Dominion (TV series)

Dominion
Genre	Apocalypticism Supernatural Action
Created by	Vaun Wilmott
Based on	Legion by Peter Schink Scott Stewart
Starring	Christopher Egan Tom Wisdom Roxanne McKee Luke Allen-Gale Shivani Ghai Rosalind Halstead Anthony Head Alan Dale
Country of origin	Template:TVUS
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	5
Production
Executive producers	David Lancaster Michel Litvack Tom Lieber Todd Slavkin Darren Swimmer Scott Stewart Vaun Wilmott
Production locations	Cape Town, South Africa
Production companies	Universal Cable Productions FanFare Productions Film Afrika
Original release
Network	Syfy
Release	June 19, 2014 (2014-06-19) – present

Dominion is an American apocalyptic supernatural action television series created by Vaun Wilmott. It is based on the 2010 film Legion, written by Peter Schink and Scott Stewart. In December 2013, Syfy ordered a pilot episode and the series premiered on the American cable television network Syfy on June 19, 2014. The show is filmed on location in Cape Town, South Africa. Stewart serves as series executive producer, as well as director of the pilot episode, written by Wilmott.

Synopsis

Dominion is the story of a time when God vanishes and in His absence the archangel Gabriel decides to wage war against mankind believing them unworthy of God's love. Although most higher angels remain neutral Gabriel has convinced the lower angels, the "dogs of Heaven", also known as "eight-balls" by humans due to their black eyes, to fight alongside him. The pilot begins 25 years later in a world where mankind survive in a few fortified cities. The Archangel Michael has chosen to side with humanity against Gabriel, living amongst humans in the fortified city of Vega (which was once Las Vegas) until the time a prophecised savior appears to save mankind.

Cast

Main cast

• Christopher Egan as Sgt. Alex Lannon: A rebellious young V-2 soldier who is a sergeant in Vega's Archangel Corps. Alex is Claire's lover and is Charlie's son (from Legion). He discovers he is the unlikely savior of humanity, known as the "Chosen One", and the central figure of "Saviorism", the unoffcial but dominant religion of Vega.
• Tom Wisdom as Michael: The archangel who, at the outbreak of the war between his angel brethren and humanity, left his kind to join the fight against them. Michael is Gabriel's brother, who turned into his enemy, and a legendary warrior considered the greatest of all archangels. Michael battled his brother's armies of Possessed, and was instrumental in winning the war for mankind. He is now the guardian of Vega, his new home, and keeps a watchful eye on the people from his secluded tower, dedicated to defending the city from angel threats. To aid him, Michael established the Archangel Corps, which he commands as Vega’s first line of defense. Michael is a proven invaluable ally - he is Riesen's chief advisor, Alex's guide and protector, and Becca's lover.
• Roxanne McKee as Claire Riesen: Riesen's daughter, a teacher to orphan children and believer in Saviorism, Claire is the city's de-facto "princess" - heir apparent to her father's seat as ruler of Vega. Claire is deeply opposed to the V-System, and her defense of the people's rights have made her beloved by the people. Claire is Alex's lover (a relationship that is forbidden but continues with a few having knowledge), but is betrothed to marry William.
