A sensation when it premiered in 2006, Heroes has become for many, one of the most scorned pariahs on television. For many, the show is a casualty of the 2007-2008 Writer's Strike. Growing concerns about the strike lead to a rushed second season with a finale that, while passable, felt far too rushed. The magic was gone. At least that is what many detractors said, marking the second season as something of a missed opportunity but the truth is that the second season built greatly on the first's success. New, charismatic villains, a genuinely interesting storyline, and deeper character development were only marred by a sudden and necessary ending that more for a couple of annoying moments. However, all and all, the series had not really not any spark.
Many people try to compare the show to LOST, which is not really a fair comparison. After all, the only real similarity is that both shows are episodic, sci-fi programs. The comparison ends there. And the truth is that LOST is indeed the better show. It has a stronger cast, story, and themes. Many people try to see Heroes as something more than it is: a show about people with superpowers. A comic book brought to life on our televisions. In this, Heroes succeeds. In this, Heroes frustrates. Many criticisms that are leveled can be true at times: characters are too powerful, motivations seem light or forced (though this is something of an acting issue), and the story can get convoluted. However, when approached correctly, the show is entertaining and engaging. These two extremes can be seen in Season 3 (which is divided up into two plot arcs or "volumes"). Volume Three is everything that can go wrong with Heroes. Volume Four is something of a return to form, not quite on the same page as the first season nor without hiccups, but still a well produced bit of storytelling.
Now, since by now most people are either on board with the show or not, I will not edit out spoilers. Be warned: From here on, thar be spoilers!
Volume Three: Villains
On paper, the plot of Volume Three sound great. A face from our heroes past secretly begins recruiting a group of villains to assist him while he attempts to build an army of super soldiers by giving them artificially induced super powers. All of this takes place as many of these villains escape from the high security prison that "The Company" (a clandestine agency dedicated to tracking and capturing down super powered individuals) has placed them in. What follows, however, is a tangled web of aborted character arcs, rushed story telling, and poor decisions.
Volume Three starts off where the cliffhanger of Volume Two left us. Nathan Petrelli has just been shot at a press conference by an unknown assailant before he could reveal to the world that he has the power to fly. In an interesting twist, it turns out to be a version of his brother, Peter, who had come from a future where this press conference is not interrupted and the and the revelation of the existence of super powered individuals had lead first, to violent study and torture of these individuals and eventually, to a genetic modification formula that allows everyone to have powers. This leads to the precarious situation where people with potentially uncontrolled abilities are free to wander like ticking time bombs. This alteration in our timeline has another side effect. The ripples of time are affected so that an unforeseen event occurs: Sylar breaks into the Company's main facility and in the processes of trying to stop him, the resulting damage frees 13 of the most dangerous super power criminals known.
Now, the main issue here is that the prisoner escape and round up could have been the entire plot of this volume. It would be simple, straight forward, and allow for a lot of menacing new bad guys. Instead, this plot point is resolved within roughly 4-5 episodes as each bad guy is either quickly killed off or recruited as dumb muscle for the true bad guy. Who is this? Arthur Petrelli, the head of the Petrelli family and former founding member of the Company who was thought to be long dead. The issue here is not the addition of another member to the convoluted Petrelli family tree. The issue is that the build up to his reveal is done so poorly. The other villains are immediately subjugated to show how powerful he is. Even Season 2 main villain Adam Monroe is killed off at the hands of this new threat despite being a character with an interesting back story and good actor. Instead, we are given Petrelli who is portrayed by Robert Forster. It is hard to see how this man was nominated for an Academy Award. He is able to make a genre savvy, supposedly dangerous master villain seem as threatening as a cardboard cup. I mean, this man's power is the ability to permanently steal and use the powers of anyone he comes into psychical contact with! Heck, to their credit (which is hard to give for this horrible volume), the writers actually have him use it to stop some of the most powerful heroes including the time traveling Hiro Nakamura. But as a threat, he just doesn't work.
And that is just the start of the problems. Writing it all out would take forever so I will just bullet point the a few others:
Main Problems
·Random and downright abandoned storylines for characters including Sylar's odd path towards redemption (which, as you may guess, fails) and romance with Elle, Hiro and Ando's inability to be used for anything other than comic relief when they were capable characters in past seasons, Matt Parkman's odd spirit walk plotline, and the quickly abandoned problem of the escaped inmates.
·Killing of new characters and well crafted ones in favor of introducing or retaining old ones. Particularly egregious is the death of Adam Monroe and the return of actress Ali Larter as Tracy Strauss, a clone (literally) of another character who died in Season Two. See also: the death of cool baddie Knox.
·Daphne. Just Daphne. Volume Four will fix this.
