Heroes (So Far)

Finally an episode that didn’t disappoint for me for an entire hour!

Let me start with some background. I have watched Heroes every week. I was fascinated with the commercials last summer and couldn’t wait to see what the deal was come fall. After the first two episodes I was hearing that this was the best show on television. It was already up on the levels of “Lost”. After two shows!? Maybe it was me. Maybe I was expecting just a little too much out of it. Maybe I started watching the show too deeply from the pilot. After another two or three episodes I began to grow tired a few things. To me, Mohinder is probably the most worthless character on the show, and quite possibly prime-time TV. Right behind him is Niki.

Let’s get my major gripes out of the way with the show. Down the road when I talk about the show, this will help you understand my content or lack thereof with certain episodes, characters, storylines, etc. To help, I have put together a few bullet points and questions I have regarding the show.

How much time is really passing for these characters? I know that early in the season we were given little snippets in conversations about when things will happen in the future. The problem is, sometimes the show feels like hours have passed when apparently it has been days. And conversely, days have passed when it feels like weeks. Tell me how Isaac can paint these pictures so quickly? We cut away from him for a little bit and then his entire studio is filled with new stuff. First of all, I have been playing with paint lately myself and I know already that you gotta let it dry somewhat before adding another layer. How long was Peter in Texas? When is Mohinder actually working on his project? All I see is guy running around talking about this research he’s doing. We never see it. According to the official Heroes website last week “Suresh tells Sylar that he's working on a way to inhibit the mutation that causes special abilities.” WHEN HAS HE BEEN DOING THIS?

How is it that Hiro’s dad is going to come all the way across the world to find him and then, after what seems like an hour two, be convinced to have his daughter run the business instead? The whole thing felt like it was setup to insert George Takei into the show as a nod to Star Trek and geekdom. What kind of therapist is gonna sit in a cell with Niki after seeing her dismantle guards and break night sticks? Clean up the writing a little bit.

What is the general direction of the show? Is it about people struggling with their powers/gifts? Is it to find out why they have these powers? Is it to “fight the bad guys” out there? Is there an end goal in sight?

Why do we keep seeing new characters when the originals aren’t developed well enough yet? Granted, some of these throwaways are there to help further the development of main characters. The problem is, we as an audience don’t know how much of ourselves to invest in said new person. Are they here for the duration? Are they gonna be dead by the end of this episode? Not enough development brings me to the next point…

OK! I GET IT! Niki is conflicted with herself! Hiro needs to find his sword! Ando doesn’t know if he is supposed to be tagging along and feels out of place! Claire doesn’t trust her dad! Peter needs to find someone to help him! He’s been having these terrible dreams about blowing up the city. Do you know how I know? He’s told everyone he’s come in contact with. Stop beating the horse. Move on. You are not developing anything. Up until “Company Man” last night, the show felt no further ahead than it did before the break.

Pick the tagline and stay with it. I don’t care if it goes all season long and I have to hear it 1,000 times. For crying out loud, we’ve already heard the crap about the cheerleader for 15 weeks. “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World”. “Are You on the List?” “Someone Will Fly, Someone Will Die”. Here’s one I just came up with while writing this article. Tell me what you think… “Shit or Get Off the Pot”…

I’ve never watched a show where I was able to predict dialogue quite like in this show. Either A) I have the talent needed to write for a Golden Globe caliber show, or B) The show is robbing a lot of people of a better show. There have been countless times this season where I have sighed or looked at my wife and said “Are you kidding me?” Written like a soap opera at times, this show borders on cliché far too many times for the cutting edge show it’s supposed to be.

Stop with the half-assed attempt to be sneaky. It’s too obvious. Like we didn’t see Micah coming out with some power(s). Right. Like we didn’t see Claire’s dad not being the seedy character he’s played all season. Right. Mark my words. Nathan Petrelli is a much bigger character than we believe him to be and it’s not because he’s Claire’s dad. Look at the promo picture up above. He’s at the forefront. You see Micah on there too? These things are called clues. Why would they bother putting him on there in the first place? Special power. Hmm. Who else is up there? Simone. Like I didn't see her coming back to life next week. Right.

So last night’s episode was actually good. Best one of the season in my opinion. What worked? First, it stuck with a few characters and that was it. Ding! It furthered the current storyline while giving the viewers some much needed backstory. Ding! It introduced characters and we knew whether or not to care for them. The ending was a nice surprise. Music, dialogue, and the idea of “What is gonna happen next?” actually have me excited to see next week’s show. I don’t feel as obligated to watch anymore. What else is working for the show right now? How about the “real” hidden stuff. Like the symbol on the book Mohinder’s dad wrote. It’s EVERYWHERE. Look for it. Here’s a quick rundown of some places to check.

5 Words to Sum it Up: Better Make Their Minds Up