# The Cape - Pilot (SPOILERS)



## ozzman73 (Nov 27, 2006)

I have it recorded, but not even as a Season Pass. Those of you that watched it, how was it. Spoilers are ok, won't affect anything long term anyway.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Embarrassed to admit I enjoyed it...there's just something about carnies......


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

I liked it so far. Had to tell how it will be because there was so much setup to be done in the pilot. I like the characters we have seen so far.


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## desaun (Mar 17, 2004)

markz said:


> I liked it so far. Had to tell how it will be because there was so much setup to be done in the pilot. I like the characters we have seen so far.


+1

There was ALOT of setup even in the first hour. But, I did like what I saw. Also seems to be more a straight forward comic book story, so it's gonna be some good mindless fun, as long as they don't take themselves too seriously.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Yeah, it kinda struck me as what Heroes would have been if it didn't take itself at all seriously. I'm not sure how well that tone is going to work in the long run, but I'm watching for now.


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## Dmtalon (Dec 28, 2003)

Both my wife and I enjoyed it. It was good enough to keep her awake to the end which is saying something! 

We both thought it felt new and that it looked good (production value). The story moved fast, we covered a lot of ground in what seemed like not very much "story time". It was good to see The Cape taking steps to make himself more resistant to poisons in the future vs. him just magically being invincible.

I have a hard time believing he'd let his family suffer like he is though...


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## Bettamojo5 (Apr 12, 2004)

I was entertained and plan to watch it again. Good mindless fun.


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## tiassa (Jul 2, 2008)

I've got a season pass set. I thought the show was fun (and Summer Glau is always worth watching IYKWIM) there were the usual plot holes you could drive a truck through, but what action/adventure show doesn't have them. It looks like they have an interesting set of characters to work with (SG, the carnies, the wife, his ex-partner, "Chess"). I'm concerned that they will take themselves too seriously (my reading is they could go either way).


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## ozzman73 (Nov 27, 2006)

Sounds like I can watch it without being a waste of time. I had no idea that Summer Glau was in it. Never mind, this will be first order of business tonight.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

I will rewatch it with my wife tonight. I didn't realize she wanted to watch it till she mentioned it today.


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## BradJW (Jun 9, 2008)

It's being re-run tonight. I didn't even hear about it before this morning but have it set to record now.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

I liked it.

It's not deep but it is fun.

The main actor is a little weak (At least try to change your voice when in costume) but Glau as the Oracle substitute is good and Keith David is great as Max.

I also like the fact that he's still learning, working out this whole thing and isn't a smooth and polished Batman.

(As for plot holes, you think Glau as Orwell is going to be particularly hard to trace with that nice inconspicuous Mercedes? How many of them can there be in "Palm City")


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

JYoung said:


> (As for plot holes, you think Glau as Orwell is going to be particularly hard to trace with that nice inconspicuous Mercedes? How many of them can there be in "Palm City")


She had a car?


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Interesting, but a couple of things just didn't make sense. For instance, at the climax of Hour 1, Cape and Chess are fighting on the top deck of the ship. At the end Chess decides to detonate the explosives attached to the L-9. WTH?!? They previously established that the explosion would take out half the city, yet Chess is ready to detonate it while he's standing directly above the explosives?! Of all the things Chess might be, suicidal seems the least likely...

Oh, and was it ever made clear _why_ there was no cell service? If it's just a natural coincidence, then that negates any sense of "win" for the hero(es), IMHO.


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## mchasal (Jun 6, 2001)

dcheesi said:


> Oh, and was it ever made clear _why_ there was no cell service? If it's just a natural coincidence, then that negates any sense of "win" for the hero(es), IMHO.


Didn't Cape call in to Orwell and have her jam cell communications?


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

dcheesi said:


> Interesting, but a couple of things just didn't make sense. For instance, at the climax of Hour 1, Cape and Chess are fighting on the top deck of the ship. At the end Chess decides to detonate the explosives attached to the L-9. WTH?!? They previously established that the explosion would take out half the city, yet Chess is ready to detonate it while he's standing directly above the explosives?! Of all the things Chess might be, suicidal seems the least likely...
> 
> Oh, and was it ever made clear _why_ there was no cell service? If it's just a natural coincidence, then that negates any sense of "win" for the hero(es), IMHO.


You missed two things.

One: Chess said to get the submarine ready after he stated he was going to blow up the ship so he did have an escape route planned.

Two: Faraday told Oracle, I mean Orwell to jam or take out cell reception around the ship. (I'm guessing that she hacked in the providers systems and shut down the towers.)


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

mchasal said:


> Didn't Cape call in to Oracle and have her jam cell communications?


