Dominion: Alex A Nephilim?

You need to step off from that ledge my friend...
Not to go all musical or anything...

             Getting kinda nervous as we near the end of season 2 of Dominion but given the show trending on Twitter and some bump in the ratings I feel the show has a fair chance of getting renewed... But onto the subject of this post: Alex, a human, was able to close the amphora of Darkness despite the fact that only angels had the power to do so. What does that mean?

Beware the Darkness...

   The Markings

        I saw on the amphora some of the same markings that were on Alex. The symbols on the amphora glowed as Alex's symbols moved and he was able to close the jar. Not only that but the thing disintegrated in Alex's hands. Even though Julian burned off a mark that doesn't mean the rest of the tattoos are useless. Especially the markings on Alex's arms, which sent Julian flying back when he tried to burn them off. So it could have been the tattoos that helped Alex destroy the amphora of Darkness or it could be something else...

You put me in flannel? Really?

   Nephilim

         It makes a lot of sense for Alex to be the Chosen One if he's a child of both worlds; worlds at war right now. Uniting under a single entity that comes from both sides would help bring peace between angels and humans. Yet there are the legends about how dangerous the Nephilim were. In the Pilot Michael was concerned that he may accidentally knock up a girl who will bear a human-angel hybrid that would wreak havoc on the planet (like it wasn't in chaos already right?). Yet that leads to the question: If Alex is Nephilim then who's his angel dad? The obvious theory: Lucifer. Lucifer is by all accounts an Archangel. The child of an Archangel would have to be pretty terrifying as Archangels are pretty durable. Higher Angels aren't easy to kill but compared to Archangels they're pretty easy if you just have empyrean steel or an insane amount of luck. 

8balls are easy to kill. Higher angels? Need more
than a chainsaw

         It would also make sense for Lucifer to be Alex's biological father as the Voice everyone keeps hearing wants Alex to come to Mallory. A little family reunion maybe? Or maybe Alex's father is just a neutral higher angel that we haven't met yet. Not all neutrals went to Vega. I'm sure there are a few wandering around this wasteland somewhere and maybe even before the war started a higher angel was taking a vacation and knocked up Alex's mom, Charlie. Whether it was on purpose or by accident remains to be seen. Either way we have to question if Alex is fully human or just a very special one.

"Why hasn't SyFy renewed us yet?"

         If we get a season 3 we're supposed to get more into Alex's biological father. I hope we hear a renewal announcement sooner than last time where I spent most of those long weeks wringing my hands in trepidation. 

Dark Characters You Just Can't Totally Hate

            No matter how many shows you watch or how many books you read there's usually always that one character that's so evil or just as bad as they come that you can never fully hate. Some villains even have cult followings among fans. People marvel why we would cheer for someone who's goal is to destroy but truthfully we don't want them to succeed they're just fun to cheer for and you can't deny these villains have style. 

I feel like the King of England. Yeah Richard III

     1. Niles Pottinger (James Murray), Defiance

            This guy is definitely number one because if you have a character that's a stalker and a rapist and I still kinda like him then he deserves the honor. As someone interested in psychology I see Niles Pottinger as a textbook stalker: a borderline personality who over values relationships and is obsessive. He's that number one fan that believes he has a connection with a celebrity he fancies. In New York he stalked his childhood boy crush, Connor Lang, and raped his fiancé Amanda essentially destroying her and Connor's relationship. Niles got close to Amanda emotionally bonding with her all the while he was the cause of most of her heartache. Yet there was that small part that was human about Pottinger.

The most charming sociopath in an ascot with a pistol

         Niles suffered abuse (implying sexual abuse) from Votan soldiers when he was a teenager. He also took pity on a bio-man that he was ordered to abandon but instead saved. Niles was loathe to sacrifice Churchill and you could see how broken he was at the Need/Want. Niles even recognized that he was a monster, offering to sacrifice himself so that Amanda had a chance to live. If he wanted her to kill him then he should have told her that he was the man who attacked her in New York. No this doesn't absolve him from his crimes but you still a small twinge of pity for him. 

This is not a joke! Gabriel is laughing and smiling!

