Heroes Redux: "November Sweeps, Yo!"
"Oh my God!"
"No f–king way!"
"November sweeps, yo!"
"Wooooooo-hooooo!"
This is what the crowd sounded like at a live screening party last night for Heroes hosted by TV Guide (whose four collectible Heroes covers come out this Thursday). Now, I'm not one to say what a Heroes screening party normally sounds like, but by the sounds of the general ape-dookie nuttery that was going down in the room as (don't read if you haven't seen it) West encountered HRG, Kensei was revealed as Adam, Matt pulled one over on his evil Dad and Hiro and Ando were reunited, I think at least a few fans in Hollywood last night felt this series is back on track and kicking booty once more. Woo-hoo, indeed!
Agree? Yes? No? Feel free to comment below, then keep on reading for what you may have missed and what lies ahead. Plus, we'll clear up that ugly rumor about Tim Kring's status on the show…
WHAT WE LEARNED
Bennet's Got Problems: This was not a good week to be Noah Bennet. His daughter's dating one of his former victims, he left fingerprints all over the Ukraine, Mohinder's gone AWOL, and he apparently gets shot through the eyeball in the not too distant future. Can Clairebear save her daddy? And/or 93 percent of the human race? Or will the premonition painting of his death come true? I have a bad feeling…
Holy Muscle Definition, Batman! We learned, first and foremost, that the only thing hotter than shirtless Peter being tortured is shirtless Peter being hosed down. Hot dayum. Also, did anyone else tend to believe Mama Petrelli when she said Peter was the most powerful of them all? I think the woman knows of what she speaks…
Character Growth: So, it seems Matt Parkman inherited his father's abilities wholesale, which is somewhat different than the genetic downloads we've seen in the past. No matter, as it stands now, Matt has outgrown his father and overthrown him, which any bard will tell you is an essential part of the hero's journey. Hopefully this we'll see much more from Parkman in episodes to come. Grunny, bless his heart, joins Adrian Pasdar, Jack Coleman and Jimmy-Jean Louis as one of the strong and sensible actors on this show in whom it is easy to put faith. More, please.
Kensei Is an Immortal! Can there be only one? As we teased previously, Kensei is alive and well, 400 years in the future. Adam Monroe is very very old and very very mean. And I am very very much loving David Anders as the villain we so love him to play! I mean, come on, Linderman was his flunky?! That's awesome! Delving into the Generations is definitely a worthwhile pursuit, for us as viewers and for the characters in the show.
Green Piece: If you plant a tree, it helps the planet. So sayeth Jeph Loeb, Zachary Quinto, James Kyson Lee and Dania Ramirez!
WHAT LIES AHEAD
Or Rather, What Lies Behind? This is the big question that is answered in the next episode, which flashes back four months to the night of the big boom. In this episode, you fall head over heels for Kristen Bell as Elle, because she's hilarious and mischievous and just all-around awesome. And, oh yeah, did I mention she and Milo kiss?! Gaaaah! Sign me up for freeze frame on that one. We also learn that D.L. did not die when we thought he did but rather indirectly at the hands of Niki's new alter ego: a naughty school girl. (I know. Sign you fellas up for freeze frame on that!)
Bloody Good Twist: Claire's got some serious mojo (read: blood) that can indeed save the world. You didn't think that good ol' slogan of yesterseason was already played out, didya? Long live the bloody good cheerleader who can save the world! And in fact, I'm told she'll rescue at least two main characters in the coming month. Righteous.
West Gets Beheaded! Just kidding. But I hope so.
Maya Is Worse than Sylar: As least as far as body count. You'll see!!
RUMOR OF THE WEEK
In addition to all the strike news flying around the Industry last night, there was also a Heroes rumor that spread through town like wildfire. It seems to have started with an ArtfulWriter.com commenter who posted:
"On another front, I have been advised by a source on Heroes that Tim Kring has quit the series. Apparently the network was making him remove storylines that could not be wrapped up in the existing episodes that are now being finished. This caused wholesale rewrites of three episodes over the past week and weekend."
WHAT? That's insane! It can't be true…right?
Right. Just wanted to help squash this rumor before it gets any farther. According to an NBC spokesperson, "This is completely untrue." So, there you have it folks. Don't believe everything you read on the Internets (see West rumor above).
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Paola in Chino, California: Writing from the prison here. Don't say you never receive prison mail. Just kidding…I have to say I really want Kristen Bell to hook up with Milo in Heroes. I know you hinted at baggage, but this show can change a character in one episode.
