Thoughts on the finale of Heroes: Chapter 2

After watching Heroes last night, I have some thoughts. In no particular order (and definitely spoilers ahead):

* Wasn't the fate of Adam just a bit too much like the fate of Sloane on Alias? Surely the two shows have a lot of overlapping viewers. It seemed a bit too unoriginal considering Sloane was buried alive (and was fated to live forever) only a year and a half ago.

* Did you know that David Anders is only 24 years old? I learned this from reading People's Sexiest Man Alive issue. (Some might argue that's a crown Anders deserves to wear.) He definitely looks a lot older. Not that it makes him any less attractive. Additionally, he's from Oregon. Bailey told me that, and People confirmed.

* This entire season I have thought that actress who plays Maya, Dania Ramirez, might be the worst actress on television. All the whining and panic was very one-note. Then I did a search for her on IMDB and realized she played AJ's girlfriend Blanca on The Sopranos. I hadn't even realized it was the same actress. She was far better in The Sopranos.

* Speaking of Maya, what a complete waste of Claire's healing blood to use it on her. When Sylar shot her I looked at Gobo and said "he should have done that five episodes ago." Alas, we will have to deal with her more in the next season.

* As a fan of Veronica Mars it pains me to say this, but I am beginning to wonder whether fellow short person and vegetarian Kristen Bell can act. Because of the things we have in common (the aforementioned being short and being vegetarians) I really want to believe she can act. But every role I see her in she plays snarky. Granted, the only roles I have watched her in are Veronica, Elle, and the voice on Gossip Girl. Obviously, the Gossip Girl narrator is supposed to be snarky. And Veronica was supposed to be snarky...at times. Yes, most of the time, but not all of the time. Sometimes I thought her snark was overdone. And now on Heroes it's all snark all of the time as well. I don't think that the role of Elle is written particularly snarkily, but perhaps that's what the directors and writers wanted her to do with it. Regardless, there were moments in last night's episode where she wasn't supposed to be snarky (instead she was supposed to be hurt, lost, vulnerable, immature) and the snark permeated throughout. I haven't come to a decision on this one, but does anyone else feel the same way?

* What power of Peter's allowed him to clench the vial of Shanti virus in his fist and turn it into dust? His electric powers (from Elle)? His radioactive powers (from Ted)? I'm a little confused about that.

* Speaking of Peter's radioactivity, such a big part of the end of last season was about how if Peter (or Ted) got too excited about something, they would turn radioactive. It wasn't something either of them could control, except to calm down. But Peter got worked up during this season and the radioactivity was never an issue. Does this mean once he blew up himself and Nathan the radioactive powers went away? It didn't work that way for Ted. A little confusing.

* I was surprised that Nathan was one of the Heroes who kicked it in the last episode. My money was on Parkman.

* The actors who play Mama Petrelli and Nathan really resemble. It's like they have the same jaw. Great casting on that front.

* It seems like the superpowers the new heroes are getting are less and less exciting: having your eyes turn black and killing everyone around you; being able to copy anything you see. I wonder why we haven't seen anyone who is faster than the speed of light yet. (I guess Nathan is (was) when he was flying, but I'm talking more generally.) Or how about someone who can leap tall builings in a single bound?

* I'm hoping that the writers are able to do a little more with Chapter 3 than they did with Chapter 2. I know Chapter 2 was highly criticized, and rightly so (although the last few episodes were far better than the rest of the season). I liked the idea of learning about the older generation, but instead of delving into that the season became a sorry rehash of Chapter 1, with the heroes trying to save the public from a worldwide plague while evil others worked in the wings against them, trying to exploit their powers. Again, Peter's powers and Hiro's powers were most instrumental in saving the world. And now the teaser for Chapter 3 is that Sylar has his powers back. I really hope Chapter 3 is more than just "Sylar is trying to take everyone's powers, we have to stop him."

