HEROES Follow Up

Okay, my batting average for last night (prediction wise) wasn't terrible...

• Peter did get his powers back;
• Nathan and Peter ended as enemies;
• there was a knockdown dragout fight (or two);
• they DID try to use Doyle to take down Sylar but that lasted all of a minute;
• they did thin the herd (geez, let's see: Meredith, Knox, Flint, Arthur [confirmed dead], Doyle, metal-arm guy, and possibly Sylar [yeah right]);
• and time travel is apparently off the menu (yay!).

As for stuff I didn't predict (or got wrong):

• Hiro did not get his powers back, but was retrieved from 1992;
• Ando got powers;
• PrimaTech is history;
• Angela was NOT ready for Sylar;
• the Mendez scrapbook was much less annoying than I thought it'd be;
• the way they retrieved Hiro was clever;
• and Kat and I both loved how Hiro punched out Tracey.

Among the miscellaneous, Spider-Mo is healed (and probably still has powers), Tracey is looking for a new job, and nobody but nobody is going to be using Papa Petrelli's magical jello except his son and Ando. (And apparently at least one Marine, per the ad for "Heroes: the Recruit" webisodes.)

What do we see for the future? Apparently Nathan convinces the President (Michael Dorn, aka Worf) that the heroes represent a danger and must be contained at an isolated facility (shades of DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, anyone?). Some of the heroes are on the run (hence the chapter title FUGITIVES), others have been captured and are presumably on their way to some American gulag. Beyond that, I imagine we'll see some of the heroes drafted into government service in different capacities as the talents are weaponized.

And so it goes. HEROES returns on February 2, folks.

UPDATE! Argh--forgot to give the chapter finale a grade. Having watched it a second time (and really enjoying the Sylar voiceover opening!), I'm giving this an A-/B+. Far more entertaining than the close out of either previous chapter and actually has me curious about the next volume.

HEROES "Villains" Overview

Tonight is the last episode of this chapter of HEROES. "Villains" has been in many ways a relaunch of the series, fixing points where the series had gone astray in Season 2 (and boy, had it gone astray). Whether it worked is debatable: fan reaction is mixed; ratings have declined; and two executive producers have been let go.

So what's my take on the whole thing? Cover your eyes, kids, 'cause there are spoilers below.

1. Bromance is dead. Peter and Nathan are ending up enemies after this chapter; it's pretty clear that Nathan has drunk the Petrelli Kool-Aid and is going to further his dad's scheme to distribute powers to "the worthy." The fact that he thinks he can judge who's worthy and who isn't is a stamp of villainy in the making.
2. On the other hand, Isaac Mendez just won't die. It's not Santiago Cabrera's fault; hell, I'd love him to be back on the show again. A junkie painter-prophet? Gold! But his damnable "missing issue" is a cheap McGuffin.
3. And Arthur Petrelli might not be dead. Okay, Sylar allowed Peter's bullet to pass through Papa P's cranium. Is he dead? Well... Claire bounced back after a chunk of wood was lodged in her brain stem for awhile, so I'm not counting Papa P out just yet.
4. Matt Parkman finds love. I'm thinking Matt and Daphne might have something that lasts (until next year, anyway). Unfortunately, Elle and Sylar... not so much.
5. No love for time travel. This is one comic book cliche that needs to be buried once again. Honestly, every last friggin' thing is about saving the world from some future disaster. I'm pretty damned sick of it. How about saving your job from a bad evaluation? Sure, you can fly... so what? You'll be the flyingest guy in the unemployment line. More slice of life stories, less cataclysm-of-the-season please.
6. HRG is back. Jack Coleman acts his ass off in that scene last week with Claire, where she tries to convince him NOT to let the Company experiment on baby Claire. "Claire bear, huh?" is a great new quotable for the show.
7. Thinning the herd. About frickin' time. Maya's gone (for good?), Elle is gone (kind of a shame, 'cause I like Kristen Bell a lot), Arthur Petrelli may be gone (see above), and y'know, it's a good thing. We only have so much time and attention to give, so a sprawling cast is not helpful.
8. Predictions. It looks like PrimaTech drafts puppetmaster Doyle to take on Sylar, though I'm guessing this is only the overt move; odds are good Angela has another trick up her sleeve and is ready for her not-really-son. I'm also betting Peter gets his powers back and we see a powerhouse knockdown fight in tonight's ep.

