Forgotten Television: The Cape

Vince Faraday (David Lyons) is an honest cop in the fictional Palm City where the police force isn’t so honest. Vince loves his family and late at night, he and his son, Trip (Ryan Wynott) read his favorite comic book, The Cape.  After the new police chief is killed by the masked villain known as Chess, Faraday is convinced by his friend Marty Voyt (Dorian Missick) to join Ark, a private security company owned and operated by Peter Fleming (James Frain) who is petitioning to take over Palm City’s police department. But is Ark really as benevolent as they appear.  The only one who really seems to know what is truly happening in the city is the investigative blogger known only as Orwell (Summer Glau).  Vince receives a message from Orwell, that leads him to a train yard where he discovers the true nature of Ark, but he is captured and framed for the police chief’s murder and while his family watch on television, Vince Faraday apparently dies when a tanker car explodes.  But he had escaped and became involved with the Circus of Crime, a group of circus performers who became bank robbers, led by Max Malini (David Keith).  Max and Vince come to an agreement and Max trains Vince in how to use illusions, fighting skills and a very special Cape made entirely out of spider silk to become a real live version of the comic book character, The Cape.  Vince uses his new skills to strike back at Ark, Flemming and Voyt and to restore hope to his son that his father was not a murderer. Can Vince clear his name and save Palm City?  Watch and find out!

The performances are all very strong with David Lyons leading the pack as the caring father and honest cop who is pushed to extremes to prove his innocence and attempt to regain his life without putting his family in danger.  David was very good at showing both the familial love with his son and wife and also his frustration at his situation.  Keith David is always amazing and adds the right amount of humor to the character of Max, without it becoming a caricature. There is such a strength to his voice, but also sensitivity and great comedic timing.  James Frain as Peter Flemming / Chess shows just the right amount of craziness dueling a dual personality.  There are both over the top moments mixed in with more subtle scenes that give us a great “super villain” and not just another corporate henchman.

I loved this show when it premiered in 2011 on NBC.  It was a mid-season replacement and originally aired on January 9, 2011.  The studio order of 13 episodes was cut down to 10 when the ratings didn’t pick up and was eventually cancelled with the series finale only being aired on NBCs website. This was one of the first superhero series that took itself seriously, and although had elements of humor never sunk into campiness.  The show was fun, full of adventure and fighting and had a decent storyline to follow. The justification of character actions and motives are well illuminated and intriguing. The production value was good with some usage of special effects and a lot of action and fight scenes that were well planned and choreographed and the music was well composed by Bear McCreary, who is one of my favorites.  The original music adds the appropriate mood and atmosphere to scenes ranging from adventurous, dramatic and whimsical. The pilot episode did feel a bit rushed as Vince’s training goes by in minutes, but most likely took weeks and the audience doesn’t really get a good sense of the passage of time. Overall, this was a great series, that for some reason never captured the viewership it deserved.