     2. Archangel Gabriel (Carl Beukes), Dominion 

               Yes he's the enemy of all mankind and dropped a bomb of darkness on Vega but Gabriel used to be a pretty nice guy. When God first turned the lights on, Gabriel was full of compassion, hope, and kindness showing a great sympathy for humankind. He pleaded mercy for mankind on many occasions even stopping Michael from trying to wipe them out during the Flood (one of Michael's blood fueled rages). Yet Gabriel reached a point where he began to doubt the good in humanity. 

Poor Gabriel. Maybe another orgy will make him
feel better

           Losing a child can make anyone lose their faith. Except instead of losing faith in God, Gabriel began to lose faith in humanity starting to see their flaws more than their virtues. When young David died you could see a part of Gabriel died too. After thousands of years of watching humanity continue to trip and fall, the Archangel began to resent God's love for these flawed creatures. Once God left Gabriel just exploded. He became a bitter, angry child throwing a tantrum with daddy abandonment issues (see the pattern?). Gabriel believes that wiping out humankind will make Daddy happy and bring him home but that's a naive notion. But whatever helps this angel cope.  

I actually like the beard... 

    3. Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

            True he's a sociopath but when you think about what happened to him Ward's really a victim. Look at his back story you see that he had very low self esteem being the chubby middle child with a sadistic brother and absent often verbally and emotionally abusive parents. He was in desperate need of a father figure and John Garret unfortunately got to him first. After we learn that Ward was a Hydra sleeper agent we start to see a pattern of insecurity where he served bullies: 1.) for his older brother because he was scared and felt he had no choice; 2.) Ward felt gratitude for Garret and felt he had to pay him back with unflinching loyalty. So it begs the question in part 1 of season 2 where Ward tried to make up for his mistakes and burned bridges: did the team treat Ward too harshly in giving him back to his abuser?

Stone cold killer

           Coulson struck me as a guy who was willing to give people second chances. God knows Mike Peterson did some horrible things but we've also seen how Coulson reacted to May's betrayal. So I winced when Coulson gave Ward over to Christian. I actually didn't like Coulson in that moment. They're supposed to be the good guys. After that once Ward saw that he would never be forgiven he decided to stop seeking approval from anyone who showed him attention. He even developed a relationship with the emotionally and psychologically damaged Agent Cara trying to help her heal (albeit in a bloody way). Cara's death sent Ward spiraling and we see at the end of season 2 he starts to rebuild Hydra into his image. Now another question: Did Coulson create a bigger monster or was the beast sleeping inside Ward all along? If you get to a person early enough you can save them from their darkness but this time Coulson and SHIELD refused Ward's hand. Now Ward is obsessed with getting closure for Cara, himself, etc. 

The devil you know and kinda like

     4. Crowley (Mark Shepherd), Supernatural

             He's the devil you know; he can't be much worse than the other demons who are all about chaos and destruction. From the start you can see that Crowley is a business man, a bureaucrat, in my opinion a perfect devil who honors the contract (as long as you read every fine print on that contract before signing in blood so have your lawyer present). He believes in the status quo and I can't help but admire his methods in reaching the top. He went from low level employee to the king of hell. You can't help but love his charisma and hilarious one liners: "You're good but I'm Crowley."

Yeah his ass deserves that throne

              Definitely a black and white villain wouldn't you say? Complete with abandonment issues and not being loved by mommy. Yet there were a thousand times where Crowley could have killed Sam and Dean Winchester and didn't. Then Crowley got a dose of humanity getting back in touch with his sensitive side, heart growing a size or two, etc. We see that all Crowley wants is to be loved. After that we've seen Crowley's humanity with making up with his estranged son, Gavin (whom he abused) and when he was having a boys' weekend with Demon Dean. Crowley then reconnected with his mother. You could see the power struggle there. Crowley wanted mother's love and thought he finally got it because he was in a position of power. Then he realized that was all she cared about. So deciding to love himself (like he didn't already) and choose to make himself happy and not his ambitious, manipulative mother, Crowley regained some self esteem. 

A toast! Now who's the first course?

