We're not alone.
For a few weeks now, we've shown our tough love for Heroes by aiming critical commentary at the show's illogical, frustrating story lines. A few readers have taken our staff to task for dissing their favorite show, even though we're big fans and just wanna see it return to its first season greatness.
As you can tell from the excerpts below, other columnists are annoyed by the series these days, as well. Here are highlights - or lowlights, really - from recaps of this week's episode around the Web:
- TVGuide.com: "These same stories by and large could have been told without the loss of powers, so why even go there. We've still yet to get any real explanation as to why the eclipse triggers these powers (and why these eclipses are happening so often), and the whole things reeks of a plot device meant to drum up drama that the stories themselves are not."
- EW.com: "If you're not going to put your characters [such as Claire and Sylar, who obviously weren't dead] in real jeopardy, don't even head down that road. Because it's cheap and a waste of time."
- Zap2It.com: "It's come to the point where I just feel kind of bad for Greg Grunberg and Brea Grant, saddled as they are with a supposed love story that's based on Parkman's spirit walk and nothing else."
Again, we love Heroes. But, as you can see, we're not alone in our critical view of the show these days.
FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE'S JUMP TO READ A MAJOR CRITICISM OF THIS WEEK'S EPISODE AND CHIME IN WITH YOUR VIEW...
Remember how the the first part of The Eclipse episodes ended? With HRG pointing his rifle straight at Elle and Sylar, as they made out?
Now jump ahead to this week's episode. We see Sylar and Elle on the floor, having just had sex; only THEN does HRG's shot ring out. Seriously?!? Are we supposed to believe that HRG was kind enough - or dirty-minded enough - to wait until they had intercourse before trying to kill them?
It may seem like a tiny issue, but that's what makes it so frustrating. Perhaps the writers can sometimes be forgiven if larger plot holes exist because they are trying to reach a bigger, grander conclusion. But why create such an illogical misstep in this case?
Why couldn't the action have picked up exactly where we left it last time, with HRG's shot missing the new couple because they were just going to the floor in order to get it on? Would anything in the episode have changed one bit if Sylar and Elle had not had sex on that floor?
It's lazy writing such as this that infuriates us. Please treat viewers with more respect, Heroes staff. We tune in mostly for action and suspense, but that doesn't mean you can simply ignore all sensible steps in story telling, as well.
Agree? Disagree? We'd love to hear your comments!
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27 Comments
December 3rd, 2008 9:43 AM
I think a more frustrating part of the show is that they don't seem to have any idea where they're going with the characters. Each week, character A is good. Then he's evil. Then he's good again. It's nauseating and uninteresting. The concept of a group of villans vs. a group of heroes was abandoned early and they've gone to recycling the same episode over and over again ("this week, Artur takes another hero's powers that we know will eventually return")
Characters are making completely illogical and odd decisions. Never mind that you killed my father like 20 minutes ago, I'm oddly attracted to you. Excuse me? This type of shoddy writing is what made me turn off Lost and will eventually do it with Heroes.
Also, they've turned Sylar from an amazing villian (that "understands everything") to a total idiot with a mommy complex willing to believe anything and everything told to him. "I'm your mother", "Okay", "Your mother is evil I'm better", "Okay", "Neither is your parent", "Okay", it's old.
What they've done to Hiro has added *some* fun back in, but not a ton. Daphne and Parkman get my "Least Interesting Storyline of the Year" award, this season doesn't change *at all* if they leave Ali Larter out of it and St. Joan has just completely up and vanished.
That's it. I'm done.
December 3rd, 2008 9:46 AM
As far as I can tell there are always little differences between the scene at the end of one episode and the start of the next (even though the scene is a continuation). Though I do agree this was a bad one. I do think the scene in this weeks episode was better than last weeks ending. This week it shows the drastic change in the relationship between Slayr and Elle. I think they should have added a short scene to last weeks episode, maybe just showing Sylar and Elle getting started while HRG loses them in his sights as they drop to the floor. It's not like the shows aren't completed ahead of time. It seems a bit lazy but otherwise I love the show and I won't stop watching.
December 3rd, 2008 10:10 AM
First off, i thought that season one was one of the best TV shows of all time. which is what makes watching season 3 so painful because the only thing letting the show down is REALLY BAD writing.
if the show is to improve ( can't see it happening tho sadly), then i never want to hear the following 3 words again:- CATALYST, FORMULA, HUNGER. just cheapens the whole show.
the biggest problem on a basic level is that it just doesn;t make sense. i am left with some big questions.:
1. why was it so important that peter got sylars ability?