A great year for television

As the 2006-07 television season draws to a close, I'm really impressed with how many good shows debuted this season. Not only did we get the best show on television, Friday Night Lights, but we also got Heroes, Ugly Betty, The Riches and The Tudors. In addition, I have heard so many good things about 30 Rock that I am going to rent the DVDs this summer so I can begin watching season two.

Did I waste an inordinate amount of time with shows like Studio 60, Justice and The Wedding Bells (yes, I actually did watch the last show--I'm not proud of it)? Obviously. They were all bad and were all deservedly cancelled. But I can't remember another season when I have added five new shows to my viewing schedule. And when you consider that FNL, Heroes and Ugly Betty are three out of my four favorite non-reality shows right now (Lost being the other), 2006 was a very, very good year.

Spoilers spoil everything

I guess that's why they are called spoilers. I think spoilers are understandable when I'm reading an article on a television show the day after it airs (and I haven't watched it yet), and the writer mentions something that happened in the show. If I didn't want to know what happened in that episode, I should have stayed away. However, I think it's quite another when a network, in its promos for an upcoming episode, ruins what is supposed to be a surprise.

Case in point: the last two episodes of Heroes. (This is the point you should stop reading if you haven't watched the episodes.)

In promos over the past week, we have been told that we would find out who Claire's father was in last night's episode. However, a discerning viewer could strongly suspect it was Nathan Petrelli based on the promos showing the arm of Claire's father as he picked up the phone. The shot showed his forearm, clad in a pink button-down shirt rolled up casually, exposing dark hair on the arm. Who dresses this way in the show? Nathan and...well, that's about it. What's so disappointing about this is that the reveal, without that clip, would have been a good one. It wouldn't have made me gasp, but I certainly would have been a lot more surprised than I was.

Two weeks ago, there was a lot of internet chatter that George Takai would be joining the show. I don't have a problem with the show letting that information get out--I'm sure they thought bringing on Mr. Sulu could help with ratings. However, the informational blurb the network ran along with the episode said that Hiro's father would be appearing. Since Hiro is Japanese, most viewers probably immediately figured out that Takei would be playing his father. So when Hiro and Ando were "kidnapped" near the end of that episode, it wasn't shocking when his captor was revealed to be his father, played by George Takai.

I'm sure that the creators of Heroes can't be happy about this. So why is NBC ruining all of the suspense for the viewers? Are they sloppy? Stupid? Or do they think spoiling the surprise helps their ratings in some way? I remember a few years ago, the creators of The Young and the Restless and The Bold and the Beautiful wouldn't share "coming attractions" for the next week's episodes with soap opera magazines, arguing that it ruined their ability to tell the story. They eventually relented, but have kept those spoilers cryptic. I'm beginning to think they had the right idea to begin with. Sure, I love watching "scenes from the next episode," but not when it makes actually watching the next episode redundant.

The Season So Far: Monday

First, I have a confession to make. Remember how I said that I wasn't going to watch Prison Break anymore? Well, that didn't really work out. I blame my secretary, who loves the show, and was appalled at my decision to abandon it. So, I made a deal with myself that I could only watch it on the treadmill at the gym. Yes, I have entered the third stage of grief -- bargaining. The question is what am I grieving? Prison Break or my self control? Only time will tell.

Anyway, it's so much better this season now that they're out of prison. Stuff actually happens. And the addition of William Fichtner as Agent Mahone has really improved things. Also, Wentworth Miller is incredibly good looking.

Heroes is one of my favorite new shows. Yes, there are the mysterious forces that draw the characters together a la Lost. But the characters are so entertaining. And the plot advances from week to week. And you have the sneaking suspicion that the writers actually know where the story is going. And there's Hiro!

Oh, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, you frustrate me. You are so self-righteous, and full of yourself, but mostly just not funny. But then last night, amid the self-righteousness (see FCC subplot) and full-of-yourself-ness (see New Orleans subplot), I actually starting caring about the relationship between Danny and Jordan. And I think I even laughed.

