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May. 16th, 2007 03:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenLa la la....
I watched Monday's Heroes and I was more annoyed than appeased. This felt like another bit of filler to me, with only few stand-out bits of awesomeness to contrast with the teasing, useless wastes of my time.
So awesome...
1) Audrey came back! I may be biased in favor of Clea DuVall, but I enjoy that kind of continuity--the kind that's like "Hey, there is still a world going on even if we choose to look at other stuff." More believable than anything having to do with Nathan's election prospects since the show began. Also, she was the only one who was sad that Ted was dead. Claire and Peter were all like "SYLAR ZOMG!" but she actually seemed to pity Ted's fate.
2) Sylar introducing himself as Isaac Mendez without hesitation. ::sniffle:: Our baby Gabriel's a all growed-up murdering bastard! Again, my enjoyment of this has more to do with the continuity/evolution of the character than anything else. When we met Gabriel Gray, he was awkward and fishing around for means to deceive and was really obvious. Then he just gradually got better at it until he was faking human pretty good around Mohinder (which is a shame because that's the one person too stupid to notice non-humanity). And now he just rattles off aliases baldly to the face of the FBI agent who wants him so dead. I love it.
3) Ted letting himself be taken away. Ted's a tragic character, really and truly, and I think his death, despite his relatively small role, is more moving than any of the others that happened in the episode (which says a lot since several people died). The first things he says when being threatened with Gitmo are ways to protect people from him. That's...excuse me, I need to go cry. I don't think I've been so mad at Sylar for killing anybody as I was at him killing Ted.
4) Candace. Holy fucking shit, I didn't hate her guts. There's a real joy--dramatically--that her power is exactly what causes her not to be likeable. Not hated (like Sylar) or feared (like Ted), but just that her powers make her uncomfortable. I think she was telling the truth to Micah when she said she was fat and that maybe her fat appearance was her appearance. How sad for her to know herself so well and to know that denying it is wrong and yet do it anyway. 'Cause it is easier to be pretty and white and thin and attractive than to learn to like yourself as you are when you're (possibly) none of those things. If she could be comfortable maintaining the ruse and learning to walk-the-walk as a guy, she'd probably have been a guy all along. I guess I mellowed towards her because of the comic-geek thing, but the rest of that helped, too. She's doomed, isn't she?
5) Linderman's death. Not who did it or why (those actually suck), but how. Because it was an awesome effect and I loved it.
6) MR BENNET KILLED THE EVIL ERIC ROBERTS!!!
No, seriously, that was my favorite thing ever. Because Mr. Bennet is still fucking hardcore and it needed to be shown. He was super tragic in "Company Man" but his bad-assery was relegated to the snarkage and excellent sneaking around he's been doing (another awesome: any scene with him and Matt--priceless). It needs remembering that, for all that he's a caring guy, he had to be broken from the ranks. Mr. Bennet is a killer. He may be on the good guy team, but he's still the practical, I'm-comfortable-with-gray-morality-zones goon. Never forget why he was on the inside in the first place or what he's done to people before.
And then he points a gun at a little girl and my heart broke. His willingness to kill Molly is reeeeeeeally problematic, but still entirely within character. It's so...morally gray. I likey.
So lame...
1) DL killing Linderman. Dramatically unsatisfying and last-minute. Nathan should have been the one to do it or else it shouldn't have happened. Nathan confronting Linderman and being unable to kill the man was heartbreaking given how antagonistic their relationship was (dare I say co-dependently so?). It's too easy to just throw another reason at someone random and hope that sticks. The whole thing with DL and Niki having been groomed for each other is important and might reveal so much about Linderman, his operation, and the people enforcing his will. And it's just thrown in there to give DL a reason to kill the man. As if Jessica weren't just as ready to do it with half as much provocation. No, it needed to be Nathan or no one.
The irony of DL killing the only man who might have fixed him is nice, but if this means Niki is a whiny brat forever and Jessica doesn't come back, I'll be even more angry.
2) Peter controlling Ted's ability after a minor freak out. Really, Peter should be used to this by now. How many powers has he casually absorbed and not split his psyche at this point? It was obvious he wasn't going to explode then, so why even build it up like it would? The denouement was so lame. "OH NO PETER IS GOING TO EXPLODE UNLESS CLAIRE KILLS HIM...oh wait, never mind. He's fine. We're all fine." It's like Walk for Your Lives only not played for laughs and therefore abusively stupid.
