Jekyll with a dash of Hyde

There’s always more room for horror shows on television.

One of the few forays into the darkest corner of literature is the Jekyll series adding to the multi-personality, splitting image that has haunted readers for many generations.

However, it’s a bit more than just horror. A supernatural thriller some might call it. It deals with the mind. And the many tricks it can play on a lonesome soul.

The fang-filled, throat-gripping six part series made its debut on the BBC earlier this month. With some delightful twists. The more interesting aspect of the series that it does have a definite beginning, middle and ending.

But you need to stay tuned for the entire series to get a glimpse of the lurking horror that’s been hiding around the corner like a shroud of darkness.

Writing chores of the series has been left to Steven Moffat who created it. He’s best known for the few episodes he’s written for the Doctor Who series including “Blink” and “The Doctor Dances.” If this Jekyll series warrants his remarkable insight in writing good dialogue and plot devices, in the frame of a dramatic TV series, then we have nothing to worry about if Moffat would take over the reins of Doctor Who series from Russell T. Davies. But it’s in rumors so far.

Moffat writes sharply, has a hawk’s eye for twists and turns in a story. He knows his way around the literary debacle of a century-old idea: that of the man cursed with a split personality and is in a private war with his own soul. His own life hands on a few thin threads as he walks a fine line through life. Or two lives if you count Hyde.

Most interestingly are the series’ references to the original Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde written by the famed Robert Louis Stevenson. There is one chunk of a scene that was definitely borrowed from the book. Where Hyde is seen, in a glimpse, climbing the wall of a building like some sluggish animal, his beastly hands grappling the brick patchwork as he tumbles upward with a terrible hunger.

Even author Stevenson is portrayed here in flashbacks: author Mark Gatiss plays the part of the author rough around the edges. Gatiss is another Doctor Who connection. A former writer for the series.

But the Jekyll series isn’t just exploring the regions of horror and getting mixed up with the blood and guts spillage that paints some of the scenes. The series comes back to a single, unified idea: family.

It’s about family and the extent of what you would do to protect your own family. What you would do if you found out your family is threatened by an outside force. And what happens if you find out your family has inherited the craziness of the Jeckle legacy. The hated, tugging feeling that flows inside you as you realize you’re doing the things you’re not supposed to. And you feel like a ping-pong machine going back and forth.

Such is the character Tom Jackman played by James Nesbitt. Another rumor swimming around is the notion that, if David Tennant were to ever give up the reins of being the Time-Lord on Doctor Who, Nesbitt would be up for consideration for the leading role.

His manic delivery of the character and harping comic foray makes Nesbitt as easy candidate for Time-Lord vacancy. He acts with ease. And there is something of charisma about him. Even with the scenes that has a sea of calmness about them. He’s a good dramatic actor.

And the story goes back to family. You’ll find that his other self, Hyde, would threaten his own family. Jekyll makes all attempts to stop the creature from growing out of his shell. You’ll find his wife Claire Jackman grows stronger in confidence throughout the series. She has inner strength that matches with his own. And she’s there for him thick and thin. She is an important component of Jackman’s life. And she’ll go through any length to help him and her family survive.

It is Hyde who makes the ultimate sacrfice in saving family.

So everything does come full circle when the series reaches its fold.

I must admit that I wasn’t particularly enamored by the first couple of episodes in the series. However, when the series peels away the layers of conspiracy and side stories, it becomes more interesting. And the idea of government controlled projects, such as this one, would make even Fox Mulder mess his pants.

Another twist in the story is you find the Jekyll heritage is somehow an evolutionary stage, a beginning of supermen in the modern age. The whole feeling of the character is like a shadow who continues to thrive in the lower levels of your own soul. He’s your own demon. He is the make-up of some of your worst attributes: he represents the whole dark world that you are not a part of. He’s a part of something else. Something greater. And many people lose their lives to find out what he really is.

One of the future talents to look out for is Michelle Ryan who plays the very lovely, seductive assistance to Dr. Jackman. Her features are framed with a stream of dark, ravishing hair, easily noted. She’s a fine actress and you might see her playing the lead role in the upcoming pilot The Bionic Woman. (the original pilot with the deaf girl would be far more interesting than what will be shown on television).

The fully boxed-in series Jekyll is a definite scream. And it makes for more complex issues involving family and psychological disorders. The original sin is cast into the modern society bogged down by too many conveniences. And we find that the main character is a rebel against the usual conventions of the modern world.

And one more thing. Watch out for the billing of the title in the final episode when it switches to Hyde. It’s a clever bit of play. And the series makes for a very good offering to those looking for something more than just a horror flick. This is a horror series with a message.