Stuff That Didn't Suck
·The scene when a mind wiped Hiro Nakamura meets his mother in the past and is healed by her power. An amazingly well acted scene by Masi Oka that shows why the writers need to treat Hiro more seriously.
·The introduction of creepy puppet master Eric Doyle to the cast of villains as a bad guy to rival Sylar. We don't see as much of him as I would like but he is awesome.
Final Verdict: D+
Volume Four: Fugitives
By the end of Volume Three, Nathan has been convinced that people with powers pose a large threat to the ordinary citizen. Using his position as a US Senator, he spearheads a massive covert operation to capture super powered individuals and isolate them from the general populous. Our heroes struggle to return to normal life and find that they are immediately on the run. Simple. And it works. Each character is given asimple story arc: Sylar is on a quest to find his father, Hiro struggles to become a hero after his powers were taken away from Arthur Petrelli in the previous volume while Ando learns to use his own recently acquired ability, Peter tries to combat his brother’s program with help from Matt Parkman and Mohinder, Nathan is trying to hide his own ability while rounding everyone else up, Noah has infiltrated Nathan’s operation and is helping him in order to save Claire, and Claire is actively trying to hide other runaways. All of this occurring as they flee from the government. It is simple and works.
Hounding our heroes is a truly effective villain: Emile Danko AKA "The Hunter". Played by Emmy Award winner Željko Ivanek, Danko is a cold and ruthless government agent who will not hesitate to kill his targets right away. While eventually he is outwitted by Sylar in time for the finale, Danko is a damn good bad guy.
I'll go over the good stuff and some of the bad:
Stuff That Didn't Suck
·Characters actually die. Daphne dies. Nathan dies. And when characters don't
die, it makes sense and is not some deus ex machina. For example, Tracy is caught by Danko's men in a parking garage. The sprinklers go off and she uses her ability to freeze water to freeze herself and most of Danko's team. While frozen, Danko shoots her.Now, she is clearly dead. Right? Except we are shown that she melts right down a drainage pipe. And she is a character that essentially controls water and temperature. In this case, we know she will be back and the writers are not dicking us around. I mean, I would have liked to see her stay dead but if handled well like this, I see no reason why some characters can’t survive the extraordinary. No more magic healing blood or anything like that.
·Smart use of powers. Besides the above example, we are given plenty of times when our characters actually use their powers wisely. Parkman mind controls soldiers into shooting their comrades. Mohinder uses his strength to rip the door off a taxi and use it a shield against tranquilizer darts. It is just really cool.
·Well executed, if sometimes easy to predict plot twists. Having the young Micah turn out the the mysterious "Rebel" who is heading the underground railroad for super powered individuals was particularly nice.
Main Problems
·The buildup to meeting Sylar's father was not worth the pay off. The journey was interesting from a character standpoint but it felt incomplete. There is very little closure, though that is part of the point.
·The finale. Nathan dies and another person is, for all intents and purposes, gone for good. It is interesting and dramatic but they should have just killed them both instead of doing what they did.
·Hiro is still treated like comic relief and the writers give him back his ability to freeze time only for it to essentially be done away with again by the end of the volume. They need to find a way to use him properly (while still retaining his naive charm) without making him a clown or being too afraid to give him back his powers. He can be, if written well, one of the most interesting characters in the show. The first two seasons showed that.
Final Verdict: B
Overall Season Score: C
-The horrible first half of the season is offset by the solid second half. However, this balances out to an average experience. Good for fans and the casual audience but unlikely to win back any harsh critics. If the next season can hold onto what Volume Four was able to re-find, the show may not be doomed after all.
Greetings Past Dwellers!
I have come with tidings from the Future. It is the year 2011. The Future is a fantastic place, ye olde time tenants, let me tell you! Everything you can’t imagine is real. Corn Dogs are sentient and are popular house hold pets, particularly in Nebraska and the Irish countryside. Cars are now called “Mobile Non Sex Time Pods.” We no longer sweat, we cry through our skin. Bathrooms now come in pill form. Robots are common place and are largely responsible for the revival of Jherri curls. You haven’t lived until you’ve gotten a massage from a cupcake dispensing robot adorned with Jherri curls. Literally. You haven’t lived. We changed the definition of “alive.” If you die before getting your government mandated robotmassage, it is considered an abortion. And it is 100% legal. Only the strong survive a robotmassage.
“How is this so?” you ask. (I knew you would ask it. I’m from the florpin’ Future!) Well, after Barack Obama ascended into the Heavens to help Bhudda with some calculus homework, the power vaccum was filled by the violent duo of Her Royale (with Cheese) Highness Mila Jovovich and her loyal servant Leonard Maltin. Using a complex rating system, Maltin rated all of the nation’s problems on a scale from Five Stars to "Stuff We Gots To Fix". In the now infamous “Operation Wicker Man”, Her Royale (with Cheese) Highness Jovovich proceeded to punch all of those problems into Asia, all the while looking sexy while doing it. As a result, the land you know as “Russia” is only called “The Mayonnaise Swamp”. You’ll understand when it happens. All I’m saying is that you should put a lot of money on “Madea goes to Jail” if you are betting on the Oscars. Also, you might want to learn a few magic tricks. We no longer pay for goods and services with your outdated concept of money. Your value will be measured in smiles and confused children.
