BLOGS
I know a lot of you out there have given up on Heroes, and frankly I can't blame you. Last season was a horrible shadow of its former self, and this fall's "Villains" arc -- well, the less said about that the better. But this fourth volume, aka "Fugitives," is a marked improvement. Now I'm not going to say it is perfect, as I still have some complaints from my list of things that were wrong with the show, but it is moving in the right direction and shockingly, I'm actually looking forward to episodes again. So while I haven't seen tonight's ep yet, I feel somewhat confident in advising you Heroes deserters to come back for a second look. Because if it actually gets back to its first season glory by the end of this year (which it seems like it is at least attempting to do) you are going to be kicking yourself for not hopping back in sooner.
First, let me catch you up quickly if you haven't been watching. After Papa Petrelli died and there was a big old showdown at the lab, Nathan got all evil and teamed up with the president (and a badass enforcer played by Zeljko Ivanek) to capture all known superpowered humans and put them in this show's version of Guantanamo Bay. HRG seems to be helping Nathan's cause in exchange for keeping Claire out of custody so she can go to college or whatever. But when Peter (who can now only absorb one power at a time), Tracy, Hiro, Matt and Mohinder were all rounded up and put on a plane, Claire helped them bust loose. The plane crashed and now Peter, Parkman and Mohinder are a little crime-fighting team who have taken HRG hostage. Hiro connected with Ando to try to get his powers back. Tracy got recaptured by Nathan and is sweating it out. And Claire went and told her mommy what her daddy had been up to. And Sylar? He's off on his own little storyline trying to find his father with the help of a teen who might be his brother, lover or apprentice. Got it all?
Here are some more reasons to help convince you to tune in.
No Time Travel!
If you got disgusted with the way they were all jumping through history making each and every scenario and tense moment irrelevant (as they could always go back and fix things and or change outcomes), well, that's gone (at least momentarily).Yatta! Hiro has lost his abilities, and while this made him more whiny (though he's thankfully not an insufferable little kid anymore) at least he's not jumping from here to there willy nilly and just generally wreaking havoc. Now you just have to deal with him complaining all the time about how he's stuck being a sidekick for Ando (who now has the ability to super-charge heroes' abilities). While you are going to want to smack one or the both of them watching any given episode, Hiro not being able to blink out all the time is remarkably refreshing thing indeed.
People Stay Dead... or At Least Seem To
While we lament the loss of Kristen Bell, her departure did help the bloated cast problem that this show was suffering. Nathan and Peter's daddy dearest also seems to be remaining dead, as does Takeo Kensi/Adam Monroe. Daphne seems to be gone, though they didn't really give her a fitting exit, and it is possible that she's working as the as-of-yet-unseen "Rebel." In fact, the only dead person that seems to be popping up is Usutu, but since he is a spirit guide and all, that can be forgiven.
Less Focus on New Characters
There are new people popping up -- that's the inevitable nature of this show. Some get killed off, new heroes are discovered, etc., but so far, they haven't been too annoying. The best part is that their storylines are intertwined with the regulars, so they aren't random stand-alones (Maya, I'm looking directly into your blackened eyes for this one). Alex is a comic book staffer whom Claire is hiding/helping. He can breathe underwater, but we've yet to see this Aquaman in action. Instead, it is more about the whole fugitive aspect and the government really chasing everyone down and all the Big Brother cameras that are following everyone around. And Luke, Sylar's new little pet, is a bit much, but at least he kind of jokes with Sylar, which is creepy and amusing at the same time. It's like those women who are oddly attracted to serial killers in prison. It would be nice if they moved this one along a bit quicker, but it's interesting seeing this conflicted daddy-issue filled Sylar.
"Fugitives" Actually Means Fugitives
"Villains" didn't mean what they thought it meant, and instead was more like, "we're just going to make pretend that everyone is evil and then at the end really show that everyone's personality and purpose can change every week." "Generations" just meant that they were going to make everyone somehow related. "Fugitives" actually has people on the run. And while some of them conveniently live oblivious to the fact that they are being tracked, and others keep miraculously finding clothing and clues that fit them while they sit out in the open to have their visions (Parkman!), there are actually a group of people on the run from the government and Moira Kelly and her toepick, too.
They Got the Band Back Together
While the last few seasons scattershot everyone so we went weeks without seeing certain characters, they have smartly grouped them together in this arc, so that pretty much everyone gets a bit of screen time each week. It's a refreshing change of pace for sure, and Parkman and Mohinder are far less annoying together than they are on their own -- it's like they somehow cancel each other out. I don't know how that works scientifically, but I'm not going to question it.
There Are Some Scenes With Emotional Resonance
At least when it comes to Claire Bear and her pops. Good old HRG got us good last week with his teary-eyed speech to Claire about how he was just trying to protect her (this week seems to promise more). Frankly, the whole little Bennet family dynamic is worth tuning in for. They are certainly dysfunctional, but they are true entertainment and I actually care about what happens to them.
It Just Generally Sucks Less
Aside from some quibbles, I don't leave every single episode asking myself why on earth I'm still watching this show. I don't yell at the TV on a weekly basis as something entirely ridiculous happens. It is sort of refreshing. The scripts seem to be improved, the powers that be seem aware of what the fans are vocally hating on, and while there is still a long way to go, it's almost -- dare I say it -- fun.
