The Nine Lives of Chloe King
ABC Family recently premiered a new teen supernatural show called The Nine Lives of Chloe King. I didn't originally plan to watch it, but eventually I got curious and decided to give it a try. While it isn't the most amazing teen supernatural show out there, it also didn't quite disappoint me and is definitely worth watching if you're in a summer slump with nothing else to watch. There are only ten episodes in the first season, so it's not that much to marathon either. The show stars Skyler Samuels as Chloe King, your regular fifteen-going-sixteen teenage girl who lives in San Francisco. Or at least, she seems like a regular teenage girl.
It turns out she's not so ordinary after all. Chloe was born in Ukraine and then adopted and brought to the US, and no one knows who her real parents are. As a result, when she starts developing strange powers, she has no idea who to turn to until finally two of her friends from school catch up and tells her what's going on. Apparently Chloe's a Mai, a descendant of an ancient race of Baset's (also known as Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess) offspring, making them part human, part god. They once protected and advised the human race long ago, but since then they have started growing apart and eventually the two races became completely divided.
Chloe's powers include newfound agility, strength, speed, sensitive hearing and night vision, as well as sharp claws that can be extended from her nails. And she's not just a regular Mai, either; she's the one known as the Uniter, the one who's supposed to unite and save the entire Mai race as well as restoring peace between Mai and humans. As the Uniter Chloe is blessed with nine lives, which means every time she dies, she will come back to life until her lives run out. She also has empathy and can sometimes sense what someone else is feeling as real, as if she were that person themselves.
Chloe's extra lives prove useful because the Mai has an enemy: a group of human assassins called the Order. They are hell-bent on hunting the Mai and especially on killing the Uniter. The two groups have been at war for thousands of years, and now with the Uniter appearing they've become even more persistent in their efforts, causing Chloe to have to be protected at all times. And as if her life isn't already complicated enough, she also finds herself falling in love with a human, which is forbidden because when a Mai kisses a human it would result in the human's death. So now Chloe's trying to juggle family drama, friendship drama, romance, training and a new life as Mai, and somehow surviving it all. Just your regular teenager's life in any supernatural show, really!
The show covers enough things to keep me interested: comedy, drama, romance, and action. And who doesn't love a girl who could kick some butts, really? For me, a lead strong female character already sells a show enough. While I find the human love interest pretty dull and hopes Chloe will end up with the charming Alek instead (who's also a Mai), I find the love triangle adds just enough suspense to find out who she will ultimately choose. And especially with the ending of the first season which I would not spoil, it has developed in a particularly more interesting direction. So really, if you're looking for something pretty light and fun to pass the time, I would recommend this show to try out!