Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts

Adrian Pasdar interview from 11/30/09 - transcribed as best I can

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:11:51 GMT

As a small favour to those of you who were having trouble for one reason or another hearing Adrian Pasdar's interview that ialwayswill very kindly uploaded, I have done my best to transcribe it. I have stripped out most of the extraneous bits that DJs do, such as telling the audience every 5 minutes who they are talking to and the context etc. I have also alas had to leave a couple of things out where I just couldn't catch what was being said. So by all means tell me any corrections or provide info on omissions.

DJ: (Gives welcome spiel and context about airing times of the finale)

AP: Hey man, it’s SO good to be here [sounds faintly ironical]

DJ: Dude , we’re going to get in to ALL the ‘what’s ups’ in a minute but MAN I cannot believe what went down!

AP: [deadpan] I was as surprised as anybody.

DJ: (laughs) Must be one of those scripts that was like... [something I miss] down the line as we possibly can.

AP: Amazing [?] what we do with special effects and green screen.

DJ: Really.

AP: Yeah. We filmed that scene over the course of a week, actually. Half of it was inside, half of it was outside. But both times I was hanging by a quarter inch cable 45 feet over the ground. And that’s always exciting, man – but when you’re looking up and this tiny little cable’s connecting you to a tiny little pulley, ah and you’re hanging there...it’s just...I hope I don’t fall!

DJ: You just hope that the execs in suits, they know what they were doing!

AP: Yeah. More the stunt guys! That’s your buddy at THAT point.

DJ: Oooh Really?? So is that not you hanging forty foot up?

AP: Er, no that’s me, the stunt guy’s rigging.

DJ: Ooooh ...[forced sounding laugh from DJ]

AP: No, that’s me hanging all right...

DJ: kind of crazy, huh?

AP: It is, but it’s a lot of fun, I’ve learned a lot about stuntwork working on the show.

DJ: I was gonna say – you ever done any stunt work like that before?

AP: Not quite like this, not so much green screen stuff, some of that flying stuff, it’s really funny. Here’s the weird part of the flying gag: the taking off part. You know, you’re doing the scene, and you know at the end of it you’re going to be ripping off into the air and *schppoof* and the take off and the sonic boom and all that but the irony is.. you jump up in the air and....come down.

DJ: (Laughs) You don’t keep going?

AP: Well the funny...they cut at the right point and make an avatar of you for the rest of the going up in the air but there you are... one minute you’re John Wayne, the next you’re Minnie Mouse. You really feel like a total idiot. You’re like Da da da DAAAa! [vague superhero-esque fanfare] with your arms up in the air and everyone’s looking at you and they’re like “.....and cut”.

DJ: Well, completely NOT Minnie mouse, we are talking to Nathan Petrelli, Adrian Pasdar...we’re going to come back and talk about Nathan’s fate and possibly a return or...six foot burial. [and we’re back]

DJ: ...totally geeking out , Nathan petrelli is here but... aren’t you dead???

AP: ...[mumbles something I don’t catch]

DJ: How does he do it?!

AP: I’m from Beyond. Beyond, buddy.

DJ: Adrian Pasdar, the actor who plays Nathan Petrelli . So, a 40 ft drop, you, your brother Milo Ventimiglia...how do you pronounce his last name?

AP: You did it, you said it right...

DJ: “Ventimiglia”? I like to give respect, so...

AP: Milo Twenty Miles, that’s what it means.

DJ: [who is plainly a bit lost by this] Right. Now it seems like you guys probably have an incredible relationship...

AP. Yeah. You know, I think it all started in season one when we were hanging together – again- 40 feet off the ground, tethered to each other and a couple of cables and...we got to know each other.

DJ: [forced laughter]

AP:...pretty intimately...

DJ: What do guys do when they’re dangling 40 feet in the air together by string?

AP: You act like you’re at the bar or something. And not like you’re continually bumping, ummm..

DJ: ah ha, yeah [affects casual bar type tone] “so how you doing, and hey what’s that?’ [I missed a bit because they talk over each other, sorry]

AP:Nobody could make a move without the other guy moving too and...er, it was pretty fun.

DJ: Well, I got tell you then – Major cred then to the special effects team and the whole crew because it comes across FLAWLESSLY. Y’know, once it’s all done.

AP: Yeah, the special effects stuff ‘s been fun and some of it was really cool and some of it’s just exactly what you think like if a coffee cup has to move across a table. It’s just on a piece of filament and there’s a stunt guy underneath the table pulling it.

DJ: That simple.

AP: Yeah, it’s supposed to go into MY hand, yeah it’s like, you know ‘how’d they do that?’ well... it’s not a special effects gag, it’s just ....the foreman with piece of filament.

DJ: It’s old school is what it is.

AP: Yeah, exactly!

DJ: I love it. Adrian Pasdar, Nathan Petrelli hanging out with us, thankfully not 40 feet above the ground...

AP: Oh I am, right now.

DJ: Dude! I thought you really couldn’t fly?

AP: No, I can. I’m [something] 40 feet above the ground, I don’t go anywhere in this town without my Spidey suit.

DJ: Ah my goodness gracious. Well THAT’S something I want to get into after this. What does the future hold for *you* as far as acting is concerned. But we want to focus more on Heroes right now like, big question: Who are you going to miss most working with?

AP: Crew. Yeah, the crew guys, the guys whose names you’ll never know. Umm, those are the guys that make the day to day, the facilitators, they’re the ones you spend all your time with, when you’re 15 hours a day with people...it’s a certain kind of calibrated lifestyle, you have to be ready for it. It’s like nothing else. It’s been an amazing experience, you know to get that close to 50 or 60 people and spend 4 years with ‘em, you know, that’s what I’m gonna miss the most. And I’ll miss the cast and the scripts and all that but ah, speaking for the cast this is how everyone’ll feel when they go. It’s a good crew.

[DJ does some radio link stuff]

DJ: What were some of your favourite moments on set?

AP: Flying down at the end of S1 probably. It’s one of those stunts where I’m supposed to fly in from the air. Well, I’m in suit and fancy shoes on, heels [?] – you know, the dress shoes...?

DJ : Yeah! You’re all senatored up!

AP: Exactly. And I’m hanging from a bar over Hayden’s head and the camera...yeah.. .and at the end of the scene I’m supposed to drop in. Well, as she’s doing the scene and my feet..I’ve got my knees up to my chest...And I feel like the biggest moron. I’m in a suit on a monkey bar like I’m six years old and then I’m supposed to come in. Again, I’m going from Minnie Mouse to supposed to be John Wayne to say [does exaggerated Nathan voice] “Nothing’s written in stone” or whatever I’m supposed to say as my line. And I’m sitting there and I can’t....I’m dropping 5 feet from above this bar and I can’t look down because when I land I have to be looking right at her....

DJ: Hmmmn. [in, 'yeah, and?' type tone]

AP: That’s pretty scary! You ever try that? You can break an ankle, there’s no pad, there’s nuthin. I’m just dropping out of the sky and hoping I land on my feet. So all that fear of what *could* happen is in my eyes. I feel it is anyway. I’m supposed to be completely confident when I go “Nothing’s written in stone”. ..You know. The first time I did it I was just laughing! I just couldn’t do it, ridiculous. We finally got it after 4 or 5 takes. Then *she* kept blowing it, so I’m *hanging* there, they’re slipping and I’m all “come on, come on”...

DJ [talks over him a bit] That is HILARIOUS.

AP...that’s my favourite moment in the show.

DJ: Unbelievable. [more link stuff]. Question for you, brother: coolest power on the show? [ARRRRGHH! – ed]

AP: You know ....man....I think flying if I could have anything. You know, it’s funny the people who say ‘x-ray vision’. That always leads...we always think those people are somewhat..perverted.
DJ: (laughter)

AP: I wouldn’t want to be a mind reader, hear what everyone was saying because what if you couldn’t turn it off? Flying, that’s for me, that’s the coolest one actually. Healing too, I guess. Come in handy I suppose.

DJ: Yeah but as we find out, poor old Hayden is she going to be like forever, does she never die? Is that her deal? Is she just a hero or is she immortal?

AP Weeeell, you know, I don’t know where that’s gonna go...I think the only thing she should be able to die from is perhaps a broken heart.

DJ: Oooh that’s interesting...

AP: Maybe they’ll take that angle, who knows? I really don’t know what their plans are.

DJ: I got a geeky question for you. Nathan was married. Definitely at the beginning of this series we met his wife, his kids, the wife was in a wheelchair if I recall for a moment and then all of a sudden started walking. Whatever happened to the rest of the family?

AP: Urrrrm *ahem*....You know, that’s a very good question. Errr. We kind of er, I think there were certain elements of that that didn’t want to come back for perhaps the salary they were being offered were...I..[hurriedly and a bit nervously] I’m not really sure exactly what happened there. It was kind of confusing. One minute I have a family and the next minute I don’t.

DJ: Right on. So I’m not crazy that I asked. That I blacked out and missed something?

AP: No, no no... It’s just a glossover.

DJ: shows have that and it definitely occurs.

[link stuff]

DJ: We’re here with Adrian Pasdar, formerly of Heroes...

AP: ...Right.

DJ: ....Or maybe not?

AP ...Right. Kind of sad....or not.

DJ: Or not! Let’s talk about it. You *could* always come back, theoretically speaking in some kind of flashback story?

AP: Ahh yeah, that’s what intimated, that’s what’s been brought to my attention. It would have to be really, really, really good for me to come back.[ note – the last bit was said in a very low mutter so I can’t vouch for the accuracy.]

DJ: [Somewhat taken aback]. Well....hey...

AP...Of course either that or they force me as I’m still under contract.

DJ: [laughs a bit nervously] How long are you still under contract for?

AP: Technically for 2 more years ...

DJ...Ok...

AP...But they can’t, ah they’ll make a decision by the end of the year if they should cut to [something I couldn’t catch]

DJ: Cool. What about..., I have read that S5’s not necessarily signed off yet by NBC. Is there any updates on that that you’re aware of?

