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SO,
let’s get right to it: What was up with the second
season of Heroes, and what might happen in the
latest episode?
A
combination of factors—including story lines dragged out
too long, stars (and writers?) possibly stretched with
movies and other opportunities and Heroes haters
coming out in force—helped topple the show from its
ratings and critical perch. The strength of Dancing
With the Stars and Samantha Who? probably
didn’t help, though it would seem that the audiences are
vastly different.
Good thing.
Whenever Jack
Coleman (right) is on the screen, you just know that
something is going to happen. Smart, ruthless and
mysterious, he and Zachary Quinto chew up scenes
whenever they’re on-screen.
Despite
that, Heroes soldiered on. Tim Kring, the show’s
creator, acknowledged creative drawbacks and took
responsibility. You don’t hear that often, but it still
didn’t make up for the first two-thirds of the season.
The pile-on notwithstanding, there were good and bad
elements.
§
Good:
Jack Coleman as HRG. Whenever that guy is on the screen,
you just know that something is going to happen. Smart,
ruthless and mysterious, he and Zachary Quinto chew up
scenes whenever they’re onscreen.
§
Bad:
The Maya and Alejandro storyline. Her powers? Great. But
you knew he was going to die, and their story line
should’ve been summed up in two, maybe three episodes.
§
Good:
Kristen
Bell as Elle. Like HRG and Sylar, Elle’s mystery and
sociopathic qualities were a bit over the top, and
much-needed. Kristen Bell is a great addition, and along
with Dana Davis’s Monica, should remain in some form.
§
Bad:
Subtitles. The international and multicultural hook of
Heroes is nothing but a good thing, but many have
decried the subtitles. With Hiro speaking Japanese and
Maya and Alejandro speaking Spanish, there was a lot
more reading going on this season than there needed to
be.
§
Good:
Adam Monroe. David Anders as a bad guy who can’t be
killed, is driven by a long lost love and is righteous
in his...wrongness. How they will resolve his storyline
is one of the most anticipated show points.
§
Bad:
The disappearance of anticipation. This was a problem
with the audience and the show. Storytelling is a
delicate balance. You can’t drag things out because
folks will become disinterested, and on an ensemble show
you have to find which stories are strongest...and stick
with them (lesson learned from Lost). On the flip
side, TV pundits rushed to condemn the show pretty early
into the season. They fanned the flames before the show
could work itself out of the doldrums.
So, what
will happen in the latest episode? The promos say that
some of the heroes will fall. Message boards around the
Web want Nikki (Ali Larter) to go. That would be a blow
to young Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) since he just lost his
dad, but maybe it’d be a good move creatively. Making
her evil could also be a great twist. Micah and Monica
would be a great crime-fighting team.
Bob, the
enigmatic leader of the Company, may meet his maker, and
Maya’s naivete should get her killed (especially with
Sylar pulling the strings). She may also just be too
dangerous to keep around.
It’ll be
interesting to see what the writers come up with and how
they’ll entice viewers to come back for a third
season. More to come later on.... |
