More Bollocks

BBC America has gone and done it again. They’ve imported yet another good show for me to by into. And surprise surprise, it’s a sci-fi show: Jekyll.

First there was Hex, Dr. Who, Robin Hood, and Hyperdrive; now they’re following up with what the creators are calling a sequel to (not a reinvention of) the literary classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The two-hour premiere aired Saturday night, but due to prior commitments, it had to be taped and watched last night.

I went into it with a certain amount of trepidation and small sense of fear because I reminded myself that it’s really easy to fuck this simple premise up, but I had to give it a shot. I mean, who doesn’t love the basic and effective device of duality or good vs evil all within the same person? I submit for your consideration these items: The Incredible Hulk, werewolves, David Hasselhoff, and the McRib. I rest my case.

2 hours later and I was cursing BBC America for making me add another show to the rotation. Well, really it’s the same number, as Jekyll is just replacing Hex now that it’s all over. But still, I have to commit this one to memory so that I remember to autotune it every week so that the ol’ VCR can tape it (I have started looking into DVR again, by the way).

Ok, so it was fairly easy for them to get me, but to their credit they may have also gotten someone not as into that genre as I am. We’ll just have to see how long that sticks.

And if you’re wondering how they presented Hyde, let me just tell you that it’s way cooler than any version I’ve seen before. Gone is the hulking brute who can bound effortlessly or rip buildings apart. Now there’s a Hyde who’s not all that different from his counterpart in appearance, but has many more abilities and gifts than a normal man. And he’s a pure, grade-A badass. Let’s just say that when you kill the King of the Jungle, chuck him at some bad guys, and then start singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”; you’re not fucking around. Well, maybe a little with the singing, but that’s just some campy flair right there.

So if you’re intrigued; cue up the TiVo search, hit the torrent sites, or just keep an eye out for a re-run on BBCA. It ought to be worth it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to ponder my next rant on BBC America as they’re also about to start airing the Dr. Who spinoff, Torchwood, in a few weeks.

A-wimoweh, A-wimoweh, A-wimoweh...

D