Sunday, September 13, 2009

HEROES: I've Been Burned Before...



Yeah, I know... HEROES sucks. No, really, I understand this. I really liked the first season, I was totally onboard with the idea of a dramatic "what if it was real" show about people with powers, because that's the kind of stuff I like, being the kind of nerd I am. When it started the show WAS good. Then they blew it in the end. Then they blew it again in the second season. Then they blew it again in the third. And then, just as shit was starting to look up at the end of the third season... they blew it AGAIN! I'm not stupid. I don't wear fanboy blinders and just continue to watch out of habit and make excuses and rationalizations; they fucked it up. But that doesn't mean I don't want it to stop trying to be better.

I liked HEROES once, because once it was good, and I'd like to think it can be again, and, looking at this trailer, it seems like steps are being taken to fix what has definately been broken: A smaller cast, a unifying theme, ramped back powers, and a central villian in the form of Robert Knoeper, who is an actor I really like. I really like the idea of the secret war, and in this case, the contrast between the regulars, whose central theme is that they want to be normal, and the new villians, who have embraced their sideshow freakiness. But that's what I said about the trailer for season 3.

Make no mistake, HEROES has a lot to bounce back from; possibly moreso than any other TV show I've ever followed. They've alienated fans twice with lame duck, cliched, and sometimes just SENSELESS, storyarcs, and publically admitted that they've fucked up (which is pretty unprecidented in Hollywood to cop to your mistakes instead of trying to spin them), so how to they get the audiences trust back? Easy: STOP FUMBLING THE BALL AT THE FUCKING GOAL LINE! Except for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (which I have more to say on in another post), HEROES is possibly televisions greatest cocktease, constantly building up to some huge, epic, satisfying, ending and then completely fucking it up in either a desperate attempt to maintain the status quo, or because they just have no fucking clue what to do. Go in with a plan and fucking STICK TO IT. And don't pussy out in the season finale. If shit is supposed to blow up, BLOW IT THE FUCK UP! If someone needs to die, KILL THEM. Stop jerking us around and do your fucking job: ENTERTAIN ME.

This is the last time.

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