Heroes 1.05

[bop_radar]

My reactions to this show appear to be polarising: my love for it is increasing, but the things that irk me are irking me more. Thankfully the love outweighs the minor irks, but it's an interesting phenomenon.

Eeeeee!!!!!! Flying!Nathan was awesome! I take back what I said about flying being a lame super-power. He was so SPEEDY, and I completely cracked up when he skidded to a halt in the middle of the desert. Also, the scene between him and Hiro in the diner goes down as one of my favourite TV scenes ever. So adorable! I loved how calmly Nathan dealt with being stared at in his PJs. And please, please let someone make icons of him in that 'fly by night diner' t-shirt. *squeeeeees* And he handled Hiro so charmingly. I was worried he was going to be SUCH a shit to dear Hiro that I would have to dislike him. But he managed to combine wry amusement with mild annoyance and a genuine curiosity that I liked. And he gave him a 'rid-e beep beep!' Heeeee. Hiro needs to ditch Ando and follow Nathan! I was completely charmed by Hiro's reaction to Nathan as well, which mirrored my own so well: *squeeeee*!! Flying guy!!

Still shipping Nathan/Nikki HARD. Loved their interaction on the escalator--I like Nathan when he's genuine. I also like him when he's a manipulative bastard--his negotiations vis a vis the tape were masterful. Oh, Nathan, you are so Lexian!

Not much Mohinder this ep, but I didn't care because that also meant no Elf!Girl.

I like the policeman's wife a lot. I enjoyed seeing more of her, though I alternated between being happy for her and angered that her husband's still keeping so many secrets from her. I found the policeman very sympathetic initially, but he's testing my patience now. He seems too out of control about his powers now--his approach to the guy in the service station was naive. Although it's certainly interesting to see how he's riding the 'high' of his superpower and will presumably experience the 'low' now, with the searing headache and passing out.

Claire remains my hero! I loved that she went and confronted the guy who attacked her, and with such honesty. I'm also really glad she made it about her in that conversation. She's acknowledged the affront to herself now, as well as the danger to others. What a mature kid! It's just so sad that she's getting played by daddy. He creeped me out in her bedside scene, though it was awesome that he defended his daughter to the guy. It's extra-creepy to have him protect Claire while also be watching/controlling her. I fear for her. I wish she wouldn't open up to him--he was so odd in that conversation--if she wasn't so caught up in her emotions (understandably), you'd think she'd notice that something was a bit 'off'. *frets*

Ok, Lana complaint of the week: so Lana gets to have Isaac's superpower without having to take drugs. That is so frakking unfair!! I really wanted Isaac to punch him out for that, but alas the lad demonstrated bizarre zen in the face of this revelation. I'm irked that this means that the writers have side-stepped the most interesting thing about Isaac so far--the fact that he would have to self-sacrifice and potentially kill himself to save the world. Now he just needs to hang around Lana and get Lana to do the work. (Oh, wait, that IS kind of self-sacrificing!) Ok, and Lana suddenly acquires the ability to PAINT, as well as the superpower? Hmph. Excuse me while I deal with my credulity-strain. A brushoff line about 'stick figures' and some drippy paint isn't enough to make me buy that he'd be able to paint that accurately.

But the thing I was most uncomfortable with in this ep was the 'we have to save the cheerleader' plot. Just as Claire shows how empowered she is, the writers trap her back into victim mode. *glares* I liked how neatly Hiro's plan worked, but I dislike that Lana is cast as the key to saving Claire.

This combined with Nikki's behaviour this episode brought back my discomfort with this show's gender dynamic. She continues to deny aspects of herself to such an extreme that she momentarily lost my sympathy. The scene I was most uncomfortable with was the one with Ando. I didn't like the writing of that scene. I think having someone shift from internet-acquaintance to real-life-stalker should have been more emotionally significant for Nikki. But she seemed to want to just ruffle his hair and go 'awww, you silly guy!' OK, as viewers WE know that he's a harmless amusing sap, but Nikki does not know this, and I thought it was poor writing. I would be ragey about someone invading my house in front of my child in that way. On top of that, her refusal to take ownership of her online identity even when confronted with the reality of it in Ando's eyes didn't sit well with me either. I'd like to see Nikki pull it together and deal soon--she's remained ineffectual and fractured for too long now.

But bring on next week's ep! I am so, so hooked.

ETA: It occurred to me belatedly that I was being biased in this review: I didn't even mention the implausability of Hiro suddenly being able to speak English so well to Nathan, while totally laying in to Lana and his irritatingly flexible and side-effect free superpowers. My bad, but Hiro is just so much more sympathetic a character than Lana. Plus the charm of the diner scene overrode its linguistic implausability! ;-)

Comments

[random-serious.livejournal.com]

Gender dynamic: You are so right. They keep making Claire into a victim, or a vessel, or a prize in two ways. By having the characters view her as a victim to be saved and making her into a victim, either by bodily harm (even if it is passing) or by putting her situation where she is victimized otherwise (Here, the rapist jock was cleansed before Claire got her talk, so now not only did she not get her pound of flesh in conversation from and his acknowledgement that she has power -over him, on her own- but she has to deal with thinking that she made the rapist this injured.) They are weighing Claire down in multiple ways, and that sits wrong with me, especially considering that Claire is the most courageous of he Heroes so far: taking actual risks to save other and influence things.

Niki: She should have been so freaked and angry at Ando... And yet nothing. And the self-delusion of DL being behind it all... And her being all remorseful fallen woman with Nathan. Balh. I hate when they make her stupid, and ineffectual, and a piece of meat. Hate it so much. Niki has a really interesting power, yet we get nothing about it, only about Niki being a mom. (I know that is major plot point, but again, she is held down by domesticity.) Why not let her do something and own it?