       5. Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan), The Vampire Diaries - The Originals

            From black and white villain to anti-hero, the literal daddy of all vampires (and issues with mommy and daddy) should be number one but as I said in paragraph one, making me kind of like a stalker is a great achievement  Yet Klaus is also very textbook villain material: abusive childhood, fear of abandonment which developed into rage and self entitlement of wanting to be the center of attention, and a desire to be wanted and loved yet acting out and hurting others to make himself feel superior and in control. Where he was once abused he became the abuser. Klaus made the lives of his siblings hell. Whenever they found happiness or love with someone else, Klaus felt threatened and destroyed that sibling's happiness. And he does it with witty, biting (sometimes literally) remarks adding insult to injury. Not feeling secure enough in the love of his blood relatives Klaus sought to build an army of hybrids like himself. But when something doesn't go Klaus's way he kills everyone that disappointed him. However despite all of Klaus's evils we can't help but see past that.

It must be Monday when you see Klaus's
bloody smile

             Klaus wasn't born evil. He used to be a kind, sensitive soul. His not-father Mikael was very brutal and his mother, Esther, was needless to say distant despite her oath of devotion. Klaus was a victim at birth because of his mother's infidelity with Ansel, a local werewolf, being born a werewolf then becoming a vampire and killing someone activating his curse. This only made Mikael even more abusive and Esther helped by suppressing Klaus's werewolf side. That was when Klaus had enough. He killed his mother for her final betrayal. However he kept her body in a coffin carrying it around with him wherever he went along with the bodies of his other siblings he saw fit to punish on occasion. Talk about being morbid and obsessed. Deep down all Klaus wants is to be loved and to feel secure in that love. Now that he's a father who wants to give his daughter the fatherly love that he was denied we feel more sympathy for him but he seems to follow that pattern of destroying the happiness of his loved ones to keep them close. That may not work in his favor as his daughter gets older. Klaus's deepest fear is ending up alone and his self destructive personality may just lead him to that.



         All villains follow a pattern of being abandoned, issues with parents, abusive childhoods, and have deep seeded insecurities. Deep down all these guys are just lonely and in need of a hug and I think that's why they have appeal to some fans. We all feel betrayed, abused, or even alone sometimes haunted by our inner demons but they also serve as perfect warnings or examples of what happens when we allow those demons to win. Behind the witty, sarcastic remarks and brutal behaviors, these guys are looking for love and acceptance and that's what we all look for.

Dominion: Gabriel's Heart of Darkness

Who knew an Archangel could cry?

             Carl Beukes is just nailing it this season! I feel with each new episode his portrayal of the dark Archangel Gabriel gets us deeper into his character not as a black and white villain but as a man in a lot of emotional pain and torment and we're supposed to not like him because he wants to destroy humanity but it's hard to hate the guy when you know more of his story. Now Julian has crossed a line and created an angel much more consumed by darkness making Gabriel much more dangerous. Not only that but Gabriel has turned against his beloved brother, Michael! Yet why did Gabriel fall for Julian's manipulations?

Careful, Julian, you may hurt yourself with that...

        Some may feel that Gabriel was too easily tricked when Julian paraded as Michael in Gabriel's vision but you have to remember that Gabriel has been worn down physically, mentally, and emotionally. In "The Longest Mile Home" we saw Gabriel at one of his most vulnerable moments (like I said every scene even that orgy scene had a purpose). It showed Gabriel's own insecurities, questioning his decision to wage this war in the first place and if he should even continue the whole thing. 

3 beautiful women offering sanctuary? I like
where this is going...

        Maybe God won't come back. Maybe Julian will win. So what can you do? Give it all up and relax with three beautiful women of course. But even after Gabriel realized it was just a drug induced psycho-sexual fever dream he still showed resistance. The only thing keeping Gabriel going or even together was his love for Michael. Once Julian exposed that he targeted Gabriel's other nagging thoughts of doubt and guilt. 

This would make me lose faith in humanity too

       It's quite obvious that Gabriel is jealous of Michael's bond with Alex. It kind of baffles him that no matter what wrong Alex does Michael remains steadfast in his devotion to the guy. Though he seemed to understand a little in "Lay Thee Before Kings" when he helped Michael escape so he could protect Alex. But that doesn't mean those nagging feelings of jealousy went away... Then there's Gabriel's guilt in not being able to protect his own Chosen One. 

