HEROES Review: "Powerless" (Season 2 Episode 11)
Damn, now that's how you cut and run.
Did you see that season finale of HEROES, Mr President? That's how you hit the reset button on a disaster when you want to start all over again. First, raise the body count to distract your audience, then while they're busy going: "What the hell?...start papering the cracks just as fast as you can.
Look everybody: Nikki is dead!!!
(Start papering fool.)
And now it's Nathan, Malcolm X style, too!!! Didn't see that coming did you?
(I said start papering, dummy; they're going to notice Hiro isn't going back to Season 1 to stop all this crap from happening).
Bah, whatever.
But I know what you're thinking: What was poor Mr. Kring and company going to do anyway? It was obvious that the show was bloated and suffering for it, so why not thrust upon the audience an ending inspired by the final scenes from The Godfather, where pitiless mafia don, Michael Corleone, ties up his loose ends by whacking everybody who ever did his family wrong. Besides, you say, most folks were asking for a little mass murder anyway and Lord knows more than enough bloggers asked to see the writer's cut the fat.
Fair enough arguments I suppose, but did the writer's kill off the right characters? Let me know what you readers think.
For me, they could have "offed" almost anyone and it would have been a good start. Too bad they couldn't have eighty-sixed Nikki and Nathan (and Alejandro the week before) without it seeming so forced and awkward. I guess for some folks in Hollywood the writer's strike couldn't have come soon enough.
But the upside to all this is that the People have spoken and their pleas were mostly answered. Now the question is, what else should the People ask for?
How about asking for a real commitment to kick-ass action scenes. Remember the ridiculous showdown with Sylar in last season's finale? Well they came up with a flimsy wrap up again didn't they? I mean, when Peter and Adam break into Primatech's super secret, maximum-security facility, the security guards that resist them remind me of $7.50 per hour Wal-Mart rent-a-cops.
How about opposing the intruders with a killer robot, or just something a little more menacing than a steel door? At least, the steel door made Peter's nose bleed.
I guess there was a fight after all.
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Well actually a few weeks ago I was talking about the show at work and I basically came to the conclusion that Nikki & Nathan really served no purpose anymore...but that their deaths certainly would.... especially in terms of getting micah and that girl i don't know the name of to become all vigilante....and wouldn't it be awesome if nathan's mom had him offed for trying to out the heroes.
So, I'm not complaining... - I found the first season utterly predictable as well.
Screw the writers strike I could be writing this
. And... I'd still watch it. If the show actually WERE surprising, it wouldn't be as fun - what's nice is that it does run and function almost exactly as a graphic novel series would.
And I was getting bored of sylar I wanted more villains --- looks like I'll get em next year
Hey Greg - thanks for leaving a comment. I think your insights about Nikki and Nathan were spot on, as the finale proved. But would we really be surprised if both those characters showed up in Volume 3?
I don't believe for a second that at least one of those characters won't be brought back next season with the miracle blood like HRG was. And so for the rest of the series if anyone ever dies there will be no suspense whatsoever. They'll have killed four characters in 3 episodes, with none of the deaths sticking...
But, I have to disagree about who they 'killed'. Niki hasn't been the best character and they've never seemed to know what to do with her. Ali Larter is a completely underrated actress though and I think the show would miss her.
Nathan however, has been the best thing about S2 in my opinion, and I know a lot of people who feel the same way. Every other character came back after the summer with no personality or emotion, whereas Nathan has shown more depth than the rest of the them put together. Adrian Pasdar has been the best actor on the show, and I think Nathan is the most intriguing character - there is so much more to him that could be explored, and I think it would be a worse show without him.
Yeah, don't lose too much sleep over Nikki's "death." Until they show me her burnt corpse, I am not buying that she died - and even then...
As for Nathan, I would never have guessed that he was so well received by anyone, and that's partly for the very reason you cite, that is: "there is so much more to him that could be explored." But now that you mention it, I guess I would have to agree that he was one of the more complex characters.
What I am getting from this is that both you and Greg are committed to following season 3. I wonder if you're in the majority?
i think they might show up in volume 3 maybe...
I was watching first two seasons breathlessly. I haven't seen something so interesting for a while. I couldn't wait for a next episode. But when the third season started I was so disappointing. I couldn't believe that they can make such a big turn to worse. Pity.