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The Cape: The Complete Series

The Cape: The Complete Series

By Patrick Samuel • September 27th, 2011
Static Mass Rating: 1/5
The Cape (DVD)
Universal/Playback

Release date: September 26th, 2011
Certificate (UK):
Running time:

Creator: Tom Wheeler
Composer: Bear McCreary

Cast: David Lyons, James Frain, Keith David, Summer Glau, Jennifer Ferrin

The lives of vigilante crime fighters have been portrayed for decades by on-screen characters such as Batman, The Green Hornet, The Watchmen and to some extent, even Dexter, the serial killer. While some have been very effective, others have not.

This is the case with The Cape, a series created by Tom Wheeler, set in the fictional Palm City where an honest cop, Vince Faraday (David Lyons), is set up for a crime he didn’t commit and then takes on the disguise of his son’s favourite comic book character to help clear his name.

The Cape: The Complete Series

It all starts when Faraday comes close to uncovering the identity of the city’s super-villain who goes by the name of Chess (James Frain), but instead of the investigation ending the way he hoped, he ends up with his hands bound and Chess’ mask on running for his life as news helicopters capture the images on live television for everyone to see, just as a tanker explodes.

Presumed dead, Faraday now has to work undercover and becomes entangled with a gang of robbers who teach him the tricks of being quicker than eye and his nifty new costume comes courtesy of ringleader, Max Malini (Keith David).

Faraday also gets help from Orwell (Summer Glau), a woman with a mysterious past who’s also quite good with technology and weapons. Orwell also serves as a potential love interest, even though Faraday is married. Although his wife, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin) presumes he’s dead and was the city’s villain, Faraday continues to visit her and his son as The Cape and neither suspects his real identity behind the thin disguise.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

  • Pilot
  • Tarot
  • Kozmo
  • Scales
  • Dice
  • Goggles and Hicks
  • The Lich: Part 1
  • The Lich: Part 2
  • Razer
  • Endgame

I knew there wouldn’t be much to expect from The Cape, especially as the series has already been cancelled due to poor ratings, but what I hoped was that there would be more humour but the show comes across as a rather serious attempt to entertain, which sadly, it doesn’t.

Despite its implausible storylines, I usually have no problems in suspending belief if it is carried out well, but the writing and general tone of The Cape suffers to such a degree that it’s hard to find a handful of redeeming features to write about it.

The Cape: The Complete Series

Not only that, but as far as crime-fighting disguises go, The Cape wears one of the most impractical costumes I have ever seen. I couldn’t help wondering how he manages to get around without getting caught on everyday items like door handles, not to mention how warm the outfit must be after all that exertion of energy.

Needles to say, it thought it was one of the poorest examples of not just a vigilante crime fighting series, but a television series in general. As the show made its way towards its finale it took on an almost soap-opera feel with the Faraday/Orwell relationship, I felt didn’t gel very well with the themes it was already trying to establish.

It was a poor end to a poorly structured series that couldn’t have come sooner.

Patrick Samuel

Patrick Samuel

The founder of Static Mass Emporium and one of its Editors in Chief is an emerging artist with a philosophy degree, working primarily with pastels and graphite pencils, but he also enjoys experimenting with water colours, acrylics, glass and oil paints.

Being on the autistic spectrum with Asperger’s Syndrome, he is stimulated by bold, contrasting colours, intricate details, multiple textures, and varying shades of light and dark. Patrick's work extends to sound and video, and when not drawing or painting, he can be found working on projects he shares online with his followers.

Patrick returned to drawing and painting after a prolonged break in December 2016 as part of his daily art therapy, and is now making the transition to being a full-time artist. As a spokesperson for autism awareness, he also gives talks and presentations on the benefits of creative therapy.

Static Mass is where he lives his passion for film and writing about it. A fan of film classics, documentaries and science fiction, Patrick prefers films with an impeccable way of storytelling that reflect on the human condition.

Patrick Samuel ¦ Asperger Artist

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