bop_radar | Heroes 1.13-1.14 and Friday Night Lights 1.14

I love my new show! I'd never considered a Tyra-Julie friendship and I found myself initially delighted by it but then really sad that it helped trigger the Julie-Matt break-up. :-( The little cuties are not dating any more! :-( I thought the tension was well-crafted though. Matt is very honourable, but he will inevitably get caught up in the Panthers shenanigans regardless (the image of him on that car calling out 'they're making me do this' was kind of hilarious). So Tyra's right in some ways, but wrong in others. She's ignoring the fundamental difference between Matt and Tim, and I just hope Julie learns to trust her own judgement. It's good that her naivety is given a shake-up, but I hope she finds her own strength. And it might do Tyra good to learn that not all men are two-timing assholes.

Of course, I enjoyed Timmy's plot with his father--I'm such a hopeless sucker for him, even if the actor isn't brilliant and his pain's all a little cliched. *blush* I can't help it! *shrug* He's just so needy, like a big orphaned puppy that hasn't grown into his own feet yet, or something. Billy's interesting me more too, given the way the family dynamic has been revealed. There's an awful lot of single parenting in Friday Night Lights: I like that. It always seems more realistic to me, since most of my friends come from 'broken' or otherwise unconventional families.

And I love that the courtcase hasn't completely spoiled Coach's relationship with Jason. It was so cool that they could joke in the foyer prior to the hearing. And I'm loving the tension created by Jason's marriage proposal. He's pushing too hard, he's desperate to make everything 'right' and to have everything now, now, now. That's such a believable response to what he's gone through, particularly considering that he has clearly always been very focussed and determined. It's going to be hard for him to understand that Lyla doesn't have that same determination right now. She needs to find it on her own and it may take her years. She's a child in many ways still, whereas what he's gone/going through is forcing him into early maturity. He's blind to the ways in which this pushing for a marriage is a sign of immaturity and I'm just itching for someone to suggest a good psych for him! He's a cluey guy, and I think all he needs is a neutral person to discuss things with for him to find a stronger path than this. Fingers crossed for him! It's going to be tough.

Finally caught up on Heroes! Wow. Way to go with the reveal! LOVED it. Didn't pick it, but love the connection. Heeeee. I really liked Claire's (real) mum, and this has just firmed up Claire's plot as the most interesting. So my two favourite characters in this show are father and daughter? Wow. And will there be Mr Bennett versus Nathan showdowns in the future? I hope so! Although this turn of events has got me really really wondering about Nathan's age and the age gap between him and Peter. *frownies* I would like that clarified. I am having trouble getting a grip on what their childhood would have been like. Peter spoke of always having felt a strong connection to his brother--but (clueless only child here) wouldn't that be unlikely with a big age gap?

I was really scared for Claire's adopted mum and it was awful seeing her get mind wiped, especially since it was played so creepily lovingly by Mr Bennett. I believe he does think he's doing the best thing for her, and I liked those little flickers from him in this episode that he really cares what she thinks and respects her opinion about Claire. Not enough to stop him from raping her brain, of course! ;-) But still--he's my favourite villain in a long time, and I loved his RAGE at Sylar. *g*

The eppy before last (1.13?) was pretty slow, I thought, so I'm condensing my reactions to both eps together in this post. But one of the bestest things to happen on the show is, without doubt, the addition of Christopher Ecclestone to the cast. I've always been a fan of CE, long before Who, and in fact, I'm greatly relieved to see him in a role other than Who because my familiarity with him made it difficult for me to get into him as the Doctor, despite his superlative performance in that role. Anyway, I'm loving his character in Heroes, and I think it is a very wise move on the writers' part to pair him up with emo!boy Peter. I love his snark and the way he cuts Peter down to size. Means I don't have to do it myself. I loved him from the moment he said that Peter being an empath 'means you're a pain my arse'. And they took that even further in this most recent of episodes with his 'you're easy' call. Yes, yes, he IS very easy to pick. It's why I groaned from the first episode about Peter. All I could see ahead of us was lots of emo-ing around about his 'specialness' and his inner pain. But now with CE's character (name?) here to (literally) slap him around, it's way more fun. 'You live like an adolescent' = HEE! I'm glad they've given it that comic twist, and perversely I've found that it's easier for me to get into Peter's angst now--because it's not rammed down our throats and because he's got someone to rail against. I loved it when he lost it and started yelling at CE. That's my boy! Some anger looks good on you!

I've struggled with Nikki's plot, but I think I'm slowly working my way back 'into' it. I really enjoyed the scene in which DL visited her in prison. I thought that episode had some really interesting meta on boundaries--particularly the ways that stress pushes people to break boundaries if they are not mentally 'strong'. All three in that family have a power or secret part of them they can unlock, and when the stress of life gets too much to them, it's all too tempting to break the rules. And there's something so subversive in DL's ability to move through objects and Micah's ability to manipulate technology. So dangerous! And yet, so appealing. I thought that was well crafted and I respected Nikki for saying that Micah needed a firm hand and boundaries--but how can he learn that when his own parents struggle to contain their own powers and set themselves boundaries, morally, physically or even legally! In light of that, Nikki is doing well--at least she's trying to use external structures to control herself. But Jessica just wrenched that control away from her again!

A little rant now: I really really don't like Ando. He's weak and cowardly and mysognistic and selfish and not worthy of Hiro! *huffs* I understand that Hiro needs a companion to define himself against/with at this point in time, in the same way that Claire needs Zach, but... Zach is so much better a character! Ugh. Ando just squicks me out.

I liked the most recent episode's emphasis on self-empowerment. The psych tells Nikki she's aiming for a 'healthy, unified you'; Peter is given the challenge of bringing his powers under his control; Claire explores a hidden aspect of herself in her biological parents and Hiro faces his father and addresses his family responsibilities. Of all of them, Hiro is the most successful--he neatly resolves his father's angst by revealing his sister's hidden talents, and while I found that all a little ridiculously pat, it was too cute to hate. He's such a sweetheart and that was a lovely sidestep that empowered someone else in the process.

I also liked the fact that Simone was drawn back to Isaac. While I find Simone very badly drawn, I was pleased to see the writers acknowledge that she and Isaac had a real connection. We never got to see that before he went off the rails on heroin, but it makes more sense of both characters if their are still unresolved feelings there. Plus, there was great reversal in having Peter see them together, foreshadowed in one of Isaac's paintings. It certainly does raise questions about her connection with Peter--she seems to have this capacity to believe in her guy's ability to change the world (*gags*)--but that's not unique to either of them. How true are her feelings? If she was a better written character maybe I'd know...

Can't wait for more on Nathan and Claire though!

And last but not least, I have personal news. My Smallville review may be late this week, but for a very exciting reason. We're going on a roadtrip on Saturday to pick up our new doggie! He's in the next state so we've got a long day of driving, but I'm so excited about meeting him. He will come for a two-week trial with us and if it doesn't work out can go back to the rescue agency. I just hope my cat doesn't completely freak out! Apparently Bob is good with cats. *crosses fingers*

Current Location: work (sadly)
Current Music: Faye Wong