“the cape” tv review

NBC tries again with the superhero drama. Will it work? Only time will tell. To be honest, I didn’t think it was that bad. I enjoyed the origin story of the mystery The Cape and meeting a few of the villains we’re going to be seeing starting with arch-villain Chess. What’s the deal with his eyes? I haven’t figured that out quite yet, but I think he’s a pretty good foe with some brains. I mean c’mon, his whole deal is the game of chess and being several moves ahead of your opponent. 

The problem I feel some people will have is they’ll think it’s a ripoff of Batman or NBC trying again with Heroes. Sadly, that’s stigma for any comic book/superhero themed TV show or movie until it makes a name for itself. I feel it’s established itself to a degree: this doesn’t look like a show you need to follow on a week to week basis. Ya know, a serial. Like Heroes. With that said, it should put some people at ease and I think they should be able to jump in or out without too much worry of losing too much story.

The style of the show is also steeped in comic book lore in a fun way. After each commercial break, there’s a nice little title card. Also a nice add, memory flashbacks. I feel this plot device is actually used in a good way. It doesn’t overdo it like early episodes of The Event and it’s relevant to what’s going on at that moment. And the point you soon learn is that these memories are what help the characters get by.

Another good thing about the show, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are a few good jokes thrown in with corny ones. Decent fight scenes. The characters are growing on me. I understand with a pilot episode, you only have a limited amount of time to learn all you can about a handful of people before you decide you want to spend a season with them. But hey, character development is what the rest of the season is for, right? So far, I’m interested in seeing this guy fight with this cape and what other interesting villains he encounters. And will he ever defeat the challenging Chess? How about Vinne Jones’ “Scales”? Who could ever defeat Vinnie Jones, seriously?

Summer Glau

Anyway, I’m having a tough time figuring out what others think about this show. I DVR’d last night’s premiere, as it’s repeat is on as I type. Some find it corny, others are thoroughly enjoyed, and the rest are “meh.” I’ll stick around as long as it stays interesting. Will it make it for season 2? Too early for me to call it, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you are a fan of comic book heroes, you may enjoy this. Oh yeah, and some people go crazy for Summer Glau. I hope she can keep this job longer than a year or two. It’s also nice to see Keith David play a good guy.