3) Hiro and Daddy fighting with swords. So, if Hiro has to have an emotional crisis that requires many episodes to fix, that means he can fix his latest in one episode if weapons are involved? I don't get it. Also, I don't buy Ando running out to kill Sylar. Ando's not stupid nor fatalistic, never has been; he knows that Sylar will kill him easily and there's no way he wants to help out with that. Dumb dumb dumb.
4) Heidi being able to walk. Not that this is stupid, just that it's been telegraphed since forever, since before Linderman's powers were revealed, even. And if I noticed this, man, who didn't see that coming, I ask you?
5) Hiro turning on Nathan. So much for, "I know you seem like a bad guy, but you're really nice." I get it--I get it, okay? I get that Hiro didn't know that evil Future!Nathan was really always-evil Future!Sylar, but Hiro met himself in the future and didn't like the guy. How the hell come he can't figure out that just about nobody was cool in the future (the exception being...nope, nobody; Peter was cool, but he was still giant DICK)? Nathan's always been indulgent and nice to Hiro, and he's in a shit position. Hiro? Grow up.
Aaaaand scene. New York, still doomed. Micah's use of his power was actually one I hadn't considered because the voting machines I use in New York are still the pull-the-lever-and-punch-the-sheet things that have been in use since I actually attended the elementary school where I now go to vote (and were probably there before then, too). Sylar? So crazy, but less so this time. I think I like it better when he's whack-job out of his noggin than when he's suave evil dude, but it's such a fine line, it's hard to separate when he's one versus the other (so kudos, Zach Quinto).
A series rather like Heroes has come around again to me on Netflix: The 4400. I'm...not so enthused as was. I still think that the lead pair of agents have great interplay with one another. It's not especially intimate--a la Mulder and Scully--but it's intertwined and involved and unquestioning. They know they can always trust each other, and the show, to its credit, has not mussed with that over much (meaning it's not caught in a Smallville-esque cycle of "CAN I TRUST YOU!?!" every other episode).
But the latent, bristling sexism going on is grating on me more than ever. I've worn myself out on the subject of feminism in fiction for the time being, but if this keeps up, you can guarantee I'll be making noise about it.
I watched Monday's Heroes and I was more annoyed than appeased. This felt like another bit of filler to me, with only few stand-out bits of awesomeness to contrast with the teasing, useless wastes of my time.
So awesome...
1) Audrey came back! I may be biased in favor of Clea DuVall, but I enjoy that kind of continuity--the kind that's like "Hey, there is still a world going on even if we choose to look at other stuff." More believable than anything having to do with Nathan's election prospects since the show began. Also, she was the only one who was sad that Ted was dead. Claire and Peter were all like "SYLAR ZOMG!" but she actually seemed to pity Ted's fate.
2) Sylar introducing himself as Isaac Mendez without hesitation. ::sniffle:: Our baby Gabriel's a all growed-up murdering bastard! Again, my enjoyment of this has more to do with the continuity/evolution of the character than anything else. When we met Gabriel Gray, he was awkward and fishing around for means to deceive and was really obvious. Then he just gradually got better at it until he was faking human pretty good around Mohinder (which is a shame because that's the one person too stupid to notice non-humanity). And now he just rattles off aliases baldly to the face of the FBI agent who wants him so dead. I love it.
3) Ted letting himself be taken away. Ted's a tragic character, really and truly, and I think his death, despite his relatively small role, is more moving than any of the others that happened in the episode (which says a lot since several people died). The first things he says when being threatened with Gitmo are ways to protect people from him. That's...excuse me, I need to go cry. I don't think I've been so mad at Sylar for killing anybody as I was at him killing Ted.
4) Candace. Holy fucking shit, I didn't hate her guts. There's a real joy--dramatically--that her power is exactly what causes her not to be likeable. Not hated (like Sylar) or feared (like Ted), but just that her powers make her uncomfortable. I think she was telling the truth to Micah when she said she was fat and that maybe her fat appearance was her appearance. How sad for her to know herself so well and to know that denying it is wrong and yet do it anyway. 'Cause it is easier to be pretty and white and thin and attractive than to learn to like yourself as you are when you're (possibly) none of those things. If she could be comfortable maintaining the ruse and learning to walk-the-walk as a guy, she'd probably have been a guy all along. I guess I mellowed towards her because of the comic-geek thing, but the rest of that helped, too. She's doomed, isn't she?
5) Linderman's death. Not who did it or why (those actually suck), but how. Because it was an awesome effect and I loved it.
