Dark Angel: Heat

Max goes on the trail of the person who picked her up from the Project and rescued her, although Lydecker’s men are in close pursuit.

I’m not entirely sure how this series is going to work. Presumably every episode can’t form part of the ongoing storyline, as it would become too trapped in its own continuity. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing; the serial format seems to be working nicely for Roswell, so why not this? It just depends how far each episode takes us, as Fox viewers won’t necessarily keep watching forever, even though many have stuck by The X-Files.

The first episode was pure setting up. This episode, we get to see what two of the main characters can do. I can’t remember just how much of Max’s make-up was revealed in the opening story, but this one explains that she has cat genes, which give her heightened senses of balance and visual acuity. Whether this is the full extent of her abilities is unknown, but it’s certainly interesting to see what she’ll do next. It’s also interesting to see the downside of what’s been done to her, as she is ‘in heat’ and will go after any man, whether she wants him or not.

Playing up the ‘men are stupid’ angle is a good idea, as not only will the women appreciate it, but the men will be too stupid to notice. The inclusion of Eric works like a charm here, as he’s obviously full of himself, despite falling asleep at the wrong time, yet still eager to help someone he’s only just met. The rather abusive relationship between him and Max is good fun and provides a counterpoint to the more cerebral relationship of Max with Logan.

Likewise, he too shows what he’s capable of, brilliantly leading Lydecker’s men away from Max and rescuing our heroine from certain death. There’s a strong understanding between Logan and Max, even though the ways they do good clearly aren’t always in total agreement.

As a second episode, this one’s got pretty much everything: spectacular stunts, some humour and realistic drama. At last we seem to have a series that’s thinking before it acts and is all the better for it.

****

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