Dark Angel (TV series)

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Dark Angel
Genre Action/Science Fiction
Running time 45 minutes
Creator(s) James Cameron
Charles H. Eglee
Starring Jessica Alba
Michael Weatherly
John Savage
Valarie Rae Miller
Richard Gunn
J. C. MacKenzie
Jensen Ackles
William Gregory Lee
Country of origin USA
Original channel FOX
Original run October 3, 2000–May 3, 2002
No. of episodes 42

Dark Angel (2000 – 2002) was a cyberpunk science fiction television series, created by James Cameron and Charles H. Eglee. The show starred Jessica Alba as Max, a genetically-enhanced supersoldier spliced with feline DNA who searches for others of her kind, while trying to lead some semblance of a normal life.

The series was set in Seattle, Washington (but was actually filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Lions Gate Studios).

Contents

[edit] Setting

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In the year 2009, a genetically enhanced female child (whom creator James Cameron refers to as "transgenic") super-soldier named Max Guevara, also known as X5-452, escapes, along with 11 others like her, from a secret government institution. At the insitution, codenamed Manticore (which lies near Gillette, Wyoming, according to captioning in the pilot and opening credits of the earlier episodes, although the semi-mountainous terrain and dense pine trees shown in the series suggest that it may have been located up to 30 miles from that western plains city), they were created and subsequently raised and trained to be soldiers and assassins. Months after Max's escape, terrorists detonate an electromagnetic pulse weapon in the atmosphere over the U.S., which destroys the vast majority of computer and communication systems, throwing the country into utter chaos.

The first season begins ten years later in 2019. It follows the life of the now 19 year old Max as she struggles to search for her Manticore brothers and sisters. In a United States which is now barely more than a Third World nation (a concept largely dropped from the show after 9/11), she tries to live her life, to evade capture and to learn to trust and love. She is aided by Logan Cale and her friends at Jam Pony, a courier company where she works as a bicycle messenger. Other X-5s are periodically introduced as well.

In the second season of the show, the tone changes as Max brings down Manticore, but finds that she has an even more deadly enemy in a millennia-old breeding cult with similar structure to the Illuminati. This has resulted in humans even more formidable than the Manticore-produced transgenics, and now this cult is trying to hunt them all down. It turns out that a renegade from the cult, Sandeman, was largely responsible for Manticore's genesis. The villain Ames White is Sandeman's son, which essentially makes him Max's brother. The series was cancelled before the producers could really play with this dynamic, however.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Dark Angel episodes

[edit] Cancellation

The DVD releases of Dark Angel.
Enlarge
The DVD releases of Dark Angel.

Despite a strong fan base (and a second season finale directed by James Cameron), Dark Angel was cancelled in 2002 after just two seasons due to budget costs and low second season ratings. Avid fans of the show attribute the loss of ratings to a misjudgement on the part of FOX Network for airing the second season on Friday evenings instead of Tuesday evenings. In addition, changes to the format and tone of the series in the second year are also cited as contributing factors to its demise. Many of these changes were unavoidable due to budgetary concerns, departing actors, and 9/11, which forced the show to downplay its post-apocalyptic setting. Initially a third season appeared to be greenlit, but when Joss Whedon reworked his Firefly pilot, Fox chose Firefly for a Fall slot at the expense of Dark Angel.

Dark Angel, though cancelled, had high availability with on-demand services, and as of July 10, 2006 Sci-Fi Channel has started airing repeats of the two seasons.

[edit] Possible Renewal

During April of 2006, Fox held a poll on their broadcasting website asking, "Now we've brought back Family Guy for another series, which of these would you like to see resurrected for another series?" Among the choices were Dark Angel, Tru Calling, Angel, Futurama, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The poll started mid-April, and ended during the beginning of May.

At the conclusion of Fox's poll, Dark Angel ended up winning with 34.5% votes, with Tru Calling at 28.1% behind it. No word as of yet has been announced by Fox whether they will renew the series or not. If it is renewed, however, there is no telling whether or not Jessica Alba would reclaim the role of Max.

[edit] Season 1 vs. Season 2

This section concerns differences between seasons one and two in regards to Max's character and the "feel" of the show.

