Gone But Not Forgotten: Dark Angel

It has been a while since I did one of these, but as I have spent that time doing something that I guess could be considered research - by introducing my mum to all of my favourite TV shows – I think I can be forgiven. Since I moved back home to the merry old land of Aus from the UK I have an abundance of free time – mainly because I am trying to find new and exciting ways to procrastinating but also I have very little money. It kind of works out for me really because, as much as I enjoy a bit of a party (Party V is in the house tonight) I have to admit that sometimes I just prefer a night in front of the TV.

My love affair with TV is not often understood by those outside the fandom, especially my family so it meant a lot to me that my mum was making the effort to understand my world. But personal family soap opera aside, I really just like introducing people to the worlds and characters that I love. All I want for Christmas is more people to watch TV with. As I had already converted my mother to the Supernatural religion, one of the first programs I decided to inflict on my mother was the short-lived Sci-Fi Dark Angel and it wasn't just because of my newly inflamed passion for Jensen Ackles I swear.

What's it all about?

It's the year 2019 and American society has taken a turn for the worse. In 2009 terrorists detonated an electromagnetic pulse (yeah I don't really know what that is either) which wiped the majority of the countries computer and communications systems. That mean's banks, transport, police, mobile phones – all gone in a moment, so basically the world turns to crap but it also means that you can have a futuristic world without a huge budget. While they have some cool Science Fiction technology – most notably the ability to genetically engineer superhuman soldiers – everything else is kind of backwards and most of the world looks very much like a run down Seattle in the nineties.

If you just skimmed over that and thought what the hell is going on – why is she talking about genetically engineered super soldiers – then I am sorry because that brings us to the other major storyline of this little gem of a program. Max Guevara (played a very young and very beautiful Jessica Alba) is not just your average girl in fact she's kind of the opposite, as she is actually a real life genetically engineered super soldier. She can leap tall buildings in a single bound and beat up large numbers of big beefy guys without even a drop of sweat. 

As the story goes, Max and her family of what they call 'transgenics' escaped from their training facility just before the 2009 disaster and she has spent the last 10 years of her life on the run from her former captors. Max would be content in her fugitive existence if she hadn't lost her 'brothers and sisters' (aka fellow transgenics) in the escape. Now she is trying to track them down while still remaining under the radar... oh and she is also helping her billionaire-philanthropist-boyfriend fight  corruption and save society.

Where to begin?

Don't hate me but it's the pilot again. I know I am making a habit of this but the honest truth is that the pilot is one of the best episodes of Dark Angel. The two hour opener is both exciting and intriguing on its own, all while setting up the world and the characters exceptionally well. I have to admit that after this brilliant opening the show can be a bit hit and miss on episodes (and as my mum suggested some of the dialogue is cringe worthy) but the storyline does tend to keep you coming back for more. I would go so far as to say that I think that pilot is so good that it's worth watching even if you don't intend on following through for the long haul.

Why watch it?

This show might have a big name behind it in James Cameron but don't hold that against it. It really is just another cool little Sci-Fi show that no one watched. Don't you just want to be one of the people cool enough to watch this show? Well now's your chance. The good thing about this show is that it is just popular enough that the DVD is easy enough to find but not so popular that it's expensive. Trust me if you love apocalyptic science fiction this is just the show for you, and even if you don't you should still give this dark horse a shot if for no other reason than the eye candy. Not only does the young Miss Jessica Alba look mighty fine but there are plenty of other pretties on this program – including a newbie by the name of Jensen Ackles.

There is more than just hormones to attract you to this program – for starters you have a fantastic female hero, that is both feminine and badass, something that has been very lacking from television in recent years. And in case you are into that kind of thing (which I totally am) there is an amazingly epic and heartbreaking romance at the heart of this program – check out my Epic Romances blog for more details of this department.

In conclusion this show is awesome and you should watch it.  Oh come on, I know you are all looking for exciting opportunities to engage you for the Holiday break. Why not escape from family drama and drunken workmates into a fantasy world were super soldiers are both violent and hot. Trust me you won't regret it. Then you can come back here and tell me all about your Dark Angel experience, was I right or not?

Thanks for the time my lovelies. And if you're bored check out more posts from the Gone But Not Forgotten series here.