The Cape

[Reverent-One]

Did anyone else see this show on NBC? The premise is that a cop is framed, and takes on a costumed identity so he can try to clear his name, using a fancy cape (of course) and escape artist skills.

I'm a sucker for anything superhero, and I must say I'm enjoying it so far. The show's attitude is a nice mix of serious and comic book-y. For example, the main character's abilities are pretty realistic, with some exceptions made for style and the story. The show's got a pretty good sense of humor too.

So yeah, I'll be keeping up with this one, will anyone else?

*Smokebomb and away*

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Totally forgot the premiere was tonight. I've heard mixed things from reviews, so I'll have to see for myself.

[thegurullamen]

I only caught bits and pieces, but from what I saw, it looks like a solid comic-book-oriented chunk of entertainment. My only qualm is that it

Needs. Better. Lighting.

I look forward to watching the whole thing on Hulu/NBC(dawt)com or wherever it ends up.

[Dr.Epic]

Meh. The show looks interesting. It does look kind of comical and like it doesn't take itself seriously. I'm not saying that's bad (one of my favorite films is Kick-Ass) but unless it's done right it can be bad. However, I think I'm not going to watch the show mainly because it looks like there's this continuity throughout the entire series and if I miss a show or don't start from the first episode I'll miss something. Maybe when the series is over and I can rent the entire thing and watch at my own pace I'll check it out (of course this'll probably won't be for like 6 years, so talk to you guys about it then).

[Cyrion]

I thought it was fun- a good mix of serious and humor in the writing. It had the obligatory origin story and some development/foreshadowing that could make for some good future episodes. I only wonder if there's enough there to keep it from becoming a one-trick pony.

[Asthix]

Just finished the first two episodes on Hulu.

I've gotta say, I knew I was going to like it when I saw the words, Summer Glau. It's cool to see her in a role where she's not an unstoppable force of physical destruction but rather a vulnerable she-geek goddess that' drives an expensive sports car. Much more believable.

By far my most favorite thing about the premiere was
a raccoon stealing a bag of money

With that said, Its definitely not a thinking man's show. Sure there's some logic fails, but chalk this up in the guilty pleasure category for me. Since y'know, Summer Glau's awesome.

[Tiger Duck]

I too enjoyed it very much, but that cape is clearly magic.

and I love the alias of miss Glau her character Orwell

and a small prognoses
Summer Glau plays the daughter of chess/boss of ARC

She most likely has rich parents
Didn't say her name
was particularly startled when she saw the prison boss eating with "Chess"
He had a picture of him and a little girl on his computer hologram.

so either he has lost his daughter a while ago which made him a monster, or his daughter rebelled and is now Orwell


I realised none of these are particularly hard evidence but still.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Okay, so...I finished the first episode on Hulu. Plot went way too quickly. I miss Whedonesque characterization. We didn't get much in the way of interesting dialogue at all. That aside, it's quite a nice show. I like the comic-book feel, including that wonderful over-the-top opening theme.

Obviously the Batman comparisons are gonna rain in, but I like how there's differentiation there. I also really hope the resemblances to some things in Batman are intended as homages. The really big example I noted...
There's a shipment of stuffed animals with the Big Bad's major weapon inside of them, and out of nowhere the goons get nabbed back behind shipping crates. Batman Begins, much? Though I like how it was somewhat subverted, in that Vince got beat up soundly.
In fact, that points to a main thing I do quite like about the series so far. He's human in his capability, aside from the cape, which is his big gimmick. (And I hardly think that cape is any more magic than Batman's own cape, unless something happens in episode 2.

And points for Summer Glau being there, but the first episode didn't give me a whole lot of good Glau acting.

So, a mixed bag for me, but I'll keep watching.

EDIT: One other thing that pleased me...
As the episode went on, the identity of Chess was quickly painfully obvious to me. The moment he started talking as Peter Fleming, he gave it all away. Must be that evil British accent. I'm just glad that the show didn't try to pull a surprise several episodes down the road, and just played their cards straight there.

[Asthix]

Oh right spoiler.:smallsigh:Yeah, Peter Fleming makes a terrible Clark Kent.

[Starbuck_II]

I thought the Orwell intro + Commadarie With Cape was a little forced. She just lets him go back to her place?
But I like Summer too much to really care that much.

The raccoon was the best part of pilot.

[Malagnant]

It seems to me that they didn't even bother to try and keep Chess' identity a secret, and played it as such.

I found parts of it to be rather 'corny', but it's ok, I like corn from time to time. :smalltongue:

All that being said I'm rather giddy to find that Ms. Glau has a new vehicle and I do pray the circus will be regulars. For they amuse me to no end.

