I desperately want to like this show, but it's a struggle to do so. The concept is fantastic, you have all the right elements that should come together well. The special effects while sparse are passable at least, and the soundtrack does a good job of helping to set the tone.
Unfortunately the things letting the show down aren't so easy to fix. The writing and the cast are a mixed bag, the worst parts of both culminating in the chief protagonist of the show played by Ashleigh Cummings. She simply isn't believable as an 18 year old teenager, she isn't particularly great as a 26 year old mother in the second season either. It isn't simple a case of the character being unlikable, or being played poorly, she's flat out terribly written -- although I'm really not sure how much can be blamed on the actress given what she has to work with.
Vic makes a string of incredibly poor decisions throughout the show, she never actually seems to grow as a character unless you count a growing single minded obsession that ultimately puts a lot of other people at risk in multiple ways. From risking her father going to prison by forging his tax returns as an acceptable alternative to telling the truth and having herself declared independent, to handing a stranger a gun rather than using against her nemesis only to instead set a car on fire with two hostages inside of it. The teen angst gets old fast, even with incredibly poor parents it's impossible to like her let alone excuse her actions. She actually brings said actions up in the premier for season two, referencing how everyone with powers had a price they had to pay. Is her price one which causes her to act irrationally? Should that be true it comes across as a poor excuse for a terribly realised character.
Watching the second episode of season two cemented much of the above for me. It focuses on Manx and Bing while Vic isn't in it at all, and it's by far the most enjoyable episode I've seen of the show by a large margin. I find both characters compelling, they're interesting, I want to know more about them. When Vic is around I just want the scene to shift away from her.
Unfortunately the things letting the show down aren't so easy to fix. The writing and the cast are a mixed bag, the worst parts of both culminating in the chief protagonist of the show played by Ashleigh Cummings. She simply isn't believable as an 18 year old teenager, she isn't particularly great as a 26 year old mother in the second season either. It isn't simple a case of the character being unlikable, or being played poorly, she's flat out terribly written -- although I'm really not sure how much can be blamed on the actress given what she has to work with.
Vic makes a string of incredibly poor decisions throughout the show, she never actually seems to grow as a character unless you count a growing single minded obsession that ultimately puts a lot of other people at risk in multiple ways. From risking her father going to prison by forging his tax returns as an acceptable alternative to telling the truth and having herself declared independent, to handing a stranger a gun rather than using against her nemesis only to instead set a car on fire with two hostages inside of it. The teen angst gets old fast, even with incredibly poor parents it's impossible to like her let alone excuse her actions. She actually brings said actions up in the premier for season two, referencing how everyone with powers had a price they had to pay. Is her price one which causes her to act irrationally? Should that be true it comes across as a poor excuse for a terribly realised character.
Watching the second episode of season two cemented much of the above for me. It focuses on Manx and Bing while Vic isn't in it at all, and it's by far the most enjoyable episode I've seen of the show by a large margin. I find both characters compelling, they're interesting, I want to know more about them. When Vic is around I just want the scene to shift away from her.