Helix is a strange show. The show is both deadly serious and deliciously satiric, as exemplified by the title sequence where blood drips to the tune of elevator music. At times this unique mixture works; at others it becomes farcical. Helix is about a virus that breaks out in a mysterious science facility located deep in the Arctic. The virus causes humans to become violent zombies; a group of scientists (our protagonists) are sent to control the situation.
The show's modus operandi is to gradually reveal layer after layer of conspiracy and intrigue behind the virus, all while people die in variously horrible ways. The acting is relatively poor; the characters are fairly uninteresting; the plot-twists can be somewhat ludicrous. And yet, the show's macabre sense of humor and wonderfully absurd plot are appealing. How many shows gleefully display the explosion of rats in a microwave oven? Moreover, the facility isolated in the Arctic provides a perfect stage for violence and horror. As an enjoyable late-night diversion, Helix succeeds.
The show's modus operandi is to gradually reveal layer after layer of conspiracy and intrigue behind the virus, all while people die in variously horrible ways. The acting is relatively poor; the characters are fairly uninteresting; the plot-twists can be somewhat ludicrous. And yet, the show's macabre sense of humor and wonderfully absurd plot are appealing. How many shows gleefully display the explosion of rats in a microwave oven? Moreover, the facility isolated in the Arctic provides a perfect stage for violence and horror. As an enjoyable late-night diversion, Helix succeeds.