Casting Robert Knepper for Heroes season 4 bad guy was a win for the embattled one-time-wunderkind. Knepper crafted one of the best anti-Heroes in existence, the nefarious Tea Bag of Prison Break. It was the level of performance that one could say might make or break a series. It is difficult to imagine Prison Break being half as intriguing without Robert Knepper in that role.
But let’s be honest with each other, Knepper is at the mercy of the Heroes writing staff that has, by many accounts, completely blown it over the last couple of seasons, particularly the last. No amount of expert delivery can save a poorly conceived plot. Sylar morphing back and forth from himself to his mother, anyone? Zachary Quinto could probably play a pretty interesting head of lettuce, but that tripe was simply beyond salvage, with any amount of talent.
Knepper’s comments have some Heroes fans worried, mostly because of the mention of one term that has turned out to be the bane of the series: Time travel. It’s not a topic that has exactly worked well in the Heroes universe. For one thing, the device gets thrown around all willy-nilly as if there were no rules to follow. Note to Heroes writing staff: there are rules, and your stories will look just plain silly without them.
“A couple of weeks ago, we shot this huge scene where I'm in a carnival and I'm standing next to this thing where you throw the ball and knock over the milk bottles. It's supposed to be set in the past, like I time travel back 14 years or so into Japan, so all the actors were Japanese-American” Knepper told DigitalSpy in a recent interview.
The substance of the character itself seems an excellent fit for Knepper. Picture Iggy Pop with shades of Charles Manson. Knepper’s description says it best, “Think Keith Richards - a young Keith Richards. He's kind of my role model for it. I don't know what the hell I'm doing with the accent - I'm trying to put a little bit of a lilt into it. You don't know if he's Irish, you don't know if he's English... he should be all-worldly. There's something about it that screams out British or Irish. I don't want you to ever pinpoint where he's from and as soon as you think you've got it, I'll change it! I'm having a ball with it. It's good to play such a crazy character. It's kind of like a 'I don't care' rock and roll look."
Knepper went on to say that his run on the show is, so far, open ended. He has signed on “indefinitely” to the Heroes skein. Knepper also indicated that so far he has worked with Masi Oka more than any other characters. This is another encouraging point for me. One of my complaints with the series has been how Hiro and Ando have been pigeonholed as the keystone cops of the series. The rare moments that we have seen Hiro played dark have been impressive. It’s difficult to imagine that Knepper’s ultra-dark rock-star will be tied to a slapstick fish out of water story. Then again, after the ambling storylines, missed opportunities, and melodramatic character arcs of the last couple of seasons I wouldn’t rule anything out when it comes to Heroes.
Source: DigitalSPY
Just because Heroes has lost some viewers doesn't mean the show is bad, that is just how tv goes. you should know that. Heroes will just as successful and awesome as it always is. fail!
Just because Heroes has lost some viewers doesn’t mean the show is bad, that is just how tv goes. you should know that. Heroes will just as successful and awesome as it always is. fail!
After Brian fuller had left the show for the second time, I hope the acting supremacy of Knepper (in Prison Break) would bring back Heroes ratings…
After Brian fuller had left the show for the second time, I hope the acting supremacy of Knepper (in Prison Break) would bring back Heroes ratings…
Let's be honest here, the reason Heroes loses viewers over the storytelling is because it doesn't follow the social "norm". Rules for time travel? I wasn't aware that the author of this article was a temporal master. There are not rules to theoretical concepts of metaphysics, and to enforce these set "rules" that past writers have used is tantamount to DEMANDING the same recycled tripe that clogs networks. Look beyond the "highly unlikeliness" of Sylar's mommy morph and look at HOW. Combining his ability to read pasts and histories, along with his morphing ability, and his complete understanding of he's mother's brain, then give him some SERIOUS parental issues with his TWO past families, and it goes from a strange plot point to a look at a person literally breaking down under the weight of the issues at hand, his own powers, and his own powerlessness to find a place in this world. I'm sorry it's not jack bauer saving the world again in one day, but heck we don't all like the same repeated crap. But please by all means, enforce your "rules" and demand your stereotypical plot lines. Then we can all live in the reality TV world, because when you start making all writers pander to the same likes and dislikes, eventually they will all quite and we can watch Survivor 97 – Homeless in NYC some season. WOO-HOO!
