Right away I could tell this show was not for the faint of heart. Kids, who happen to be barefooted and in hospital type gowns, were running for their lives in the dead of winter with military men after them, trying to escape from what we later learn is a secret military project called Project Manticore. Of course these were not ordinary kids, they communicated by military hand signals and had bar codes on the back of their necks.

Then we were introduced to Max who believes ‘Hope is for losers’, but despite that, she still hopes that she is not the only one who survived the escape. Max apparently lives a quiet life in order to avoid detection. And instead of sleeping, she has seizures. During these seizures, we are given flashes of Max’s rather terrifying childhood.

The two hour premiere did a really good job of showing the viewers what it was like for Max in Seattle in 2019. In general, I’m not big fan of voiceovers, but I can see why it was done here. The voiceover allowed us to get to know Max as well as this new America James Cameron is creating for us.

The first half hour moved a bit slow, we see Max’s job and meet some of her friends. Original Cindy is definitely my favorite so far. We also see that Max has hired a detective of sorts, whose office happens to be in the back of a laundry mat, to look for others like her. Obviously her salary at a bike messenger wouldn’t allow her to pay for this detective, but since she doesn’t sleep, she has all night to pursue her secondary career, which happens to be a cat burglar.

While pursuing her secondary career, Max meets the man behind the only free voice left in the city. Logan Cale is an independently wealthy man who believes he can make a difference. He runs the Eyes Only freedom network which hacks into cable to broadcast information regarding corrupt officials and also works to bring these corrupted individuals to justice. Logan figures who/what Max is and asks for her help. Max, of course, wants nothing to do with this. Logan ends up hospitalized and Max, who says adamantly that she feels no guilt for not helping him, saves his life then proceeds to help the woman who Logan was trying to protect get her child back.

All in all, I liked the pilot. It set the tone of the series well. The dialogue could have used a little work, I’m not a big fan of one-liners, or maybe it was just their delivery I didn’t like. In future episodes we will see Max try to uncover the mysteries of her past and also, despite complaints, she’ll help Logan in his mission, because Logan will help her in return.

I’m looking forward to getting to know the other characters too. In the pilot we met Kendra, Max’s roommate; Original Cindy, Max’s lesbian friend; Sketchy, a co-worker who serves his clients in more than one way; Herbal Thought, a co-worker; Normal, the unlikable boss; Lydecker, who was involved in Project Manticore and is now chasing Max, and of course Logan.

Some of the highlights of the pilot include the scenes with Original Cindy, what a fun character she is. Addition highlights are when Max utilizes her skills to help others. While helping out a friend Max encounters Lydia, who is foolish enough to challenge Max on physical terms. Max proceeds to push Lydia over the railing of a high-rise apartment and hold here there by her ankle as Lydia dangles in the air.

Jessica Alba is very endearing as Max. She makes Max formidable, fearless, and yet gives her great depth. If for no other reason, you should watch ‘Dark Angel’ to see Jessica Alba, there is no doubt in my mind this series is just the beginning for her.

- Written by Faile