tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post2252232553278302149..comments2024-03-18T13:50:45.615-04:00Comments on What's Alan Watching?: Lost & Heroes: The ol' switcherooAlan Sepinwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-30995949044490630672007-07-28T10:36:00.000-04:002007-07-28T10:36:00.000-04:00NJ.com only archives stories for two or three week...NJ.com only archives stories for two or three weeks; after that, the links go to a blank page.Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-53518439176922338772007-07-28T00:42:00.000-04:002007-07-28T00:42:00.000-04:00Hmm. The nj.com link goes to a blank article....Hmm. The nj.com link goes to a blank article....hujhaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00670604887283948751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-30193886292218823362007-05-29T22:21:00.000-04:002007-05-29T22:21:00.000-04:00Anonymous said..."I certainly agree the ride was g...Anonymous said...<BR/>"I certainly agree the ride was great with Hero. It was slow at first, but you could sense it was building. This is why the finale was so disappointing. Nathan suddenly turns good again. It would have been nice to see him struggle a bit more."<BR/><BR/>I thought there were very subtle hints in the last few episodes that Nathan had not completely bought into Mama Petrelli's and Linderman's grand plan...especially certain looks he'd give his mother or Claire or Peter. I thought you could see he was struggling internally.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-29691333718772263732007-05-29T17:36:00.000-04:002007-05-29T17:36:00.000-04:00>>I mean, you didn't see anything dreamlike about ...>>I mean, you didn't see anything dreamlike about having Claire and Parkman in their uniforms? All the abandoned cars, as if everybody had just disappeared? The way Nathan talked to him? It was a prophecy, not time-travel.<BR/><BR/>No, I get that. And obviously you scrap the dreamier elements when you reapproach the situation live. But it just would have been a much, much stronger ending had they kept the visual touchstones they'd given the viewer before. Have it take place in a street full of abandoned cars, not in a barren plaza. Frame shots to match Isaac's paintings. It grounds the viewer, establishes suspense, and doubles surprise when you finally veer off in another direction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-22171483512046240162007-05-29T15:10:00.000-04:002007-05-29T15:10:00.000-04:00I certainly agree the ride was great with Hero. I...I certainly agree the ride was great with Hero. It was slow at first, but you could sense it was building. This is why the finale was so disappointing. Nathan suddenly turns good again. It would have been nice to see him struggle a bit more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-46738616831642407272007-05-29T14:16:00.000-04:002007-05-29T14:16:00.000-04:00"Jeph Loeb syndrome," good point."Jeph Loeb syndrome," good point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-57300067833408315122007-05-29T12:38:00.000-04:002007-05-29T12:38:00.000-04:00I was conflicted by the Heroes finale. I think th...I was conflicted by the Heroes finale. I think the ending would have been stronger if the bomb had gone off, but they were still able to stop Sylar, thus saving the world. This being mainstream television, I can understand why they didn't have NYC go kablooey. The finale did also redeem Nathan. Lost had a great finale, but for me, that doesn't make up for a horrible season 2 and half of season 3. I still enjoyed the ride on Heroes much more than I enjoyed the single final episode of Lost. I hope Lost will do better in the 16 episode format, and I hope there Heroes won't fall to the Jeph Loeb syndrome again - great build up, poor finish.Kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06346565881555687494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26596911850816850522007-05-29T09:32:00.000-04:002007-05-29T09:32:00.000-04:00Downer or no, the show would have been interesting...Downer or no, the show would have been interesting and exciting if they had lost. I understand that in the traditional superhero narrative they should win and save NYC, and I didn't expect them to do otherwise. But if you have characters to see/paint the future, then you can't change the rules in midstream. That is the point being made here. Either Isaac can see the future or he can't. Either his paintings come true or they don't. Either his drawings come true or they don't. Either the future is unwritten or it isn't. That's fine, but you can't have it both ways, and that's what it felt like in this show, particularly in the last episode when they suddenly in the last episode changed that which seemed fated for 22 preceding episodes. I'm not saying they should have lost, just that the narrative should have been constructed better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-31857884158964642292007-05-28T10:37:00.000-04:002007-05-28T10:37:00.000-04:00"jim treacher, I guess it all comes down to the qu..."jim treacher, I guess it all comes down to the question if you consider every single panel drawn by Isaac that came true, an absolute coincidence."