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'Who Wants to Be a Superhero?': The hero revealed
This is the end, true believers, with a double-sized finale for Who Wants to Be a Superhero? When last we met, Parthenon was (surprisingly) sent home, leaving as the final three Defuser, Hygena and Hyper-Strike. We open with the heroes repeating the phrase "step it up" in reference to their collective game. Then they take time out to watch Hyper-Strike juggle.
Juggle on over somewhere else if you don't want to be spoiled.
There's no time for frivolity, because Evil Stan is attacking Los Angeles. This is communicated via home video, and the combination of video and giant monster makes me longingly think of the "Cloverfield" trailer.
To defeat Evil Stan, the heroes have to make a human chain between two pylons at a nearby power station. Oh, but there are attack dogs in the way, in a challenge similar to one from last year. Hygena volunteers to be bait, and she and Hyper-Strike are hit by dogs. She's down, but he struggles on. He and Defuser make it to a nearby Jeep, where the dog latches onto Defuser. He drags it to the pylons and is hit by a second dog. Woof!
Luckily, Hyper-Strike finds a wire nearby, because Hygena is still down and freaking out. Defuser completes the connection between the pylons, but is pulled away by dogs. In an actual superheroic moment, he struggles to his feet and again finishes the circuit. Evil Stan explodes, and all is well.
The heroes relax at the Lair and compare bruises, when Stan appears to reveal their rewards: action figures. These are, I have to say, really cool, because each gets the corresponding hero down to the little details.
The next mission is to visit a mysterious building. Once inside, our heroes find... former MTV VJ Kennedy! It's a trick -- get an axe! It really is a trick, by the way. Kennedy and her makeup artist (ostensibly in the process of interviewing the heroes for a talk show) try to trick the heroes into giving away information. I have to sigh, because each reveals way too much, and that makes Stan cranky.
Mission reports are ditched in lieu of talking to each other about their strengths and weaknesses. Eff that, it's time for eliminations! Well, let's cut to the chase: Nobody gets eliminated. Huh. There can only be one, right? So now two have to go next hour, right? Ah, who am I to question the Word of Stan. The episode ends with a mysterious figure in black revealing himself to the heroes.
But forget about that! The show certainly did, instead opening with a pretty humorous sequence of the heroes waking to the Lair turning into a giant satellite dish, and then Stan breaking into signals worldwide to announce the finale. Stan then muses over the finale three a la Chairman Kaga, right down to the memories of first meeting each.
Oh, wait, now we're back in the right timestream. The heroes confront a mysterious figure in black, who turns out to be... Balls Mahoney, a wrestler for ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling, part of the WWE). Lemme tell ya, Balls is one ugly dude. Still, he invites the heroes to Superhero Stunt School. Because we're already running long, I'll tell you that this is where the heroes learn to act in front of a green screen and mock-fight.
As they leave, Dr. Dark leaps out, but he's quickly vanquished by a power blast from each hero. Huh. That was easy. Too easy? Nope, he doesn't get up. Huh again.
Once back at the Lair, Stan asks each hero to individually come to the living room, where he interviews them about their real-life stories. The heroes are so forthcoming that I immediately think it's a trap. Yep, I'd definitely be the distrustful hero brooding in his dark cave when not fighting crime.
It's not a trap. Yeah, I'm Captain Paranoid. The action moves to Universal Studios Hollywood, where Defuser is introduced first. His movie is awful, incorporating the phrase "super wedgie" and bits of some Sci-Fi movie involving gargoyles. Then again, Feedback was wedged into a bad movie called "Mega Snake" with production values not much higher. We get some family testimonials, and then his family and friends are brought out in person.
Hyper-Strike is next, and his movie involves gargoyles (again) and, yes, Rodan. His family and friends give testimonials, and then come out in person. Hygena is last, and she is integrated into movie clips involving what looks like a griffin and some sort of dragon-worm. Testimonials and family follow.
After much stalling, the winner is... Defuser. Wow! Very good choice, though to me it really came down to Hyper-Strike or Defuser, with Hyper-Strike having the edge. Still, Defuser's been a good comic-book-type leader all season. We get a quick glimpse of the defeated heroes coming out (and awwww, Basura -- I'd still buy your comic book!) and then Stan himself zaps down from his big-screen TV. No time to celebrate, though, because darkness falls, and Defuser is off on his first real mission.
I have been watching since season 1, and I think I do notice a pattern or the "type" of contestant that the producers are looking for. Both winners (Feedback and The Defuser) were devoted comic book fans before the show, and both had childhood tragedies that they had to overcome. I think that the producers do a fairly good job of weeding out those contestants who are just aspiring actors who want some free publicity.
I would have been happy with either a win for Hyper-Strike or The Defuser, and I did feel bad when Hyper-Strike was crying at the end. By far, my favorite contestant is Major Victory (from season 1). "Be a winner; not a wiener!" ;-)
What is with all the Fear Factor-like challenges this year? I was cringing during the Spelling Bee contest (with real bees and honey) and also when the attack dogs were dragging down the Superheroes. The producers must know that a lot of contestants have fears of insects, snakes, dogs, etc.
By the way, I agree that their action figures were well-made and looked cool. However, the production values looked way too cheap on those green screen movie clips! I know that this show is supposed to be cheesy, but I don't think the audience at Universal Studios seemed very impressed with the special effects. EXCELSIOR! :-)
Paige | Sep 7, 2007 7:40:05 AM | #andy glossed over it a bit, but defuser's and hygena's backstories were pretty traumatic--drug addicted sis, baby miscarriage--similar to feedback as Paige noted above.
people with troubled youth really seek out comics. i guess that's how m. night developed samuel jackson's character in unbreakable
next time, i wouldn't mind a 'who wants to be a supervillain?' twist where people are penalized for 'goodness'.
or maybe a superhero-sidekick duo. i thought they were going that route this season with limelight, hygena, even parthenon (that shriek in pipe-fusebox challenge was a highlight) the being sidey candidates.
Paige,
Just an extra thing that I noticed, the movies w/ "low production values" have even LOWER ones than you might believe! As it turns out, the clips are taken from REAL SCI-FI movies! Obviously, Hyper-Strike had Godzillas, but Hygena had to fight the snake that was from a Sci-Fi movie that aired RIGHT BEFORE Mega Snake (you know, Feedback's letdown cameo.)
For all you true believers out there, Feedback has a website called "www.forcefeedback.com" where he gives a list of detailed instructions about 1/4 down the page on how to sign a petition to get him a real movie. Please, true believers, do your duty just as Feedback worked so hard to do his!
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