What I'm talking about is NBC's new science-fiction serial drama that features people with super-powers. No, it's not "X-men" either, and definitely not anything like "The 4400", but whatever it is, it looks great. I was suspicious at first, reading the plot outline and thinking "hey, they did that already", but I was completely stunned after seeing the first few episodes, legally, on a popular site (no, I won't tell you which one).
The main idea is still comic-book style, but treated quite seriously and having relatively few comic-relief characters. So it's not for kids. Really now, keep your small kids away from the screen, the show has a few gruesome and bloody scenes, just like a regular drama or that other one with a bunch of frustrated losers stuck on an island (you guessed it right, I hate that other show). A main theme, symbolic even, is a total solar eclipse. I'm not exactly sure what it means, but it looks awesome in high definition, IF you buy the DVDs or own a HD-compatible television.
This insanely popular TV show premiered on NBC in 2006 and stayed at the top the entire season, and also it won a few awards, including People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama and the Saturn Award for Best Network Television Series. In my opinion, what makes this show great, besides the great visuals and exceptional production values, is the script. I won't give too many spoilers, but I must say that the stories are very complex and intricate, but not too elitist in nature, so that even the average bum that sits in the cold winter in front of the TV shop, chasing his hunger away with dreams of world domination, can understand them. The problem is that if you lose an episode, you risk misunderstanding the subtleties, or even miss out on the entire story.
An important part of a great show is the depth of the characters. There is no actual stereotype in the show, and the different personalities are believable and complex. Although they're not all slimy and morally compromised like in that other show I almost mentioned above, they still are in the "gray area", not being exclusively good or evil, but being deeply human, so that the viewer can empathize with them. All the factions in the show have a higher and nobler purpose, but with the consequences of their decisions being more than serious, the characters have a tough time making decisions. Also the cast are doing their parts quite well, even a few celebrities show up every now and then (no, I won't tell you who, just watch the damn show).
On the negative side, towards the end of the show, the story seems somehow diluted and prolonged, soap-opera style, and the main confrontation seems a little too short to satisfy the blood-hungry action-scene aficionado such as myself, but overall the show is quite good and dynamic, making the blood levels rise every time someone's hands turn all fiery or radioactive and something goes kaboom! around the back (like, maybe, a city or two...). So, watch the show and imagine what power you would like to have and how it would change you...
Seriously now, watch the show!
Still reading? What are you still doing here? Go watch it already!
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