Yes. He called her and said to block all cellular signals within x-distance to his location.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Since nothing else is on tonight I just set DVR to record this.

I don't have high hopes, but worth a try in this bleak season of crappy TV.


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## StrynBean (Aug 5, 2004)

I was wondering when a thread for this show would come up.


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## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

I liked it more than I thought I would. As others have said, it was just fun. Had the right tone.

I tend to be rather critical with pilots when it comes to "stupid stuff". There was one that *almost* had me hitting delete-show and delete-SP at the same time. At his funeral, he shows up IN NO DISGUISE, hiding behind a tree that appeared to be about 30 feet away. No one notices him behind a tree? Even my wife (as non-critical a viewer as there is) commented on this. Geez, at least wear a hat. I came >< this close to jumping ship right then.



Bierboy said:


> Embarrassed to admit I enjoyed it...there's just something about carnies......


[Austin Powers voice]
Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.
[/Austin Powers voice]


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## Test (Dec 8, 2004)

So Chess frames Vince to be Chess and then "kills" him live on tv, but then runs around as Chess anyway?


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## Jebberwocky! (Apr 16, 2005)

Alfer said:


> Since nothing else is on tonight I just set DVR to record this.
> 
> I don't have high hopes, but worth a try in this bleak season of crappy TV.


Nothing on tonight????

#2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn Today at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN HD


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## spikedavis (Nov 23, 2003)

Jebberwocky! said:


> Nothing on tonight????
> 
> #2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn Today at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN HD


Is that some sort of game?


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## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

spikedavis said:


> Is that some sort of game?


It's some sort of school competition. Like a spelling bee, I imagine.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Jebberwocky! said:


> Nothing on tonight????
> 
> #2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn Today at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN HD


Yep...nothing good on tonight.


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## tiassa (Jul 2, 2008)

Jebberwocky! said:


> Nothing on tonight????
> 
> #2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn Today at 8:00 PM ET on ESPN HD


Huh? Duke is #1 and Ohio State is #2 and they won't be playing until March, if then.

Oh wait! You mean Football? The NCAA is still playing football? Can't be, I've already taken out the Xmas tree and boxed up the decorations.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

astrohip said:


> At his funeral, he shows up IN NO DISGUISE, hiding behind a tree that appeared to be about 30 feet away.


For that matter, when The Cape appears to his son, most of his face is clearly visible and he's speaking in his own, very distinctive voice.


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## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

:up::up: from me.
I liked the call out to "Borat" when the small shop clerk was being held up. He has lost a lot of weight since his appearance in "Borat".
Also loved Max' death scene in hour 1. LOL!


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## UTV2TiVo (Feb 2, 2005)

Summer Glau seems to look better and better in every series she's in (and she looked pretty good to begin with).


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Eh, it didn't really grab me as must-see TV, but I'll watch it for Summer Glau.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

getreal said:


> :up::up: from me.
> I liked the call out to "Borat" when the small shop clerk was being held up. He has lost a lot of weight since his appearance in "Borat".


I am just glad he had on clothes!


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

UTV2TiVo said:


> Summer Glau seems to look better and better in every series she's in (and she looked pretty good to begin with).


I am just upset she had on clothes!


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

I cancelled my Season Pass already. I liked Max. I liked looking at Summer Glau. But it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to recommend it beyond that.


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## StacieH (Jan 2, 2009)

The whole comic-book hero thing is really my style, but I thought it did improve, even between the first and second hours.

We'll give it a few more chances. Hell, we gave "The Event" 4 episodes. May as well do the same for this one.


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## dtivouser (Feb 10, 2004)

Really didn't enjoy this at all, if we are collecting votes.


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## dwells (Nov 3, 2001)

We liked it way more than we thought we would- much better than anticipated. Just hope it will hold up........


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## BradJW (Jun 9, 2008)

I LOVED it.

Top of the season pass list for me. It was good simple fun!


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## atrac (Feb 27, 2002)

I liked this a lot. Keith David was fantastic. *Loved* his "death" scene.

Other bits of humor that poked fun at itself also worked for me. 

It felt rushed though. But the writers said they wanted to avoid the "dragging things out" stories that "Heroes" had...so there you go.

The lead actor kind of reminds me of a young Lance Henriksen.

Great musical score by Bear McCreary. Very different from his work on "Battlestar Galactica" or pretty much anything else I've heard from him.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

It seemed just like a comic book. That can be both good and bad. 

The actor playing Farraday seems a little lightweight.

I thought it was funny that Orwell picked up the poisoned Cape at night but dumped him out of the car in broad daylight.

The Cape got his secret lair up and running in record time.

Orwell and the Cape had the quickest team up in history.


