My friend recommended this to me because we both love Michael Fassbender. Here is my review of Series 1 and Series 2 of this 2004-2005 British fantasy series.

Hex Series 1

I recognized the two leads right away from other British tv and movies. I’d seen half of Christina Cole’s CV and she isn’t even a household name. Both her and Jemima Rooper are in “Lost in Austen” which is a nifty unique comedic take on Pride and Prejudice.

When I heard the concept of Fassbender as the demon/fallen angel Azazeal, I expected some more action, but he spends the first half of the series just spying and staring (very prettily of course) at Cassie. When he did get to moving around, it was better, but still not enough. I’d be helpless if I was Cassie though. Telekinetic powers and having Azazeal desiring you is a place I wouldn’t be opposed to even to the detriment of humanity.

There was a creepy and spooky atmosphere for the early parts, but the episodes got lighter and more humorous as the series went on. I was not exactly bored with some parts of the series, but I wasn’t always engaged. There were a couple of plot holes and I questioned the relevance of some of the scenes. What was the point of the little girl? Or the point of the 1920s dream sequence? There seemed to be a lot of filler moments that felt a bit style over substance even though like a typical British series, every episode counted towards the bigger plot.

In conclusion, I liked certain aspects of the show such as the chemistry between the two female leads, but I felt the storyline moved a tad slow for a six episode series.

Watched November 20, 2012.

Hex Series 2

To be honest I wasn’t really looking forward to the second series because I heard there was less Fassbender, the main character leaves early on through the series (never a good sign), it was cancelled after this series, and it has 13 episodes.

While I did like the early aspects of the series, my attention waned as it progresses. I found this series was much more horror oriented and gorier than the first as well. The writing quality also dipped.

I wasn’t strongly attached with Cassie the protagonist in the first series, but anytime the lead leaves a show, it is not good. The pairing of Cassie and Thelma was broken, as was the secondary tension of Cassie and Azazeal. These were the most interesting aspects of the show for me. While I eventually ended up appreciating Leon/Ella (even though they revamped Leon’s character after his attempt assault S1), I didn’t find the relationships or the new characters in S2 particularly engaging.

Malachi just isn’t as interesting or as attractive his father. Part of it is the actor, but the character does not seem particularly multi-dimensional. He just seems psycopathic and stupid. He also has a worse taste in fashion than Azazeal. Fassbender spends most his scenes staring and being a wonderful Dad before being called away. Since I grew to appreciate Leon/Ella, the new Malachi in the triangle was rather boring.

I do think Jemima Rooper was the best thing about the whole show as she a good job and became the only real strong link in both series, but I admit to skipping through all the Thelma/Maya scenes because of disinterest.

The pacing dragged towards at the end as I found the story became repetitive: unrequited love and treating your friends like crap, being tempted by randy demons, people switching sides every other episodes, and so on.

The ending is a big cliffhanger which is even more frustrating. While not a bad series and definitely had some decent acting, I did not really enjoy the last few episodes. If I ever rewatched it, I’d stop with Cassie and Azazeal’s exit from the show because I felt the best dynamics of Hex worsened with their departures.

Watched November 22, 2012.