Heroes 3x08 - Villains

[marenpaisley]

Wow... Heroes was extremely enjoyable tonight!

FTW:

Angela Petrelli: I love how cold she was at her husband's funeral. It was the evolution of badassery right there. And the lentil soup! I cheered.

Peter & Nathan: It was great seeing them back together. Nathan was especially compelling tonight. Oh, wait, that's just because he's played by the always-awesome Adrian Pasdar. :D

Meredith & Flint Gordon: The twist with the train at the end was pleasantly unexpected and fun to see, and Meredith's banter with both Thompson and Flint was really well done. Meredith's character really shone tonight. I loved the little detail that Claude picked up Flint in the alley outside of the convenience store...but now I'm wondering about the time frame. I was under the impression that Claude had left the Company long before the '18 months ago' tagline during which this story took place. Eh, I suppose it could have been a different invisible man... :D

Noah Bennet & Elle Bishop: Omg, I forgot about what a scary, scary man HRG was (well, is). No wonder Elle turns into a psychopath - she was partnered with him too long. Eep. Poor Elle. :( I really hope that they don't kill off her character when the actress can no longer commit to the show. That would make me sad.

Sylar: Aw, the return of adorkable Gabriel Gray. And yes, I think the bloody hand printed door led to the "Forgive me I have sinned" room. I was also glad he killed the eyeliner dude. Annoying goth guy was annoying. Although, I'm trying to remember a time in which Sylar ever used that man's ability, and I'm drawing a blank. Hmm. I really thought that Sylar's second kill was going to give him the freezing ability he used on Molly's dad. At any rate, I enjoyed his scenes with Elle; he was so painfully awkward around her, yet clearly very grateful for having someone to talk to for a while. I know I'm in the minority, but I'm really digging redeemed!Sylar.

Hiro, Ando, & Usutu: I actually cheered at the tv screen when Arthur stole Hiro's powers (sorry, Hiro) because TIME TRAVEL IS A BAD IDEA for this show. I know I'm in the minority on this, too, but I wouldn't mind it if Hiro and Peter never got their abilities back. I'm sure that won't happen, but there you go.

I was way more upset that Usutu was killed, though. I loved listening to him talk, and I would have enjoyed learning more about him. Also, if ever I learn that the actor who portrayed Usutu is in anything else, I plan on watching it. Or, you know, listening to it.

Not-so-win-worthy:

Arthur: I'm sorry, I don't know anything about the actor who portrays Arthur, but I can hardly take him seriously. His line delivery was so stilted and unbelievable, it was like listening to my fifth graders read passages out loud. His scenes between himself, Cristine Rose, and Malcolm McDowell were painful to watch, and it had nothing to do with the other actors. Maybe his script didn't help with that; I also cringed whenever it was just Angela and Arthur in a room speaking to each other and they kept using each other's names over and over. It's one of my biggest pet peeves in fanfic, and it was like hearing fanfic read out loud.

Guys, if you are alone and speaking to another person in real life, how often do you tag the person's name to the beginning or end of your sentences? Um, you don't because it's implied that the person you're speaking with knows that you're addressing them. The scenes tonight sounded like this:

"Words words words, Angela."
"Arthur, words words words."
"Words, Angela, words words."
"Words, Arthur."
"Angela."
"Arthur."

- Argh! You expect us to believe that these people were married for 40 years? Sorry, I didn't buy it. Cristine Rose was still fantastic, though, despite being given some lame dialogue.

Other than that, I really enjoyed tonight's show! I loved how everything tied into Season 1, and it didn't feel retconned at all to me. I really liked Meredith's back story and the fact that she was partnered with Thompson, and it was cool seeing how Elle fit into the larger picture.

I also didn't miss the absent characters as much as I thought I might - when I realized that Matt and Mohinder weren't going to really feature in the episode I was a little disappointed, but then I became totally engrossed in the story unfolding before me, and it didn't matter. Besides, I'm always pushing for there to be absent characters each week so that the show feels less jumpy. Well, that's what they did this week, and it really worked.

Good job, Heroes!

Now I'm off to read Beeman's Blog. :D

ETA: Jack Coleman's blog has been updated, too, and he talks about the election! I love the cast of this show, and I love Jack Coleman.

Comments

[phoenix-bellamy.livejournal.com]

TIME TRAVEL IS A BAD IDEA for this show.

It really is. They've troubles already with continuity, without having to make things even more complicated. SPN handled it pretty well, but it was a "once in a blue moon" kind of time travel.
The only ones that I've seen use it really well are the writers of Doctor Who.

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to know that some shows can handle time travel! I've never watched Supernatural or Dr. Who (30 years of canon is rather intimidating for someone who is new to the story!). And Heroes is really good at telling other kinds of stories; I'm hoping that after this volume that the show can begin playing to its strengths. I remain optimistic! :D

[phoenix-bellamy.livejournal.com]

There's a new edition of Doctor Who, which started in 2005 for the new generation that was too young to see the previous 24th or something seasons... Now it's on hiatus until 2010 - except for some special episodes during 2009 - so if you want to give it a try now it's the best time :D

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's good to know! I might just have to try it out then. Thanks! : )