Jake 2.0

After watching the first episode of Jake 2.0 (a name that scared me off at first) I think there maybe a chance for a good show.

It's basically a Million Dollar Man meets Spider-man kinda thing.

The lead, Jake, is in a lab accident where he is contaminated with some experimental nanites that enter his system and begin integrating. Hence the super powers (strength, hearing, seeing...)

I like the idea that it's beginning. They even mention that he will get stronger and better as the integration continues. The downside is that in order to show us how great he is, they overshoot the bounds. He should, for the first week, have trouble controlling these abilities, causing nearly as many accidents as saves (as Spider-man did in his first comics).

However, you only got 1 hour and it was fairly good. If done properly this can be a wonderful show. However, it could just as easily sink into schlock. What was established quite nicely is a double love interest. The girl he likes and the girl we all think he should like. I say, watch and find out what they can do with this.

I had never heard of this series until the SciFi channel began advertising it a couple of months ago. I thought it was a new show, and from the commercials I was not impressed. I started watching the show a few weeks ago (it airs at the same time as wrestling...), and I have to admit, it's grown on me. Tonight was the best I've seen, with Jake diving off of a bridge backwards to avoid returning to the NSA, and his superiors having to launch a man-hunt to find him. Turns out, it was a continuing episode.....sad thing? I missed the ending of that episode.

I am also impressed with Keegan Connor Tracy, who played Diane Hughes. She is typical of the "plain girl turned gorgeous" storyline, but the writers of this show don't focus on that unnecessarily, which allows her much more depth of character.

Jake 2.0 is reminiscent of those 70s super-power TV shows that were typically so-so, but were at least sincere and in the case of a few, had some novel ideas, like the Six Million Dollar Man.

Jake 2.0 is derivative of the type and lacks a shred of originality, even "TV originality." Are they paying homage to the Lee Majors show by nearly duplicating the "bionic" sound effect whenever anything super is happening or are they just out of ideas?

The acting, with the possible exception of Miranda Frigon, is directionless and the characters are allowed to be dull. Christopher Gorham plays the Peter Parker geek role, though he gains his powers in the tradition of Captain America (you comic readers know what I mean). Perhaps the director doesn't understand the potential of "geeky" and so Gorham is limited to just a few reactions like "Huh, super powers; waddya know?" and "Still more super powers? Did I leave the stove on?"

And what are his super powers? They're a pinch of Captain America, a dash of Spiderman, a smidge of Superman and a sprinkling of, well, whatever he seems to need at the time. Yes, he's smorgasbord super.

I think his journey of discovery as he uncovers each power would be one of the show's highlights, but the show's makers don't share my interest. Not one of his powers is revealed in a particularly tantalizing or ingenious way. Is he strong? Listen bub, he hurls a ball at a young boy's tub! And that's about it. Oh and he can bend pipes in his apartment. Sort of. These are the kind of super powers one expects of California Governor Gray Davis: low wattage and unspectacular (though Davis has nicer hair).

As a kid's show, it's just about OK. But for adults in an adult time slot, it seems more like Jake 2.0 is already in need of an upgrade. And customer support. And a return policy.

There is a LOT of garbage out there on television. This is one of the few shows that is not in that category. It is another take on The Million Dollar Man. Jake's character was good and would have been better if the show hadn't been cut. He had some discipline problems, but he would have learned to obey his superiors. The NSA isn't used too often in television shows. It was nice to have a few shows that don't focus on murder investigation. There were four episodes unaired that would have been interesting to see. The men on the show weren't bad to look at. The show is a good example of how a geeky technician can be turned into a hero. Now we won't get to see how Jake turns out. I WISH they could bring this show back.

This show is just as entertaining as the recent "Sliders", "The Invisible Man" and Chris Gorham's prior Showtime series "Odyssey 5". It's sci-fi and it's okay. Not GREAT but it really is okay. There is no reason to avoid watching this program. And Marina Black is really nice to look at.