Dominion Episode 1.01 Pilot

Twenty-five years ago, God disappeared. In his absence, the Archangel Gabriel, who despised man, led an army of lower angels in a war of possession against mankind. Acting alone, the Archangel Michael sided with man against Gabriel, helping humanity fight back against the angels. Out of the ashes of war, the survivors gathered into fortified cities. Vega is the greatest among them.

We sort of always knew Vegas would be involved in the war between Heaven and Earth, right?

Our hero, Alex, is looking for 8-balls (humans possessed by angels and led by the Archangel Gabriel, the baddest dude around). Alex finds them playing cards in an abandoned casino, kills one, and ends up in battle with another. The third one, whom we'll call Aughra (because she looks like the witch from the Dark Crystal), seems to disappear.

Alex makes it back to safety but is now in more trouble than before. See, Alex is a V2, which means that within Vega's caste system, he's only one step higher than the poorest of the poor, the V1s.

Meanwhile, in the top of a swinging hotel, we find the Archangel Michael, who once sided with the humans, hanging in what looks like a pretty swinging orgy. His friend Becca reminds him that Vega needs children, and Michael sprouts wings, and flies off to reprimand Alex. By whipping him. Because that's how angels roll. Spanish Inquisition style.

Alex goes to protect General Riesen's daughter, Claire, a priestess who explains to some fairly calm children (considering) that angels can possess people, and that one day a chosen one will return to reveal himself. After the children are gone, Alex and Claire make out. They're ready to flee Vega, but Claire insists that she thinks her father can be reasoned with and let them be together. They're interrupted by William Whele. A love triangle! Maybe?

Back in the barracks, urchin Bixby shows up dressed like Fivel the mouse. Bixby is hungry, an orphan, and a V1. Alex tells her that one day they'll have their freedom and to stick close the next few days.

General Riesen and David Whele sit down to discuss things like berries, the jubilee, and the angel attack. David thinks that the city has gotten too complacent and lazy, and that telling the people about the attack might be good for everyone. The General obviously disagrees.

In the barracks showers, everyone hangs out in a swinging, casually naked kind of way until the delegation from Helena arrives. Arika, the leader of the delegation, tells David that while the leader of Helena (a woman named Evelyn) is not ready to join a treaty, she'll trade him a bunch of ladies for a nuclear reactor. They make a secret agreement because David wants her to be an ally when his son William becomes head of the city.

Jeep arrives to tell the Archangel Michael that he hasn't been able to decipher the tattoos he's covered with. Jeep also has a pretty dire warning: "war is coming."

Claire approaches her Dad, General Riesen, to talk about getting married to Alex. He cuts her off at the pass by announcing that he's stepping down from ruling the city.

While Arika is in the bathtub, David Whele turns up and says that he noticed they have a boy with them named Rowan. Arika says that everyone back home thinks Rowan is amazing. Shortly after that, we see Rowan put his hands up to the glass Poltergeist style. Uh-oh.

Claire catches up to Alex and tells him that they're leaving town together no matter what. Then Michael brings Alex to meet Jeep, who turns out to be Alex's father. Meanwhile, David takes his son William off to a secret chamber where he reveals "oh no! Aughra!" An 8-ball has come into the city walls!

Bixby comes back and hangs with Alex for a bit and he lets her in on the plan to leave town. Meanwhile, at a council meeting, everyone is stunned to learn that Jeep is alive and that he has found the angel Gabriel, whom everyone had assumed was dead. Nope, he's been holding up in a fortress in Boulder Colorado, gathering his strength, (skiing?), and amassing an army of the SECOND SPHERE OF ANGELS, who are some bad dudes, led by Furiad, an angel with a helmet and nothing to lose.

David, who is now dressed a little like The Riddler, rallies the council. Michael and Jeep mention that they know who the chosen one is and David explodes, "we're the chosen ones!" Since they have no proof and refuse to reveal the identity until the right time, David convinces the council to let the jubilee go on. And that's where the real trouble starts.

General Riesen and David Whele announce that their houses will be united by the marriage of William and Claire! And then the main event. When Aughra is released from the box and all hell breaks loose, quite literally.

The Archangel Gabriel turns out to be controlling the 8-ball! From Boulder! And now more angels are on their way! Michael kills Aughra, and as the city flees the jubilee, Bixby is about to be crushed when Alex and Claire save her. The city goes into high alert and Claire and Alex are faced with a choice to leave now and never come back and move to New Delphi, or stay and fight. They decide to stay.

The four angels crash into the reactor! Vega goes dark!

Things get much worse when Rowan, the child from Helena, stabs Jeep with a bread knife in the situation room. Jeep dies in Alex's arms and tells him, "You are the chosen one." Nobody believes him until Jeep's tattoos slowly disappear from his body and reappear on Alex.David arrests Arika for bringing Rowan into the city, William claims that he thinks the "chosen one" myth is real, Claire prays to a statue of the chosen one, which it turns out is a statue of her boyfriend, and finally, Michael tells Alex that he's the savior of Vega and that it's his responsibility to decipher all of the tattoos.

That's when Alex notices that a part of the tattoo has changed to read "Beware of those closest to you." Alex tells Michael he can't interpret anything. It's hard to tell if Michael believes him or not.

Finally, the angels are all meeting on the outskirts of Vega when someone approaches, clearly an inside man. It's William! Who has a secret allegiance with Gabriel!