Some thoughts on "Heroes"
Hey there--flipper here. Long time no post on Omnimedia, huh? This morning it struck me--what better way to procrastinate posting on my own blog than to post on another blog? This is the ideal way to get some thoughts off my mind and maybe get the writing juices flowing.
So, what's on my mind is this. I started watching "Heroes" last night for the first time, through the wondrous evil that is Netflix instant viewing capabilities. If you're not familiar, Netflix now has certain shows and movies available for immediate download, and with a regular Netflix membership, you can watch as many of these as you want at no additional cost. This is truly a great power, but one that can easily be abused in the wrong hands (i.e., mine). Last night, I watched around seven episodes in a row, from 9:30 until 3:00 in the morning, at which point I had the laptop in the bed and kept drifting off and having to rewind to make it through to the end of the show . . . this kind of sounds like a problem, doesn't it? I just couldn't stop watching.
Anyway, as everyone who thought I should watch it predicted, I love it--obviously. But, I do have a couple of problems with it. WARNING--spoilers ahead in case anyone else hasn't yet started watching but plans to in the future.
O.K., first, the cheerleader who can't be hurt. What's up with how, after she discovered her power and explored it through the joys of home video with her geeky friend, does she continue to hurt herself on purpose or through carelessness over and over? I mean, I totally get it already--you can't be hurt, you will regenerate. But do you really have to stick your hand in the garbage disposal to retrieve your ring while the disposal is still running? I mean, the switch is right there! And just because you can regenerate, does that automatically mean you don't feel pain either? Why would you want to do that, just to show us your hand growing back? I guess the writers are trying to really beat it into the viewers' heads that she has this power, but come on--we get it, no need to turn the cheerleader into a Gore Excuse. (Also, that autopsy scene--how gross and utterly nonsensical was that? No one's going to just start randomly doing an autopsy on a dead girl without contacting her family or anything, especially when the obvious cause of death is the stake sticking out of her neck. Come on! I don't mind gore, except when it's obviously gratuitous, as it was here.)
Another issue--did they have to make the Japanese guys so campy? I mean, I understand from the time travel scene that Hiro eventually gets serious and turns into a normal earnest and confident superhero (with a sword!), but seriously--those early scenes reminded me a little too much of the way-over-the-top sterotyped Asian guy in "Sixteen Candles." Can't you convey someone's sweetness, goodness, and innocence without also making him come off as a total goofball?
Then, the stripper with the doppelganger or whatever. I like her (primary) character (and she's really hot!), but I don't understand her motivation for framing her husband in the first place. I mean, apart from him being some kind of criminal, he seems like a decent guy and a good father, and they really seemed to be in love. Could her evil side really come up with no better plan for getting money than to frame him and set in motion the deadly chain of events that ensued? Why? I guess I really don't understand this one yet. I like how her other self comes out to protect her and her son, but I don't like the idea of it happening preemptively for personal gain. Am I supposed to like this character? Which side am I supposed to root for? Is the evil side really evil, or were her actions justified in some other way? I just don't know yet. (This one isn't really a complaint--I'm just confused.)
Finally, the guy who can fly but doesn't want to? I don't get that. Who wouldn't want to fly? Also, his brother the empath, who we are obviously supposed to identify with, is just kind of annoying.
These are minor complaints, though. This is a great show! It will be a struggle today to actually do something productive instead of plopping down on the couch with the laptop and watching the remaining episodes. . . .
So, what's on my mind is this. I started watching "Heroes" last night for the first time, through the wondrous evil that is Netflix instant viewing capabilities. If you're not familiar, Netflix now has certain shows and movies available for immediate download, and with a regular Netflix membership, you can watch as many of these as you want at no additional cost. This is truly a great power, but one that can easily be abused in the wrong hands (i.e., mine). Last night, I watched around seven episodes in a row, from 9:30 until 3:00 in the morning, at which point I had the laptop in the bed and kept drifting off and having to rewind to make it through to the end of the show . . . this kind of sounds like a problem, doesn't it? I just couldn't stop watching.
Anyway, as everyone who thought I should watch it predicted, I love it--obviously. But, I do have a couple of problems with it. WARNING--spoilers ahead in case anyone else hasn't yet started watching but plans to in the future.
O.K., first, the cheerleader who can't be hurt. What's up with how, after she discovered her power and explored it through the joys of home video with her geeky friend, does she continue to hurt herself on purpose or through carelessness over and over? I mean, I totally get it already--you can't be hurt, you will regenerate. But do you really have to stick your hand in the garbage disposal to retrieve your ring while the disposal is still running? I mean, the switch is right there! And just because you can regenerate, does that automatically mean you don't feel pain either? Why would you want to do that, just to show us your hand growing back? I guess the writers are trying to really beat it into the viewers' heads that she has this power, but come on--we get it, no need to turn the cheerleader into a Gore Excuse. (Also, that autopsy scene--how gross and utterly nonsensical was that? No one's going to just start randomly doing an autopsy on a dead girl without contacting her family or anything, especially when the obvious cause of death is the stake sticking out of her neck. Come on! I don't mind gore, except when it's obviously gratuitous, as it was here.)
Another issue--did they have to make the Japanese guys so campy? I mean, I understand from the time travel scene that Hiro eventually gets serious and turns into a normal earnest and confident superhero (with a sword!), but seriously--those early scenes reminded me a little too much of the way-over-the-top sterotyped Asian guy in "Sixteen Candles." Can't you convey someone's sweetness, goodness, and innocence without also making him come off as a total goofball?
Then, the stripper with the doppelganger or whatever. I like her (primary) character (and she's really hot!), but I don't understand her motivation for framing her husband in the first place. I mean, apart from him being some kind of criminal, he seems like a decent guy and a good father, and they really seemed to be in love. Could her evil side really come up with no better plan for getting money than to frame him and set in motion the deadly chain of events that ensued? Why? I guess I really don't understand this one yet. I like how her other self comes out to protect her and her son, but I don't like the idea of it happening preemptively for personal gain. Am I supposed to like this character? Which side am I supposed to root for? Is the evil side really evil, or were her actions justified in some other way? I just don't know yet. (This one isn't really a complaint--I'm just confused.)
Finally, the guy who can fly but doesn't want to? I don't get that. Who wouldn't want to fly? Also, his brother the empath, who we are obviously supposed to identify with, is just kind of annoying.
These are minor complaints, though. This is a great show! It will be a struggle today to actually do something productive instead of plopping down on the couch with the laptop and watching the remaining episodes. . . .
posted by flipper at 10:18 AM
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