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## rrrobinsonjr (Nov 26, 2004)

I don't think NBC got the memo that we like our comic book heroes to be treated a little more seriously now an be somewhat grounded in reality.

This show is so out there and far-fetched even by the most minimal of standards. It's fun and has it's moments, but it's clearly a regression for this genre.

Just in terms of storytelling, I feel it's both lazy and rushed simultaneously.

And the acting ranges from ridiculously over-the-top to understated to the point of comatose.

I'll stick with it for at least another week. It's not going to make it beyond one season anyway.


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## Alfer (Aug 7, 2003)

Finally watched this.

Not sure what to think.

At times it felt like over the top camp...then it had some decent action plus all this blended with some light humor.

I didn't hate it, but I didn't out right love it...but I still stuck with it for the 2 hours.

If I don't have schedule conflicts on my DVR those nights, I may record a couple of more eps to see if they can keep things interesting.

I give the premier a B-/C+.


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## dimented (May 21, 2003)

Damn, I missed this. Any chance of them we airing the pilot before the next episode?


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## lambertman (Dec 21, 2002)

No third airing, but it's on nbc.com (and likely hulu).


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

rrrobinsonjr said:


> *I don't think NBC got the memo that we like our comic book heroes to be treated a little more seriously now an be somewhat grounded in reality.*
> 
> This show is so out there and far-fetched even by the most minimal of standards. It's fun and has it's moments, but it's clearly a regression for this genre.
> 
> ...


We do? Maybe you do, but I certainly don't. That's the whole point of comic books, it's escapist fun. If I want gritty reality from my characters, I'll stick with something like Terriers.

Anyway, I think it was a bit boring, but ok. Not a definite keeper yet, but definitely something I'll keep watching for awhile.

What I don't get is that we're supposed to think the "Carnival of Crime" are good guys for some reason? Yeah, the characters are likable, but they were still stealing. I never got the feeling they were supposed to be some sort of Robin Hood type group. They only took advantage of the opportunity that the key card that Vince game them afforded them.

Anyway, it's a comic book story and I don't take any liberties they took with reality to seriously. I mean, heck, a magic cape already means that they took liberty with the truth.

Best line was when Vince first calls himself The Cape and the character he was talking to said....ok, you'll work on that


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## dimented (May 21, 2003)

lambertman said:


> No third airing, but it's on nbc.com (and likely hulu).


I can't get to a computer with iTunes on it, any easy way to check if it is on iTunes yet?


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## desaun (Mar 17, 2004)

UTV2TiVo said:


> Summer Glau seems to look better and better in every series she's in (and she looked pretty good to begin with).


I caught Serenity a few weeks ago and I'm starting to believe that either she's aging very gracefully or not at all.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

desaun said:


> I caught Serenity a few weeks ago and I'm starting to believe that either she's aging very gracefully or not at all.


Summer Glau gets better looking with every new show. I thought she was just "eh" of Firefly. She looked really good on her guest appearance on Chuck and I did a double take on her first scene in this show.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

cheesesteak said:


> I thought it was funny that Orwell picked up the poisoned Cape at night but dumped him out of the car in broad daylight.


And I found that incredibly bad, given that Cain had told him he'd have a "quick death", the fact that it took her all night to get him to the Carnival (and she had almost no reaction to the fact that he'd been poisoned and was dying) and he didn't die during that time, put the lie to Cains claim.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Ereth said:


> And I found that incredibly bad, given that Cain had told him he'd have a "quick death", the fact that it took her all night to get him to the Carnival (and she had almost no reaction to the fact that he'd been poisoned and was dying) and he didn't die during that time, put the lie to Cains claim.


I think that was just a production "oops."


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## mmilton80 (Jul 28, 2005)

LoadStar said:


> I think that was just a production "oops."


Or maybe Cain's definition of "quick" is a bit off.


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## Dmtalon (Dec 28, 2003)

rrrobinsonjr said:


> I don't think NBC got the memo that we like our comic book heroes to be treated a little more seriously now an be somewhat grounded in reality.


This is a very strange comment. I think you speak for yourself, not the majority. Why on earth would you want to watch a comic book TV show based completely, or a large part of it in reality? I read books, watch TV and movies to escape reality.

I just think "comic book" and "grounded in reality" don't really belong in the same paragraph. Of course, this is only my opinion, I can't speak for everyone else.


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## Jebberwocky! (Apr 16, 2005)

LoadStar said:


> I think that was just a production "oops."


That what I thought at first but then rationalized it away because it was very early in the morning (shadows were long).