• Luke Allen-Gale as Principate William Whele: David's idealistic son and true believer of the Chosen One. William is the kind-hearted and religious leader of the Church of the Savior. He is betrothed to marry Claire, whom he grew up with and loves very much. While he apparently worships Alex as the Chosen One, he is secretly a Black Acolyte, who worships Gabriel as a god.
• Shivani Ghai as Arika: A diplomat from Helena, one of the other cities which have risen in the aftermath of the war, and the consort and wife of Helena's dangerous ruler, Queen Evelyn. With Helena being a neutral power and the only real air power left in the area (the city is in possession of Hill AFB), Evelyn sends Arika as the head of a delegation visiting Vega to maintain the peace. To aid her efforts, Arika begins a secret relationship with David.
• Rosalind Halstead as Consul Becca Thorn: The head of House Thorn, Becca is one of Vega's senators, who is in charge of the city's scientific and medical personnel and who oversees all their efforts in Vega. Becca is Riesen's confidant regarding his terminal condition, David's rival in the Senate, a close friend of Claire, and Michael's lover.
• Anthony Head as Consul David Whele: The head of House Whele and William's father, David is one of Vega's senators, who is the Secretary of Commerce - Vega's chief administrator and the bureaucrat who keeps every government department running. David is a ruthless and cunning political operator who maintains a dynamic and unpredictable relationship with Riesen - the one man in the city more powerful than he. He is planning with his son to depose Riesen by making William the Lord Of The City through his marriage to Claire. A former televangelist, before the war he truly believed in God, but now sees that everything he previously believed in was wrong, although he narcissistically uses the psychology of faith he previously embraced to advance himself and his son's positions. He is vehemently against Saviorism, and considers Alex to be his greatest threat to his plans to seize control of Vega, and him being the Chosen One could bring ruin to their society.
• Alan Dale as General Edward Riesen: The head of House Riesen and Claire's father, Riesen is the Lord Of The City - Vega's selfless ruler and military leader. During the war, Riesen was a key figure who led humanity to victory - on the brink of extermination, humankind rallied and able-bodied survivors were organized under Riesen's leadership, and after almost two decades of war; Riesen was responsible for destroying the angel army and ended Gabriel’s ability to wage large scale war. Afterwards, Riesen and his closest advisors founded the fortified city of Vega. Inspired by his training at West Point, General Riesen worked with the Senate to devise and create the V-System, a rigid occupation-based social ordering which ensures the vital work of building and running Vega is accomplished. However, he claims it was only a temporary measure - Riesen shares his daughter's opposition to the system, as he wishes to step down and help Vega transition into a republic, and when Claire inherit's his seat as ruler, she will need an arranged marriage to William Whele to defend herself from his father, David. Riesen is secretly suffering from congestive heart failure, and could die at any moment, something only Becca Thorn knows about. Riesen is having a covert affair with Clementine, an eight-ball angel.

