''The Cape'' is an American
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
television series, first shown on
NBC during the 2010–2011 television season as a
mid-season replacement.
A two-hour pilot episode aired on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 9 pm Eastern and Pacific Time, and was repeated the next day. Further episodes aired on Monday evenings at 9 pm from January 17.
NBC reduced the number of episodes ordered from 13 to 10 due to low ratings.
On March 2, 2011, NBC canceled the series after one season. It was also announced that the series finale would be shown only on the network's website.
Plot
The series, set in fictional Palm City,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, follows Vince Faraday, an honest detective who decides to leave the police force after he witnesses the murder of a new police chief by a mysterious villain known as Chess. Faraday accepts an offer to work for ARK, a private security firm owned and operated by billionaire entrepreneur Peter Fleming. ARK is petitioning Palm City to
privatize
Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...
the police and public safety operations.
A video streamed to Faraday from an investigative blogger known only as Orwell leads him and partner, Marty Voyt, to a cargo train owned by Fleming's firm. They discover the train is smuggling
implosive weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natura ...
(WMDs) inside children's toys. Voyt is corrupt and delivers Faraday to Chess, who reveals himself as Fleming. Fleming frames Faraday for the police chief's murder. In a news event staged by Fleming, Faraday is "revealed" as Chess as an ARK security team chases him along the city waterfront. A tanker explosion causes Faraday's apparent death.
Faraday is abducted by The Carnival of Crime, a traveling circus turned bank robbery ring, who later accept him as one of their own. Their ring leader, Max Malini, trains Faraday in
circuscraft and in the use of a special cape made entirely from
spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fibre spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make Spider web, webs or other structures, which function as sticky nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons to protect their offspring, or to wrap up prey. ...
. While there is nothing magical about the cape, Malini shows Faraday how a talented illusionist can use it to simulate superhuman abilities, and promises to show Faraday the 26 unique effects of the cape. Faraday agrees, and commits to grueling physical and mental training required to master the illusions. Additionally, Max convinces Faraday that using a secret identity keeps Faraday's wife and son safe. Faraday decides to fight Palm City's corruption and clear his name by adopting the visage of his son's favorite comic book hero, The Cape.
In the
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
, "
Endgame
Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to:
Film
* ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film)
* ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film
* ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...
", The Cape exposes ARK's corruption. Fleming asserts that he is innocent. He paints Voyt, now the chief of his private police force, as a corrupting influence who has usurped daily control of ARK. Faraday's wife, Dana, prepares Voyt's legal defense and convinces him to
turn state's evidence. Fleming decides to eliminate both families before Voyt can testify. The Cape hides both families with the Circus, but Fleming's assassins find them. During the assault, Voyt sacrifices himself to save The Cape. As Voyt dies in The Cape's arms, Faraday reveals his identity and forgives Voyt's betrayal. The series ends with Fleming still at large; Faraday's family still believes him dead, but Orwell assures Dana that Faraday still loves her, implying that he is still alive.
Cast and characters
Main cast
*
David Lyons as Vincent "Vince" Faraday / The Cape – A former
soldier
A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer.
Etymology
The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
and an honest
cop who is presumed both dead and a murderer by the residents of Palm City. He is constantly trying to prove that Peter Fleming is Chess, and becomes the Cape to help fight crime and corruption throughout the city. Faraday is an excellent investigator, and an above-average fighter before going into hiding, having had years of training and experience during his time in the army, which would later be expanded upon by the circus crafts he later learns from Max Malini during his training by the "Carnival of Crime". He becomes proficient in
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
,
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
,
hypnosis,
escapology
Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists (also classified as escape artists) escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks, and ot ...
,
tightrope walking
Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...
,
stage illusions Stage illusions are large-scale magic tricks. As the name implies, stage illusions are distinct from all other types of magic in that they are performed a considerable distance away from the audience, usually on a stage, in order to maintain the ill ...