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## rrrobinsonjr (Nov 26, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> We do? Maybe you do, but I certainly don't. That's the whole point of comic books, it's escapist fun. If I want *gritty* reality from my characters, I'll stick with something like Terriers.





Dmtalon said:


> I just think "comic book" and "*grounded in reality*" don't really belong in the same paragraph. Of course, this is only my opinion, I can't speak for everyone else.


I did not use the word 'gritty', but I DID use the word 'somewhat'.

I think you both misunderstand my meaning.

There is a giant chasm between each Batman for instance; the 1960's Batman, the 1980's Batman and the current incarnation. The franchise has become less campy and *relatively*more realistic over time.

This show is a step backward and resembles the 80's-90's superhero more than the contemporary one.


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## scandia101 (Oct 20, 2007)

Ereth said:


> And I found that incredibly bad, given that Cain had told him he'd have a "quick death", the fact that it took her all night to get him to the Carnival (and she had almost no reaction to the fact that he'd been poisoned and was dying) and he didn't die during that time, put the lie to Cains claim.


What time was it when Cain poisoned him?
What time was it when he got dumped off at the carnival?
Your "all night" could have easily been less than an hour.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

rrrobinsonjr said:


> I did not use the word 'gritty', but I DID use the word 'somewhat'.
> 
> I think you both misunderstand my meaning.
> 
> ...


You say that like it's a bad thing. For pure entertainment value, I'll take the 1960s Batman over the dark, and relatively boring 2000s version. Why is it a step "backwards"? What makes one style "better" than another? It's a matter of taste. You may want more realistic superheros, I don't. As I said, the whole idea is that they are comic book characters, they don't HAVE to be realistic at all. You can say that the use of CGI and other modern technological tools have made for a more realistic look, but I don't need my superheros to act more like real people would. It's just not necessary or even better.


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## rrrobinsonjr (Nov 26, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> I'll take the 1960s Batman over the...boring 2000s version.


Uh. Okay.


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## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

rrrobinsonjr said:


> Uh. Okay.


See, that's your choice. You prefer deep character study of your superheros. I prefer them to be comic book campy, like they were when I was a kid. It's a matter of choice and taste. Doesn't make either one better or worse, only different.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

scandia101 said:


> What time was it when Cain poisoned him?
> What time was it when he got dumped off at the carnival?
> Your "all night" could have easily been less than an hour.


It went from pitch black to blazing sunlight. Yeah, it could have been right before dawn but it probably wasn't. More than likely it was a continuity error.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

cheesesteak said:


> It went from pitch black to blazing sunlight. Yeah, it could have been right before dawn but it probably wasn't. More than likely it was a continuity error.


It's pretty common to shoot only when it's full dark or full daylight. Otherwise, the light changes dramatically during the several hours it can take to shoot an entire scene, making it impossible to keep it consistent. That's why it so often seems to go from the middle of the night to the middle of the day or vice versa when they're shooting early morning/late evening scenes.


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## hapdrastic (Mar 31, 2006)

I really liked it. My wife enjoyed it, but not as much as me. Anything with Summer Glau in it gets an instant watch from me.

My wife got really mad at me when I pointed out that Faraday's new boss was clearly Chess - I was glad that that wasn't kept a secret on the show for very long. Seriously, couldn't have been any more obvious.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

hapdrastic said:


> My wife got really mad at me when I pointed out that Faraday's new boss was clearly Chess - I was glad that that wasn't kept a secret on the show for very long. Seriously, couldn't have been any more obvious.


Yeah, both hero and villain have voices that make masks rather silly. Sillier than a mask is to begin with, anyway.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

JYoung said:


> You missed two things.
> 
> One: Chess said to get the submarine ready after he stated he was going to blow up the ship so he did have an escape route planned.
> 
> Two: Faraday told Oracle, I mean Orwell to jam or take out cell reception around the ship. (I'm guessing that she hacked in the providers systems and shut down the towers.)


Thanks, I guess I did miss the cell phone thing (which is weird, since I watched it twice!  ). However, I would still love to know how he planned to outrun the explosion to get to his submarine. Generally those cell-phone detonators aren't on a time delay, and the way he acted seemed to suggest that he expected an immediate "boom"...


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Maybe doing a crash dive straight down in the sub would save them?

Hey, I didn't say it was a good escape plan.


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## Ereth (Jun 16, 2000)

And why wear the odd contacts when you aren't in the Chess mask?

I agree with someone else, too. Why go to all that effort to unmask and kill Chess on live TV, and then still be him?


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Ereth said:


> And why wear the odd contacts when you aren't in the Chess mask?


I think those are his real eyes, and he wears regular contacts when he's pretending to be Peter Fleming.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

JYoung said:


> Maybe doing a crash dive straight down in the sub would save them?
> 
> Hey, I didn't say it was a good escape plan.


