Aeon Flux...

Sometime ago, I saw Aeon Flux on MTVs Liquid TV programming block...

Aeon Flux, created by Peter Chung, originally aired on MTV as part of their Liquid TV segment. Aeon Flux's oil-slick animation, angular heroic characters, and twisted plot threads woven around wonderfully original design concepts make it one of the most brilliant shows [formerly] on TV, live action or animated. Its dramatic direction and ironic use of irony slap the audience out of their preconceptions and make them watch and think. The tales of this beautiful secret agent/assassin only grow more curious and puzzling with each installment.

Season 1

Consisted of a twelve minute story, which aired in six continuing installments.

Episode One
As we fade-in, Aeon Flux is surrounded by an army of leather-clad, masked soldiers known as Breens, who unleash a hail of bullets down upon her. Hardly breaking a sweat, the female agent notches an impressive body count by gunning down one victim after the other. During a break in action, she checks her map, to which attached is the photo of a man. As Aeon Flux maneuvers through the compound, she avoids certain death by propelling herself upon a platform via a grappling apparatus. On the way up, the rope breaks, but she catches herself with her boot.

Episode Two
A distorted image of a cartoonish creature in a boat dissolving into a corpse floating in blood is how this segment starts. This eerie sight is actually a hallucination experienced by a wounded fighter. Next, we see two fallen soldiers, their faces infected by veiny tracks, exchange an emotional farewell. Enter Trevor Goodchild, the mysterious man who's somehow linked to the deadly disease. (Trevor Goodchild was actually the name of Chung's high school classmates.) He stands ashore while a bug crawls out of the blood and into his hand and enters his finger.

Episode Three
Aeon Flux spies two men locked in combat over a suitcase. She manages to obtain the suitcase herself by shooting one and kicking the other, a deliriously happy (and diseased) fellow, in the face. Inside, Aeon Flux finds a jar containing a strange purple fluid, which she pours out and replaces with a grenade. Things end with the ill-stricken man stumbling for the jar, which he believes to contain an antidote. The last he sees is the surreal image of the jar metamorphosing into a blowfish. Then it explodes.

Episode Four
Strange goings-on abound as the hired killer continues searching for her target. Some of the provocative action here includes ear-licking, readying a syringe, and women scrubbing down in a bath. According to Chung: "I had to change them from being in the tub together to one of them being outside of the bathtub."

Episode Five
Things get weirder as the two bathtub women partake in the pleasures of massage and Trevor Goodchild spreads the slimy eggs of a bug (the one lodged in his finger from episode two) on a cracker and eats them. The man whose photo was attached to Aeon's map lies dead on a bed. Also of interest is the pseudo-Slavic newscast that explains the cause and effects of the strange and deadly virus.

Episode Six
The series finale begins with a nail (which she stepped on in episode 4) digging into Aeon Flux's heel, causing her to fall off the building to her death. Back at headquarters, traces of Aeon Flux's existence are eliminated, including the torching of her apartment. Meanwhile, the world is being inoculated and Trevor Goodchild is to thank for it. Elsewhere, a boy buys a foot fetish magazine, called Foozwak, with Aeon Flux on the cover. We then see Aeon Flux in heaven where she lies back in the seat of happiness and has her feet licked for the rest of eternity by her dream lover.

Season 2

Included five episodes, each telling a story, which aired in six and running from lengths of three minutes to five minutes.

Episode Seven - Gravity
Perhaps the wildest intro to any installment, this one begins inside the mouths of Aeon and Trevor Goodchild, their tongues interlocked in a French kiss. A closer look shows us that a tiny document is being transported into a secret compartment located inside one of Aeon's teeth. Stranger still, their tongue wrestling occurs while Aeon is on a low-flying plane and Trevor is on a moving train. The plane rises above the clouds while Aeon studies the document. Her target is another man riding on the plane. Our clumsy killer manages to to fall out of the aircraft without accomplishing her mission. On her way down, Aeon contemplates shooting herself rather than smashing into the rocky ground below. She opts not to when she sees a familiar yellow tank stopping at the edge of a cliff. Through binoculars, she notices that the drivers are pulling up some unseen thing with great effort. With only moments to live, Aeon wishes urgently for the two men to reveal the object of their labor before she hits bottom. As a last hope, she fires her grappling hook into a bridge, but the cord tangles around her neck, killing her. Neither Aeon nor the audience get to see fully what the two men have been pulling up. "Aeon's mission, it turns out, never really mattered," says Chung about this episode. "In the end, she finds a reason to hang onto life - anything to give some point to her doomed existence."

