Alec McDowell: Difference between revisions

| image = Alec2.jpg

| species = [[X5]]

| family = [[Ben]] ''(twin)|name = Alec McDowell}}''

Not long before "[[The Pulse]]" (an electro-magnetic pulse bomb set off over the United States), [[Max Guevara|Max/X5-452]] and a number of her unit [['09 Escape|escaped]] from Manticore in 2009. X5-494 was not one of the '09 escapees as he was not in their unit, although his identical twin brother [[Ben|Ben/X5-493]] was. Manticore tightened its grip on the remaining X5s, with the twins of the escapees being subjected to the harshest discipline for fear of them following in their brothers' and sisters' footsteps. 494 did not achieve his freedom until more than 10 years later, when Max instigated the destruction of Manticore and freed the transgenics. 494 did not have a name, so Max named him Alec for "Smart Alec"." Alec was already outside of the compound when Manticore was brought down, assigned to corral Max back to Manticore and to facilitate the capture and/or death of [[Eyes Only]]. Observing the facility in flames and human soldiers attempting to kill his fellow transgenics as they were escaping, he made a hasty retreat.

Once free, he engagesengaged in various methods, generally illegal, to gain quick cash; one of the first was cage fighting. He wasn't planning on doing this long, but ceased altogether (excepting mental coercion) after he gets caught, is forced to kill, and then nearly killed, by [[Ames White]], the deadly agent assigned to hunt down and destroy all escaped transgenics. Alec then emulatesemulated Max by working at [[Jam Pony]] (a bike messenger service) in order to secure a Sector Pass and scout potential places to steal from. He also runsran various scams and had shady business dealings around the city. However, he doesdid limit himself to products that won't get his clientele killed, limiting his customer base.

*'''Twin Brother [[Ben/X5-493|Ben]]'''

X5-493's escape resulted in PSY-OPS time for Alec, as didand his eventual psychosis atearned aAlec lateranother date6 months in PSY-OPS. Fortunately, Manticore concluded after a period of observation that 494 was sane and therefore Ben's psychosis was not genetic. It's understandable why Alec harbors resentment towards Ben, although that resentment is mostly resolved through Max' confession regarding Ben's death.

Alec gets arrested for Ben's murder of a man named Timothy Ryan, for which the police have an eye witnesseyewitness and DNA evidence. Ben also killed at least ten other people.

In the episode "[[The Berrisford Agenda]]", we see flashbacks to 494's first long-term away mission in 2018 when he was ordered to observe, then assassinate, Robert Berrisford, a Manticore subcontractor who was becoming too curious about the supersoldier program. However, while using the alias of the young piano teacher Simon Lehane (whom 494 killed in order to take his identity), 494 fell in love with Berrisford's seventeen-year-old daughter, [[Rachel Berrisford|Rachel]]. Rachel would haveIt beenis killedrevealed in the carDVD bombcommentary heby wasCo-Producer/Writer supposedMoira toKirkland set off,Dekker and atProducer theJanace lastTashijan minute, 494 attempted to stopthat the execution.kiss Unfortunately,Alec his Manticore handlers were suspicious of 494 and triggered the bomb. Robert Berrisford survived,shares butwith Rachel ended up in athe coma that lasted for two years. 494 was brutally punished by Manticore for his disobedience. Howeverpool, he was allowed to live (Manticore having done all they could to make him forget, or not care, about the Berrisford mission) and ultimately resumed his role as a soldier. After the fall of Manticore in 2020, Alec did get the opportunity to say good-bye to Rachel at her bedside before she ultimately died. It was in this episode that Max realized Alec was capable of love and was far more than a killing machine forfirst Manticorekiss.

It is possible that X5-494 was given a name by his unit names during training, like [[Lane]], [[Keema]], [[Devon]] and [[Jewel]], but this is unknown. 494 was given the name "Alec" by Max when she first met him while imprisoned at Manticore. He was supposed to be her "designated breeding partner", but when Max refused his ordered advances, 494 backed off, albeit with a very snarky attitude. After that, Max dubbed him "Alec" — as in "smart aleck" — due to his egotistical cockiness, and a wary love/hate relationship between the two ensued. (Max's second choice for 494's name was "Dick".) 494 liked the name "Alec" and kept it. The last name "McDowell" was given to the character by one of Dark Angel's writers, whose favorite actor was Malcolm McDowell. However, the name was never actually revealed on the show; the scene in which it was once shown on a file folder was edited out. Writer Moira Dekker states in the commentary for "Designate This" that he was originally conceived of as a character like Alex DeLarge (played by Malcolm McDowell in the film version of "A Clockwork Orange"), but turned out nothing like him.

Alec grew a friendship with Joshua, the transgenic termed "Dog Boy" by the tabloids. Mid-way Season 2, Alec began hanging around Joshua's new-found home (before he was forced to to stay under the radar due to his arresting in the episode "Hello, Goodbye") and started using Joshua to get money. Joshua would paint things and Alec began selling them to an art dealer, giving Joshua half of the money. Soon enough Alec grew a liking to Joshua and started hanging with him regularly, and Max, Alec, and Joshua became "Little Fella", "Medium Fella", and "Big Fella". In the commentary on the episode "[[Hello, Goodbye]]" the producers suggested that they would make a spin-off series called "A Dog and His Boy". Most fans think they were joking around, but many think it would've been a great way to continue the show. Eventually Joshua and Alec become best friends and spend much time together, but Alec still managed to get Joshua to do much of his dirty work.

[[Category:X5'sX5s]]