Category: Heroes (Page 17 of 22)

Weiss, Weiss, baby…

March 26, 2007 /

He may not particularly look it, but Greg Grunberg is cool. Let us count the ways:

1. He stars as telepathic cop Matt Parkman in this season’s hottest new show, “Heroes”
2. He got eaten by an unseen creature in the pilot for the 2004/2005 season’s hottest new show, “Lost”
3. He played the comic sidekick, yet still got the girl — or at least the girl’s equally hot half-sister — as Agent Eric Weiss on another hot J.J. Abrams show, “Alias”
4. Dude’s in a band. With Hugh Laurie. And James Denton from “Desperate Housewives.” And they donate all their proceeds to charity.

‘Nuff said.

Oh, and speaking of charity: NBC is auctioning off four original paintings from “Heroes” to benefit Grunberg’s charity of choice. Visit NBC.com for details if you want a shot at hanging “Hiro Battles T-Rex” in your living room.

Actors, Heroes, TV, TV Dramas

Heroes, Week 18: No Pot Pie For You!

March 5, 2007 /

I love “Heroes,” and I love NBC…but the reality of the matter is that, sometimes, NBC fucking sucks.

Seriously, do they really just not trust viewers to watch entire episodes anymore? Do they really feel like they have to give away information at the beginning of the episode for things that will be revealed later in that very episode…? Okay, I admit, I thought they’d pulled a completely bullshit move of giving away a major revelation of the episode – that Simone wasn’t actually dead after all – within the promo hyping the upcoming “Spider-Man 3” promo (when it was bad enough that it seemed as though they’d already given it away in the preview at the end of last week’s episode)…but then they went and pulled the carpet out from under me on that one when it turned out that, well, actually, Simone is dead, but that the new girl on HRG’s team has some serious illusion-casting abilities. But the big annoyance I had was that, after spending almost six months leading up to the revelation of Mr. Linderman’s identity, then having it not occur until the last five minutes of the episode, could they not maybe leave Malcolm McDowell’s name out of the fucking opening credits…?

I could go on and on about the dumbing down of society, how Hollywood doesn’t trust Americans to go see films if they don’t know virtually everything that happens beforehand, and how my wife and I got firsthand proof of it this weekened when we went to see “Zodiac” this weekend and got pissed because every single preview we were subjected beforehand revealed almost the entire plot of the movie being previewed. But you came here for a “Heroes” blog, so I’ll save that for another time…

So HRG has indeed had his mind wiped…though not a significant amount. Just, it appears, enough to be able to answer honestly that he doesn’t know what’s happened. Watching him freak out at how much his wife knows – for the first time EVER – was pretty awesome. The new girl in HRG’s life is pretty damned sexy…and it really showed when she showed up in that Catholic-schoolgirl-inspired outfit. Yowza. She’s also got some pretty major powers, too…and she’s clearly not afraid to be a part of the Dark Side; the move of impersonating HRG’s wife was EVIL, “sorry” or no “sorry.” And speaking of the Dark Side, it looks like Matt Parkman’s in with the in crowd now, whether he wants to be or not…and he apparently doesn’t want to be.

Claire’s on Brother Voodoo’s tour of America, and it looked like it’s gonna turn into a worldwide expedition…but, of course, no one really believed that Claire was gonna allow that to happen, did they? Sorry, did I say Claire? I meant Vivian, of course. Either way, I didn’t anticipate the meet-up with Grandma Petrelli.

Mohinder (briefly) gets the upper hand on Sylar…? Holy shit! Who would’ve thought that our man Mo had such a dark side to him…? Of course, it didn’t last, mostly because Mo got cocky and complacent…but, still, kudos for pulling it off even briefly!

God bless Hiro. He’s so wide-eyed and innocent. It was wayyyyyyy too convenient that Ando managed to be assigned to just the right location in Linderman’s building at just the right moment, especially since not only couldn’t he have been employed there for very long, but, also, wasn’t he on the casino’s watch list along with Hiro…? Still, nice use of Ian Gomez…and, plus, it was the excuse we needed for Hiro to finally get the sword. I’m just glad it actually did give him the confidence to use his powers again; with this show, you never know what might happen. So NYC did go up in smoke…but can it still be changed…?!?

Isaac is back on the smack attack. Ho-hum. And Nathan and Nikica cross paths, but that was probably the least interesting part of the episode. In fact, if it hadn’t led up to the reveal of Mr. McDowell as Mr. Linderman…and, no surprise, our man Malcolm remains one of the coolest motherfuckers in the business…I wouldn’t have cared about it at all. (I’m probably the last one to say this, but even I’m finally bored with the Nikica storyline.) So how much does Linderman know? What’s his deal? Is he a “hero” (in the loosest sense of the word)? Can he see the future, or is he just so powerful that he can really get Nathan into the White House…?