 Of course, if the explosion was as powerful as they said, the submarine would be in trouble, too...


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

dcheesi said:


> Of course, if the explosion was as powerful as they said, the submarine would be in trouble, too...


L9 explosions don't propagate through water, duh!


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

I liked the part where he told his son to work on his math.


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## Mike Wells (Mar 9, 2000)

dimented said:


> Damn, I missed this. Any chance of them we airing the pilot before the next episode?


I was checking the same thing. We're in luck - it seems NBC has it all over before the next episode. From my Directv listings (from tivo.com)

1/11/11 10:00 PM 308 Sleuth Pilot
1/12/11 2:00 AM 308 Sleuth Pilot
1/13/11 12:00 AM 244 SYFY Pilot
1/13/11 9:00 PM 564 UHD Pilot
1/16/11 9:00 AM 242 USA Pilot

1/17/11 9:00 PM NBC "Kozmo" (episode 2)

So there are lots of options. (Those times are EST)


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Ereth said:


> I agree with someone else, too. Why go to all that effort to unmask and kill Chess on live TV, and then still be him?


Has anyone outside his criminal organization seen Chess after "he was killed"?



dcheesi said:


> Of course, if the explosion was as powerful as they said, the submarine would be in trouble, too...


On the other hand, Faraday should have been toast when George the Chief blew up.


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## stahta01 (Dec 23, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> L9 explosions don't propagate through water, duh!


I thought they said it was a Biological WMD. That was why I thought a small air tank was a good look for it.

Tim S.


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## rgr (Feb 21, 2003)

stahta01 said:


> I thought they said it was a Biological WMD. That was why I thought a small air tank was a good look for it.
> 
> Tim S.


It was a canister of L9 that blew up the chief of police's SUV early in the show. It looked like everybody in the SUV was dying from the fumes and then BOOM!


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

rgr said:


> It was a canister of L9 that blew up the chief of police's SUV early in the show. It looked like everybody in the SUV was dying from the fumes and then BOOM!


I don't know if it was said in dialogue, but the impression that I got was that the L9 superheats the air, until it just explodes. It looked to me that what they were dealing with in the SUV was not fumes, but heat.... you could see the wavy air like what you see on a really hot day.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

JYoung said:


> Two: Faraday told Oracle, I mean Orwell to jam or take out cell reception around the ship. (I'm guessing that she hacked in the providers systems and shut down the towers.)


I realize the 'detonate with cell phones' idea has been done a million times.. but having it on a ship and having the reception blocked at the last second all reminded me of a situation almost exactly the same -- the miniseries "The Grid". (Which I watched within the last year or so on DVD.)

I didn't really get into this show until after around 40 minutes in, then I was starting to dig it. I liked the "cartoony" superhero, rather than the more serious superheroes we've been seeing a lot of lately.

I still don't know how long I'll keep watching it, but will try at least a few more eps.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> It's pretty common to shoot only when it's full dark or full daylight. Otherwise, the light changes dramatically during the several hours it can take to shoot an entire scene, making it impossible to keep it consistent. That's why it so often seems to go from the middle of the night to the middle of the day or vice versa when they're shooting early morning/late evening scenes.


Even the "it's supposed to be dark" just often tint the existing footage.. which looks SO HORRIBLE. (You see big shadows, etc..)


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> I think those are his real eyes, and he wears regular contacts when he's pretending to be Peter Fleming.


Yeah, I didn't get that -- I thought his eyes 'change' when he's the bad guy.


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## rgr (Feb 21, 2003)

LoadStar said:


> I don't know if it was said in dialogue, but the impression that I got was that the L9 superheats the air, until it just explodes. It looked to me that what they were dealing with in the SUV was not fumes, but heat.... you could see the wavy air like what you see on a really hot day.


Thanks, that makes perfect sense. I remember seeing the heat waves and taking them for noxious fumes. Having it be a supeheated device makes much more sense.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

The first half of the show I was thinking about giving up on the show. By the end of the show, I liked it and will stick around.


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## markp99 (Mar 21, 2002)

Very early on, I noted to my wife, "They're losing me." But then I reminded myself, "It's a comic book, go with it." It got better for me. The self directed humor was a nice touch.

I did catch a Boston cityscape flyover in one scene, only to arrive a a location with palm trees. I thought I also saw LA and maybe Seattle cityscapes. I like how they are keeping the actual locale vague.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

markp99 said:


> I like how they are keeping the actual locale vague.


It's not vague at all...it's Palm City!


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## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Hoffer said:


> The first half of the show I was thinking about giving up on the show. By the end of the show, I liked it and will stick around.