Episode Eight - Night
There's plenty of acute commentary on technology in this intriguing installment when Aeon is gunned down by an unknown assassin. As she lies dying, she can see a monitor - which keeps short-circuiting - re-playing the events that led to her death. The last thing she views is the face of her murderer - Trevor Goodchild. Chung comments: "Aeon's preoccupation with her self-image leads her deeper into a state of introspection and off the course of her intended goal. Except for the climatic shot of Trevor at the end, Aeon is the only person on screen throughout this four minute episode."

Episode Nine - Leisure
Several scenes were cut from the storyboard of this tale of alien motherly love. Aeon opens her refrigerator and is puzzled to find the jar inside empty. She hears a strange noise emanating from a cabinet. She investigates, only to discover a creepy, bondage-garbed guy eating her supply of eggs. Aeon exits and tumbles acrobatically through a network of gymnastic bars. Later, she enters a space ship through a hidden hatch to steal more eggs from a large incubator. The fatalistic femme inserts a long-limbed, big-eyed embryo into her microscope and, by manipulating a miniature robot, torments and kills the helpless creature. She then sneaks out only to encounter a full size form of the alien. Aeon flees. The alien pulls a lever, causing a maze of bars to block her way. Aeon easily negotiates the obstacle by repeating the same acrobatic moves she used earlier, but the bug is faster, catching her and killing her with a squishy squeeze. "This story was inspired by a viewing of Star Trek VI, where aliens are used as a metaphor for foreigners. The politically correct Star Trek people would never depict demeaning attitudes on existing races, so they project their xenophobia on convenient - and very ugly - imaginary ones."

Episode Ten - Tide
Probably the most involved chapter of the series, this episode revolves around Aeon's continuous running in and out of an elevator to try to open a series of storage lockers and shoot a mysterious descending wire. Throughout, Aeon subdues her captive, Trevor Goodchild, who is handcuffed inside the elevator. But Aeon's ally, Agent RU-486, takes carnal advantage of the vulnerable chained hostage in a scene that's pretty hot and icky. (Originally, according to Chung, the scene was more intense). Aeon is betrayed by RU-486 and knocked unconscious. The woman picks up the action and finally locates the correct locker containing a big orange plug. Not understanding its importance, she abandons it, chasing after the man who killed Trevor. The man uses the descending wire to lift himself into the sky while an orange plug - like the one from the locker - lifts up also, causing the island on which the action took place to sink into the ocean. "This episode began as a formal experiment in writing a story that would fit a predetermined structure, like following the rigorous rules of classical music. It is composed of a cycle of twenty shots, each one two seconds long, repeated six times. Within that framework, a series of variations of character interactions are played out which culminate in catharsis and complete resolution of all the interwoven plot threads."

Episode Eleven - War
During a heroic raid against an army of Breens, Aeon is cornered at point-blank range by a masked Breen soldier. The hostile refrains from killing her on the spot and lingers over her, allowing Aeon's comrade to sneak up from behind; her rescue seems imminent. Miraculously, this action movie cliché is reversed when the Breen not only shoots the man behind him, but Aeon as well. The Breen removes his mask, revealing the blond, chiseled features of our new hero, Varsh Lockney. Varsh sets out against his enemies, wasting hordes much the way Aeon had slaughtered Breens earlier. He enters the enemy compound, where he is challenged by a crazed, pony-tailed swordsman. Our hero cockily shoots at the warrior, who skillfully deflects the bullet and runs Varsh through the heart. We now switch sides again to follow the violent heroics of the swordsman, Romeo Svengali, against airborne invaders. But Romeo, too, is soon dropped by red-headed spitfire Donna Matrix. Donna beats impossible odds to rescue her captured lover. Together, they race to freedom under a hail of bullets, not noticing the small oil slick in their path ..."Garrett Sheldrew of Colassal Pictures storyboarded and animated most of this episode, and it has a very naturalistic feeling in the drawing and animation," says Chung. "Garrett's participation in Aeon Flux has continually challenged me and the animation staff to keep the drawing at a very high level."

