Just as preamble, there be spoilers ahead.
So, I just watched the series premiere of the SyFy's show Dominion. And it was, decent. Full disclosure I have not seen the 2010 movie Legion this show is based off of, but I felt I knew everything I need to know with the beginning exposition.
And my immediate thought, oh great, the savior is a white boy, I have never seen this before. Now, maybe in the movie they don't give an indication of gender, but in the exposition at the beginning their choice of pronoun use pretty much implies they assume it's a boy or it's the writers telling us it's a boy. So, later on, when the nice lady is giving the history lesson to the kids, and we're shown a couple of girls sitting there being told the savior is unknown and could be anyone, my thought was, but not you, sorry.
Ugg...I really do think that is what bugged me the most, another Vastly white cast with a white hetero dude as our savior. (To be fair, I guess there's a chance he could be bi, but...based on some of the other tropes seen in the show, I wouldn't put money on it.)
And if we're talking tropes, how's about that pile o' unconscious women as sexual objects in Michaels bed? I mean, if there is a character to make bi, the angel is the easy/safe choice since he's already otherwordly. (Not that that's OK reasoning, but bisexuality often gets put in that mystical category.) Next time, throw an unconscious man or two in that sexy puppy pile. And really, if he's worried about producing offspring, probably safer to make love to a guy, s'all I'm sayin'. And, on that pregnancy worry, I will bet money that the woman in gold (Becca Thorn) is already pregnant and we'll get that reveal by episode 4. Maybe the show won't try and throw in everything and the kitchen sink in the first half of the season, but...
I will give props to the soldier communal shower scene because 1 - thank you for male BUTTS!! 2- women showering next to men and their friendly banter never even steps near sexual innuendo territory or anything other than soldiers giving each other crap. Kudos, Dominion, on that well done moment!
Oh, Giles (Anthony Head), what are you trying to do with that accent? I don't not like it, I just can't place it.
I loved the women from Helena. I really hope they get more of a role in the plot.
Cool tattoo transfer thing. "Can you read it?" And here I was hoping for some dusty archival work, or ritual or at least a visit to a library or something for the savior to actively do to decipher it but nope, magical Lite-Brite that he just has to stare at to get it to work. Such things need to be earned! He didn't even have much faith in himself yet. AND THAT MESSAGE ABOUT NOT TRUSTING THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM BETTER BE ABOUT HIS LOVE INTEREST AND NOT MICHAEL BECAUSE IF IT IS THAT OBVIOUS THEN THOSE TATTOOS ARE LITERALLY THE WRITERS POINTING OUT THE DIRECTION OF PLOT WITH A GIANT SPOTLIGHT.
I'll take attractive angels in long coats wielding half swords for 200, Alex. What is?...get in my pants right now. OK, not gonna lie, tall, lanky, pale and dark hair, I could watch Michael (Tom Wisdom) do his thing all show long, it's a good character. I do think his coat is similar to Thranduil's from The Hobbit. And his accent and speech patterns are similar to Lee Pace's as the elf king. He's like Thranduil's more worldly older brother. I'm not minding the similarities, just wondering if anyone else sees them.
OK, Supernatural should be acknowledged, they've put in a lot of time with angel/human interaction, and hopefully Dominion has learned that queerbaiting is bad and if you are going to give us sexually charged situations and long looks between characters (like that last scene with Michael and Alex), you at least need to acknowledge that attraction, even if it is unrequited or star-crossed. (Though, actually giving us some non-hetero relationships would be even better.) UPDATE: in looking into one line from the show there is a character, Arika, who is described on SyFy's website as the "The beautiful and wily wife of Queen Evelyn of Helena". Yes, please, let us let learn more about this!
And there is room for improvements in their female agency and representation, and massive room for more main character diversity. I kind of doubt we'll get it, but it's more than worth asking for better representation. GIVE ME SOME FULLY-WINGED, WARRIOR LADY ANGELS; GIVE THEM TO ME NOW.
In summary, I will watch it again next week, I'll give it another try. I'm curious where it will go and am a little heartened by the traitorous reveal at the end not being someone I expected, good job on that, Dominion. Also, PLEASE, give the little girl some worthwhile role to play and not just emotional angst for the main character. Give us her story too.
The show has potential, I see it - good actors, interesting premise, decent special effects - just recognize the tropes, see the obvious plot direction and either use our expectations to misdirect or just take us in other, far more interesting directions, on paths we haven't walked just yet.
Show me something new.
Imagine greater.
