Michael is taken into hospital while doctors flock to
treat him (what training do you need to operate on angels, anyway?) And Alex is
arrested for desertion
The prison system is brutal with guards who are arseholes
which is not very surprising. Alex makes things worse by headbutting one of
them because he’s Alex and of course he does. They beat him and shove him into
solitary confinement (his own personal angst room) but, alas, do not kill him.
Tell me again why Gabriel is wrong? I keep forgetting
In hospital, Senator Becca falls asleep by Michael’s
bedside and a shadowy figure who-is-almost-definitely-Gabriel sneaks in and
uses a feather to heal Michael. When Michael wakes up he’s a little surprised
because “empyrean steel” should have killed him (also because he’s always kind
of angsty and upset).He also wants the blade that broke off and to see Alex but
all of that is distracted while he tells Becca how bad he is for her (nope,
stop, Alex has used up every last drop of the angst quota for this show. You
are not allowed to be angsty Michael).
After they have sex and fall asleep another Angel arrives, in full Xena cosplay. She nearly kills Becca but Michael stops her, there’s a brief fight before they hit the ground outside and talk. She was only playing and she taunts him for liking her. She’s also Uriel – one of the other Archangels. She’s there because of the Chosen One (of course she is). She tells her “little brother” to meet her to talk.
Claire goes to the hospital to see Starving Waif Bixby (there
after the angel attack) and she tells Claire about Alex being arrested (and,
despite having known him for some time and being sworn to secrecy, she insists
on calling him The Chosen One). Their conversation may have been overheard by
one of the other Senators, Senator Frost.
At the senate, Frost makes some passive aggressive
comments about how the Chosen One needs to reveal himself, and Evil Whele mocks
him for silly superstition. They try to make him sit down but he claims a
rumour that says “the child” is in Vega. Whele continues to mock and Frost sits
down while giving Riesen the evil eye.
Michael meets with Uriel and Gabriel – Uriel stopping the
other two fighting. She also lays down the law with Gabriel. She doesn’t really
care if he slaughters humans but Michael is off limits. She’s also pissed at
Michael for hiding the Chosen One and “father’s markings”. She demands they end
the war which interests both of them because she could end it – by choosing a
side. But she loves them both (though finds what Gabriel does with the 8 Balls
revolting). Gabriel also talks about Michael forcing the Chosen One with more
hints that his “true nature” will turn him to Gabriel
Because he has such a good pitch with the whole killing
humanity thing
Uriel grieves for missing god and that’s clearly her sole
concern – she promises Michael that if he unlocks the Chosen One’s writing she
will side with him against Gabriel.
Alex is still in prison dreaming of ominous water when
Claire visits. Blah blah angst, everyone around me is hurt woe is me blah angst
woe blah angst woe. Claire is not patient with his self-pitying bullshit and
has him released anyway. He goes to see Bixby because she is much more patient
with his self-pitying manpain woe is me than Claire.
Time for Whele and Riesen to talk to Frost more privately about the Chosen one and Frost is… rather extreme. He threatens to drown them and destroy all of Vega’s crops if they don’t reveal the Chosen One
Arika reminds us all that she’s creepy and scary and has
no personal boundaries and talks about Noma (her guard) hiding something. And throws
in a recruitment pitch before she leaves.
Noma tells Ethan about her offer and Ethan point out the
city that delivers dead women in boxes may not be a great career move. For a
brief second these two almost, almost had a conversation about one of them – so
Alex drops in and reveals his relationship with Claire to Ethan. Ethan doesn’t
think that’s a great idea but the hostage situation now has to be dealt with,
relationship angst later
The consul is absolutely unable to make a decision
without Whele or Riesen holding the reigns so Becca decides to name Claire temporary
leader of the city. Because that’s apparently something she can do completely
unilaterally. The political system of this city needs some work.
Inside the agri-tower, Whele and Riesen continue to try and convince Frost how wrong he is while Frost accuses them of being secretive to hold onto their own power. He also shoots Whele in the leg. I approve.