AP: My gut is it’ll be signed...

DJ: ...has to be.....

AP: ....Still one of their biggest hour scripted dramas for 18-49, it does good demo for them. Yknow, not pulling the numbers it did once but then DVR and that have changed the whole landscape of how tv is watched, yknow?

DJ: Completely.

AP:...I’ll tell you what they do, they watch a show like Heroes....you know, I talk to everybody about this and everybody says ‘yeah, I tape it and I watch it when the kids go to bed’ or ‘I tape it and I watch 3 episodes in a row, that’s the way I love to watch it Saturday morning’ or whatever...But very rarely do people watch it right when it’s going on.

DJ: It’s HARD to. And especially as they moved you guys back an hour this season. So it eats a lot of family time...I completely get that. For whatever it’s worth: huge fan from day one ’till today and *I* am keeping both fingers crossed. NBC get ON it! What the hell are you waiting for? Sign this bad boy up one more time!...[more quietly:]....or maybe two more times.

AP: [says or does something I miss]

DJ: I appreciate that, brother. So what are *you* working at now in your personal life, like are you going to take a break? You got some film, maybe stage/ What’s cooking?

AP: All of that stuff sounds good. There’s so much good stuff out there, film wise. I’d love to find something good that would get my juices flowing er, and also tv is also great. It’s difficult to find something that shoots in LA because my family’s based there. That’s my priority, raising my two kids at this point so I’m not in any real hurry. I’m sure something will come my way. If you tend to go hunt something down here it tends to slip out of your grasp. My feeling is I’ll just kind of sit back and [ something I miss] see what comes my way, you know?

DJ: I’m sure that beaut..

AP: And I’m not sure what it is yet. So, um ...I, er guess...I’m in the dark like everyone else at the moment.

DJ: [plainly a little taken aback by this rather urgent sounding interjection] ...wow. Well, just sit back and relax and enjoy it ...[AP gives what sounds like a very quiet and possibly bitter chuckle]...because before you know it you’re probably inundated and who knows? Maybe hanging from another 40 foot cable.

AP:[softly] could be!

DJ: [Forced loud laugh and link stuff] Brother, we hope to see you back in *any* capacity.

AP: Well, hey man thanks for your support, it’s been a great run, I love the people I’ve worked with and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.

DJ: Well brother, we’ve enjoyed having you here and any got something cooking, *please* feel free to open the door and come on back.

AP: Well that’s an offer I can’t refuse and I’ll do it!

DJ: Awesome, Adrian

AP: Thanks, buddy.

Don't they know it's the end of the world, it ended when you said goodbye

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:56:52 GMT

Funny to think what a difference an episode can make – last week I was spitting feathers about Heroes, this week it is really only a sense of completion that makes me feel motivated to say anything about this episode at all. Not because I hated it, not because I thought it was great but just because I felt so “Huh. So that’s that, then” .

For some reason I just don’t feel inclined to discuss the content of the episode much beyond saying I thought Peter beating the shit out of Sylar was spectacular and I could watch it from now to Doomsday and not get bored and yeah, the ending was sad. The rest of this is looking at things from a more meta point of view and those of you who are deliberately choosing not to dwell on that may therefore wish to skip this. Now, unless you’ve been some kind of Spoiler avoidance ninja, you won’t have missed the fact that this was Adrian Pasdar’s farewell to the show. You haven’t missed it have you? Because no-one has – I think there are deep sea divers in Western Samoa who have never heard of Heroes who nonetheless still know this. Having this knowledge firmly in mind has made for a somewhat depressing viewing experience, in which Peter’s struggle was shown to be hopeless even before this episode told us it was from the title and Angela’s bleak reading of the situation.

In a wider sense, Nathan & Adrian Pasdar’s exit from the show reminded me of Daphne’s exit where her leaving was accompanied by the sense that the show was openly agreeing that it was a mistake her ever being there – I said at the time how I thought it was pretty cruel to have the actress list all the reasons why it made sense for her to be written out of the show and I think a similar thing was at play here. Not quite the same, of course. But I think there is the same character/ meta narrative. For both Nathan and Adrian I think TPTB were conveying a sense of “we’ve really liked having you around, but your time is up on this show and truthfully we all knew this ages ago but we didn’t want to say it.”

This is annoying for a number of reasons. Chiefly of course it’s annoying because I’m losing my favourite actor from the show and I feel sad about that. But I also feel that Adrian is getting punished because of Tim Kring and his writers being bad at their job. I know TK’s USA Today interview infuriated a lot of us. Me too! But I also found this bit unintentionally revealing:

"On a show where you put characters in life-and-death situations with real stakes, characters have had to die," creator Tim Kring says. Writers initially hoped to have Pasdar and some form of Nathan in all 19 episodes of Season 4 – aka "Volume 5: Redemption" – "but we were starting to run out of ways to keep that character around," he says.

Because although I’m very sure it is not remotely meant like this, to me it didn’t say “this character and actor have given all there is to be had” (like an orange sucked of all the juice, I guess) so much as “we can’t do our jobs properly and are cutting our losses because we’re embarrassed by how much this storyline makes this clear to the viewers”. (so, more like an orange full of juice they are too clueless to get at?) Also, they are basically admitting their big plotline for this season was a total lemon, aren’t they? (to keep my fruit metaphor going ;)) I’d admire their frankness if all the problems they obviously found weren’t instantly predicted by everyone when they broke this story last year. Stuff like how difficult it was going to be to continue to write Angela as being remotely in character when they had made her do something so wildly out of character, given all her new behaviours would have to call back to this. As it was, I see they again had to just admit (this week again) that this was nothing more ultimately than a huge mistake, that she never should have done it in the first place. Again, this felt like a meta admission that ultimately the whole storyline was pretty much a disaster that just caused everyone a lot of pain. But bigger problems were always apparent too – like how were the viewers supposed to know who they were really seeing whenever ZQ or AP was onscreen? Sylar, Nathan or some weird mix of the two?. All of the answer seemed either not logical or dramatically pointless. Ultimately it seems they just threw up their hands and admitted that the whole storyline made no sense and had no real point. Plus, whilst it was always going to be a struggle to visually convey a sense of a struggle being played out within Sylar’s mind, Zachary Quinto just floundered utterly and embarrassingly with the material to the extent we needed characters like Lydia to tell us what he was supposed to be conveying. Again, thems the breaks, but it seems massively unfair to fire the good actor because the weaker one can’t do his job properly

The storyline was also massively contrived in the sense that Sylar & Nathan do no represent any dramatically interesting points of similarity beyond having mothers that expect a lot from their children. They are neither hugely similar, nor are they polar opposites, so what exactly was to be gained dramatically from doing an exploration of this? Again, the show’s external motivations made themselves annoyingly felt because if they were determined to do such a storyline, they would have picked Peter & Sylar (Again, that’s if they felt they MUST – that arc would have sucked too for different reasons but it would have made more sense) Plus, let’s just accept that Nathan vs Sylar for control makes for exciting viewing as a Good(ish) vs Evil struggle. Well, that failed as drama too because we didn’t get good battles Evil, we got Good makes an attempt to hold back the tide of evil before (rightly) concluding that it’s hopeless. In meta fashion, again this is true - we all knew that Zachary Quinto was too valuable and important to their show for him to be defeated. This means until the day he leaves or the show might be cancelled, no-one fighting Sylar is ever going to win, and that makes for a grim world in which the real message is to convey a pretence that these characters ever have a real hope of ever getting rid of this repulsive, disgusting presence. This was summed up for me in my own personal episode annoyance that Nathan made no effort to try and die in a fashion that would have taken Sylar out with him, i.e. by destroying the host body. This would have been the entirely logical thing to do but would also have meant no more Sylar so yet AGAIN, they warped the character of Nathan just to make sure nothing happened to prevent Sylar being where they wanted him to be, rather than where he deserved to be, and indeed where the story’s integrity would have placed him.

So what was really achieved by dragging Nathan back from death’s jaws like this? As far as I can tell, it meant he could say his goodbyes to Peter. That’s the one upside. But it is still something they could have put in the S3 finale, by having Nathan die in the presence of his family instead of all alone, knowing he’d failed utterly and that his murderer was going to steal his face and life and use this to kill his family and then the President. As it was, that awful, grisly, haunting image stopped me ever quite entirely buying into the reality of this being Nathan in S4, even when I desperately wanted to do so. For Hitchcock fans, this is very similar to James Stewart’s dilemma in Vertigo where he desperately wants his dream girl back – and he has the chance to have her but we see in a gorgeous bit of visual storytelling a back projection of the location in which they last kissed, and what happened to her then, and why therefore her being back with him cannot literally be possible….before he does his best to set that aside and accept it anyway, the dream is too powerful and has become stronger than his reality…for a while.

As in Vertigo, this plot seemed to need me to deny reality. And that was in part why I was so angry with Angela – a comforting fiction apparently meant more to her than facing up to a painful truth to the extent that she literally told the Sylar version of Nathan to his face that his own death didn’t have to matter, that they could in effect all pretend it didn’t happen, marginalising Nathan’s actual lonely death still further. I hated EVEN MORE that the events of S4 meant I found myself wanting to do the same so that I could believe this really was still Nathan at some level.

As an aside, It’s funny how often I think of the classic short story, The Monkey’s Paw by W.W. Jacobs in relation to my feelings about Nathan on Heroes. Usually for its habit of granting me wishes in such a way I asked for but could never possibly want. However, this arc went one stage further and I think it explored some of the unseen horror that I think was implied in the ending of that story if the final wish hadn’t had banished the spectre at the last second – i.e. what would you REALLY be getting if you asked for a loved one back from the dead using such corrupted means?

