11 posts tagged “heroes”
I haven't been doing the stream of consciousness TV blogging because I've fallen behind in many of the shows I watch, and so wouldn't be able to get the posts up in a timely fashion.
Heroes has been consistently good; they've done a good job at keeping everyone in the mix, and even adding new characters (D.L. and the radioactive guy). The main annoyance so far is how they treat female characters. Claire is indestructible, but she's the one who needs saving because she's a little girl; Niki got turned into Jessica the femme fatale. The waitress in Midland got killed off almost instantly to provide more story for Hiro (I suspect he won't be able to save her without creating a rift in time). Why can't there be any women characters who are straightforward heroes the way Hiro, Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, etc. are?
The last couple of episodes of Jericho were surprisingly good; Turteltaub and company seem to be getting their act together and focusing more on interesting plotlines like Mr. Hawkins and Ravenwood and less on the "human interest". There are still anvilicious moments, like the pregnancy and wedding subplots, but they're not dominating the story any more. Though it'd be nice if the writers would let the women do something interesting for once, instead of caring for sick men (compare April with the doctor from Rogue River) or angsting about their boyfriends/husbands.
Lost is on hiatus; I have the last episode recorded but haven't watched it yet. The Others stuff has been interesting, but I can't really tell where it's going yet. A lot of it feels like mystery for mystery's sake. The original island hasn't fared so well; they haven't got much screen time, and their plots (the black smoke, Desmond seeing the future) haven't been developed well. The episode coming up is supposed to be big, though.
Doctor Who is consistently good. The throwaway episodes are the best of any series out there (though "The Idiot's Lantern" was much weaker than "The Girl in the Fireplace"), and the Cybermen two-parter finally figured out Micky. I'm not sure how they'll bring them back later in the season, though.
I've been catching Smallville occasionally, mostly the Green Arrow episodes. It's interesting for what they do with DC canon, and I'll probably go back and start catching earlier seasons. I'm still finishing up prior seasons of Veronica Mars and Supernatural, so not much to report there.
Looking forward to The Dresden Files and The Lost Room on SciFi (but where's Wild Cards?), as well as new Masters of Horror.
Previously: powerz.
He's not the brother who can fly, I thought. He's the mimic.
What'd the headline say? I missed it. Something about the eclipse?
Is that residual precog from Isaac?
Oops. You'd think she'd be more careful with that tape.
Niki's alive, it seems. What'd D.L. do?
What happened to Parkman in the convenience store?
Maybe Isaac didn't want to get nuked.
The dream was a psychic link?
More connections.
And there's Nathan's wife.
What if Mama Petrelli had powers? Someone not in their teens or 20s should.
This scene drags.
Creepy.
Stolen from X-Men 2.
Have we seen him before?
She has a name? It's totally MPD.
Trap?
Aww. Go team.
Backstory.
Aww, the angst.
Are the cops really cops?
YouTube's free, you idiot. Heh.
Bad idea.
Someone turned radioactive?
Peter with the save.
He's Chamber crossed with a Geico caveman.
Does he blow up Manhattan?
That's timing for you.
Why would she call him?
More angst.
Tattoo. Guess there's a power there after all.
Linderman - why'd he buy the painting?
He's holding the painting for later?
When are the Petrellis going to realize they've both met Hiro?
Neck marks - from Siler?
Mohoutro?
Nice. Micah's a very technical boy.
Next week - Hiro gets a love interest!
Previously on Heroes: cool stuff.
Mohintro channels Rand.
"I had a sword!"
I <3 Hiro.
Claire's mom needs to be more than comic relief.
Ew.
Niki, whom the episode title's presumably about.
Is she gonna get a real power?
D.L.'s not a bad guy. He was framed.
I called it earlier.
Aww.
Coming out? Heh. But she's a cheerleader!
Hiro!
Dark Niki's gonna call the cops.
"It is how we roll."
Was that Niki at the poker game?
Guess so.
Aww.
9th Wonder - what was on the cover?
Does D.L. have a phasing power or is that a false lead?
Claire's parents. I suspect they're fakes.
Whoa.
What if Niki has super strength and MPD?
Mirror conversation a la Green Goblin.
Do-over. Rift?
So fake.
D.L.'s power coming up?
So is Niki dead?
Looking up info on Heroes, I discover that I actually went to school with Masi Oka (Hiro). He was a couple years ahead of me and in the CS department, which I dropped out of freshman year, so unless he worked as a TA for the intro classes I probably never met him, but I'll take a couple degrees of separation.
Mohintro - doesn't make much sense but I like his accent.
Scar? Rift?
Save the cheerleader, save the world.
Whoa, nice flight effect.
Montage-cut - have we seen that before?
Still very Strangers in Paradise.
How'd Parkman get home?
Hiro! Waffles! Flying politicians!
Boring marriage on the rocks plot.
They're so cute!
Creepy dad.
Love triangle drama.
So cute!