[Obrysii]

Summer Glau.

And holy crap she's gotten very pretty.

So far, I'm liking it. I liked how it lampshaded a few conventions ...

Such as Keith David's character "dying" ... it lampshaded the cliche of the master dying to leave the apprentice the mess to clean up ... and it acknowledged it with a dramatic final few words ... only for him to wake up and bemoan the loss of such dramatic value by him being still alive

Also the scene where

The little person guy (didn't catch his name) easily beats the crap out of the secondary villain with a large pipe wrench.

This is going on my "will watch" list. That it will normally be on Monday evenings is nice, as that's the one day I normally can just watch Tv.


Edit: Kotaku had a good point: this show makes us pine for a show that would have been amazing if it lasted more than (*twitch*) 13 episodes: The Middleman.

[Rogue 7]

Quite liked it, and I very much liked the deliberate reversal of the Batman scenario- it's the supervillain with the mega-corporation behind him, not the hero. Now, admittedly, this isn't particularly new (Lex Luthor and the Green Goblin spring to mind), but I can't recall any superhero going up against a megacorp like this without actual superpowers. It makes it much more of an underdog story, and I like that.

That poor black dude serving as Chess's #2 is so screwed, though.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

That poor black dude serving as Chess's #2 is so screwed, though.
Nonsense. He's totally sidekick material.

[Rogue 7]

Nonsense. He's totally sidekick material.

He betrayed Faraday to Chess. He's been trying to convince Faraday's wife that he was a bad guy. He's working actively as Chess' number 2, and Chess is holding his family over him. He's gonna die heroically, but he's totally going to die.

[Fjolnir]

if he doesn't die, it's because he makes a heel face turn and infodumps the evidence to a legitimate source capable of prosecuting his employer, and goes to jail for a very long time.

Or of course he could somehow take over as the new, less villianous head of evilco....

[BiblioRook]

Part that clinched it for me
Opening of the second episode. Faraday browsing in a Army/Navy store that soon after gets robbed. After donning the Cape and beating the would-be robbers he provides to go to the register to make his purchase while in full costume, as if nothing just happened. He even leaves the store through the door like a normal person instead of using one of his trademark super-flashy smokebomb exits.

[Cheesegear]

Better than No Ordinary Family.

[Malagnant]

Sadly, try as I might I just cant seem to invest anything into the main character. Probably a distaste of the actor.

[BRC]

I expected to hate this show, I really did.

And then I watched it and, guess what, it's actually pretty entertaining. It does a good job of avoiding the cheesy camp that today's audience, used to "Grit" and "Realism" despise and mock. At the same time, it dosn't take itself too seriously. It walks the line between taking itself too seriously and becoming a parody.

The Cape himself is not much of a character, the actor is clearly little more than a pretty face, which is weird because the supporting cast (Especially Summer Glau and Circus Guy) does a good job.Maybe the actor will grow on us.
I don't see this ever becoming a great show, but, even if it does some lampshading, it is a straight up superhero show, and that gives it a nostalgia factor that might let it work.
I'll watch the show, but don't expect me to be buying the DvD's anytime soon.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I expected to hate this show, I really did.

And then I watched it and, guess what, it's actually pretty entertaining. It does a good job of avoiding the cheesy camp that today's audience, used to "Grit" and "Realism" despise and mock. At the same time, it dosn't take itself too seriously. It walks the line between taking itself too seriously and becoming a parody.

The Cape himself is not much of a character, the actor is clearly little more than a pretty face, which is weird because the supporting cast (Especially Summer Glau and Circus Guy) does a good job.Maybe the actor will grow on us.
I don't see this ever becoming a great show, but, even if it does some lampshading, it is a straight up superhero show, and that gives it a nostalgia factor that might let it work.
I'll watch the show, but don't expect me to be buying the DvD's anytime soon.
I expect this is where I'll fall, more or less, unless things really do change mid-season, which they could. However, I'd rather see them aim for a consistent show for now, rather than take an early risk and try to make it meaningful (pull a Gwen Stacey, for instance). Though that could be cool later on.

I want to see this show live on, to inspire more series in the line of costumed hero dramas.

[BRC]

I expect this is where I'll fall, more or less, unless things really do change mid-season, which they could. However, I'd rather see them aim for a consistent show for now, rather than take an early risk and try to make it meaningful (pull a Gwen Stacey, for instance). Though that could be cool later on.