It was mentioned on one of the TV sites that the pilot hour was filmed many months before they filmed the 2nd hour, I'm sure that was why the 2nd hour had a different feel.

Diane


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## IndyJones1023 (Apr 1, 2002)

This was super hurried. It felt like they cut out a lot. Very rushed. Gaping plot holes. Dunno if I'll stick it out.


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## markp99 (Mar 21, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> It's not vague at all...it's Palm City!


I want to move to the version of Palm City that's in close proximity to Boston. Especially today.










Ugh!


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## kdelande (Dec 17, 2001)

markp99 said:


> Very early on, I noted to my wife, "They're losing me." But then I reminded myself, "It's a comic book, go with it." It got better for me. The self directed humor was a nice touch.
> 
> I did catch a Boston cityscape flyover in one scene, only to arrive a a location with palm trees. I thought I also saw LA and maybe Seattle cityscapes. I like how they are keeping the actual locale vague.


There were several Chicago cityscapes as well.

KD


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## Magister (Oct 17, 2004)

hapdrastic said:


> I really liked it. My wife enjoyed it, but not as much as me. Anything with Summer Glau in it gets an instant watch from me.
> 
> My wife got really mad at me when I pointed out that Faraday's new boss was clearly Chess - I was glad that that wasn't kept a secret on the show for very long. Seriously, couldn't have been any more obvious.


Except they had to show a flash back to say 'IDIOTS - Remember him!!!' when Chess took off his mask the first time. That was the only thing that bothered me.

My whole family enjoyed the two hours, we will keep the SP.


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## scsiguy72 (Nov 25, 2003)

What's your name?

The Cape..

But you are not wearing a Cape?

I am well aware of that..

Funny stuff, I liked it and how can you go wrong with Summer?


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## whitson77 (Nov 10, 2002)

I thought it was a really good start to the show. I was expecting it to be horrid, but it was quite good.


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## Mr Flippant (Jan 2, 2009)

My wife was done with it after about 1/2 an hour. My son who loves comic book movies left after about 20 minutes. I watched it to the end but only laughed once or twice and really found it more silly than funny. In a small way it reminded me of a modern Wild Wild West, but not nearly as good.

I have a SP but am doubting it will last.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Mr Flippant said:


> ...I watched it to the end but only laughed once or twice and really found it more silly than funny....


It's supposed to be a comedy?!


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## Mr Flippant (Jan 2, 2009)

Bierboy said:


> It's supposed to be a comedy?!


Wow if not this show is definitely not for me. it just seems so silly then. Who would have guessed midget wrestling is the height of drama now?


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Mr Flippant said:


> Wow if not this show is definitely not for me. it just seems so silly then. Who would have guessed midget wrestling is the height of drama now?


Honestly, I thought I detected moments of attempted humor, but most of the time they fell very flat. The overall tone of the show is definitely serious, IMHO.

Of course it may be that the script was written in a lighter tone, but the director, et al, decided to go another way with it...

I do agree that some of the villains, for instance, are too silly to pull off the uber-serious _Batman Begins_ vibe that I occasionally got from the show. Maybe it's a case of a show that doesn't know what it wants to be?


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Yeah, I wouldn't call it a comedy, nor should it be construed as anything serious. I guess somewhere in-between? (whatever that may be called)....


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Mr Flippant said:


> Wow if not this show is definitely not for me. it just seems so silly then. Who would have guessed midget wrestling is the height of drama now?


It's a show about a superhero, a comic book for the small screen.

There were humorous parts of the show but I could turn around the statement above and say who would have guessed that father being falsely accused of a murder and being forced to be separated from his family is the height of comedy now?

I view the show like I do the Spiderman or Ironman, etc movies. An action piece with a little bit of humor and a little bit of drama mixed in.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

Bierboy said:


> Yeah, I wouldn't call it a comedy, nor should it be construed as anything serious. I guess somewhere in-between? (whatever that may be called)....


I've heard "dramedy", but I'm not sure that applies here. Maybe just "adventure"?


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## DLiquid (Sep 17, 2001)

dcheesi said:


> I do agree that some of the villains, for instance, are too silly to pull off the uber-serious _Batman Begins_ vibe that I occasionally got from the show.


I got more of a Danny Devito as The Penguin vibe myself. From the previews I saw, I expected this to be more like The Dark Knight than Batman Returns, so it came as a shock that it was so campy. It reminded me of '80s shows geared toward kids.



Magister said:


> Except they had to show a flash back to say 'IDIOTS - Remember him!!!' when Chess took off his mask the first time.


