It's a New New York, Today
Friday Night Lights update! I have now seen fourteen episodes, and I really like it and can't stop watching but have stopped short of full-blown love. I expect it to come by the end, however, as I have actually begun to like Riggins by this point, which, what the hell?
P.S. Remember that time MI.net visited the VM writers and the set? We finally provide you with three different reports and an interview with Jason Dohring. There's some more stuff forthcoming, as well as my personal report in the next...some time this year.
I...I...THIS SHOW. It's like everything a sci-fi/comic book geek could possibly want in a television show.
The chyron totally spoils us in the first five seconds by informing us that, contrary to misconception, the confrontation at the end of last week's episode was actually still in the future. Because, Jesus God, Hiro sucks at time travel. Future Hiro looks and sounds so different from Hiro, I would believe you if you told me if it was a different actor. Props, Masi Oka. Props. And to hair and makeup. Mad props.
"I look upset."
"Go talk to yourself."
"No...I scare me."
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Future Hiro's timeline (also: Ando CALLS him "Future Hiro," hee!) is way cool. It's not infinite possibilities that are being shown but the way people intersect, the way our personal timelines contribute to the overall timeline. How he came to the conclusion that some random night on a subway was the best possible time to deliver a cryptic six-word message, we'll never know.
Then, suddenly: Parkman and the Haitian working together! And Parkman is now a badass! With confidence and shit!
So Niki has returned to her stripper ways, except she now had a bad wig and dances to Goldfrapp (thanks, vonnie_k!). And Peter! Has also become a badass! Everyone in the post-apocalyptic future is ALWAYS badass! It's a thing. He can be invisible and telekinese at the same time! And turn off the TV WITH HIS MIND. Plus, he's got this wicked scar that...we never find out about. Maybe his face blew up. And, now, here is the scar that was mentioned oh so many episodes ago. Back when we were just gobsmacked at the existence of Future Hiro. We never thought we'd actually get to see this future. We didn't know how far the rabbit hole went.
Nathan is President, which we already knew about, and Mohinder's his trusted scientific advisor who's not cool with genocide, and I just NOW realized why they called it Genosha.
Bennet is running an Underground Railroad! With Hana! Hi, Hana! Nice to see you on the actual show! Too bad you're going to be dead in ten minutes. I'll miss your text messages. It's sort of amusing how Bennet has not changed a bit. You can't make him any more badass! He is his own brand. Until he gets killed in ten minutes. DAMMIT. This future sucks!
I don't think we've heard of Molly Walker before now. I wonder what her deal is, if Hiro specifically saved her.
Claire has gone totally Texan and dyed her hair brown, and...yet, she still looks 17. Oooops. The adult actors can get by with a five-year difference, and 22-year-olds play 17-year-olds all the time, but Claire doesn't look 22 to me. She must still be 17, really, because what the hell does she see in this guy? That's not the guy for Claire! Maybe for Sandra. I love that Claire's desire for a normal life is now a matter of self-preservation, since she's hiding from the Sentinels Homeland Security.
Let's all make fun of Mohinder, you guys. It takes him this long to figure out that Hiro can travel through time? Seriously, people didn't fucking know that? I mean, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them because, honestly, I'm with Parkman on "time travel" being more out there than "telepathy." BUT, for fuck's sake, MOHINDER, you were there when Future Hiro spoke to Peter, and you knew that he had stopped time, and you also knew that Hiro could stop time...or, hell, has Mohinder even meant Hiro yet? I don't even know. Clearly, he at least knows about him after the explosion, and that he can stop time. But, damn, Mo. It took you FIVE YEARS to figure out what happened on that subway? You should really just watch the show; you could learn a lot. We're the audience, and we know shit.
Nathan's "united by grief" speech is a nice, chilling echo of Linderman's original plan. There's a lot of emphasis being put on uniting the world, perhaps because the writers really love X2: X-Men United.
Peter badassly saves Future Hiro and Ando! How awesome is he? Very awesome. Five years will do that to you.
How great is it that Ando's death is what turns Hiro into Future Hiro? I knew he had a purpose! He's Hiro's rock! He's his humanity! He's his BFF! And I really don't do the HoYay stuff, but I honest-to-God thought Peter was going to say something like, "I think he loved you...like that."
So Parkman had a kid and named him after himself? And he did have powers, whatever they are? And Janice is out there, hiding him? Hm.
Nathan and Claire! A father-daughter reunion years in the making. Except Nathan is not sounding very nice! But what is awesome about this is that it's so Nathan; it's very believable that given the right circumstances, Nathan would end up like this. We've seen the seeds. We know he's sort of a power-hungry bastard.
And then Claire is walking away, and...Nathan points and stops her in his tracks. Wait. What's going on? How did Nathan get another power?
