‘Heroes’ blogging: “Villains”
(previous: Chapter Seven: “Eris Quod Sum”)
I wish I had a Kryptonite cross, because then you could keep both Dracula and Superman away. --Jack Handy
And if I had an Off button on my TV, I could keep away Heroes. Oh, wait, I do...
[spoiler-laden commentary on last night’s Heroes after the jump!]
I’m not sure I could be more bored with Heroes than I am right now. Though I imagine future weeks will challenge me in this regard. It feels like the show keeps folding back in on itself, expanding on specifics from the past we don’t really need to have expanded for us, or at least not in such excruciating detail, when it should be moving forward. And next week we’re going back to the eclipse, back to everything that started it all? *yawn*
So Sylar was a wimpy harmless nerd before he fell into Elle’s clutches? Are the writers just pulling crap out of their asses now? Are they kidding with the pie business... or are they trying to invoke the spirit of Bryan Fuller, who left as a writer on Heroes to do Pushing Daisies, which is just about the only thing worth watching at the moment?
Did we really learn anything here we didn’t already know, or anything we need to know, or anything that makes sense? Maybe one thing: Angela killed her husband (or tried to, and thought she did). But all that does is get us back to where we started.
TV shows are about character. We have to like the characters -- or like to hate them -- if we’re gonna spend time with them every week. I don’t like any of these people right now, and I don’t care about what happens to them anymore.
Who’s goin’ evil? Mr. Petrelli! Oh, wait, we already knew he was evil.
(Watch full episodes at NBC’s official site for the show.)
(next: Chapter Nine: “It’s Coming”) [not reviewed]
viewed at home on a small screenrated TV14-V
official site | IMDB
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comments
posted by Lanna Lee Maheux-Quinn (Tue Nov 11 08, 10:03PM)
I liked this episode; it kind of rekindled hope in me for the rest of the season.
But - I want love an episode here pretty freaking soon!
posted by Phil Urich (Wed Nov 12 08, 12:21AM)
Personally I still care about HRG and Sylar, and their arc this episode *did* make me care (ditto for them over their course over this season, though I certainly won't claim that about everyone). I'm surprised, though. I found large sections of Season 1 dragged, and Season 2 had serious problems (though explicable when one realizes what they were *planning* on doing before the writers' strike), but I've felt far more engaged by Season 3, and it takes me aback that you're so appalled by it.
And though I suppose we knew the vast majority of these things, well, I guess just personally I'm a fan of re-seeing things from a different perspective (I'm sure you'd at least agree that this can seriously work some times---Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, for example---even if we heartily disagree about this case).
(Apologies for the abuse of brackets, heh)
posted by Ryan (Wed Nov 12 08, 12:26AM)
I'm also a bit surprised to hear you are bored. I felt like Heroes really took off in the latter part of season 1, but got bogged down during the terrible second season.
I've loved this season so far, finally getting some answers...and finally seeing some real conflict between the 'powered'
I'm also happy that there haven't been very many 2-dimensional villains (only Papa Petrelli and Linderman come to mind.) Sylar, Elle, and HRG all have compelling backstories, and are relatable to me at least.
Finally, the back-story being revealed focuses on the elder generation, the people who laid the groundwork for the Heroes introduced in Season 1...so while some of it may seem repetitive, it is also adding layers and depth to the story.
Hopefully the writers know their destination (season 2 gave me cause to worry.) if they do I think this season is only going to get better.
posted by JoshDM (Wed Nov 12 08, 10:22AM)
The DVR had it recorded.
Watched 4 minutes, then deleted it. I've had enough. Heroes is gone-gone from the recording schedule; went in there and made sure.
It's just that bad. Poor Veronica Mars; trapped in a world she didn't write.
posted by Ryan (Wed Nov 12 08, 1:31PM)
Well, if you only watched the first four minutes I don't blame you...they really have to learn how to start an episode without having Mohinder give some long-ass semi philosophical spiel about the light and the dark and the ying and the yang and paths and crossroads and divergences. I've sort of learned to tune them out, thankfully.
posted by Barb (Wed Nov 12 08, 4:52PM)
I'm sorta tired of these so-called 'flashback' episodes (I DVR'd it but haven't watched the entire show yet but saw the ending at least). They are now in their third season and they still do them. I'd rather they keep with the present instead of going backward like this. The only saving grace this season has been Sylar/Gabriel. Supposedly the next chapter will be better.
posted by Shadowen (Thu Nov 13 08, 12:56AM)
I was about to click to view your commentary, but then I remembered I hadn't seen the episode I downloaded yet. Then I remembered I'd given up trying to stay spoiler-free when I remembered how much the show was starting to suck. So I clicked.
I might just stop watching.
posted by Arthur (Thu Nov 13 08, 9:28AM)
I share this dissatisfaction with the turn HEROES has taken. My biggest gripe is that, rather than reveal that every character has both good and evil sides, the show repeatedly flip-flops 180 degrees, especially on Elle, HRG, and Sylar. If Mohindar has turned into a human-spider hybrid, willing to wrap victims in his cocoons, what message is being send when he is still the voice-over? Even Lindeman is revealed having qualms about Arthur Patrelli's messing with Angela's head. There might be a heavy philosophical message here, but it makes for incoherent drama.
posted by MaryAnn (Thu Nov 13 08, 10:53PM)
I'm not opposed to it, but there has to be a point. I'm not feeling the point here.
posted by dgrhm (Sun Nov 16 08, 11:36AM)
Amen.
It had all the relevance of a clip show with a cool gotcha at the end.
I don't think they have a story to move forward. I feel the same way about "Lost." The writers are feeling their way around until they find a good story arc to last a couple of years.
It's nice to visit the characters again, but lets have them do something already. It's been like several episodes of things to come. Well, lets have them already.
This season has been a lot of sizzle with very little steak.