So, thanks to my tech-savvy neighbor, I’m all caught up with Heroes. It’s definitely enjoyable and quite addictive. As I’m not watching it on network tv, I’m continually amazed at how scary, creepy, violent and risque it is. It doesn’t feel like network television (though, weeding commercials out of anything really changes the dynamic of watching).
The other thing that I find extraordinary is the writer’s willingness to dispose of plot points. I’m used to a certain rhythm of revealed information in television series. Used to information being dribbled out in bits and pieces, snitters and norbits. Heroes charges ahead full-throttle, and that’s appreciated. Thank god we aren’t going to sit around like X-Files hoping that the truth, will, eventually, you know, sometime next season if you’re lucky, fukker, be out there.
That said, I’m wondering how long it will be before the wheels come off.
There are a couple coincidences that have me squirming: Hiro’s father as a part of a dark cabal? Petrelli’s mom running interference for her granddaughter cheerleader? Eh. Things like this give a transient frisson of excitement that there are still more dark mysteries to be revealed, but it also feels annoyingly inward-turning.
Also, I’m pretty much ready for the Syler storyline to close out. Mohinder not killing off the monster that was killing everyone including dad struck me as the writers squirming out of a tight spot so they could continue to utilize the Syler character. It’s a rare moment where they blinked when they had a chance to keep the story line charging forward. And it stands out like a sore thumb as the sort of dumb story telling that regular network tv and melodramatic movies always indulge in. Lazy writing.
Maybe the writers will sell this successfully as we close out the season, but there’s a whiff of soap opera in the air that makes me nervous.