swordznsorcery (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
swordznsorcery) wrote2013-04-06 01:47 am
swordznsorcery) wrote2013-04-06 01:47 am
Entry tags:
The Cape: Razer
Have I mentioned at all that I really love The Cape? This love doesn't seem to be diminishing any, which is a shame, as I now have only one episode left. I put the DVD set to one side for a few days, in the hope of making it last a bit longer, and watched season one of Buffy The Vampire Slayer instead; but the Carnival of Crime has lured me back. And episode nine is another fun one.
Guns! Palm City is being torn apart. There's crooked cops and mobsters, scuffling over who owns what, and everybody has taken to blasting at each other in the street with interesting weaponry.
On this occasion, just as Vince's widow and young son are walking home from school. This ought to make things personal for Vince, although strangely it doesn't.
Scales! Leading the mobsters is the world's best gangster-snake hybrid. Here he meets with Peter Fleming, in a growly flirtathon. Rather promisingly, Peter keeps being interrupted by Chess, his maniacal alter-ego, who is showing every sign of becoming a separate personality. Anyway, they agree that Scales can have half the city - a half that includes the amusement park where the Carnival of Crime are holed up.
Wanting 20% of their action or else, Scales sends a message to Ringmaster Max, via Rollo. Poor Rollo is undoubtedly in a bit of a state, but it's hard not to be distracted by all the jewellery, and Ruvi's nail polish.
Ruvi is worried. The bad guys (other bad guys, technically) are coming for Ringmaster Max, and the Carnival of Crime would have upped stakes and moved to a different city long ago, had they not hung around to help Vince play at superheroes. Ruvi wants them to leave Vince to his Capery, so that they can best avoid being horribly murdered to death.
I agree with Ruvi (and not just because he's awesome). The Carnival of Crime must be defended at all costs. Sadly nobody else in the vicinity is onboard with this plan. Clearly they have been dazzled by their own brilliance, and are consequently unable to see the truth.
Also unable to see the truth is Peter, who once again is seemingly oblivious to the fact that nobody hires Elliott Gould just to be an occasional walk-on doctor. He couldn't be more blatantly up to something if he was wearing a huge sign around his neck. Peter explains that Chess is trying to take over, and Blatantly Sneaky Doctor Gould asks if he can talk to Chess. Blatantly Sneaky Doctor Gould has apparently been Peter's doctor since Peter was a small boy. This is probably heading somewhere fascinating, but there's only one episode left, so it's never going to get there (or it will get there in a terrible rush, and I'll be wishing it hadn't bothered. Either way, I am clearly not going to win).
Back at the Big Top, Vince does not want to get involved in the fight against the mobsters. This results in a multitude of pouting...
...from everybody...
...before he finally caves in. The plan is to neutralise the assassin that Scales has hired to get rid of Ringmaster Max. He's an Australian bomb expert named the Razer. Nobody knows what he looks like, explains the tattooed lady (she must have a name, surely?), but he has a scarred face and a wooden leg. That's all that anybody knows. In any other show, a scarred face and a wooden leg would be all that anybody would need to know, but in this one it's no clue at all. I love that.
Elsewhere, Ringmaster Max meets with Scales, for no particular reason other than to show off his awesomeness. And his hat. He also demonstrates yet another reason for loving this show, which is his use of a very nice cane. Scales has one as well. There should be more canes on television. I don't understand why they're not more popular. Anyway, Scales tells him he's basically dead if he doesn't hand over 20% of everything he steals. Ringmaster Max laughs at him, and then disappears in a puff of smoke just because he can. I love Ringmaster Max. I think Scales does too.
Back at base, Ruvi has decided to turn every trope ever on its head, by attempting to run away from the circus. He's decided that he's leaving, even if the rest of the carnivalleers aren't. Ringmaster Max tells him that the Cape thing isn't just a whim, but that he's trained Vince for a purpose. He throws out a name, Deveraux, that stops Ruvi (and his awesome accoutrements) in their tracks. Another interesting plot thread that, like Double-Crossing Gould, is clearly going to go nowhere. Have I mentioned recently that I hate NBC? Well I do. Even more so now than before.
Then they go and kidnap the Razer. I don't know how they find him, since they don't know who he is, but whatever.
Vince, taking the Razer's place, joins Scales' gang. Very briefly.
Whilst the real Razer languishes in an abandoned tiger cage back at the circus. Equally briefly.
Oddly, all of this has apparently been taking place during the course of Peter's conversation with the back-stabbing Doctor Elliott. So either that's a hell of a long conversation, or everything else is happening stupendously quickly. Anyway, Chess turns up for a chat. I love how everything goes diagonal the moment he arrives. Diagonality is TV shorthand for evil.
Doctor Evil Elliott announces that they've secrets to keep from Peter. There is clearly a game afoot. I hate NBC, just in case we're not clear about that already.
Vince practises his evil stare on a minion. Sadly for him, he's fooling no one, particularly once the real Razer turns up.
And things rapidly become uncomfortable.
At which point the lights go out. Ringmaster Max has arrived, in full-on stage magician persona, in order to rustle up a rescue.
Scales is not happy. How can he not be happy? It's great fun.
If mostly invisible.
Apparently guns enjoy darkness. It gets them all over-excited.
The exuberant gun does him no good at all, though. Ringmaster Max has whisked Vince away from deadly danger, and all is safe and well again. Except it's not, as Scales is still trying to kill Ringmaster Max, but ssh. Apparently we're not going to think about that anymore today. Anyway, there's gratitude and a glowing red shirt, and Vince says that he'll turn a blind eye to the Carnival's crime spree from now on, to say thank you. Which is a bit baffling, as he hasn't done a damned thing to stop their crime spree, but never mind. It's a nice gesture.
