Charlie Jade: The Power of Suggestion

The terrorist acts lead to a suspension of civil liberties in Capetown, in our universe, and 01 Boxer manipulates the situation to increase his power. The security net tightens on both Charlie and Reena, and new developments threaten Jasmine– over whom much mystery continues to hang.


Title: “The Power of Suggestion”

Cast

Jeffrey Pierce as Charlie Jade
Patricia McKenzie as Reena
Tyrone Benskin as Karl Lubinsky
Michael Filipowich as 01 Boxer
Michelle Burgess as Essa Rompkin
Marie-Julie Rivest as Jasmine/Paula
David Dennis as Sew Sew Tukarrs

Plot:

The film begins with three services. In the alphaverse and betaverse, those killed by the Vexcor explosion are commemorated. In the Gammaverse, they appear to be mourning the loss of those who caused the explosion.

The funeral of Krogg, implicated in the terrorist actions, turns violent, as the security web tightens over Capetown. Both Reena and Charlie face threats, while 01 Boxer exploits the situation to improve his position with Vexcor.

Jasmine faces new threats, and the show confirms that she is, in some sense, human chattel. Although the series has not clearly explained this yet, the official site identifies her as a sex slave rescued from the trade when Charlie fell in love with her and bought her. The sinister man who appeared in her apartment is, presumably, her original owner.

High Point:

The series manipulates its audience in interesting ways. The raid on Vexcor provides a certain satisfaction: it’s about time they took a personal hit. However, we also know that it results in part from manipulation by someone who has no intention of making the situation better.

Low Point:

Most people in this show, from high-powered executives to slightly crazy ambulance drivers live in large, oddly-furnished rooms. If they can afford the floor space, you’d think they’s also spring for some decent lighting.

Seriously– the show’s house style becomes overwhelming at times, and causes it to lose some of its effectiveness.

The Scores:

Originality: 4/6 See the first episode for my comments on the alphaverse. As the show fleshes out its world, however, it becomes less derivative, and this week’s plot includes what seem to be fresh developments.

Effects: 5/6.

Story: 4/6. I consider the loss of the voiceover to be a good thing. However, the pacing remains slower than seems necessary, even for a story this complex.

Acting: 5/6.

Emotional Response: 4/6. In an era which sees significant threats to civil liberties in the heart of the free world, and one of the biggest movies in theaters making the case for torture, it’s nice to have a tv series that illustrates how often extreme measures, blindly followed, succeed in making a bad situation worse.

Production: 6/6.

Overall: 4/6.

In total, “The Power of Suggestion” receives 31/42

The Timeshredder’s reviews can be found here.

One reply

  1. Style
    Besides the lack of a narrator, it also seemed to me they toned down the editing a bit. In previous episodes there were lots of short flashes of scenes edited together, and I found it overdone and distracting at times. I felt in this ep like things were settling down into a groove.

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