# "The Cape" premiere **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067 "2011-01-10T04:25:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/1 "2011-01-10T04:25:52Z")
Looks pretty good but I was puzzled by a few things: the bad guys find Max Malini and kidnap him, but in the next episode he’s back in the circus where the bad guys know to look for him? And what was the underground lair Vince found? Something from his covert op days? BTW: they’re majorly cheating on just how quickly someone can get away under cover of a smoke bomb. ETA: OK, something went wrong with the thread title; I DID try to edit it but it wouldn’t save. Mod please fix. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/2 "2011-01-10T07:03:14Z")
I’m on the fence; there were some cute moments, but a whole lotta stupid. A cute moment - “I’m The Cape.” “You’re not wearing a cape.” “I’m aware of that.” “No offense.” “None taken.” 😃 We were reciting the dialogue along with the show, but it held my interest anyway. I think it could be a good show; I don’t think it will be a great show. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/3 "2011-01-10T11:17:09Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > ETA: OK, something went wrong with the thread title; I DID try to edit it but it wouldn’t save. Mod please fix. Done. Just so you know, you can report your own posts, so if something like this happens again, go ahead and click the red triangle with the exclamation point in the upper right corner of your post. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/4 "2011-01-10T12:10:42Z")
I don’t think it is a circus with tents and a semi-permanent set-up (but then I watched while reading so may have missed some things). I do remember that it is a “Carnival of Crime”, and likely quite mobile. I liked it better than I liked the first two episodes of Heroes. It’s trying to be a comic book, and I liked that. The main villain, though, was about as menacing as Teddy Ruxpin. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/5 "2011-01-10T13:27:02Z")
It felt like it was rushing the origin story a bit quickly. There was no time to savour his plight or for the actors to invest in their roles before there were ultimatums flying around left right and centre. If they’d spread the first episode (haven’t watched the second yet) over three, it would’ve felt right. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/6 "2011-01-10T16:25:38Z")
I was very unimpressed. I don’t feel it’s even worth watching a few more episodes to see if it gets any better. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/7 "2011-01-10T16:50:09Z")
What was going on in the flashback scene in which his wife found the medal in a coffee can and asked him why the name on it was different from Vince Faraday? Are we to understand that Vince Faraday changed his name from something else? And I assume that eventually we’ll learn how Orwell affords such a nice car. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/8 "2011-01-10T16:55:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What was going on in the flashback scene in which his wife found the medal in a coffee can and asked him why the name on it was different from Vince Faraday? Are we to understand that Vince Faraday changed his name from something else? And I assume that eventually we’ll learn how Orwell affords such a nice car. The scene with the coffee can is to represent tht in his past, he once had to be ‘someone else’ with no ties to anyone home - to protect them in case he was captured. Now, I’m not sure what was stored in the can - or if it was what he brought with him from that other life - but its basically to let us/her know that he had a secret past and that he knew how to have a secret identity. Orwell affords such a nice car because she’s likely Chess’s daughter - or wife - or something. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/9 "2011-01-10T16:58:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > What was going on in the flashback scene in which his wife found the medal in a coffee can and asked him why the name on it was different from Vince Faraday? Are we to understand that Vince Faraday changed his name from something else? And I assume that eventually we’ll learn how Orwell affords such a nice car. The name on his medals was correct. She wasn’t wondering about how his name appeared, she was wondering why he kept such precious things in a nondescript coffee can, rather than on display. His answer was that it was a hold over from when he went on dangerous missions. You had to take all the identifying bits of information, and tuck it away into a single coffee can to be left behind. In the event of capture, the enemy wouldn’t now who they had, and besides that, he would because a pretty bad ass dude himself - the kind of man she probably wouldn’t want to know. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/10 "2011-01-10T22:53:33Z")
What’s the deal with Evil Guy’s eyes? I was thinking for awhile that there were supposed to be two of him (evil guy and more evil twin). I didn’t see the first few episodes of _Heroes_, so maybe I’m not seeing the same potential others are seeing. I liked _Heroes_, but I only started watching half way thru Season 1. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/11 "2011-01-10T23:12:05Z")
Yeah, I had fun with it. There were times I fastforwarded it a bit, but over all it is good cheesy fun. I’ll keep watching. Also: His wife is hot. Orwell is hot. The scenes with his son were touching - even for a man who never wanted children of his own. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/12 "2011-01-10T23:13:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What’s the deal with Evil Guy’s eyes? I was thinking for awhile that there were supposed to be two of him (evil guy and more evil twin). It was part of his costume as Chess. In close-ups you could see he was wearing contact lenses with chess pieces on them. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/13 "2011-01-10T23:15:25Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > His wife is hot. > Orwell is hot. I agree and I’ll add that the circus babe was also hot. But female hotness has led me astray before. It made me watch several episodes of _Nikita_ before realizing how inherently bad that show was. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/14 "2011-01-10T23:49:11Z")
Forgot: Orwell’s car is the only car to inspire car-lust in me in nearly 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/15 "2011-01-11T00:40:03Z")
For a story trying to be true to comic book tropes, not too bad, IMO. The problem with origin stories is that they’re usually too detailed to treat well in a TV series - The director feels the need to get on with the main story. Not something that’s likely to be overcome any time soon for these kinds of stories, unless they told the origin in flashbacks over the season, but that runs risks of its own. Chess is a little too subtle for a comic book, thuogh he’s got great potential in a less action-oriented storyline. OTOH, Scales is a it too much like dumb meat for his name - Not nearly menacing enough for his role in _any_ kind of story. Cain has great potential, but was played too crudely - He could fit a LOT of places - could be really, _really_ menacing used right - but was wasted in this opener. They made him too physical for a poisoner. Some good lines, some good humor in places, felt a bit rough - too slow in some places, to rushed in others, failed to build any hard suspense. The few times they started to get close, they backed off. Over all, I’d give it a B-, with potential to rise to a B+ with a little smart work. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/16 "2011-01-11T02:31:08Z")
Summer sure is nice to look at. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/17 "2011-01-11T02:50:19Z")
The origin was the pilot. You can’t do an origin over more than one episode. I hate origins anyway. Just show us the character. I don’t care about how tormented he or she is or why. It just slows us down while we have to care about people not worth caring about. (The wife and the son.) Start in the middle. You’re going to be there in the next episode anyway. Didn’t watch the second ep yet so no real opinions. It had promise, but so did the first episode of Heroes and look how fast that went downhill. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/18 "2011-01-11T03:36:01Z")
I was surprised how much I like this. I am glad for once a show isn’t “winking” at the audience and plays it straight. It wasn’t the best show I ever saw but I am looking forward to next week. ---
**Author:** ![MovieCriticNextDoor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@MovieCriticNextDoor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieCriticNextDoor)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/19 "2011-01-11T04:01:07Z")
I’m most nervous about the whole wife and child believing him dead thing – that seems like it could get very old, very quickly. And yes, origins always are rushed in movies and TV, unfortunately, and the pacing here was terribly uneven. If the actors can settle into their roles a little better, and the writers can avoid going overboard, it could be a decent series. I hope they can at least avoid the mistakes of Heroes. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067/20 "2011-01-11T04:19:53Z")
My guess is that he’ll reveal himself to his son by the end of the first season. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-cape-premiere/567067.md?page=2)