Season 3

Included ten episodes, each telling a story, which aired as full half-hour episodes.

Utopia Or Deutoronopia
Intro: "Trevor Goodchild has recently seized power in the nation of Bregna. The former leader, Clavius, has vanished under mysterious circumstances. It's none of Aeon's business, but..." According to the notes on this episode posted by Peter Chung himself on AOL, this was written at the behest of MTV who wanted more back story on Aeon and Trevor. The President of Bregna has been missing for six months, and acting leader Trevor blames "terrorists" for the crime. In reality, Trevor has the President in hiding, kept in a parallel but slightly out-of-phase dimension. A Breen soldier, Gildemere, finds out the truth... much to his peril.

Isthmus Crypticus
Intro: "Trevor Goodchild's latest obsession is an exquisite being which he keeps locked away in a secret chamber. It's none of Aeon's business, but..." The exquisite being(s) in question are birdpeople (who are either genetically engineered by Trevor Goodchild or beings from another, "spiritual" dimension... take your pick) called Seraph-Trevs. One is a male, the other a female. Another person is obsessed with the female Seraph-Trev, a shady Breen character named Ilbren. Ilbren attempts to hire Aeon to kidnap the female, but she refuses. Her curiosity piqued, Aeon herself goes after the two Seraph-Trevs, enlisting the aid of a friend, a student of extinct languages named Una. A random chain of events brings Una into awareness of the male creature, which triggers her own obsession. An action-packed chase, a surprise climax with more twists than you could imagine, and some gorgeous character design make this episode truly unique.

Thanatophobia
Intro: "A heavily armed border wall separates the nations of Bregna and Monica. Yet many Breens seek to escape the mysterious designs of Trevor Goodchild." At first glance, it seems as if Aeon and Trevor are toying with the feelings of two would-be émigrés from Bregna. In reality, though, it is Onan who is the manipulator, a man tired of his lover and wanting to ditch her. Onan's crossing of the border is successful -- like he knew it would be -- and Sybil's is not. Sybil is back in Bregna, wounded by the cruel Bregnan border defenses. She is left with a missing vertebra which is replaced with a fluid-filled prosthetic. In a last effort to be with her one love, Sybil attempts to cross onto Monican territory; she fails and loses her legs due to new border defenses.

A Last Time For Everything
Intro: "Aeon has heard about Trevor's new method for creating human duplicates." In this uncharacteristically romantic episode, Aeon takes advantage of Trevor's human duplication technology to spend some 'quality time' with her lover/adversary/soul mate/enemy Trevor. As Aeon's involvement with Trevor deepens, she can no longer keep the promise she had made to herself, to die in order to hurt Trevor emotionally. One cool scene is the one where you see Aeon's duplicate taking shape... not since the Maria-robot was created in Metropolis has the creation of artificial life looked so spectacular. Throughout this twisted ordeal, Aeon works with another Monican agent, Scaphandra, who is quite versatile with her prehensile feet/hands...

The Demiurge
Intro: "Aeon Flux and the Monican resistance force have captured The Demiurge, a powerful godlike being, and prepare to send it into space to rid the Earth of its influence. The Breens, led by Trevor Goodchild, battle to prevent the launch." Trevor seeks salvation in a being which could be considered a god... it looks a lot like the androgynous deities of Hindu and Buddhist pantheons. The being is launched aboard the Monican spacecraft, but its presence manifests in other forms. Deities do not die easily.