That's where I am, folks. I'd grade this season as a C+ with moments of pure A. Far better than the D+ of last season, but it has a ways to go before it recaptures its lost glories. Will the show be renewed? NBC needs hits desperately, so if pilot season produces something phenomenal, HEROES may be the victim. Then again, Bryan Fuller is coming back on board, so the next arc ("Fugitives") might be the shot of pure awesome the show needs right now.

A Look at the TV: Heroes

HEROES is back on the air, after a long hiatus following a somewhat-wretched (and abbreviated) second season. The two episodes airing this past Monday were "The Second Coming" and "The Butterfly Effect," which essentially showed us (invisotext on):

• Sylar gets Claire's power, and we see how his power really works at last;
• Sylar is also Angela Petrelli's son (but who is his father?);
• Future Peter is a dick and definitely not as smart as he thinks he is (as Mama Petrelli noted);
• Modern Peter is a shmoe (honest, couldn't he have helped the two people being carjacked and murdered right in front of his eyes?);
• Nathan finds religion and new job opportunities as he recovers from being shot by Future Peter;
• Parkman finds a wise black man (oh jeez);
• HRG finds a way to escape from the Company, along with a dozen "villains," and inexplicably decides that hunting them down is more important than, say, helping his family reestablish their lives;
• Elle loses a dad and a job on the same day;
• Angela Petrelli's power is precognitive dreams (though that may not be her only power) and she has a doozy in this one--literally half of the cast is lying dead after the villains (including Adam Monroe and Tracey Strauss) attack;
• Hiro probably saw the wrong thing in the future (my money is on Ando being the good guy and Hiro being the villain);
• Hiro has no idea how to handle women;
• Linderman is dead to everyone but Nathan (WTF?);
• Tracey Strauss finds that not only is she the spitting image of now-dead cybertease Niki, but she has a super-icing power of her own (my money is on Tracey being a clone or duplicate of some proto-Niki who has not yet been seen)--and it looks like she'll be a villain;
• Bruce Boxleitner as a sinister NY governor? Gold.

Okay, that's enough for now. What did YOU think?

Don't Forget to See "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"

Kat and I went to the movies Friday night, choosing to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Our friends were all planning to see "Forbidden Kingdom" but a nice break-up comedy called us much more strongly.

We were extremely happy that we went.

Kat has been a fan of Jason Segal's since she discovered "Freaks and Geeks" late last year (buy it on Amazon here). She Netflixed the series, got hooked and... presto, instant fan. So it wasn't a hard sell to see the first movie he's written and starring in, especially since it's gotten great buzz.

What we weren't quite as ready for was how great Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis were in their roles as Sarah and Rachel (respectively). We liked Kristen Bell in Heroes (honest, she was perhaps the only good thing in that botch we call Season 2), but hadn't seen her do comedy, while we knew Mila Kunis from "That '70s Show" and as Meg Griffin in "Family Guy"-- still, very nice to see she's versatile, funny and charming. (As is Kristen Bell. Equal time, ladies!) Fun fact: Mila Kunis shares my birthday of August 14. (So does Steve Martin, btw.)

We also thought Russell Brand was terrific as womanizing rock star Aldous Snow. Segal wrote a terrific rival in this guy. We heard that there was a lot of improv on set, in which case the cast gets huge props for making us laugh (and talk afterward a lot) even more than we might have otherwise. In all, huge amounts of fun.

And yes, you do get to see just about all there is to see of Jason Segal.

If you have AOL, Moviefone has a video of Segal and Bell interviewing each other--it's funny and revealing, with lots of nice byplay between them.

