Dominion - General Discussion

[David T. Cole]

Mediay!

[David T. Cole]

The "awesome" movie that begat Dominion.

[ApathyMonger]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4lAb84Sb38

 

This looks like a silly show.

[wanderingstar]

This is one of those that could go either way.

[johntfs]

I really want Roma Downey to show up in this thing as a psychopathic angel with a mothering demeanor.

[Meredith Quill]

I'd rather silly than dull, so here's hoping.

[Scarlett45]

Hi, I saw an ad for this on syfy and was thinking of checking it out. The shows are always more fun if I can discuss it with you guys.

[Hanahope]

Not much else to watch this summer so far, so I'll give it a go.

[shapeshifter]

The CBS Saturday morning pseudo-news show just had a piece on new summer shows that included this one. They had brief, canned interviews with some of the principles. They managed to convince me it might be worth checking out.

[GaT]

Since I'm reading the Angelfall series & just finished the Daughter of Smoke & Bone series, I will check this out & hope for the best.

[xaxat]

So only white people survive the Angel Apocalypse. 

 

That kind of sucks.

[shapeshifter]

So only white people survive the Angel Apocalypse.

Seriously? *shapeshifter looks at cast list* Well, Shivani Ghai and Anton David Jeftha are listed 6th and 9th respectively, and they add a little diversity, but I see your point.

[Lisin]

20 years after angels descended from heaven to lay waste to the human souls they felt God had favored over them, a reluctant "savior" must arise to protect Vega, the last remaining stronghold of humanity. The savior has more to fear than just angels, as the elites of this new society conspire to gain power for themselves.

[johntfs]

I'll probably see this episode and maybe the next one because it's on after Defiance, but I doubt that I'll stick around after that.  Anthony Stewart Head doesn't buy that much good will.

[SimoneS]

This show has potential, but I don't understand why Syfy did not insist that the regular cast be far more diverse. However, it was great to see Marco (Michael) from Mile High. I was relieved that Alan Dale did not die in the pilot since his character always seems die, but he does not look well. 

 

Oh, I did like the son betraying them all to Gabriel. So Alex is Gabriel's son? Is this why Michael is afraid of having children? 

Edited June 20, 2014 by SimoneS

[Iamsweetdee]

Egan first played David in the cancelled way to soon Kings and now this? Haha. Guess he's the type Hollywood believes will save us all.

So, Black folks and non-pretty folks are just there to be redshirts?

ETA: Show, don't think I did not notice you ripping off Serenity with Princess Snowflake and the kids.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Iamsweetdee

[thuganomics85]

Good to see that Doreah from Game of Thrones (Roxanne McKee), managed to get out of that vault Daenerys locked her in, and is now living it up as Alan Dale's daughter.

 

Never seen Legion, so looking at it from that perspective, I guess it wasn't too bad, but, yeah: I can't help but notice how non-diverse this show is.  I guess this caste system made it so only white characters get major parts, huh?  But at least Alan Dale and Anthony Head were there to class up the joint.  Not famailer with Tom Wisdom, but he was pretty good as Michael.  Christopher Egan was kind of boring though.

 

The gratuitous shower scene totally reminded me of the co-ed one from Starship Troopers.

 

Any time a character said "House Rysen" (Team Dale) or "House Weel" (Team Head), I just kept thinking they sounded like some kind of lower class house in Game of Thrones, who get picked on by all the bigger houses in Westeros.

[SimoneS]

I did not know that this show was based on the movie, Legion. I re-watched a bit of it the other day on FX or one of those cable networks. From what I remember Jeep was not the baby's father. I don't think that they ever identified the father.

 

The black folks are not the only invisible disposable lower cast Red Shirts. Look at how disdainfully they dressed and treated the poor overweight actress who played the "bad" angel. The producers of this show apparently have lots of ethnic and image issues, but the blame goes to Syfy for not seeing this and stopping them in their tracks.

 

thuganomics85, you made me remember why the lead actress looked so familiar. I was racking my brain. Game of Thrones! 

Edited June 20, 2014 by SimoneS

[GaT]

Hmm, I'll be back next week & I'll see how it goes. One problem I have is that I don't like Michael. He's supposed to be a good guy? I think he's an asshole. 

[Ariah]

The thing is, with such shows, ridiculousness sort of comes with the territory.