Reraizure
Intro: "Trevor's interrogation of a Monican agent leads inevitably to his favorite subject -- Aeon Flux." Narghiles are little aquatic creatures which look like a cross between a hamster and a Shar-Pei dog. They cannot be killed, and have amazing powers of regeneration. A Narghile carries an organ which holds a chemical which causes amnesia as a side effect of its high. A couple who were once Narghile abusers attempt to collect all the Narghiles on Earth (or whatever planet this all actually takes place on) for eventual launch towards the Sun. And in the grand tradition of the series, Aeon and Trevor factor into the picture in very strange ways.

Chronophasia
Intro: "These are the last things Aeon remembers -- a baby's photo, a set of coordinates, Trevor's troops approaching..." Aeon and Trevor , the latter with a company of Breen troops, are racing each other to get to a germ warfare lab in the middle of a jungle. The lab is full of dead bodies, a monstrous baby, a mysterious child, and perhaps a virus that causes insanity. After Aeon arrives in the laboratory complex, the episode becomes a non-stop fever dream which forces Aeon to look at the consequences of her actions.

Ether Drift Theory
Intro: "Trevor's experiments in artificial life forms are contained in an ecosystem called the Habitat. An ocean of paralytic fluid protects it from the intrusion of outside influences." The intro is pretty self-explanatory. Lindze, the girlfriend of Bargeld, a brilliant bioscientist, arrives with Aeon Flux at the Habitat. She hopes to spring her genius love from the confines of the science station. The destruction of the submarine which brought the two of them there and the accidental creation of a metal-eating bacteria both conspire to strand them in a paralytic death. And the fact that Bargeld is dying of a recombinant virus he accidentally created and that Trevor is also in the picture only makes matters worse...

The Purge
Intro: "Aeon is on the trail of the ill-mannered criminal brute, Bambara." There is no easy way to summarize this episode -- it's a real puzzle that might even defy repeated viewings. A bio-tech invention of Trevor's, The Custodian, is being used to control unruly Breen citizens. Add to this an all female anti-Custodian guerrilla group, the sadistic antics of Bambara, and a bizarre stage show ending, and you have a very surreal viewing experience.

End Sinister
Intro: "Trevor prepares to shoot a ray which will change the course of human evolution." Trevor beams a virus into space, which affects a space faring race of aliens. Aeon steals the remote control for the satellite with the viral disseminator, and looks to hide it. It is there in the woods, where she buries the device, that she finds an alien in an hibernation chamber. The consequences of the contact play themselves out well into the future, where Aeon and Trevor are the only two humans as we know it left.

Movie (Live Action)
400 years in the future, after a virus decimates the world population, only one city on Earth remains. Ruled by the Goodchild dynasty, it is a perfect society of peace and prosperity – except that its citizens keep mysteriously disappearing. Academy Award winner Charlize Theron stars as Aeon Flux, a secret agent/assassin/warrior whose mission is to bring down the regime. But as she goes deeper into her mission, Aeon uncovers some shocking secrets that jeopardize the mission – and her life.

Aeon Flux originally aired as part of MTV's Liquid Television in 1991. This animated series is set in the future and is notable for its colorful hybrid of Japanese animation and Heavy Metal graphics.

I saw the series in bits and pieces on Liquid TV and was immediately hooked. The look of Aeon Flux was very distinctive. And, the fact that the early episodes were able to tell a compelling story without dialogue made the series even more appealing. My impression of the series wasn't hurt by the fact that, Aeon ends up dead fairly frequently during the series. There is, of course, bloodshed and gore. The series does occasionally venture into fetishes (such as foot licking), but, there are no naughty bits to speak of.

There were three VHS video releases: Aeon Flux, Mission Infinite, and Operative Terminus. Aeon Flux episodes are also featured on the two "Best of Liquid TV" VHS videos. I thoroughly enjoyed the series. I used to have all five VHS versions and some episodes recorded from MTV. I have also repurchased the series on DVD. And, I have the Aeon Flux graphic novel. Obviously, I really, really liked Aeon Flux, so, I gave it a 4 out of 5.