, and in some
acrobatics
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
, which help him duplicate the extraordinary powers of his comic namesake. He also takes-up
mithridatism. These efforts are further aided by a unique cape given to him by Max Malini, which had been specifically designed for these illusions (his training included emphasis on all thirty-seven illusions involving a cape). In addition to his attempts to clear his name, Faraday also uses the persona of "The Cape" to visit his son anonymously for short periods of time and give him hope. According to Faraday, the Faraday family have been in law enforcement for generations.
*
Keith David as Maxwell "Max" Malini – The ringleader of a gang of circus-performers-turned-bank-robbers known as "The Carnival of Crime". He mentors Vince after saving him and trains him to become the Cape. Despite being a criminal, who is willing to steal from good or bad people, he shows a strong knowledge of right from wrong, and abhors the use of killing, operating on what would appear to be a strong moral code. In "Razer", Max informs Ruvi that the real reason he's training Vince is because of someone called "Deveraux".
*
Summer Glau
Summer Lyn Glau (; born July 24, 1981) is an American actress best known for her roles in science fiction and fantasy television series: as River Tam in ''Firefly'' (2002) and its continuation film '' Serenity'' (2005), as Tess Doerner in ''Th ...
as Orwell – An investigative blogger who wages war on the crime and corruption in Palm City, (her blogger moniker is a nod to
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...
). She becomes Vince's behind-the-scenes ally and helps him, even though she is trying to keep her life and her reasons a secret. She is also a skilled fighter. During a hallucination in the episode "The Lich (Part 2)", it is revealed that Orwell's first name is "Jamie" and that she may harbour secret feelings for Vince. It is confirmed that she is the grown, biological daughter of Peter Fleming, and hinted that he (or she) had done something to her mother. There have been hints in the final episode that she fears she is going down the same dark path as her father, due to his genes, starting with reoccurring migraines, blackouts and hallucinations of an ominous white door; her endgame is likely that she seeks to reveal her father's dark-side to the world ''before'' she seeks medical attention for her blackouts. She has not disclosed her true identity to Vince, and uses a number of
aliases and disguises, posing as reporters, and continues to elude her father's attempts to find both her, and "Orwell" (believing them to be two separate people).
*
James Frain as Peter Fleming / Chess – The billionaire founder/CEO of Ark Industries and the Cape's nemesis. He is a criminal mastermind, serial killer, expert hand-to-hand combatant, and is skilled with firearms. He is responsible for framing Vince for the murders. When appearing as his alter ego, Chess, Fleming's pupils appear as chess pieces, specifically a
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
and a
rook
Rook (''Corvus frugilegus'') is a bird of the corvid family. Rook or rooks may also refer to:
Games
*Rook (chess), a piece in chess
*Rook (card game), a trick-taking card game
Military
*Sukhoi Su-25 or Rook, a close air support aircraft
* USS ' ...
; it is revealed in the episode "Razer" that this change is made with contacts. He has an obsession with the game of chess, as he sees everything around him as merely a game, often using chess terminology in his speech. In "Scales", Fleming reveals he is a
mechanical engineer. It has been strongly implied that Fleming has
multiple personality disorder, as he has had conversations with his Chess persona, who urges him to kill everyone. The Chess persona tends to emerge when Fleming is stressed or threatened, though as the series progresses he becomes stronger, coming to the surface without Fleming's consent. He is somewhat protective of Fleming and reawakens in Fleming's mind after several assassination attempts by Dice. In the episode "Kozmo", it is revealed that he was trained as a soldier in Iran.
*
Jennifer Ferrin
Jennifer Ferrin (born February 25, 1979) is an American actress.
Early life and education
Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir. Up ...
as Dana Faraday (née Thompson) – Vince's wife, who believes her husband has died. She takes a job in the public defender's office so she can give others what Vince never got, a chance to prove their innocence in a court of law.
*
Ryan Wynott
Ryan Wynott (born December 6, 1999 in California) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dylan Simcoe on the television series ''FlashForward'' (2009–2010) and as Trip Faraday on '' The Cape'' (2011).