<BR/><BR/>No, because they hadn't figured out how to stop what was happening yet. <BR/><BR/>Now, do I wish the last episode, particularly the showdown, had been thought out better? More action-packed? Definitely. But it didn't somehow contradict what had gone before. Would it have been better if NYC had been destroyed? That would be kind of a downer, especially for a show called "Heroes."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-1141906297016258932007-05-27T15:26:00.000-04:002007-05-27T15:26:00.000-04:00I vote that from now on, "Anonymous" will be Anony...I vote that from now on, "Anonymous" will be Anonymous' official screen name. :P<BR/><BR/>jim treacher, I guess it all comes down to the question if you consider every single panel drawn by Isaac that came true, an absolute coincidence. If yes, well then... okay. No point in arguing any more. :)dark tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13461345493748899275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-43223165400530252222007-05-27T10:23:00.000-04:002007-05-27T10:23:00.000-04:00Alan, it's all in good fun to disagree about TV, w...Alan, it's all in good fun to disagree about TV, whether it is good or Minear. And since when is it an insult to have or be identified with "fanboy glee"? I sure had it for Spider-Man 3, and was I disappointed.<BR/><BR/>Also, Alan, can you call HBO and make them air a new Sopranos ep tonight?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-26416821801572806442007-05-26T22:27:00.000-04:002007-05-26T22:27:00.000-04:00I'm not sure what I did wrong, but okay.I'm not sure what I did wrong, but okay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-79193753299002377462007-05-26T22:20:00.000-04:002007-05-26T22:20:00.000-04:00Once again, I feel the need to quote John Munch: G...Once again, I feel the need to quote John Munch: Girls, girls! You're both pretty! <BR/><BR/>Now move to neutral corners, okay?Alan Sepinwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03388147774725646742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-52547246966570749202007-05-26T22:16:00.000-04:002007-05-26T22:16:00.000-04:00Oh, it's THAT anonymous...Oh, it's THAT anonymous...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-82035980546110677372007-05-26T21:25:00.000-04:002007-05-26T21:25:00.000-04:00I just call it as I see it. I mean, you liked "Dr...I just call it as I see it. I mean, you liked "Drive," after all, right?<BR/><BR/>But, I guess the best way to concede without appearing to concede is to check out. Checkmate.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-59644747154317715252007-05-26T17:24:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:24:00.000-04:00"In your fanboy glee..."Personal insults and quest..."In your fanboy glee..."<BR/><BR/>Personal insults and questioning motives now? Checking out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-28952528146580194502007-05-26T17:22:00.001-04:002007-05-26T17:22:00.001-04:00Treacher, you again miss the point. There was a l...Treacher, you again miss the point. There was a large element of predestination in the earlier episodes, from the panels in the comic books coming literally true to the paintings also becoming literally true. It was quite apparent that what Isaac painted was gossip. In your fanboy glee, you may wish to excuse Kring's writers' laziness at their last minute switch into a fateless unwritten future. But the show wasn't just about putting the heroes through hell, as you clumsily put it. Rather, it was about the heroes fighting that which was fated. That makes for a better story. However, the writers seemed to abandon this point and rather opted for the "future is unwritten" theme in the last episode. This was inconsistent with what came before and there was no meaningful bridge between the two philosophies of fate. But, I guess if you think it's cool and neat, that excuses it, right?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-41501307063169091022007-05-26T17:22:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:22:00.000-04:00Hey Alan, any idea if ABC will replay the finale o...Hey Alan, any idea if ABC will replay the finale of Lost any time soon? My wife recorded Idol on the Tivo and didn't notice that Lost was on at the same time. grrAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-70104092080106027672007-05-26T17:14:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:14:00.000-04:00"Treacher, you've missed the point."No I haven't. ..."Treacher, you've missed the point."