And then Claire's forehead is being sliced open and HOLY FUCK IT'S SYLAR. He JUST MENTIONED CANDACE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. WAIT, CANDACE IS DEAD IN THIS FUTURE? THIS FUTURE SUCKS. STOP KILLING HOT WOMEN. And in retrospect, all that "special" shit is totally Sylar talk. The brilliant thing about this is that Sylar played an excellent Nathan, and that's telling. They both crave power, but in different ways. It makes you wonder how similar they must be, for Sylar to FAKE HIMSELF INTO THE PRESIDENCY.
Back from commercial, Peter makes us all feel like idiots by reminding us that he's the one who explodes. STILL. I was unsure whether this was an alternate timeline or not because Future Hiro knows that in the original sequence of events, Sylar blew up. Peter saved the cheerleader, and now the responsibility of blowing up has been transferred to him. You can't change the future that easily. This means that whether Sylar blows up or Peter blows up, the end result is the same, since whoever blows up ends up having regenerative powers and surviving the blast. Which...makes me wonder why we all thought Sylar was dead. It's because they showed his picture on the TV. That means he's dead.
Niki has stupid hair in this future.This future sucks.
But it can also be awesome, like when Future Peter and Future Hiro go all Neo and Trinity with swords and telekinesis.
Mohinder comes through every one in three chances he gets, so now it's his turn to KILL THE HAITIAN. The fucking intriguing part about this is that it's in Isaac's comic. "Hiro in the Future" is THIS FUCKING EPISODE. Somehow, the actual future, as seen through Isaac's prophetic eyes, INCLUDES the alternate future. TIME TRAVEL MAKES MY HEAD ASPLODE. But I love it anyway.
They killed Future Hiro! They're going full-on Wishverse with this bitch.
And then...SYLAR VS. PETER 2.0!!! BLUE VS. RED!! IT'S SO CHEESY CLASSIC! I LOVE IT!
Hiro finally gets back home (well, we think...next week, the chyron could say, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, and then the world would be fucked), and he has the "How to Kill Sylar" comic (it apparently involves stabbing him with a giant samurai sword...if only we knew where to find-oh, wait), so that little jaunt into the future hell was NOT all for NAUGHT.
I was generally pleased with the episode, though I wish we could have seen some more of the global effects of the bomb. Was there any uniting? Did Linderman's plan work at all? All it did was make people fear the muties. What will a world with NO bomb look like, then?
The previews made me flail. I love this show. I love that it so deliberately crafts iconic images like Peter exploding with his arms slightly bent outward, red shooting out from every direction but especially upward. I love that it knows what it's doing and where it's going and has a carefully plotted, albeit circuitous at times, route. I love that it is able to surprise the living fuck out of us without cheating.
Three episodes left. It's been one motherfucking hell of a ride.
P.S. Remember that time MI.net visited the VM writers and the set? We finally provide you with three different reports and an interview with Jason Dohring. There's some more stuff forthcoming, as well as my personal report in the next...some time this year.
I...I...THIS SHOW. It's like everything a sci-fi/comic book geek could possibly want in a television show.
The chyron totally spoils us in the first five seconds by informing us that, contrary to misconception, the confrontation at the end of last week's episode was actually still in the future. Because, Jesus God, Hiro sucks at time travel. Future Hiro looks and sounds so different from Hiro, I would believe you if you told me if it was a different actor. Props, Masi Oka. Props. And to hair and makeup. Mad props.
"I look upset."
"Go talk to yourself."
"No...I scare me."
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
Future Hiro's timeline (also: Ando CALLS him "Future Hiro," hee!) is way cool. It's not infinite possibilities that are being shown but the way people intersect, the way our personal timelines contribute to the overall timeline. How he came to the conclusion that some random night on a subway was the best possible time to deliver a cryptic six-word message, we'll never know.
Then, suddenly: Parkman and the Haitian working together! And Parkman is now a badass! With confidence and shit!
So Niki has returned to her stripper ways, except she now had a bad wig and dances to Goldfrapp (thanks, vonnie_k!). And Peter! Has also become a badass! Everyone in the post-apocalyptic future is ALWAYS badass! It's a thing. He can be invisible and telekinese at the same time! And turn off the TV WITH HIS MIND. Plus, he's got this wicked scar that...we never find out about. Maybe his face blew up. And, now, here is the scar that was mentioned oh so many episodes ago. Back when we were just gobsmacked at the existence of Future Hiro. We never thought we'd actually get to see this future. We didn't know how far the rabbit hole went.
Nathan is President, which we already knew about, and Mohinder's his trusted scientific advisor who's not cool with genocide, and I just NOW realized why they called it Genosha.
Bennet is running an Underground Railroad! With Hana! Hi, Hana! Nice to see you on the actual show! Too bad you're going to be dead in ten minutes. I'll miss your text messages. It's sort of amusing how Bennet has not changed a bit. You can't make him any more badass! He is his own brand. Until he gets killed in ten minutes. DAMMIT. This future sucks!
I don't think we've heard of Molly Walker before now. I wonder what her deal is, if Hiro specifically saved her.
