Ceci M.
I have to admit something: I have been wanting to write about this show ever since I first laid eyes on it. However, every time I sat down to pound out my thoughts on the keyboard, I was so immersed in thinking about the detail I couldn’t go on. The program has captivated me this much. However, what I can say is that what makes it one of the best hours of television is its attitude. Jessica Alba (playing the intrepid Max) brings a lot of gusto to the show through her gusto and cunning. Because she has to do everything to stay on her feet and survive, you cheer when she finally gets one step closer to getting Lydecker. However, there’s a hook in that. When she could finally stand back and watch Lydecker get what he deserved, she saved his life. And of course in the next episode, Lydecker paid her back with trying to sell her and her “Manticore” brother, Zack down the river.
Who says that nice things never go unpunished? However, this show has a soul and a heart. Even though that the main story-line has to do with Max’s wheelings and dealings in an America ruined by an “electronic pulse” (by cyber-terrorists) in 2019, it deeply ventures into the territory of trust and friendship. Original Cindy, Kendra, Earville and Sketchy at Jam Pony bond with Max and help her out with her schemes to get back the bad guys. What is more, they succeed because they know they can. Their lives often depend on their decisions. The best part of their antics is the fact that they never forget who they are and what their purpose is. Between the light-hearted banter and the dangerous situations, they forge their way within a world that is riddled with treachery and heart-ache. Here too, they have to find sincerity where they can discover it. And, it is a painful, yet enlightening journey. They all represent people that we’ve come in contact with in one walk of life to another. That makes them very real and believable when they cross paths with Max.
Logan, of course, is the core part of this drive for survival in the post-apocalyptic world as well. He is a parallel figure for Max—in gender-bending terms. She applies the muscle; he employs the brains of the outfit. Although Max is getting in touch with her emotions, Logan is trying to get a handle on his (knowing that Ms. Max plants a big one on Logan next week). However, when they get together, it is like dynamite. It is not only the meeting of the minds; it is the clashing of personalities: Logan is the reserved type; Max is passionate about everything that she does. Because he holds in his reserve, he silently suffers when Max goes out—even compelling him to save her hide a couple of times. Therefore, their friendship is based on a chemistry that extends beyond the ‘Shipper-levels: they are always grapping with different points of view that can’t be worked out in one episode. Every scene between them ends up being this long debate between survival and safety; spontenaeity and restraint.
Logan and Max have an intricate relationship based on need. He needs her for companionship and intellectual parlay; she needs him for trust and loyalty in a world that inspires none. When they work together, these issues come-out ten-fold. However, because of this notion of need, they clash repeated adding the fire and mojo to their relationship that gives the show its spark. They both have a penchant for self-protectiveness that comes out when they delve deeper into the other’s life.
Yet, all of the elements fit together that makes the show messy, but in a good way. No one is perfect within the show. Instead, they try to enhance their talents to make things work for them. That is the secret power behind the plot. Because they are ordinary people trying to eke an existence out in an extraordinary world, they have to use what they know to survive—even if it has to do with a little larceny. However, there are justifications when they question and go against authority. The authority figures of the future are corrupt and two-faced. They take what they want without any questions. They use bribery to get the upper hand. So, is Max at fault for engaging in actions against the law? That’s for you to decide.
However, Max is truly a revolutionary figure because she does stick to her own beliefs and lives by them. Although, she still has to learn a lot about herself and her place in the world, each step is functioning toward a sense of adventure and enlightenment. Therefore, she disrupts the staleness and despair that seems to envelop those around her.
“Dark Angel: A Cult Heroine” ©2000 by Ceci M.
If you have any questions or comments about this essay, please e-mail: cecim999@yahoo.com .