Painkiller Jane - A Review

Once it started, I realized I did see it Friday night, but I guess I was busy with the computer or something, because I hadn't really watched it.

Painkiller Jane comes on Sci-Fi Channel Friday nights and premiered last week. Based on the comic book by Jim Palmiotti and Joe Quesada, Painkiller Jane is a character-based series revolving around a woman who is neurologically special, blessed with a superhuman regenerative ability which allows her to heal much faster than normal. But it doesn't keep her from feeling the pain of her injuries.

The pilot episode starts with a bang - or a crash, to be more specific - as we see Jane thrown through a plate-glass window and falling 40 stories to the ground below. The episode then backs up and shows us how she got into such a predicament.

We learn that Jane is a DEAgent and that she and her partner stumbled upon a top-secret government agency within the agency while working undercover. She is recruited by this sect of badboys and begins working with them to find other neurologically special folk (called "neuros"). But neither Jane nor her new employers realize that she is one of these until later in the show.

The acting is good, but not great. The leads are more than capable and the supporting cast isn't bad, but there were more than a few scenes where the term "overacting" would be an understatement. The same goes with the story. And the action. And the editing. In fact, Painkiller Jane suffers from a general hyperactivity on all levels. The storyline and plot were the only things that were basic and straightforward - and not in a bad way; the story was interesting and easy to follow, so if you missed a minute or two, you still had a good idea of what was going on, but it wasn't dumbed-down or overly simplistic.

I understand that the comic book works along the same principles - stressing action and character over story - but I have never read it. Besides, there's absolutely nothing wrong with action-heavy programming; it may actually be a welcome reprieve from the overly dramatic network sagas playing elsewhere. Of course, I look for Painkiller Jane to start focusing on inter-character development and relationships around the third season (assuming it gets that far) - that's just par for the course.

Having just seen the pilot episode, I'm impressed. Painkiller Jane looks to be a lot of fun and I'm hoping the focus stays on the action in general and maybe tones down pretty much everything else.