‘Heroes’ needs saving
By Casey Gillis on Nov. 01, 2007
When you love something, sometimes a little constructive criticism can go a long way.
“Heroes,” I’m talking to you.
It depresses me to say this, but the show is lacking some serious oomph this season. There’s too much going on, and there are too many new character — that means you, Maya and Alejandro — stealing screen time away from old favorites.
So what can this once-great show do get back on track?
Here’s what this Couch Potato would do:
Problem: Twins Maya and Alejandro bore me to tears — and I’m talking the same icky black tears Maya is always spilling all over the place.
How to fix it: Make Maya evil. It’s the only way to make her interesting. Plus, her odd power — crying those black tears and creating an instant virus that kills anyone nearby — doesn’t exactly lend itself to saving the world. This solution hit me like a ton of bricks during Monday’s episode, when Sylar convinced her to use it on the border patrol guards.
I sense a villainous super couple in the making. Sylar is a complicated villain — the best ones always are — but imagine how much more layered his character would be if we saw him truly care about someone.
Problem: Hiro is still stuck in feudal Japan. Yawn.
How to fix it: Bring him back to the future and reunite him with pal Ando. And bring the roguishly handsome Takezo Kensei along for the ride. His portrayer, David Anders, is too good not to keep around.
Problem: Not enough Peter Petrelli, my favorite hero. First of all, he’s mired in an amnesia plotline that’s been done a million times before. Secondly, he has no chemistry with his new Irish gal pal.
How to fix it: Give him his memory back, stat. And let’s leave amnesia where it belongs: on soap operas. Then get rid of the Irish girl and instead pair him up with Kristen Bell’s Elle. From the moment I heard Bell was joining the show, I’ve been hoping she’d end up with Mr. Petrelli. I know she’s trying to kill him and all, but they’d make one hot couple.
Problem: Not enough development in the “Nightmare Man” story.
How to fix it: This guy has a lot to live up to. The first mention of him came in last season’s finale, when Molly said there was someone out there who was worse than Sylar. I’m OK with his identity not being revealed for awhile — I’m still not buying that it’s Parkman’s long lost father — but I do want to see more of what he can do. Prove to me that he’s scarier than Sylar. Because right now, I’m not so sure.
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