So, I just watched the series premiere of the SyFy's show Dominion. And it was, decent. Full disclosure I have not seen the 2010 movie Legion this show is based off of, but I felt I knew everything I need to know with the beginning exposition.
And my immediate thought, oh great, the savior is a white boy, I have never seen this before. Now, maybe in the movie they don't give an indication of gender, but in the exposition at the beginning their choice of pronoun use pretty much implies they assume it's a boy or it's the writers telling us it's a boy. So, later on, when the nice lady is giving the history lesson to the kids, and we're shown a couple of girls sitting there being told the savior is unknown and could be anyone, my thought was, but not you, sorry.
Ugg...I really do think that is what bugged me the most, another Vastly white cast with a white hetero dude as our savior. (To be fair, I guess there's a chance he could be bi, but...based on some of the other tropes seen in the show, I wouldn't put money on it.)
And if we're talking tropes, how's about that pile o' unconscious women as sexual objects in Michaels bed? I mean, if there is a character to make bi, the angel is the easy/safe choice since he's already otherwordly. (Not that that's OK reasoning, but bisexuality often gets put in that mystical category.) Next time, throw an unconscious man or two in that sexy puppy pile. And really, if he's worried about producing offspring, probably safer to make love to a guy, s'all I'm sayin'. And, on that pregnancy worry, I will bet money that the woman in gold (Becca Thorn) is already pregnant and we'll get that reveal by episode 4. Maybe the show won't try and throw in everything and the kitchen sink in the first half of the season, but...
I will give props to the soldier communal shower scene because 1 - thank you for male BUTTS!! 2- women showering next to men and their friendly banter never even steps near sexual innuendo territory or anything other than soldiers giving each other crap. Kudos, Dominion, on that well done moment!
Oh, Giles (Anthony Head), what are you trying to do with that accent? I don't not like it, I just can't place it.
I loved the women from Helena. I really hope they get more of a role in the plot.
Cool tattoo transfer thing. "Can you read it?" And here I was hoping for some dusty archival work, or ritual or at least a visit to a library or something for the savior to actively do to decipher it but nope, magical Lite-Brite that he just has to stare at to get it to work. Such things need to be earned! He didn't even have much faith in himself yet. AND THAT MESSAGE ABOUT NOT TRUSTING THOSE CLOSEST TO HIM BETTER BE ABOUT HIS LOVE INTEREST AND NOT MICHAEL BECAUSE IF IT IS THAT OBVIOUS THEN THOSE TATTOOS ARE LITERALLY THE WRITERS POINTING OUT THE DIRECTION OF PLOT WITH A GIANT SPOTLIGHT.
I'll take attractive angels in long coats wielding half swords for 200, Alex. What is?...get in my pants right now. OK, not gonna lie, tall, lanky, pale and dark hair, I could watch Michael (Tom Wisdom) do his thing all show long, it's a good character. I do think his coat is similar to Thranduil's from The Hobbit. And his accent and speech patterns are similar to Lee Pace's as the elf king. He's like Thranduil's more worldly older brother. I'm not minding the similarities, just wondering if anyone else sees them.
OK, Supernatural should be acknowledged, they've put in a lot of time with angel/human interaction, and hopefully Dominion has learned that queerbaiting is bad and if you are going to give us sexually charged situations and long looks between characters (like that last scene with Michael and Alex), you at least need to acknowledge that attraction, even if it is unrequited or star-crossed. (Though, actually giving us some non-hetero relationships would be even better.) UPDATE: in looking into one line from the show there is a character, Arika, who is described on SyFy's website as the "The beautiful and wily wife of Queen Evelyn of Helena". Yes, please, let us let learn more about this!
And there is room for improvements in their female agency and representation, and massive room for more main character diversity. I kind of doubt we'll get it, but it's more than worth asking for better representation. GIVE ME SOME FULLY-WINGED, WARRIOR LADY ANGELS; GIVE THEM TO ME NOW.
In summary, I will watch it again next week, I'll give it another try. I'm curious where it will go and am a little heartened by the traitorous reveal at the end not being someone I expected, good job on that, Dominion. Also, PLEASE, give the little girl some worthwhile role to play and not just emotional angst for the main character. Give us her story too.
The show has potential, I see it - good actors, interesting premise, decent special effects - just recognize the tropes, see the obvious plot direction and either use our expectations to misdirect or just take us in other, far more interesting directions, on paths we haven't walked just yet.
Show me something new.
Imagine greater.
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