Dark Angel: Season One

[butterfly]

So, I've finished watching the first season and have just started S2. S1 was really, really good and I also really enjoyed the S2 pilot, so I have good vibes about it so far. But first, the things that stayed with me about S1.

Things Made of Win

1. Original Cindy! I adore this character so much. I don't think there's anything I don't love about her. And she cares so much about Max and is such a strong and wonderful friend. She's got a wonderful attitude and bearing. Original Cindy is love.

2. Max. Logan. Max and Logan. They are so adorable. I kinda wish I could wrap them up in bubble wrap so that they wouldn't get hurt. But I love that they apologize to each other and that they trust each other and worry about each other and! I love them.

3. The X5 kids that we've met. Max, Tinga, Ben, Brin, and Syl and Krit (despite not knowing them as well).

4. Max's friendship with Original Cindy. They... *flails* they are so sweet and adorable. Got each other's backs. I'm so glad that Original Cindy moved in, though I did like... um... the blonde chick. But she didn't stick out the way that Original Cindy does. I'm so glad that she knows the truth about Max now.

5. Jam Pony's characters and plotlines.

6. Nana Visitor! Kira! Dude!

7. Max's incredible sweetness.

8. Max's propensity for going undercover (she's so adorable undercover).

9. Guest actors! I've really enjoyed the vast majority of the guest stars and side characters on this show.

10. Very good continuity thus far, both plot-wise and emotionally.

Things Made of Slightly Less Win

1. Zack. Who I like, but don't love. Also, he is thus far the only X5 that I don't think is gorgeous. He's a little too... protruding jaw and brow for me. Also, he's a cloud of gloom and doom. Plus, he keeps interrupting Max and Logan, and then being a bit of a jerk about it.

2. There's some bad sound choices in Flushed, particularly, there is some obvious and bad 'surprise' music.

...

Yeah, that's about all I've got there.

So, I thought about picking out my favorite episodes and then realized that, yeah, my head so doesn't work that way. So, these are ten scenes that I'm really, really fond of. There are many others.

Ten Favorite Scenes (in no particular order)

1. Max confesses to Logan that her feline DNA makes her go into 'heat', he tells her she has nothing to be ashamed of -- she tells him that he doesn't need to be ashamed of being in a wheelchair. They are the cutest people in the world and then get to be adorable until (sadly!) they are interrupted by Zack.

2. The aftermath of Max telling Original Cindy the truth about herself -- Original Cindy may need a few minutes to think about it, but she has her boo's back in the end.

3. Max breaks into Logan's apartment -- he smiles in relief when she turns out to be a thief and she's surprised to get that reaction.

4. Max and Ben at the end of Pollo Loco, when she asks him to tell her about The Good Place and then breaks his neck and breaks down crying because she just killed her brother.

5. Max's 'moment of weakness' in Blah Blah Woof Woof, going back to see Logan and then saving him by giving him her blood.

6. The fake-out happy ending in And Jesus Brought a Casserole. Very effective -- I totally bought it, despite knowing that things weren't going to be happiness and sunshine in S2.

7. Max and Logan saving each other in Prodigy -- he trades himself to get her out of there and she refuses to leave and saves him after he's been thrown off a building. Aw!

8. Logan realizes that, ethically, he has to report on Cale Industries, thus torpedoing his funds to do Eyes Only. He faces up to the fact that he was using blood money to do his work and that he needs to be honest with himself about where his money comes from.

9. Max convinces Jace to leave Manticore and embrace freedom.

10. Max and Logan play chess. It is, predictably, completely adorable.

Comments

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

love love love love this show
you're making me think I need a revisit of it!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

So far, it's a fantastic show. I really love the characters (Original Cindy is so amazing!) and the relationships (not just the Max/Logan romance, but all the X5 family stuff and, of course, the friendship between Max and Original Cindy). Great show.

[girliejones.livejournal.com]

It's pretty much the only show that forced me to write fanfic.

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

I loved the first season of this show without bounds. Your points here made me really think about it again ... I think I may have to bust out my S1 DVD set and go through it again.

I'm very interested to know what you think about S2 when you've watched it. I have (er) very strong opinions about it.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I'm finding the polarization of DA fandom to be interesting -- so far, I've seen people enthusiastically in love with either S1 or 2. Have not yet seen anyone who sings the praises of both.

I find that... quite intriguing. I really adored S1 -- does that mean that I will inevitably dislike S2? I watched the first two episodes of S2 and found them just as enjoyable as S1 (but with added angst for poor darling Max and Logan, who I really wanted to cuddle).

[kalleah.livejournal.com]

I've seen people enthusiastically in love with either S1 or 2

I can see that. S2 has some merit -- I was happy to see Jensen Ackles back -- and some heartbreak, but it turned too much into a monster-of-the-week show in my opinion.

In a nutshell: Joshua drives me mad. ;)

[jic]

Huzzah!

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Yay! for Dark Angel love. I've loved revisiting season one with you - season two is different, but still all kinds of love. Hence my recent foray into recapping for it, which is ongoing. Only now you make me want to watch season one again, but my to-watch list is so looooong!

Have fun with season two and Alec :)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I've almost entirely finished S2 now and I can say that I really enjoyed it, too. It's not quite as wall-to-wall squee as S1 was, but the characters and relationships and plots all went to interesting, logical but not predicatable places (even being partly spoiled, I got some things wrong).

Big fan of Alec. He's a doll and he has a very nice character arc throughout the season.

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Yeah, structurally season two has a lot wrong with it, but I love it for the characters at the same time as being frustrated and disappointed by the missed opportunities. The storytelling tends to be on shallow, throwaway monster-of-the-week wacky adventures, rather than truly focusing on building up a deeper exploration of what it means to be transgenic and trying to get by in an unforgiving world. The retcon of the nomalies is what I find most unforgiveable about the season. But I enjoy the character arcs (despite finding Max and Logan's eternal dance a little tedious), especially the forward dynamic of Max and Alec's relationship; the way they go from being on opposite sides to reluctant allies, to grudging friends, to genuine friends, to family. I think it's the most dynamic relationship on the show in the second season, always changing and moving forward.

2.05 (the halloween one) is the only episode I refuse to watch again...

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Zack bugged me until I realized it's the same actor who played Virgil in season 6 of Xena (if you're not a Xenite--skip that season for serious). In that he has short brown hair and looks a whole hell of a lot better. I really think it's the blond bangs that make him look like a caveman.