So that was Heroes...
Heroes is certainly one of the most heavily hyped new shows this season. Apparently, everyone was talking about it, even before it aired.
So, I DVR'd the premier last night, and just watched it now. And I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Probably most important was the fact that pretty much nothing happened. Someone can't commit suicide. Someone thinks they can fly. Someone teleports from a crowded Tokyo subway to a crowded Times Square, and no-one notices. That was about as far as excitement went. The acting was flat, and the writing left a lot to be desired.
So that left me with plenty of time to be annoyed by the science. Yes, I know, the science of superheroes (especially genetics!) is just a macguffin, not to be analysed. But the show opened (well, near enough) with a lecture about how humans aren't "the pinnacle of evolution"; but cockroaches are, because they can survive all sorts of things that would kill a human, and maybe God created them in his own image. Had the lecturer been a philosopher, or a theologian, or something, this could be overlooked, but no. He's a geneticist. A geneticist. Who believes that there's such a thing as a "pinnacle of evolution" - I think that makes him a Lamarkian. Even then, his choice of "most evolved" is an odd one: Why is being able to survive in hostile environments a better indicator than, say, flight? Or sheer size? Why aren't blue whales the pinnacle of evolution? And if you do go with survivability, why not tardigrades? I'd like to see a cockroach survive 250°F temperatures, absolute zero, or vacuum...
He also repeats the "we only use 10% of our brains" myth, but by then, I'd given up expecting him to know anything about actual science.
In short, I don't plan to be watching the rest of the series.
So, I DVR'd the premier last night, and just watched it now. And I have to say I wasn't that impressed. Probably most important was the fact that pretty much nothing happened. Someone can't commit suicide. Someone thinks they can fly. Someone teleports from a crowded Tokyo subway to a crowded Times Square, and no-one notices. That was about as far as excitement went. The acting was flat, and the writing left a lot to be desired.
So that left me with plenty of time to be annoyed by the science. Yes, I know, the science of superheroes (especially genetics!) is just a macguffin, not to be analysed. But the show opened (well, near enough) with a lecture about how humans aren't "the pinnacle of evolution"; but cockroaches are, because they can survive all sorts of things that would kill a human, and maybe God created them in his own image. Had the lecturer been a philosopher, or a theologian, or something, this could be overlooked, but no. He's a geneticist. A geneticist. Who believes that there's such a thing as a "pinnacle of evolution" - I think that makes him a Lamarkian. Even then, his choice of "most evolved" is an odd one: Why is being able to survive in hostile environments a better indicator than, say, flight? Or sheer size? Why aren't blue whales the pinnacle of evolution? And if you do go with survivability, why not tardigrades? I'd like to see a cockroach survive 250°F temperatures, absolute zero, or vacuum...
He also repeats the "we only use 10% of our brains" myth, but by then, I'd given up expecting him to know anything about actual science.
In short, I don't plan to be watching the rest of the series.