Yeah, that was weird. Like the viewers are not smart enough to remember a guy from a scene 10 minutes ago? Wow.

The Chess character was what I disliked most about the show. A cliched evil overlord is not interesting to me, and I don't like that actor. The scene where The Cape stopped the guys robbing the store was much more entertaining to me than any of the Chess scenes.

Overall I thought the show was okay, but I was rolling my eyes and cringing a lot. I'll watch a little longer to see which direction they take it.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Mr Flippant said:


> Wow if not this show is definitely not for me. it just seems so silly then. Who would have guessed midget wrestling is the height of drama now?


While modern dramas have taken on a gritty, graphic, ultra-realistic style, I don't think that's a requirement... nor is it a requirement that every drama be this award winning dramatic tour de force.

This is what Maui described it as: a comic book for TV, full of fantastic characters in a fantastic world. That's it... it's not trying to be anything more than that.


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## dilorc (Feb 13, 2002)

I think campy is the wrong word to describe this show. Campy is the 60's Batman using his Bat-Shark Repellent and then dancing the Bat-tusi while Robin says "Holy Frozen Fish Sticks!"

This is an on-screen comic book. Not a high concept "graphic novel" like Watchmen, but a run of the mill comic book. The villains are over the top and the origin story is a little ridiculous (I mean really, "The Carnival of Crime"). I worry they are going to introduce too many "super villains". Now we have Chess, Scales, Cain, and some group called "The Tarot". At this rate, this guy will be like The Flash with the number of enemies he has. I find Peter Fleming more interesting than Chess.

So so far, I'm in. I'm just not confident that we'll be seeing a second season.


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## innocentfreak (Aug 25, 2001)

I usually like comic book shows and movies, but I am about halfway through it and don't know that I can finish it. Between the really bad special effects for the cape and other issues mentioned in this thread, I don't think this will be a top priority for me.


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## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

dilorc said:


> I think campy is the wrong word to describe this show. Campy is the 60's Batman using his Bat-Shark Repellent and then dancing the Bat-tusi while Robin says "Holy Frozen Fish Sticks!"


That's funny, because the 60s Batman is the closest thing I can think of for another show like this one.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

mattack said:


> That's funny, because the 60s Batman is the closest thing I can think of for another show like this one.


Actually, I was thinking more of the 1990 version of The Flash.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

I liked the show but it wasn't good enough to compare to Batman. It's more on the level of Daredevil, Elektra, or maybe the TV series M.A.N.T.I.S.


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## cheesesteak (Jul 24, 2003)

dilorc said:


> This is an on-screen comic book. Not a high concept "graphic novel" like Watchmen, but a run of the mill comic book. The villains are over the top and the origin story is a little ridiculous (I mean really, "The Carnival of Crime"). I worry they are going to introduce too many "super villains". Now we have Chess, Scales, Cain, and some group called "The Tarot". At this rate, this guy will be like The Flash with the number of enemies he has. I find Peter Fleming more interesting than Chess.
> 
> So so far, I'm in. I'm just not confident that we'll be seeing a second season.


What he said.


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## Mr Flippant (Jan 2, 2009)

LoadStar said:


> ...
> 
> This is what Maui described it as: a comic book for TV, full of fantastic characters in a fantastic world. That's it... it's not trying to be anything more than that.


Well then I am guessing it will not get much better than what it has been so far, which will not intrest me enough to keep watching.

Peace all hope you continue to enjoy it.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

LoadStar said:


> Actually, I was thinking more of the 1990 version of The Flash.


This is exactly what I thought and said as much to a friend this morning on the way to work. There is something about this show and that one that while ok, makes the show fall flat somehow.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Just watched the SyFy re-broadcast. I'm keeping the SP for now. Has a lot of promise.

Oh yeah...Summer in the restaurant with Cain...WOW!!!


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## jk5598224 (Jan 29, 2003)

I still don't quite get it. Does he or the cape have *real super powers * , in the mode of No Ordinary Family, Bionic Woman (my fave). As best as I can tell, not really other than whatever that pixie dust is supposed to do. It does appear a lot like Batman, never one of my faves either.


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## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Who needs superpowers when you have a training montage?

(Makes me think of that "real-life superhero" in Seattle whose arch-nemesis defeated him by kicking him in the face and breaking his nose...)


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> Yeah, I wouldn't call it a comedy, nor should it be construed as anything serious. I guess somewhere in-between? (whatever that may be called)....


Store Owner: "You're a superhero!!! What do you call yourself?"
The Cape: "The Cape"
Store Owner: "Ehhh, you can work on it."


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

uncdrew said:


> Store Owner: "You're a superhero!!! What do you call yourself?"
> The Cape: "The Cape"
> Store Owner: "Ehhh, you can work on it."


