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I am - Hercules!!
Alec (Jensen Ackles) tries to right a wrong from his past after he realizes the former lover he was forced to assassinate may still be alive.
“Dmann” loves his “Dark Angel”! He deemed last week’s episode – the one with the chubby mathlete – better than most motion pictures, and says the same about tonight’s installment. His latest dispatch from the broken world:
”The Berrisford Agenda”
This is a little side step in Dark Angel, which is, as of now, definately the most improved show on television. Last week, there was a diversion from the “big bad” plot they gave us two episodes ago, and this week, it's totally different. No “transgenic of the week”, no new animal people. It's the old spotlight episode, and it falls on the pretty boy super soldier Alec, played by Jensen Eckles.
This week, things start out funny, with two of the bike messengers at the delivery service Max (Jessica Alba) and Alec work at fighting over him, creating extra work for Max. Things start to get darker, when Alec has a flashback to a repressed memory from his old days as an assassin at Manticore. It’s a bit X-men ish, but the story the plot device tells isn’t.
So it turns out that the house belongs to some big genetic engineering businessman, Mr. Berrisford that Alec had to do a deep cover mission on, as a pianist. The flashbacks start to build up, and Alec suddenly remembers how to play piano.
Alec had gotten into the house as a piano tutor for Mr. Berrisford’s daughter, Rachel. A romance ensued, and that meant no good, when Manticore told him to kill both of them.
The way this all plays out, switching back and forth is a real treat. Jensen Eckles really gives Alec some depth, never overplaying things, and really showing a sense of acting that frankly, I didn’t expect from someone so…beefcake. He keeps things just below the surface, not playing them too hard, he is a super soldier, after all.
I particularly liked the bit between him and Max, when he reveals to her how much he resents those soldiers who escaped before they had to do missions. That there were things that she can’t know about, because she wasn’t there. He never drops into scenery chewing, which would have been easy. Even at the end, after all of the past history has caught up to him, and Berrisford has found him, he keeps it cool.
Dark Angel has shown itself to be a different style of show than the other young superchick shows out there, but that is ok, because it really is finding it's groove. Now, if the Larger season plot with White comes back soon, and doesn’t fall back into hokey conspiracy crapland, this may end up as one of the best shows out there.
Dmann’s rating for “THE BERRISFORD AGENDA”?
****
The Hercules T. Strong Rating System:
- ***** better than we deserve
- **** better than most motion pictures
- *** actually worth your valuable time
- ** as horrible as most stuff on TV
- * makes you quietly pray for bulletins
DMANN OUT !!!
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