I’ve covered a lot of the meta quality of this arc and final episode so I may as well turn to on the aspects that I found in turn, satisfying and then touching. To take a step back, I have long held the belief that Milo can only really give truly moving and effective performances when he’s able to be literally feeling the emotion of the character he is playing, to judge from the degree I think (IMO) he struggles when he is called upon to portray states of mind that seem abstract or ambiguous (for example in much of the Villains arc or early S2). Taking this opinion a bit further, I think Milo gives his best work when his reaction and what Peter’s might be are one and the same thing! Thus, though it is (in the original meaning of the phrase) begging the question somewhat, whenever I see him giving especially heartfelt performances, I always see it as an insight into how Milo is feeling on some level. In that spirit, the vehemence he put into beating the crap out of Sylar was something I found very satisfying. Although I don’t go so far as to presume he dislikes ZQ, I do like to think he might hate Sylar as much as me. And that would make me happy :)

To turn to the farewell scene with Adrian, I’m aware I’ll be treading a bit more of a tightrope here because in no way do I want to take anything away from Milo’s performance as Peter because I thought he was spectacular and I’m mindful that one possible interpretation of me suggesting it is ‘really’ what the actor is feeling, makes the artistic achievement less valid . Such is not my intent – if anything, I think it adds to rather than detracting artistically – I think it represents enormous bravery to allow genuine, painful emotions to add weight to a dramatic role. So I appreciate Milo for finding what was absolutely dramatically required in that scene, that real depth of emotion that the story needed in order to make it work. And also for giving an emphatic answer to the persistent question that has been that we were all waiting for since episode one of this season, “How will Peter handle finding out?” In note perfect fashion, it transpired. Bravo, Milo.

And one last thing I always claimed I’d keep watching Heroes as long as they kept Adrian Pasdar on board for it and I guess as of this week, I can stop watching, knowing I kept my promise to myself. I’m therefore not at all sure that my love of Cristine, Milo, Jack, Greg et al is going to be enough to keep me watching and writing long reviews each week in future, although I’ll probably tune in to see how they all cope with the aftermath of this week’s events. So, if you’ve ever commented on my reviews, I’ll take the opportunity to say I have dearly loved chatting about the episodes with you. If you are sticking with the show, I wish you and it all the very best and I will be definitely still be around to read the fics and your reviews. If you aren’t, then I shall wish you what I wish for myself which is to one day find a new show as wonderful as this one could be at its finest and with fans that are as lovely as I’ve met here.

I shall close with the cool BBC trailer that got me watching the show in the first place and which told me, rightly that this was going to be my new favourite thing in the whole, wide world.

Adrian & Natalie supporting arts charity programme

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:13:10 GMT

A sweet picture I found via Celeb Baby Blog:

Adrian Pasdar & Natalie out and about, supporting the work of PS ARTS, an organisation dedicated to seeking restoration of arts education to public schools.

Aww, they look so happy :) And Adrian's singular fashion sense is always so infinitely charming and fascinating and also provokes yet another asking of the question 'what HAS he got on his head?'

Heroes 4.11 "Thanksgiving" (spoilers)

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:36:12 GMT

ARRRRRGH! That was HORRIBLE.

This is such through the looking glass television - a bizarro world where, in defiance of all laws of drama, the villain has simply won. Yeah, hear that? You win, Sylar - you apparently get to swank about the place like the jumped up little tit you are, smirking and boasting about your own magnificent bad assedness forever. Yay, you. Oh sure, I guess the people in your world might get the occasional reprieve but only for the gods of this world to let you have the fun of recapturing them to torture all over again. What utterly morally bankrupt storytelling. And oh GOD I am so sick of his goddamn fucking face. I'd plead for someone to please, please kill him but I know no-one will.

So many bits of that episode were plain repellent and disgusting but I think the worst bit was Sylar inflicting an open mouth kiss on the lips to Angela, after paralysing her from being able to respond. Given an extra degree of horror (AS IF IT WERE FUCKING NEEDED) by the fact we see a minute later that Nathan's consciousness is still apparently still present, held powerless to respond in the back of Sylar's mind and thus presumably got to experience that too.

I'll give credit where its due - I thought Cristine was astonishing. On paper, the answer "technically" to Peter's question "Is my brother dead?" is risking the audience laughter from the sheer absurdity but the degree of anguish she put into it really sold it for me, the face of a woman being dragged kicking and screaming to contemplate a harsh and horrible reality. Bravo, Cristine. Beautiful acting from Adrian too, a masterclass in body language this week - the whole bit of looking away from the table conveying a lot more than is easily put into words but primarily loudly and clearly "I don't want to be here with you". As he so often does in scenes with Cristine, he put an element of childishness into it all too which always works as I think many people do tend to regress when dealing with their parents, but it was especially tragic here, reminding us silently that yes, Angela has lost her child.

Speaking of sad, us being introduced to Nathan this episode by seeing him passed out drunk in Peter's bed whilst peter stands guard over him, watching impassively (?) - well, that broke my heart. 47_trek_47 has (rightly) pointed out the canon hole due to the whole healing factor thing but I'm going to give that bit a pass. A) because it so fits the character but because B) Wolvie in the X-Men has the same bugbear and generally does the best he can re drinking booze anyway. (X-Men Annual 11 tackles this head on, for example). I would very much like to have seen the scene that is implied to have taken place between the end of last week's episode and picking this action up in terms of the character exploration. Ah well.

I guess on to next week which I am feeling about a million times less optimistic about it all ending on a note I'm going to be finding in any way emotionally satisfying.

Thinking about gender and power(s) in Heroes

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:48:51 GMT

I saw this week with Tracy we had a return of one of Heroes favourite little plotlines - the woman who finds that she can't control her powers and thus puts herself and those around her in deadly danger. It made me further reflect on how the show seems to hold the unspoken view that women shouldn't really be given the heavy duty powers. They only cry and break them. Maybe this is why a lot of the female Heroes have powers that are kind of passive in nature - Angela, Claire, Emma (although that looks like that may change), Becky, Daphne, Candace, Lydia, Charlie, Eden & Molly, all have powers that are purely defensive or work by manipulating and deceiving a foe. Now, obviously this isn't 100% - a few of the guys have powers like this too such as Isaac. Arguably Hiro & Matt's powers could be described in these terms too but whilst, whilst I'd definitely count Isaac, the sheer magnitude of both Matt's & Hiro's gifts seems to put them in a different league. That leaves an awful lot of female characters with powers that aren't much cop in a fight. And what is the show trying to say by sticking its female character with powers that only work by having it's wielder sneak about or use deception to get what they want? (Becky, Candace, Eden) or apparently have access to hidden knowkedge in the style of the high priestess of old? (Angela, Lydia,) Or maybe just flat out be unable to defend themselves at all and need a man to do it for them? (Charlie & Molly) (I'm aware Molly was a youngster but the nature of her power, plus her use in the plot showed her occupying this role) To answer my question, I'd suggest that the power allocation reflects some rather depressing notions about traditional visions of femininity.

I think this distorted, somewhat sexist view of the world is only reinforced if we turn our attention to those of female characters that seem at first glance to refute the argument by virtue of being gifted powers that are offensive in nature rather than defensive. We have or have seen: Tracy, Niki, Meredith, Maya, Claire and Elle. You know what else they also have in common? A plotline or in many cases a defining characteristic that saw them unable to control those powers to the extent they became a danger to themselves or to others. In fact, it was thinking of Niki when at first I thought maybe I was being unfair in my whole "girls don't get given the fighty powers" on Heroes. After all, I reasoned - they gave the power of strength to a woman, that was pretty cool. But then I realised that no, that was even worse because they also heavily implied that as well as her abuse, it was her powers kicking in that triggered Niki's mental health problems. In other words, this is what happens when you DO give this sort of power to the ladies - they are too weak to be able to deal with it all. They don't MEAN to cause harm but being so over emotional, they lose control of themselves and then put us all in danger. Grrr. The fact that there's a male character who has this story (Ted) too doesn't do much to make the argument invalid, it just meant that Ted was unusual. It's interesting to me that this level of emotions is seen by its treatment in the show as being something of a total bummer for the women but in Peter, it's a lot of what goes into making up that as being his empathetic nature and, with the exception of the events in the S1 finale, seen as something to be admired.

It's not all bad news on the gender relations front of course. I'd talk about Monica as being an exception to a lot of this except I feel I can't because so much of the good work of introducing her was undone with the utter carelessness with which she was dropped. She was a positive role model whilst she lasted though. Claire is something of an exception too (even if a bit of a qualified one thanks to the show being apparently unable to resist that cheerleader outfit). But clothing aside, they show her as a nicely drawn character for the most part a courageous, competent, tenacious young woman of integrity who just wants to make sense of the world and do the right thing in it - there's many worse role models.

And of the non powered women, they are delightful - who doesn't love Sandra, for example? But seriously Heroes - it's 2009. More powers for women that see them shooting laser beams from their eyes and fewer powers that I dunno, make crops grow faster.

Heroes 4.10 "Brother's Keeper" (spoilers)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:23:19 GMT

It's a screencap heavy review this week because a), I skipped over a lot of the non Petrelli bits of the episode and therefore I'm not totally sure what else was going on but b) there's lots of Adrian & Milo scenes for the first time in ages. Also, I'll say now but I'm sticking the casting spoiler into the review so in case your bid to be the last person on earth not to know it is proceeding nicely, you might wish to not click below the cut.

So we have now reached the bit of the storyline with Nathan telling Peter he thinks something is really wrong with his mind and Peter agreeing to help him figure it all out. Frankly we could have skipped right to here from episode one and really lost nothing of any substance. Except Swoosie Kurtz, of course. Anyway, Peter soothes Nathan in very affecting fashion, but also rather puzzlingly says that Nathan's the last person he'd figure to have an identity crisis. I don't think I even need to say it really but I will anyhow - has Peter ever MET Nathan before? Nathan is ALWAYS having some kind of identity crisis largely due to the fact he defines himself in terms of his feelings for other people. As an aside, I was pleased to see that Peter's memories of Nathan in his childhood were so happy after last season's reminiscences. Nice acting from Milo in this scene by the way. He pulls off the trick of sounding reassuring and yet still also deferential. It's an interesting question of how much Peter's stressing he still needs Nathan to be his big brother for Nathan's benefit and how much for his own.