Filmography
References
Pe ...
as Trip Faraday – Vince's son, who idolizes the Cape. Vince hopes the Cape will convince Trip that there are good people left in the world.
*
Dorian Missick as Marty Voyt – A secretly corrupt police detective and friend to Vince. He is employed by Fleming because he fears for the safety of his own family. He continually visits the Faraday family to deliver more false "evidence" showing that Vince was really Chess. He was named as ARK's new Chief of Police in the episode "Goggles and Hicks". In the episode "Endgame", when evidence implicates Fleming as 'Chess', Fleming tries to frame Voyt as having been 'Chess' all along (as he'd done with Vince Faraday). Dana Faraday manages to convince Voyt to
turn state's evidence against Fleming/'Chess', but after an assassination attempt, The Cape is forced to publicly reveal himself to save Voyt's life and hide him and Voyt's family away, only for Voyt to be shot (taking a bullet for The Cape) and killed by Scales (on Fleming's orders to silence him) just as he and his family are leaving Palm City by train, but not before The Cape unmasks himself to Voyt, letting him know that he had survived.
*
Martin Klebba as Rollo – A dwarf who plays the role of strong man in Malini's circus gang. He is a good fighter, as is proven when he first fights Vince and wins and later easily wins against Scales with a wrench. He is shown to have a crush on Orwell.
Recurring cast
*
Vinnie Jones as Dominic Raoul / Scales – A frightening criminal menace with a freakish skin condition that gives him the appearance of being covered with green and gold scales. His "scales" make him more resistant to damage. He is an enemy of the Cape. It was revealed in the episode "Scales" that he was at one time part of a circus sideshow due to his skin condition.
*
Richard Schiff as Patrick Portman – Palm City's Commissioner of Prisons, and the sole city leader standing in the way of Peter Fleming/ARK's complete assumption of the city's public safety services. In "Scales", Portman reveals himself as a Cape wannabe, although he is realistic about his actual abilities.
*
Mather Zickel
Mather Zickel (born ) is an American actor, mainly known for comedy roles, as well as the character Kieran in ''Rachel Getting Married''. A native of New York City, he has worked in both film and television since the late 1990s. He graduated from t ...
as Travis Hall – Dana's Boss.
*
Izabella Miko as Raia – An alluring acrobat in Max's circus and a member of the Carnival of Crime.
* Anil Kumar as Ruvi – A hypnotist in Max's circus and a member of the Carnival of Crime. He's constantly reminding Vince not to get cocky, every time Vince slips up. As a
mentalist/
hypnotist
Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...
, Ruvi considers himself a 'Surgeon of the Mind', and considers neurotoxins and their use in his line of work as to be no-better than a "blunt tool". He is also only in the "Carnival of Crime" for the gains, and not really open for any noble reasons, like Max. In "Razer", Max informs Ruvi that the real reason he's training Vince is because of someone called "Deveraux", (who Deveraux is has not been revealed).
*
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s.
Elliott's breakthrough role was in the ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination f ...
as Samuel – Peter Fleming's psychiatrist who has been helping him try to control and ultimately banish Chess from Fleming's mind. He is one of the few people who is not intimidated by Chess' violent outbursts and threats. In one episode, he and Chess seem to be conspiring against Fleming, although this also could be Samuel trying to lull Chess into a false sense of security.
Guest stars
*
Raza Jaffrey
Raza Jaffrey (born 28 May 1973) is a British actor and singer, who starred as Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical drama '' Code Black''. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks''. In 2014, he played ...
as Raimonde LeFleur / Cain – A French serial killer and master of knife throwing and poison. He is a member known as ''The Tower'' in the assassin organization ''Tarot'', as their poisons user. This dangerous mercenary was hired by Chess to kill the Palm City prison commissioner, but failed due to the Cape's interference and was scarred across the face in the ensuing battle.
