I never watched Dark Angel (Jessica Alba, right?), but it certainly looked like something I would enjoy. Yes, Dark Angel was reponsible for her current ubiquitousness. It was definitely interesting in terms of what it was trying to deal with, though it suffered enormously from a lack of direction. Plus there were problems of execution - there are a few moments in canon where 'the horror' that you discuss above is present in text.

PS: I have friended you, because I want to read more about how you think.