Hiro: Maybe he learns English because of time travel? It is he same Hiro all the time, so hopping about in time would allow him to learn things, right? And he is adorable. Even more now when his comic tendencies are not all there are... the future Hiro seems like a badass.

Nathan: Completely fabulous. He is, as you say, Lexian. Smart, and when compared to his whiny brother, totally great.

Isaac/ Peter: You are making me hate Peter. Tank you. I need something to focus my hate on. This show has things that infuriate me, like gender dynamic/ roles, that I need something else to express my hate at, before I give up a show that has promise... So now Peter knows how to do everything? Everyone else is actually useless? They just hang around so Peter can be great? Lana! I call Lana! I hated peter's whiny self, but now? I eally hate him. Isaac didn't even get to part the news to Hiro or anything, though I would be interested to see if he really needs to get high to "see".

Matt: I hate him too. Partially because I keep seeing Ben Browder in unemployment line, but also because Matt abuses his power, IMO. I know he means well, but what gives him the right to eavesdrop on his wife? And how would he react if she had a bad day, and had "bad" thoughts? I find Matt nive at times, as you said esp. in the store. But it will be interesting to see if Matt's situation goes BtVS "Earshot" way.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

They are weighing Claire down in multiple ways, and that sits wrong with me, especially considering that Claire is the most courageous of he Heroes so far: taking actual risks to save other and influence things.
*nods* Yes, my issues are not with Claire, who I continue to find very strong and well-written, as well as well-acted. My concerns are with the overall structure. I know lots of people are squeeing about the tagline 'save the cheerleader, save the world' but I just can't get behind it... It makes Claire into some prize object--I just hope it's all a set-up and they turn up and she's all 'bugger off! I can save myself thanks!' but with daddy pulling the strings, I doubt it.

I held out hope on Niki, I really did. But I felt let down by this ep--I honestly thought we were going to start seeing her 'own' her actions more after we got to see her transform in the previous episode. Alas, no...

so hopping about in time would allow him to learn things, right?
Well... we haven't seen THIS Hiro hop forward long enough to learn English yet--his diner conversation was pretty advanced. But I'll fanwank it! ;-)

I need something to focus my hate on. This show has things that infuriate me, like gender dynamic/ roles, that I need something else to express my hate at, before I give up a show that has promise...
Hee! Spot on--I'm sure he functions that way for me too. A hate-focus, because I honestly love the show, it's got so much potential, but there are things that grate.

hated peter's whiny self, but now? I eally hate him. Isaac didn't even get to part the news to Hiro or anything, though I would be interested to see if he really needs to get high to "see".
Poor Isaac got a raw deal! He's really been given no character, no development and now they've lessened his plot significance. I have a horrible feeling Peter's going to continue to eclipse people as required by the writers... Bluch! Nora argued above that the scene between Isaac and Peter showed that Isaac doesn't need to get high to paint, but honestly that wasn't clear to me. I'm on the fence until I see ISAAC do it himself.

Matt abuses his power, IMO.
Yes, I think that's clear. I'm just hoping (perhaps, as with Niki, in vain) that this will be texualised and he'll get called on it. I kept thinking the wife was going to get creeped out, it be just TOO much. If they explore the fact that he abuses his powers, that's ok with me, as long as he grows and learns not to. Still, the naivety's making him a less sympathetic character in my eyes meanwhile. And I'll also be interested to see how it plays out in comparson to 'Earshot', which set such a great benchmark when it comes to this power.

[random-serious.livejournal.com]

What's up with that "Save the cheerleader, save the world" thing? I can appreciate the fact that an occurence, like here the big bleak explosion, is actually an end-result of actions lining up just right, all things have to be happen at the right place at the right time for that to be the end-result; and I would love to see the Heroes try and influence the chain of events, and see that lead to new outcomes. But this? Sounds like an easy fix, but we'll have to wait and see.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I am praying it is subverted in some way. Or they've got to save the cheerleader because the CHEERLEADER saves the world. That, I could live with--a chain of heroes saving one another with Claire at the top of the pack. *waiting and seeing*

[latxcvi.livejournal.com]

Yes, my issues are not with Claire, who I continue to find very strong and well-written, as well as well-acted. My concerns are with the overall structure. I know lots of people are squeeing about the tagline 'save the cheerleader, save the world' but I just can't get behind it... It makes Claire into some prize object--I just hope it's all a set-up and they turn up and she's all 'bugger off! I can save myself thanks!' but with daddy pulling the strings, I doubt it.

My reaction to this is different from yours in large part because I am not assuming that Claire needs saving because she can't do it herself but that she needs saving because she's that important. That whatever goes down to prevent the end of the world can't happen without Claire. I don't see how that's disempowering at all, particularly not if it's combined with Claire herself realizing her significance and importance and taking active steps. Right now, Claire's still trying to cling to her normalcy and I suspect that this is part of what's keeping her from realizing the value of her ability. I also suspect that it's what might hold her back from initially joining the 'team'. But to me, that she's already been positioned as so central to preventing an impending global disaster Hiro traveled back in time to tell someone about it means she's not only got to be on the team, but she's crucial to its success.

[bop-radar.livejournal.com]

I am not assuming that Claire needs saving because she can't do it herself but that she needs saving because she's that important.
I really hope you are right! If that's the case, then I'm all for it. If they save her and then she turns out to be the one last component they need to defeat Sylar then I will be delighted. But the show's gender stereotyping is still interfering with my faith in them at this stage. I hope you're proved right and I'm proved wrong! *G*