*
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in '' Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' ( ...
as Gregor Molotov – A Russian magician known as "Gregor the Great" who considers himself to be a master illusionist, contortionist, and escape artist extraordinaire. He was the former student of Max, training under the stage name "Kozmo", and was the last owner of the cape before Vince took over. Gregor was imprisoned for 20 years for murdering a woman and was sent to various prisons throughout Russia, each of which he managed to escape. When Vince was given the choice between killing Gregor and sending him to jail, Vince allowed him to live, despite warnings that Gregor would certainly escape and return for the cape.
*
Mena Suvari as Tracey Jarrod / Dice – A
savant
Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...
who specializes in probabilities by breaking down the world in the language of
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
. She can predict the future through complex mathematical probability which she can do
in her head, (although the Cape represented an anomalous addition to her equations that threw off her predictions), and is the first of her kind, which Peter has studied so they can make T.R.A.C.E., a portable future predictor via
data-mining. However, Tracey has a dark side with sociopathic tendencies and connection issues. Tracey is the daughter of research physicist Henry Jerrod, one of Chess' victims, and seeks revenge on Chess, wanting to kill him for her father's death, which she had predicted (but made no attempt to actually stop, save for telling them both it would happen). Her attempts on Peter's life reawaken the Chess persona, who had briefly been under wraps.
*
Pruitt Taylor Vince and
Chad Lindberg
Chad Tyler Lindberg (born November 1, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his film roles in ''The Fast and the Furious'' and ''October Sky'', as well as television roles on ''Sons of Anarchy'' and ''Supernatural''. Lindberg was also the c ...
as Goggles & Hicks – Brothers, and a high-tech team of professional contract killers, who are the members of ''Tarot'' known as ''The Chariot''. The two are hired by Peter Fleming to kill the Cape. They have their subjects down to a science: first they track them, then they study them by getting to know everything about their marks intimately before they kill them when the time is right. Goggles is the
techie with his expertise in creating new gadgets (his catch phrase is "you can run, but you can't hide"), while Hicks is the assassin – the only other people he meets are the ones he kills.
*
Glenn Fitzgerald
Glenn Fitzgerald (born December 21, 1971) is an American actor of stage, film, and television.
Career
His film roles have included Homicide Detective Anderson in Kathryn Bigelow's ''Detroit''; Lonnie, the son of Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin's ch ...
as Conrad Chandler / The
Lich – The heir of a Palm City founder, William Chandler, and his wife, Greta Chandler, who abandons him at an asylum called The Orchard sanitarium as an infant: Born with a skin condition, called "morgellons leiche", (meaning "skin of the dead"), he has a horrifically scarred physical appearance, and is insensate to physical pain (
Congenital insensitivity to pain
Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), also known as congenital analgesia, is one or more extraordinarily rare conditions in which a person cannot feel (and has never felt) physical pain. The conditions described here are separate from the HSAN g ...
). His mother abandoned him at the Orchard sanitarium, admitted under the name "Ronald Recchand" (an
anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of "Conrad Chandler"), and the Chandler Family's Lawyer helped them to cover-up almost all record of his continued existence, whilst the public is left to believe that the Chandler's had merely suffered from a
miscarriage
Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...
. After his mother abandoned him as an infant, Conrad was physically abused by the staff repeatedly, (because they knew that he could feel no pain and could get away with it), and were the first to start calling him "The Lich". Over the years, Conrad bided his time, learning, and after gaining access to the sanitarium's supply of
drug
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
s and
pharmaceuticals
A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...
, (and having learned to make "potions"), he slowly took over the sanitarium, enslaving his former tormentors. As the son of the "
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
In arts and media
* Alan Oppenheimer (born 1930), American film actor
* Andrés Oppenheimer (born 1951), Argentine author and journalist known for his analysis of Latin American p ...
of chemical weapons", Conrad developed his own synthetic
neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function in both developing and mature ner ...
that causes paralysis and a deep suggestive state of the mind that slows the vital signs to make a person appear dead. He goes on to commit a series of seemingly-
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
crimes. This leads the police department to dub him "The Lich", a moniker synonymous with "
boogeyman
The Bogeyman (; also spelled boogeyman, bogyman, bogieman, boogie monster, boogieman, or boogie woogie) is a type of mythic creature used by adults to frighten children into good behavior. Bogeymen have no specific appearance and conceptions var ...
