Alex crashes the council meeting with scandalous news!
Season 1, Episode 8
Airdate: Thursday, August 7, 2014, 9/8c on Syfy Rating:
It’s not with a whimper but a bang that the season finale of Dominion concludes the series’ debut season. In an extensive 90-minute showdown, “Beware Those Closest to You” places all the core characters at a standstill. One of the strengths in “Beware Those Closest to You” is the emotional range within the story lines. For example, the wedding between the House of Whele’s heir, Principate William (Luke Allen-Gale), and Claire Riesen (Roxanne McKee), the heiress to the House of Riesen reflects one of the lighter elements as they exchange sweet vows. Yet, their scene also adds a bittersweet tone considering William serves as one of Archangel Gabriel’s (Carl Beukes) secret acolyte, creating an underling tension I like watching unfold during the finale. Then there are the more serious scenes showcasing the inner strife among archangels Michael (Tom Wisdom), Gabriel, and Uriel (Katrine De Candole) whose extreme actions causes several major game changes where lives hang in the balance. Finally, Sgt. Alex Lannon (Christopher Egan) provides a lot of action sequences when he decides to take action against Gabriel and his army.
No Slowing Down I understand many tv season finales are chock full of action, thrills, and cliffhangers. Dominion, however, takes it to another level as “Beware Those Closest to You” races through some core story lines while leaving loose ends in its path. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the drama or performances, but the episode leaves little breathing room to process some of the major events. That said, I really like how the episode begins, showing a furious Alex crashing through the V6 Counsel building, denouncing Michael, the city’s protector, as a fraud and threat. I admit, Alex’s moody behavior makes me question whether his actions are pure. When Michael is later banished from the city, Alex rejoins him and it becomes apparent the two are plotting together, not against one another. Alex and Michael’s plans to deceive the officials in Vega reveals Alex’s sneaker side which is a pleasant surprise. It also demonstrates how well Dominion has molded Alex over the span of only seven episodes leading to the finale. Despite being the Chosen One, Alex’s imperfections and insecurities are great ways to evolve his character into being stronger as he moves closer to his destiny.
Little does Claire know the kind of man she is marrying.
But Alex isn’t the only one with problems. In one of the more unexpected plot points, Claire finds herself pregnant with Alex’s child. Yes, the Chosen One is expecting a little one in several months’ time. Equally shocking is the involvement Arika (Shivani Ghai), Helena’s former representative, has with Uriel in manipulating Claire for their own ulterior motives. I love how the women have instrumental roles in shaping the future as much as the men. Now that Senator Whele is emotionally “broken” by William’s tactics indoctrinating him into Gabriel’s cult, it leaves plenty of room for Arika to make her move to take over. What I find surprising about Uriel isn’t her betrayal of Gabriel and Michael as much as how she views her actions as a way to finally grant the world the peace it sorely lacks. “Beware Those Closest to You” is not only a message from Alex’s tattoos but the theme of the entire episode.
Michael learns quickly the price to pay for love.
Tipping the Scales The price for peace and freedom always comes at a high cost. In the season finale, sacrifice is a major motive as it is used to advance certain characters further in their respective story lines. There are many memorable moments but the one that stands out the most is Michael’s relationship with Consul Becca Thorn (Rosalind Halstead), who is not only a medical worker but a scientist too. What’s great about Michael’s backstory is the amount of moral ambiguity he has. As God’s servant, he murdered thousands as instructed, but what’s interesting is Michael’s revelation to Alex that perhaps all his past evils were “tests” and he now is looking for redemption by assisting the Chosen One. Later, Michael’s words of salvation and second chances fall flat as he demonstrates the extent of his wrath, which is certainly not pretty. Let’s face it; as soon as Becca chooses to work behind Michael’s back, later experimenting on angels, it’s clear she is living on borrowed time. Yet, I didn’t expect Michael to enforce his brand of justice on Becca. One of the most tumultuous and shocking scenes in “Beware Those Closest to You” shows Michael’s blind rage when he not only experiences losing one of his closest friends, he discovers the woman he essentially loves has deceived him. I once saw a forensic program on TV that described the act of choking someone to death as a crime of passion; a moment where one is so overwhelmed with anger, they become emotionally numb to their surroundings. When Michael attacks everyone in his path, even going so far as to battle Alex, I thought of that program. Throughout the season, Michael has been very even keeled, emotionally speaking, so to witness such an extreme amount of violence is unnerving. Watching Gabriel revel in his brother’s downfall later is tragic. I can’t help but wonder what happened to Gabriel that is so bad it makes him fall far from his old ways of protecting humans. Again, the topic of God becomes the raison d’être for Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel in resorting to violence and betrayals. Is the whole exile nothing but another test? If God is essentially omnipresent, doesn’t that mean he is still hanging around?
Bottom Line
Noma, warrior angel, finds herself literally in Gabriel’s clutches.
I don’t know if this is my favorite episode of the season despite there being more than an ample number of surprises. Even though I was fully aware there were only eight episodes in Dominion’s premiere season, I am still disappointed there are not more. There hasn’t been enough time to discuss the elaborate mythology setup. Also, there is a bit of disconnection between Senator Whele’s breakdown in “Ouroburos” and his recovery in “Beware Those Closest to You.” He seems too quickly tamed, and I miss his evil schemes. Then there is the issue with Sgt. Noma Banks (Kim Engelbrecht), who is not only a higher angel but Michael’s soldier as well. She puts everything on the line, and makes some amends with Alex but her fate is left out in the open when she becomes Gabriel’s prisoner. In fact, a whole lot of people, other than Alex, are left with unfortunate futures; Alex’s story arc is brought to a reasonable close in the last scene that shows him literally climbing his way to the top. Overall, “Beware Those Closest to You” is a great episode with Dominion’s signature emotional rollercoaster leaving you wanting more. I hope Syfy takes the opportunity to renew this great series for another exciting season. I can’t imagine what they’re waiting for!
What did you think of the “Beware Those Closest to You?”Leave your comments below or on Twitter @conallen.
Keep up-to-date with Dominion on its official site at www.syfy.com/dominion, where you can also watch videos and clips of the episodes. Also, like the series’ Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/DominionSyfy. Follow Dominion on its official Tumblr: http://dominionsyfy.tumblr.com/, and on Twitter: @DominionSyfy. All photos © 2014 Syfy Network, a division of NBC Universal, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Connie Allen
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