Dumb Lawsuit of the Day

So it seems that Emerson Electric is suing NBC. Why, you ask. Well, it turns out that an Emerson garbage disposal was used in Heroes and one of the protagonists stuck her hand into it and it was (temporarily) mangled. (It's good to be a hero.) According to CNN, Emerson is claiming trademark infringement and that NBC has portrayed their product in a negative way. WHAT?!? By showing that someone who put her hand in a garbage disposal and then turns it on gets hurt--this somehow portrays a product in a bad light. (I'll leave to the side the intellectual property issue although this seems quite flimsy as well.) What it seems is happening--and as the CNN article states--is that Emerson is trying to get some free publicity by filing this law suit. Here's my response--(1) if I were the judge (not that anyone has asked me to be), I would sanction them for this patently frivolous assertion and (2) I urge the three of you reading this not to buy an Emerson garbage disposal (or any other Emerson product). Don't clog the legal system any more with these ridiculous suits. I'm Isaac, Your Bartender, and I approve this message.

Heroes

This show sure has a way with final scenes! Last week's final scene (Claire the indestructable cheerleader coming to on an autopsy table with her organs exposed after a rapist quarterback accidentally "killed" her) was really cool. But this week - Hiro appearing to Peter in a green-lit subway car where everything else is frozen in time to tell him in English that he'd come from the future? Very very cool. I'm finally starting to care a little bit about the characters . . . except the stripper with the split personality. I actually fast-forwarded through her scenes with the flying politician - someone tell me if I missed something important.

Seing Claire use her power to punish the teen rapist, seeing some of the heroes starting to interact with each other, having Sean kidnapped and tortured (?) by Claire's adopted dad, and Hiro's Vegas Rain Man interlude for a touch of levity? Most evenly enjoyable episode yet.

Any of the other Junkettes (or non-Junkette blog readers) watching? Is this show ever going to find a way to make the middles of the episode as enthralling as the final scenes? Anybody else wish we could have more Claire, more Hiro, and more Sean and less of everyone else?

Fall TV Preview: Monday

Oh my gosh. It turns out that the fall TV season is starting tonight with the premieres of Prison Break and Vanished on Fox. Here’s the Monday lineup:

8 pm: Wife Swap (ABC), The Class (CBS), Deal or No Deal (NBC), Prison Break (Fox), 7th Heaven (CW)

8:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

9 pm: The Bachelor (ABC), Two and a Half Men (CBS), Heroes (NBC), Vanished (Fox), Runaway (CW)

9:30 pm: The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS)

10 pm: What about Brian? (ABC), CSI Miami (CBS), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC)

Hmm, this is a little tougher. At 8 o’clock last year, I TiVoed Prison Break, but never really felt like watching it. It’s the kind of show where I want to know what happens but I don’t really want to invest the time in actually watching it. I think I’ll just save myself 58 minutes and read the recaplet on TWOP. What will take its place? Alan Sepinwall really likes How I Met Your Mother, and it’s got Doogie. Maybe I’ll give that a try. The Class looks like a standard-issue sitcom set in a school though.

At 9 o’clock, it’s a choice among three new shows: Heroes, about people all over the world who develop super powers overnight; Vanished, about a missing senator’s wife and the conspiracy that surrounds her disappearance; and Runaway, starring Donnie Wahlberg, about a family that goes undercover in Iowa after the father is framed for murder by -- you guessed it -- a shadowy conspiracy. I want to like this, remniscent as it is of Running on Empty starring River Phoenix, but Televisionary describes it as “7th Heaven on the run.” Ouch. I’m leaning toward Heroes. But what about Christine -- another Sepinwall favorite? Does anyone watch that?

At 10, I’ll be watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the new Aaron Sorkin show. I watched What about Brian? for awhile in the spring until I realized that I did not care about any of the characters.