'Heroes' has some 'splaining to do
Tonight's Heroes introduced us to the most efficient government black-ops program ever, showed once again how hard it is to die on the show and featured some rather nice black-and-white cinematography in service of the "Fugitives" volume's flashback episode.
Nothing much was wrong with what was there, at least no moreso than usual. It's what wasn't there that's bugging me.
How the hell did these spoilers get here so fast?
Structurally, I appreciated "Cold Wars" as much as any of the back-story episodes Heroes has done. The flashbacks served a clear purpose -- Matt excavating Noah's brain for information on why supers are being hunted -- and led to a couple clear courses of action, namely getting Noah's files and then going after Danko. Jack Coleman was given more to do than he has all season, and reminded me that although his character has drifted this season, he's still capable of making Bennet a very compelling guy.
Yet I still feel like there's a big hole in the center of this story line. More than once tonight, Bennet and others mention that the existence of these abilities has been kept secret for 20-plus years. Nathan has managed to get his sizable covert operation up and running within a couple of months -- which stretches credulity, but whatever. In fiction, black ops are usually efficient.
What I really have trouble with is the idea that in that short span of time, a junior senator with no track record in Washington has managed not only to convince enough people to let this program go forward, but also has managed to be wishy-washy enough in its execution that there are already differing schools of thought as to how to deal with this "problem."
The lack of any decent explanation behind Nathan's motives has sort of been hanging over the show since this arc began a few weeks ago, but it became impossible to set aside tonight. In one of the flashbacks he appeals to Bennet's sense of duty and unfinished Primatech business to get him on board, even though it means indiscriminately rounding up people with abilities, many of whom Noah knows pose no threat. Fine -- it's a sales job, so Nathan's not going to tell Noah that, oh by the way, you'll be working for a zealot who'd just as soon shoot a super as catch one.
Yeah, but why? Surely Danko has a reason for being so into his job, and it sure isn't his respect for what Nathan has put together. His line to Noah, "Don't presume you know anything about me," maybe hints at some history with someone who has powers, but at this point it feels less like mystery and more like vagueness for its own sake. For both Nathan and Danko, the unexplained true-belief streak has become almost maddening.
Noah appears to buy into Danko's this-is-war mentality, but the ethically fluid Mr. Bennet is once again working another angle, as we close with him and Angela discussing a secret plan to bring the hero-internment program down from the inside ("He's got it all wrong," Noah says of Danko, "and so does Nathan for that matter"). Given his history -- Primatech was, you know, bad, but at least it tried to distinguish between dangerous supers and benign ones -- this wrinkle at least feels consistent with the character (if a little shopworn -- has there ever been a time when Noah wasn't playing both sides?). Plus, seeing Coleman deliver the line "You know me -- I've always been comfortable with morally gray" is still kind of fun.
But seriously -- I know Nathan and Danko are the bad guys of the piece here, but Heroes needs to come up with some sort of rationale for their actions, and quick.
More thoughts on "Cold Wars":
Can't anyone ever just freakin' die on this show? Matt's last mind-read on Noah reveals that his beloved Daphne didn't perish at the plane-crash site, but is only gravely wounded and under heavy sedation at Building 26. Oy. I guess this will allow Matt to keep being a good guy, but frankly, I think it would be more interesting storytelling if Daphne really were dead and Matt really were driven by a need for vengeance.
Speaking of good guys acting bad, I guess all the back-and-forth between Matt and Suresh (with Peter mostly just stalking around in the background) was supposed to make us think about how far an otherwise good person might go to get something he really needs in an extraordinary situation. Mostly I was thinking that it was more interesting on New Caprica.
As for Suresh's fuzzy motives for wanting Matt to stop, well, his read on the situation certainly wasn't wrong. He knows Matt well enough (presumably from their time as Molly's Two Dads) to know that he won't react well to the knowledge that Suresh didn't warn them all about the impending roundup. The character has been taken so far around the bend, though, that it was hard to take his side.
Credit where due: The black-and-white sequences looked really crisp and cool (Seith Mann directed the episode). I also enjoyed the tighter focus of this episode -- we didn't need to involve the entire cast to spell out the backstory of Nathan's covert op. And frankly, after last week's Bollywood wedding hijinx, I was not sorry to leave Hiro out of the mix this time around. Also: Peter actually used his current power to get things done tonight. Kudos.
Line of the night probably goes to Zeljko Ivanek for Danko's incredulous "How the hell did you get here so fast?" line to Nathan. Now, Danko may be a lot of things, but I don't suspect he's dumb. Between this little incident and the fact that Nathan's brother and biological daughter also have powers (and, oh yeah, the survelliance footage of Tracy calling Nathan out as "one of us"), it can't be long before he realizes he's working for a super.
The episode ends with Matt painting himself as a suicide bomber (in the oft-repurposed Mendez loft, it looks like) and a conflagration over Washington. Hey look -- another disaster to prevent.
How did you like "Cold Wars"? Did the tighter focus help or hurt the show? And will Nathan ever fully explain himself?
