Matrix

The Matrix can currently be seen on the Mystery Channel in Canada. I started watching it because I like Carrie-Ann Moss (Matrix movies). She was a definite asset to the show because she added life and humor to a series which was sometimes too 'dry'.

I think the ratings probably suffered because she (the female element) was greatly underutilized, especially at the beginning. In some episodes she did little more than answer the phone, and it seemed as if she had only been added to the series for her looks. She was very good in the episodes where she got to do real acting.

I also enjoyed Nick Mancuso's portrayal of Stephen Matrix. He can sometimes be cranky and harsh, but he definitely grows on you. The writing is imperfect, but the show is fun to watch.

The way the program was filmed has now given rise to programs such as "24" to be filmed in the same way. When comparing The Matrix to a program such as "24", you have to think about how times have changed in the past 10 years and yet how they have virtually remained the same. Stephen Matrix would fight evil to save the person who needed help and himself from an eternity in hell. Jack Bauer has to fight evil in order to save his family yet do it within his own letter of the law. It was enjoyable and I had a great time watching it. The many different actors turned directors who worked both before and behind the cameras was immense and now even more actors are getting the chance to actually film their own programs more often. The Matrix took me out of the more boring simple life that I lead and let my mind think about how my life was not as bad as it was for some of the characters on the program. I look forward to it coming out on DVD.

I thought this show was quite good for a forgettable Canadian-made/Foreign-sold tv show, but I was surprised to hear the show's premise word for word on an episode of the US show "The Equalizer". In the episode called "Trial By Fire" Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) is hired by a New York school to rid it off gang violence. He takes them to the city morgue to scare them straight and at the morgue he introduces them to a former hitman who had his own near death experience. The hitman's monologue (standing by an ocean of fire, surrounded by all the people he killed, watching God walk past him) is exactly what happens in the pilot episode of "Matrix". Did one of the crew work on both shows or did they just steal the idea?

This series reminds me of the series "Brimstone". Maybe the Wachowski Brothers got the idea from this Matrix series but instead of a supernatural world, they went the "cyber-universe" way with the story? I do think its weird that Carrie-Anne Moss is in a "same title" piece of cinema. Lots of actors have that in common. George Clooney started in a program called "E/R" in 1984, with Elliott Gould in a hospital. Like the drama "ER", it too was in Chicago! It seems as if new stuff is really just old stuff redone differently. Kinda like history. Brimstone seemed a little too familiar when I first saw it and now I think I know why. I don't remember Matrix too much though. Just the "mafioso" feeling of you can't go back now cause you're in too deep. Redemption is a recurring theme and coupled with resurrection seems to work even in Purgatory. Just look at Tek War. One day someone will redo that story!!!

A short lived series comprising of only 13 episodes no longer shown anywhere! Some solid performances by veteran Canadian actor Nick Mancuso right from the start as lead actor playing a hit-man who's blown away by a.22 calibre but given a second chance to live. The former hitter is now a saver of lost souls on earth and in each episode he's given an assignment from a messenger from beyond and is expected to do whatever is necessary to complete the job. He's helped along by his mob partner and friend Billy who has the job of researcher, clean up man, and bodyguard. Series criticized by media based on its kooky premise but some more current programs with similar story lines where the main character has a near death experience include Brimstone, and more recently The Dead Zone with Anthony Michael Hall, though Steven Matrix doesn't have any real special power other than he's able to go back and forth between two worlds, usually not by choice. Small supporting cast that includes popular Matrix film star Carrie Anne Moss as Matrix's business partner in a fitness club. And now that both Matrix film sequels are coming out later this year, it'd be nice to see this TV series reair.