11.07.2006
picks and pans
So I need to talk about one more tv show. Have you watched Heroes? It's bad. I mean it's one of the five awesomest shows on television, but it's bad. Does that make any sense? Do you see what I mean when I say that? Let's examine why it's awesome vs. why it's awful.
| Hiro | Able to stop time. Started out annoying, but earned my respect. A glimpse of Future Hiro shows us that he gets a slammin black outfit and a sword. | Went from speaking only Japanese to perfect English in two episodes with no visible English-speaking lessons. |
| Niki/Jessica | She can rip people in half like a phone book. Her family is like The Incredibles. | She's slightly annoying and I don't know how I feel about her storyline. Is she a villain? I don't see her doing anything particularly hero-like. |
| Peter Petrelli | He's hot. He's the "Rogue" of the bunch. | He can be a little annoying, too. |
| Isaac | He draws the future, and if we're to believe Hiro's visit to the future, he's gonna die soon. | He validates people who think they are superheroes when they use drugs. |
| Nathan Petrelli | We occasionally get to see him with no shirt. He can fly and plays a pretty good asshole. | His huge white teeth are reminiscent of a row of urinals at a football stadium. |
| Matt the Cop | Am I wrong for having a crush on him? He can read minds, but occasionally collapses under the weight of everyone else's thoughts. | I can't think of anything awful about him, although he's slightly boring. |
| Claire Bennett | Her body heals itself from everything to being hit with a staplegun to being cut open autopsy-style. She acts her part well. I like her. | Save the cheerleader. Don't save this show's writers. |
In a nutshell, the show is an amazing concept with predictable and poor scripting. For instance, after Peter hooks up with Isaac's girlfriend and asks to see her again, she actually says something like "I need a chance to catch my breath before you take it again." I mean come on. And I wanted to rip on Niki's son Micah for being far too smart for a 4 year old or however old he is, but as it turns out he's like the little Jack Jack of the bunch.
My other issue with the show is that too many plot concepts are borrowed from other contemporary shows. All of their paths cross in ways reminiscent of Lost. Claire's evil father is straight out of Alias. None of the powers are fresh or innovative - the main characters are basically the X Men.
But despite my harsh criticism, I still love the show. I sit there watching and wondering "why do I love it so much?" We may never know the answer. But the fact remains.... I'm hooked.
