(no subject)

[oselle]

I came across the term "psyops" on one of the blogs I read and, because I'm a blithering idiot, it made me think of Dark Angel.

Can anyone tell me WHY Dark Angel was such a lousy show? It should have been awesome. It was full of things that I love, Birthright-y things, like evil government conspiracies and humans being used for nefarious experiments and really good-looking people on the run. Why did it not rock?

It should have been, as the name implies, DARK. Instead it was just goofy. The supposedly post-apocalyptic "broken world" was pretty much the same as ours. The "hunted" transgenics' lifestyle was not so much desperate as appealingly bohemian, similar to that of many urban twenty-somethings. In fact, everyone seemed to be having such a good time that you could never tell why Max was always in such a snit. I mean, what's not to be cheerful about? You're young, you're gorgeous, you have an undemanding job that gives you plenty of freedom and pays well enough to let you live in a huge, shabby-chic apartment close to all your pals and your favorite hangout. It was like a sci-fi version of Friends for cryin' out loud!

And my God, what they could have done with Alec.

Dark Angel is just one of those shows that makes you sit there going, Why does this suck!? It wasn't even good enough (or maybe it wasn't around long enough) to produce really heart-stopping fanfic, at least not the sort of angsty stuff that I like. I know that one look at Jessica Alba'a vapidly pretty face is enough to slaughter any plot bunnies that I've ever had about the darn show. Poor little bunnies.

Comments

[arabia764.livejournal.com]

Why was it bad?

Mostly because of Jessica Alba's I've-just-been-slapped-with-a-smelly-halibut face. has anyone in the history of the world ever looked as miserable as she did?

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Jessica Alba WAS a problem but not the only problem. IMO, the whole tone of the show was lighter and more playful than it should have been. It was hard to take seriously. There never seemed to be any real danger, any real plight. Though even if there had been, I agree that Jessica couldn't have pulled off more than a forehead crinkle and a pout.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

The acting was laughable, for one thing, and the writing was dumb. I only watched a little of a few episodes because it bored the tits off me.

[ladymirth.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! GREAT concept, lousy lead actors and execution. Season One had its merits, and there were a few really standout episodes that even Alba's lack of skill couldn't ruin but Season 2 was just weird, man! Jensen was WASTED, and his character was the only likeable one on the whole show.

My favourite eps:
The pilot, Prodigy, The Kidz Are Aiight (always had a soft spot for poor Zack), Haven, Pollo Loco (Jensen!),Meow (hehe!), Designate this (shirtless!Jensen!), Bag Em (Jensen!), Proof of Purchase (caged!Jensen!), The Berrisford Agenda (crying!Jensen!). (Hmm, sense a pattern here?)

[ghyste.livejournal.com]

Pretty much what everyone's said. However good a premise you may have for a show and however pretty everyone in it is, if you insist on casting someone who can't act in the lead role then no-one's going to care what happens.

[i-o-r-h-a-e-l.livejournal.com]

I think the blame is on the writers. :( And maybe the directors.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

I wonder how involved James Cameron was, because the show was always touted as "James Cameron's Dark Angel." And while James Cameron is very good at big-screen spectacle, that doesn't translate so well to the small screen and that may be why the show felt so aimless.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you can't blame Alba for the whole tone of the show. Although if the show had been darker and more complex Alba's one-dimensionality would have been even more of a problem.

They shoulda just made the whole show about Alec.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

What about "Borrowed Time" -- towel!Jensen!!! Not to mention flirty!Jensen. And my favorite line from the whole series (uttered, of course, by Jensen): "Why have passion when you can have...pasta?" Which, when you think about it, kind of sums up the whole series.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

It is boring but wow, Jensen just lights up the show every time he's on.

[ghyste.livejournal.com]

Whilst you certainly can’t blame any series’ problems on a single person, you have to wonder whether the fact that DA didn’t quite seem to know what sort of series it wanted to be arose at least in part because of Jessica Alba’s acting limitations. It wouldn’t be the first time that writers have had to cut their cloth according to the actor’s abilities – think about the changes they had to make to Arwen’s storyline in the LoTR films when they discovered that Liv Tyler couldn’t ride or fight convincingly.

I’ve no idea if it’s true, but I’ve also read that they let Alba dictate the plot lines to some extent - for example that the lame “Max and Logan can’t touch” storyline in Season 2 was introduced at her behest after they broke up in RL.

[ladymirth.livejournal.com]

Hahaha, yes. Actually, my favourite dialogue from that episode was this one:

ALEC: Argh! I can't believe this. I've been stuck in this closet for over an hour to facilitate you having sex! That's what I've been reduced to. I'm a pimp.

Almost enough to make me forgive the lame-ass Monster of the Week plot and super-pool-player!Logan. According to sources, Micheal Weatherly had a huge problem with the popularity of Jensen's character, leading him to do dumbass things like lean on the writers till he got them to rewrite their scenes in ways that made no fucking sense. Like having Logan win a pool game against Alec and rescuing Alec from that super-powered cult soldier chick he was fighting with in the season finale. *facepalm*

One thing that Dark Angel has over SPN - they sure weren't stingy with the shirtless!Jensen scenes. Why can't we have more of the same on SPN? *bitchface*

[ladymirth.livejournal.com]

I don't know how reliable their information is, but the people at TWOP used to call Cameron "the dead-beat Dad" on Dark Angel. Hmmm.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

One day when I really have nothing to do I'm going to go back and watch the first few episodes of Season One to see if they're any different. I've heard that S1 was a lot darker than S2 and that it was in S2 that the show really got silly but I dunno -- the one S1 episode I've seen ("Pollo Loco") didn't exactly knock my socks off. Although that really did have a lot to do with Alba's performance, because Jensen's there being all adorably intense and Alba's just doing her usual pouty thing and it really kills the mood.

I’ve no idea if it’s true, but I’ve also read that they let Alba dictate the plot lines to some extent

I've heard this a lot and think Jessica Alba has even talked about it herself. I've also heard that the break-up made her behave miserably to everyone that whole season -- including Jensen which of course, is simply inexcusable. Who could ever be mean to Jensen Ackles? How do you not turn to butter at the sight of those freckles and green eyes? The woman must be made of stone!!

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Argh! I can't believe this. I've been stuck in this closet for over an hour to facilitate you having sex! That's what I've been reduced to. I'm a pimp.

And he was wearing that black turtleneck and he looked so hot, right?? OMG. He was just the CUTEST THING EVAH on that show!!

Micheal Weatherly had a huge problem with the popularity of Jensen's character

You can practically pick up on that just by watching the show. But then Michael Weatherly seems utterly miserable throughout the whole thing. He even seems miserable in the blooper reel. I got the feeling that he just did not want to be there.

they sure weren't stingy with the shirtless!Jensen scenes. Why can't we have more of the same on SPN?

We seemed to have a lot more shirtless!Jensen in Season One of SPN. I think they cut back because it's just too darn distracting. Hell, if he so much as peels down to a t-shirt I don't even hear what he's saying anymore.

[oselle.livejournal.com]

It definitely felt like no one was at the helm, so that would make sense.