[edit] Season One

In this season, per James Cameron’s directing, the show revolves more around Max’s super-human abilities as a transgenic and revved-up soldier. While Max is still portrayed as a “different” young woman trying to lead some semblance of a normal life, viewers get more of a sense of Max’s Manticore-endowed, superior abilities (i.e. the abilities to see objects and hear conversations from afar, leap very high, outrun enemies, overpower most other human beings, etc.) and to some extent, her transgenic burdens (the constant need for tryptophan pills and the uncontrollable feline behavior related to going into heat). Also, Max’s main priority is to find her other eleven siblings, with whom she escaped as a child in 2009, and evade capture by her Manticore enemies. Season one has more of a run-and-hide tone to it than season two. Season one focuses on all of Max’s unique abilities (and strongly emphasizes them) as a genetically engineered powerhouse because she is only one of twelve Manticore escapees and also because Dark Angel was trying to establish itself in the TV Sci-Fi world in its infancy and used Max’s abilities to reel in the attention. In addition to the aforementioned features, Dark Angel Season One concerns Manticore’s use of super soldiers that resembled normal human beings. There are some characters stronger than or as strong as Max, but these characters look and act (somewhat) just like normal human beings. Max only has to worry about one party that wants her ensnared for good – Lydecker, who represents the Manticore Corporation as a whole. However, Max did occasionally have to contend with a Manticore competitor, Red Series, that also sought to capture her. In regards to the setting, there is much more of a Third World Country feel to the show and it is easy to ascertain the daily struggles that most post-pulse Seattle-dwellers encounter, especially when Walter (the corrupt police officer and secret boyfriend of Kendra’s) puts a strain on Max and Kendra’s living situation in regards to the bribes he requires not to report their squatting.

[edit] Season Two

With the destruction of the Manticore facility, escapees are resurfacing in large numbers. Going beyond the transgenic soldiers seen before (with enhanced speed, strength, and reflexes, and combat training), new soldiers are seen with other abilities, somewhat similar to those seen in superhero comics. This leads to a "freak of the week" premise, where soldiers bred for more specific purposes make appearances, which includes a character specializing in heuristics (although his abilities are more akin to precognition), characters bred for aquatic missions (they have gills and can breathe underwater), and Joshua, the first transgenic who has dog-like facial features, who also becomes a recurring character. This leads to much more comic situations and a much lighter hearted feel, coupled with the addition of Alec, the wisecracking supersoldier and comic foil to the level-headed Max. Other main characters undergro fairly drastic changes, such as Logan losing some of the angst related to his condition (he can now walk with mechanical assistance) and Max's no longer needing tryptophan. The show also adds elements of a mysterious cult and prophecies, which remain unresolved with the conclusion of the series.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Season One (2000 – 2001)

[edit] General cast

[edit] Jam Pony

[edit] Manticore

[edit] X-5s

[edit] Related to X-5s

[edit] Season Two (2001 – 2002)

[edit] General Cast

[edit] Manticore

[edit] Familiars

  • Martin Cummins as Ames White
  • Lita as Thula
  • Brayden Bullen as Ray White
  • Henri Lubatti as C.J. White
  • Devin Douglas Drewitz as Samuel
  • Simon Burnett as Purebred #1
  • Christopher Gordon as Purebred #2
  • Emily Holmes as Wendy Olsen White

[edit] Related to X-5s

[edit] Jam Pony

[edit] Key characters

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Season One (2000 – 2001)