So I’m sure that even if Sylar slices Peter’s scalp completely off, he’ll pull through…but, still, damn, we have to wait ’til April 23rd for resolution? Shit, what am I gonna do when the season finale gets here…?!?

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

Heroes, Week 17: “Just a paper salesman,” my ASS!

February 27, 2007 /

First things first: how freaking weird was it to see H.R.G. before he wore the glasses that resulted in his acronymic nickname? He looks like a cross between Bruce Campbell and Henry Rollins. Surely a sweeps guest spot with one or the other as H.R.G.’s brother is must-do…!

Okay, so a decent amount of this week’s episode was spent in flashback…but, y’know, who doesn’t enjoy a good flashback? Am I right? It’s a device that keeps “Lost” consistently interesting, and the use of one on “Jericho” last week resulted in considerable reinvigoration for the show. With “Heroes,” however, we really haven’t done much traveling into the past – Hiro not withstanding – to get answers, so this was a nice change of pace…and make no mistake, these were damned good flashbacks, aided by the creative decision to do them in black and white, which gave them a decidedly noir feel.

Within the first few moments of the first flashback, we not only get an appearance by Eric Roberts as H.R.G’s sinister supervisor but also the line of the week, courtesy of H.R.G.: “I’m comfortable with ‘morally grey.'”

So H.R.G. used to work with Doctor Invisible…and not only has Hiro’s dad has been connected to these events since long before his son first tapped into his ability to manipulate the space-time continuum, but he’s way more deeply involved that we ever would’ve expected based on his initial pair of appearances. (Count on seeing more of George Takei on future Monday nights.) And, okay, I don’t think this is just me: did they or did they not do some computer adjustments to make the baby look like Claire…? Anyway, other historical highlights were the fact that Li’l Brother Voodoo actually managed to look creepier 14 years ago than he does now and the fact that Claire was responsible for selecting her adopted father’s trademark eyewear.

The present-day events move along at a nice, rapid clip. Every time Radioactive Man lit up like a neon sign, all I could think was, “Whether he blows his stack or not, these people are going to be dead of radiation poisoning within the week.” As ever, Greg Grunberg plays Matt with the perfect frantic edge, but, seriously, Jack Coleman really needs to win a Best Actor Emmy for his performance this year; I realize it’s as much to do with the scripts as it is his acting, but, still, you’re constantly fighting between wanting to distrust his every move and hoping to God you can actually believe what he’s saying…and at the conclusion of this episode, for the first time, we unabashedly and unreservedly can feel certain it’s the latter.

OR IS IT…?!?!?

Nah, I’m just kidding. For once, I’m pretty sure it is.

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

Major shakeup in latest edition of Bullz-Eye’s TV Power Rankings

February 25, 2007 /

Power Rankings

Since the dawn of creation — well, the creation of this feature, anyway — Jack Bauer sat atop Bullz-Eye.com’s TV Power Rankings, owning the #1 slot for better than a year and a half. Some would say it was only a matter of time, but now that it’s finally happened, the sudden fall from grace of Fox’s hit show “24” is actually a lot more embarrassing than it is depressing. But the real-time thriller isn’t the only major shakeup in the winter 2007 edition of the rankings. HBO’s “The Wire” makes its grand (and, forgive us, long overdue) debut, while NBC experienced a big surge thanks to its fresh fall lineup. Of course, HBO still came out the big winner with five shows emerging in the Top 10 (four in the first six), proving once again that it pays to, well, pay for quality television.

Here are a few entries from our list:

11. Scrubs (NBC): It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see that “Scrubs” has dropped so low in the rankings. Coming off one of the best years since its debut, expectations for the show were certainly higher than usual – especially when it was called up to the big leagues and given a spot in NBC’s highly coveted Must See TV lineup – but no one could have guessed that the sixth season would start out on such a sour note. Whether it was the accelerated progression of J.D. into adulthood (he’s got a baby on the way, with guest star Elizabeth Banks, no less) or Carla’s all-too-brief post-partum depression (a subplot added to accommodate Judy Reyes’ real-life hip injury), the first five episodes of the new season were particularly somber. Things were looking so bleak, in fact, that fans of the show were preparing to concede that the medical comedy was finally showing signs of wear, but with the much-publicized musical episode creatively rejuvenating everyone involved with the show, things are finally getting back on track. And as long as things remain this kooky and fresh (read: Kelso getting his own episode, or the Janitor using a stuffed rabbit as a salt and pepper shaker), we don’t see any reason why “Scrubs” won’t being making a triumphant return to the Top 5 in the very near future. ~Jason Zingale

