TV Stuff

[shipperx]

Posted this in sp23's journal and decided to also post this here:

Is it just me, or is Heroes rather 'meh' so far this season? Looking at it, I've just about concluded that Heroes may have made two fundamental mistakes that suck the drama and the momentum out of the show:

* Too many unkillable characters with infinite powers. There's nothing to fear when the characters cannot be killed. And infinite powers are always a problem. If you can fly and travel in time and live after you've been killed and fling fire and see the future (which, given that you can travel through time is a rather redundant power) and... and... and... Well, what the hell are your vulnerabilities? Where's the drama if you're invincible and have limitless second, third, fourth, tenth chances?

* Too much time travel. We've done the "See a terrible future and try to change it" plot in Season 1. Now they're doing another "see the future and try to change it" plot. And, again, we know the world isn't going to end. And that alone wouldn't be a problem. Sarah Connor Chonicles has the same basic premise of "horrible future, have to change it" but, unlike Heroes, Sarah Connor Chonicles can't jump through time at will anytime that it's convenient. They're pretty much stuck, like the rest of the universe, only going forward. And most of the SCC are most definitely not invulnerable. Heroes on the other hand... well nothing is actually real in the alternative Heroes 'verses because, hey it's a glimpse of a future that we're pretty darn sure won't happen thereby rendering everything in those alt_'verses mostly meaningless. There are no real consequences because it's all just a hypothetical, thus no real danger... and no real drama.

Frankly, I'm not a Sylar fangirl, but thus far this season, he's the only character who has been remotely interesting. (Well, he and Noah. But Noah always rocks).

---

Mad Men has been pretty rocking lately. Well, rocking in Mad Men very low-pitched, understated way... which is why it sent a cold shiver down my spine when someone pointed out on TWOP that Marti Noxon is now a co-producer/writer. Eeek! And Betty thought she was suffering major depression and malaise before!

---

I saw the first episode of The Tudors and fairly quickly checked out, thinking that I didn't want the anachronistic history. But, this weekend, I watched one of the Season 2 episodes (the one where Anne miscarried and the execution of Sir Thomas More) and I'm thinking about checking out the DVDs and watching the entire series. Yes, it's still anachronistic, but it's hard to deny that the life of Henry VIII makes great soap opera.

Comments

[cy-girl.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear someone else is watching Mad Men. I haven't been this excited about a show in years. I love the look of the era and the complex characters.

I've recorded Heroes but can't work up the interest to actually watch it. Doesn't sound like I'm missing much.

[rahirah]

No, it's not just you. I'm on the verge of giving up on it. It was always a flawed show, but the flaws are fast outweighing the virtues.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I think that Mad Men has ramped up it's season really well such that they've built it step by step, and now things take on significance. I think they've done very well.

And, yeah, I'm somewhat underwhelmed by Heroes thus far this season.

[jerrymcl89.livejournal.com]

I believe Matthew Weiner personally writes every episode of Mad Men, so the potential for Marti to influence it in a negative way is pretty limited.

As far as Heroes, it's become increasingly clear that the show has nothing to say about it's premise that hasn't been said better before in actual comics. There's really no sense of a coherent larger story being unveiled - they just seem to be lurching from point to point and hoping for the best.

[enisy.livejournal.com]

Agree with you about Heroes. I'm still watching half-heartedly, in hopes that it will get better, but in truth, I think the writers used up all their good storytelling in Season 1. That had a clear beginning, middle and end, as well as something to say; whereas Season 2 and, so far, Season 3, are all over the place, plot without substance.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Re: Mad Men, that's a relief, because I've really been enjoying that show.

And, yeah, I agree that one of the problems with Heroes is that once you scratch the surface, there's just more surface.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm just mostly paralyzed with not caring very much. I mean, if something is sufficiently interesting you don't have to have great emotional investment (Lost usually doesn't have me by the gut, but I'm almost always intrigued). But if neither head nor heart is working, then the show feels somewhat pointless.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's just not grabbing me. So far this season it has felt like the characters are just running around doing stuff, but none of it means anything or is leading anywhere. That's never a good sign.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm with you on Heroes, too. Basically I'm watching for Sylar at this point - I'm a sucker for a redemption story, as you know. ;-)

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

It's definitely gone from being Must Watch TV to something I mostly enjoy but don't care much about.

The biggest problem for me is that so much of the plot depends completely on characters being monumentally stupid. Now, I'll be the first to admit that even the most intelligent and reasoned people/characters can do monumentally stupid things from time to time... but Heroes does it again and again and again with practically all the characters.

[enisy.livejournal.com]

Hmm, you think that's what it is? That would be awesome, but my redemptio-dar is hitting zero with Sylar so far...

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

You said basically what I was going to say about Heroes -- I could handle the repetitive, cliched, overwrought plots if either the writing was better or the characters were more likable. Neither seems to be the case this season: Hiro has gone and forgotten everything he should have learned last season - he and Ando are acting just like the comedy relief bumblers they were so endearingly in first season (perhaps that's why); and OH THE STUPIDITY of Peter and Mohinder! I do like Mrs. Petrelli, and Sylar's been very interesting so far, and I think they COULD do something really interesting with Claire-with-no-feelings. But they're not. And why bother to kill off Nikki when Tracy appears to be the exact same character with different powers-she-hates-and-can't-control?

