NBC Declares War On "Heroes" Fans

Warning: Spoilers for the TV show, Heroes (site), appear within this column.

I've been watching the second season of Heroes, and I have to admit, I'm not impressed. I can only suspend my disbelief for so long. The show about super-powered human beings once showed great promise, but with all the implausible storylines that defy all reason and logic, I am slowly losing the affection the first season engendered.

My problem isn't that people in the popular NBC show can fly, regenerate, phase through walls, read minds, display telekinesis, or shoot radioactive fireballs from their hands.

I can buy all of that.

What I can't understand is why the writers insist we believe that the characters who displayed such courage and selflessness last season, whose plight everyone knows could have been minimized by the good guys communicating and being honest with each other, can be so dumb, dishonest and selfish this season.

Seriously - Claire's dad hasn't learned a thing about the dangers of holding secrets from his family (which nearly got them all killed last year). Plus, he doesn't have the smarts to hide in a place that isn't populated by people who know or would recognize him. He has seen a glimpse of the circumstances of his own death (seemingly from a long fall and sudden stop on the ground), but he doesn't share this knowledge with his daughter, who he knows is somehow involved.

Claire is hardly blameless, either. The guy Claire is secretly seeing (who, conveniently... hmm... can fly) holds some serious animosity toward the guy who abducted him, which Claire knows to be the dad she loves. Not seeing the potential volatility and imminent probability that of the two of them might ever see, recognize, and be threatened by each other conveniently never crosses Claire's mind.

[I was a teen once, too, NBC, and I'm pretty certain I was never that dense.]

Oh, and her car, which she conveniently left unlocked, was conveniently stolen by a guy who was conveniently arrested in Mexico by police who also happened to conveniently arrest super-powered siblings who conveniently busted the car thief out for his stolen ride in which they very nearly conveniently run over a conveniently placed super-powered villain previously thought to be dead but who was conveniently rescued by those who were conveniently stupid enough to believe that they could control him.

Stop. Just stop. You lost me by the second "conveniently."

I just want to reach out to the television, gently and empathetically put  my hands on the characters' shoulders, smile whimsically and say considerately and lovingly, "QUIT BEING SUCH AN FREAKING IDIOT!"

Of course, with how poorly NBC handled communications with their audience (and Apple) when they yanked their programs from iTunes ("NBC: Our Way or the Highway"), is it any surprise the characters they write are fundamentally incapable of communicating, too? - Cam Beck

Comments

[CK]

Might be a "sophomore slump". Happens a lot. Lost, Grey's Anatomy come to mind.

The thing about TV is that you really connect with the characters (vs. a film becuz TV characters literally come into your home every week). So when writers go so against character, they really miff us.

Actually, much as I loved Six Feet Under, I was so glad when they killed-off Nate. I was like, he'll finally stop the whining from this season as it's so against his character and I could enjoy the show again. That sounds bad as I type it but he was bugging me so much that I couldn't enjoy the show's other characters. (And then he was a darn ghost the rest of the season--go figure).

[bakatron]

to be honest, i wasnt that big of a heroes fan. i found it incredibly predictable - all you need to do is read the x-men throughout the 80s and it will appear cliche to you.

battlestar galactica is the way to go.

[bSetFree]

I've already given up on "Heroes" for the short term -- it's been un-DVR'd. I couldn't care less about the new characters ("ooh! black tears come out of her eyes! ooh!"). And how long does it take to get from Guatemala to the U.S., anyway? Several episodes, apparently, while we all breathlessly await What Will Happen When They Meet Suresh Or Get Whacked By Sylar. You make good points about HRG.

One positive for Season 2: no Niki! w00t!

[Cam Beck]

@CK - It's possible... I just hate it when I'm treated like an imbecile or an adversary (such as in the Buffy case over at your blog).

@Abbas - I can deal with some measure of predictability (short of outright plagiarism). Comics fans know that studios must strike a balance between faithfulness to the origins of the character and new and interesting storylines. I wasn't surprised, for instance, when Uncle Ben was killed in Spiderman, but I would have been upset if they removed that pivotal moment that everyone who reads comics knows made Peter Parker who he was.

@Brian - I hear what you're saying. As CK pointed out, the draw of TV is the ability to really connect with the characters. If a show accomplishes that, they can weave all sorts of fantastic tales and foster willing suspension of disbelief (See Firefly). If the story isn't character-driven, it will not maintain its fanbase.