But I’ve spoken long enough for now. I don’t want to risk ripping the space-time continuum as new asshole. It already has 7. And that is 6 too many.
May Patrick Stewart's Voice ring through your ears and fill your heart with Lust,
-Time Bandito #24601
Hey Folks!
So, I decided to give into the mounting pressure and join "the Twitter." For once, I feel as out of place as my grandparents did with this society. I mean, what is a Twitter? Just a small little chirp about what is going on with your life. Right? I'm still not sure that I fully understand it. This probably works better for celebrity or people with a busy schedule. I have neither of those right now. I'm just a random dude trying to make it on the East Coast who occasionally does/writes something mildly funny and often does/writes something mildly bad. So, yeah. Occasionally I will post stuff there which might even lead back here. Very recursive. Very meta. Click up above to be brought to my page. Follow me. Don't Follow me. I've got my spine. I've got my Orange Crush.
Little known fact: Say that last phrase three times and Michael Stipe appears to steal your soul.
Dear Monster Drink:
You and I have a beef to settle, friend. Now, before I begin I want to let you know that I still think you are a good person. Everything seems more exciting when you’re around and I really appreciate it. But our relationship as of late has been a little rocky and I feel that we need to act like adults and talk about it. No hard feelings. I just can’t lie to myself any longer. It is tearing my heart in two. And I need that. Otherwise, I’m no better than Pinocchio: a heartless puppet. Do you know where he is now? He’s the Craigslist Killer. And I hope they catch him. I need the firewood.
Monster Drink, I’ve never understood what crack addicts feel like until now. You give me the jitters. And I’m not talking about the nervous jitters of the various virgins during the feast of Thorrablot but the straight up Michael J. Fox “We’ve gotta go back to the Island, Kate!” jitters. The twitches are getting noticeable. Just this morning, I hit a small child with a wooden chair. In my rage, I tried to create a fire by rubbing it with another chair. I am told that when forced to explain myself to the authorities I simple sated: “Boy Scouts!”
Additionally, I am worried because I don’t fully understand what you are. To my understanding you are either a drink FOR monsters, which means that our love is clearly forbidden. Or you are a drink FROM monsters. Now, I think this one is the more likely. After all, you seem to simply be a can filled with monster piss. This worries me to no end: if you are monster piss (as your color would suggest), why do you taste so good? Where do you come from, Monster Drink? And what kind of a game are you trying to pull? My piss is now the same color as you. This is even more frightening. Does this now make me a monster? If you came from a monster and made me a monster, am I simply perpetuating the cycle? Am I making more monster drink? The connotations are sinister to say the least.
Lastly, why haven’t you started a large marketing campaign with the upcoming “Where the Wild Things Are” movie? It seems like a smart idea. I mean, it is rare to see monsters get a film where the whole cast is monsters. Particularly ones who don’t just play servants, gang members or some sort of anachronistic shaman or voodoo priestess. I am glad to see that we are finally moving beyond that dark chapter in our nation’s history. I hear that some fresh-faced monster senator from Illinois is making a lot of commotion lately and that the Demonstercratic Party might want to put him forward as their candidate. Good for you monster drink. But why not seize on this moment and talk to Spike Jonze about his movie. I am sure he would love to have you.
Until then, I just need some time to sort things out. No hard feelings,Monster Drink.
Hey there and hello, all 40 or so people who come and visit this website on a regular basis. Don’t mind any of the interruptions. I’ve rebooted the front page blog due to some technical difficulties. As time goes on and I get in touch with a legitimate web designer, this front page will be a lot flashier and a lot easier for me to figure out.
You'll also notice that I've finally got at domain name. Seems like I might be getting a bit more legitimate after all!
New Updates:
· A brand new audio recording has been posted under the “Media” tab. I went to Manchester, NH and did an interesting set at one of my favorite alternative venues, The Shaskeen. I gave a reading of “I Have a Tiny Wooden Katana” and was pleased with the results. Give it a listen.
· Outtakes from Complementary Pie have been added. To watch outtakes like the one posted above, go over to the “Projects” tab and click on the Outtakes link under the info given for Complementary Pie.
Until then, keep on checking back for new information and additions to this site which are sure to win me some sort of award for how Jerry Bruckheimer-ish they are. That means pirates and explosions and a more streamlined front page. Thanks,
-Mac
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