The Cape – Pilot – Episode 1 Summary

The show started with a two hour start on NBC last night, broken down into two episodes: the Pilot and Tarot. The series is a typical good versus evil story set in a modern day, fictional city – Palm City. The city has suffered from an increased crime wave and at the center is a master criminal by the name of Chess. The local police department is plagued with rogue cops also believed to be adding to the crime sprees and these cops are being outed by Orwell (played by the beautiful Summer Glau) via a blog and high-tech hijackings. Our hero is one of the good cops, Vince Faraday (David Lyons), a born and raised Palm City patriot with a loving wife and a son he shares a passion for The Cape comic books with.

In the start, Vince is recruited by a friend, Marty, to join a corporation, ARK, pushing to create the first private, American metropolitan police force, among other security changes in the city. After the new Chief of Police is murdered on his watch, with the aid of bad cops, Vince decides to join ARK led by Peter Fleming. Orwell, who’s been apparently following Faraday’s career, sees this as a bad move and taps into his computer to show him some of the things ARK is not so well known for, like smuggling chemical weapons. When Vince finds ARK’s latest shipment of Pammy-Pees dolls (no joke) stuffed with L-9 Chemical explosives, Marty and ARK forces capture him and bring him to Chess (portrayed by True Blood’s Peter Frain), who happens to be Peter Fleming. The criminal master has set up Vince to take the blame for Chess’s transgressions, even going as far as to staple the Chess mask to his head. Vince on the run in a train yard being chased by ARK security forces catches the media’s eye and is broadcast live to the world, including his family. Faraday is named as Chess and is shown being blown up by an explosion in the train yard. ARK has brought down Chess and a thankful Palm City Mayor offers ARK the police contract.

Enter more criminals, known as the Carnival of Crime a group of circus trained performers who like to rob banks that find Faraday in a tunnel under the train yard, barely alive.  The Carnival of Crime hope that the supposed Chess can help them rake in some more dough only to be disappointed at the discovery that he is a cop and they decide to off him. Fortunately, Vince still has his access card to ARK security systems that allows the bank robbers to easily go on the take and they decide to keep him around. Dealing with the loss of his life, family and reputation Vince contemplates how to bring down Chess/Fleming and show his son that he did not do the things he’s accused of when he notices a cape in the circus prop room – he could use the cape to take on the persona of he and his son’s favorite comic book and a hero is born. In addition to robbing banks, the Carnival of Crime, led by Max Malini (Keith David, an actor with a great personality and voice for the character), are capable of hypnotizing people, disappearing into thin air, hand to hand combat and other magic-like illusions. Max agrees to help train Vince in all the illusions and help him to become the Cape, even provides a fancy hooded cape costume for the new hero. After learning to use his cape as a weapon (grabbing guns and people and throwing them around) and mastering disappearing and hypnotic illusions, Vince is ready to take on Chess’ latest smuggling operation.

The Cape’s first fight, against Scales (a deformed giant of a man that looks like he has snake skin played by Vinnie Jones) ends up with Faraday wrapped in chains at the bottom of the ocean. Using his illusionist skills, the Cape escapes. Back on the mission, Orwell and the Cape cross paths. Orwell is revealed to be a young woman fighting to bring ARK down by revealing Peter Fleming’s secret operations and known accomplices. After Orwell discovers that Vince is the Cape, the two decide to team up to bring down ARK and Chess. When Chess nabs Max for robbing ARK protected banks, the Cape heads back to Chess’ base of operations to take down the criminal again. This time around Vince squares off against Chess himself, but the foe quickly retreats after helicopters begin to ascend on the scene that will reveal Chess still being alive and Orwell jams his ability to blow up the illegal chemical explosives that ARK Corporation smuggled into the city.

The first hour concludes with two scenes. First, the Cape giving Vince’s son, Trip, a message that his dad was framed and the hero will bring the guilty to justice. Second, Vince is out shopping when the store he is in is held up at gunpoint. Vince pulls his hood on (that he’s wearing under his clothes) to transform to his alter ego, the Cape and save the day. The saved clerk asks about the hero’s name and then says, “You’ll work on it.”