Recurring cast

• Carl Beukes as Gabriel: An archangel and leader of the angel armies, Gabriel led the majority of his brethren in a war to end mankind - he is responsible for pushing humanity to the very brink of extinction. He justifies his actions as Gabriel, scornful and jealous towards humanity's favored position, is angry at their abuse of the world he believes belongs to the angels, which he suspects led to God's disappearance. Gabriel is Michael's brother, who turned into his enemy, and to him he confides his belief that when the last of humanity is gone, maybe God will return.
• Katrine De Candole as Uriel, an archangel and sister of Michael and Gabriel.
• Langley Kirkwood as Jeep Hanson: Alex's adoptive father and Charlie's husband (from Legion), Jeep is a hero of Vega presumed dead in the war, known as Vega's "prophet" for the Chosen One. He returns to Vega after fourteen years, a forgotten warrior, having worked ever since to decode the tattoos on his body while Michael protected and watched over Alex. He is killed shortly after his return by Roan, a higher angel disguised as a human child.
• Kim Engelbrecht as Sgt. Noma Walker: A sergeant in Vega's Archangel Corps, Noma is a friend of Alex and a fellow soldier. She knows about his forbidden relationship with Claire, but is trusted to keep her knowledge of it secret.
• Betsy Wilke as Bixby: A young girl who Alex cares for, Bixby is an orphan, and so was placed in the lowest level of the V-System: V-1. Alex wants to take her and Claire out of the city so they will no longer have to live by Vega’s rules. Originally struggling to survive, Bixby witnesses the revelation of Alex as the Chosen One, and is now under the protection of House Riesen, greatly improving her standard of living. However, she is killed by David Whele.
• Luam Staples as Roan: A higher angel and member of the Powers, now joined with Gabriel.
• Anton David Jeftha as Furiad: A higher angel and member of the Powers, now joined with Gabriel.
• Jonathan Howard as Ethan Mack: A soldier in Vega's Archangel Corps, and a friend and fellow soldier to Norma and Alex.
• Samantha Logan as Lena: A teenaged girl who lives in Vega and has a crush on Alex.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
1	"Pilot"	Scott Stewart	Vaun Wilmott	June 19, 2014 (2014-06-19)	1.96
In Vega, Alex searches for "8-balls", humans possessed by angels and led by the Archangel Gabriel. Alex finds them in an abandoned casino, kills one, and battles another. A third disappears. Meanwhile, in a hotel, Archangel Michael reprimands Alex by whipping him. Alex visits General Riesen's daughter, Claire, a priestess, who explains to some children that angels can possess people, and that one day a chosen one will return to reveal himself. When the children leave, Alex and Claire discuss fleeing Vega, but she insists that her father can be reasoned with and let them be together. Arika, the leader of the Helena delegation, tells David Whele that while her leader is not ready to join a treaty, she will trade women for a nuclear reactor. He agrees. Jeep is unable to decipher his tattoos but knows a war is coming. Michael shows Alex to him and it is revealed that Jeep is Alex's father. It is finally made known that Gabriel is alive and he sends angels from Boulder to fight those in Vega, as David has brought an 8-ball into the city. Jeep gets stabbed and dies in Alex's arms after telling him that he is the chosen one. Jeep's tattoos fade and reappear on Alex. Michael tells him that he is the savior of Vega and that his responsibility is to decipher all of the tattoos. Alex sees that part of it has changed to read "Beware of those closest to you". Finally, David's son, William, is shown to have aligned with Gabriel.
2	"Godspeed"	Rick Jacobson	Vaun Wilmott	June 26, 2014 (2014-06-26)	1.45
Alex mourns the loss of his father and wrestles with the idea of being the chosen one. He tells Claire that they should leave the city, but she wishes to stay and help defend it. Gabriel and Michael meet and discuss why the angels attacked—angels were upset that God gave humans their form and the Earth to be theirs; Gabriel wants God to return and believes the attacks will encourage it. Alex's new assignment is to protect the House of Whele. He reveals to Michael that the tattoo told him to stay away. Alex learns that, before the war, David was a televangelist, and he asks Alex not to tell anyone about being the chosen one. Alex agrees. Arika, a prisoner, blackmails David for her freedom or there will be war. General Riesen is shown to have congestive heart failure, and he wishes to hand control of the city over to Claire. After her maid, Felicia, sees Alex's tattoos, she attacks him as an angel. Claire gets injured, and Alex kicks Felicia out a window. She flies away, injured. He decides that the best way to protect Claire is to leave the city. When he does, his arm tattoo changes to dots. Felicia returns to Gabriel with the identity of the chosen one.
3	"Broken Places"	Rick Jacobson	Dario Scardapane and Damien Ober	July 3, 2014 (2014-07-03)	1.69
