Heroes Season Premiere
On the one hand, I'm really glad to have the show back. On the other, not as strong as I'd hoped.
In fact, if this were my first exposure to the show, I'm not sure I'd have gotten hooked. As it is, they're asking that we put a lot of faith in them for some of the weak setups we're given this week.
Worst example of this is Hiro's predicament. A short stint in the past to demonstrate the full power of Hiro's time-travel power? Okay, cool. An ongoing storyline of Hiro propping up his idol with feet of clay? Not so much. They're going to have to demonstrate relevance to the modern day pretty fast in order to sustain interest.
Mohinder's discussion of the "plague" was efficient exposition to be certain, but it also came out of nowhere. Is this the same sickness that killed his sister and later plagued Molly? Who else is infected that Mohinder would be so aware of it? Why hasn't he just pumped all them with his blood as well?
I'm all for Noah Bennett getting his bad-ass on, but terrorizing the manager of a copy store? That wasn't bad-ass, that was pathetic. I understand what the writers were trying to get at -- that HRG has to endure mind-numbingly "normal" life in order to survive. But this felt like parody.
That said, I did get a thrill when Noah received his phone call during dinner, and when it became clear what he and Mohinder were up to.
While locking in one plotline, it opened enough questions to spark interest. Will Matt Parkman be involved? How will this intersect with the death of Daddy Sulu? When and how will Mohinder deal with his comflicting desire to bring down The Company and to solve the "plague?"
On the middling point, I'm curious but wary of the "Death of the Twelve." My primary interest lies in learning how the Twelve really formed and what their actual goal is (and was, because I think those may not be the same thing). There's also the mystery of who the remaining seven are (We know Deveaux, Linderman, Mr. and Mrs. Petrelli, and Nakamura for certain). However, I couldn't believe they spit out a cliche line like "I never imagined it would be you." (Even if Daddy Sulu can make it sound awesome.)
Okay, strong points? Parkman! I'm thrilled he surived, thrilled he gets to be a cop again, and love the chemistry between him and Molly. I'm a little concerned why he finally divorced his wife, but trust that story will be told. But he retains all the warmth and intergrity that made me like him in the first place, while showing how his experiences have changed him. Watching him track down Molly's tormentor, and seeing how that intersects with the other plotlines, should be great.
Nathan survived, and he told off Mommy. Go Nathan! Like Matt, we see how his experiences have changed him. Unlike Matt, that's a very bad thing. Nathan was already a reluctant hero. Now he's lost everything and seems to be searching for something to believe in. Oh, and did you catch that he was the guy who bumped into Ando on the street? Hm, and who else could have tackled Daddy Sulu off the roof and disappeared...
Then there's our newbies, Maya and Alejandro. This is why I shouldn't read pre-release material, because it kinda ruined the suspense of what Maya's power is and how her brother interacts with it. Still, even knowing the end, they did a good job of building suspense and demonstrating how desperate their situation is.
Funny thing... I'm excited about what we didn't see. We know from promos that Sylar is alive and well, so now we have suspense about where he is and what's next. We also have Niki and Micah to check up on, but they decided not to stuff them into an already packed episode. Give us something to look forward to.
Yes, I didn't discuss Claire or the contents of the shipping crate. I hold no real opinion of either yet.
But hey, I'm looking forward to next week.
-J
In fact, if this were my first exposure to the show, I'm not sure I'd have gotten hooked. As it is, they're asking that we put a lot of faith in them for some of the weak setups we're given this week.
Worst example of this is Hiro's predicament. A short stint in the past to demonstrate the full power of Hiro's time-travel power? Okay, cool. An ongoing storyline of Hiro propping up his idol with feet of clay? Not so much. They're going to have to demonstrate relevance to the modern day pretty fast in order to sustain interest.
Mohinder's discussion of the "plague" was efficient exposition to be certain, but it also came out of nowhere. Is this the same sickness that killed his sister and later plagued Molly? Who else is infected that Mohinder would be so aware of it? Why hasn't he just pumped all them with his blood as well?
I'm all for Noah Bennett getting his bad-ass on, but terrorizing the manager of a copy store? That wasn't bad-ass, that was pathetic. I understand what the writers were trying to get at -- that HRG has to endure mind-numbingly "normal" life in order to survive. But this felt like parody.
That said, I did get a thrill when Noah received his phone call during dinner, and when it became clear what he and Mohinder were up to.
While locking in one plotline, it opened enough questions to spark interest. Will Matt Parkman be involved? How will this intersect with the death of Daddy Sulu? When and how will Mohinder deal with his comflicting desire to bring down The Company and to solve the "plague?"
On the middling point, I'm curious but wary of the "Death of the Twelve." My primary interest lies in learning how the Twelve really formed and what their actual goal is (and was, because I think those may not be the same thing). There's also the mystery of who the remaining seven are (We know Deveaux, Linderman, Mr. and Mrs. Petrelli, and Nakamura for certain). However, I couldn't believe they spit out a cliche line like "I never imagined it would be you." (Even if Daddy Sulu can make it sound awesome.)
Okay, strong points? Parkman! I'm thrilled he surived, thrilled he gets to be a cop again, and love the chemistry between him and Molly. I'm a little concerned why he finally divorced his wife, but trust that story will be told. But he retains all the warmth and intergrity that made me like him in the first place, while showing how his experiences have changed him. Watching him track down Molly's tormentor, and seeing how that intersects with the other plotlines, should be great.
Nathan survived, and he told off Mommy. Go Nathan! Like Matt, we see how his experiences have changed him. Unlike Matt, that's a very bad thing. Nathan was already a reluctant hero. Now he's lost everything and seems to be searching for something to believe in. Oh, and did you catch that he was the guy who bumped into Ando on the street? Hm, and who else could have tackled Daddy Sulu off the roof and disappeared...
Then there's our newbies, Maya and Alejandro. This is why I shouldn't read pre-release material, because it kinda ruined the suspense of what Maya's power is and how her brother interacts with it. Still, even knowing the end, they did a good job of building suspense and demonstrating how desperate their situation is.
Funny thing... I'm excited about what we didn't see. We know from promos that Sylar is alive and well, so now we have suspense about where he is and what's next. We also have Niki and Micah to check up on, but they decided not to stuff them into an already packed episode. Give us something to look forward to.
Yes, I didn't discuss Claire or the contents of the shipping crate. I hold no real opinion of either yet.
But hey, I'm looking forward to next week.
-J