  • Max Guevara -- A genetically enhanced female (or transgenic) super-soldier also known as X5-452, and an escapee from Project Manticore who searches for others of her kind, while also trying to lead some semblance of a normal life. She has a barcode with the number 332960073452 on the back of her neck. She eventually teams up with Eyes Only.
  • Logan Cale -- Also known as Eyes Only, Logan is on a crusade to bring down the corrupt power brokers of the new millennium. He uses his resources to find out who Max is and the two develop a deep and complex relationship. He delivers his messages through video bulletins by hacking into television cable networks.
  • Zack -- A genetically enhanced male (or transgenic) super-soldier also known as X5-599, Zack was the leader of the breakout where Max escaped, and he is very protective of his fellow escapees. He hates Manticore with a passion, and is somewhat mistrustful of regular humans.
  • Original Cindy -- Max's co-worker and drinking buddy. In the middle of Season One, she discovers that Max is from Manticore and that Logan is Eyes Only. She usually refers to herself in the third person and is a lesbian.
  • Donald Lydecker -- Colonel Lydecker is one of Manticore's senior officers, and the arch-enemy of Max and Zack. He eventually switches sides after the project's director betrays him.
  • Normal -- Reagan Ronald is the head of the Jam Pony Express courier service, where Max works. He is called Normal because his conservative demeanor clashes violently with his usual surroundings.
  • Tinga/Penny -- A genetically enhanced female (or transgenic) super-soldier also known as X5-656. She escaped at the same time as Max and the others. She went on to marry Charlie Smith and have a child named Case. She also worked at a bakery before she left for Canada with Zach. She appeared first in "The Kids Are A'ight" at the end of which she left for Canada. She then returned for her family in "Hit A Sista Back", in which she was captured by Manticore in exchange for her son. She made brief appearances trapped in a tank and dead in "Meow" and "...And Jesus Brought A Casserole".
  • Case Smith -- only appeared in one episode but should be mentioned as he is the nephew of Max Guevara and the only son of Guevara's sister Tinga. Despite being only less than five years old he already has accelerated motor control, heightened spatial recognition, and advanced logical thinking: on short, some of the very traits of an X5. This is a surprise to Manticore, as their laboratory attempts to mix X5 DNA with human DNA resulted in less than desirable offspring. Manticore infected Case with nanoprobes, causing him to be struck down with a high fever. In order to save her son, Tinga allowed herself to be captured in return for a hypospray that contained the antidote. Manticore then tried to capture Case as well, but this attempt failed due to the intervention of Zack and Max. The last we see of Case is him going into hiding along with his dad, bidding a tearful goodbye to his aunt, Max, who fears she may never see her nephew (who she has only now known of his existence) ever again.
  • Charlie Smith -- only appeared in one episode but should be mentioned as he is the father of Case, the hybrid combination of X5 DNA and human genes. Despite the initial shock of uncovering the truth about his wife, whom he only knew as Penny, he forgave her and eventually goes into hiding with his son after Tinga is blackmailed by Manticore into being captured in order to save Case's life.
  • Phil/THE STREET SWEEPER -- Seeing himself as some sort of moral crusader, this vigilante came to the aid of one of Max's work colleagues, Sketchy, when muggers accosted him. At first believed by Max and Logan to be a Manticore reject that escaped both theirs and Manticore’s notice due to his superhuman abilities, it transpired that he was wearing an exoskeleton that picked up nerve impulses and relayed them to a series of servomotors which enhances speed and strength, the ability to jump, lift and carry by as much as 30% more than the average human. He claims he got it by destiny. Phil is somewhat out of touch in reality in that he sees himself as some sort of superhero character straight out of a comic book and sees Max as some sort of superheroine as well. Max comes to learn that this man-child is driven by atonement to be a defender of justice. He witnessed his only sister Francesca being murdered by home invaders for not staying quiet. Max eventually convinces Phil to put his superheroing ways on hold for a while to revisit his mother. Before leaving, Phil gives his exoskeleton to Logan, allowing the paralyzed man to walk in the second season.
  • Jude Thatcher -- Was a product of ‘Gene resequencing and manipulation of RNA nucleotides.’ Born a crack baby and three months premature, he was adopted by a Japanese scientist named Doctor Tanaka who did some extensive gene therapy to correct most of his defects. Before this, Jude was a vegetable with underdeveloped lungs relying on constant IV feeding but thanks to Tanaka and his genetic surgery and extensive therapies, Jude's IQ is that of a genius. He has mastered three languages and is a chess wizard to boot. The fact his disabilities were cured AFTER his birth piques both Max's and Donald Lydecker's interest. Lydecker seeks to use Jude as some sort of blueprint to further improve the defects in his own creations at manticore by using the boy's advanced genetic therapy, as well as fixing Donald's eyesight so he may never need glasses again. However, a Neo-Luddite group (who are one of the possible suspects responsible for setting off the Pulse that crippled North America in the first place) led by Darius (who's group 'The May 22nd Movement' idolises Theodore Kaczynski, The Unabomber so much so that not only do they base their actions on him but take their name from his birthday.) prevents this from occurring by assassinating Doctor Tanaka. Max manages to save Jude from the extremists and Lydecker by foiling the hostage situation, leaving behind an enraged Donald to execute Darius for letting Jude escape. The last we see of Jude is him concealed inside Cale's car prior to getting a new identity and life somewhere else far from Manticore.