I liked that the crooks called him Borat.


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## kmccbf (Mar 9, 2002)

Have to admit, I liked this.  It was fun and a bit over the top. Reminds me most of The Flash series. Good, but not too serious. Which of course means that it must be cancled as soon as possible. I don't know if they can keep this going as a series though. I have a feeling it will turn into "The villian of the Week" pretty quick.


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## dcheesi (Apr 6, 2001)

jk5598224 said:


> I still don't quite get it. Does he or the cape have *real super powers * , in the mode of No Ordinary Family, Bionic Woman (my fave). As best as I can tell, not really other than whatever that pixie dust is supposed to do. It does appear a lot like Batman, never one of my faves either.


Nope, it's all gadgets and parlor tricks, just like Batman. Personally I find that kind of refreshing; there's something about the idea of someone becoming "super" through hard work and training (and geeky gadgets  ), as opposed to some unearned random "gift" from the gods/aliens/radioactive-spiders. But YMMV.


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## ozzman73 (Nov 27, 2006)

This was very enjoyable. Thank you for the recommendation. Season pass set.


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## fred2 (Jan 20, 2006)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Who needs superpowers when you have a training montage?
> 
> (Makes me think of that "real-life superhero" in Seattle whose arch-nemesis defeated him by kicking him in the face and breaking his nose...)


Do not make fun of our superheroes, particularly when cops gun down Native American artists armed with carving knives and a block of wood to carve.


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## tivogurl (Dec 16, 2004)

JYoung said:


> (As for plot holes, you think Glau as Orwell is going to be particularly hard to trace with that nice inconspicuous Mercedes?


Don't forget the inconspicuous Lotus. That house isn't very conspicuous either. And unfortunately for Orwell, _she's_ not inconspicuous. She's far too pretty not to get noticed. She shouldn't be in public situations like the restaurant. Chess sure as heck should have noticed that the hot girl that went back to the kitchen with his assassin (a) didn't come back out and (b) looked suspiciously similar to the waitress that took away his mark's chicken dinner.


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## tivogurl (Dec 16, 2004)

desaun said:


> I caught Serenity a few weeks ago and I'm starting to believe that either she's aging very gracefully or not at all.


Summer was a stick on Firefly. She's gained a bit of weight in all the right places.


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## windracer (Jan 3, 2003)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Who needs superpowers when you have a training montage?


Montage!






How long _did_ he train with Max?


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## doom1701 (May 15, 2001)

I pulled a marathon tonight, watching the first two eps and then the new ep. Some contradictions come up pretty quick in the third ep that are best left for it's own thread...

I liked it overall. The cape itself is obviously over the top, but it works. The story is OK, the big bad is nothing new but was done with some fun. I liked how you don't really know when the show takes place--obviously a little in the future, but not too much. Placing a show like this just barely in the future lets the writers pull out all kinds of crazy stuff.

The weakest links for me were, unfortunately, the actor playing Vince/Cape, the actor playing his son, and the dread that they're going to keep this "I'm sitting here on your roof again, wearing a costume, telling you your dad was a good guy and maybe he's not dead" storyline going to as many seasons as possible.


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## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

I thought tonight's episode was only the second episode. Or was the first night actually two episodes?


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

markz said:


> I thought tonight's episode was only the second episode. Or was the first night actually two episodes?


Wrong thread....


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

markp99 said:


> Very early on, I noted to my wife, "They're losing me." But then I reminded myself, "It's a comic book, go with it." It got better for me. The self directed humor was a nice touch.
> 
> I did catch a Boston cityscape flyover in one scene, only to arrive a a location with palm trees. I thought I also saw LA and maybe Seattle cityscapes. I like how they are keeping the actual locale vague.


The scenes on the ship were filmed on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. I thought it was kinda of funny that Chess was using a working hotel as his lair.

Over all I liked the 1st ep(s) enough to set an SP. We'll see how it goes.


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

tivogurl said:


> Don't forget the inconspicuous Lotus. That house isn't very conspicuous either. And unfortunately for Orwell, _she's_ not inconspicuous. She's far too pretty not to get noticed. She shouldn't be in public situations like the restaurant. Chess sure as heck should have noticed that the hot girl that went back to the kitchen with his assassin (a) didn't come back out and (b) looked suspiciously similar to the waitress that took away his mark's chicken dinner.


I was thinking where does she get her money? Also the house/garage she was in seemed an awful lot like the one Sam Flynn has in Tron: Legacy.


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## Stormspace (Apr 13, 2004)

Just finished watching the 2 hour premiere. It's bad, really bad.

I'll prolly watch it anyway.


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