I want to see this show live on, to inspire more series in the line of costumed hero dramas.
The show wouldn't be improved by them making it more "Serious" or "Meaningful", if they make an intentional choice to do that, they will spiral into "dark and gritty" territory. Same like if they try to make it lighthearted, they may end up becoming silly.

The best example of this balance is Scales. Yes he's got scales, but he dosn't have a snake or lizard theme or anything. He dosn't talk with a Hiss, he's just a smuggler who randomly has a condition that means he looks like he's got scales. It's a mixture of the old days, where a villain was basically Gimmick+Evil, and the new breed of "realistic" villains who do crimes without a need to theme them.

the "Changes" would be the cast becoming better actors while the writers do more with the characters they have, rather than trying to change the characters.

Edit: Also, I just realized, Summer Glau finally gets to play a character who is not insane in any way!

[Malagnant]

Yeah, definitely a main actor issue, as I love the supporting cast to no end. The main villain Chess is distasteful to my eyes as well but that's not as important since it appears we're going to have regular sub-villains. Lots of room for fun there.

I'm still undecided on whether or not I'll watch it, probably save it for days when I am well and truly bored.

@BRC: She isn't insane you say? She's an independently wealthy twenty-something who spends her free time gathering intelligence on a company full to the brim with para-military personnel and hardware that's lead by an even wealthier sociopath with a chess fetish who recruits his minions from the freak-show section of various backwater roadside attractions. Oh, and instead getting a puppy she decided her new pet would be a wanted murderer/domestic terrorist (framed of course) who has a fancy cape.

I'd say she's a little crazy. Daddy issues at the least.

@V: Ah yeah, Keith David is awesome in this. :smallbiggrin: I love the circus to no end.

[WalkingTarget]

(Especially Summer Glau and Circus Guy)
Circus Guy is Keith David (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_David). Among other roles (both live action and voice acting) he was Goliath from the old Gargoyles cartoon.

[BRC]

Yeah, definitely a main actor issue, as I love the supporting cast to no end. The main villain Chess is distasteful to my eyes as well but that's not as important since it appears we're going to have regular sub-villains. Lots of room for fun there.

I'm still undecided on whether or not I'll watch it, probably save it for days when I am well and truly bored.

@BRC: She isn't insane you say? She's an independently wealthy twenty-something who spends her free time gathering intelligence on a company full to the brim with para-military personnel and hardware that's lead by an even wealthier sociopath with a chess fetish who recruits his minions from the freak-show section of various backwater roadside attractions. Oh, and instead getting a puppy she decided her new pet would be a wanted murderer/domestic terrorist (framed of course) who has a fancy cape.

I'd say she's a little crazy. Daddy issues at the least.
Oh please, by the standards of this show/television in general those are the actions of a perfectly sane individual.

Mind you, I kind of feel like taking exception to her use of "Orwell" as a name, it could be interpreted in two ways, either saying she is Orwellian or saying that, like Orwell, she is fighting that sort of thing. So basically, she could be Orwellian or Orwell-esque.
Now, judging by her motivations (Fighting corruption in the police force, opposing Chess's plans to create a privatized police state) one would think it's the latter, she see's herself as Orwell-esque, however she uses Orwellian imagery. Her symbol of choice is a giant eye, and her motto is "Orwell is Watching", implying that she is fighting evil Via constant surveillance, which is one switch of perspective away from exactly what Orwell was against.

Grr, now something else is buggging me.

In the Pilot, Blandy mc Blanderson calls Orwell to have her shut down all cellphone communication in that area. It makes sense, since Chess is using a cell phone to blow up the L-9. There are several things that bug me about this.
1: Chess using the Cellphone, he's got loads of money, and yet, rather than using a designated detonator, he plans to detonate the explosives via cellphone. I guess it makes sense for somebody with limited resources to convert a cell phone into a detonator, but for chess why not just use a designated detonator, one that sends a signal directly to the charges, rather than routing it through the wireless network, you know, just to be safe.
2: Orwell can shut down cell phone grids. People with computers have done crazier things before in this sort of thing. I'm more or less used to this sort of thing by now, it's not that big an issue, what does bug me is.
3: Blandy mcBlankslate calls her up on his earpiece and knows she can do it. At this point he knows she is a blogger who, at one point, hacked into his computer. Maybe he's just Genre-savvy and knows that under 40+shown using a computer=unstoppable super hacker (In this type of story anyway). I dunno.
4: This is the big one. Chess, when fighting Cape, pulls out his cellphone and says HA, as he is about to push the button. Orwell worked her magic and stole his bars, but that's been covered.
What bothers me is that Chess does this while standing on the boat that he has rigged to explode. From what we've seen of him he's out for himself, he may be a madman, but he's a madman looking out for #1. I find it unlikely that such a character would be willing to blow themselves up, for him the explosion is a means to an end, and end he needs to be alive to fulfill.
5: Why is Chess still using his mask? His initial plan was actually rather clever. Create the persona of Chess to inspire fear, frame Blandy mcGotoactingschool, then take "Chess" down in order to show that Ark had the chops needed to clean up the streets.
All that works, except after he does that, he puts the mask back on. If the whole point was to frame Mister Blanderson (get it, because Keanu Reeves can't act either), why does he then re-assume the Chess identity. That kind of defeats the point of the whole "Frame+Kill" scheme. All he can do now is sit in his room wearing the mask saying "Bwahahah, I am chess!"