I liked the bit where it's explained that no-one's been bothered by Nathan's absence because his mum phoned in for him to say he's off on vacation somewhere for an indeterminate amount of time! Angela's absence felt contrived this week, by the way - would she really just despatch the Haitian to wipe both her sons' memories? I'm hoping we see her next week, I miss her :(

You know, the scene in the storage locker brought out so many mixed emotions in me. A bit of me was darkly amused by how completely and utterly Peter ignored Rene's explicit instructions to go look by himself. To the extent that the brothers are incredulous about why Rene would even try to keep Nathan out the loop. But oh man, never in my life have I wanted more to reach into a tv programme and put my hand over the eyes of a tv character to have them not see what I know they're going to, ie their own corpse. Awesome response acting by Adrian. There's a point where he manages to convey reeling from the horror just using his eyes. Astonishing. The caps of that look were a bit too bleak so I've illustrated it with this which comes from the exchange of glances with Peter after the discovery and the sense of shock hanging between the two characters.

I'll skip past the next bit of 'ultra realism' where handily Nathan's assistant manages to find Matt via tracking down all his details in the local Midland newspaper and also the bit where the brothers manage to sneak into his hospital room past the armed guard. Peter heals him. Of course, this brings back Sylar. Side effects, eh? Tcha! Infuriatingly, Sylar says exactly the same thing that I do when Nathan demands of Matt an explanation for what the hell is happening to him, ie a bitter "ooooh, this ought to be good". Again, Adrian gives good reaction, his hand unconsciously going up to his throat as he listens to the grim explanation.the gesture is both heartbreaking and vaguely reminiscent of a southern belle just told something shocking. In an ominous page out of the Dark Phoenix handbook, he also at one point uses his TK to absent mindedly flick Peter away into a wall. Long story short, Sylar retakes control of Matt's body and for some reason that I can't be arsed to think about, it's decided that for some reason Matt touching Nathan enables Sylar to shift his consciousness from Matt to Nathan. Anyway, that happens and the 'ghost' vision of Sylar in the room vanishes. Nathan leaves too, via the window. But not before, utterly awesomely, Adrian picks up Milo (Peter's still dazed from his wall meet) and slings him across his back as easily as you or I might do a sack of potatoes.

I thought the next scene in which Nathan ponders abandoning Peter to make the long way home whilst Nathan hides from humanity a bit disappointing - the direction was oddly flat. The on set photos of the scene actually conveyed more emotion than the finished version, which is a bit of a missed opportunity. Still, it did bring back happy memories of how most weeks Adrian and Milo would trade smouldering glances. Glances like these!

In a move that made my heart sink, Peter takes Nathan's power, thus ruling out the chance to heal Hiro and make everything all better. I guess I know it wouldn't have done any good but I still went "noooooo!". Then, if that wasn't grim enough, I think we got one of the saddest scenes Heroes has yet given us, where in a reversal of how things usually go. Peter makes a plea for individual happiness over the fate of the world, asking couldn't it just not matter if Nathan's really Sylar, does anyone but them need to know? Aww, he's very much in denial mode. Which is all so unlike him, it made me want to hug him. And, as usually happens when people swap roles, Nathan sadly takes up the other end of the rope, quietly and gently pointing out that Sylar has killed dozens of people, including people close to them. And then he rips my heart out utterly by adding "every time you look at me - the way you're looking at me right now - you're going to see Sylar....tell me I'm wrong" and then repeating the last words TWICE not as rhetorical flourish, but as a hopeless plea. Peter just stares back, helplessly as Sylar's grim piano chords take us to the end of the episode, and we pan back to a shot of the room and how much distance there now is between the brothers.

It's a measure of the deep gloom of the scene that the fact that in the framing of the shot, the fact that the bed separates them only cheers me fractionally. I haven't written ANYTHING about Claire, Tracy, Samuel or Mohinder! If I have time, I'll be back later this week.

Meme: Interview

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:29:22 GMT

As a follow up to playing this meme with wee_warrior :

Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."
I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity.
Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions.

I got asked the following questions:

What's your favourite comic not written by Alan Moore?

You know me so well to exclude Alan Moore up front. Probably Frank Miller's run on Daredevil for his "Born Again" arc which had the most stunning art by David Mazzucchelli. In the first few issues it's the chilling tale of how Daredevil's civilian identity falls into the hand of his greatest enemy and how that information is used to strip Daredevil down to his very soul before heroically putting himself back together. Tails off a bit in the end because Miller is just not as profound when he delves into national politics as he thinks but the rest is gold. Fantastic guest appearance by Bugle editor J.Jonah Jameson giving an unexpectedly powerful speech about journalistic integrity. Failing that, it would be an obscure, flopped comic from DC called "Major Bummer" by writer John Arcudi & artist Doug Mahnke. Extremely funny and talented writer - I also enjoyed his run on Gen13 too. Also, most comics by Peter David.

What was the earliest show/movie/book/comic you felt so passionate about, you sought out people on the internet to talk about it?

Believe it or not, it was Heroes! Maybe that's why I've refused to let go for so very long. I was fannish about a couple of other shows before, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer but either never to the extent of it occurring to me to want to rattle on and on about how awesome it all was or my fannish obsession occurred when the internet wasn't part of my life. If the internet had been around back in the 80s for me, I would have been yakking on and on about the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon.

What's your favourite book?

I had to really think about this. The one I've read most often is Donna Tartt's The Secret History which I read when it first came out and thus was a student myself (the books about a group of students and a murder). It rather spoke to me, promising as it did that a somewhat awkward young student could be welcomed into a deeply selective clique of fascinatingly cool people. What I loved then and even more now is the ambivalence to which that really is a good thing to happen. Also is a beautifully written exploration of the fear that our friends might not like us, secretly and what people will do about that. I think I've read it once too often, alas.

If you could travel anywhere, for as long as you wanted, where would you go?

I think it would depend on how much money I had. I 'm not a very adventurous traveller and always want to go back to places I've been before and loved, as a first instinct. So I'd be inclined to go back to the USA and widen my travelling from the little bit I've seen which is just NYC, LA, DC & Virginia. I think I'd happily spend my time just travelling all over the USA.

If you could chose five TV shows to be the actual reality we live in, which would they be, and what would you be in those realities?

Man, you don't know how much careful thought I gave to this question. I think a bit of me honestly thinks that this question might one day be asked of me for real and I don't want to be kicking myself later for missing a better answer. Still, even though it pains me to give the ultra obvious answer, it would in fact be Heroes. I always wanted super powers and if we get to pick our abilities, I'd pick Hiro's. It has all the advantages of teleporting, plus the ability to move around in time? Which is my deepest wish? Oh HELL yes. Plus, as TPTB have for some reason decided now that having this power eventually causes brain tumours, first thing I'd do is I'd use my power to find someone who has Linderman's healing power and make them my best pal, just in case. I don't think I'd have an actual job in this reality - I think I'd devote my life to exploring temporal mechanics and furthering understanding into such questions as Determinism, getting by by selling the occasional antique like in Highlander.

Heroes 4.09 silliness (minimal spoilers)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:20:08 GMT

Ever noticed a close up of a newspaper shown on TV? If like me, you happen to have the time on your hands, it's worth struggling to try and read the rest of the article. As you might imagine, this will never be all about the actual banner headline and so it's fun to see what it says instead. Often it's just an unrelated news story or even the old Lorem ipsum standby but Heroes gave us two lesser approaches this week. Firstly, Noah studying the article on the sinkhole disaster which, when is actually read is an almost startlingly meaningless collection of legalese....

Harder to read but worth the effort is Peter's article about saving the family of four:

...which seems to be filled with some kind of beatnik style free prose and contains such deathless lines as " Any tape recorder can recognise an Avocado pit, but it takes a real blithe spirit to plan an escape from a linguistic parking lot some buzzard (?) toward a pig pen. The only cargo bay requires assistance from a spider"

And how true those words are, even today. This can all be found in column 4, about 3/4 of the way down. Cool huh?

Or maybe halfway down column five with "They need to remember how slyly the abstraction living with a roller coaster gets drunk. The highly paid Hydrogen atom enjoys creating simplistic rock themes with sparse guitar parts and dry baselines. And also enough floor force (?) to make you sick."

"But apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the play?"

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:43:10 GMT

Previously on Heroes: Sylar moved into Matt's head for wacky Odd Couple style hijincks, an evil carnie sorority sister tried to kill Gretchen and Peter decided to kick his messiah complex up a notch by taking a power that meant he could heal the sick by the laying on of hands.

I thought this week's episode was a strong return to form after several clunkers. We got the latest update in the frankly baffling tale of Sylar's body that currently has amnesia but For Some Reason dimly 'remembers' being Nathan sometimes. Anyway, we see Sylar's shapeshifting power creepily morphing between Zachary Quinto's and Adrian Pasdar's as he sleeps. I'll spare you the unnerving screencaps. We also see a tattoo on one arm so either Wendi the make up artist wasn't paying attention in covering up AP's or it's supposed to be Nathan's (unlikely). Weird. For the curious, it's one or more words ending in what looks like "...EAVOUR" . When and if the high res caps are out, I'll look more closely. Until then, your suggestions on a postcard, I guess!

Eventually he wakes up looking like Adrian Pasdar and decides he is getting the hell out of this creepy place. He makes his escape in the world's ugliest shirt. (Judging from his outfits all season I can only think he drove over someone in wardrobe's dog). And this time, I won't spare you.

Nice, huh? The wardrobe alone would make joining that creepy cult a non starter for me. Anyway, whatever character is supposed to be lurking behind the eyes of Adrian Pasdar decides to do the smart thing and flies the hell out of there, not to be seen until the end of the ep, more of which later.

