This Week in Fandom: Heroes and Leverage

[kelleah]

Wow, I haven't done this in awhile.  Let's see if I remember how.  :-)

Heroes - Volume 3: Villains

Okay, I finally caught up with the Heroes' Season 3 storyline via G4’s all-day Saturday marathon.  Overall, I can’t see why the fans were so pissy about this volume.  Granted, there are definite moments of “Oh you’ve got to be kidding me with this!”  But those where easily met and outweighed with moments of “This show is like crack!  The characterization, the special effects, the homoerotic subtext.  How can you not adore this?"

So, without further ado, here are some of my thoughts on the Volume 3: Villains storyline:

• I loved all of episode 8 - "Villains".  Especially the flashbacks that featured Eric Roberts and Malcolm McDowell.  Their additions to any season will always be welcome.  :-) 
• If Robert Forster was my father, I would be 10 times more f%#ked up than Nathan or Peter.  Just watching him stare at Nathan from across the room in "Villains" scared the crap out of me.
• Tamlyn Tomita.  :-D
• I’m a fan of great characterization.  Or to be more specific, I’m a fan of great characterization as it is revealed through wonderfully written arguments and fights.  Case in point: the fight Peter and Nathan have in the Haitian jungle in the "Eclipse Part I" episode.  You know an argument is well written when you can’t choose which side to cheer for.  I truly love Milo and Adrian’s work here.
• Squee! Cameos by Breckin Meyer and Seth Green and Seth Green’s beard, which incidentally isn’t Breckin Meyer.
• Let me see if I get this straight: Haiti is full of big, black, incredibly masculine, hunky dark-skinned Haitian men and light-skinned, wavy haired, coquettish Dominican women.  Oh Heroes, will you ever learn to control your skanky race issues?  Was it inconceivable for Nathan to sympathize with a dark-skinned, nappy-headed black woman on the verge of being sold into slavery?  Would the audience find it far-fetched to see a white man care about the fate of a bushy haired goddess with skin the shade of midnight?  I guess your casting directors seem to think so.
• Although he scared the crap out of me, I was sad to see Papa Petrelli go.  He was a really good "big bad" for the season.  I was also disappointed that he went so easily (via the hand of Sylar).
• Why is the man without any special powers -- the one and only Noah Bennett -- 80 times more badass than any of the characters with powers, including Gabriel/Sylar/OMG! Who-am-I-this-week?!
• I’m lukewarm about Daphne, Ms. Speedster with a heart of gold.  She’s an okay character, but she has no chemistry with Matt Parkman/Greg Grunberg.  The thought of them making out makes my retinas burn.  I might like her more if she were paired with someone else.
• On the other hand, no more Elle.  I wish she could've stayed on.  She will be missed.
• I love it how, according to Hollywood, Kansas is nothing but farmland as far as the eye can see, with the occasionally comic book store a mere 2 blocks away.
• Despite his supposed crossover to the dark side, Nathan is still one of my favorite characters on the series.  It’s partially due to the fact that I find characters that straddle the fence between good and bad and continually struggle with their morality far more fascinating to watch than those who are loyal to one side but occasionally disappoint their colleagues by making bad decisions.  What can I say?  Case in point: Faith vs. Buffy, Lindsay vs. Angel, Garak vs. Bashir.
• I also adore Nathan because Adrian Pasdar is definitely one of the better actors on the entire series and he’s a bit of a hottie.  I think I'll make him my next celebrity obsession.  :-)
• Claire’s still whiny and annoying.
• President Worf
• The first 3 episodes of this season were boring, but I think I might still buy this season when it comes out on DVD if the extras are plentiful.