Hey, Paola! Say hi to Michael Scofield for me, will ya? And thanks for your letter. I think the chances of Elle and Peter hooking up are slim to none at this point, given the way she treats him in the next ep (that kiss is a means to an end for him). But you're right, there's always a chance for redemption on this show, so here's hoping Elle sees the light and Kristen and Milo get hot and heavy and make lots of yummy little superbabies to rule the world.
Got your own views about last night's ep? Of course you do. So write 'em below!
New Amsterdam: Soldier’s Heart
(S01E03i) I don’t know about you but this week’s episode almost lost me in the opening scenes. I like exposition as much as the next guy but when a cop show takes that long to get to the first crime, I start to lose interest.
I was glad to see the return of Robert Clohessy. When he wasn’t in the second episode I feared that he might have gotten axed from the series. With all of John Amsterdam’s philosophical ramblings, this show desperately needs a sarcastic character like Clohessy’s.
Once the show got rolling, I started to enjoy it more. I always look forward to the flashbacks, so I can see what new job Amsterdam is given. This week, he was a doctor, but not just any doctor, a medic in wartime. The image of Amsterdam taking a hacksaw to that soldier’s leg was pretty powerful.
I also really liked how Dr. Sarah busted Amsterdam the moment they were alone. I like a character who is realistic in their actions. It makes sense that an ER doctor would be smart and ballsy enough to face Amsterdam with the mystery of his “death.”
The other interesting part of their relationship is the difficult situation Amsterdam is being forced into. On one hand, he can’t really tell Sarah the whole story, at least not right away, cause there’s no way she would believe him but on the other hand, he has no choice but to get to know her in case she’s “the one.” Considering how unbelievably beautiful she is, though, I don’t see it as such a tough decision.
One thing I can’t forgive on this series is that fact that Amsterdam just isn’t a good detective. I’ve watched enough cop shows to learn that cases are solved by aggressive legwork and hunting down leads not hunches and gut feelings. I understand that he has over 400 years of experience to draw upon but that doesn’t change how things should be done. A cop who doesn’t trust fingerprints or confessions? After being alive for so long, he’s probably better suited to be a teacher or scientist or an archaeologist with a cool hat and a whip.
I like the kisses with history on shows like this but this week’s was almost embarrassing. Why on earth would Walt Whitman give Amsterdam a copy of his book? The entire scene was ham-fisted at best.
I liked the surprise ending with John meeting Sarah’s husband. It serves the story well in that it helps to explain why he and Sarah’s souls have yet to become one and it makes it more difficult for John to work his considerable charms on her.
I like this show, I really do, but honestly, unless the cop stories can step up and match the immortal stories, I don’t know if I can keep watching.
World of WarCraft Details!
Lord of The Rings proved that fantasy films could work if they were done right. Since Peter Jackson won his Oscars back in 2004, fantasy films were given the green light by film studios and as a result we were given films such as Eragon, The Chronicles of Narnia and upcoming Stardust. IGN are reporting that the gaming world are making most of the fantasy phase Hollywood is going through, as Blizzard have teamed up with Legendary Pictures to produce a World of Warcraft movie. Legendary Pictures are the people behind Batman Begins and 300 and have given the film a budget of over $100 million and a release date of 2009.
World of WarCraft began is 1994 and has since become a gaming phenomenon with over 9 million people playing worldwide and over 15 million minutes of the game being played every day. However, the gamers shouldn’t expect storylines from the game being translated to the big screen as Blizzard feel it be too similar to Lord of The Rings. Instead, the storyline will follow events before the first World of WarCraft game as tensions between all of the different races of the universe grow, which will result in battles similar to those seen in 300, Braveheart and Alexander.
Legendary Pictures are aiming for an epic action movie that will be around 2 hours 30 minutes but as of now no director has been announced. Legendary Pictures want someone of Zack Snyder calibre, which will hopefully please the gaming community. I am glad the people at Blizzard have done their research and want to do the film justice, rather than simply selling the rights and waiting for the money to roll in. There is nothing worse than Hollywood getting their dirty fingerprints on something that is loved by millions.
I’m sure my friend will be happy of this news as he has been addicted for the past year. If he asks if Bolvar Fordragon from the Realm of Stormwind will make an appearance I may have to smile at him and say ‘most likely’, even though I haven’t a clue. With designers of the game collaborating with Legendary Pictures on the story and script, fans of the game may sleep easier at night. That is of course, if they are not busy playing online until the following morning.