6) MR BENNET KILLED THE EVIL ERIC ROBERTS!!!
No, seriously, that was my favorite thing ever. Because Mr. Bennet is still fucking hardcore and it needed to be shown. He was super tragic in "Company Man" but his bad-assery was relegated to the snarkage and excellent sneaking around he's been doing (another awesome: any scene with him and Matt--priceless). It needs remembering that, for all that he's a caring guy, he had to be broken from the ranks. Mr. Bennet is a killer. He may be on the good guy team, but he's still the practical, I'm-comfortable-with-gray-morality-zones goon. Never forget why he was on the inside in the first place or what he's done to people before.
And then he points a gun at a little girl and my heart broke. His willingness to kill Molly is reeeeeeeally problematic, but still entirely within character. It's so...morally gray. I likey.
So lame...
1) DL killing Linderman. Dramatically unsatisfying and last-minute. Nathan should have been the one to do it or else it shouldn't have happened. Nathan confronting Linderman and being unable to kill the man was heartbreaking given how antagonistic their relationship was (dare I say co-dependently so?). It's too easy to just throw another reason at someone random and hope that sticks. The whole thing with DL and Niki having been groomed for each other is important and might reveal so much about Linderman, his operation, and the people enforcing his will. And it's just thrown in there to give DL a reason to kill the man. As if Jessica weren't just as ready to do it with half as much provocation. No, it needed to be Nathan or no one.
The irony of DL killing the only man who might have fixed him is nice, but if this means Niki is a whiny brat forever and Jessica doesn't come back, I'll be even more angry.
2) Peter controlling Ted's ability after a minor freak out. Really, Peter should be used to this by now. How many powers has he casually absorbed and not split his psyche at this point? It was obvious he wasn't going to explode then, so why even build it up like it would? The denouement was so lame. "OH NO PETER IS GOING TO EXPLODE UNLESS CLAIRE KILLS HIM...oh wait, never mind. He's fine. We're all fine." It's like Walk for Your Lives only not played for laughs and therefore abusively stupid.
3) Hiro and Daddy fighting with swords. So, if Hiro has to have an emotional crisis that requires many episodes to fix, that means he can fix his latest in one episode if weapons are involved? I don't get it. Also, I don't buy Ando running out to kill Sylar. Ando's not stupid nor fatalistic, never has been; he knows that Sylar will kill him easily and there's no way he wants to help out with that. Dumb dumb dumb.
4) Heidi being able to walk. Not that this is stupid, just that it's been telegraphed since forever, since before Linderman's powers were revealed, even. And if I noticed this, man, who didn't see that coming, I ask you?
5) Hiro turning on Nathan. So much for, "I know you seem like a bad guy, but you're really nice." I get it--I get it, okay? I get that Hiro didn't know that evil Future!Nathan was really always-evil Future!Sylar, but Hiro met himself in the future and didn't like the guy. How the hell come he can't figure out that just about nobody was cool in the future (the exception being...nope, nobody; Peter was cool, but he was still giant DICK)? Nathan's always been indulgent and nice to Hiro, and he's in a shit position. Hiro? Grow up.
Aaaaand scene. New York, still doomed. Micah's use of his power was actually one I hadn't considered because the voting machines I use in New York are still the pull-the-lever-and-punch-the-sheet things that have been in use since I actually attended the elementary school where I now go to vote (and were probably there before then, too). Sylar? So crazy, but less so this time. I think I like it better when he's whack-job out of his noggin than when he's suave evil dude, but it's such a fine line, it's hard to separate when he's one versus the other (so kudos, Zach Quinto).
A series rather like Heroes has come around again to me on Netflix: The 4400. I'm...not so enthused as was. I still think that the lead pair of agents have great interplay with one another. It's not especially intimate--a la Mulder and Scully--but it's intertwined and involved and unquestioning. They know they can always trust each other, and the show, to its credit, has not mussed with that over much (meaning it's not caught in a Smallville-esque cycle of "CAN I TRUST YOU!?!" every other episode).
But the latent, bristling sexism going on is grating on me more than ever. I've worn myself out on the subject of feminism in fiction for the time being, but if this keeps up, you can guarantee I'll be making noise about it.
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:08 pm (UTC)Ando - By going after Sylar Ando is doing what he needs to do. Whether this is to help put Hiro back on track or to die and make Hiro the warrior the world needs, Ando is playing his part in the grand scheme of things.
