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HEX |
Series Overview
Cassie - Christina Cole Thelma - Jemima Rooper Azazeal - Michael Fassbender Ella - Laura Pyper Roxie - Amber Sainsbury Leon - Jamie Davis Jo Watkins - Anna Wilson-Jones David Tyrell – Colin Salmon Jez – Sam Troughton Malachi – Joseph Beattie 
OTHER HEX SEASONS Season 1 OTHER DEVILISH SHOWS Revelations Supernatural American Gothic Apparitions Point Pleasant Eastwick 
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Series OverviewCassie's baby has been born and Azazeal is determined that he should grow to manhood in a very short time. His main impediment in this is not Cassie, but the newcomer Ella, an ageless girl trained to destroy the Nephilim and prevent the baby from being born. Having failed to do that, Ella is out to kill the child and she has the lesbian ghost Thelma and perennial loser Leon as her only allies. There are major changes to this series of HEX, changes that make it much closer to BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER with its young female superpowered heroine taking over from the wet Cassie. Ella is hot, sassy and pretty deadly and revitalises a show that was looking like it had nowhere to go. Laura Pyper is a formidable presence and teams up well with Jemima Rooper's consistently fun Thelma. The love story angle between Cassie and Azazeal is jettisoned and in its place comes a tangled story of action and adventure that goes off in several unexpected directions with no warning at all, making it unpredictable and thrilling. Major characters die, disappear and have some very nasty things happen to them when you least expect and there is no way that you will get through the whole series without being seriously wrongfooted on several occasions. The special effects are used sparingly, but are much better when they are used, but this remains a show that is as much about the characters as it is about the impending apocalypse. The main disappointment is that the story was never finished as the projected third series never materialised. Shame. TopEpisode 1Cassie is now being stalked by a member of the Nephilim, fallen angels, which proves to her that the child she aborted did not die, but is being looked after by its father, Azazeal. Her best friend, lesbian ghost Thelma, tracks down Azazeal's hiding place and they find an ally in new girl Ella, who seems to know a lot more than her age would suggest. Her solution to the problem is to kill Cassie's child. The first series of HEX was a little bit unsure of what it wanted to be, but this second episode comes roaring back with confidence and a sense of purpose that gives it impetus, focus and pace. The plot is pared down to the search for Azazeal and the arrival of new girl Ella, which allows for more tense sequences and for some of the witty and suggestive banter that is the show's stock in trade. The leery quality that the show has displayed at time is back with brief shots of topless girls and Cassie's swimsuit clad body being lingered over, but these are momentary lapses. The arrival of Ella, some sort of unaging demon killer with an agenda to stop Azazeal's child being born, edges the show a bit more into BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER territory as she makes short work of a rampaging Nephilim, but the show is now too aware of its own identity for the comparison to be taken too far. New girl Laura Pyper fits in with the rest of the young cast easily enough, though the cool coat that she wears is the least practical garment ever and would be the source of major verbal abuse at any real school. The special effects around the creation of the Nephilim are pretty good and easily the most extensive and best that the show has yet attempted. It really is a believable and grim looking creature. The gore factor is also ramped up a bit to let us know that we are not in the same, slow burn territory that characterised the previous series. HEX is off and running at full pelt and is all the better for it. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 2Ella's plan to kill Azazeal's child requires Cassie to convince him that she has returned to them both and then kidnap the child. This she acheives and manages to then trap Azazeal in a symbol that Ella prepared to protect her, but as the ceremony is prepared, Azazeal proves to have more power than Ella's symbol and Cassie starts to have second thoughts about killing her own child. Though we're going to try and be careful about not revealing the shock twist that takes place in this episode it is fair to say that it is about as surprising and major a shock that the show could possibly have come up with. What it actually means for the rest of the series is something that is intriguing, but more importantly it shows that there is nothing now that the series will not dare to do. The limits have been removed and the risk factor just went through the roof. The twist overshadows the fact that this is a step down from the last episode. The story doesn't quite fill up the running time and so we are given silly moments such as the demon that turns out to be a priest's robe and a baby that wanders off through the school halls with nobody noticing. There's also a subplot about Roxie setting out to seduce the priest that, whilst well done and full of innuendo, distracts from the main plot. Perhaps the relevance of it will become clear in time. Only two episodes in, though, and we're hooked. We can't wait to find out what shocks and twists await us. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 3There’s a seraph, one of the lower order of angels, in the grounds of Medmenham School and Ella sets out to destroy it. For that, she needs the lure of a virgin, but she no longer is one, so she entices Leon into a relationship and then into the woods. Unfortunately, she is not the only one who is not quite what she is pretending to be. This new series of HEX has certainly upped the action and special effects level whilst managing to keep the in-school angst going and ramping up the sex. The latter sees Roxie managing to have her evil way with the new priest/teacher Jez, but then is he really what he appears to be either? This seems to be an entirely unnecessary side story, but the final moments tie it in to the main plotline. That plotline sees Azazeal wanting something from Thelma, something that was taken from him by Ella and which could be a powerful weapon in the wrong (ie Azazeal’s) hands. The manner in which he gets his hands on that something is clever and emotionally satisfying, bringing closure to the original format of the show and freeing it to go off in whatever direction it wants to. This completes the shock that was handed out in the previous episode. From the evidence to date, those new directions should be a bit more lively than the first season, but keeping the intrigue and the sexiness. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 4The necklace that Thelma gave to Azazeal is now being used to drive Ella out of her mind by forcing her to relive the torture that he visited on her during the time of the British Civil War. Holy heck! It seems that the final departure of Cassie and her schoolgirl crush on Azazeal has allowed the show to step up a gear and become a full blooded fantasy/horror show if this episode is anything to go by. Ella’s initial decline is a bit abrupt, but after that, her rapid descent into hell and what appears to be madness is brilliantly portrayed. Laura Pyper is required to give a strong performance as not only a woman being torn apart by the images in her mind, but also a woman being tortured by the most barbaric physical pain including having her head crushed, being branded and being hung over a fire to burn. These flashbacks to the torture that Ella underwent, revealing the truth behind the apparent suicide marks on her wrists, slowly morph into something else as events in the present day mirror and meld into the witch trial hundreds of years before and it becomes a bit unclear as to whether Thelma has actually gone back in time to save Ella from the fire or whether it is all something that is being played out in Ella’s twisted, tortured mind. That doesn’t matter, though, as events play in out in a compelling fashion that is more intense than anything that the show has produced to date. Michael Fassbender’s Azazeal also gets to reveal his true inner evil for once, proving in actions all the nastiness that has been hinted at previously. His inflicting of pain on Ella and his taunting of Thelma make him a truly vicious villain and eradicates memories of the undeniably powerful and yet a bit wet villain of the first series. If this is a sign of things to come then it’s a shame that they didn’t get rid of Cassie a whole lot sooner. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 5Ella is confined in a psychiatric clinic and is being attended to by a nurse provided by Jez, a nurse who is something other than human and who is slowly poisoning her with drugs. Thelma is unable to act directly, so she turns to Leon, whom she can contact through his dreams. After the last, astonishing, episode, this is a step down as it takes a very long time to build up to the rescue attempt that Leon and Thelma put together.It's still good stuff, just with a far slower burn. It also has another fine performance from Laura Pyper as Ella, her mental state drifting further away from her control in almost every scene. It's also nice to see that the show is willing to let characters develop, Leon turning from the loser butt of many of the first season's jokes to a more forceful and independent figure. It is hard to see why, however, Azazeal stops using the mental attacks that proved so effective last time around. Written by Peter TabernDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 6Having rescued Ella from the secure unit, Leon hides out at his dealer friend Max’s place. Thelma reveals herself, and the rest of the truth to him, causing him to seriously freak out, but then they both learn that the poison used on Ella has taken away her powers and she is reverting to her real age of 500 years old. With a fairly realistic depiction of drug withdrawal symptoms, there's much of this episode that is similar to the last one, with Ella now more sick than mad, but looking pretty much the same. There is, however, more action peppered throughout the story as Ella is attacked by Jez, the Nephilim torture Max to find Leon's location and the fairy nurse attempts to stop Ella being cured. Some of this is pretty brutal (scissors in necks, fingers severed etc) and further indicates the show's determination to be considered more adult with swearing and violence, but keeping the character develop and some sense of the humour that has characterised the show, mainly provided through Jemima Cooper's Thelma. Malachi, Azazeal’s now teenage son, is introduced as a character as well, proving to be just as evil and wilful as his father, though it's hard to know how he will add anything that his father couldn't provide. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Andy Goddard Top Episode 7Back to her old self, Ella decides that it is time to take the fight to the Nephilim rather than waiting on them all the time. Her target is Jez, now head of Medenham school, but she finds a surprising ally in Malachi, now as student at the school and no longer under the protection of his father, who has been called away by 'higher powers'. There's some curious story building here as Azazeal steps out of the frame and Malachi takes centre stage. Joseph Beattie is as pretty as the rest of the cast, but he doesn't have the evil presence that Michael Fassbender has been able to project throughout. Ella's confusion over her course of action in the face of her enemy is hard to understand considering what has been done to her in his name, but since he has been designed as a trap for her then perhaps it is more understandable. Where exactly this leaves the show and another new direction we wait to see. Written by Peter TabernDirected by Andy Goddard Top Episode 8Leon's celebration of