Thought that this was the best episode of the Fugitives season so far. Kept the story pretty tight and not spread out all over the place. Thought the episode kept to the point and sets up some really interesting things for the following episodes. I think it's still a great show.
Luckily a decent episode. However, most people have quit on the show. If this show gets canceled, it'll be no surprise.
I only hope that the writers have fixed their problem for the rest of the series. If not, this becomes just a small treasure of the third season.
I totally agree with Rick and Brill on the Zap2it TV Talk section.. I remember when I was enthralled with Heroes, tonight I left the room at one point and forgot it was on. And while HRG is always great (I just decided I only watch because of him) the repetition of plots - blowing up cities, and the random changes in character behaviour - Suresh and Nathan come to mind, are getting out of control and I am no longer interested in watching.
Yeah tonight was it for me with this show. I had been hanging on just barely for quite a while, but the scene with Peter deliberating whether or not to shoot the black ops guy just put it over the edge for me. It's sad but this show is way worse than the 4400 ever was at this point.
I so, so want to believe this show is improving. I really do. But tonight's episode, which was clearly an homage/throwback to "Company Man", was little more than a desperate grab to retain our attention by showcasing the only compelling character left on the show who isn't completely ludicrous.
I like Noah. I have suspected since this arc began that he was working both sides, and the fact that it started the way it ended (on the bench with Angela) just left everything in between as pointless filler.
That's not to say I didn't enjoy this episode; it's a highpoint in an otherwise undercooked comeback for the series. Zeljko Ivanek is a tremendous actor, and they started to give him more content with tonight's episode, but I still want to see more of him and his story. And overall, I was liking what was going down...
...until the last scene with the nuked D.C. painting. Once again, the lazy *** writers fall back on their doomsday plots /sigh. Oh, Heroes, you try so hard; I just hope you don't get cancelled.
Very cool episode. I like the twist at the end, and can't wait to see how Noah is going to handle balancing between right and wrong the next couple episodes. It's just too bad Sylar wasn't in it. Hopefully he'll get more screen time next episode. For those of you who missed it, you can check it out online here...
http://watchheroesstreaming.com/season-3-episode-17-cold-wars/
This episode served to show that they CAN still write grey characters, so WTH is wrong with Nathan? We all know he's not supposed to be this stupid a guy, so why is he? Why is he acting so far out of character? Has he snapped and gone insane, is he possessed by Papa Petrelli, or is he just smoking crack?
i keep trying to get back into this show but it does so much to make me not care. Did we really need the first 5 min to be a replay of what happened last week, we know why matt peter and suresh were getting HRG, it was pointless, then they are acting like they dont know why they are hunted or by who? Hello, peter knows its nathan and knows pretty much why...do these 3 guys not talk about anything. And i was liking Danko but seriously nathans daughter and brother have powers how dumb are u not to at least think nathan does(politician with powers rounding up others, Xmen anyone?)...this show needs to get better fast..im about done
This episode was just beyond pointless...all that mindreading nonsense to learn what, what, that Nathan and Danko are naughty men? Ooh, but we found a room full of TOP SECRET SUPER IMPORTANT FILES--from which Peter borrows some artillery before the bad guys kick in the door and take them all back. Mohinder's back to working for the bad guys (seems to happen a lot, doesn't it?) and they close it all with what may be the stupidest possible ending--do you think that was a new painting, or did the just get an art intern to draw DC over the old Manhattan explosion scene?
Lame, lame, lame.
I tentatively quit on Heroes halfway through the 'Villians' storyline, and solidified that white flag with a deletion of the 'season ticket' for Heroes tonight. I tried to re-start with 'Fugitives', but could never get into it. I may have been unable to give the new volume a full chance, but the bottom line is that I am done with the show as a whole.
I never thought that a TV show could go from must-see to can't watch it so fast. I was a fair fan of Volume 2, unlike a lot of viewers. I thought 'Generations' had it's good points, and wasn't as bad as most fans said. Heroes may turn out to be one of the biggest victims of the writer's strike, when all is said and done. Vol. 2 was short-changed, and Vol. 3 was designed to be a companion piece to #2. Between the strike ravaging the story of #2 and moving #3 to the next season, a gap was created that was hard to weather, even with top-notch product. Add to that the lesser quality of most of the storylines, and the failure of Heroes was almost ***ured. When you're watching a new show that isn't afraid to kill regular characters (Lost, Heroes), the chance that a dead character adversly affects the story is offset by additional ways to tell the stories and the sense that anything can happen any week. It can lessen the thrill of watching an action/suspense show when you know that a certain list of characters ALWAYS have to survive. When Eden and Isaac were killed, it felt like anyone could be next. Now, it feels like the story is pushed into fantasy territory just to keep every main character alive for another week. Daphne should be dead 2 or 3 times, but apparently she has a bigger purpose coming up. Her 'survival' this week was the last straw.
I don't expect Heroes to be cancelled this season. I think the ratings are high enough to keep it around for another year. I also think that the ratings of other shows are low enough to keep it around. Season 4 will probably be the final season, unless creative juices are regenerated along the way. I will be following along in reviews, and if Heroes earns a re-visit, I will give it another chance.