I support this vendetta

      This was the straw that broke the Archangel's back turning him into a more cynical person when it came to finding the good in humanity. It's very understandable that such an event would turn someone dark and in cases like this there's always someone else you want to blame for a tragedy such as a child's death. Michael failed to catch David as he fell but also Michael pushed Gabriel to have David fight. If David never fought then maybe he would still be alive? Sounds unreasonable but grief makes one irrational (remember Claire shot Zoe after her miscarriage). 

I could listen to Julian & Gabriel trade
witty sarcastic comments all day!

        The darkness inside Gabriel only increased his anger, pain, doubt, envy, hatred, and resentment to a thousand fold. But does that mean Gabriel will kill Michael? I feel like Michael will do everything he can to save Gabriel from himself even if it comes to violence and it definitely will. Alex may have to be objective and take Gabriel out. I hope that doesn't happen because if (or when) there's a season 3 I want to keep Gabriel around and get more into his character. 

Dominion: The Dark Rise of Riesen

           Each week I keep thinking "there's no way this episode of Dominion is going to top last week's" but then an angel orgy fever dream and dead rebel later I'm still left speechless. I know Gabe's Babes are thanking Vaun Willmont and the writers for that scene (also yes Gabriel's acid trip orgy was important for his character development) but I want to focus on Edward and Claire Riesen's actions last week. 

Straight outta Vega!

    Claire Riesen's Trip to the Dark Side

            Was NOT expecting Claire to kill Zoe! I mean I felt that Zoe was finished for sure but I didn't expect Claire to shoot the girl herself! Understandably Claire just suffered a miscarriage, her last remaining connection to Alex gone I can see her doing something drastic and it's not the first time she killed someone. However, in Clementine's case last season it was more a mercy kill. This kill felt more like pay back. Claire has to know that David was behind the sniper that cost her the baby but since David wasn't there Claire's wrath was unleashed on Zoe. 

Claire went gangsta!

        Poor Zoe... Should have shot David in the head instead of the hand. Yet Zoe is partly to blame as she allowed David to derail her at every turn, driving the wedge deeper between her and Claire when Claire made it clear that she wanted to change the city for the better just like Zoe. Now we've come to how this will affect Claire for good or for ill. I feel like this act of brutality will not work in her favor. She may have just created a martyr making the V1s to fight back even harder. Despite their differences Zoe showed that she was willing to talk instead of fight. Now Zoe's seat of leadership is left open for any radical or worse David to take and lead Vega deeper into civil war. The Devil you knew right? Only now we have the other devil we know too well David Whele.

Is Edward the type of guy who'll doom the human race
for family? Hell yes!

    Edward Riesen Joins the Dyad Club

           I half expected Riesen to take Julian's deal but only because we know when it comes to his family, Edward will always do the wrong thing. Yet we also know Julian likes to keep things to himself in order to deceive and trick others into doing what he wants for his own benefit. Given what we know from watching the show and reading "Revelations" on SyFy's website we know that Dyads are much different than 8balls. Quick recap: Dyads are disembodied higher angels that fuse together with the human soul living in symbiosis. So what I gather is the higher angel's and human's personalities are fused: those one half hates the other will also but that should be the same for those one half loves then the other half shall love too as well. In that respect I feel Claire will be safe but I doubt she'll see this transformation as a good thing. 

Don't worry who ever you are. You're still an
awesome general.

        Claire has developed a distrust of higher angels after Michael basically tricked her into getting Alex to evict Clementine in order to teach him a lesson. She had a falling out with her father because he kept her 8ball mother secret from her and Claire's last memories of her mother were a nightmare (being that she had to smother Clementine's vegetable body). And we don't know which higher angel fused with Riesen. This angel must have done something really bad to have been demoted! Riesen may become one of the bad guys! Riesen may not have been a real general but we know he has the brains otherwise he wouldn't have won the first war. I wouldn't want to face Edward Riesen in a war game. 

People lie. Numbers don't!

        If there's a reunion between Claire and dear old dad I feel like it'll be full of tension. Very excited to see what they'll have to say to each other as Claire isn't a little girl any more. Riesen may offer his help but Claire may not even want it. Why should she anyway? Despite some set backs Claire's pretty capable of leading Vega and Julian's plans for the human race is one of slavery not peace. But we'll have to see how the Riesens' actions will impact things next episode.