fooled by the cane, guys! In fact I didn't see a cane I don't think making the blow much more stinging with Riesen standing tall. The setting took place in the Senate room; anywhere else wouldn't have had the same effect on the scene with it's political intrigue. The room is always dimly lit where both men are kind of stuck in shadow. Anthony is draped in shadow as Alan is more illuminated. It showed us who was the winner with one man standing in triumph in the light where as the other is defeated in the shade. The dialogue was superb showing that when he wants to, Riesen can over rule David and put him in his place. The biggest blow I think for David was hearing that with his "confidence" vote, the choice to allow Riesen to stay in office, ended up being unanimous. I still doubt Arika would let Vega (a patriarchal society by her standards) "help" rule anything in Helena but we'll see how she out smarts Riesen.

The cape comes off of super dad

         9. Claire takes charge and kicks daddy off the chair: Just as Riesen was starting to enjoy his victory, Claire rains on his parade. I really loved this scene where Alan Dale and Roxanne McKee alter their characters' positions where Claire takes charge, becoming the dominant persona and Riesen is now at the mercy of her command. Riesen couldn't get a word in unless it was to agree with Claire. I feel the irony in that David failed to dethrone Riesen but Claire succeeded if only after the wedding her father practically pushed her into. But good on Claire she doesn't raise her voice once. I think she had enough of outrage for one day. You see Claire's shining warmth somewhat cools. I don't see her becoming all icy but she definitely isn't the idealistic girl from before. In the beginning Claire was not interested in being the next leader of Vega but in this moment the romanticized image of her father shattered and she began to see him for all his flaws and resolved to do things better. Claire giving back the music box was a sign of that if you think about it. No more "nice daddy's girl."

Paging Dr. Phil

Don't miss!

        10. William pistol whips his dad: Like the Riesens the Whele family reaches a boiling point but it's a lot darker. The Riesens' argument took place in a more illuminated room where as the Wheles' argument takes place in a room only lit by the fireplace. One family in light but the other is drenched in darkness. William completely changes in this scene. Even his voice becomes deeper while his eyes are on fire. David is so full of bravado that he doesn't even fear the gun pointed at him. He just goads William into trying to kill him, but instead William just pistol whips him into submission. I didn't expect William to kill his own father anyway. William may like cracking ribs but he's not a real killer. 

CRACK! That's whack, dude

         11. David is tortured: A very intense scene full of creepiness. David is once again a hostage. I realize that he has ill luck in negotiating his way out of these dangerous situations and always gets seriously injured. As you would expect from someone about to be tortured, David would bounce back and forth between pleading and insult. Really liked the POV shots in the beginning of the scene where we see what David and William see. The picture had a fish eye effect making the room feel a bit surreal. It gave me a bit of the jitters. I actually felt sorry for David... for a second after his ribs cracked. Then William cradles his injured father with a look of sick triumph on his face. Wow! William seems extremely confidant that he can turn his father into an Acolyte for Gabriel. 

It's like waking from a dream....

        12. Claire does a mercy killing: This was a pivotal moment for Roxanne's character, Claire. Before we could describe her as the noble, pure hearted princess with no trace of blood on her hands. Now? Claire's hands are dirty but we don't hate her for that. It sent chills through my stomach that while Claire was smothering her mother's vegetable body she hummed that song "Beautiful Dreamer". I guess it was a way for her to block out the sounds of her mother struggling to breathe. And Alex just stood and watched. It's not like he could have argued the morality of this. Alex saw just as we did that this was a mercy killing that needed to be done. Claire looked on the verge of breaking which kind of made me misty eyed. 

       Here are some Honorable Mentions:

Thank you for the deceiving gift!

        1. Claire thanks dad for his "gift": The lies just keep pouring out of Old Man Riesen's mouth. In the end of the episode Claire's innocence is completely destroyed but before that we see Claire just glowing with girlish excitement at receiving the music box. And Riesen just eases into the lie. It kind of hurts him to lie but it's so easy now so I guess he's convinced himself that he was protecting his baby girl.

So angels have orgies, drink, and practice
the arts in their free time

       2. Uriel's ballet recital: I hear that Amy Bailey lent her ballet talents to this scene. Amazing! I did find it funny that Katrine and Tom have this rapport reminiscent of a regular brother and sister of their characters. It was like having your baby brother spy on you while your singing into a hair brush in the bathroom. Embarrassing when you see the rascal then throw the brush at him but this was much more civilized. Besides Michael knows just how to appease his big sister. Funny how Uriel has searched the world for a painting that was in some hotel (I assume in Vegas) the whole time.

If there are onions on my burger so help me, Savior,
you'll regret it

       3. William visits Brother Paul: I applaud William of his talent for making threats with a sinister whisper while keeping a sunny smile on his face. From afar it looked nothing more than a casual conversation but up close you would notice that the smile was kind of forced given the desperation of the tone of William's voice. 

Stop poking at the dog, Michael

       4. Michael & Clementine argue redemption: After Gabriel's cryptic accusations into Michael's bloody past, this was the second time we've discovered that perhaps Michael wasn't always the good guy. It was also entertaining to see just how scared some Eight Balls get when in the presence of an Archangel. But after the initial shock, Clementine managed to take on Michael verbally and call him out on his hypocrisy. We also gain some sympathy for Clementine as we get a background into what it means to be a dog of heaven. But also we grow a bit suspicious of Michael and what he's trying to redeem himself for.

O...M...G. We still use that term right?

       5. Claire learns the horrible truth: Think of meeting your mother as a black eyed, veiny, beast-like creature after you thought she was dead for years. Very traumatic I'll bet. While Claire is usually calm and collected, this time she was freaking out and ready to bolt. Well done, Roxanne. Also well done for Amy Bailey who really stepped it up with her jittery movements and erratic outburst trying to reach out to Claire like a chained animal.

Daddy is going to be pissed at you when he finds out!

       6. William sees the mess he's made: William has made a mess of things hasn't he? This scene kind of reminds me in points of my childhood where when I made a mess I was sure my parents would get pissed at me and punish me in some way. So like most kids who find a huge mess they bargain that "daddy" doesn't need to know any of this because they are going to fix it. This is the first time I see William resolve to stand up to one at least one father figure to show that he's not whiney kid. 

Uriel goes "Beautiful Mind" on us...

       7. Uriel does some art sketches: Uriel is a huge fan of artwork. She's not too bad herself with her photographic memory. I just loved seeing all of those sketches laid out in a big circle as Uriel quickly arranges them in "order" and deepens some detail on certain symbols. You could see the gears turning in her head as she did so.