Claire has gone totally Texan and dyed her hair brown, and...yet, she still looks 17. Oooops. The adult actors can get by with a five-year difference, and 22-year-olds play 17-year-olds all the time, but Claire doesn't look 22 to me. She must still be 17, really, because what the hell does she see in this guy? That's not the guy for Claire! Maybe for Sandra. I love that Claire's desire for a normal life is now a matter of self-preservation, since she's hiding from the Sentinels Homeland Security.
Let's all make fun of Mohinder, you guys. It takes him this long to figure out that Hiro can travel through time? Seriously, people didn't fucking know that? I mean, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on them because, honestly, I'm with Parkman on "time travel" being more out there than "telepathy." BUT, for fuck's sake, MOHINDER, you were there when Future Hiro spoke to Peter, and you knew that he had stopped time, and you also knew that Hiro could stop time...or, hell, has Mohinder even meant Hiro yet? I don't even know. Clearly, he at least knows about him after the explosion, and that he can stop time. But, damn, Mo. It took you FIVE YEARS to figure out what happened on that subway? You should really just watch the show; you could learn a lot. We're the audience, and we know shit.
Nathan's "united by grief" speech is a nice, chilling echo of Linderman's original plan. There's a lot of emphasis being put on uniting the world, perhaps because the writers really love X2: X-Men United.
Peter badassly saves Future Hiro and Ando! How awesome is he? Very awesome. Five years will do that to you.
How great is it that Ando's death is what turns Hiro into Future Hiro? I knew he had a purpose! He's Hiro's rock! He's his humanity! He's his BFF! And I really don't do the HoYay stuff, but I honest-to-God thought Peter was going to say something like, "I think he loved you...like that."
So Parkman had a kid and named him after himself? And he did have powers, whatever they are? And Janice is out there, hiding him? Hm.
Nathan and Claire! A father-daughter reunion years in the making. Except Nathan is not sounding very nice! But what is awesome about this is that it's so Nathan; it's very believable that given the right circumstances, Nathan would end up like this. We've seen the seeds. We know he's sort of a power-hungry bastard.
And then Claire is walking away, and...Nathan points and stops her in his tracks. Wait. What's going on? How did Nathan get another power?
And then Claire's forehead is being sliced open and HOLY FUCK IT'S SYLAR. He JUST MENTIONED CANDACE, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. WAIT, CANDACE IS DEAD IN THIS FUTURE? THIS FUTURE SUCKS. STOP KILLING HOT WOMEN. And in retrospect, all that "special" shit is totally Sylar talk. The brilliant thing about this is that Sylar played an excellent Nathan, and that's telling. They both crave power, but in different ways. It makes you wonder how similar they must be, for Sylar to FAKE HIMSELF INTO THE PRESIDENCY.
Back from commercial, Peter makes us all feel like idiots by reminding us that he's the one who explodes. STILL. I was unsure whether this was an alternate timeline or not because Future Hiro knows that in the original sequence of events, Sylar blew up. Peter saved the cheerleader, and now the responsibility of blowing up has been transferred to him. You can't change the future that easily. This means that whether Sylar blows up or Peter blows up, the end result is the same, since whoever blows up ends up having regenerative powers and surviving the blast. Which...makes me wonder why we all thought Sylar was dead. It's because they showed his picture on the TV. That means he's dead.
Niki has stupid hair in this future.This future sucks.
But it can also be awesome, like when Future Peter and Future Hiro go all Neo and Trinity with swords and telekinesis.
Mohinder comes through every one in three chances he gets, so now it's his turn to KILL THE HAITIAN. The fucking intriguing part about this is that it's in Isaac's comic. "Hiro in the Future" is THIS FUCKING EPISODE. Somehow, the actual future, as seen through Isaac's prophetic eyes, INCLUDES the alternate future. TIME TRAVEL MAKES MY HEAD ASPLODE. But I love it anyway.
They killed Future Hiro! They're going full-on Wishverse with this bitch.
And then...SYLAR VS. PETER 2.0!!! BLUE VS. RED!! IT'S SO CHEESY CLASSIC! I LOVE IT!
Hiro finally gets back home (well, we think...next week, the chyron could say, FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, and then the world would be fucked), and he has the "How to Kill Sylar" comic (it apparently involves stabbing him with a giant samurai sword...if only we knew where to find-oh, wait), so that little jaunt into the future hell was NOT all for NAUGHT.
I was generally pleased with the episode, though I wish we could have seen some more of the global effects of the bomb. Was there any uniting? Did Linderman's plan work at all? All it did was make people fear the muties. What will a world with NO bomb look like, then?
The previews made me flail. I love this show. I love that it so deliberately crafts iconic images like Peter exploding with his arms slightly bent outward, red shooting out from every direction but especially upward. I love that it knows what it's doing and where it's going and has a carefully plotted, albeit circuitous at times, route. I love that it is able to surprise the living fuck out of us without cheating.
Three episodes left. It's been one motherfucking hell of a ride.