Cape: Complete Series [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

TV shows always seem to be an all or nothing proposition in Amazon reviews. If someone watches a show, they automatically feel that it is five star quality despite its limitations. If someone tries a show and doesn't like it, they generally relegate it to a one star status despite its good points. Don't believe it? Go to the reviews of any program you absolutely hate and look at the glowing five star reviews from its fans. In truth, most shows fall somewhere in between--not every show you watch should automatically be considered as great entertainment and not every show you dislike merits a dismissive one star. I bring this up with NBC's short lived "The Cape" for one reason--I have only heard the show described as terrific or as terrible with very little middle ground. Personally, I think the show is neither terrific nor terrible but falls into the TV netherworld of a show with potential that never really fulfilled its promise.

Capitalizing on the notion that every story with comic book origins deserves a Hollywood treatment (in itself, a specious idea), "The Cape" was introduced to capture the audience left when the increasingly problematic "Heroes" left the air. But lacking that show's complex mythology and appealing cast, it was an uphill battle from the start. I do contend that the elements to have developed a successful show were all present, they were just never assembled in the right way.

The Good: David Lyons was a likable lead--a family man and cop who is forced into a heroic alter ego when framed (and seemingly murdered) by the town's super villain. James Frain has a nice menace as the unstable foe. Morally corrupt Keith David and a bevy of carnival performers provide unlikely support to our new hero. And sci-fi stalwart Summer Glau is on hand as the altruistic, and completely underdeveloped, Orwell. And best of all--Vinnie Jones!

The Bad: The show never loses interest in Lyons' wife and child. And, I'm sorry, they just aren't compelling characters. The show's momentum grinds to an absolute halt every time they appear. Excruciating.

The Frustrating: I don't think the show ever determined what it wanted to do and is tonally all over the place. Veering from maudlin to comedic from one moment to the next does little to shore up the inconsistencies in the show. Frain, Glau, and David all have great potential--but none are given fully developed plot lines. There is simultaneously too much going on and not enough--there needed to be more focus on the elements that worked. There needed to be more emphasis on the bigger good versus evil concept as opposed to lesser stand alone episodes.

The DVD set collects the series' ten episodes (one was only shown on the NBC website, but never aired). With so many choices in this overcrowded genre, I don't know that "The Cape" rates particularly highly. But it is far from unwatchable and its cast is game. A show I wanted to like more than I did, it still boasts nice production values and a laugh or two--but never gelled to one cohesive vision. KGHarris, 4/11.

The Cape was an attempt to tell a costumed crime-fighter's story, straight and simple. It harkened back to the pulp roots of today's comic book heroes, and offered up a look at how these scenarios would actually shake out in that world.

That's what I really liked about the show. The creators were telling their stories in an earnest, non-campy fashion, and having their characters actually dealing with the situations they found themselves in. Evil hides behind the institutions of law and order, with the biggest threat coming not from our hero, but Evil's competitors. Those people our hero was forced to leave behind are shown dealing with the ramifications of the frame-up, and the loss of the primary bread-earner of the family; and we also see how our hero inspires others into standing up for what's right.

This is all heady stuff, which allowed one to question the conventions of the genre, and look at them with fresh eyes, especially with how they would fit into today's world.

The problem came in the execution ... as the previous reviewer noted, tonally it was inconsistent as the world seemed to reside on the borders of the mundane and the bizarre. Then, also, the writing was inconsistent, with certain matters glossed over when they should have been examined, and other matters scrutinized when they should have been glossed over.

So, yeah, this series wasn't perfect, and it did provoke A LOT of love it/hate it discussions ... so, obviously, it isn't for everyone. But, given the relative scarcity of original costumed crimefighters appearing on TV, I do give the series credit for at least trying.

The series really started to click when the characters discovered their sense of humor, but by then it was too late. Consequently, it was when the series was hitting its creative stride, that it was cancelled because it couldn't attract and hold an audience.

The Cape had all the right elements: an honest cop, a beautiful wife, an adoring son, a super villain, an alluring, intelligent young woman, a best friend with a secret, and a group of circus criminals who were really not a bad lot when you got to know them. So, what went wrong?

NBC gave The Cape a good time slot. NBC promoted it heavily.

As the storyline developed, the main characters were filled out with their back ground stories. Episodes were improving in plot and character development.

Peter Fleming's Chess alter ego was given a sympatric storyline. Max Malini and Rollo were just two great characters, brave, courageous and of course thieves.

Keith David is a fine actor, and he played Max Malini to the hilt with a devilish glee. Martin Klebba's Rollo was a delight as he interacted with Max and The Cape. His fight with the evil Scales was one of those rare moments.

Summer Glau's mysterious Orwell character was just stunning. The evolution of her character was well done as her feelings for The Cape intensified as each episode progressed. Her true identity was revealed in bits and pieces.

Trip Faraday represented every boy and his love for comic book heroes. His belief in his dad was very touching. The Cape, his own personal superhero, gave him a sense of hope and wonder.

Dana Faraday's steadfast belief in her husband's innocence was a constant in the series. She truly loved her husband and took every opportunity to prove his innocence.

I watched every episode and enjoyed it. Of course, it was not perfect.

In this day and age of economic ups and downs, a television program needs to click with viewers real fast in order to survive. It is unfortunate that series are not given a full season (22 episodes) to develop viewership.

Of course, The Cape's ratings fell from 8.6 million to 4.06 million over the course of its short airing. It was a dismal failure in terms of revenue generation for NBC as were some other new series-The Event, Chase, and Undercovers.

Should you buy this series? Only if you have an interest in this genre.