Category: Heroes (Page 21 of 22)

Heroes, Week 6: He’s Just My Ex…Nothing More, Nothing Less

October 30, 2006 / Will Harris

As the episode opened, I found myself wondering, “Was there a slightly less insane-sounding way that Peter could’ve explained what he believed to be going on?” I mean, you can’t really blame Ando’s skeptical reaction to the comments…but, then, nor can you blame Hiro for blissfully sighing, “I have a sword…”

I think we all knew it was even money between whether Niki would kill or screw her ex-husband, so no real surprise that it turned out to be the latter. It’s amazing to me that she keeps falling back into her relationship with the guy…but, then, I’ve never claimed to understand the ways of the female mind. That was a gruesome scene she and her ex stumbled upon, huh? Is it wrong that my first thought, like Niki’s, was that her alter ego was responsible…? Although it only lasted about as long it took Niki to find that briefcase in the attic crawlspace, I admit to surprise that her ex spent the episode becoming an almost sympathetic character…even if Mirror Girl didn’t feel the same way. Her ex’s power of intangibility…paging Kitty Pryde!

Of things that didn’t surprise me, however, let’s talk about Claire’s dad. When Claire gets the chance to meet her birth parents, it immediately seems fishy that her dad – a.k.a. Evil Incarnate – would set it up in the midst of everything that’s going down. I didn’t trust for a second that it was authentic…and, of course it wasn’t. And Mohinder suddenly macking on the next-door neighbor…? Dude, at that point, I didn’t even need to see her talking to Claire’s dad on the phone to know for sure that she was working for the dark side.

Hiro and Ando find their way back to the poker table again, helping Mr. Cowboy Hat enjoy some payback for the losses he incurred at their hand a few episodes ago; thankfully, Hiro’s finally figured out a less obvious way to win…one which gets confounded when Ando accidentally discovers that one of the players is packing heat. Ando grabs Hiro and makes up an excuse to the others at the table, which leads to a hilarious exchange:

Gambler: You guys go to the bathroom together?
Ando: Yes. It is how we roll.

When a bloodbath goes down while they’re behind the bathroom door, Hiro begins questioning how much of a hero he really is, since he just allowed people to die. Ando floats the idea of Hiro just getting the hang of his powers first, then coming back and fixing everything with a “do-over.” It would explain his showing up from the future…but I just feel as though it bodes ill.

No sign of Alias Boy this week, but he’s in the preview for next week’s episode, which looks to kick ass. Wow, that’s new…

External TV, Heroes, TV, TV Dramas

The return of the Amazing Screw-On Head…?

October 30, 2006 / Will Harris

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Bryan Fuller – creator of the “The Amazing Screw-On Head” pilot (which we discussed a few months back) as well as a consulting producer on “Heroes” – reveals the possibility of viewers seeing more of the Head:

Q: What’s going on with “Amazing Screw-On Head?” Critics loved it, but then it didn’t do too well in the ratings. I heard a rumor you guys wanted it at Cartoon Network now.

A: Mark Stern at the Sci Fi Channel was the lone champion of the show. Everyone else at Sci Fi didn’t get it. Now we are waiting very patiently for our pass from Sci Fi so we can take it to Adult Swim. It was a very different experience than what I was used to doing with live action, and I would love to continue. We have three backup scripts. They are as bizarre and interesting as the pilot. We have Emperor Zombie working with Darwin on Galapagos Island determining that the ultimate evolution is zombification; we have Screw-On Head encouraging Indians to assimilate to the ways of the white man only to discover they’ve taken it too far – horrifically too far; those sorts of stories. It is a new way to do a twisted soap opera. Hopefully, the show will find a home on another network.

External TV, Heroes, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies

Heroes, Week 5: Yesterday When I Was Mad

October 23, 2006 / Will Harris

I begin this week with a complaint: although I’m as much of a sucker for reading spoilers as the next guy, I like to have the option to read them, not have them thrust upon me as has been happening in the previews for the following week’s episode of “Heroes.” Yeah, I know, the whole point of the preview is to tease you about what to expect, but the ones for “Heroes” seem to give away major surprises and developments instead of just offering the teasing lines immediately before the surprises and developments. Like, the whole “save the cheerleader, save the world” thing was given up long before future-Hiro uttered the line at the beginning of this week’s episode. It just pisses me off, that’s all I’m saying. But, then again, even the fact that we saw someone shoot into the air in last week’s preview didn’t damage the sheer coolness of Nathan shooting upwards, into the clouds, and – it sounded like – breaking the sound barrier in the process; that was definitely still very much a “holy shit” moment. (By the way, did I miss it last week when they revealed that they’d taken Nathan rather than Niki? All I heard Claire’s dad say was “take one of them”; I never heard him say which one…but the show acted as though we were supposed to have known that he’d taken Nathan.)

