It is a strange commentary on the timidity of American mass media that very few, if any cable channels but MTV, and definitely none of the broadcast TV networks in this country would air a series as sexually charged as this, especially considering that this is an animated series. In Europe or Japan, however, this would surely be looked at as nothing shocking.
We got our first introduction to Æon Flux in 1991 when she appeared as an ongoing feature in the late, lamented Liquid Television animation anthology series. In two series worth of shorts, the beautiful and deadly Ms. Flux only said one word. So the decision to allow her to speak was a controversial one amongst her fans.
But after seeing the entire 10-episode run of the series, it becomes more and more obvious that an attempt to do whole 22-minute episodes wordlessly would be an exercise in silliness. The dialogue is actually quite good at times.
The strongest episodes have less to do with Æon's prowess with a gun or with martial arts, and more to do with what's going on inside Ms. Flux and her sworn enemy/soulmate Chairman Trevor Goodchild's respective heads. There is a lot here about deep issues: facing up to the consequences of ones actions, the inner yearning for the numinous in conflict with reason, and the tension between law and order and freedom. That's not to say that Æon Flux has become "My Dinner With Æon"...there is plenty of action, although the action has become (with one very powerful exception) bloodless.
Some of my favorite episodes include "Isthmus Crypticus," where Trevor discovers a new race of beings with wings; "Thanatophobia," where Æon and Trevor find themselves between a woman who is desperately in love with a man who doesn't love her; and the almost painfully romantic "A Last Time For Everything," where the ambivalent relationship between Æon and Trevor flares into passion.
Æon Flux is currently in repeats on MTV...see it while you have a chance. This is strong stuff.
--Michelle Klein-Häss
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