(3) Heroes
Yeah, I wasn’t going to leave it off the list. Come on. We all know there’s something wrong with Heroes and it breaks my heart. Because it was so good. So, so good.
**Warning, this section contains information which – although widely known – could be considered spoilers**
I’ve said before that Heroes is more about characters than superpowers, but I’m going to take that back. Because right now the characters are bland. If you want me to keep watching, then give me action. If you don’t want to do action AND character development, then at least pick one. Because otherwise I’m bored. So Tracy’s off to join a carnival because she’s all messed up? Greaaat. Also, *sigh*. So what?
For me, right now, the most interesting characters is the Petrelli family. Nathan’s internal struggle is terrific. But that’s mostly because it’s being played by two of the best actors on the show – Adrian Pasdar and Zachary Quinto. Now with news that Pasdar is off the show, I weep for the future. Because he’s a heavy hitter. And his relationship with Peter (while sometimes...*ahem*...inappropriate) was always fun to explore. In fact, Nathan and Peter were always at their most interesting when they were together – either getting along or fighting.
Meanwhile, the other formerly-great family – the Bennetts – is being bogged down by uninteresting storylines with the eldest daughter (Claire) and the nearly criminal under-usage of one of the other great actors of the show: Jack Coleman ( Noah Bennett, a.k.a. HRG). Noah is no longer straddling the divide between good and evil. He’s not hunting down heroes anymore. He’s making dinner and doing laundry. It’s just sad. And Claire...oh, Lord. I don’t know where to start. I don’t care for her “I just want to be normal” routine. Sure, it’s not as ridiculous as her “I want to be a superhero” routine, but it’s so, so boring. And the lesbian storyline is a cheap gimmick. Can we just get this girl into some mortal danger and have the rest of the characters rally around to “save the cheerleader” again? Please?
Finally, we have Robert Knepper. I love Knepper. I loved him so much on Prison Break it wasn’t even funny. But he’s not being used to his full potential. The carnival storyline is not a good foil for what’s going on in the other characters’ lives and it’s getting boring. If you’re going to bring in a guy like Knepper, who can play a murdering pedophile psychopath and still make me feel sorry for him, then you need to give him better material to work with. Taking away Hiro’s girlfriend is not good enough.
Great article, Clarissa! I have found FlashForward to be kind of slow the past 2 weeks but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will improve after the holidays, because I think there is a lot of potential there. Except Mark- I haven’t liked his character from day 1 and I think that the actor plays him very woodenly.
I know 2 shows that I *don’t* want overhauled in any way, and they are Glee and Vamp Diaries. Since I love these shows so much, that means they are doomed ;)
Great article, Clarissa! I have found FlashForward to be kind of slow the past 2 weeks but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will improve after the holidays, because I think there is a lot of potential there. Except Mark- I haven't liked his character from day 1 and I think that the actor plays him very woodenly.
I know 2 shows that I *don't* want overhauled in any way, and they are Glee and Vamp Diaries. Since I love these shows so much, that means they are doomed ;)
I felt the same way about FlashForward until I saw this weeks episode ( 10th, Australia ), it was amazing – first time I’m looking forward to the next episode!
I felt the same way about FlashForward until I saw this weeks episode ( 10th, Australia ), it was amazing – first time I'm looking forward to the next episode!
Heroes is beyond saving. I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do that will get people to tune in again and I don’t see this kind of series running on a bit over 5 million. I don’t know why I still watch. After every episode I decide to stop watching but I always come back… just to be disappointed. So much material in Heroes is completely pointless. It’s like you said: so many scenes have just nothing in them. There’s no action and nothing new to learn about those characters. Why am I watching Noah refall in love with that lady they just forced into his past? Is this going to be important to the overall story? If they want to do a romance thing they have to do it in context of the show. Right now I feel like I’m watching several shows at once. It’s the carnival/Hiro story (OK), the Petrelli/Sylar story (good) and some romantic/teen angst crap with the Bennett family (Why?!).
I can’t break up with Heroes. It gave me so many beautiful moments. Sounds like I’m playing relationship chicken.
Heroes is beyond saving. I don't think there's anything anyone can do that will get people to tune in again and I don't see this kind of series running on a bit over 5 million. I don't know why I still watch. After every episode I decide to stop watching but I always come back… just to be disappointed. So much material in Heroes is completely pointless. It's like you said: so many scenes have just nothing in them. There's no action and nothing new to learn about those characters. Why am I watching Noah refall in love with that lady they just forced into his past? Is this going to be important to the overall story? If they want to do a romance thing they have to do it in context of the show. Right now I feel like I'm watching several shows at once. It's the carnival/Hiro story (OK), the Petrelli/Sylar story (good) and some romantic/teen angst crap with the Bennett family (Why?!).
I can't break up with Heroes. It gave me so many beautiful moments. Sounds like I'm playing relationship chicken.