We also got Becky's tragic backstory which I thought asked more questions than it answered and which I didn't really care about anyway. Short version: she was raised by carnies after Noah killed her dad in a bag & tag op gone awry. Now she wants revenge on Noah and on Claire. Whatevs!

We also got Peter having the emotional time of his life, rushing about the hospital after a train crash to save as many people as he possibly can with the healing power borrowed from the late Jeremy. Fortunately Peter's a quick study and, as as far we know, isn't accidentally killing anyone when he gets emotional like the erstwhile wielder used to do. It's all pretty touching as the whole process is plainly very exhausting. There's a weird moment when Emma suggest maybe having the power isn't such an ace idea due to this last part and he gives a wry smile and says something like "what? and be ordinary?" which would have worked lot better as a "what? and give up showbusiness?" ironic style punchline if it wasn't delivered by someone who always has this as a sort of shadow motivation for real. I see in all the chaos, he seems to have forgotten about seeing Hiro, btw. However, on a shallower note, the reports I'd received of Milo looking ultra hot in this episode were bang on the money:

^^I really thought (well, HOPED) Peter was going to put this on his head.

But this was totally cute too. AWWW!!

Where was I? I sidetracked myself in all the above cuteness. Oh yeah, Matt finally worked out what all of the rest of us worked out ages ago which was the only way to get rid of Sylar is to kill himself and so manoeuvred his Sylar controlled body into committing suicide by cop. Worryingly, one of the last shots was paramedics trying to administer the shock paddles to Matt's satisfied looking corpse(?). I don't watch the previews so I've no idea if this will be sticking for Greg but I kind of hope it does. I've grown bored with his character and this would make a good note to go out on. We'll see.

Also, Gretchen left saying she couldn't stand the craziness of Claire's life! BOOO! That better not be the last we ever see of her or that just sucks :( Fingers crossed that they wouldn't just wheel a girl on to announce she likes to kiss other girls in a shallow ploy for ratings AND a chance to boast about how diverse a show it is and then bin her rather than develop her as a character. Seriously, she IS coming back, right?

Finally, in a bone thrown to me & likeminded fans, the ep ends with Adrian in Nathan mode, hammering on Peter's door and then all but squeezing the life out of Milo, burying his face in Milo's neck and apparently kissing said neck! As a comparison for you S1 watchers, remember how Nathan does a similar thing to Heidi on discovering she can walk again? Well, just like that only about a million times more intense! :) Hooray! I can only presume that in the circs, TPTB have taken a "oh fuck it, do what you want" attitude to their interactions after previously putting their foot down. It kills me that Adrian plainly nonetheless grabs each and every chance to hug Milo onscreen, regardless of how much the emotional moment actually demands of it. I tell ya, they better be following up this plotpoint next week.

ETA: Why the hell am I telling when I could be SHOWING?

Anyway, overall an enjoyable episode. Here's hoping to many more in the coming weeks.

Casting spoiler conclusion

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:28:56 GMT

As posted by blue_berry earlier: Casting Spoiler conclusion

From the article, quoting Tim Kring:

“We talked openly with Adrian about [his departure] several months ago and have kept him abreast of where his arc was headed—he always knew what was going on,” Kring says. “This is a guy who is much loved by us all, and these disparaging reports about the way things were handled couldn’t be further from the truth. Adrian is a leader among the cast, a true friend and a real gentleman.”

Well, that's that then. I don't have much to add to my previous rant because I'm no longer especially angry. I just have the sad feeling I'm watching the show makes the latest in a series of mistakes will in retrospect be seen as them fashioning the nails in their own coffin. Of course I'm very sad that they are getting rid of my favourite actor and I can only hope that the reported circumstances were way less crappy than they were initially reported. Like a few of you have been doing since the end of season two, I will be now hoping he joins a show where they can actually put his talent to good use rather than seeming a bit unsure what the hell to do with him. If I've got the time and the whole thing isn't too depressing, I'll write up my thoughts on what they did with Nathan as a character from season one til now once they've finally put him to rest on the show.

And then, once Adrian is gone, with regret, that is it for me and Heroes. For those of you who write stories, create graphics and draw, I'll remain an enthusiastic supporter of your work as long as you want me. But I can't see me watching the show any more. I'll miss reviewing the new episodes and chatting about them with you more than I can say. And there's stuff in the show I will miss. I'll miss many characters, for example. But they've lost so many other characters and actors I cared about and of the ones that remain, so many of my favourite characters were also characters I thought we saw at their very best when interacting with Nathan. I can't quite see what they'll do with Angela without him, for instance. And much as I love Peter, and think he can support interesting stories without Nathan, he and characters like Noah and Claire are not enough to offset the stuff that has made Heroes so hard for me to enjoy when these few were not around. I won't harp on as to the bad. if you are trying to keep upbeat, that would be me twisting the knife and if you agree, then well, we're on the same page anyway. Good luck, Heroes - I really do hope you get that season 5. I just won't be one of the ones watching it.

Heroes Casting Spoilers - part whatever

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:52 GMT

You know, the one crumb of comfort I took from all the Heroes casting frenzy was at least I knew where I stood and had some closure. I see we seem to be back at square one but with the bonus of there now being an astonishing amount of anger and hurt generated by the whole thing.

How sucky. I really did think it was all over. And whilst I'm pleased to hope that stuff like the death in the script thing isn't true or that much loved cast members were telling unprompted lies, the prospect of this all starting over again makes my heart sink. I truly wish we lived in either a world of utterly accurate spoilers or none at all! Preferably the latter.

Ah well, I'm going back to not knowing what the hell to think about anything except to reflect on how really nuts the whole situation is. Wake me when the war is over!

A small PS from Adrian Pasdar's YT account re the Heroes Casting Spoiler

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:31:27 GMT

I guess most of my f-list who are following this story saw this already, but Adrian Pasdar commented on all the hoopla a little while ago on his youtube account:

"I won't say anything. Yet. Other than that the last four years have been wonderful and ALL the folks that go into making HEROES have treated me professionally and with respect. I am still under contract to NBC/Universal, and will remain so until the end of season 4. On another note, I spent today with Masi Oka at Universal Studios, on the lot, and we had some fun behind the scenes at the Jaws attraction on the Tour... I'll post it in a bit. All I had was my iPhone, so the quality might not be as decent and you're used to... Stay Tuned!"

He is such a class act. I notice that fwiw whilst he is defending his firm (which is admirable and loyal), he is also not denying that the means he discovered he was leaving was accurate. And yet again during what can only be a somewhat shitty time, he's thinking of his fans and looking to post a cheerful video. I really do not think NBC deserve him. And I wish him every happiness in whatever he chooses to do next.

Heroes S4 E8 "Once Upon A Time In Texas"

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:37:55 GMT

Hey, trekker? Remember how you were saying that it seems like Heroes secretly yearned for the days when the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys black? Heh. I guess I’m in a bit of a weird place with this episode as I was catching up on show casting gossip JUST before I sat down to watch this. But whatever –the review is as honest as I can make it.

I HATE it when they go back and revisit past glories of Season one in search of (presumably) recreating the former magic. It rarely enhances and often risks rendering much loved episodes crap in retrospect if one doesn’t choose to basically decide unilaterally that the retcon ep didn’t happen. Specifically, Elisabeth Rohm as Lauren just didn’t work for me. In part, this is due to her being astonishingly beautiful yet sadly also quite a shitty actress. I never hated her as much as my fellow Law & Order viewers, (one of whom cruelly but amusingly dubbed her Lawbot 2.0 in tribute to her lack of expressiveness) but she is pretty limited in her dramatic range. For a start, just like opposite Jack McCoy, she really only has two facial expressions: vaguely pleased surprise and that weird thing she does where she sort of talks through a half laugh/half sneer. Let's look:

Mode 1.

Mode 2. Congrats. You are now an expert on Elisabeth Rohm's entire acting range.

Plus, you can make your own fun by repeating her lines back at home in the tones of a Dalek which is how I used to enhance my enjoyment of her on L&O and resurrected here. Good times, good times.

Still, to be scrupulously fair, this was a shitty part for any actress. Not only is it yet another thankless retcon. It is contradicting not only the orginal eps but also the more recent hated (by me) Villains retcon. Where is Elle supposed to be here? Meredith? We didn’t even have the silver lining of seeing Thompson again. Boo. And more than just annoying us with the inference that she was here all the time is how she’s presented. The show actually has to come out with very unsubtle literal exposition about how her hitting on Noah is not about casual sex based on mutual hotness but the result of their mutual deep caring for each other. But this rings utterly hollow. How can it fail to do otherwise? We know nothing about this lady except that she is stunning to look at and she’s hitting on Bennet. So, other than her evident hotness, what other qualities that we’ve grown to know and love about Agent 2.0 are we supposed to imagine he’s being tempted by here? I guess he’s supposed to get marks for finally turning her down but I just thought a bit less of him for being tempted in the first place. I guess this might look very hypocritical from a Nathan fan but it’s not – I never thought anything other than badly of Nathan for cheating on Heidi and that was used in the show to demonstrate that Nathan could be an asshole. But here, I get the impression that the whole plotline was designed to show how noble Noah is. Sorry, but it didn’t work in this regard for me.

I kind of enjoyed the episode as a whole but I doubt it’s one I’ll be rewatching any time soon. I’m literally puzzled by Hiro not being in the photo when he zipped back in time. What’s up with that? Why would his actions in the present day have erased that little tributary in the time stream? Anyone want to help out this thick eared viewer? Since when did they start observing that particular rule of time travel?

