Before Syfy’s Helix starting airing the promos, I thought the show would be similar to the films Resident Evil and The Thing, science gone wrong, trapped in the middle of nowhere, and fighting to survive a creature unlike anything they have seen before. In my mind, I thought Helix would be like The Walking Dead, a television series that had a scary moment just around the bend. The truth of the matter is that Helix isn’t like that.
Although not what I thought it would be, I have slowly come to enjoy it. It is slowly building up a mystery and giving clues that may, or may not, be helpful in solving the riddle of what is going on. There are elements of the show that I love and highly support. The fact that the show doesn’t use flashbacks to answer questions is my favorite. Everything you learn about the characters will be from what they say and do. Hallucinations will be used a lot during the show to give information This means that everything will be called into question and things you learn may not even be the truth.
I enjoy the fact that there are two monsters running around, the infected and whatever Dr. Hatake is. With each episode, you learn a little bit more about the virus and get a little bit more lost on what kind of creature Hatake is. With the weird eyes, fast healing, other monsters won’t attacking him, shaving down fangs and the missing children from the nearby town, I’m hoping that he isn’t some kind of vampire.
The small problem with the series is that it can be a little predictable, case in point with the Major. Anyone who knew enough about the military could tell that he in the service. His uniform didn’t match any U.S branch that I know of and it was easy to tell he couldn’t be trusted. I have to think that they meant to dress him in a uniform that didn’t belong to any branch. Second, it is clear that Dr. Hatake spent some time with either Julia or her mother with the way he acts around her. It is very possible that he could end up being a close relative, say father, or an old co-worker of her mother’s. He did say he had been a father and it explains why he has so much faith in her. It may also be the reason why Julia was requested to come, unlike everyone else.
As a whole, I rate the show a strong 7.5 so far. The show has good acting and flows nicely, but I feel it lacks that little bit extra that would make it a high 8 or low 9. This stems from the fact that I haven’t fallen in love with any of the characters yet. Every character has a good amount of issues which make them fun to watch, but I can’t say that I’d cry if any of them were to be killed off yet. Each character still feels so closed off that I can’t really say if I support them. It’s like meeting new people, who honestly don’t say anything unless they have to. It’s a nice change from the norm, of everyone spilling their guts out every five seconds, but it means that when someone takes a pickax to the shoulder I’m not overcome with grief. All in all worth toning in for a few more weeks.
Photos courtesy of www.syfy.com