<BR/><BR/>No I haven't. You guys are just confusing "let's put the heroes through hell for a bunch of episodes" with "this is the philosophy of the show."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-85602091949435099102007-05-26T17:12:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:12:00.000-04:00Oh, and it was more like 12 or 13 episodes of wond...Oh, and it was more like 12 or 13 episodes of wondering what was in the hatch. According to Lostpedia it was discovered during the Dec. 11, 2004 episode, and we didn't find out what was inside until the 2nd season premire on Sept. 21, 2005. Talk about a pregnant pause, LOLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-89753906546227448422007-05-26T17:11:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:11:00.000-04:00Treacher, you've missed the point. The point isn'...Treacher, you've missed the point. The point isn't that they changed the future. Of course they were going to (although it would have been cooler, I think, if the nuclear explosion was the result of them saving the world and NYC was a consequence of that). The problem Dark Tyler identified is that it was only in the last episode that (1) Nathan suddenly turned around and became a good guy (2) the Heroes changed fate and the future. It was wholly inconsistent with the previous 23 episodes, which were grim and fatalistic and based on a set future which seemed immutable. Changing the future is fine; doing so just by yelling "psyche" in the last half of the last episode isn't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-56777144478805825022007-05-26T17:07:00.000-04:002007-05-26T17:07:00.000-04:00When did the writers say the future wasn't changea...When did the writers say the future wasn't changeable? Hiro <EM>thought</EM> that and got discouraged, but that doesn't mean it was true. Just part of the hero's journey and all that Joseph Campbell stuff. <BR/><BR/>Again, why have a show called Heroes if they can't change things for the better?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-76918886468500958262007-05-26T12:01:00.000-04:002007-05-26T12:01:00.000-04:00Dark Tyler is right. Kring and Co. certainly made...Dark Tyler is right. Kring and Co. certainly made the paintings and comic book panels "literal," some of which could have been storyboards for the scenes that were ultimatley shot. We were led to believe that the future was fixed, from the paintings, the visions, Hiro's several visits to the future, the comic book, et cetera. The trick was, how will the heroes fix that which is unfixable, alter that which is unalterable? As Dark Tyler suggests, somehow, in the last episode, it just inexplicably became fixable and alterable. That was indeed lazy, and lame to boot. We can apologize for Kring and say it was prophecy or what have you, but the point is that the writers painted themselves into a corner and couldn't think of any better way to limp out of it. The fact that it never occurred to Kring that Peter could simply fly away (as evidence in the TV Guide interview someone linked in the comments earlier) indicates they weren't thinking about anything other than the results. Here, the result was: stop the explosion, though the manner in which they did it was not in accord with all of the preceding episodes. Too bad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-44149812978073152172007-05-26T11:56:00.000-04:002007-05-26T11:56:00.000-04:00No, wrong. The Heroes writers never set in stone t...No, wrong. The Heroes writers never set in stone that the future could not be changed.<BR/><BR/>Hiro did theorize he couldn't change the *past*, as he was unable to save Charlie (the waitress with perfect recall) in any timeline.<BR/><BR/>However, whether the characters could change the future and control their own destinies was one of the major themes of the season. Characters like Hiro had faith they could change the future; cynics like Nathan and Linderman felt the future was unchangeable.<BR/><BR/>As for Heroes vs. Lost, all I know is that despite being disappointed with the season finale and some other issues, I enjoyed virtually all of Heroes season one and always looked forward to the next episode. Whereas with Lost, I watched the first half of season one, and episodes from January through March this season, was utterly bored for each episode, and dumped it again as soon as possible.A.H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11093803634816636548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17517257.post-62266663006890051242007-05-26T03:17:00.000-04:002007-05-26T03:17:00.000-04:00Oh my God.* Yeah, but see, the writers made a poin...Oh my God.<BR/><BR/>* Yeah, but see, the writers made a point all <B>SEASON</B> that the future is not changeable<BR/><BR/>and<BR/><BR/>*the hatch was <B>NOT</B> the main season plot.<BR/><BR/>Gonna get some coffee in me now.dark tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13461345493748899275noreply@blogger.com