If you're in the mood for something fun, check out FSM.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: HEROES

Last HEROES post for awhile, I guess.
The chapter finale? Meh.
Things I liked (spoilers implied if not outright said):

• not a bad little clash between Peter, Hiro, Matt and Nathan (Kat insists that Nathan is the antidote to the Shanti virus, which she maintains is "stupidity");
• how Hiro took care of Adam;
• Nathan's speech (and the video recap);
• Angela really is Lady MacBeth;
• Elle stepping up;
• Molly's scene with Maya; and
• "Bro-Yay: The Reunion"

Things I didn't like:

• Peter sides with Adam over everybody else? I can see Peter dismissing Parkman but Hiro...?
• Monica: can you spell W-A-S-H-O-U-T? She might have tried to help Niki...
• Micah, orphaned;
• HRG cutting a deal with the Company seems insanely out of character--isn't he the guy who kept ranting that "you can't trust them"?
• so what, HRG goes back to being a killer robot?
• Claire wanting to out the Company and those like her (which came off more as a tantrum than an act of defiance);
• Peter being an idiot again (not a new moment, just the same one bubbling up like indigestion);
• Mohinder not even guessing that Sylar might be de-powered, much less taking a precaution or two walking in the door (lamb to the slaughter)--I really thought he might have tried infecting Sylar with a different strain, but no;
• oh yeah, and Nathan getting his ass shot off when trying to go public with his power, after having been (wisely) totally against it last season

Overall, I'd give these 11 episodes a collective grade of C-. It wasn't good storytelling, much less HEROES-caliber, and deserves to be "the forgotten season" that most shows find cropping up much later in their runs. I hope Tim K and the gang get it together better for Chapter 3 or it'll be sayonara.

Lest I Forget (another HEROES post)

It's possible that the producers and writers of HEROES are sneakier than I've been in my last couple posts.
Could they plan to kill off Molly? Monica?
I don't know but I guess we'll see in about ten hours.

HEROES: Dead Pool

Okay, folks, we've heard at least two characters are going down on Monday night.
So who'll it be?
You saw my picks below, but I'd like others to weigh in.
The group of "notables" that could be killed off, to my mind, is:

• Peter
• Hiro
• HRG
• Claire
• Sylar
• Adam Monroe
• Nathan
• Matt
• Niki
• Micah
• Monica
• Mohinder
• Molly
• Elle
• Bob
• Maya
• Angela Petrelli
• Ando

Who's not coming back for another chapter in this story? Comment below!

Point of Clarification, and thoughts on next Monday

I'm coming down pretty hard on HEROES and Mohinder in particular. But I'd like to clear up one point.

I don't want anyone to think I'm bashing Sendhil Ramamurthy, who plays Mohinder. For my money, he's giving it his all. Doesn't change my opinion that Mohinder's one of the dumbest smart guys on television... but he's doing a fine job as an actor.

On to other HEROES business.

The promo promises TWO heroes aren't walking away from this one. Who's likely to get the axe? I think...

• It won't be Peter or Hiro. Between them, for different reasons, they're the anchors of the show.
• It won't be Claire. That reunion with HRG doesn't feel like it has impending tragedy written all over it (unless they bump off HRG for real this time-- see below).
• It won't be Elle. She has too much potential and I think she'll be switching sides anyway; Bob isn't doing much to earn his baby girl's loyalty. (The scene in the car was brutal.)
• It won't be Maury Parkman-- he's out of play anyway-- and it probably won't be Bob or Angela (I don't think enough viewers would get bent out of shape if any of these three bit it).
• And has the Haitian even been seen in the past month? It'd be cheap to have him show up long enough to get bumped off.

So who does that leave?

• Matt- a definite possibility, but I think there's a lot left to explore in his descent into the corruption of power. A longshot for elimination.
• Nathan- poignant if he and Peter are reunited just before Nathan's taken out of play for good. Even money.
• Mohinder- probably not; they get a lot of mileage out of his being smart and dense at the same time. Longshot.
• Sylar- are you kidding? Zachary Quinto is gold on this show! Extreme longshot.
• Maya- yeah, I can see it. Even money.
• Adam/Takezo- does anyone really doubt Hiro will find a way to get revenge for his dad's murder? I don't think Mr. Forever will make it past next Monday. Sure thing.
• HRG- sadly, I can see them taking Noah off the board this week. Seeing Claire get him back just to lose him again? Heartless... but not impossible. Even money.

What do you guys think?

HEROES: WTF?