[Malagnant]

Oh please, by the standards of this show/television in general those are the actions of a perfectly sane individual.

Well when you put it that way she isn't insane. She's just insane as in overly gusty. :smalltongue: I did like the Orwellian imagery as well, it was a genuinely nice touch to things as well as the circus troupe, are the saving graces of the entire show so far IMO.

And...1+2) I believe they used the cell phone because many people have seen news reports about bombs being detonated in such a way. Also with the phone we have Ms. Orwell to save the day by shutting down the towers faster than I can unwrap a cough drop. I believe if they went with the detonator route it would've resulted in a melee with the classic scene where Blanderson pins Chess to the boat railing, knocking his arm against it until he drops said detonator into the river/ocean/fish tank.

3) Yeah, the assumption that she could do it irked me. I was expecting an 'Oh no he's going to blow it all up with his iPhone.' in which case Ms. Orwell smirks and tells him not to worry because AT&T probably wont be able to connect the call. (Couldn't Resist :smallbiggrin:)

4) Maybe he was going less for 'suicide by fiery death' and more 'looking badass as I walk off the boat while it explodes behind me' type thing. But yeah, that was irksome, totally agree with you there.

5) I really don't get why he is using the mask either, especially when any idiot who can recognize facial differences or has access to software that can do the same is going to notice the rather large difference between the two faces. And not only sit in his room, but play with his holographic panning center/chess board, swirling it about his face as he smiles all evil like, perhaps cackling madly a bit just for flavor?

[Callos_DeTerran]

5) I really don't get why he is using the mask either, especially when any idiot who can recognize facial differences or has access to software that can do the same is going to notice the rather large difference between the two faces. And not only sit in his room, but play with his holographic panning center/chess board, swirling it about his face as he smiles all evil like, perhaps cackling madly a bit just for flavor?

There's actually a really simple answer for this...

It's a fallback plan. If he doesn't wear the mask then, if he gets caught in the act (which is ALWAYS a possibility, especially with a 'superhero' running around) then it just turns out that Farady was framed, Arc screwed up, and Chess is still alive. If he's caught in the act WITHOUT the mask, then he's known as the leader of Arc.

The first leads to bad publicity for Arc and a setback in his schemes. The second leads to a prison cell.

Also, enjoying the show so far, but the main character needs to step-up his game and the show needs to work on it's pacing. Right now each episode feels rushed and hurried. Otherwise Farady is going to continue being shown up by every other actor on the show and there's never going to be a chance for tension to build. Cause right now, I'm watching the show for Keith David, Glau, and the sub-villains.

[Malagnant]

Well yes of course, and when he's seen in his Chess disguise it adds more and more heat to Blanderson(Faraday) who has to continue to be more and more cautious etc etc. I just figured that during Chess' masked days someone would've ran him through a facial recognition database or something, which wouldn't have matched with Faraday. That's probably just stemming from me having seen a few too many Law & Orders/Bones or something. Most likely, since the only knowledge on that field that I have at my disposal is what the internet and T.V. gives me.

Mr. David and Ms Glau certainly do rock the collective socks off of their screen time in the show, that's for sure.

[BRC]

The main character's fanname is officially "Mister Blanderson".
Also

The problem is, as far as we can tell, Chess fully believes Blanderson to be dead, despite the fact that nobody recovered a body. Also, considering that the picture they showed on the news was Chess's face in shadow, it's likely he was very careful about what pictures of him are out there. And I don't think facial recognition is that reliable, especially since this would be more like chin recognition (What with the mask and all).

[Starbuck_II]

Grr, now something else is buggging me.

