It’s Judgment Day for “The Flood”, Dominion‘s fourth episode. What elements made it into Heaven? Which parts are headed for the fires of Hell? Continue reading to find out!
Heaven: Becca sleeping by Michael’s side in the hospital was a good character moment. She’s a hard sleeper though. Not once, but twice did she sleep through someone coming into a room and creating intrigue and such.
Heaven: However Angel science works, Michael’s healing was cool to see. Side Note: I need some of those feathers around.
Purgatory: The overdramatic manner in which some characters on this show insist on speaking. That said, it does seem to be coming from the angels more than others. I can tolerate it if it’s a way of defining them, kind of an older way of speaking.
Heaven: I was genuinely happy to see that little Bixby survived her wounds and was feeling better…
Hell: Until she began to speak loudly about the Chosen One…
Heaven: Though it did lead to some nice bits of humor in that Senate scene as Whele had some fun at Frost’s expense.
Heaven: World Building. Two words that always elevate shows like this. With just a brief shot of a devastated San Francisco, Dominion reminded us that there’s still a larger world out there, and a lot more story possibilities.
Heaven: Gabriel’s “Didn’t Father teach us to share our toys?” while groping a statue was a not so subtle nuance that reinforces the concept of the 8-balls. Humans are just toys to them.
Heaven: The fact that unlike many other stories involving a chosen one, Dominion is leaving the nature of theirs ambiguous. For a variety of reasons, his destiny seems like it could unfold in a number of ways, not all of them what we would consider good.
Heaven: Arika’s continued machinations. Flirting with the line between hammy acting and subtlety, but never crossing it, I’m always happy to see her on screen.
Heaven: I appreciated that this hostage crisis was a small scale one, in line with a man capable enough to be entrusted with the important business of Vega. He didn’t go back into the hospital with a gun and take several people hostage and rant like a crazy man. He calmly and rationally explained his actions and why, then proceeded to throw a very adult temper tantrum.
Heaven: Claire actually rose to the occasion. After that initial moment of uncertainty, she assumed her role capably. First time in four episodes I actually liked her. Let’s hope her character continues to be utilized as more than Alex’s girlfriend.
Heaven: Whele getting shot in the leg was hilarious.
Heaven: I love, love, love, any scenes between Whele and Reisen. Their moment of honesty near the end, with Reisen’s heart giving him trouble and Whele’s leg nursing a bullet wound, made me hope for a SyFy movie about the founding of Vega. Seeing their relationship during an earlier, more desperate time when both men were younger has got my mind spinning.
Missed Opportunity for Heaven: When the commander told Claire his orders came from the Senate, Claire should’ve said… “I AM the Senate.” Coupled with that look she gave him, it would’ve made for a nice bit of confidence from a character who has been a bit too demure for my taste.
Heaven: Reisen shot the Frost. While you knew he wasn’t going to survive the episode, you had to think that it’d be Whele to do the deed. Reisen killing him instead is true to life and does far more for that character than anything else so far, including his 8-ball on the side at the Luxor.
Heaven: Whele killing Bixby was PERFECT. This is exactly the kind of villainy that Dominion needs. He took the step because he sees it as necessary, and balances it with an act of compassion that keeps his character from descending into the kind of evil stereotype he’s fallen into in past episodes.
Final Judgment: “The Flood” was Dominion‘s best episode thus far. For the first time, everything about the characters worked in conjunction with a story that illuminated new facets of the show while furthering its overall arcs. “The Flood” enters into Heaven brilliantly. If the rest of the season is like this, Dominion is going to be an exciting ride.
What’s your final judgment? Was “The Flood” as great for you as it was for me?
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