Okay, I think Mohinder's marrow-deep stupidity is infectious. That's the only explanation for a bunch of bad decision-making on last night's episode.
Let's recap [spoilers!]:

• Mohinder is responsible for reviving Noah... and then bitches him out, saying that Noah being shot in the eye was all Noah's fault (my logic professor would love to see that diagrammed out!);
• Micah tells his worthless, greedy cousin that he has valuable comic books (I can excuse this one, 'cause he's a kid);
• Peter and Adam go after Victoria Pratt and Peter does pretty much one dumb thing after another (and even Adam isn't too bright if he let her blast him with a shotgun--guess regeneration limits one's peripheral vision);
• BTW, what the hell power did Victoria have, other than toting a shotgun?
• Claire goes after Elle, who watches the scattering of the ashes while working a Slurpee, even after Elle knocked her and "West the flying boy" out of the sky last week;
• Peter chooses to side with Adam over Hiro at Primatech (okay, in what universe does THAT make sense? Didn't Peter get a hint that Hiro was one of the good guys last time?);
• and finally (the whopper), Maya chooses "Gah-bree-yell" over her own brother because a) they're BOTH murderers (wow! what an insight!), b) her brother Alejandro "hates" her for killling his unfaithful wife (something we've never seen even suggested) and c) apparently Maya is not only gullible and guilt-stricken but she's horny too. Probably doesn't hurt that Sylar's a good looking guy.

So we see a HUGE amount of stupidity last night. Was this...

1. because of the hypercompressed season?
2. an example of "we need Outcome X so people have to do Stupid Things 1 through 15"? or
3. a show bottoming out in its sophomore season?

You be the judge, friends. Comment below.

Thinkin' Bout HEROES

Last night's episode felt like the show was once again firing on all cylinders. Looks like Tim K heard the sighing masses and injected some adrenaline right into the heart of this beast, 'cause it sure was slouching toward resolution.

Some thoughts (and a couple spoilerish musing in invisotext):

• West might have started off as a jerk (my wife really didn't like him at all) but I think he's sorting himself out--and he proved to be a stand-up guy when HRG needed his help, which undoes a lot of emo in my book;
• Was that a sweet move when he grabbed HRG from his own front door or what? Definitely a high moment for this season, you ask me.
• Hiro and Kaito have some of the best interaction in this episode. Hiro's grown a lot since his first "puppy dog" days--he's probably the most heroic of the characters.
• Matt is finding out that power can indeed corrupt. His interrogation of Angela Petrelli was illuminating in more ways than one. Could we be seeing Nightmare Man II coming up?
• Mohinder shot HRG? Are you freakin' KIDDING me? Oh, that's a karmic debt that'll put Dr. Suresh in massive pain sometime soon.
• The show telegraphed the possibility of HRG coming back from the dead when Adam's blood cured the severely burned and irradiated Nathan last week; I called it after he was shot and Kat said I knew too much;
• Elle and Claire are going to have one hellacious catfight real soon.
• Elle is not happy with Daddy Bob right now. Guess HRG hit a nerve.
• And the Haitian might not be too happy the next time Elle finds him, either. He'd better be quick on the draw with his nullifying power or he'll be Caribbean BBQ.
• I still think Maya's power has something to do with the Shanti Virus kill-off, though maybe that's a red herring.
• Is Sylar going to off Suresh? Seems like that'd be one loose thread he wouldn't mind snipping.

All in all, last night was pretty damn good. How are they going to wrap up their version of THE STAND in two episodes? No idea, but the shot of Hiro holding a sword to Peter's throat was pretty killer...

Heroes: Back on Track?

Caught Heroes last night and was pleasantly surprised. What had seemed a scattershot and underwhelming season so far is picking up steam. Some interesting things... [SPOILER ALERT, inviso-text on]

• HRG is BACK, baby! If anyone thought Noah Bennet had lost his edge, this episode should've proven he's still the same ice-cold bastard he's always been. Not only that, but Jack Coleman does a really magnificent job of showing--just for a split-second--the temptation to give in to Ivan's offer. He can't take it... but you can see that he wants to.


• West is evil. Not so much in a gloating supervillain way, but he's a bad influence and he's going to mess up Claire but good. I also think HRG is going to end up facing off with this kid (after they meet in an episode or two) and it won't be good for either of them.