After that, I went from being puzzled to again being flat out annoyed they were bending the characters to fit the plot. I swear when Charlie said she was dying I really expected Hiro to say something along the lines of ‘No worries, my little titian haired chickadee, back in my present day, Peter Petrelli is off picking himself up a nice healing ability out of the Company catalogue to cure me – let’s travel back to the exciting world of 2009 and see how he’s getting on and ask if you can have a go of it too, eh?’. But no…I guess asking the psychopathic serial killer will work just as well?! And seriously, how the fuck did Sylar actually cure Charlie anyway? Doctors can see how tumours ‘work’ – it doesn’t mean they can magic them away. Annoying from Sylar’s POV too. He had endless opportunities to kill both Charlie & Hiro whilst they were utterly distracted. He doesn’t need Hiro’s knowledge if he has Hiro’s power – he can go forward to take a look for himself. And I can only presume that the original plan of Hiro’s was to whisk her back to 2009 after being cured by Sylar if his plan had gone off without a hitch because if he didn't, what was to stop Sylar nipping back and killing her for her power once Hiro's back was turned? Honour? But if he was going to take her home, seriously - has he forgotten he hopes to be returning to a healer? Or does he just think Peter is nice but a total flake?

I’m very glad that Charlie told Hiro off but I’m annoyed that she more or less instantly followed it up by taking it all back – that retraction felt contrived because the first bit, she was totally speaking for me and I was nodding along furiously. I mean, when Hiro said to Sylar about him continuing on his path, he was in essence saying off you go on your merry way to kill Jackie the teenager. I guess she just wasn't special enough. (I love Jackie, btw because she kicked Sylar right in the bollocks. In terms of attack points, this puts her ahead of most of the Heroes!) Also, where does Yaeko fit into Hiro’s view of his past actions now? He seemed to forget all about Charlie when he met her which I complained about at the time. Come to think of it, he went ahead and (or so he thought anyway) Broke History for her love too. Now she in turn has been forgotten utterly and Charlie was his one true love again? What the fuck? Adam may have been all evil and obsessive but at least he remembered her for a thousand years!

Oh and I bet I wasn’t the only one making this reflection but Hiro’s words to Sylar about Sylar dying unnoticed, unmourned and without any tears shed were of course not accurate about him because unlike Hiro we know he survived but they did inadvertently reflect the truth of poor Nathan’s fate. Given that the one person who did witness it and should have had those reactions, his own mother chose madness rather than accepting the inevitable. The words reflect Elle’s fate too – Sylar would deserve zero pity for enduring such a fate as he’s given not one thought about inflicting it on others.

The good stuff: we are finally getting more progress on the carnival so seriously, I am very happy about that and looking forward to next week. I’ve belatedly realised that as well as reminding me of Jim Jones in character, physically Samuel reminds me of dopey old Super Hans from Peep Show (see below), which means if I start finding his Jim Jonesness too scary, I can take refuge in remembering this other reference. I thought it was especially good acting from Robert Knepper this week – he really did and look sound very haunted and guilty as he talked about having done something terrible. Good work. Also, I see we found us a Doctor Suresh! If I wasn’t in such a weird place with the show overall, I’d definitely be giving a hoot about this!

Super Hans

Heroes Casting Spoilers Part VI: Mission to Moscow

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:13:39 GMT

Well, boo-urns. JUST when I foolishly allowed myself to breathe a bit of a sigh of relief, it seems my initial bleak gut instinct about Auseillo's spoiler being about Adrian Pasdar was right all along. I’m not claiming any points as a seer, of course- Past names I went on to suspect afterwards included Jack, Milo and Greg. Probably if this had dragged on any longer, Mr Muggles would have eventually been named by me as a suspect. Speaking of which, cheers Greg – you sure fooled me with your definite refusal about killing off Nathan on the show the other day, I guess. That was just mean.

Why do they do it? Why do they keep the dross and throw away the quality? This is like opening a banana, chucking the fruit and carefully keeping the skin. So they are getting rid of Nathan whilst presumably assuring themselves what the show really needs is all Sylar & Hiro all the time, characters with all the depth of a puddle. You know what I think happened? I think they decided to wrap this last storyline up a lot quicker than they originally planned. And why? Best guess –they didn’t ever really have a clear idea of the physical mechanics of the arc but more importantly, I think it must have been embarrassingly obvious to TPTB that Zachary Quinto just wasn’t ever going to be capable of handling his end of the rope and they’ve decided to cut their losses and draw a veil over the whole thing [eta: wow! mixed metaphors or what!]. Which fucking sucks so badly. Because due to them investing so much in a shitty actor, they’ve buggered everything up and now they think the solution is to fire the good actor! Nuts. I’m angry at the show but also at myself because really, by this stage did I really expect better from them? Poor Adrian!

I guess in the grand tradition of fucking Adrian over (and by extension the audience one last time), we can therefore look forward to some weakass exit in which the actor who has fucking carried this show for 3 seasons gets to limp offscreen whilst Peter and Claire are sad for an episode. Two eps if we’re ultra lucky. And then I guess they’ll put it all behind them whilst they get on with saving the world from whatever the apocalypse de jour turns out to eventually be. Sigh.

What a shit idea this whole arc is turning out to be. I’ve gone at some length previously as to why I think it was such an utterly dreadful idea, totally mangling the characters of Noah & Angela so badly as to make me scream but the execution sucked too. They managed it terribly as a drama – the audience and the characters are and were just totally out of sync to the point that it is embarrassingly bad. The audience was (I think) shocked and horrified by the finale events but that reaction was given no way of being reflected anywhere onscreen, beyond Angela’s one shocked cry of horror. The shoving of borrowed memories into Sylar’s body seemed to utterly sidestep all further reaction to that event because no-one really knew what in practice it meant. Angela, our ONE focus of reaction obviously saw it as in some way saving him but I for one could never see how it possibly could. Consequently, as invested obsevers, I think we all never got beyond that initial shocked bewilderment – everything else was roughly shoved in the ‘reaction: pending’ file whilst we sat around waiting for the new season to explain what the hell literally happened and what that meant, fundamentally. But it still hasn’t really – instead we kind of got an unsettling notion that in some ways like things were potentially okay. We had Adrian still walking around as Nathan for a start – it is kind of hard to mourn Nathan’s loss when we are sat watching him walking around and talking, oblivious to what happened to him. I was of course aware this feeling was illusory but I was surprised by how when ‘Nathan’ would be seen talking to Peter how frequently I had to remind myself that this was so.

That’s not Nathan, I would remind myself in episodes like ‘Acceptance’. Therefore, things like him becoming angry with his mother for things she did that affected Nathan’s life in Nathan’s past are intellectually bogus for the viewer. And puzzling from Angela’s POV. When she told him somewhat self righteously of the sacrifices she’s made for him (in concealing Kelly’s death, that is), the irony was off the scale. How were we reading that? Did she really think by this stage that allowing Sylar to live Nathan’s life and wear his face was for Nathan’s benefit? Or was she forgetting for a second she wasn’t really talking to her son? Or did the show think she WAS on some level still talking to Nathan? To date, these answers have never been remotely clear and yet without them, there’s no real way to follow the arc.

So I can see why they’re cutting their losses but this means we’ll never really get any natural sense of consequence from the other characters arising from the traumatic finale. It will get buried under the bigger task of trying to figure out what the fuck we’re supposed to be looking at, swapping notes, waiting for the last piece of the jigsaw and THEN….we get to find out what we should have been feeling all along, I guess?

And then once Peter & Claire have had their stipulated Big Reaction, which I’m guessing won’t include such things as cutting off Angela & Noah from their lives, I guess I’m free. I’m finally free of a show that has its creator someone that so despises the people who watch each week that NBC had to more or less assign him a handler whose job it was to ensure he Said Nothing. And not just free of Kring! Free from writers whose contempt from frequently leaked into the Q&A sessions in Behind The Eclipse (which overall were very useful to read, especially when the show was unclear). I’m free of a show that seemed to enjoy nothing better than tormenting its fans over the prospect of their favourite character being killed off at the end of a season. (And yeah, I’m sick of that favourite character always being fucking mine. It’s a huge cast –is there some reason it always had to be Nathan?) But it’s now over and I feel sort of relieved – I can keep my promise to keep watching until Adrian is not in it anymore, plus Peter’s reaction and then I can quit forever. If I want, I’m free!

I guess Adrian’s free of it too. Free from a show that held him in such low regard that it rewarded sterling, beautifully nuanced performances by openly pondering firing him at the end of every season since day one. Think of that! Your boss letting it be known to the world that they can’t make their minds up whether or not to fire you. And then requiring him once deciding he was NOT fired to be delivering the emotional core of the next season. And finally very obviously more or less telling the world that they’d keep him to be their backup prom date just in case they lost out on Zachary Quinto. And yeah, he’s free of a show that he’d worked on from day one which had the epic lack of class in just not bothering to finally tell him he was no longer wanted on voyage by letting him find out for himself in the pages of the script. I do get very upset to think about that. Because of all the possible reactions to that, I can’t really imagine one that doesn’t include him feeling very badly let down and hurt. But still, in a way I’m surprised I’m not sadder than I in fact am about the whole thing. Maybe there’s only so often you can be jabbed in the same spot before a callus forms, maybe the way they’ve been essentially firing him in instalments robbed it of its impact or maybe it’s just I’m relieved it’s all over.

I’d feel a bit happier about it, mind if I assumed he was walking off this show to land the lead of a much better one like he deserves. He may do so of course and I really hope he does because any show would be lucky to get him. However, I’m not sure it works like that. Not only is just being talented and charismatic not always enough and there’s a huge element of luck to this sort of thing but well, Adrian’s always struck me as being a highly mercurial personality. I could just as easily imagine him turning around and announcing he was going to I dunno, devote the next ten years to searching for lost tributaries of the Amazon, attempting to write the Great American novel or even opting to just spend the time with his family having been made sick of acting after this. Ah well, let’s hope for the lead in a hot new show, eh? Or as a close second that he pens a tell all memoir.

Attacked by 'Poker Face' earworm

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:56:39 GMT

As *I* don't seem to be able to get the acoustic version of "Poker Face" by Lady GaGa out of my head, I don't see why I should be depriving you good people of the chance for it to get you too. Semi seriously, this is about a million times better than the actual single and somewhat bizarrely shows that far from covering the usual multitude of sins, the extensive autotune & other gubbinry was used to merely give the convincing illusion that this was someone who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and that she actually has a very pleasant voice. Why wasn't the single more like this version? Weird.

