Dark Angel

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Dark Angel

Original Run	October 3, 2000 to May 3, 2002
No. of Episodes	43
Genre(s)	Scifi
Creator(s)	James Cameron
Exec. Producer(s)	Michael Angeli Kenneth Biller
Starring	Jessica Alba Michael Weatherly Valerie Rae Miller Jensen Ackles
Country of Origin	United States
Original Channel	NBC

Dark Angel (2000–2002) was James Cameron's first TV series. Most of Cameron's motion pictures fall into the science fiction field, so it was no surprise when he chose a similar theme for Dark Angel. The setting is the not-too-distant future after the United States has declined as a world power, much of the technical infrastructure was destroyed by the Pulse, the economy has deteriorated to something approximating the depression of the 1930s, and civil liberties are in constant danger from secretive and repressive government agencies. Against that background, a hidden military project called Manticore experimented with breeding genetically enhanced soldiers, called transgenics, who are rigidly conditioned to obey and have extraordinary physical skills.

Dark Angel only lasted two seasons despite strong production values, a talented cast, and above average—though sometimes repetitious—scripts. Jessica Alba was convincing in the starring role, and several of the supporting characters were equally well portrayed.

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Awards
4 Related Terms and Articles

Plot

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

The rigorous conditioning failed to hold on several of the soldiers, who escaped as children. This included Max Guevara (Jessica Alba), who subsequently supports herself ostensibly by delivering packages on her bicycle but who supplements her income by burglarizing the privileged class. On one such mission, she meets Logan Cale (Michael Weatherly), who appears to be a typical aristocratic parasite, but who is secretly operating a broadcasting system known as "Eyes Only" that breaks into public airwaves to reveal corruption and malfeasance on the part of the government. Max becomes an unwilling recruit, preferring to confine her activities to her own welfare. She and Logan also become attracted to each other, but there is little romance after Max is infected with an incurable virus that is specifically tailored to kill Logan if they ever make physical contact.

Max's archenemy during Season 1 was Donald Lydecker (John Savage), nominally the head of Manticore, a man obsessed with the project but whose attitude toward his charges is often ambivalent. Season 1 concluded with the destruction of the Manticore facility and the release of most of its inmates, many of which are not recognizably human. One of these, Joshua (Kevin Durand), became a major character in the second season. Joshua is a mix of human and canine DNA and has personality traits derived from both species. Since these genetically altered beings are feared by the populace at large, Joshua and those like him are forced to live in hiding.

The forces behind Manticore want the evidence of their experiments captured or destroyed, but the head of their effort, Ames White (Martin Cummins), is actually a superpowered agent of a centuries-old secret society which has created a similar physical type through selective breeding and other methods. The details of this society, its ultimate purpose, and the extent of its influence are all only hinted at because the show was cancelled before the full story could be told. The final episodes include a truncated and unsatisfactory ending in which the Manticore survivors move to an irradiated part of the city where they can supposedly live openly, thanks to their immunity to radiation.