 

Once you've gotten past angels killing humans, people herded in Vegas (of all places) and pushed into caste system and romance that everybody could see but noone notices... It's not that bad. The show aims for epic, but falls short (there's no epic on tv, and even GoT cannot convince me otherwise.) But still, it does well in some scenes (the opening, with ruined roads, for example).

 

I had a weakness for Egan ever since the Kings, so I'll bite. The Michael in the series is not even close to Paul Bettany and that's sad. He reminds me more of Gabriel in the movie, actually.

 

But it's always nice to see Giles in a non-mentor role.

 

It looks like William is a Nephilim.

Side note: Can I hope that we'll get a strong, independend female character in the series?... I guess not.

[kwerkee]

. From what I remember Jeep was not the baby's father. I don't think that they ever identified the father.

I remember he wasn't the father too. He just happened to have a crush on the then-pregnant mother and one of the few to survive the angel rampage. And yes, the biological father wasn't identified.

My tv-watching deductive skills must be getting rusty because I did not see the twist coming. William was one of my last guesses as the hooded one went to the temple. I thought it was Claire because of the tattoo warning on Alex's arm.

I wonder who Alex's traitor will be then? I doubt the warning meant William because both were not close. There's Claire, that little girl and those two fellow soldiers he's friends with. Of course, there's Michael.

Speaking of Michael, why did he allow such a caste system to flourish? Way to bring humanity on your side.

[SimoneS]

Maybe they will eventually answer your question about Michael and the caste system, but it looked to me like he has spent most of his time participating in orgies, supervising security, and raising Alex.

 

Las Vegas in the middle of a desert as a home for a surviving colony of humans is pretty ridiculous. 

 

One thing that I really liked was the sword fight scene with Michael and that Angel. I thought it was very well choreographed and performed.

 

Did Gabriel mean it literally when he called William, "my son?" 

[willow2tree]

While I thought the movie definitely had some story problems, it has so many actors that I like in it (Paul Bettany, Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Jon Tenney, Kate Walsh, Willa Holland and Charles Dutton) that it is a totally guilty pleasure for me.

[shrewd.buddha]

This was quite a nice surprise, considering that it is on SyFy.

I had seen Legion and mostly remembered the story. It seems as if this ship is being steered by the writer(s) of that, so the ideas seem to be thought out and most of the the plot holes appear to be patched. I'm hoping we don't get a lot of retcons or dropped plot lines as the show goes on. 

Again, this seems like something that would be on a cable network like A&E or one that respects good material. 

 

Is Michael the only angel that wants to help preserve humanity? Too bad that most of these humans don't seem to represent the best mankind has to offer.

 

As far as diversity in the cast goes - I wasn't distracted by the lack of it, so maybe the story was good enough for me to overlook that aspect. 

Honestly, I don't need every cast to be some representation of the United Colors of Benetton for me to enjoy a show. 

I only get irked when they cast people like Johnny Depp as a native American because, hey, it's Johnny Depp, and he can do anything. (not so much)

[willow2tree]

Wow, this was...all sorts of bad.  Paper cutout characters with no depth at all, stock casting (our hero is the blonde, cornfed boy from Nebraska!  and I'm from Nebraska...girl in love triangle is a pretty, pretty princess right down to the flowing gowns and tiara...Anthony Head was practically ripping his metaphorical mustache out from all the twirling.)  So we have ruling 'houses', cage fighting, caste systems for no reason that I can fathom, weird cults, and the apocalypse.  Next...the kitchen sink!  I can overlook a lot of problems if I like the actors (see:  the original Legion movie), but these actors are all so bland, that by the end I still didn't give a damn about any of them.  Even Anthony Head, and I hated his American accent.  I laughed out loud when the exposition fairy visited the shower room so that we could get gratuitous, totally unnecessary butt shots.  Ooo, edgy!  Except, not.  And totally agree that this Michael is nothing but a giant dick.  In the movie he was...sort of alien, and single focused, but he had lots of compassion, and that really came across.  This Michael is an ass.  And dude, if you have a horror of having half breed babies, maybe orgies with about 20 women is NOT the way to go.  I don't think I will even be back for the second episode.  And I had such hopes for this...such wasted potential.

 

Oh, and would it have killed the actor who played Jeep to have at least tried to imitate Lucas Black's Alabama accent?  It was really strong in the movie, and I doubt he would have completely lost it since he still had it as a young adult.