[edit] Season Two additions (2001 – 2002)

  • Alec -- Alec is introduced as Max's breeding partner at Manticore, a role vehemently denied by Max herself. When Manticore is destroyed, Alec escapes to the outside world. A genetically enhanced male (or transgenic) super-soldier (designation X5-494), Alec is a rogue in the mold of Han Solo or Gambit. He is the identical twin of Ben, a psychotic Manticore escapee whom Max fought and was eventually forced into killing by breaking his neck after he began killing priests in Season One. Alec boxes in the ring as "Monty Cora", and when he quits and joins Jam Pony Express, his status as a boxer earns him first admiration and then a "special place" in the somewhat strange mind of Normal.
  • Ames White -- This character could be said to replace Lydecker as Max's primary nemesis, and is similar to Agent Smith from The Matrix in his demeanor and invulnerability. A federal agent charged with tracking down and exterminating Manticore escapees in order to conceal Manticore's existence, White is also part of an ancient cult (known only as the "Conclave") that have infiltrated various levels of society and, over millions of years, bred super-humans superior to the genetically modified Manticore projects.
  • Raymond 'Ray' White-- Ames' son, who was kidnapped by the Familiars. The breeding cult put him through a mysterious ceremony to see if he would survive exposure to a potentially lethal parasite for 'the coming'. Thankfully Ray's immune system kicked in with the right antibodies and he survived. Max rescued him, and Logan arranged for Ray to be placed in a secure environment away from the Familiars. This caused Ames, deprived of his son, to increase his hostility towards Max.
  • C.J. White -- Ames' disturbed younger brother, who was locked up in a mental institute. He lets slip a shocking secret concerning his Ames' true identities: they are in fact Sandeman's offspring, and thus half siblings of most of the X-5 series.
  • Joshua -- An early Manticore experiment, Joshua was engineered with canine DNA and consequently has some unusual facial features. Because of his beastly appearance, Max and Original Cindy must find creative ways to hide him from public view. He had a brief romance with a blind woman named Annie Fisher, before she was murdered by Agent White.
  • Asha Barlowe -- Asha is a member of S.1.W., a militant resistance movement against government corruption. She works closely with Logan on Eyes Only missions (much to Max's annoyance) but apparently doesn't know that Logan is Eyes Only. She is also in love with Logan.
  • Sandeman -- Sandeman is a figure who is referred to but does not appear in the series. He was part of the same ancient cult as Ames White, but rejected it and created Manticore. Joshua and Issac (Joshua's younger brother) were his first creations. In addition, Sandeman created X5-452 (aka Max Guevera), in whom he implanted a message in an ancient language related to the cult, which manifests itself as tattoo-like markings on her skin. Max was created as a "perfect being" to stop the ancient cult. This is hinted at in very early episodes, as she is said to have no "junk DNA."
  • Bugler/Blue -- was an X8 (designation X8-861) from the bugler corps who was named by Max after she saved him from being executed by one of Ames White's hit squads. With the help of the other members of Bugler's party, Max was able to save what was left of the Manticore subjects from being wiped out in a death trap set by Ames. The group then destroyed the transmitter and with it, the trap. However, one of them was killed in the process.
  • Sam Guevara -- Max's identical clone whose full Manticore designation is 332960073453. A genetically enhanced female (or transgenic) super-soldier. Sam, who had been involved in a two-year deep undercover mission which had involved her marrying a divorced father, was Left out in the cold after Manticore's destruction. However, upon being cut loose she found herself yearning for a family of her own and actually started falling in love with her new husband and wanted to adopt his son, Johnny. Some notable differences between Sam and Max are that Sam is a smoker and wears different style driving glasses; however the major difference is that Max was designed without 'junk DNA' whereas Sam wasn't. In addition to differences, Sam uses handguns whereas Max, due to Eva being shot to death during the escape from Manticore in 2009, refuses to do so.
  • Wendy White -- Ames' wife and Ray's mother. She comes to Eyes Only to tell him of her son's kidnapping, whereupon Logan and Max find out who her husband is. He later confides in her of what he has become and what will become of their offspring. His attempts at reasoning with her fall on deaf ears, as she is outraged at his intentions for their child. Offended at being rejected, he tries to shoot her but she escapes. Later, however, he catches up to her and strangles her to death with his tie.
Spoilers end here.