• Sylar is back too. His little aside to Alejandro, about killing the twins and stealing their powers... or settling for his "shiny new toy" Maya if that doesn't happen? Sweet! Zachary Quinto, you're the man.


• What's gotten into Mohinder? Is he tired of being everyone's patsy? Sure seems like it. Smashing a fridge full of virus (good idea/bad idea?) and refusing to inject Monica with a virus that *should* take away her powers... well, it was a ballsy move, but I still have no idea why Bob targeted Monica. What can being an adaptive muscle mimic do that's so much worse than half the heroes we already know? Geez.


• And why did Bob have a total change of heart regarding Monica? This is really suspicious--and I think she knows it too.


• Takezo Kensei, a traitor? Say it ain't so! Well, Hiro did betray him first. I'm eager to see how they'll tie this into the modern story arc for this chapter. I think Kenzai is the ancestor of one or more major bloodlines, probably including the Petrellis... and I wonder if they'll drag him into the present with Hiro. Hm.

Giving this ep a solid B+. Don't know that it's up there with the best of last season but the show is looking up-- and Kat and I are darn glad to see it.

The TV Season Thus Far

Okay, it's coming up on November (aka Nielsen or "sweeps" month), so where do we stand on what's out there now?

• HEROES got off to a slow start--my wife in particular didn't feel engaged in the storylines-- but the last installment kicked it into overdrive; the "last generation" of heroes looks like it will be a goldmine
• PUSHING DAISIES just keeps getting better and better; Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth are the new Fantastic Four
• BIONIC WOMAN? Haven't seen it, don't have much interest in seeing it. Gives me a faux-Alias vibe which is about as fresh as "the Y2K bug"
• CHUCK-- oddly enjoyable, with Zachary Levi showing range (and likeability) I wouldn't have suspected from his stint on LESS THAN PERFECT
• MY NAME IS EARL is doing very well, considering the lead character's been in prison this season and shows little sign of getting out soon-- btw, did you know Wikipedia has an entry for Earl's list?
• 30 ROCK is the best show not enough people are watching-- my wife and I are absolutely hooked on the byplay between Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin
• THE OFFICE is doing well but I have some doubts if the show will stay "up there" now that the Jim & Pam thing has jelled (unlike in the British original, where that was pretty much the end of the series); we're definitely watching, though
• THE SIMPSONS-- eh
• FAMILY GUY/AMERICAN DAD!-- maybe I'm hopelessly middlebrow in my choice of viewing, but I really like these shows; I think they've been doing great and are only getting better (side note: we saw the AD panel at San Diego and were BLOWN AWAY--Scott Grimes [Steve] is a riot and Seth MacFarlane does the best Patrick Stewart impression I've ever heard)
• ROBOT CHICKEN-- cost of action figures: immense, per episode; value of entertainment (especially the Star Wars bits): priceless. As if Seth Green weren't talented enough...
• BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-- my wife and I know Will (who was eliminated with Rebecca last week) and were watching largely to see him, but we're kinda/sorta sticking with it if we're home Tuesday nights. We don't have any vested interest in anyone winning or losing at this point, so it's just more about seeing the spectacle.

So there you go. Write in if you agree, disagree or just want to talk TV.

San Diego Bound

Hey folks!

Kat and I are going to San Diego Comic-Con this Friday. For me, it's a business trip; for her, it's an action-packed thrill ride. (She's never been-- I hope it won't overwhelm her TOO much!) This would not happen without the kindness of John Nee at DC Comics, so a big "THANKS, JOHN!" goes out to him. Can't wait to see the guy in SD.

Seems like every day brings more announcements and news. Jenna Jameson is doing a comic book? Okay. I already know Rosario Dawson will be there touting her book, which is cool (Kevin Smith said she's "the hottest geek on the planet" after talking comics with her).

Mostly I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. Kat and I are going to visit with Mike Carey after the X-Men sign-a-thon Sunday, plus there will be a bunch of "did you see?" moments. Kat has her heart set on the HEROES panel Saturday and on seeing Clive Owen Friday afternoon (she's even skipping a Neil Gaiman panel!).

In short, this is going to be one fabulous trip. If I can, I'll blog from the con. If not, expect a LOT of posts shortly after!

see ya!
Drew