Dark Angel: Prodigy

Attending a conference on genetics in hope of a cure for her seizures, Max comes face to face with Lydecker, something that becomes less of a concern when terrorists take everyone present hostage.

With a better mix of characterization, action and drama, this is a much better episode of the series. Having Lydecker finally meet Max and not realize is a clever trick, although it does mean he has to be conveniently knocked out for Max to perform some impressive moves. Having said that, her efforts against the other terrorists are fantastic, with a sky-diving sequence in which she saves Logan being totally breathtaking.

There’s a look into Max’s life back at Manticore, some insights into the way Lydecker’s mind works, especially with regard to the last remaining terrorist and Logan actually gets out and about a bit. It’s a shame that Max’s flatmate doesn’t get much time and the rest of the Jam Pony team are reduced to standing and watching, but there are certainly plenty of surprises during the episode with everything ending up okay in the end. The sexual tension between Max and Logan is jacked up another notch in a couple of underplayed scenes and there are hints that there may be more problems with Max’s condition that she first thought. At last some hints are being dropped about potential directions for the show; let’s hope it can follow through on them.

****

Would you like to go to the Dark Angel Season One guide, head back to the main TV reviews page, read older reviews in the Reviews Archive or return to the front page?