ake Foley (Gorham) is a computer technician for the NSA who dreams of bigger things. He really wants to be a spy, but he seems forever trapped by his geeky nature to remain a computer repairman. Even Sarah (Black), the girl he's secretly pined for since college, sees him only as someone to fix her computer. However, one day he's checking out an offline server in a top-secret NSA lab when Jake finds himself in the middle of a gun battle. He's slightly injured, and the shocked Jake is sent home after a stern warning about keeping the incident secret.
By the time he gets home, he feels terrible and he falls into bed. The next day, he wakes up to find his wound has healed overnight. Unsure about what's happened, he runs off to meet Sarah. He quickly discovers that he's a changed man. His sight and hearing are enhanced, and he's got the strength of a superhero. Even more surprising, he has the ability to interact with computers remotely, just by concentrating on what he wants to happen.
Back at the NSA, he sneaks into the lab and downloads files to see what they were working on. What he discovers is that he's been infected with nanites, which have multiplied and spread throughout his body on the cellular level. They've enhanced every bit of him and given him super powers. At first, Jake thinks it's pretty cool, but he quickly discovers that both the NSA and the bad guys have discovered his secret. After a run-in with the bad guys, the NSA snatches him up, and the main scientist on the project, Diane Hughes (Tracy), begins conducting tests.
With the NSA ready to turn him into a lab rat, Jake escapes. But it isn't long before he ends up tangling with the bad guys again. Only this time someone he cares about may just end up in the crossfire.
A computer nerd earns an alias as a superspy
Jake 2.0 is a funny action show with a lot of heart that will remind viewers a lot of Spider-Man, and not just because of the ending song from the Spider-Man movie, "Where Are You Going?", by the Dave Matthews Band. Jake Foley, like Peter Parker, is a regular guy who might be a little smarter than the average fellow, but still can't quite tell the girl of his dreams how he feels about her. While the comparisons are undeniable, the series still has some charms of its own, including cool C.S.I.-type effects and, more importantly, star Christopher Gorham.
Gorham started making waves for genre fans in his role on Showtime's Odyssey 5. He's even better in this new role as the dorky sweet guy with a bad haircut who just happens to end up being a superhero spy. Gorham and the rest of the talented cast come off as fresh characters, even though we know these people.
As for the pilot episode, "The Tech," creator/writer Horta has come up with a good introductory episode that sets the stage for the series nicely. We get a good sense of the characters involved, and the C.S.I.-style microscopic camerawork follows the action into computers to keep the show moving. Without it, Jake would just be standing around looking intense. While there are a moment or two that seem contrived, overall the episode works, creating an entertaining hour of television and a good jumping-off point for the show.
Sci-fi fans won't find much mythology residing in Jake 2.0, and the episodes will remain fairly self-contained. Think The Six Million Dollar Man by way of Spider-Man. The key for Jake 2.0 will be keeping Jake's innocence, enthusiasm and awkwardness intact, even as he learns the spy business. Keeping the characters fresh is a challenge for any show. Let's hope Jake 2.0 gets the chance to have that problem.
