An Experiment: The Cape

Sunday night, January 9, 2011, I rushed home from a game of D&D Essentials so that I could catch the premier of The Cape on NBC. It was crucial that I watch it as it aired as that was one of the parameters of this little experiment. As the show started, I logged into Twitter on my iPhone and did a search on the show's hashtag: #TheCape. That's when things got interesting.

I watched the show unfold as I monitored the comments flying by on Twitter. I commented as well, replied to some and in general, enjoyed the show and experience of participating in this national conversation over the ether. It was a very interesting experience, kinda like I was sitting in the world's biggest living room as I watched the show.

Now, the comments were generally very disparaging; it was clear that most of the Tweets had little nice to say about the show. I rather enjoyed the pilot episodes. I think I'm going take a few posts and unpack that last statement, as I can't put my finger on why that is.

I'll start by saying that I think one of the impacts on the reaction to the show had to do with expectations. From the Tweets it was clear that some folks were hoping for another Heroes; The Cape is not Heroes. Some folks seemed to be expecting a Batman Begins type of show. I haven't seen that movie yet so I can't speak to that. Some folks seemed to be expecting a higher level of "realism" than the show was offering; they were definitely disappointed.

I came into the show expecting...as little as possible. I watched the trailers, well crafted gems designed with picture-perfect clips of action and mayhem and just enough of Summer Glau to want you coming back for more. I expected action and mayhem, but the thing that caught me, the thing that made me want to watch this show was all about why Vince Faraday, played by David Lyons, would put on a mask and do battle at risk of life and limb: to protect his family and become a symbol of hope for his son.

IMHO, that is pure gold, as far as super-heroic origins go.

I should probably mention that I love superhero comics. That certainly helped with my expectations. So this isn't really a review of the show. If someone asked me how it was I'd say, "It was good, I'd watch it again." I don't get the same sense of "wow, cool" I got when first watching Heroes a few years ago. But I'll keep watching to see what becomes of the show. Judging by the general reaction on Twitter, there may not be a lot of hope for this show's longevity, but I'll watch it while I can.

Like I said, I think I'll be unpacking this one for a little while at least. If you're interested, feel free to check back.
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Follow Your Bliss,
JJ

PS. Join me on Twitter @CinderellaManJJ Monday, January 17, 2011 to join in on The Cape Tweeting. And follow the show @NBCTheCape as well if you are so inclined.