Heroes Verdict: Meh
Adam Scheinberg, October 22, 2008 (16 years ago)
Not too long ago, I said "Heroes has replaced LOST as my #1, mostly because the plot advances comfortably." I've blogged about Heroes in the past, too. But now, comfortably into the realm of the show, I can safely say that Heroes is the poor man's sci-fi. Heroes is ill-thought out from the get go. As my friend Eugenia has said before, the writers made the Heroes too powerful up front, and as a result, the storylines are seeking to limit them where possible, and just flat out ignoring them at worst.
Firstly, Peter, Sylar, and Parkman's dad, at a minimum are all extremely powerful, yet none of them really "use" their powers, even when it would make sense. Sylar, for example, didn't hear something whispered just 20 yards from him, yet it was explained in season 1 that he had super-hearing. Hiro makes the dumbest mistakes in the world, and doesn't use his power to fix them (like going back in time to just not open the safe, or better yet, putting a fake version in his hand before Daphne swiped it.)
The entire story arc often feels like a bunch of ninth graders writing a "wouldn't it be cool if" story, without really laying out the entire storyline. Peter is impetuous and rarely thinks before acting - not in a realistic way, but in an "it's a good plot device" kind of way. Nathan's family just... evaporated. Hiro digs up Adam Monroe rather than just zapping him out of the coffin, which, by the way, is how he got him in there.
The truth is, the massive cast, which includes useless Mohinder, pointless Maya, and wants-to-be-interesting-but-just-isn't Parkman needs to be trimmed down. And why ignore cool characters like The Haitian? The last truly great episode was "Company Man" in season 1.
Although I'll still watch it for now, Heroes is just, sadly, not that good of a serialized drama.
Firstly, Peter, Sylar, and Parkman's dad, at a minimum are all extremely powerful, yet none of them really "use" their powers, even when it would make sense. Sylar, for example, didn't hear something whispered just 20 yards from him, yet it was explained in season 1 that he had super-hearing. Hiro makes the dumbest mistakes in the world, and doesn't use his power to fix them (like going back in time to just not open the safe, or better yet, putting a fake version in his hand before Daphne swiped it.)
The entire story arc often feels like a bunch of ninth graders writing a "wouldn't it be cool if" story, without really laying out the entire storyline. Peter is impetuous and rarely thinks before acting - not in a realistic way, but in an "it's a good plot device" kind of way. Nathan's family just... evaporated. Hiro digs up Adam Monroe rather than just zapping him out of the coffin, which, by the way, is how he got him in there.
The truth is, the massive cast, which includes useless Mohinder, pointless Maya, and wants-to-be-interesting-but-just-isn't Parkman needs to be trimmed down. And why ignore cool characters like The Haitian? The last truly great episode was "Company Man" in season 1.
Although I'll still watch it for now, Heroes is just, sadly, not that good of a serialized drama.
I was thinking exactly the same thing about Hiro's behavior and Sylar's hearing ability btw. These kinds of prop mistakes wouldn't have happened on "Lost". In fact, Lost employs a guy who knows all the details, and tries to find such inconsistencies in the script before shooting takes place (and even he, missed a few, like Charlie being/not being able to swim). There is attention to detail on Lost, a much deeper story, and two writers who know what they want and how to lay it out.
The only thing I can say about Heroes is this: it's convoluted, and its writers don't give a toss anymore. And this reflects in the ratings. NBC properly advertised Heroes, and so in this case, the producers can't say the usual "we didn't have support from our network". It's just that people lost interest in that mess. Heroes is quickly going to get canceled if it doesn't gain 3 more million viewers by the end of the season. Something that I don't expect it to happen.
The huge commercial breaks make me surf and miss parts. The first season was their swan song, the last two seasons have been painful to watch at times.
Why hasn't Claire killed Noah again? He and Suresh make the whole thing drag like a broken leg.
And this season, it's equally ridiculous to see evil future Claire trying to kill Peter with a handgun with no Haitian nearby. Peter can stop time, stop the bullet in mid-air, turn invisible, teleport, regenerate, shoot flames, shoot electric sparks, use telekinesis, read her mind or even fly to evade the bullet. Or he could just let the bullet phase right through him.
With all that said, i have to say i'm still a HUGE fan of the show. I try not to think too much about these things. It makes the show much more enjoyable. I mean, it's just a TV show, we shouldn't try and pick on every single detail the writers have ignored or missed. The same with Prison Break. I still watch it and enjoy it.