William meets Gabriel to learn he must now help Gabriel. William hesitantly agrees. Arika meets David to talk about their mutual needs. He wants an air force and she wants his nuclear reactor technology to take back to Helena. He sends her back to Evelyn to broker a deal. Out in the desert, Alex learns angels have been attacking out of nowhere from the sky. In the senate, Michael states he had no idea other angels could be living within the city walls. The Senate is reminded that, before Michael chose to help the humans, he was "one of them". Later, Ethan tells Michael that Alex is gone. Claire and her father argue that the system he created is actually enslaving people and creating a dangerous social order. He finally reveals that he has a failing heart. David Whele corners Becca to say he wants her to study Michael. They also discuss that sleeping with an angel makes one a pariah, and that Becca should start autopsies on higher angels or he will tell spread word that she's having sex with Michael. Alex is very resistant to being the chosen one. Michael say he will leave him alone, if he goes to one more location. They head to Alex's childhood home, where he sees visions of Jeep trying to learn about the tattoo. Alex remembers his mother's death, and Michael reveals he told Jeep to give Alex up. Michael then vows do anything to protect Alex. Meanwhile in Vega, Arika gets a package—the dead body of her sister. David enters to say she is no longer helpful to his cause. She tells him if he gives her amnesty she will penetrate Evelyn's inner circle. In the desert, Furiad and another 8-ball attack Alex and Michael, who gets stabbed. William tells his followers that it is time they start worshiping Gabriel and not Michael. Arika leaves a beacon beeping on her windowsill. Alex drops Michael off at the hospital and is promptly arrested for desertion. Furiad tells Gabriel that he stabbed Michael, which angers him.
4	"The Flood"	Alex Holmes	Brusta Brown & John Mitchell Todd	July 10, 2014 (2014-07-10)	1.62
Alex is dragged to Vega's prison, where prisoners are generally strip-searched. He chooses to get thrown into solitary confinement rather than expose his tattoo. Michael is healed by a mysterious, unseen person. While he and Becca are sleeping, a woman sneaks in and tries to kill her with a sword. He stops her, and it is revealed she is Michael and Gabriel's sister, Uriel. At the hospital, Claire visits a heavily medicated Bixby, who says she saw the chosen one. Senator Frost overhears this and immediately tells the Senate, but everyone thinks he is foolish. In prison, Alex dreams his tattoo wash off and the ink reads "She died for you" on the prison floor. He wakes to find Claire has come to visit him. He tries to convince her that, since everyone he comes in contact with seems to get hurt, it's probably best he stay in prison. She tells him he's abandoning Bixby just like his father abandoned him and ultimately frees him from jail. Meanwhile, Noma must guard Arika, who flirts with her, telling her that Arika will someday be the leader of Helena and will then need a bodyguard. Noma considers the job. Alex visits Bixby, who tells him that her getting hurt is not Alex's fault. He disagrees. David and General Riesen are summoned to Vega's agriculture center, where Senator Frost reveals a device that can flood all the crops, killing the three of them in the process. He will use it if not given a meeting with the chosen one. In the Senate, with David and General Riesen missing, Becca appoints Claire the Lady of the City. Now in charge, she needs to decide on raiding the agri-center. Meanwhile, Uriel and Micheal talk alone. Uriel tells Micheal that if he teaches Alex how to unlock the markings, and if he does so she will join him in the battle against Gabriel. David tries to appease Frost and take his phone, but the anxious senator shoots him in the leg. As the police move in, Noma and Ethan tell Alex that all Frost wants is to meet the chosen one. When none of the police listen to Alex, Claire sends him in as a negotiator. He takes off his shirt, and the senator sees the tattoo but still doesn't believe. When he asks for real proof, Alex says: "She died for you". Frost says the message was indeed meant for him, and he believes Alex. He surrenders, but General Riesen shoots Frost, as the chosen one's identity cannot be publicized. Uriel visits Gabriel and tells him that if he takes Alex from Micheal and trains him to destroy the humans then she will join him in his fight, although she had promised Micheal the same thing. David visits Bixby in the hospital and turns up her intake of morphine, killing her.
5	"Something Borrowed"	Alex Holmes	Rebecca Kirsch	July 17, 2014 (2014-07-17)	1.58
6	"Black Eyes Blue"	TBA	TBA	July 24, 2014 (2014-07-24)	TBA
7	"Ouroburos"	TBA	TBA	July 31, 2014 (2014-07-31)	TBA
8	"Exiles"	TBA	TBA	August 7, 2014 (2014-08-07)	TBA
9	"Beware Those Closest To You"	TBA	TBA	August 14, 2014 (2014-08-14)	TBA

Reception

Dominion has been met with mixed reviews. On Metacritic, the show holds a score of 48 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a rating of 40% based on 20 reviews, with the consensus reading: "Bogged down by exposition, Dominion struggles with balancing tried-and-true sci-fi tropes with complicated plot twists".

External links

• Official website
• Dominion at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show