A feature you will see here on Big Shiny Robot is my column called Four Episodes In. As a TV Reviewer I will watch any television show whether awesome or horrible for four episodes and I will let you know whether you should keep going and whether I will keep going. So I now introduce you to Four Episodes In.
The Cape. This 2011 series is a superhero drama about a man who gets a hold of a legendary cape which has mystical powers, he can use it like a part of his own body, manipulating it to attack enemies and defend from deadly barrages. The man named Vince Faraday is an honest cop who is framed as the cities biggest super villain “Chess” and must go into hiding, he finds a gang of misfits known as “The Carnival of Crime” and from them he acquires The Cape and uses it to battle super villains as he tries to free his name from Chess.
This show has a very Dick Tracy feel to it, with such villains as “Scales” played by Vinne Jones who’s face is scaly like a snake and “Chess” who uses Chess moves to outwit his opponents. The Cape is aided by The Carnival of Crime which are a bunch of circus acts turned bank robbers and he is also aided by the mysterious Orwell played by Summer Glau, an intrepid blogger looking to rid the world of evil.
This show feels very mixed to me, the main story is pretty decent with The Cape battling bad guys, and if the show just stuck to that premise all the time then I think it would be a great show. Here is the major flaw of the show, Faraday leaves behind when he goes into seclusion his wife Dana Faraday who becomes a public defender and his son Ryan Faraday who idolizes The Cape. The wife and kid are two of the worst actors I have ever seen in anything ever. Every time the kid does anything I am completely taken away from the story. I am not often a fan of child acting, but the story of The Cape pushes the child into a major role and shows him always with a stern look trying to remain confident in his father. The wife is a little better but for her age is not good at all. Every time the story goes back to his family which it does quite often I groan and I hate the show. Every time the story goes to The Cape and him battling crazy villains the show becomes pretty good.
I was and still am a very big fan of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and whenever I see anyone from that show getting work I get excited. Many people have said the same thoughts to me about this show when it comes to Summer Glau since she was in everyone’s favorite Firefly of which I think is a wonderful series. However without that love for her she really doesn’t add much at all to the overall series. She plays someone with no social ability and so her acting is very limited in that way and though I understand there are those who mindlessly love her, she’s not very good in this show.
So, overall from the first four episodes I would give this show 1.5 stars out of 4. The action is pretty good but it is completely overshadowed (pun intended) by the awful acting of the main actor’s family and the lackluster performance of Summer Glau. Anytime I start to get excited I quickly fall back into annoyance with this show and I’m pretty sure I’m going to stop watching it from here on out. I can only really see someone continuing on if they don’t mind awful child acting and they love Summer Glau no matter what.