Is there an actual power in this whole mirror thing?
Parkman in What Women Want.
Hi.
Don't mess with Creepy Dad and his brainsucking pal.
More creepy effects.
This isn't good.
She totally framed him.
Ando!
It's the Flying Republican!
Do something with this plot already!
Earshot.
Telepath's curse, a la The Demolished Man.
How'd they meet up again?
Hiro left himself a message?
Next week - mirror powers?
I'm going to have a bar along the bottom saying every school is closed but I still have to go to work tomorrow. Yay.
Mohintro.
How'd he get the drug? I'll have to check last week's ep.
Can the black guy (is that Siler?) block powers? Steal them?
Hiro!
Why isn't that in the phrasebook?
Are we ever going to see Niki's power as more than MPD?
This is so Strangers In Paradise.
Eep!
Was the coroner there last week? Oh, she's pulled away.
That looks really fake.
Musical montage. I like the song. Apparently it was in the pilot as well.
Linderman's connected with Petrelli?
Petrelli's heard of Suresh before, right?
They like the naked backs in this episode.
Oh god, it's The Talk. Can't these people just deal with their situations ever?
Creepy Mr. Bennett.
Have we seen the little brother before?
The Peter meeting Mohinder thing seems forced.
Please, *please* don't interrupt the show with a weather report. There's no new information, and you're already wasting screen space with the school closings.
Vegas and Basement Jaxx?
Yay time stop.
Poor Hiro.
Less drama, more mirror power.
Romance novel vocabulary? Interesting Scrabble game.
Smart kid.
So Peter's a power-stealer?
"It's complicated." Of course it is. Love triangles are an easy source of complication.
Who's the girl staring at Claire?
Bad, bad Hiro. They've got cameras, and even if they can't see how they'll notice something's up.
Like this isn't a setup. But Niki's no Katchoo.
Hero and heroin. Nice combination.
Everyone's got daddy issues.
Interesting effect whose meaning eludes me.
Ok, that explains who the other girl is. Is Claire going to start fighting for justice?
Ando's no good for you, Hiro.
Is Nathan planning to go all Superman: the Movie now?
God, no subtlety whatsoever.
"Niki's not here right now." Where's the power? This is straight-up MPD with a slick visual effect.
Convenient lighting. And unconvincing sex scene.
Is Peter stealing Hiro's power? Can he move because if Hiro's around he warps time too? But Hiro's in Vegas unless he teleported away.
Can't see Isaac's picture because of these stupid screen effects.
And here I was thinking Claire wouldn't have any weapons.
Which is the one? I still suspect Niki doesn't really have powers, just MPD and a hallucination involving mirrors.
Oh, duh. Of course Hiro's not bound by the laws of physics.
Next week: save the cheerleader, save the world. Well, if you have to save someone, the one with a healing factor shouldn't be too tough. Except for Creepy Glasses Dad.
Another Mohinder intro.
Oh Em Gee.
Hiro!
Whoa. That's one creepy comic.
Hiro's going to save someone because he knew she was in danger?
Jumping again. They like their repetition on this show.
Heh. Faked out.
Crossover with Suresh.
Encrypted algorithm? Digital Fortress?
Dude, you may be pretty but don't abuse the laptops.
There's being normal and being a privileged popular jerk.
Subtitle contrast would be nice.
Oh, poor Hiro, you're asking for trouble.
Cool time-stop effect.
That reverse POV shot isn't good.
Niki needs some plot development stat.
I think I know what happened with D.L. I mean, how'd she know where to dig?
Siler's a telekinetic?
Okay, more like a psycho kinetic. Crazy religious nut?
EEK. That's really freakin' creepy.
The fat lady on the plane thing is unnecessary.
Everyone runs into each other sooner or later. Yeah, that's how it's written.
How does alcohol affect an invulnerable person?
Is this supposed to be cute or stalkery?
Cop with a rocky marriage. How cliche.
"I don't know if now's the right time" = kiss her neck?
Would invulnerability be any help here?
Guess the secret's out.
Lost music again.
He is innocent.
Oh, this isn't good. Linderman?
What's she doing there?
Everyone's really into the creepy, obsessive love on this show.
He didn't clear that, did he?
Heh. Connections again.
Hiro's destiny.
Heh. "She's totally digging me."
Who was the black man at the bar?
More subtextual Petrellis.
Eek! (yes, again)
Starting the same way - rooftop with Mohinder narrating, recapping the jump.
Why is the other Wondertwin not acknowledging the flight? Political motives?
Recapping Claire's dash into the fire.
Is Claire's dad the same actor from last week? He looks different. Maybe it's the glasses or hair. But it's the same creepy stare.
Well, he's *sort of* an exterminator.
Aww. Mohinder's got a love interest.
Hiro! It's another recap but it's Hiro!
So he does speak some English.
The comic. Wow, that's some quick publication time. Is the artist-prophet guy behind this?
