Infamous: Seeking Contrast In A World Gone Grey6

By Raven Kai, Apr 26, 2010 in Infamous, Show News

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Infamous: Seeking Contrast In A World Gone Grey

After the end of World War II, speculation and fear surrounding the possible side effects of the Atomic bomb spawned a vision of the future for mankind: The Mutant. By the 1950′s, mutants had become a fixture in dime store sci-fi novels and comic books. DC and Marvel both capitalized on the trend by adding characters with mutant powers to their lexicon of heroes and villains with some series devoted completely to the new mutated super-humans. As television and film became prominent, mutants worked their way into TV shows and movies soon making them pop culture icons. Originally, mutants fell into two well-defined categories – heroes and villains. Good and evil were very black and white, with few exceptions. Every now and then we were treated to, and fell in love, with an anti-hero (such as the ever popular Wolverine) but generally, media avoided morally grey areas until the 80’s and 90’s.

While mainstream media mutants may avoid moral ambiguity, KoldCast’s new series Infamous has decided to dive in and get as dirty and grey as they want to be. Starting with the opening scene of a man and a woman taking their best shots at ripping each other’s heads off in a bare knuckled brawl (we have no idea who is good or evil). Then, before we can figure it out, the warehouse they are fighting in gets stormed by a gun-toting force led by a cocky Biff Tannen-type guy named Solomon (John Chambers). They knock the woman out and drag off the man who seems to be on the brink of death. Then Solomon does some sort of mind digging on the mostly dead guy they call him “John” (Greg Washington) before dropping him off somewhere to be cared for. As the story unfolds and the moral waters get muddied, we begin to catch glimpses of the back-story in bits and pieces that are doled out like breadcrumbs, leading you and leaving you hungry for more.

I recently had a chance to ask the creative force behind Infamous what inspired such a dark, ambiguous show. “Our inspirations were comic books and movies, as well as video games, with anti-heroes. We really wanted to create a world where people could easily slip in and out of fantasy and reality – a little something for the cynics and conspiracy theorists as well as the action and thriller junkies. Wolverine was probably the seed that spawned Infamous,” offered Greg Washington who is co-creator, producer, and also plays “John.” Co-creator Joey Barto agreed. “X-Men had a lot of influence – being one of my favorite comics as a kid. There are so many complex relationships and characters in the series – Wolverine being one of the darkest. The characters, both good and bad, were almost always flawed, and that’s what makes it possible to identify with them.” Washington added that “the person we had most fun creating, honestly, was Solomon and hopefully it shows through the character that John Chambers has brought to life.”

Chambers, also the series co-producer, chimed in on how he developed his character: “From an actor’s standpoint, Solomon has pieces of some of my favorite villains and anti-heroes. With Solomon, many of his mannerisms have come from the great Number 2’s in the series The Prisoner. The world they created there is very much like that of Infamous. Those who are fans of the show will know which Number 2 is my favorite – Leo McKern. From the heroes side, I really enjoy some of the flaws presented in the character of Michael Garibaldi from Babylon 5 and those of Clint Eastwood’s ant-heroes in the old Westerns.“

Chamber’s Solomon is dark and smug in a used-car salesman kind of way (if used-car salesmen had the ability to reach into your brain, use your thoughts and memories to push the car on you, and had gun toting thugs as backup in case that wasn’t enough to get you to buy the car). Maybe used-car salesman isn’t exactly the best way to describe him but it’s the closest I can come to in trying to create an image of the kind of guy he is. He’s that guy you see coning, cajoling and moving things around to get his way. Your gut tells you this is a very bad guy.

As for Washington’s “John,” he’s a fast-healing tough guy, muscle-bound and quiet, but violence and rage seem to roil beneath the surface. In a few days he goes from being a few holes away from ground beef to fully healed and scar-free. Because of what Solomon did to his mind though, he can’t remember anything before waking up. Is John a bad guy? Why was the mysterious woman fighting with him? Why did Solomon steal him away and rob him of his memories?

So far, all but few of the characters we’ve been introduced to have some sort of ability. Referred to as “Enhanced” by one of the characters, it makes you wonder if their abilities are natural or the result of some experiment run amok. A bonus video on the website seems to support this idea and adds a touch of conspiracy to the deepening mystery of a show that’s already complex without leaving you feeling completely clueless.

Infamous is a dark, gritty, bloody, action-packed drama that feels almost like a mature graphic novel. The characters are interesting and complicated, some quirky and funny, some dangerous and psychotic. It’s entertaining and thought provoking, relying on good story, acting and direction rather then overblown special effects. Infamous has created a wide foundation to build and expand upon. With 12 episodes planned this season, there are many directions they could take it. If you prefer your mutants cast in shades of grey rather then cut and dry good and evil, I recommend you check out Infamous. Like another pop culture icon, it’s more then meets the eye.

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Raven Kai is an artist, coffee master and geek. She’s also a writer, blogger and co-creator of ÜberSciFiGeek.com which explores geeky interests and lifestyle with special focus on emerging media such as webseries. She’s lived all over the United States including Chicago, Indianapolis and Tampa and has always wanted to travel the world. Her next great adventure is a move to Vancouver, BC, where she hopes to take on a more full time role in the production side of filmmaking. She’s divorced with two children and currently resides in Virginia.