How was the Cape?

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Exactly.  It's fun.  Don't take it too seriously.

Opinions at other placed on the web, particularly a place where fans of pulp heroes tend to gather are overwhelmingly positive, so I think it will do much better than some of you haters assume that it will.

[thalaw2]

I think this is a really fun show.  It does a good job of not being too serious about itself, but not so much so that viewers can't enjoy it.  I'll keep watching.

[Mr. Hamrick]

I watched the first two episodes on the NBC website and liked it.

It's not a traditional superhero show.  The Cape is both a comic book hero and the real guy and those two guys are two different characters.  Think about it.

The real guy takes up the persona of The Cape (a hero in a comic book that was his son's favorite and something they shared) but is not doing so in a planned out fashion at first despite the training.  I think that was clearly shown in the first and second episode.  I think as the series progresses, there will be more of a streamlining of the real guy version.  He'll make adjustments to the role so to speak. 

Think of it this way:  If you were take up a persona based on a character from a comic or a pulp novel, what difficulties do you know you'd have at the outset.  What could imagine discovering along the way that you might not think of at first.  How would you work around the problems.  It's easier to consider with a hero like The Shadow, Doc Savage, or The Golden Age Sandman than someone like Batman or Superman.   But think about it.  Now add in that you decided to do this under desperate circumstances and may not have thought out all the stuff you will need to do to make it work.  (like the complete mask.)   These things were addressed in the first episodes and were done so VERY WELL.  I applaud the concept.  I do hope we get better villains down the road.  I like Scales and Chess is okay (he needs some sort of explanation about what's up with his eyes, maybe) but Kain wasn't all that impressive.  I am not sure why Kain came off as humdrum as he did.

Oh, and I have a theory on the identity of Orwell.

Spoiler

Chess's daughter.  Hope not but it's the obvious answer.

[detourne_me]

In response to Mr. H.

Spoiler

totally the obvious answer, even in Chess' files there was a pic of him with a little girl.

I kinda dig the chess character. He's more of an anti-batman than anything.  He's a super rich guy that just lives out his fantasies, and he kinda knows that he isn't the uber bad guy if he's hiring from Tarot.
As for his eyes... A bishop and a knight.  Hopefully they are a bit of foreshadowing about the type of game he'll play, being unpredictable like a knight, or out of reach like a bishop.

[Mr. Hamrick]

In response to Mr. H.

Spoiler

totally the obvious answer, even in Chess' files there was a pic of him with a little girl.

I kinda dig the chess character. He's more of an anti-batman than anything.  He's a super rich guy that just lives out his fantasies, and he kinda knows that he isn't the uber bad guy if he's hiring from Tarot.
As for his eyes... A bishop and a knight.  Hopefully they are a bit of foreshadowing about the type of game he'll play, being unpredictable like a knight, or out of reach like a bishop.

I'm really hoping they don't go with the obvious, though.  I really am.  Oh, and it's nice to see Summer play a character who is a normal human female and, as far as we know, sane.

(Okay, I haven't seen her stints on The Unit or 4400 though I assume she was not normal on 4400.)

[bredon7777]

This show made my inner 12 year old EXTREMELY happy. It was like I was watching a silver age/pulp comic brought completely and accurately to life.

Is it cheesy? Hell, yes! But I chose to embrace the cheese, to just go with it, and honestly, I had a great time!  Much more entertaining than "No Ordinary Family." And I like NOF, but the writing there is just plain awful; there are at least 2-3 times an episode where I have to go "Oh, come ON!" Because it takes its central conceit "superheroes in the real world" so seriously that when they do something wrong it breaks the show. As opposed to the cape, where because I know the material it pays homage to, when it does something cheesy, I can take it in the proper spirit and enjoy it.

And that, I actually think sums up the central conceit for the show- if you're willing to embrace the cheese and understand that this is a live action comic book (as opposed to the "real world superhero" conceit of Heroes and NOF) I think you'll have a great time.

If you're looking for a serious, thoughtful treatment of superheroes- this isn't the show for you and youll be able to pick it apart.