17. Deadwood (HBO): Well, despite all the rumors, “Deadwood” isn’t quite dead…yet. Last year, HBO decided not to extend the options of the terrific ensemble cast, making a fourth full season unlikely, but the network and series creator David Milch agreed to produce two two-hour telefilms to wrap up the show’s loose ends. Season Three contained a myriad of intertwining storylines, but focused on the growing influence of businessman/asshole George Hearst, which put former adversaries Al Swearengen and Sheriff Seth Bullock in an unlikely alliance. “Deadwood” features stronger language than any other HBO show, and with “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” on the network’s roster, that’s saying a lot. The truth is that everything about the show – the language, the acting, the story, the sets and the costumes – is colorful, and whether or not HBO wants to admit it, they’re going to miss “Deadwood” once it’s gone for good. ~John Paulsen

Check out the full list here.

24, Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, Entourage, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Lost, My Name Is Earl, Prison Break, Rome, South Park, The Office, The Shield, The Sopranos, The Wire, TV

Heroes, Week 16: Well, THAT was unexpected…

February 20, 2007 /

Wow, were there a lot of “oh, shit” moments on last night’s episode, or what? Man, and to think that I’d originally planned to begin this entry by complaining about the fact that the show began with a bit more filler than usual. (Well, not really filler, I guess, but they showed more clips from previous episodes than usual to set up the scenes; in addition to the normal “previously on ‘Heroes'” montage, they replayed that scene with Radioactive Man and Internet Girl from a few weeks ago, as well as replaying Hiro’s “I come in peace” gag from last week) By the end of the proceedings, however, virtually everyone had managed to score a major dramatic scene. Okay, sure, we never saw Nikica, D.L., or Micah at all…and, yet, the proceedings in no way suffered. To my mind, it’s a testament to the fact that, despite last week’s shootout with Matt, their stories tend to be pretty self-contained…though I’m guessing that’ll change very, very soon, when Nikica embarks on her assignment to take out Nathan.

So what were the big moments…?

* Claire’s mom collapses on the kitchen floor in a pool of milk, resulting in our favorite cheerleader giving her dad a royal reaming for his apparent insensitivity…which, in turn, results in one of those rare moments where we actually feel sorry for H.R.G..

* Peter gets all unexpected on Doctor Invisible by stopping his staff in mid-strike, pleasing Doc to no end. Later, as the good Doctor begins a lecture on Darwinian theory, the pair of them get attacked by H.R.G. and Brother Voodoo…and Peter shoots into the air like a fucking rocket. It’s official: the Battle Royale between Peter and Sylar is gonna be a knock-down drag-out. I couldn’t help but notice that H.R.G. looked less angry than legitimately pleased and impressed when Peter flew into the sky with Doctor Invisible…though it was particularly interesting that, in the wake of learning that his wife was unconscious, H.R.G.’s response was to say that Claude (a.k.a. Doctor Invisible) would have to wait, making no mention of Peter. If there’d been earlier reference to H.R.G. even knowing of Claude’s existence, I guess I missed it…but the Doctor’s smackdown of Peter makes it evident that there’s a history between he and H.R.G.’s “people.”

* Simone’s dead. Ho. Lee. Shit. I didn’t see that coming. But what I wonder is, did she go public about Nathan and Peter before her untimely demise…?

* Moments after receiving the advice that when “you take on a partner, all you get is their blood on your hands,” Hiro watches Ando get shot. The next thing you know, Hiro has dissolved his partnership with Ando and is on a bus – driven by Stan Lee, no less – continuing his mission all by his lonesome. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that Ando won’t choose to follow along behind Hiro, however…

* After a discussion with Janice about the hot jewels goes awry, Matt teams up with Radioactive Man and Internet Girl to invade H.R.G.’s house for some answers. (‘Bout time!) Surely that’s not going to go well…and, even worse, I’m anticipating that while all this is going on, if you listened closely, you could hear this…

Janice: Narc, narc!
The Cops: Who’s there?
Janice: Janice Parkman, with some info about my husband that I think you’ll find interesting.

* And speaking of listening closely…well, first, let’s have a moment of silence for Dale. Are we done? Great. Okay, so aside from the fact that Mohinder’s talk of possibly being able to block some of the heroes’ powers reminded me a bit of the plot of “X3,” it looks like Sylar finally has a power that he doesn’t have the hang of, one that’s proving to be more of a hindrance than a strength.

Awesome episode. Can’t wait ’til next week.

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

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