DL - Don't die on us damn it!!! Nathan was never going to do it. Sure he wanted to, but there would always be one reason why he wouldn't do it. DL was the right man for the job, and even without the "I made you two fall in love" speech he would have offed Linderman anyway.
Hiro & Nathan - It's still way too early to say whether Hiro's words was in the heat of passion or from the heart. Give it time.
Peter - The bastard has always been slow to trust in his own ability, why should getting nuke powers be any different. He was more concerned about blowing up the city then and there then full testing how much control he had. Funny how the idea of getting shot in the head helped part of him gain control over the ability =-รพ
Mr. Bennet - I don't think shooting the girl was coming all that easy for him. If it was he would have shot her and left the room before he had a gun put on him. He looks at her and part of him sees Claire at the same age. That's what got him into the mexican standoff.
Sylar - Well now he got the power he wants. Cue Peter for the Nuke Battle of the Century
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:19 pm (UTC)I'm more interested in finding out what George Takei meant by "I never thought you would be the one..." to Hiro. Hiro's been pretty slavishly determined he has powers for some time now, enough to thwart his Dad's stated wishes and set up his sister as surrogate heir. Makes me wonder if she is super...
DL was the right man for the job, and even without the "I made you two fall in love" speech he would have offed Linderman anyway.
I dunno, dude. DL isn't a killer. Everyone has said so, and he'd never hurt anyone before this except Jessica that one time. It seemed far-fetched. Jessica was the more likely choice, given her proclivities and talents.
Peter: He is just annoying the piss out of me with his powers. There's no limit to them. Peter is perfect and in control and a nice guy and wonderful and cupcakes and rainbows. At least Sylar is a slobbering, ego-maniacal psychopath. You need at least one character flaw to not be annoying.
Mr. Bennet: Shooting Molly won't be easy for him, but I still think he'd do it. He's the only one who could (er, for the right reasons--Sylar could kill her, and probably would if he knew how much easier tracking down others would be with her powers). Also, if Mohinder harms him, I will rip Mohinder limb from limb. Because he doesn't get to do that to someone so awesome.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:23 pm (UTC)It's like having Gina kill Admiral Cain instead of makinig Adama and Roslin live with their decision to assassinate a superior officer neither of them liked. It's cheating. 'Cause if it's someone reprehensible and awful who does the bad thing, where is the dramatic heft? If Sylar does it, what does it matter 'cause Sylar's a bastard murderer anyway? There's a greater potential for drama to see Peter blow up the city and either a) die and hurt his family for his loss or b) live and have to acknowledge the consequences.
None of this even mentions the fact that Peter (like Nathan was with Linderman) was built up to be the bomb. It would be a cheat if he wasn't. He could blow up in an empty city or in another one or not kill anybody, but not not blow up period. It would mean Isaac's paintings were wrong, and, though interpretations of them have been, the paintings have always been right.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:35 pm (UTC)I also like Malcolm McDowell and am sad to see him go. Has his nose always been that huge?
Also--how much of an idiot is Peter. I'm going to explode and destroy New York! Wait, there's a mutant with these powers? Let's go there right now so I can absorb them and explode! I mean, come on. I know you want to be a hero, but wouldn't you run the other way?
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Date: 2007-05-16 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 08:59 pm (UTC)Poor Macolm McDowell. Will he ever guest star for longer than it takes not to notice his accent peeking through?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 09:02 pm (UTC)I'd been distracted for a while by him because the TWoP recaps of his guest star role on Smallville kept calling him "Brotha from Anotha" and it kind of just stuck.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 09:56 pm (UTC)And isn't the saying "brotha from anotha motha"?
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Date: 2007-05-16 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 09:57 pm (UTC)No! Must write SPN!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 11:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 11:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 03:00 am (UTC)So. City not exploding. Or city exploding then magically unexploding.
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Date: 2007-05-17 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 12:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-17 12:47 pm (UTC)Peter's character flaw is that he doesn't believe in his own capabilities. His inferiority complex shines through.
Mr. Bennet may or may not be able to pull that trigger. Right now I give it 50-50. As he said, he knew it was a person. The fact that it was a little girl made him pause where normally he would not hesitate. It will be his undoing.
I don't think his sister is a super. She got the position because a) Hiro didn't want it and b) she is brilliant when it comes to business. Daddy on the other hand laid down some serious suggestions that he had been in the superhero biz before. The "misguided" line sounds as if he may have ran with Linderman's crew in the past (which would also explain what happened in Vegas). I think Daddy might have something pretty interesting hiding in his closet.