[tricksterson]

In Vega PoC are Redshirts but Helena seems to be dominated by Women of Color and the Alpha Couple are lesbians, or in the ambassador's case bisexual.

[Rina99]

I read this review before seeing it, so maybe I'm reacting to that, but I really liked it.  Full disclosure, I also really enjoyed the movie it's based on, Legion.  Yes, there sure were a lot of white people, but the acting was much better than I expected.  Though I do agree with all here on Michael, what a douche.  And can the actor have more than one expression at some point?  Thanks.

 

My tv-watching deductive skills must be getting rusty because I did not see the twist coming.

 

 

Neither did I.  The actor really sold me on his character's supposed conflicted nature in that previous scene with his father, so I was genuinely surprised.  

Edited June 20, 2014 by Rina99

[KBear]

That was a big eh. There was nothing that I would call good, but some of the bad was funny. I've gotten so use to quality TV that it's weird seeing something this mediocre. Ii reminded me of the bad syndicated shows from the 90s. The best thing this show has going for it is that it's on during the summer. I might watch next week just to see if it gets better, but I doubt it'll become anything I'll watch on a regular basis. 

[Hanahope]

I agree that for summer fare, I'll keep it on the DVR for now, but frankly none of the acting or actors were that compelling.  How do we get such a rigged caste system in only 20 years?  And Las Vegas too?  Why don't the bad angels just destroy Hoover Damn and the water supply?  That will kill the humans pretty quickly.  And way to isolate the hero almost immediately. That makes it worthwhile watching.

[Tara Ariano]

Dave and I had some thoughts!

[shrewd.buddha]

If I could make a few suggestions for this show, they would be :

 

a) Why not try to not kill characters for dramatic effect? When they killed off Jeep (seriously? Jeep?), it felt so .. perfunctory. I know these are genre shows and thus have formulas, but if they want to stand apart from the crowd, they need to switch up some of the conventions.  Either avoid killing characters at the most obvious times, or kill them at the most ridiculously inconvenient times. 

 

b) Make the angels look a little more other-worldly - - sort of like Angelina Pitt in Maleficent. They are on the right track with Michael who looks slightly androgynous, but it would be better if they took their ascetically appealing features and exaggerated them to the point of slightly creepy looking. The way plastic surgeons do .. 

 

c) Don't bore the audience by using the same characters in each episode. Are we going to have the same 6 to 8 characters, but in different configurations and situations each week? Steal a page from Game of Thrones and expand your horizons. Tho I have the feeling that "the chosen one" is going to be front and center every. single. episode.  Just don't. 

Edited June 20, 2014 by shrewd.buddha

[ShadowHunter]

I did not see the twist with William either which also makes the character more interesting. I thought he was just going to be part of the love triangle.

 

I laughed when Gabriel waved to Michael in the form of the bad angel. It was a very bitchy wave lol.

 

The fight scene with Micheal and the angel was pretty good.

 

I am not sold on Christopher Egan yet which is a problem since he is the lead. I remember him from Kings but on that show I cared more about Sebastian Stan then him. The reading on the tattoo has potential for good story.

 

If this show was on in the fall I don't think I would bother but as a Summer series this seems like fun quilty pleasure so far.

[Izeinwinter]

The thing is.. Anthony Heads character sort of has a point. God fucked them all once, looking to a savior for salvation? Not fast learners, are we? Those tats are a line of communication to.. someone or something. Trusting them implicitly is not clever. The fact that he also appears to be picking a fight with other human survivors is deeply daft, however. 

Edited June 21, 2014 by Izeinwinter

[TimetoShine]

Anthony Head's accent was really distracting. It sounded very fake and kept pulling me out of the story, which wasn't very good in first place.

I also felt Michael was ever so dull.

I'll give it 2 more episodes, but it's going to have to do more/better to keep me watching.

[Ariah]

 

God fucked them all once, looking to a savior for salvation? Not fast learners, are we?

 

True, but then again... Isn't that the way God acted in the Old Testament?

Like: I'm fed up with people, let's drown all of them (but for Noe). Or, I'm fed up with this nation, let's send them all to slavery. Or, I'm fed up with this nation, let's send them all to slavery - AGAIN. Or: I really like this one guy (Job), let's see if he likes me and kill all his loved ones, take away his money and health... Yup, the God was a real charmer.