As for the premiere of Volume 4: Fugitives, my thoughts go a little something like this:

• I actually like Hiro's affection for Ando now. For too long, it's felt like Ando has had a sycophantic devotion to Hiro. So it's nice to see Hiro show that devotion in kind. Their relationship actually feels more like true friendship now, instead of something more one-sided.  And Hiro’s password being “Ando”.  Awwww.  Corny, but awwwww.
• I thought the conversation between Mohinder and Peter in the cab was cute. Intentionally repetitive, but less ominous and forced than the first time we heard it.  It’s a bit ironic that Mohinder agreed with what Nathan was saying about specials being dangerous, but he didn’t much care for being hunted down like a jack rabbit, did he?
• Peter's going to have intimacy issues with all these family members asking for a hug right before they betray him. Poor Pete. So trusting. So stupid.
• My guess is the SuperDuper Formula gave Pete his natural powers back, but a new way to absorb them from other specials. Interesting.  I wonder if the formula would work the same way on Hiro.  But there is no more formula, so Hiro may be a normal schmoe for the rest of the series.  Hmmmm.
• Another interesting catch, as a AP fan anyway, is the EMT who mentioned that he's from Iran, so he's worried about Nathan's Gitmo plans. I couldn't help but smirk at that knowing that Pasdar is half-Iranian, but he's passing for Italian on the show.
• I’m so not buying Claire as the action heroine. I find her "Ripley" about as believable as low-fat cheesecake.  I don’t think I’ll ever be a Claire fan, but I do try to be fair.  And the notion of her running after the plane and crawling inside through the wheel well was laughable, and not in the good way.
• Overall, I like Evil!Nathan. Hell, I like Nathan pretty much any way I can get him. (In S1, he was my second fav character after Hiro. Now, he’s my second fav after Bennet.) I don't actually think he's evil at all though. Morally ambiguous, yes; but not evil. But let’s say I’m wrong and if he is supposed to be evil, Adrian Pasdar is playing him wrong because I don't believe for five seconds that he's sincere about his locking-up-all-the-specials-will-keep-us-all-safe schtick. It just rings hollow to me. I feel as if Nathan has something else planned that not even his crackerjack team fully understands.  Of course, I could just be in denial. :-) It wouldn't be the first time.
• Claire is still whiny and annoying.
• I finally get Petrellicest.  I don’t lust after Milo like so many other fans (male and female), but when he’s slashed with Nathan, I can see the appeal.

Leverage - “The 12-Step Job”

• You know, I don’t think the Nate/Sophie romance storyline would bother me so much if TNT had actually shown the episodes in the right order.  I’m normally not one to bitch about series running in the exact order the writers intended; most of the time, I can't even tell they’re not in order until someone online complains.

But this hodge-podge order of the first season is hurting the character development of Nate and Sophie, IMO.  Which really sucks for Nate because he’s the leader and we’re supposed to care about what happens to him.  But Sophie’s constant pining mixed with belligerent psychoanalysis does a disservice to both of them.

By mixing up the episodes, Nate/Sophie’s characterization and relationship seems far more dysfunctional and disjointed than I think it was meant to be.  The transition from righteous do-gooder to flawed leader in charge of directing a talented pack of ne’er-do-wells has become piecemeal and frustrating for those of us who want to enjoy the whole ensemble, not just the hottie with the short temper and permanent scowl or the charismatic geek who keeps stealing every scene he’s in.  In the end, I think it’s unfortunate.  All I can hope for is that TNT learns its lesson and avoids futzing with Season 2’s episode order.

• This episode was overflowing in buddy-cop goodness.  Writers please take note: I’m going to need more of the Hardison/Spencer tag-team in the future.  The slushie mishap in Eliot’s truck, the mini-slapfight when Hardison sat down in the car with the bomb attached under the chassis, and of course, the hoyay! shenanigans when they were trying to sneak into the rehab center to see Nate all made the episode for me.  I want more of this please.  :-D
• I know some fans are bothered by the lack of Parker screen time in this episode, but, honestly, I’m okay with it.  I like her character, but she doesn’t have to have exactly as many lines as every other co-star on the show each week.  None of them do.  As far as I’m concerned, it was just her turn to sit back and let someone else carry the A-story and B-story.
• The caper in this episode was kinda m’eh.  I like it that the bad guy was set on a new path instead of going to jail.  It sort of fits the tone of the episode (hint: Nate’s drinking problem), but the overall con was pretty limp.  Oh well, they all can’t be winners.
• So far, my favorite episode remains "The Bank Shot Job," followed by "The Mile High Job."
• Hopefully, next week’s "The Juror #6 Job" will be better than "The Wedding Job."  Both episodes were directed by Jonathan Frakes, and I know Johnny can do better than "The Wedding Job."  Because other than the knife fight in the kitchen and Parker’s kookiness, I was pretty unhappy with that episode as well.