5: Why is Chess still using his mask? His initial plan was actually rather clever. Create the persona of Chess to inspire fear, frame Blandy mcGotoactingschool, then take "Chess" down in order to show that Ark had the chops needed to clean up the streets.
All that works, except after he does that, he puts the mask back on. If the whole point was to frame Mister Blanderson (get it, because Keanu Reeves can't act either), why does he then re-assume the Chess identity. That kind of defeats the point of the whole "Frame+Kill" scheme. All he can do now is sit in his room wearing the mask saying "Bwahahah, I am chess!"


Maybe he likes wearing it.
It has become somewhat habitual to do so.

[Fjolnir]

badguy is also caught up in his supervillian persona, so much so that his flunky, who knows his identity as Chess but is fairly recent to the payroll can tell that he's being an idiot and playing with his funky contacts over the phone(he asks if something is wrong, which is pretty much the same as saying "you're doing that weird voice again boss" in this situation.)

[Muz]

The main character's fanname is officially "Mister Blanderson".


If the main character's fanname is now officially Mister Blanderson (and I wholeheartedly support this, by the way), can I move that Chess's official fanname be "Chaz?" Because a) I already can't take a villian named after a game seriously ("Look out, Superman! It's Pinochole!") so calling him "Chaz" certainly wouldn't make it any more silly, and b) I'd just really like to be able to call a villain "Chaz," 'cause I'm easily amused.

:smallbiggrin:

[DraPrime]

Question: What is up with the eyes on Chess? They seem to go back and forth being freaky and normal. Does he wear contacts? Is this something genetic? Is the answer even known?

[BRC]

Question: What is up with the eyes on Chess? They seem to go back and forth being freaky and normal. Does he wear contacts? Is this something genetic? Is the answer even known?
I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be contact lenses, though that may just be occams razor talking.

[WalkingTarget]

I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be contact lenses, though that may just be occams razor talking.

I assume so as well. In case people have trouble telling what's going on, his pupils are shaped like a knight and a rook.

[Hopeless]

So when is this being released over in the UK?

More importantly what channel?

[Starbuck_II]

It is also on Hulu I think so you watch it there.

[cdstephens]

Did anyone else think Cain was fighting like an idiot? I mean, he's supposed to be part of a group of super killers...

[industrious]

Yeah. I blame the budget. Too much CGI, not enough fight choreography.

That being said, as of right now, I'm only watching the show for Keith David. Summer hasn't started doing anything awesome yet.

[BiblioRook]

This newest episode seemed, I don't know, rather bland to me. I guess it was more about settign the stage for side plots such as Orwell being Flemming's daughter and Vince's wife starting on uncovering how he was framed, but the central plot of this episode didn't really seem to go anywhere.
I mean, the whole thing just leading up to a fight with the baddie who claims complete and utter mastery over the cape... only to be beaten all the same while wearing said cape in like, what? 2-3 minutes at best? I can just assume he's meant to be some sort of reoccurring villain. But getting defeated that easily while at what should have been his prime, I can't imagine just what he could possibly offer for later appearances.

[Cyrion]

Last night's episode was moderately awful. Too much set up for future episodes, poor villain quality as mentioned above, and whereas I didn't really notice anything to complain about in Mr. Blanderson's acting in the first episode, it stood out as inadequate in this one.

[Hawriel]

I found the show really boring. I was looking forward to it. Summer Glau in a super hero show. Then I found out Keith David is in it. Oh and Bullet Touth Tony is Scales. Kick ass! Then I whatched it and found it really boring. I just could not care. So at 10pm I switched channels for Castle.

Summers character is a blogger? She is a Barbra Gordon (oracle), Lois Lane reporter wanna bee. With out the integrity of being a real reporter. Sorry guys that kinda killed the character for me.

The cape fighting is just stupid. Yes I know cloaks have been used in sword fighting but this really is just silly.

I did love how the dwarf character took out Scales by busting his knee with a munky wrench then cracking him in the head when he hit the floor. That was great.

[Fjolnir]

Summer's character is Eyes Only from Dark Angel, only less post apocalyptic and more female.

[Cheesegear]

Summer's character is Eyes Only from Dark Angel, only less post apocalyptic and more female.

And is not Michael Weatherly. Who was actually good in the role.

Unlike Summer Glau who we're all expecting...Something better from...

[Fjolnir]

Damn, Blanderson is committed to being the hero. I don't think I could keep from dropping chess under the train...

Somehow he's also figured out he lives with the BAD guys.

I do like the start of the battle between chess and scales.

[WalkingTarget]

Damn, Blanderson is committed to being the hero. I don't think I could keep from dropping chess under the train...

He's committed to clearing his own name by exposing the real Chess. It's probably harder to do that if he's dead.