 

Going with this, perhaps God is not really gone, but his "disappearance" is a way of testing both humanity and the angels - who will remain good, who will betray the ideals... And, in the 10th season of Dominion, it is revaealed that God was there all the time, watching and in the moment when all hope is lost, he reveals himself, there's Rapture, all good ones are saved... That would go right in line with the Srcipture ;)

[tv echo]

I watched the debut episode for Anthony Head but his accent changed from northern to southern American at times.  I was also distracted by little Cosette (I think her name is Bixby?) which took me straight to Les Miz.  The other upper tier angels allied with Gabriel looked like a cross between Power Rangers and Magneto.

 

I think Claire is going to betray Alex - just a feeling.

Edited June 21, 2014 by tv echo

[Mak1908]

Glad I'm not the only Kings fan here! Chris Egan will always be David Shepherd to me. (Although I preferred Sebastian Stan as Jack. Oh, Jack). Come to think of it, it seems as though Egan is just playing David Shepherd all over again. 

 

Back on topic, I haven't seen the movie Legion, but I did think this was okay. Its a summer show on SyFy, so I'm not expecting a masterpiece, but I was entertained enough. I'll stick with it.

 

I did not see the twist with William, although I must of zoned out at some point because I didn't realize that he was Whele's son, I think? I too am wondering what his relationship to Gabriel is. 

 

I'm hoping that they get out of Vega for some episodes so that we can see what is going on in Helena and possible other compounds. I'm curious as to why Vega was chosen as opposed to some other location. (I did read the Handbook on syfy.com, but I'd like to get a bit more background).

[Izeinwinter]

It is very old testament, indeed. But you know what the rational, measured and reasonable response to an entity acting like the god of the old testament is? 

"Lets hope it is lying about the omnipotence bit and drop a fusion warhead on it". 

And lets face it, the fact that the /first/ thing the tattoos do is try to isolate him from his social ties is a very bad sign indeed. 

I may be overestimating the writers, but it would make a great deal of sense if relying on the "savior" following instructions from an unknown source is a catastrophically bad idea. 

[sjohnson]

I don't think we'll really have a feel for this show until at least the "second pilot," which is the first regular season episode.

 

Til then, I loved Kings so Chris Egan has my good will (although not as much as Sebastian Stan would.) I don't know Anthony Head's work (Buffy I think,) but I've not been impressed before by what little I've seen, and am not now. If I were William I wouldn't call that character "father" either. The princess alas struck me as the most vacuous character, but problems with women characters are even more typical of TV SF than TV generally. Which is saying something.

 

The tattoo premise demands careful plotting. If they really think BattleStar Galactica is something to imitate it's a recipe for disaster I think.

Edited June 21, 2014 by sjohnson

[SimoneS]

Ian McShane and Sebastian Stan are the only two actors who stand out from my vague memory of Kings. I remember thinking that the lead was so bland, but that he was the physical type that Hollywood liked. I thought he would go on to have a major career. So I am happily surprised that the far more talented Stan is the one building up a major movie career.

[BuddhaBelly]

I want to like this show simply on the strength that it's not about vampires or werewolves but it's so paint by numbers it's painful. I'm probably going to check out another two or so episodes to see if it gets any better but I won't hold my breath.

[tveyeonyou]

"The gratuitous shower scene totally reminded me of the co-ed one from Starship Troopers."

thuganomics85 that shower scene reminded me of Dollhouse, and with Anthony Stewart Head in it (although it sounds weird to hear his American accent) I can't help but think somebody loves Joss Whedon. I hope they start to write like Joss Whedon soon, I'm pretty much just watching to see ASH plus I love watching or reading stuff about Angels fighting.

[ceg1]

Vegas?! Why Vegas, Michael? Hard to defend and there's no water. Guess because Michael is a freeee-eeeek. An orgy indulging freaky-deaky angel, which is hilarious.

 

I too wish there was more diversity in the main cast, but this show isn't as bad as I thought, except for ASH's accent. All those hard r's.

[SimoneS]

I thought the series was filmed in New Mexico which is why they chose Las Vegas, but I found a couple articles that said that it was actually filmed in South Africa which makes the lack of diversity in the main cast even more inexcusable. South Africa has numerous talented actors who all speak English. 

[ceg1]

South Africa? Interesting. yeah.

 

I'll keep watching. I like the wings and the flying and fighting.

[Amelie06]

 

Egan first played David in the cancelled way to soon Kings and now this? Haha. Guess he's the type Hollywood believes will save us all.