The rules can be whatever the fictional universe demands; the point is, time travel is done without repercussions. There is no self consistency with the device. Sylar morphing wasn't unlikely, it was ridiculous. Villains with mommy issues are beyond trite and the whole flash between personalities wasn't literary inventiveness, it was just lame. Where did his character go? What values were at risk? Was it transformational? Nothing. In terms of dramatic and story theory, the whole scene was nothing but a side show. Sylar emerged with the mindless desire to rule the world that he always has. The entire thing was merely a shiny object to flash at the easily amused. It seems to be impregnated with deeper intellectual pursuits, but at the end of the day it is just a strange yet unfilling way to burn minutes in an episode.
The problem is eods, I'm not demanding recycled tripe – it's what Heroes has been serving; and with a side order of grasping-at-straws twists and time trips that feel like desperate attempts to shake loose a story.
"Rules for time travel? I wasn’t aware that the author of this article was a temporal master."
Actually I'm not, but the issues of paradox have haunted the concept of time travel and churned out numerous inventive and creative permutations of story "rules." Heroes has failed to make Time Travel fit in its universe as anything other than a momentary fling to distract viewers away from the substance-less plots. Don't confuse my cry for logic as a cry for something 'normal' or cliche. I'd be happy with something that makes just a small amount of sense at this point.
Let’s be honest here, the reason Heroes loses viewers over the storytelling is because it doesn’t follow the social “norm”. Rules for time travel? I wasn’t aware that the author of this article was a temporal master. There are not rules to theoretical concepts of metaphysics, and to enforce these set “rules” that past writers have used is tantamount to DEMANDING the same recycled tripe that clogs networks. Look beyond the “highly unlikeliness” of Sylar’s mommy morph and look at HOW. Combining his ability to read pasts and histories, along with his morphing ability, and his complete understanding of he’s mother’s brain, then give him some SERIOUS parental issues with his TWO past families, and it goes from a strange plot point to a look at a person literally breaking down under the weight of the issues at hand, his own powers, and his own powerlessness to find a place in this world. I’m sorry it’s not jack bauer saving the world again in one day, but heck we don’t all like the same repeated crap. But please by all means, enforce your “rules” and demand your stereotypical plot lines. Then we can all live in the reality TV world, because when you start making all writers pander to the same likes and dislikes, eventually they will all quite and we can watch Survivor 97 – Homeless in NYC some season. WOO-HOO!
The rules can be whatever the fictional universe demands; the point is, time travel is done without repercussions. There is no self consistency with the device. Sylar morphing wasn’t unlikely, it was ridiculous. Villains with mommy issues are beyond trite and the whole flash between personalities wasn’t literary inventiveness, it was just lame. Where did his character go? What values were at risk? Was it transformational? Nothing. In terms of dramatic and story theory, the whole scene was nothing but a side show. Sylar emerged with the mindless desire to rule the world that he always has. The entire thing was merely a shiny object to flash at the easily amused. It seems to be impregnated with deeper intellectual pursuits, but at the end of the day it is just a strange yet unfilling way to burn minutes in an episode.
The problem is eods, I’m not demanding recycled tripe – it’s what Heroes has been serving; and with a side order of grasping-at-straws twists and time trips that feel like desperate attempts to shake loose a story.
“Rules for time travel? I wasn’t aware that the author of this article was a temporal master.”
Actually I’m not, but the issues of paradox have haunted the concept of time travel and churned out numerous inventive and creative permutations of story “rules.” Heroes has failed to make Time Travel fit in its universe as anything other than a momentary fling to distract viewers away from the substance-less plots. Don’t confuse my cry for logic as a cry for something ‘normal’ or cliche. I’d be happy with something that makes just a small amount of sense at this point.
What is so ridiculous about Sylar having mommy issues? These are real people with real issues and that includes real emotions. Claire has daddy problems and Peter has brother issues. And Sylar has mom troubles. Under such circumstances, we are able to empathise with the character and understand the character development further. There is nothing illogical about that.
The time travel is confusing but not unexplainable. If you think a particular scene too stupid to have any sort of logic in it, then mention the scene and tell us why you think it's too dumb. Then maybe someone will have a chance to defend it instead of having some mindless babbling session. Maybe you're just too close-minded to have given it enough thought to have come up with a proper explanation. That does not mean it's stupid.
What is so ridiculous about Sylar having mommy issues? These are real people with real issues and that includes real emotions. Claire has daddy problems and Peter has brother issues. And Sylar has mom troubles. Under such circumstances, we are able to empathise with the character and understand the character development further. There is nothing illogical about that.
The time travel is confusing but not unexplainable. If you think a particular scene too stupid to have any sort of logic in it, then mention the scene and tell us why you think it’s too dumb. Then maybe someone will have a chance to defend it instead of having some mindless babbling session. Maybe you’re just too close-minded to have given it enough thought to have come up with a proper explanation. That does not mean it’s stupid.