[BiblioRook]

I see Blanderson's 'I'm a cop" attitude annoying me in the future. But then again I've always been a bog fan of lovable rogues, so when it comes down to choosing sides between him and the Carnival of Crime, I'm going to have to go with the Carnival...

[BRC]

Damn, Blanderson is committed to being the hero. I don't think I could keep from dropping chess under the train...

Somehow he's also figured out he lives with the BAD guys.

I do like the start of the battle between chess and scales.
I'm really surprised it took him this long. They were introduced as "The Carnival of Crime, professional bank robbers", they were going to kill him until he gave them the key, which they then used to rob banks across the city. They openly discussed that they were robbing banks in front of him, ect.

It's not until their heist looks like it might mess up his (rather stupid) plan to have a known criminal claim the guy running the police force is Chess backed up with the undeniable evidence of "Some guy in a cape showed up and told me" that he realized "These guys are actually bank robbers. They use violence and threats to make people give them money. They commit CRIMES, but they're a carnival, they're like some sort of carnival of crime"

Hey Blanderson, newsflash: Your son has issues, your old buddy betrayed you, Orwell's a girl, and Scales has a skin condition.

Also, who built that train. I imagine page 56 of the Manual says "If you disconnect a car, the breaks will fail for the entire train unless somebody dangles underneath and cuts a hose".
That said, they're doing a nice job of setting up a rogues gallery. You've got Chess and his private police force, Scales and his band of thugs, and the Tarot (Who are, of course, going to show up again).

[BiblioRook]

That said, they're doing a nice job of setting up a rogues gallery. You've got Chess and his private police force, Scales and his band of thugs, and the Tarot (Who are, of course, going to show up again).

This was something I was alittle concerned about, that the whole thing would just be about exchanges between Blanderson and Chess (or rather, people working for Chess).

[Callos_DeTerran]

I see Blanderson's 'I'm a cop" attitude annoying me in the future. But then again I've always been a bog fan of lovable rogues, so when it comes down to choosing sides between him and the Carnival of Crime, I'm going to have to go with the Carnival...

I'll be honest, I'd totally watch a show about just the Carnival of Crime, Orwell, and Chess cutting out the Cape and Blanderson entirely with Keith David using said Cape if it must be used.

[BlackSheep]

I found it unwatchable. The writing was bland, the pacing was way off, and the only actor I really liked was Keith David. It reminded me of a series that knows it's not getting renewed at the end of the season so it struggles to cram in all these ideas before the end comes. Only this was the pilot. This should be their best foot forward, and it left me totally underwhelmed.

[Hopeless]

Been wondering from all of the comments how this series could be better?

So we've got a former cop whose been framed by a mastermind who is slowly assuming control of the law within the city as a prelude to going I assume across the entire country.

The former cop barely survives the attempt to kill him and ends up in the hands of a group of carnival people who help him recover and one decides to teach him how to fight back given he can't regain his family until he clears his name.

Taught an unusual fighting style and illusionist tricks he starts his career by investigating a suspicious area and runs into someone else who seems to be doing the same as him but is more of a hacker fulfilling some unknown agenda of her own.

Now going by this I'd have changed a few things, first he was rescued by a friend of Keith David's character and not the carnies.

Everything to this point suggests he's the hero, but its a smokescreen because there's no way he could pull off all of these things so his rescuer is introduced by Keith David's character as his assistant and she helps him out and is viewed as the cop's sidekick "however" she's the one who can pull off all of those stunts and is only involved because like him she's hiding under another identity but unlike him she can never assume her true identity without risking far worse than him.

Introduce Orwell as someone who mutually loathes the cop's sidekick but their repartee makes up for some of the lost potential between the cast.

Keith David is the sidekick's mentor and is a thief with the carnies as bank robbers, but whilst the cop eventually believes she's one of them, it becomes clearer as you go along that she's training him for the day he'll be ready to clear himself and yes I'm reminded of the Green Hornet because from all thats said, thats whats needed here someone to teach the hero, give him someone whose very nature he suspects but will eventually realise there's more to and more importantly give Summer Glau someone to spar with give her something to work off of to make her truly stand out because if whats been said here is on the ball thatss what she needs.

Sorry if I'm offending anyone, hopefully I'll be able to watch this since the premise is interesting maybe you can answer whether this might work or what you think this series needs to give it that spark of life that seems to be lacking (outside of Keith David and the dwarf of course!)

[Fjolnir]

Interesting episode, the fun of Chaos vs Law. I do like the various measures of happenstance that drove blanderson to the cape.