So Alias Boy…sorry, I mean Matt…more than makes up for his brief appearance in last week’s episode by, if my calculations are correct, getting more screen time this week than any other character. Surely his wife’s gonna get pissed off when she finds out that he really IS getting inside her mind. (Is it me, or does she look like an older Katie Holmes?) Based on his mother of a headache toward the end of the show, it looks like Matt’s gonna end up crazy sooner than later if he doesn’t figure out how to reign in his abilities.

By the way, the subject line is partially a reference to that, but also to Claire feeling a bit of remorse for running the QB’s car into a wall. She finally opens up to her dad…sort of. About the rape, not about her abilities. Well, if nothing else, we’ve confirmed that no matter what his ulterior motive in all this turns out to be, he’s clearly still got a lot of love in his heart for his adopted daughter…or else she’s so crucial to his endgame that he’ll do anything to protect her. And Niki…sweet, sweet Niki…doesn’t get much forward motion in her arc ’til the end of the episode, except to discover that she had hot monkey sex with Nathan and doesn’t remember a thing about it. Oh, well, she can always order a copy of the DVD…

So exactly when did Hiro learn all that English? Finally, he gets Ando to help him with a phone call to Isaac, but, still, when he’s chatting with Nathan at the diner, it’s clear that he’s fluent enough in speakin’ American to be able to get his point across to Isaac…so why did he insist on speaking solely in Japanese when he called him? Nerves…? As long as we’re talking about the dynamic duo from the land of the rising sun, dammit, we were thisfuckingclose to seeing that Niki / Ando romance kick off…and, by God, I’m not giving up hope yet; there was a spark, I tells ya! As far as Hiro’s new buddy, I have to say, I never would’ve thought that he and Nathan would meet up so soon, let alone that Nathan would be amused with him rather than annoyed by him.

I noticed this week that at least one of the supposedly big reveals of the episode was pretty anti-climactic, that being when Peter finds Isaac’s painting of Claire; I mean, it’s not like we didn’t witness Isaac painting it last week…but they played it like it was something we’d never seen before. Rule of thumb, people: if it’s not a new revelation, it’s not cut-to-commercial worthy…!

If it was me, I think I would’ve ended the episode with Niki’s husband creeping around the corner…but, overall, it was a solid episode with lots of new info.

Funniest line: “That hurt more than I thought it would.”

Most chilling line: “Hollow him out; take everything.”

External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, TV, TV Dramas

Five new series that must survive the season

October 19, 2006 / John Paulsen

With new shows starting to drop like flies, I started thinking about which cancellations would break my heart. Here are five series that absolutely must survive the season, along with this week’s odds of it being cancelled, as determined by the good folks over at BrilliantButCancelled.com.

“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (Mondays, NBC) (144:1)
NBC has put its weight behind this new Aaron Sorkin series, which follows the goings-on behind the scenes at a late-night comedy show. The dynamic between Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry (who play the fictional show’s producer and writer, respectively) is terrific, while Amanda Peet is shockingly convincing as the network exec in charge of programming. But the most pleasant surprise has been the performance of Sarah Paulson, who is so convincing as the show’s star (coming up with killer Juliette Lewis and Holly Hunter impressions), it makes me wonder why she didn’t go into sketch comedy in the first place. “Studio 60” has quickly filled the void left after “The West Wing” left the air, and while its ratings are way behind “CSI:Miami,” the word is that the numbers are still well ahead of the baseline that NBC needs to keep the show on the air. Sorkin’s cred can’t hurt, either.

“Heroes” (Mondays, NBC) (483:1)
This series has been a strong ratings earner, so it doesn’t appear to be in much danger of being cancelled, as evidenced by the long odds. The separate storylines are starting to come together and the acting is getting better. The show is darker than expected; it deals with date rape, drug use, infidelity and murder, which makes perfect sense – in order to have heroes you must have villains. Plus, it can’t hurt to have arguably the best new character of the season – Hiro Nakamura, the Japanese time traveler.

“Friday Night Lights” (Tuesdays, NBC) (72:1)
While the series based on Texas high school football hasn’t been a ratings giant on Tuesday nights, it has done well with young men, which is the toughest demographic to reach. I was concerned about the casting of Kyle Chandler (his eyebrows bother me), but he’s been solid as the team’s head coach. I’m especially interested in the future of the backup QB, played convincingly by Zach Gilford, who was thrust into the spotlight when the star QB went down with an injury. The show is shot in a herky-jerky sort of way, which adds to its realism, especially during game sequences. I might have put the series on Wednesday night – smack dab in the middle of the week to give football fans a fix before the weekend, but I’m sure more scientific thought than that went into the show’s scheduling.