Claire, rather than sending in the military and
destroying their food, thinks that actually giving in to Frost is not a bad
thing – not just because of Frost but because people deserve to know. She gives
Becca her vote and goes looking, presumably for Alex.
Noma, Ethan and Alex learn about Frost’s demands. Alex
puts on his angst face. Alex demands to go in, backed by a newly arrived Claire
and she outranks the Senate. Alex goes in, ostensibly as a hostage negotiator.
He takes off his shirt and shows his tattoos – but Frost
doesn’t believe him because Alex is just a V2 (and tattoos are easily faked) as
the water rises, Frost wants proof. Alex says “she died for you” repeating the
words he saw in the watery dream. Apparently Frost’s daughter died for him.
Frost turns off the water when Alex says he’ll go outside and show the people. Frost
surrenders and Riesen shoots him. Just to remind us that he’s not a good guy, he
also demands Alex put his shirt back on. The Chosen One will not be revealed
today.
Crisis over and Whele drags his son over the coals for
sending in the troops rather than doing what Claire did – because William was
unwilling to risk the Chosen One so was willing to risk his own father. William
actually finds a spine and hits back that Alex will save the city, not two old
men. He leaves Whele in Arika’s hands
And Alex is moping (he always mopes) around the shrine to
the Chosen One (which is kind of narcissistic). Claire joins him while he
angsts about how Frost will be remembered, but it’s ok, Riesen is very good at
lying and will boost the man’s legacy. While he’s angsting about what to do
next, Claire leaves and Michael joins him. Alex pouts that he needed Michael’s
help, Michael sensibly points out that if he needs help he needs to be willing
to accept it – so Alex agrees to learn.
Meanwhile, Becca examines the blade that stabbed Michael
And Uriel visits Gabriel in his lair and offers Gabriel
the same deal – he deciphers the Chosen One’s markings, she will side with him.
And more fool both of them for buying that “I need comforting hugs” act.
Evil Whele, who is evil, kills Bixby in her hospital bed.
I still want to know where the whole “chosen one”
prophecy came from? God, apparently – but when and why and can we have a little
exposition? And why are people so wrapped up in it – yes desperate people look
for a saviour, but building a religion around it in the circumstances seems
odd. In fact, any religious trapping in Vega seems odd. When you have the
Archangel Michael around confirming that a) there is a god and b) he’s
scarpered, what does that do to faith? In one instant he has both established
the one true faith (well, the one of three true faiths) and then discounted it
as something worthy of your time and attention. I think this is something Dominion has missed a lot – the faith
and theological implications of the whole show; so we have odd things like
Senator Frost having faith in prophecy, and Whele scoffing at superstition –
neither of which makes sense!
One thing that does make sense is Whele and Riesen
doubting the Chosen One – the prophecy is so damn vague, why would they put
their faith and humanity’s survival in the hands of some guy who happens to have
tattoos? And it’s not like Alex inspires confidence.
Did I mention that Alex gets on my last nerve? Because
Alex gets on my last nerve. Claire stepping up a little is encouraging. As is a
female Uriel.
Bixby the Starving Waif is dead. To be honest, I can’t
even be sad because the whole damn thing is contrived. Bixby herself, the
starving waif, is one of the most blatantly unsubtle attempts to pluck audience’s
heart strings I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t work, every time I see her I expect
them to smudge some dirt on her face or maybe have her ask Whele if she can have
some more gruel. She was a grossly unsubtle display of Vega’s class system (in
case you missed it with Alex’s rant) probably needed because Alex himself is so
unsympathetic. And she died to grossly unsubtly convince us Whele is evil – in case
there was any doubt. Her whole death was ridiculous – Bixby has called Alex,
Alex all her life but now she drops into Chosen One? Her reason for even
learning the truth was dubious in the first place.
Starving Waif, I am not impressed by your tragic death of
tragedy.
