Search - Dark Angel Season 1 on DVD

Samuel K. (Solvanda)
Reviewed on 11/25/2018...

My viewing of this series was nothing if sporadic during it's initial run. I had some friends though, who watched it religiously, and kept re-watching it after cancellation. At their urgings, about a decade later, my wife and I sat down and finally binged the entire 2 seasons. And there it was in all it's cyberpunk gothic glory: bicycle courier by day, cat burglar by night. Jessica Alba's character Max is a distinctly millennial post-third-wave feminist warrior. There are many nods to Blade Runner here.

First thing I noticed is production values are very good. Second thing a ways in, is how James Cameron kept tapping the pulse of several tinderbox issues. Like EMP weapons, which are still a major danger to society everywhere or portraying the future U.S. as some third world country. Started wondering to myself if perhaps this may have played a role in it's cancellation. It's happened to shows before which make themselves uncomfortably controversial. Networks find themselves holding a hot potato. Probably didn't help either that the September 11th attacks, Enron scandal, and the depletion of the U.S. government's surplus all happened during airing.

Cameron had considered making a family drama before this. Thank goodness he chose Dark Angel. Season 2 ends with a major cliff hanger. Season 3 almost happened, but was cancelled last minute. However, fans can still get some closure in a trilogy of post-produced novels by Max Allan Collins.