[edit] Trivia

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  • Max's full Manticore designation is 332960073452
  • Zack's full Manticore designation is 330417291599
  • Jondy's full Manticore designation is 332340090210
  • Tinga's full Manticore designation is 331450074656
  • Syl's full Manticore designation is 331366001701
  • Alec's full Manticore designation is 331845739494
  • Zane's full Manticore designation is 332580074205
  • Krit's full Manticore designation is 332231418471
  • Zane, Krit, and Jondy's barcodes are all visible on screen during the episode "The Kidz Are Aiight" (Season 1. Ep 13)
  • Ben's full Manticore designation is presumed to be 331845739493
  • Sam's full Manticore designation is 332960073453
  • It is discussed and fought over in online communities whether Ashley Scott (Asha Barlow) was originally cast to be Jondy, one of Max's X5 sisters. The idea stems from the fact that Asha originates from San Francisco where it is revealed that Jondy had been living prior to the episode "The Kidz Are Aiight". Though Asha's true origins are never fully developed on the series, the idea is mostly defunct based on fan specualtion that had Asha been Jondy she would've pursued a different kind of relationship with Max [citation needed].
  • The facility used as the Gilette Manticore base is Riverview Medical Center, a psychiatric hospital in Coquitlam, Canada. It is a frequent site used for filming and has been seen in other Vancouver based productions such as The X-Files, The Butterfly Effect, Smallville, and Supernatural. The building used is the Crease Building and it has been deemed unlivable since the 80's but is still used for filming today [citation needed].
  • In the various Dark Angel novels, the three remaining '09 escapees (of which there were twelve), were named to be Vada, Kavi, and Seth. All three of them were killed off in the years before Max joined up with Logan Cale. Vada was hunted by Col. Donald Lydecker and shot down in the desert. Kavi blew his cover playing baseball and threw the ball far more accurately than a normal human would, right in front of a Manticore official. He was subsequently captured and/or killed by Manticore. Seth had been working as an Eyes Only operative and just days before the start of the series, he ran into Max on the Space Needle and fell to his death to give Max a chance to escape from Manticore officials who were after them. The three transgenics were never named in the series, nor are they considered canon as per the fact that while Lydecker was in his office he would always have twelve pictures of the escapees on the wall and only took pictures down after Brin and later Ben were captured/killed.
  • Jensen Ackles got the part of Alec, after playing Ben in Season 1, with no audition for the character of Alec. The producers had no idea at that point if he could play a comedic character when he was cast [citation needed].
  • WWE wrestler Lita, who appeared in the last episode, broke her neck while performing a stunt on the set when a stuntwoman dropped her on her head while Dumas was performing a Hurricanrana. This injury took her out of action in her wrestling career for seventeen months.
  • The arcade game that Brain plays in the episode "Brainiac" is an arcade version of Aliens versus Predator 2. James Cameron, the co-creator and producer of the show, is widely known for directing the movie Aliens. Ironically enough, in the episode "Some Assembly Required", Zach has a mechanical replacement of his eye that looks similar to that of the T-800 Terminator from The Terminator and [Terminator 2], both also directed by Cameron.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Spinoffs

[edit] Novels

Written by Max Allan Collins, a trilogy of novels expands upon the Dark Angel television series.

  • Dark Angel: Before the Dawn (2002) is a prequel to the television series, taking a more detailed look at Max's past between 2009 and 2019. It introduced a 13th escapee, Seth. After Max and her siblings had escaped, Seth slipped out in the confusion and eventually ended up in Seattle, where he worked for Logan as a personal agent.
  • Dark Angel: Skin Game (2003) immediately follows the events of "Freak Nation," the final episode of Season 2, describing the days between March and May 2021. Skin Game focuses on a killer terrorising the streets of Seattle and the growing suspicion and evidence that the killer could possibly be a transgenic. As the killings escalate, the US Army and National Guard prepare themselves for an invasion of Terminal City.
  • Dark Angel: After the Dark (2003) follows Skin Game, describing the days in December 2021. Relationships are torn apart after Logan reveals a shattering truth about his past to Max, but when Logan is kidnapped, questions are set aside as Max's investigation into the capture leads to an old enemy.. The Breeding Cult members of the Conclave. With the aid of a team of Transgenics, Max vowes to find those responsible for the kidnapping, unaware that the Conclave are not only anticipating her arrival, but the arrival of The Coming. After the Dark answers many questions raised in the second season; The curing of Max's virus, the Conclave's agenda, the return Lydecker and C.J Sandeman and Max and Logan finally getting together.
  • Dark Angel: The Eyes Only Dossier (2003) describes Logan's different adventures and happenings from the days of the EMP (Pulse) to the current days in 2021.

[edit] Games

Main article: Dark Angel (video game)

[edit] External links

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