So if you haven't been watching, I say to give it another shot soon. If you have, do you agree that it has made some vast improvements in this winter season?
You can watch last week's episode below:
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I feel you are being optimistic about this new volume. While I cannot fault it I'm getting the feeling that it might be misplaced. while paring down a show can lead to it sucking less. there is also the possibility of the writers trying less in other aspects of the script and such. But maybe that's a good thing. Wouldn't want this show to get cancelled because the show threw you a curve the audience wasn't ready for.
I agree. It IS much better. Let's not jinx it, ok?
There's just two things I'm sorta worried about. One is Sylar. One by one, his scenes are great (as they would be with such a fantastic actor playing a woderfully developed character) but the story is not really working for me so far. Hope they get somewhere with it soon.
The other thing is HRG and Claire. I love them both but I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to take this back-and-forth between them. He's good/he's evil, she trusts him/she hates him etc etc etc. Jeez!
That said, I'm definitely not going to stop watching anytime soon!
I'm glad they're rebooting a bit, and I'm glad they're also trying to flesh out some of the characters who have been one-dimensional since season one ended (Mohindir, Parkman, the man-hug brothers).
My one counterpoint to the lack of time-travel is that the future Hiro we saw in season one was, well...pretty freaking awesome. Part of the emotional journey of Heroes was watching this incredibly clueless ubernerd move toward becoming an unstoppable hero. I liked the show a lot better when it truly had multiple leads; Hiro's arcs, while related to everyone else's were ultimately still only about him. Now everything is based off of a single arc (with the possible exception of Sylar, but it's too soon to make that call). The glimpses of the future (at least in season one) were pretty amazing; seeing the Bizarro HRG, Parkman, Hiro, and Peter were all pretty awesome.
Now all we have is single-serve stroke-mouth Peter and Final Fantasy Castoff Hiro. At least they started writing for Parkman and HRG.
I guess I'm the only person who still thinks this show is bad? Vol. 4 is better than Vol. 3, but I look even less forward to the episodes now. Last volume made no sense but certainly had a lot of crazy wtf moments. This one is more intense but I find even more boring at the same time.
I think this new season is the best so far. I think there is a twist. The first two seasons evolved around story arcs where some future cataclysm could only be avoided by the Heroes taking action.
In season 3, episode 1, we were entreated to watching a future where Hiro is "killed" in the future by Ando. I personally believe that this "future" as witnessed by Peter and Hiro is what will happen because of the actions of the Heroes. This is the classic "What's really going to bake your noodle is later, when you ask yourself, would I still have knocked it over if she hadn't said anything" line from the Matrix.
Incidentally, I do not think that Hiro was killed in the future, by Ando. I think that Ando was simply trying to use his power to help Hiro get his powers back.
It doesn't suck like it did in Volume 3, but I don't seem to get into it again. I don't look forward to the new episodes anymore, nor do I care about any of the heroes
I don't see it as getting better.
First, the overall mythology is from X-Men and who knows where else before that. I only see a couple of eventual end points. It just isn't interesting.
Second, the powers that some people have are even more vaguely defined. In some cases, like Peter, the nature of the power seems to have changed for reasons that are unclear. In others, they went away and came back (Claire). In others, (Mohinder), then seem to have waned in some ways but in other ways (strength) somehow remain. It's all too convenient and allows the writers to bend the rules when it benefits them.
And then, some characters are just recycling past arcs that were better off left in the past. Nathan suddenly wants to eliminate powers (just like he wanted to expose them back in season 1, a move which implied they would be eliminated after exposure). HRG guy is bad ... or IS he? Pick a viewpoint and let's go with it. Claire is an innocent teen, no an angry killer, no a petulent daughter. I guess next is angry hunter of some kind.
In short, after season one I felt like I knew who these characters were and where they were going (generally). Now they change back and forth, and honestly, I don't care about any of them, nor about their "mutants running from the government" plot. I far more enjoyed meeting new people who had discovered their power and weren't quite sure what to do about it, and the fact that various factions were after the same people for different reasons. It explored some themes that were easy to identify with, such as being different, out of control or choosing to do good vs. evil with a secret power. Much more interesting than running from the government.
Sorry, but Heroes only gets the occasional drive-by (click-by ?) these days...
And still there remains the silly future painting, horrible dialog, and characters who are written differently from week to week.
NBC should just let this show pass away quietly... and next time spend some decent money on decent writers (and not the ones who write the over-hyped promos ).
i'm sure you'd change your tune once you see the latest episode
^previous comment aimed to main article writer :D
*aimed AT
grr apologies for the multiple posts
I'd be pretty happy with the direction they're going in if they would just get rid of Sylar once and for all. He's boring, and I'm sorry but Quinto is an average actor at best. Sylar has the occasional glimmer of depth, but overall he's hardly a difficult character to play.
Unfortunately, since Kring is probably afraid to piss off the rabid legions of delusional Sylar fangirls, we probably won't be rid of his dead weight anytime soon.
I don't think it's getting any better overall. Certain developments might seem more appealing, but ultimately the show is flawed in its construction. I think the key for me is that each character has exactly one emotional note, and each actor hits that note continuously. Nathan is always the slimy used-car salesman, Hiro is always the naive child, HRG is always "You don't understand, Claire, it has to be this way!" There is just never any variation. On other shows, and in real life, people get angry, or sad, or happy. Heroes shows us none of that in its characters, and it's gotten very, very tiresome.