Monday 25 January 2010

Is Heroes boring?

I watched the first season of Heroes. It seemed alright. Then it forced me out through The Amnesia Rule. If a character suddenly loses their memory, and I have to watch them try to remember things that I already know for five episodes, then I can't be bothered. So I stopped watching it in season two. I've seen a few episodes since then and they've all seemed pretty dull. And now I've seen a bit of season four, and, from what I can tell, not much has changed. The mother of the two brothers still looks a bit manipulative and sly and there's still a man in big glasses having a moral dilemma.

It's the sort of show that can literally make it up as it goes along. Any sort of problem can be solved by introducing a new 'hero' that has a special power. 'How will we know which direction the boat went in? We are stuck now.' 'Yes, hopefully we will meet someone who has the ability to talk to fish.' That might not have happened, but that's the impression I get from it. And dead isn't dead. Where's the drama in a character's death if they just get resurrected twenty minutes later by magic healing blood? Or maybe they can wait two seasons until they find someone who can bring back the dead. Nothing has any consequences. Is there any rules to this world?

Like I said, I've missed a lot of it. And even though I'm never going to watch it again, I'd sort of like to know that I'm wrong and that this expensive-looking show that millions of people watch is quite good. Or I will continue to be cynical.

4 comments:

  1. Um ... "you're wrong."

    There you go. Since you admit that (a) it doesn't appeal to you and (b) you haven't really watched it; I don't honestly think you to make a fair comment - do you?

    It's all about character, not about powers (though not as good as Misfits was on that front).

    After an excellent season 1 (and you would definitely be in the minority not liking season 1) they got new writers, season 2 was poor. Season 3 was very poor.

    Season 4 is pretty good. But that's because they brought the original writers back. But it takes a while to turn a boat.

    But the idea that everyone has to like everything that someone decides is "good", is as silly as everyone has to dislike everything that someone has decided is "bad". But that seems to be the way people think nowadays. Can't have their own opinion. (Not necessarily meaning you at this point, Chris.)

    It has been decided by the group mind that Heroes is now "bad", so everyone must dislike it. Personally I prefer to think for myself. I think season 4 has got off to a good start.

    I get the same thing with the Matrix. My friends whine on about how bad the second two films are. I said "how many times have you seen them" - just once. I've watched the 2nd and 3rd films many times. I like them.

    Are they perfect? No. Do they have flaws? Of course. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy them. No.

    There's a trend for turning emotion up to 11 - something's either got to be fantastic or crap. There seems to be no room for "pretty good" or "bit rubbish but okay for a rainy afternoon".

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  2. My feeling is that not a lot has happened in the two seasons I missed. I watched an episode of season 4 yesterday and I couldn't see any change. You miss two seasons of Lost, of Battlestar Galactica, and everything has been thrown out the window. I'm not sure what this lot have been doing.

    And yes, I haven't seen a lot of it (although, a season and a half is many hours of my life) so I can't have a big, rounded opinion of it. But there's a reason I stopped watching, and reasons I didn't start again. The few people I know that watch it actually quite like it though. I think.

    If season 2 and 3 are poor, then Heroes is half boring. I'll go with that.

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  3. Fairy snuff.

    I think they may be trying to pretend that season 2 & 3 didn't happen :-)

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  4. I completely agree. I have watched Heroes from the beginning and all the way trhough and it is boring. The same heroes have the same dilemmas, same plots, same everything. It's lost it's mojo, that's for sure.

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