Mr H-

Spoiler

I had the same thought about Orwell as you, initially.  However, if she is Chess' daughter, why on Earth would they have to break into Chess' apartment building to access his files? One would think she'd simply be able to hack into them/ tap into them when she sees her dad.

As for Summer on the 4400, she was actually fairly normal after her first episode.

[Mr. Hamrick]

This show made my inner 12 year old EXTREMELY happy. It was like I was watching a silver age/pulp comic brought completely and accurately to life.

Is it cheesy? Hell, yes! But I chose to embrace the cheese, to just go with it, and honestly, I had a great time!  Much more entertaining than "No Ordinary Family." And I like NOF, but the writing there is just plain awful; there are at least 2-3 times an episode where I have to go "Oh, come ON!" Because it takes its central conceit "superheroes in the real world" so seriously that when they do something wrong it breaks the show. As opposed to the cape, where because I know the material it pays homage to, when it does something cheesy, I can take it in the proper spirit and enjoy it.

And that, I actually think sums up the central conceit for the show- if you're willing to embrace the cheese and understand that this is a live action comic book (as opposed to the "real world superhero" conceit of Heroes and NOF) I think you'll have a great time.

If you're looking for a serious, thoughtful treatment of superheroes- this isn't the show for you and youll be able to pick it apart.

Mr H-

Spoiler

I had the same thought about Orwell as you, initially.  However, if she is Chess' daughter, why on Earth would they have to break into Chess' apartment building to access his files? One would think she'd simply be able to hack into them/ tap into them when she sees her dad.

As for Summer on the 4400, she was actually fairly normal after her first episode.

Spoiler

Easy answer there would be to divert suspicion.  Though, I hope I am wrong.  Even hope I am wrong that she is a former employee. 

Glad she was fairly normal on 4400.  She is cool off camera, I know that much.  (Met her at DragonCon a few years ago.

[Kenn]

Spoiler

If she is his daughter, she's very likely estranged.  And if you're an uber-billionaire with an estranged daughter, you probably haven't giver her the access codes to get into your building.

[thalaw2]

Spoiler

Maybe.....she used to be his son.   

I'm enjoying the show.  I just saw the second episode and thought it was better than the first like others here.  I like how the guy is evolving.  It has a nice Spiderman/Batman feel to it when you see him becoming more engrossed in his new identity.

[Viking]

I thought that the most recent episode also showed signs of improvement, and will keep me watching for a little while at least.  The biggest issue for me will probably continue to be the acting - portraying angst and brooding characters can be really difficult to pull off without seeming horribly cheesy and self-indulgent.  But at least Keith David wasn't as over-the-top as he was in the first episode, and I found him much more enjoyable as a result.

My current philosophical musings... Is it easier to get away with dark/brooding/angsty characters in written media than it is in film and TV?  Are there some lines for which we wouldn't spare a second glance in books, but would prompt massive eye-rolling if we heard them aloud?  And are there some lines of dialogue that are just so bad, that no amount of skilled acting could save them?

Minor thoughts: It must be tough to be the carnival hypnotist and slightly-tattooed lady.  They're important enough to be regularly shown at the carnival, but not enough to merit dialogue.

[lugaru]

I was trying to figure out what was special about her... maybe it is because I live in Allston (Boston) and nearly every girl I see has a generous number of tattoos.

[lugaru]

Finally got around to seeing the 4th episode and this show is really fun. Carnaval of Crime vs The Cape vs Scales vs Chess... on a moving train.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

That was a good setup, I thought, 4 different entities with their own agendas is just too much fun.  I also like that we finally get to see more of Scales, and I like the character so far.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Well, it's been announced that the last three episodes are being dropped from the original order.  This almost always means that the show is canceled.  Oh well.

[thalaw2]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo!  Say it ain't so....say it ain't so!

This is my favorite new tv show.

[lugaru]

Hope it lasts too... it is shaping up into something different.

I think most people on the forum should give it a second try too... as much as people complain about the lack of "heroism" in comics these days I've seeen The Cape save his nemesis at least 3 times recently.

[bredon7777]

I really wish they'd factor in DVR ratings as well. I know a ton of people who watch The Cape, but none of us watch it live.