What really annoys me is that I want to enjoy this show, and I want to like it - but honestly, I read romance novels and even I think, "Can't they come up with a NEW plot?"

[rahirah]

Yeah. That's exactly the problem. If half the characters weren't behaving like morons all the time, the story would collapse. And that's not good.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Poor Mohinder. I think it's fairly conclusive at this point that he simply has no brain. He's been doing stupid shit since the beginning, but this season?

I mean, has he never watched The Fly???!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether or not they're going redemptiony (and I don't know that I believe Sylar can be redeemed). But just about the only thing they really have going for them this year is Sylar existing in some strange, amorphous gray area as the villain you almost like or at least enjoy.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't get why they killed Nikki and then pretty much bring her back but with even fewer ties. And Peter has never been a fave of mine, while Mohinder's prettiness is now being outpaced by his stupidity (don't get me wrong. He's always been stupid. But he's such a pretty, pretty man I had convinced myself that his stupidity was endearing... only it's not so endearing any more.)

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Sylar (and Mama Petrelli) have been the only bright spot in an otherwise deadly dull story arc.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's more of the potential for it at this point, though the last episode hinted at it pretty obviously - no guarantee that they'll go there, of course. But if they're going to keep him on the show graying him up is a good idea - straight evil gets kind of boring after awhile.

[queenofattolia.livejournal.com]

which is why it sent a cold shiver down my spine when someone pointed out on TWOP that Marti Noxon is now a co-producer/writer.

Oh, no. How does this awful woman keep getting work? She has to be in league with Beelzebub. I must now watch for signs of utter ruination. Dammit.

Heroes is off my DVR list as of episode 2. I couldn't even watch it. It's not the only show to suffer greatly from the fallout of the writers' strike - both Life and Pushing Daisies have lost something essential (the former its previous underlying menace; the latter its intrinsic tartness underpinning all the twee).

I'm watching less and less network TV and now Noxious will probably ruin one of my basic cable faves. Damn.

[wildrider.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry they appear to have completely forgotten Micha's cousin - unless she, too, died in that explosion - which would be a shame, since she was the best of the innumerate new characters they introduced last season. (I don't remember second season very clearly, for some reason...)

[missus-grace.livejournal.com]

I really got sucked into The Tudors, and then I fell in love with Jeremy Northam. Unfortunately, after Sir Thomas More dies, there's no more Jeremy. But I still watched the darn thing!

Yes! Mad Men! I stayed up way too late last night reading the episode guide from Season 1, which I missed. It was nice to get some clarification on some things.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

I actually gave up on Heroes after the first new week and haven't gone back. And judging by comments in various people's LJs - it was the right decision.

Tonight is the second episode of Daisies and I'm just hoping more people tune in because the ratings were horrible last week.

[shapinglight]

I've only seen the first two episodes of Heroes (which in itself is a minor miracle, as the BBC usually waits until the whole of a US series has aired before putting it on themselves). So far, it's all a bit frenetic, and far more comic-book than it used to be. It seems like Kring and the others listened too hard to fans complaining that season 2 was too slow and have gone to the opposite extreme.

Can't wait to see season 2 of Mad Men but we won't get it till next year.

[rowanswhimsy.livejournal.com]

I love Mad Men. I also saw the new credit and shuddered. She ruins everything that she touches.

I enjoy The Tudors immensely. I trest it like Rome and just ignore the historical inaccuracy in favor of the soapy goodness!

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

We can always hope that he keeps Marti in a box because there is just too much opportunity for soul-killing angst.

That said, this season has been pretty darn good.

And Heroes is making its way off my DVR list. Sylar's storyline, though, has actually interested me in seeing the guy as Spock in the upcoming Star Trek flick.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Have to say that I was somewhat evilly amused that being told he was being beheaded was actually a relief in comparison to how he was sentenced to die because OMG that was awful!

And I kind of wish that they'd keep going after Henry VII because there would be interesting stuff with Edward and Jane, Mary, and of course Elizabeth.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Heroes initially had just the sheer fun of it pushing it by the last half of season 1. Now all the joy and fun is gone and we're just left with the ridiculous plots and the mostly bland characters.

Though, this week was marginally better than the previous two... although that's not saying much at all.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

This week's Heroes was marginallhy better, but the show has lost much of it's eary fun.

And, this season's Mad Men started rather slow, but it's ramped up into some really excellent stuff. Definitely worth the watch... and I have no idea how the season is going to end (and there's only one episode left). That's actually a joy in itself.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Maybe they'll keep Marti on a short lease because, thus far, Mad Men has been quite excellent.

And I finally watched the end of Season 2 of The Tudors. I'm going to miss Anne.

[rowanswhimsy.livejournal.com]

After Don's purification ritual in the Pacific Ocean, I'm very excited about S3. It seems like they make take him in an entirely new direction now that he's hit rock bottom.

I loved Anne. I don't know how S3 can possibly live up to S1/S2 because how can Jane Seymour's story possibly compete?