"Strange Angel" Review

Audio By Carbonatix

The new drama Strange Angel is not a show for mainstream audiences. Airing on CBS All Access, the program focuses on the real life journey of Jack Parsons (Jack Reynor), a wannabe scientist in the 1930s who had a great interest in studying rockets.

Based on the book by George Pendle, the program presents its lead character as an enigmatic genius who slowly becomes engaged with a cult. The first episode introduces Parsons as a married janitor who longs to study rockets full-time. He teams up with scientist Richard Onsted (Peter Mark Kendall) and the two spend their leisure time testing out rockets. As the show starts out, Parsons is haunted by weird visions. They may or may not be tied to a comic book and they may or may not be tied to his mental state.

The audience is uncertain about where these strange visions are coming from but they keep coming.

The show could've kept its focus there: presenting Parsons as a dreamer who has a weird imagination.

Instead, creator Mark Heyman seems more interested in capturing the Parson's dual life. In the pilot, Parsons meets a weird neighbor named Ernest Donovan (Rupert Friend). Parsons follows him one night and finds himself witnessing what seems like a cult meeting. That meeting helps drive Parsons to investigate the occult more, leading him down some dangerous roads.

The program is undeniably unique but at times, it’s hard to really understand Parsons’ decisions. He's undeniably a visionary (he sees a rocket-fueled path to the moon while others, including his judgmental father-in-law, don't)  but he’s also someone who makes terrible life decisions. Even after his neighbor continually invades his personal life, Parsons still seems drawn to him.

The story about Parson's research with a quirky team at the California Institute of Technology proves to be the thrust that keeps this show moving but his character isn't as well-established as he could be.

That isn’t to say that the actors here aren’t doing their best work with the material. Reynor, for one, seems ready for any path that the road might take him on. Peter Mark Kendall and Rupert Friend offer solid supporting performances. So does Bella Heathcote, who plays Parsons' open-minded wife. However, the show's focus is predominantly on Jack and it's oftentimes hard to empathize with his character.

That prevents the show from working as well as it should but the program still offers enough promise to keep some viewers tuned in.