As a wee extra, here's my second favourite actor, Christopher Walken doing a dramatic reading of the song from the Jonathan Ross show in Friday night, giving the project his usual commitment

TV Review - Vampire Diaries & Flash Forward

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:20:07 GMT

I'll probably keep watching Flash Forward just because hey, there's nothing else on on Monday nights here in the UK at that time but I doubt I'll be giving it much in the way of regular reviews. A shame because the premise was right up my street but...I'm just rather bored with it :(

One of the many lowlights this week was literally the most unbelievable shootout I've ever seen on tv or film. I mean I know the stars don't get shot and killed (short of playing too hard to get come contract renegotiation) but that escape from the RPG launched at the care was ridiculous. I imagine I'll probably inspect the White Collar bandwagon which I was going to give a miss as I thought I had a surfeit of shows but now I have an emotional show vacancy. Besides, no-one told me it had Bryce from Chuck in it!

The Vampire Diaries otoh, continues to be kind of fun. I think the dialogue in general has got sharper and I think the actress playing Elena is definitely getting better or she's simply growing on me. Either way, I like her more. The chap playing Stefan continues to be a lost cause. I maintain he has only one expression: Broody Staring but eryslash was rightl when she corrected me that he has in fact two - sometimes he gives us ultra Broody Staring too which involves giving his brow a truly heroic furrowing.

I am rather liking the introduction of Bonnie's grandmother for a few reasons. Bonnie is kind of my favourite character so more Bonnie backstory is gravy. Plus, we got to see a photo of Bonnie's ancestor which makes me hopeful for more flashbacks with more long dresses, silly accents and implied raunchy threeways. But mainly with the introduction of her grandmother and her knowledge of the occult and massive library, I think we just found us our Giles. Hooray for that!

I don't have too much to say about Vicky. I didn't like her when she was alive and her being a vampire didn't make her any easier to sympathise with. I DID feel for her brother in his suddenly weary looking to the future and anticipating a life of always worrying what she was up to. And for Elena who knew that he was going to be spared that but via the saddest of means. I continue to like the flashes of humanity in Damon. I don't think he's ultimately redeemable - he's callously killed too many people for me to really want that for him but they make him a more interesting person.

Robert Knepper and his dark past

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:01:23 GMT

You know, following up on my earlier post mentioning in rather entitled fashion about how I don't think Robert Knepper is all that, with this might look like I'm piling on. However, I swear I just found this via my general message board home from home, The Straight Dope. Namely, Knepper's chilling earlier work. What? No, not T-Bag! THIS!

Hahahaha! Oh bless! I so wish I'd known this when watching Prison Break because I remember this episode so well and it was hilariously schlocky. So he was once the nice young man that Deanna Troi's ultra annoying mum wanted her to marry. Excellent. I like to think he'll always be Wyatt to me now :)

Awwww! :)

Heroes S4 E7 "Strange Attractors"

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:06:38 GMT

Oh dear - after a stack of good or at least solid eps, that one just blew.

I guess I'm pleased that Noah's ridiculous story about the police just letting Jeremy go didn't work because let's face it, the story had some big holes in it. As did that upstairs wall where last week Jeremy fired a shotgun into it. The upstairs should also be soaked in Peter's blood which, although the parents didn't die of bullet wounds would be enough to give any police pause. But on the downside, Jeremy was a) whiny and boring and b) basically a talking plotpoint more than an actual person and had way too useful a power to live. Take care of that healing power, Peter because there's no going back to the well on this one now.

Tracy's story about relating to the horror of accidental murder is all well and good but slightly diminished by the fact we also saw her only a few weeks ago carrying out pre meditated actual murders. Also, I don't think the watery hand on the arm was the smartest of moves around a kid who isn't fully on top of a power that means he kills people when he feels threatened. And do you live in small Southern town? Heroes has a message for you: you live in a shithole (cf. all the disgusted looks Tracy and Noah give to the people (and one dog) and your cops are stupid and corrupt. Thanks. More impressive made up police work this week, I see. This time culled presumably from "In The Heat Of The Night".

The carnival is basically just a creepy superhero version of Jonestown, isn't it? That full recruitment speech to Tracy was so creepy because this is exactly how Jim Jones used to recruit people. ie the world sees no value in you but I do. You're lost but join us and you'll be part of something bigger than yourself, have a new home in a loving family blah blah blah. And the undertone that doing so will increase the power of the man in charge. Yuck. Even if they don't turn out to be mwhahaha evil, this is disturbing. Also, I'm saying right here and now - I don't find Samuel the least bit attractive. I generally don't point out stuff like that because I fear it looks crazily entitled but I'm doing so now because I seem to be so alone in this view. He just looks smug and dirty. And not dirty in a good way, just that he looks like he needs a good wash and probably smells of bad patchouli oil to vaguely offset this fact. Tracy, you went up a good seven places in my estimation for telling him to piss off even if you later go back on this stance. I'm not saying he's not interesting, of course. Just that we're never going out. There, there Samuel, don't cry - you'll smudge your eyeliner.

Tiny annoyance. Yet another example of one character finally agreeing with another only to find they have flip flopped. So after weeks of Gretchen claiming there's definitely something off with Annie's death, suddenly once Claire agrees, she 's all "Claire, come ON" about it. I have very little to say about the hats off to John Carpenter aspect of things. Except to say that for the millionth time Heroes doesn't understand the difference between borrowing plot elements and paying homage to them. In the latter, it's generally accepted that you use the elements in such a way to add something fresh. Even the music was just a pastiche of Carpenter's classic scores (especially Halloween) although nicely done. But there was nothing new added to the sorority poppets in peril dullness here except that there was a bit less tension as one of them can't be killed.

And I have nothing to say about the Sylar & Matt storyline except to observe that if Sylar I must be forced to endure, the moustache twirling version is slightly preferable to the mopey, emo one who vaguely thinks he's Nathan. "I know her, I helped her - she came to me when she was sad!" What? oh pass the sickbag. You've lost your memory, you aren't 6 years old. Grrr. Must we be now doomed to two versions of Sylar haunting us forever? I cannot be the only one who was urging Matt to off himself this week for the greater good of humanity. Oh look, it seems I *do* have stuff to say about these scenes. Stuff like ... Janice apparently didn't believe Matt was on the level and called his sponsor? What? How did that make any sense? GAH!!! Sigh. Will no-one help us!

Heroes sketch

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:28:41 GMT

Just one quick sketch, this time of Swoosie Kurtz and her elegantly melancholic face. I don't think I quite did her justice but I did enjoy sketching her - I do hope we haven't seen the last of her but if we have, well what we got was solid gold.

Amusing Heroes advert

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:02:39 GMT

Ever watch Heroes and find it that tiny, tiny bit familiar? I bet you do if you're Alan Moore, J. Michael Straczynski or Chris Claremont. But they and you would be wrong. Because this month's SFX magazine has an advert for HMV (biggest seller of DVDs in the UK High Street), in which Tim Kring finally reveals his actual inspiration for Heroes.

So there we have it - all cleared up now.

*Coughs*

Heroes ratings

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:23:13 GMT

For those of us who keep a wary eye on the Heroes ratings, you might find this live feed interesting to keep an eye on as the season goes on. As far as I can tell, it's generally pretty well informed and has a good track record in terms of past results of what gets canned or not. Anyway, as of the time of writing, comfortingly, Heroes is apparently doing well enough that it isn't endangered (yet anyway). So yay for that - let us hope for green and then we can all relax. Be warned - there's the odd spoiler for other shows in the headlines for the site visible on the page.

Live Feed's TV Series Survival Status Chart 2009-10

(If in the statistically unlikely event that you couldn't care less if Heroes lives or dies, it also has (I think) all the major network shows so you can follow your own pet show instead)

Heroes S4 E6 "Tabula Rasa"

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:35:45 GMT

Can they let us know when we can expect Adrian back, please? The show just is not the same for me without him. The fact that they deemed he had to be credited for appearing this week is in retrospect amusing but it didn’t half get my hopes up. Ah well. Still, goodish episode.

Huh. They mentioned the magic blood. I will resist the temptation to jump at the bait to ask too many pointless questions again about WHY Noah didn’t think of using this for the finale (except just now) As opposed to sanctioning a plan that made everyone including Claire not realise that the man she thinks is her biological father is really Sylar? I was very surprised they mentioned again – I really did think they were just taking a policy of aggressive yet embarrassed silence to the whole subject in the hope everyone would get bored of poking at it with sticks and move on. But no, apparently the magic blood is still an unbeatable weapon in the response armoury…albeit on the one occasion it won’t work because Hiro’s problem is cancer and according to Noah therefore it would only give strength to the tumour. I’m not sure how Noah can know that for sure??. Logically, the tumour is caused by malfunctioning cells so I’m not sure why the healing factor wouldn’t return the cells to perfect working order. (Also, it’s grim but does this mean the healing factor wielders be killed by repeated exposing them to, say Radium? Also, how come tranq darts work on Sylar anyway?) I digress. More broadly, it’s insane if they are only going to remember about this ultra defence on the one occasion they decide it won’t work.

It didn’t strike me at the time, but after I watched, Claire’s scene in general kind of puzzled me. I get that she wants to sort stuff out for herself but she was acting around Noah as if she didn’t have a care in the world. I can understand her not wanting to give her dad all the fine detail on her possible romantic life but she thinks her new roommate murdered the old one just to get closer to her! I wonder if there’s been a bit of shuffling of the episode running order?