[Callos_DeTerran]

I must admit, I actually liked this episode. Blanderson was still...well...blandish, but he got better. More importantly they got the pacing down right, the build-up, the plot was interesting (though I'm fairly certain it was utterly implausible, who cares it was awesome to watch in action), and more characterization for Orwell.

[Lord Seth]

Bad news for fans: NBC cut its episode order (http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/01/report-nbc-cuts-episode-order-for-the-cape-from-13-to-10/81204). That is a really bad sign.

[Fjolnir]

bah, I think the show is interesting and has potential, I didn't see 2 seasons from it but still.

[BiblioRook]

So in this last episode, the girl can use math to predict the future. I'm actually really curious to see the numbers that lead her to predict her father's murder. :smalltongue:


Bad news for fans: NBC cut its episode order (http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/01/report-nbc-cuts-episode-order-for-the-cape-from-13-to-10/81204). That is a really bad sign.

Sad but not surprising. :smallannoyed:

[BRC]

So in this last episode, the girl can use math to predict the future. I'm actually really curious to see the numbers that lead her to predict her father's murder. :smalltongue:



Sad but not surprising. :smallannoyed:
Personally, the "Uses probability to see the future" explanation was total BS, for one reason, the Dice.
It might have worked, explaining that her superbrain lets her looks at all the factors in a situation and predict how things are going to turn out (There was an episode of Fringe with, basically, this exact same plot), that would have worked, since it's well within the bounds of comic book plausibility.

HOWEVER, they open her backstory with her predicting the outcome of a dice roll, then rolling the dice, then tell us that she has a superbrain that uses probability and technobabble to predict the future.
Which would not let her predict the outcome of a dice roll.
IF the roll is a truly random, then probability would tell her the likelyhood of each potential outcome, but it could NOT let her accurately predict it, because it's RANDOM.
So, basically, she dosn't have a superbain, she has a magic brain, she's magic.

The nice bit about this episode, was the revelation that Chess was, in some ways, a different personality from Flemming, which explains alot. Before this, I assumed Chess was entirely a creation of Flemming, a tool he used as part of his schemes. The idea that, in some ways, he actually wants to be Chess, changes things.

[Eric Tolle]

The episodes I saw were silly and stupid in a very pulpish way. In fact, I have to give this show credit that the producers have obviously read their late pulp / Golden Age comics in creating this show. The Circus of Crime is a wonderful idea, and the villains are appropriately grotesque in a pulp sense. I'm personally waiting for the episode featuring the dominatrix in a whip, because you KNOW that's coming.

The major thing I would have done different is to make the heroic elements even more over-the-top, and contrast them heavily with the "real world" which would be a very gritty, realistic "Wire" sort of setting. Also, the villains would only be outwardly weird when the hero is around. The main plot being, are there really puplish supervillains? Or is the hero undergoing a complete psychotic break? Or perhaps he's crazy and that let's him see what's really going on?

[Moglorosh]

HOWEVER, they open her backstory with her predicting the outcome of a dice roll, then rolling the dice, then tell us that she has a superbrain that uses probability and technobabble to predict the future.
Which would not let her predict the outcome of a dice roll.
IF the roll is a truly random, then probability would tell her the likelyhood of each potential outcome, but it could NOT let her accurately predict it, because it's RANDOM.
So, basically, she dosn't have a superbain, she has a magic brain, she's magic.

Sorry, but no. The concept of something being "truly random" in the sense that you seem to understand it is non-existent. Every possible outcome would be based on certain variables. Rolling dice would be no different; there isn't anything "magic" about it, it's just a matter of taking all the variables into account and computing the results mathematically.

[BiblioRook]

This will almost certainly not be addressed in the show, but I wonder just how the Tarot group works as far as members are concerned.
If one dies, would he be replaced?
Also, I didn't catch it when I watched it, but were Goggles and Hicks both considered 'one' part of Tarot or were they both different cards? I know Hicks dropped a card at the beginning but I didn't see which one it was.

[Fjolnir]

I missed the first 10 minutes, I plan on catching it after I take a nap

[BRC]

This will almost certainly not be addressed in the show, but I wonder just how the Tarot group works as far as members are concerned.
If one dies, would he be replaced?
Also, I didn't catch it when I watched it, but were Goggles and Hicks both considered 'one' part of Tarot or were they both different cards? I know Hicks dropped a card at the beginning but I didn't see which one it was.

The Chariot, which makes me think they were considered 'one' Tarot.

Also, thoughts on this episode, and the show in general:
It's common to see good ideas done badly, but the Cape is something else, it's a bad idea done wonderfully.
The bad idea was to create a straight superhero show, complete with kooky deformed villains and faceless evil organizations, and somehow sell it to modern audiences. Somewhere along the way, somebody realized this was a bad idea, and turned the show into something that, while not quite a parody, is wonderfully self-aware.

