Dominion

I'm so tired of watching these new shows, getting invested in them, only to have them canceled without any kind of conclusion.

It seems to be happening more and more. I'm at the point where I don't think I will bother watching any new show until there is at least 3 or 4 seasons that have been completed. I would rather binge watch them without commercials anyway.

I can list a ton of shows that I really enjoyed, and they simply pull the plug without any attempt to give us some closure. Dominion is another example of this. I agree, that the second season was a bit of a mess, but it was still a good show, and it looked like it was about to get really good again.

However, if they wanted to cancel it, fine, but for the love of all that is holy, they could have given us a couple more shows, and attempt to give us some closure.

Yup, I don't think I will start watching any new shows, unless they have a few season under their belt now. Especially if it is a SyFy show.

First a disclaimer: I have no desire to be a movie critic, and I auto-avoid 'user' reviews made by wannabe critics who like to drop impressive words to show of their knowledge of the dictionary. So, I won't.

Now, here's a secondary disclaimer. I *ENJOYED* the movie 'Legion', and I had resigned myself to not getting a sequel made. A TV series? Better. Much, much better. TV gives an idea room to breathe and evolve over time.

This series took me by surprise, as I hadn't heard about it before. As soon as I finished watching the pilot, I immediately dug out Legion and watched that again. The series is entirely a continuation of the movie, set some years after. The plot makes sense, and the densely packed pilot served to set the scene very well. Then again, I watch for entertainment and don't go looking for errors, so your mileage may vary.

The set, costumes and props are all of a high standard, and there wasn't anything that caught your eye as being out of place or of poor quality. The CGI was very good, with the exception of one high-speed death scene near the beginning which flits by so fast many of you won't notice it.

There is a lot of implied sensuality, though (so far) nothing pornographic other than one costume. I feel they found a good balance there, without being crass for the sake of it.

Now, the acting. I've seen a number of shows featuring Anthony Head (David Whele), and this is his crowning achievement, I believe. In one episode, he gets you to hate him, sympathize with him, pity him... twice I flipped, from rooting against him to siding with him and back again. All this was achieved in a relatively low number of scenes. He isn't the soft touch we've become used to seeing him portray. The love interest, Claire (Roxanne McKee) has shown better abilities than Alex the lead (Christopher Egan) though I think it won't be long before he finds his place once his 'role' in the story is more firm. Casting there was an excellent choice - she even looks like her on-screen father, Alan Dale.

So far, after one episode, this has killed Defiance as it is truly Fantasy/SF, instead of just a Western with SF bits stapled on. Also, it's not a formulaic, monster-of-the-week or crime-of-the-week show... you'll have to follow to keep up.

That makes it expensive, though, and a risk for the studio.

Now. This is SyFy. Call me jaded, but the odds of this not getting canned after one or two seasons aren't great.

Must admit I do not remember having seen the film (Legion) but it did ring a bell so I was up for a new series about, once again, saving mankind. I am a Supernatural fan and that has the same principle, bad angels, good angels, demons, God gone etc but on a more down to earth basis, and it can be really funny. This however seems to be more doomsday. It is well made, at the moment, but that can change. The main characters are OK. I am getting a bit frustrated with the same twists in plots, there seems to be so few surprises these days, you are always waiting for the traitor, the hero, who doesn't want to be a hero, and as always the love interest. If this does make it to a full season I hope the writers will at least try to surprise us. A little bit of humour would be nice too as life in what ever stage is not always deadly serious. Saw that some one mentioned all the actors are British? Not quite true but there does seem to be a a lot of Aussies staring in things these days, I'm all for it, I think they are refreshingly unpretentious, which makes their characters more believable.

Might have to re-vote depending on which way this goes.

25 years ago, God disappeared. That's Dominion's opening line, and the introduction to the show's mythology. Now, you may be thinking, okay, this is a show about religion and angels and Christian belief. But before you judge all too quickly, let me stop you right there. Because it's not.

First and foremost, Dominion is a show about humanity trying to survive in a harsh, post-apocalyptic world. Mankind is caught in the middle of an ugly war waging between the Archangel Gabriel and the Archangel Michael. What is left of society is trying to overcome the hardships they face every day in the few cordoned off enclaves that withstood the invasion of Gabriel's lower angels. And it's Michael who tries to protect them to the best of his ability, waiting for the Chosen One, the savior of mankind, to be revealed.

Dominion is based on the movie Legion and continues the film's mythology, jumping ahead 25 years in time. Season 1 shows us the world of Vega (the former Las Vegas), which gives a home to many of the survivors of the Extermination War. While the people in the lower castes lives a rather measly life, the royalty of the city plot their schemes and get caught up in politics. It's ugly and complicated and ultimately explosive in these unstable times.

And while it's the political battles that keep Vega busy, Gabriel is plotting his next strike against the humans with his surviving army of higher and lower angels. All hope is now upon the Chosen One, who goes by the name of Alex Lannon, and who is struggling to understand what role the tattoos on his body may be playing in saving the earth and mankind from further destruction.

As we move into season 2, the show gets darker, grittier, and more powerful. The Dominion universe is extended to other cities and towns in what's left of North America. We discover the seemingly peaceful town of Mallory, AL, which raises a lot of questions. And then there's the unruly, messy underground city of New Delphi with its eccentric leader Julian. The power play has only just begun.

Would I recommend Dominion as a show to watch? Yes, absolutely! Its universe draws you in and wants you to learn more about the world of Vega and the Cradle. The characters are all intriguing with a lot of depth to them. I was hooked from the very first episode, and that says a lot because I was more than skeptical when I started watching it (and only did so because it came highly recommended by a friend).

If you haven't given it a try yourself, I can only recommend that you do so to form your own opinion. And if you're interested in learning more about the show, drop by dominionfans.com or syfy.com/dominion, which are both excellent starting points for finding out just what exactly you're in for.

Each episode has upped the ante and revealed even more of the post-apocalyptic world. The ensemble cast is phenomenal and the overall theme has gotten much darker than the first season. It feels like the writers streamlined the story and upped the emotional payoff for each episode. Truly enjoying where it is going and I hope it'll get a third season.

There seem to be a lot of reviews about religion and nay-saying regarding this show with people going out of their way to tank the ratings on here because of their idea of what the show is about. The show isn't about religion in the preaching sense, nor does it strictly follow the bible or any other doctrine. It has its own canon and own set of rules. If you can set that aside and look at it from JUST A STORYTELLING PERSPECTIVE, then hopefully you can enjoy the brilliance for what it is: A GREAT STORY.