On the upside, we got our Noah & Peter roadtrip which was pretty appealing. I would like to have seen a little bit more quality time with Noah and Peter because I think that could be an interesting dynamic. Peter is always so appealing around him, like he’s looking up to him with quiet awe. His ultra respectful yet sad “Thank you, Mr Bennet” from the season one finale is one of my very favourite Peter moments in the whole show to date. With regards the confrontation with the healer/take of life, I wasn’t seriously worried for Peter but the actual shooting with the time freezing, then Peter’s dawning realisation that he hadn’t stopped time QUITE quick enough was both beautifully shot and did convey a real sense of “oh SHIT, how do I fix THIS?”. Mind you, though I wasn’t worried, I’m still not fond of seeing characters I love getting shot and apparently bleeding to death on screen. I guess as a Nathan fan I should be used to it by now. I fear for the future of that boy healer, btw – unless they’ve truly learned nothing whatsoever from the aforementioned magic blood fiasco, that’s way too useful an ability to have on the show for too long . If I was that kid, I wouldn’t be bothering to buy any tweed suits.

It seems a little thing, but I’m actually rather liking some of the little inconveniences that Peter is encountering due to his one ability at a time thing, rather than like last season where there was always being a handy power in place to move him around the plot. Like having to drive to the airport and catch a flight home. It’s not that I like to think of him kicking his heels in the departure lounge, I just thought it was a nice touch and would reflect the reality I’d expect of someone in Peter’s position so nice job, show. I hope it doesn’t have some more tragic echo further down the line where Peter is placed in a situation where he’s painfully aware he could have saved the day if only he had kept some power or other…

Elsewhere, I’m actually rather enjoying Hiro’s arc this season much to my pleasant surprise. I thought his scenes with Emma worked rather well and her power IS seriously pretty. I think we often get to see the best of Hiro when he’s working with more jaded, cynical characters. With him, it means there’s an audience stand in to puncture the excessive quirky if needed but he also tends to bring out softer sides in the tougher characters he meets. His scenes with Nathan in Season one worked very well (for the most part) and I think they do so with Emma this week. Also, again I thought the show was mocking Peter with Hiro’s whole “you’re sure there’s nothing wrong in your life you could benefit from me going back in time to fix?” “Nope!” ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!! Hulk smash. HULK SMASH!

Eeesh. Okay then – Sylar. Sigh. God, Zachary Quinto really does just have two settings, doesn’t he? Evil quip throwing super villain and snivelling/ maudlin total wuss. You know who I’d have guessed he was channelling if denied all the script clues? Niki Sanders. That was JUST how Ali portrayed Niki whenever she’d find out whatever badness Jessica had done on her watch. Not for one second did I get the impression that I was watching Nathan there. And this isn’t just me thinking only AP can pull this trick off. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku made decent showings playing each other’s characters in Buffy – it’s doable! And this story just doesn’t work if both actors cannot pull their weight. Also, speaking of Niki, isn’t this threatening to become her story? I hope not – it wasn’t that gripping the first time around to me. Either way, we cannot get Adrian back soon enough.

I was a bit creeped out by the hall of mirrors scene but ONLY because it reminded me of a key scene from the live action Walt Disney movie “The Watcher In The Woods”(youtube trailer - nowadays all your childhood nightmares live on in youtube) which looks ultra hokey today but I swear to God, to six year old me, it was the most terrifying, traumatising thing EVER and was scary as fuck. It had this teenage girl right, suddenly noticing that of all the images in the mirror hall, one in the corner is suddenly not of her reflection but of some blindfolded girl reaching out to her desperately from behind the glass. Eeek! Gradually, all the other reflections turn into this too but the real horror was suddenly noticing that one reflection, apparently to my mind trying to pull her into some terrifying mirror dimension. Brrr. To this day I find what in technical parlance I have dubbed “shit with mirrors” in films intrinsically frightening.

Finally a word on Lydia. EEEEW! There are some things you just should not expect your loved ones to have to do! EEEW! Although I took a wry amusement in Lydia and Samuel’s exchange of the most obvious stage nods in the history of TV. Impressive, but maybe they could be yet clearer still? Just to make sure every person in the audience that Samuel & Lydia are cool with her apparently having sex with Sylar, I suggest that Samuel gives a stage wink and makes the OK symbol with his hand and that Lydia responds with a wink and two thumbs up gesture back to him. Still, I guess the level of the Sylar being that is Nathan probably found both the notion of (okay, adopted) family member AND random woman looking to have sex with him way more oddly familiar than jetplanes or handshaking

Also, another drawing of Adrian from the days of "Profit" .

.

Vampire Diaries episode 6

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:15:34 GMT

I've come to the conclusion that I'm not really trusting my instincts that well as to what is good TV and what's trash. All I know is that after giving Vampire Diaries a kicking last week, I thought that this week's was a corker. well, by the standards it holds itself to anyway.

I knew it was going to be awesome when I saw we were being treated to the flashback episode which to my utter joy included Elena, sorry Katherine, Stegan and Damon strutting around uncomfortably like extras from Gone With The Wind. I especially enjoyed the actress who usually plays Elena's attempt at an accent of sorts. That gloriously non specific 'historical accent like what old-fashioned ladies spoke like way back in days of yore" voice. You know how it sounds! So I knew right there and then this week's was going to be fun.

Plus it was better than that because you know what? That twist about Katherine being a vampire, I did NOT see coming so either I occasionally have my off days and this is me akin to being surprised by a twist in the Twilight Zone or that was genuinely a cool twist. I have to say, Katherine seemed a LOT more fun than Elena does, what with the messing with the brothers' heads, turning them against each other and apparently having sex together. I guess she was probably evil what with the biting and all but she kind of seems entertaining. I hope we see more of her.

FlashForward Episode Three

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:16:40 GMT

This show's just about keeping me interested. I'm beginning to accept there's not going to be that much depth and that each week I'm going to be shouting at the TV about odd plot turns or what are apparently plot holes. But fortunately as a Heroes fan I can probably deal with whatever FF cares to chuck at me on this score.

So this week's ep. Man, that business with the Nazi was irritating and silly, huh? For several reasons! Firstly, Joseph Fiennes cuts the worst deals in the world. Prisoner all but admitted, 'yeah, I really had nothing much but eh, what're ya gonna do - the vision said you'd let me go so undo the cuffs!". In what world do they reply "...okay." Why is the Nazi the only person who noticed the dead crows anyway? And shouldn't that boy who was watching them fall have collapsed too? WHY is future pregnant girl so dense this week with the "I fail to see any possible significance of the birds being affected too". Gah!!!

On the upside, I was pleased to see that FBI boss Courtney Vance's wife on the show is Zoe from Firefly. Cool. And I am sort of getting interested in the mystery of John Cho's possible demise. It hasn't been made very clear how much in the way of active memory of past time people experience in the flashforward. ie, can they remember how they were feeling? Joseph Fiennes & wifey both seemed to report doing so which makes Cho's fiancee's experience hard to read. Her vision, despite her happiness in it, did NOT seem to feature him that we could see, contrary to her words. But she seemed happy - I wonder if she was dreaming? It looked quite dreamlike.

On a totally different subject, I'd like to wish the happiest of birthdays to linaerys. Her wonderful Heroes stories, plus how engaging, friendly and kind her posts were where what spurred me to start making contact with people here on Livejournal. Have a good one, Lin!

Heroes Casting Spoilers

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:46:33 GMT

To add my own belated tuppence worth of thoughts concerning the Blind Item in The Ausiello Files which everyone seems in agreement is about Heroes. Hee, just when you think NBC & Heroes couldn't fuck things up more if they tried, they somehow find a way.

From the article:

"I get that there’s no easy way to lay someone off, but, come on, this is ridiculous: A male series regular on a one-hour drama — a onetime ratings powerhouse — learned that he was out of a job only after reading his character’s death scene in the script!

More clues (or misinformation) in Kristin Dos Santos' column

"Sources over on NBC's Heroes confirm to me that a major death is in the works, and this is not one that will go unnoticed by even the most casual fan."

Greg Grunberg & James the Prop Guy from the show have both confirmed they are indeed losing a cast member, Greg seeming very sad, James being endearingly furious about it all. Like most people, I of course immediately thought "I bet that's Adrian". Just because not only does it seem in keeping with the amount of respect with which they've been treating him all along, but where else can he really go on the show? The only thing that stops me thinking it might be him is the fact that, well - see previous point. Shouldn't he and everyone have else been expecting this given his current storyline? Yet people seem shocked and angry. Hmnn. Plus, is he really so big a name to the casual fan?

Sucks hugely for us of course in the wondering. We're like a bunch of Transylvanian Villagers waiting anxiously for the dawn to see which of our number's been snatched away by Dracula in the night. To keep that analogy going, in that situation there is probably few people you'd WANT to see eaten by vampires but a sliding scale as to how upset you'd be over who was left standing. As it happens, I'd be a flinty hearted villager and if I but only could, I'd be hanging out my window yelling towards Zachary Quinto's window that "he's hiding under the bed and his window's unlocked!" It won't happen. It should but it won't. They'd NEVER be so smart as to keep AP over Zachary Quinto. I wonder about Jack Coleman. I've seen it said that people don't consider him a major name which surprises me as I thought he was one of the most popular characters? If so, I guess he doesn't quite fit the profile, Equally, I wouldn't be sorry if they lost Masi from a story pov. I think his character has only dragged things to a halt since halfway through season one. Again, I don't see them having the guts. I can't see them offing Hayden but I *do* wonder if she might be a factor in them maybe sacking Milo (as an outside bet). It would certainly match the "no WAY" reaction from the cast and crew. I'm not suggesting that the story of her lobbying to have him fired was accurate, of course. But I do wonder if they are not as on such professionally friendly terms as is claimed and that TPTB have decided to put an end to the source of on set bad feeling .

Of course, if they were to get rid of Peter, I find it very hard to think they'd keep Nathan on without him. And weirdly, I think I'd be okay with that on some level. I could finally stop watching and Adrian and Milo would be free to have the chance of finding more rewarding work. I almost have to laugh about it all. Seriously, though - finding out you've been axed by reading the script? Friends played that bit for laughs! Seriously, aren't NBC just the best??