", after a file in every Palm City precinct containing unusual or strange cases such as ritual killings, unsolved murders, kidnappings, and cults. Convicts on Owl Island told Rollo about a "psycho" with a face "like a corpse" who hired them to rob a hospital, (he punished them for their failure by removing a finger from each of their hands). With both of his parents long-dead, Conrad's lifelong goal has been to punish the people responsible for his abandonment, such as the Chandler Family Lawyer (who was still alive), the people of Palm City, (for being
gullible sheep to have believed the lie about his mother's miscarriage), and Peter Flemming, (for trying to take away his birthright). During his bid for revenge, he becomes fixated upon 'Carrie Woodhouse'/Orwell, who unwittingly provides him with the proof he needed to
legitimize
Legitimation or legitimisation is the act of providing legitimacy. Legitimation in the social sciences refers to the process whereby an act, process, or ideology becomes legitimate by its attachment to norms and values within a given society. It ...
his claim to his family's
estate
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representat ...
, and tries to marry her.
*
Grant Bowler
Grant Bowler (born 18 July 1968) is a New Zealand-Australian actor and television presenter who has worked in American, Australian, New Zealand, and Canadian film, television, and theatre.
He is known for playing the role of Constable Wayne ...
as Razer – An Australian bomb-maker who is contracted by Scales to kill Max to gain complete control over Trolley Park. He considers himself an artist at making bombs. As part of his allure, no one knows what he looks like. It is rumored that he has a wooden leg and the left side of his face is scarred from a bomb blast from his own creation. In "Razer", Vince interrupts Razer's arrival and disguises himself as the dangerous villain to become a member of Scales' gang and infiltrate his inner circle to sabotage his plan.
*
Michael Irby
Michael Clinton Irby (born November 16, 1972) is an American actor known for portraying Sergeant First Class Charles Grey in the CBS series ''The Unit'' (2006–2009), and more recently, for his work as Obispo 'Bishop' Losa in ''Mayans M.C.'' ( ...
as Tommy Molinari / Pokerface – An associate of Scales who took on the moniker because he never blinks as a result of a gunshot wound to the head, lodging a bullet in his brain. Because he cannot blink, he requires frequent doses of eye drops administered by one of his lackeys. Vince once managed to replace his eye drops with turpentine and in retaliation Pokerface suggested Scales use acid on Vince when later they captured him.
Episodes
Reception
''The Cape'' has generated mixed reviews from critics, scoring a 54 out of 100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. Critic
Ken Tucker
Kenneth Tucker is an American arts, music and television critic, magazine editor, and non-fiction book writer.
Early life and education
Tucker was born in Manhattan, New York City, New York, and raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He earned a ...
described the show's premiere as "fun, refreshingly free of irony" with "a sensibility that allowed for a sense of humor without slipping into tiresome campiness." Other proponents of the show have said "if the premise sounds cheesy or busy, the execution is crisp and efficient" and "someone in network land has learned a lesson from ''
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
''." At the same time,
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz (born December 26, 1968) is an American film and television critic, author and film-maker.
Career
Matt Zoller Seitz is editor-at-large at RogerEbert.com, and the television critic for '' New York'' magazine and Vulture.com, as ...
criticized the series pilot for failing to develop its narrative effectively. While having no complaints about the premise of the series, he wrote that the pilot "rushes through everything, pulverizing potentially engaging characters and story until the whole production starts to feel like a long trailer for itself." Peter Swanson of ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' wrote that the series "falls into a wasteland of its own making, where neither the stakes nor the jokes can distract one from the thinness of its writing."
The special Sunday two hour debut of the show garnered a 2.6 in the key 18–49 demographic.