Oh, and Orwell has gone nuts. No idea why, unless it's to do with being poisoned and zombiefied last week, but with only one episode to go, it's clearly another blossoming storyline that's going nowhere, so there's little sense in speculating.
I hate NBC. I may have mentioned that before, but it's an important point, and bears repeating.
Guns! Palm City is being torn apart. There's crooked cops and mobsters, scuffling over who owns what, and everybody has taken to blasting at each other in the street with interesting weaponry.
On this occasion, just as Vince's widow and young son are walking home from school. This ought to make things personal for Vince, although strangely it doesn't.
Scales! Leading the mobsters is the world's best gangster-snake hybrid. Here he meets with Peter Fleming, in a growly flirtathon. Rather promisingly, Peter keeps being interrupted by Chess, his maniacal alter-ego, who is showing every sign of becoming a separate personality. Anyway, they agree that Scales can have half the city - a half that includes the amusement park where the Carnival of Crime are holed up.
Wanting 20% of their action or else, Scales sends a message to Ringmaster Max, via Rollo. Poor Rollo is undoubtedly in a bit of a state, but it's hard not to be distracted by all the jewellery, and Ruvi's nail polish.
Ruvi is worried. The bad guys (other bad guys, technically) are coming for Ringmaster Max, and the Carnival of Crime would have upped stakes and moved to a different city long ago, had they not hung around to help Vince play at superheroes. Ruvi wants them to leave Vince to his Capery, so that they can best avoid being horribly murdered to death.
I agree with Ruvi (and not just because he's awesome). The Carnival of Crime must be defended at all costs. Sadly nobody else in the vicinity is onboard with this plan. Clearly they have been dazzled by their own brilliance, and are consequently unable to see the truth.
Also unable to see the truth is Peter, who once again is seemingly oblivious to the fact that nobody hires Elliott Gould just to be an occasional walk-on doctor. He couldn't be more blatantly up to something if he was wearing a huge sign around his neck. Peter explains that Chess is trying to take over, and Blatantly Sneaky Doctor Gould asks if he can talk to Chess. Blatantly Sneaky Doctor Gould has apparently been Peter's doctor since Peter was a small boy. This is probably heading somewhere fascinating, but there's only one episode left, so it's never going to get there (or it will get there in a terrible rush, and I'll be wishing it hadn't bothered. Either way, I am clearly not going to win).
Back at the Big Top, Vince does not want to get involved in the fight against the mobsters. This results in a multitude of pouting...
...from everybody...
...before he finally caves in. The plan is to neutralise the assassin that Scales has hired to get rid of Ringmaster Max. He's an Australian bomb expert named the Razer. Nobody knows what he looks like, explains the tattooed lady (she must have a name, surely?), but he has a scarred face and a wooden leg. That's all that anybody knows. In any other show, a scarred face and a wooden leg would be all that anybody would need to know, but in this one it's no clue at all. I love that.
Elsewhere, Ringmaster Max meets with Scales, for no particular reason other than to show off his awesomeness. And his hat. He also demonstrates yet another reason for loving this show, which is his use of a very nice cane. Scales has one as well. There should be more canes on television. I don't understand why they're not more popular. Anyway, Scales tells him he's basically dead if he doesn't hand over 20% of everything he steals. Ringmaster Max laughs at him, and then disappears in a puff of smoke just because he can. I love Ringmaster Max. I think Scales does too.
Back at base, Ruvi has decided to turn every trope ever on its head, by attempting to run away from the circus. He's decided that he's leaving, even if the rest of the carnivalleers aren't. Ringmaster Max tells him that the Cape thing isn't just a whim, but that he's trained Vince for a purpose. He throws out a name, Deveraux, that stops Ruvi (and his awesome accoutrements) in their tracks. Another interesting plot thread that, like Double-Crossing Gould, is clearly going to go nowhere. Have I mentioned recently that I hate NBC? Well I do. Even more so now than before.
Then they go and kidnap the Razer. I don't know how they find him, since they don't know who he is, but whatever.
Vince, taking the Razer's place, joins Scales' gang. Very briefly.
Whilst the real Razer languishes in an abandoned tiger cage back at the circus. Equally briefly.
Oddly, all of this has apparently been taking place during the course of Peter's conversation with the back-stabbing Doctor Elliott. So either that's a hell of a long conversation, or everything else is happening stupendously quickly. Anyway, Chess turns up for a chat. I love how everything goes diagonal the moment he arrives. Diagonality is TV shorthand for evil.
Doctor Evil Elliott announces that they've secrets to keep from Peter. There is clearly a game afoot. I hate NBC, just in case we're not clear about that already.
Vince practises his evil stare on a minion. Sadly for him, he's fooling no one, particularly once the real Razer turns up.
And things rapidly become uncomfortable.
At which point the lights go out. Ringmaster Max has arrived, in full-on stage magician persona, in order to rustle up a rescue.
Scales is not happy. How can he not be happy? It's great fun.
If mostly invisible.
Apparently guns enjoy darkness. It gets them all over-excited.
The exuberant gun does him no good at all, though. Ringmaster Max has whisked Vince away from deadly danger, and all is safe and well again. Except it's not, as Scales is still trying to kill Ringmaster Max, but ssh. Apparently we're not going to think about that anymore today. Anyway, there's gratitude and a glowing red shirt, and Vince says that he'll turn a blind eye to the Carnival's crime spree from now on, to say thank you. Which is a bit baffling, as he hasn't done a damned thing to stop their crime spree, but never mind. It's a nice gesture.
Oh, and Orwell has gone nuts. No idea why, unless it's to do with being poisoned and zombiefied last week, but with only one episode to go, it's clearly another blossoming storyline that's going nowhere, so there's little sense in speculating.
I hate NBC. I may have mentioned that before, but it's an important point, and bears repeating.