What's that music sampling - Magnum PI?
Put it in brackets if it's in Japanese.
I guess it is the artist. Convenient address there.
Didn't Niki leave the house? Oh, it's another recap.
Ah yes, the tape. Do we get to see it this time?
Oh, static. How convenient.
And she's lost time again and is somewhere totally different.
Lemme guess. She'll run to New York City.
Is it me, or was she more than friends with "Papa Suresh"?.
Covering for Claire, or seeking attention?
I'm guessing that big tragedy Isaac predicted is a season arc and not from this ep.
Niki again. Where's Hiro?
The garage is already clean?
Niki's power reminds me of straightforward MPD.
Ew. Didn't need to see that.
Back to the Wonder Twins. Or one of them anyway. And Wonder Mom.
"You were always my favorite." Totally called it.
Hiro!
Crossover as Hiro visits Isaac. There hadn't really been one yet.
Eep! Don't pick up the gun, Hiro!
What the heck happened there? Was that Isaac?
New guy - telepathic cop. I think I'll call him Psi-Cop.
Again, ew.
Skull sawed off? Is that what happened to Isaac?
Crossover - Nathan Petrelli.
This conversation between Papa Suresh and "Siler" is more than a little slashy.
Suresh had Cerebro?
This music is really repetitive and annoying.
Oh, so that's where the tape went. Spooky.
Heh. Mary Marvel Marching Society.
He's been gone 5 weeks? Time travel as well. He's in the future and Petrelli wins.
Boom. Holy crap. I guess that means Isaac's not dead. And that explains the turnaround time on the comic.
Same "next time" as last week, mostly.
What TV show(s) will you be watching this season? Why?
Submitted by ducnly.vox.com.
[Yes, I know this is really a Question of the Yesterday. But I want to answer it.]
Thanks to my TV card, a heck of a lot. My must-sees for this season:
Lost
Doctor Who
Heroes
Veronica Mars
Eureka
Jericho
And my also-records:
Supernatural (this would be a must-see, except I've got a lot to catch up on.)
The 4400 (ditto this.)
Stargate Atlantis
The Office
Corner Gas
My Name Is Earl
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends
Yay scrolltext.
Chapters? Pretentious, but I'll take pretentious over formulaic.
Lecture in India. Anything being described as a pinnacle of evolution is awful science. Multiracial cast a la Lost - that's a plus.
Same with the 10% of the human brain.
So they're mutants?
The professor's dad - plot #1. Not a bad start.
They so need to do a comic tie-in.
And the opening plot ties in to all the other heroes. Nice.
And now it's gratuitous T&A. I'm hoping they'll play with expectations, but it looks like they've introduced a Designated Hot Girl.
Weird voices - what's her power?
Ooh, nifty mirror effect. Still don't know what the power is.
A smart kid that's not annoyingly saccharine.
Invulnerable suicidal cheerleader.
So far, this is really good. Not quite the level of the Lost premiere, but it's the closest thing I've seen since. They seem to get it - don't give us human interest stories about the character, give us the kewl powerz and let the backstory come out naturally.
Jumpy guy again. Can he fly, or is the other guy seeing his death? Okay, I guess it's the flying thing.
Cheerleader girl being cheerleader girl, and the Japanese guy from the previews.
Dude, this guy is seriously teh awesome.
And the first crossover.
Heh. Comics. Bet he'll explain the powerz.
Reflection power again. Still no idea how that works.
Don't care much about Flyboy's subplot. Random politician guy nobody cares about. But he's just the backstory.
Wait, is he psychic or can he fly, or both?
And Mirror Woman has a gambling problem.
Suicidal Invulnerable Cheerleader is fireproof, too?
And of course she learns to be a hero.
And the Professor starts his search for the heroes.
Is painter guy the politician's brother, or just another psychic? Guess he's another psychic.
And crossover #2 - the painting.
And #3 - the taxi.
Aww. Supercidal Cheerleader has a sidekick.
Letting the music carry the montage. Or trying to sell the soundtrack.
Trauma for Mirror Lady - will we finally get to see her power?
Oh, this is just stupid. Why wouldn't the boss rather have money?
And we're back to the Japanese Trekkie. I like his exposition better.
Eep. Everyone does their scary power manifestations while blacked out, apparently.
I so need to come up with superhero names for these people.
And back to the Professor plot. With creepiness and a conspiracy. Yay!
Sweet. Hiro has a blog.
Cheerleader life plot is kinda dull. Too much like the Invasion/Surface stuff. Yawn.
Ew.
There's a neat intersection (Cheerleader's dad).
Damn. I wish I could teleport.
I'm having a hard time following the painter's plot. Were the dreams from the psychic?
And a closing narration.
Epilogue - will he fly or not? It'd be amusing if he went splat, and it was the psychic painter guy predicting his death.
Oh, they both have the power? Confusing.
The comic thing - that's cool.
Also, squee.