It placed third overall in terms of top science fiction genre network premieres for the 2010–2011 season, behind fellow NBC show ''
The Event'' and
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
's ''
No Ordinary Family
''No Ordinary Family'' is an American television series that aired on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada. The one hour science fiction comedy drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–2011 television season. The series ran from ...
''. For its first non-repeat airing in its official Monday timeslot the show had dropped 31% to a 1.8 rating,
and the next two episodes received a 1.6 and a 1.5
respectively.
''The Cape'' was nominated for a 2011
for the ninth episode, "Razer".
Web comic
As they did earlier with ''
Heroes
Heroes or Héroes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
'', NBC released
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books.
Webcomics can be co ...
s to supplement ''The Cape'' on the official website.
Music
The original music for ''The Cape'' was composed by
Bear McCreary. In contrast to the brand of music used by
Hans Zimmer for
Christopher Nolan's ''Batman'' films, McCreary's scores for the series were in a more classically heroic mode in the style of
Shirley Walker
Shirley Anne Walker (née Rogers; April 10, 1945 – November 30, 2006) was an American film and television composer and conductor. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood. Walker was one of the first female ...
's work on ''
Batman: The Animated Series''. On September 27, 2011, La-La Land Records released a two-disc album of McCreary's work on the series, featuring selections from all episodes but "Razer" and "Endgame" (the last two episodes - "The Lich, Part 2" was the final episode to be scored to picture), plus the original song "Let's Just Pretend," which was written by Brendan McCreary and performed by Young Beautiful in a Hurry; the album is dedicated to Walker's memory in honour of her influence on Bear McCreary's music.
Connection to ''Community''
''The Cape'' received minor recognition when the series was continuously mentioned on another NBC show ''
Community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
''. Throughout the episode "
Paradigms of Human Memory", the character of Abed voices his love of the show and his disappointment over it getting cancelled. The most notable scene is when Abed fashions a cape for himself and attempts to mimic the show's protagonist only to anger the character of Jeff Winger who yells "Show's gonna last three weeks!" Abed yells back "Six seasons and a movie!" This line was adopted by the ''Community'' fanbase when it appeared the show was close to being cancelled. The show would eventually go for an additional
sixth and final season while moving to the streaming service
Yahoo! Screen
The company Yahoo! ran several similar video services. Yahoo! Video, a video hosting service, was established in 2006. Later, the ability to upload videos was removed, changing it to a more pure video on demand service; the website became a port ...
, while a movie is currently in development and set to stream on
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...
in 2023.
In the episode "
Pillows and Blankets
"Pillows and Blankets" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the American television series ''Community''. It originally aired on April 5, 2012, on NBC.
Plot
The episode, framed as a documentary in the style of Ken Burns' '' The Civil ...
", which parodies the
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren Burns (born July 29, 1953) is an American filmmaker known for his documentary film, documentary films and television series, many of which chronicle United States, American History of the United States, history and Culture of the ...
documentary ''
The Civil War'',
Keith David provided the narration. At the end of the episode, Jeff Winger interrupts him and asks if he was on ''The Cape'', to which David responds "No." David would eventually join the cast as Elroy Patashnik in the final season when it was moved to
Yahoo! Screen
The company Yahoo! ran several similar video services. Yahoo! Video, a video hosting service, was established in 2006. Later, the ability to upload videos was removed, changing it to a more pure video on demand service; the website became a port ...
. In "
Advanced Introduction to Finality
"Advanced Introduction to Finality" is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the NBC sitcom ''Community''. It originally aired on May 9, 2013.
In this episode, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is set to graduate and expects things to ...
", Abed Nadir meets his evil doppelganger in the darkest timeline and he is informed that ''The Cape'' was renewed in their world for a third season, switched to cable, and was retooled, making it better.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cape, The
2010s American drama television series
2011 American television series debuts
2011 American television series endings
American action television series
American adventure television series
American superhero television series
English-language television shows
NBC original programming
Television series by Universal Television