Hello everyone,
Evelyn here,
Like many cable subscribers, I sometimes flip through the channels looking for something new and interesting. On one particular night, I was flipping through the channels, and I tuned the TV to the BBC America network. There I watched a marathon of the comedy series My Family starring Robert Lindsay and Zoe Wanamaker – Some on you might remember that Zoe played Lady Anne the young widow of King Henry VI (Peter Benson), and later the ill fated wife of Richard III (Ron Cook) in the BBC production of Shakespeare's “Richard III". This play is part of a collection of 37 plays entitled, “BBC Shakespeare Plays”. The collection was originally released between the years of 1979-1984.
Although Zoe’s part in the play was small, it was memorable because of her delightfully venomous dialog with Ron Cook who played Gloucester and later became Richard III. After all her display of hostilely, it still amazes me that he got her to agree to marry him. I mean, the woman was taking her dead husband, the late King Henry VI, to be buried. What can I say; I am just a Shakespearean nut.
Nevertheless, while watching commercials between segments of My Family the commercial for the series Hex aired. Since I have always been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and most recently Supernatural, the series Hex fitted right into my must watch programs.
Hex stars, Christina Cole as Cassandra "Cassie" Hughes, who had just discovered from her mother that she is a witch. Jemima Rooper as Thelma Bates, Cassie former best friend, roommate and now a lesbian ghost, and last but not least Michael Fassbender as the fallen angel, Azazeal, who is stalking Cassie as he has done with all the McBain women since Rachel McBain in 1743. Azazeal the apparent leader of a band of fallen Nephelim’s angels seeks to satisfy his unholy desires with the mortal women of the McBain line. Hmm.
Can anyone say Enoch, as in the forbidden, “Book of Enoch”.
Because Azazeal has always targeted the McBain witches, this is where Cassie trials to stop the past from repeating itself come into play. By determining what Azazeal wants (like, we don’t know) and prevent it from happening again, she can prevent her destiny from ending grievously. However, like many young hero with supernatural powers, Cassie is still learning about herself, her family, and the use her powers, which means she is very easy prey for Azazeal and often blind to the events and motives of the people surrounding her.
The only person who really seems to be on top of the situation is Thelma who was Azazeal’s first victim in this repeat of the McBain's history. In the late 1740’s a young woman was drowned on the grounds of Medenham Hall as Thelma did in this present time. Without being seen, Thelma can go anywhere among people. This allows her to hear, and to learn about what is happening with Cassie or is about the happen to Cassie. I suspect that Azazeal killed Thelma because her lifestyle did not fit in his plans for women. I also suspect that he and Thelma will have reckoning over her protectiveness of Cassie.
For now, this is where I am in the series, and I give it three thumbs up. The others cast members are as following.
Rachel McBain -Jessica Oyelowo
Troy - Joseph Morgan
Leon Tyler - Jamie Davis
Roxanne Davenport - Amber Sainsbury
Gemma - Zoe Tapper
David Tyrel - Colin Salmon
Jo Watkins - Anna Wilson-Jones
From that description of the major cast members, the central theme of the series is not as predictable as it seems and it have all elements of the kind of mystery and suspension programs that I have grown love from British television over the decades. Hex premiered on June 8, 2006. It airs every Thursday night at 9 PM on BBC America. The link is below.
http://www.bbcamerica.com/genre/drama_mysteries/hex/hex_about_the_show.jsp
Some of my other past BBC favorites:
Blackadder
Are You Being Served?
Red Dwarf
Doctor Who
I, Claudius
Evelyn out.