Ella's birthday proves to make her aware of the fact that there is no future in the relationship since she will not age and he certainly will. Malachi steps into the breach and manipulates her into going on a date with her, a date back to Berlin in the '20s, the most decadent place and time ever. The show takes another left turn and comes up with a story that is just plain bizarre, but also manages to be compelling as well. The idea that Malachi can travel through time is interesting, but somehow doesn't manage to fit with the supernatural nature of the show. If he can do that he can go back and kill Ella at any point in the past that he wants. So could his father, so what is going on? The episode looks great though with sepia tones and soft focus and the introduction of the Archangel Raphael and the demonic Mephistopheles adds a whole new dimension to the plotting. Malachi's creation of a new friend for Thelma is shocking in its abruptness. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Julian Murphy Top Episode 9Ella and Malachi are struggling with feelings for each other that they are not supposed to have. The higher powers on both sides are less than pleased about this development and punish them, Ella with a plague of boils and Malachi with blindness. HEX goes all soap opera with developments in the love triangle of Ella, Leon and Malachi. The verbal sparring is nicely done, but until the punishments set in there is the vaguest sense of filler at this point. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 10Ella and Malachi's coming together has left its mark on Ella, turning her into his willing love slave. Leon realises that the only way to get Ella back is to kill Malachi himself, but Thelma, unable to face losing her new afterlife partner, alerts Malachi to the plot and one of the Nephilim is sent to destroy Leon. Betrayal is a terrible thing and it's Malachi's stock in trade. In giving Thelma Maya as a companion, he has corrupted her just as much as Ella. The sight of the once proud warrior submitting willingly to his every whim is shocking, which shows the effect that the show has managed to foster. Thelma's betrayal is even more shocking, especially because it is so very believable and brilliantly played by Jemima Rooper. Less brilliant is the final showdown with the Nephilim. Whilst Malachi is assured that the beast is the best at what he does, Leon manages to get away from him with far too much ease and the length of time that it pauses before striking the death blow to Ella is utterly ludicrous. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 11Ella, back to her old self, stabs Malachi in the shower, but the sacred knife shatters. Malachi is feeding off his supporters, his succubi and they will have to be killed first. The first is Alex, his girlfriend, but the second is the ghost Maya, now the love of Thelma’s life. Ella finally gets around to killing Malachi, or at least tries to. It’s a simple straightforward attempt that goes badly wrong and so a new approach has to be sorted out. This means a lot of talking and Malachi bringing more people over to his side, mainly focussing on Roxanne (who now wants to be a nun), Tom and Leon. Thelma has a lot of explaining to do about why she shopped Leon’s assassination attempt to Malachi and it’s from that the new plan comes. There’s tension between the good guys and the bad guy is having it all his own way. It all feels a bit stretched out, but not too much as there is plenty of character stuff going on between the action stretches. Malachi’s spite is nicely written and therefore believable, though those who know what he is can easily withstand him. There is a paucity of witty banter that was the trademark of the show, but then we’re approaching the bitter end and the drama is taking over. Written by Jake MichieDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 12Thelma is devastated that Ella took her beloved ghost partner Maya from her and still failed to kill Malachi in the process. Leon, who is really to blame, decides that he is going to have to take drastic action if he is to regain face for not killing Alex, but Malachi is one step ahead and tricks Leon with shocking results. HEX comes up with another twist for the major characters in the show. This week the story is about trust – who has it, who hasn’t and what happens when you don’t give it. What happens is suitably surprising and thoroughly entertaining. This is the penultimate episode and the bright and happy HEX with silly banter and gratuitous disrobing has gone, descending into darkness and drama. The forces of good are scattered and in disarray whilst Malachi’s influence continues to spread. The cast are all capable of the heavier burden this places on their acting and the show is a compelling as it has ever been. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top Episode 13Ella comes up with a new plan to kill Malachi by going back in time and killing the child that he was. First, there is the small matter of Leon as an incubus to deal with and Roxanne finds her true place in Malachi's plans. It's the final episode and it ends on a cliffhanger rather than a resolution, which is a shame because there never was a third series. That leaves things a bit unsatisfactorily, though the episode would be considered a good one had there been others to carry the story on. Roxanne's participation in the final moments being the darkest part of the story. The rest is less about the apocalypse and more about Ella coming to terms with herself and her relationship with Leon. At least there is a resolution there. This episode also has Jemima Rooper as the least conventional angel ever in a couple of the funniest scenes that the show has put together to date. And so HEX comes to its premature end, which is a shame because there was still mileage in the story and it has proven to be consistently surprising. There aren't too many shows that you can say that about. Written by Lucy WatkinsDirected by Brian Grant Top |
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