I really loved this show when it first aired, and watching it again, I think I love it even more. There just hasn't been anything on TV quite like it since. The premise is very movie-like, which isn't suprising since the show was created by James Cameron. The two main components of the show work amazingly well together: first, a future United States as a rundown third-world country, and second, a group of escaped genetically-enhanced soldiers trying to keep their cover but also make some kind of life for themselves. Seattle made for the perfect gloomy setting, and the sets and locations were amazing.
I suppose a lot of people would say that the acting wasn't too great on this show and I'm not really going to disagree...there was a lot of slang that ended up sounding forced and kind of ridiculous, but I kind of just got used to it. I personally really liked Max, and I thought Jessica Alba did a pretty good job at blending Max's tough, kick-ass exterior with justifiably tortured inner self. She had a strong presence and had no problems carrying the show. And I loved Logan. (Haha, what is it with me and characters named Logan?) Plus he and Max had really good chemistry.
What really makes or breaks a superhero type storyline for me, though, is the villain. And Season 1's villain, Lydecker, was just the way I like villains, complex and almost relatable. While you could feel and understand Max's hatred toward the man, it was obvious that he almost thought of and cared about the X5s as his children.
Max's friends rounded out the cast. Her first roommate Kendra, was pretty annoying and I'm glad that the writers phased her out. Normal was hilarious, and in my opinion Valarie Rae Miller put on the most natural performance of the entire cast as Original Cindy.
The special effects and fights were all incredible too...a lot of the scenes looked like a movie, and I've read that the budgets were indicative of that too.
Oh, and the best thing about this DVD set? The really great commentary by Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly on the season finale. I love commentaries! This one seemed especially honest, as they didn't hide their unhappiness with the second season, and also made mention of their real-life relationship, even though I don't think they were still together at the time of recording.
People are constantly comparing this show to Buffy, but I think that's kind of unfair, because they have really different feels. I think it basically boils down to the fact that Buffy was fantasy while Dark Angel is stauchly science-fiction...as in these things could actually happen. Sigh, I miss sci-fi on TV.
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