Max said it best in this last episode, "You're not a super hero, your a circus act". This show isn't a superhero show. A Superhero show is about somebody deciding to put on a silly costume and enact some vigilante justice because the police are too full of things like "Laws" and "Proper Procedures" to handle all the crime.
The Cape isn't about that, it's about Blanderson trying to clear his name. He takes on the trappings of a superhero, and if he encounters any crime he'll fight it, but his purpose isn't to Fight Crime. If he existed to fight crime, he would have reported the Circus (Because, even if the police force is run by a bad guy, they ARE criminals), and probably Orwell, since she is, you know, a hacker. He doesn't have some vauge batman-esque objective to "Fight Crime". He has a very specific objective, to clear his name, go back to his family, and bring down Flemming (as a necessary part of that process). Blanderson may dress up as a superhero, but he's not one, he's just your standard issue Badass with a cool cape and a specific goal in mind. When Blanderson defeats Flemming and clears his name, he will stop being The Cape.

For contrast, I'd like to bring up Buffy. Buffy was a superhero show. Sure she fought supernatural threats rather than criminals, but in the end the result is the same, Buffy stood as a defender. She went on patrol, looking for threats, and when she found them she took care of them. Her goal was to make sure tommorow went, more or less, like today did. When she beat a big villain, it just meant she went back to fighting little ones.
Now, why Buffy is relevant is because, while Buffy was a superhero show, it didn't act like one. No crazy costumes, not much in the way of Secret identities (Yes secrets were kept, but it wasn't like she went around calling herself "Slayer Girl"). None of the Trappings of a Superhero story, but the core of one.
The Cape represents the opposite approach, it has the trappings of a Superhero show, but the core of a much more standard Action story. Blanderson has more in common with Bourne than with Batman.


...I had a point here, but I lost it somewhere, and I really need to go do work.

[Fjolnir]

I liked the current episode, the idea that the creepy cold case file has its own special following and are behind more creepy cases is a good one. Chess/fleming continues to machinate and the betrayer continues to wonder if he's backed the correct horse. Orwell once again continues to hint at her mysterious past that is totally NOT growing up as peter fleming's long lost daughter. And the carnival continues to show the best character growth as a whole when compared to the rest of the cast.

[Private-Prinny]

Honestly, I think the single biggest problem with this show is that they're doing a good thing at a terrible time. With people like Chess, Scales, Dice, Tarot, and now The Lich, The Cape's rogues gallery is actually fairly impressive. Unfortunately, all of these adversaries go completely to waste when the show ignores any sort of main plot in favor of introducing more and more villains, which will get it canceled long before we get to see any of his secondary enemies ever again.

[cdstephens]

Sorry, but no. The concept of something being "truly random" in the sense that you seem to understand it is non-existent. Every possible outcome would be based on certain variables. Rolling dice would be no different; there isn't anything "magic" about it, it's just a matter of taking all the variables into account and computing the results mathematically.

He's somewhat correct though, but on a completely different scale; according to quantum mechanics, pure chance does exist, but it's effect in day to day life is so small that it's not noticeable.

For example, when you throw a ball with an X amount of force in a certain direction, you don't actually know with 100% certainty it'll land on spot Y; according to quantum mechanics, there are different probability amplitudes for each path (technically there's a non zero chance for example it'll just go through the floor, for example).

Anywho, the technobabble was somewhat legitimate; the only problem I had with it was that a HUMAN could do it....the size of a computer you'd need to do this would be immense.

[Erts]

Show started off well, but there are so many problems, I don't think it will be able to stay above the water.

[Fjolnir]

I like the show, I do like that they go in an attempt to establish his rogues as a force, though I hope this is the last true new villain because they only had a 13 episode deal...

[Lord Seth]

Show started off well, but there are so many problems, I don't think it will be able to stay above the water.Given that they've cut the episode order from 13 to 10 (an almost certain sign of cancellation), there's no question it isn't staying "above the water."

[Callos_DeTerran]

I hope it stays above the water, they've finally gotten one of my biggest problems with it (the pacing) down. Now they just need to work on Blanderson's acting and it'll be a show I'm proud to watch....Always love me some voodoo though, so I enjoyed this episode.

[Fjolnir]

new episode just ending; Revalations include Orwell's real first name and that Peter Fleming is her father. Wife seems to be putting 2 and 2 together about Blanderson's secret identity...

[BiblioRook]

I was actually wondering if you would ever get around to using his hypnotism skills...