So, Black folks and non-pretty folks are just there to be redshirts?

I loved Kings, so I was willing to give this show a chance for Egan's sake. This show kind of sucks, but in a good way. It is ten types of terrible, but still interesting. I'll definitely give it a few more episodes. I do think it's unfair to compare Egan to Sebastian Stan. That man has some kind of insane charisma going on and intensity that burns through the screen. Egan is ok, but he looks worse with the comparison. He is clearly playing the same character as he did in Kings, only David was nicer.

 

The show's lack of diversity wasn't a huge concern for me. That makes me sad. I should have paid more attention to that. I recently made a solemn vow to not watch any show that didn't have a person of color in a major role. I get how they got into this situation, though. The original movie kind of dictated that the chosen one was going to be white. We'll know we are actually in a post-racial America when a chosen one can be a minority instead of a pretty white person. I guess they thought the  Lord of the City would have to be white because and so to would his daughter (though she could have been adopted or just mixed race). Once they cast Anthony Stewart Head, they had to cast a white person as his son. I don't necessarily think they were being jerks, I just think they kind of happened into this diversity-challenged cast. I have hope that this will improve. The Helena chicks seem like a safe bet to add a little more.

 

I really don't care about the lame love story. That chick is full of excuses. She doesn't love you, baby! Instead of telling her father about this great love, she instead tries to Lady Macbeth her way into staying in power. What does she mean "we" have worked too hard on this city? How old is she? I didn't see her doing anything other than tutoring some kids in religion. I'm always suspicious of unelected people staying in power indefinitely for "the good of the people." That's very convenient for her to say, since she isn't a victim of the inexplicable caste system. Why does that even exist? Just to make terribleness ever terribler?

 

How can Anthony Stewart Head stay in power after he intentionally unleashed death and destruction on his own people? There were witnesses. People know about this. One would think they would riot in the street before letting a nutbar like him be in charge.

 

The twist with William was very good. I thought for sure we would have to sit through an insufferable story of him being creepily in love with Princess Macbeth and slowly going insane with jealousy over her love for the chosen one. Instead, he is clearly one of the beasties they are trying to fight. I bought his religious fervor and his surprise that his father didn't give a shit about the savior. More of this, less of the CW nonsense.

 

I hated Michael. He was a total dick. Thanks to whoever (whomever?) mentioned that he was Marco on Mile High. I knew I'd seen him somewhere. Realizing that he was that whiny little bastard has made Michael seem even less badass. Why introduce Michael, the only angel that helped humans, as some mopey ass who apparently likes to hit it and then cry in the corner. Why does that chick even like him if he wants to bang three chicks at once and then instantly stand at a window and cry about it. Get some of your slaves in the city to start manufacturing condoms, Michael! Move on. It's a testament to how creepy the actor is playing Michael that I thought he was just going to kill that woman in his first scene. You know, just to make sure she doesn't have a baby.

 

I also thought it was cheap to kill Jeep. His character was used just to make sure that everyone knew who the magical baby of magic was. Jeep's reunion scene with Alex was pretty funny. How did Jeep think he would react after being abandoned and then attacked? Terrible father.

[shapeshifter]

I fell asleep on the first attempt at watching.

About half way through the second I tuned out.

To be fair, neither fantasy nor sadistic violence are my thing, but I thought I'd give it a try because of the trailer and some of the actors.

But. no.

[Lee4U]

This thing needs some wit and a bit of humor to lighten it all up - For me, a muddle and dull as dirt.  Oh well.  

[wanderingstar]

Am I the only one who kept waiting to hear the citizens called Vegans?

[Biosynth]

I too think I'm just tuning in for Wings, Flying and Battles.  I am determined to give this show a chance, but we'll see.  I know that most of you disliked Michael, but I liked him, so I'll watch for him, haha. 

 

I liked the twist too.  I'll keep going to see how that pans out.

 

Otherwise, meh.  I was a little irritated by Princess perfect, but we'll see how she handles things.

 

I am a little miffed that a "bad angel" was a fat dumpy woman.  :(  And the good are all slim and tall.  Bleh.

 

The off putting thing for me is that I don't think the higher powered angels or most angels would be behaving like this. 

And also, it would be fun to get some Cherubim and Seraphim in there.  Even though they are depicted as cute, they are major butt kickers.

 

Not to mention getting the merkabah involved.  That would be freaky!