“Jericho” (CBS) (34:1)
This show needs to make it through the year, not because it’s particularly good, but because I want to know what the hell is going on. In many respects, the show has been “CBS’ed.” That is, there are too many heart-heavy, family-oriented moments and the soundtrack generally sucks, but the show’s terrific premise and the subsequent questions will hold my attention throughout the season. Who attacked us? What do they want? Where do the citizens of Jericho (and its country) go from here? I sure hope that if the show is cancelled, they’re at least given enough notice to provide answers to those questions.

“30 Rock” (NBC) (134:1)
My wife would kill me if I didn’t include this show on the list. Tina Fey’s half-hour comedy about the goings-on behind the scenes at a late-night sketch show (sound familiar?) has proven that “30 Rock” and “Studio 60” can co-exist. “30 Rock” is schticky, while I find “Studio 60” wittier. Even though the two shows have the same premise, they go about it in very different ways. Aside from “The Office” and “My Name Is Earl,” there is a dearth of good sitcoms on the air, so “30 Rock” is more than welcome to join the party. By the way, Alec Baldwin is hilarious as the network exec in charge of the show.

For those that missed an episode or would like to get caught up can go to each show’s website to watch back episodes. The NBC shows have this week’s episodes available for streaming, while “Jericho” appears to have all back episodes available for online viewing.

External TV, Heroes, Jericho, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

Heroes, Week 4: When Peter Met Mohinder

October 16, 2006 / Will Harris

…and Nathan Met Niki…and Peter Met Hiro…and…well, you get the idea. Lots of meetings going on.

So Matt wakes up on an examining table, looking into the eyes of Claire’s dad, who assures Matt that they’re just testing him and that he just needs to relax. Of course, he’s lying, so it’s uncertain as to whether we can trust his claim that he’s not FBI or CIA. He assures Cop Boy that he’s very special…just as special as his buddy, who then proceeds to not only wipe out Matt’s memories but also apparently prevent him from appearing at any other point during the episode.

Claire manages to put herself back together – so to speak – after waking up on the autopsy table and more or less makes it home in one piece. She manages to endure a few stern comments from her father, along with a grilling from her buddy about the events of the previous evening, before discovering that the football player who raped her has done it to other girls. She quickly extracts her harsh revenge on him…not that he doesn’t deserve punishment, but, damn, that kind of crash could kill a guy!

Mohinder tries to warn Nathan about a possible attempt on his life, but he doesn’t buy it, saying, “Can you be more specific? 12 percent of the populace doesn’t approve of me.” Nathan then proceeds to go yell at Peter, certain that he’s the one who told Mohinder where to find him…and, although he didn’t, it leads Peter to go hunt down Mohinder. After bitching at Peter, Nathan then promptly flies off to Las Vegas where…what’s this?…he meets up with Niki. And, boy, does he meet up with Niki; she’s been asked to roger him roundly in order to even things up with Mr. Linderman. As it happens, though, she really digs him…and although she begs off at first, her better (?) half thinks better of it. Then again, you work up a sexual appetite after kicking a guy’s ass. By the way, there are a lot of great lines in the episode, but the best has to be, “Niki’s not here right now.”

It’s weird that, when Peter meets Mohinder, for someone whose dad has done nothing but go on about the untapped human potential, Mohinder’s pretty damned skeptical of Peter’s claims. Still, he listens…and, during a subway ride together, Mohinder starts to warm up to Peter. Meanwhile, Isaac and his woman have a decidedly tense one-on-one about his powers and her evening with Peter…but, for the first time, Isaac’s finally stopped whining and started taking control of his abilities. “I’m going to save the world,” he says to himself…and you damned well believe him, particularly after he discovers how to access his future visions without shooting heroin. When he sees and subsequently paints Claire, it’s the second time in the episode one of the other heroes has referenced her in some capacity – Matt asks “who’s Claire” immediately before getting his memories wiped by Claire’s dad’s buddy. Not that it’s any secret that Claire is clearly the tie that binds the heroes together; the “coming next week” segments have been spoiling that for the past few weeks. Why ruin it for us, you bastards?!?

The moment when Hiro looks skyward and offers a look of apology right before he stops time and allows Ando to win is brilliant…not quite as brilliant as Ando preying on Hiro’s knowledge of super-hero mythos to convince him to continue cheating, but almost on par with the expression on the face of Ando’s cowboy-hat-sporting poker opponent when he watches his full house turn into junk before his eyes. Nice “Rain Man” moment when the pair of them come down the escalator wearing matching grey suits…right before they get thrown out of the casino and into the path of the now very angry cowboy-hat-sporting poker opponent. I can only presume the scene of Ando shitting himself will appear on the “Heroes: Season 1” DVD set as a special feature…

So the two big mysteries at the episode are…

1) Why did Claire’s dad only want one member of the post-coital couple in Vegas?
2) From how far in the future did Hiro come to speak to Peter? Because there ain’t no trace of an accent in his English…

Did I mention how much I love this show…?