2. sylar has so many abilities that he never uses (superhearing, touching things to know their history etc)
3. how does future claire kill peter with a gunshot?
4. has any other tv show in history killed off a character and then brought the actor back as a different character? (Ali Larter).
5. what was the point of the eclipse? nothing happened. they all ost their powers for 5 minutes. so what. claire and sylar died but came back. Elle and possibly Samedi died but that had nothing to do with the eclipse.
the eclipse encapsulates everything that is wrong with the show. they build it up for ages and then when it comes they realise that they actually have to incorporate it into the story and they can't.
December 3rd, 2008 10:20 AM
Why does Arthur want to give everyone abilities?
December 3rd, 2008 10:21 AM
Contrary to the commenter above, I do not feel that they lack direction. The writers know exactly where their characters are going and who their becoming.
On the other hand, as i've said many times before; this season is just a scatter brained cluster fuck. Ever since their “one year ago” episode, each chapter has gotten better and better because its focusing on an average of 3 stories instead of 6. Their giving their characters focus again and FINALLY giving us a direction.
I dont doubt they have always known where this is going but it should never take 8 episodes before the viewers get a clear cut of what’s happening. The beginning of this volume was just handled so poorly. Villains escaping, Arthurs return, sides chosen, good vs evil... All great things but the way they went about it all was crap.
Their characters were like two face's coin being flipped in the air. you never knew which side they were going to land on in the next episode and thats one of the things that bothered the viewers the most. You've spent two seasons building these characters for us to love and then in a matter of a couple episodes you tear down everything we've loved about them. And for what? Only to have most of them end up who they were at the start...
I like where the show is at right now and where the characters stand (except for hiro) and I love this show, but the first 2/3 of this season was so poorly handled. And then you have more little screw ups in the past 10 episodes then you've had in two seasons prior. Thats a combination that will turn any die hard fan, rabid.
It seems that almost every episode, or every other episode, there's some sort of screw up that contradicts past facts. Flint tackled by the invisable man, HRG waiting to shoot sylar and elle, I mean I could seriously put out a freak'n laundry list of them. All of this coupled with lazy plot devices being used to create drama over a solid story line is poor writing as well.
But honestly It cant be all put on the writers... When a script leaves their hands there are impromptu changes that happen during filming and editing too. Flint was bad writing, HRG was due to an on set change. That's the problem with having a room full of writers and a hand full of directors and producers. TV is hard, thers A LOT to do in a small amount of time with a lot of heads and hands involved.
BUT SOMEONE needs to grab Heroes by the balls and take the lead because unless things turn around by the end of volume four... there wont be a fourth season, and everyone knows this.
December 3rd, 2008 10:40 AM
Jason, i understand that a certain amount of the inconsistencies happen after the writers have let them go and i can forgive them for a few plot holes but the problem with shows like this is that writers seem to feel that everything needs to be explained and that is where they get in to difficulties.
i just think that the moment it was made possible for powers to be transferred, taken awyay, injected an so on, it made the whole show seem much cheaper. i think that the reason that season 1 worked so well was that there was so much mystrery involved but then they started to explain things and that air of mystery was lost.
also a big problem that heroes has is that season one was brilliant and you have to wonder why they were unable to capitalize on such a great start.
i do think that recently there have been some great moments that do remind us how great it can be such such as Matt and daphne saying that they need to find hiro and then he knocks on the door.
another thing that that annoys me is that they just seem to drop characters sometimes. where were Knox, Meredith, Tracy, Angela during the eclipse. now that is just lazy.
also i agree, i can't see another season being commissioned
December 3rd, 2008 11:27 AM
I am not going to disagree or agree with you guys since most of you are very right.
What really get to me is that last year the writer strike made all the shows go off short. I am sure they got what they wanted because they are back to work. So now they getting more $$ and doing less work..
December 3rd, 2008 1:21 PM
What happened to Peters girlfriend? Last season they left her in the future. We were made to believe they were in love. Even if they bring her back it's kinda odd that he's never mentioned wanting to get back to save her. Some heroe!
December 3rd, 2008 1:25 PM
Reply to Pablosplinter
3. how does future claire kill peter with a gunshot?
The haitian is in that scene. Peter doesn't have his abilities.
December 3rd, 2008 1:30 PM
Has anyone noticed that the actor playing Peter talks different this season? Half of his face is frozen and he sounds like he's wispering.