Part One: The 19 Hour Eclipse Begins

Arthur Petrelli, tapping into his "draw like Tim Sale" power, creates a series of images showing Claire dying in HRG's arms, Parkman and Hiro in a corn field, Nathan and Peter falling out of the sky, Sylar in a pool of blood, and the importantly ridiculous upcoming solar eclipse. Elsewhere, Sylar practices with his newly acquired electricity powers and shares some angst-loaded conversation with Elle until Arthur arrives with this week's marching orders: Sylar and Elle are to find Claire Bennett and deliver her to Pinehearst. Not to be outdone, Angela steps it up a notch further and doesn't even bother with the smalltalk - HRG is assigned to protect Claire, Nathan and Peter are sent off to find the Haitian to counteract Arthur's abilities. Mohinder is told to find out how Claire could possibly be dying in Arthur's picture, Daphne and Matt decide to find Hiro and ask for his help. Missions assigned aaaand... go!

Translation: "Open up the damn door, fat ass".

Daphne and Parkman don't need to go far to find Hiro, as Ando brings him to Parkman's house thanks to a panel in the 9th Wonders comic that showed him doing so. Can we get a round of applause for that deus ex machina by the way? Now Heroes doesn't even need to explain why they do things, they can just do them and say the comic book showed them doing it. Screw all that "logical progession of plot and story" bulls**t, let's just do what the book tells us to do!

Anyway, Parkman tries to repair Hiro's mind, but apparently Arthur's kung fu has gotten stronger because Matt can't help him. Ando and Daphne have some words, she freaks out about being a "nemesis" and betraying everyone so she takes off, but not before Parkman scans her mind and finds the name of her hometown. A glance into the comic book shows them all standing in a cornfield, which means they immediately shift their mission to finding Daphne. Mmmhmm... instead of focusing on repairing Hiro's mind, they decide to go find Parkman's stalkeree instead because that's what the all-powerful comic book tells them to do. Sure, that's a smart move.

It's Like High School Again But With Less Bloodshed

I am so tired of trying to figure Elle out. Like every bi-polar, flip-flopping psycho girl I've ever dated rolled into one smoking hot little blonde, I'm honestly starting to think that not even the writers know what it is that Elle wants. She got all excited last week about Sylar turning over a new leaf and wanting to be a good guy, and then this week she tells a car rental clerk that he's a dangerous serial killer/kidnapper to try to get Sylar to kill him and prove he's a bad guy. Sylar comes through for her though and kills the rental clerk after muttering the soon-to-be classic line: "I hate heroes".

I know what you mean, buddy. I know what you mean.

Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}While Mohinder continues to study the upcoming eclipse (and has another embarrasing "sticky hand" moment - bow chicka wow wow), HRG takes Claire to the abandoned home of Stephen Canfield (the black hole guy) and tries to teach her how to fight. Elsewhere, in her one and only tiny scene, Tracy rats out Nathan and tells Arthur exactly what they're planning, and Angela overhears. Mohinder wraps himself up in some kind of weird cocoon while Matt, Ando and Hiro arrive in Kansas just in time for the eclipse to hit. Not just any eclipse mind you, this is a special eclipse that apparently looks the same from every single point on Earth and somehow lasts for forever and a day while robbing everyone of their powers temporarily. Why does it take away their powers? Heroes doesn't know and doesn't care to explain. It just does. Go with it.

In Kansas, Hiro can't teleport and Matt can't read minds. In Haiti, Nathan's powers disappear and he and Peter drop out of the sky like stones. And in California - Elle, Sylar, and Claire are all powerless as well. "Gabri-Elle" puts a crimp on HRG's assignment by barging in and attacking him and Claire, but without their abilities they don't put up much of a fight. HRG takes Sylar out, but Elle manages to get her hand on a pistol and fires a shot off at HRG. Claire leaps in front of the bullet to save him, but without her healing powers the wound is pretty nasty. HRG quickly knocks Elle out and leaves with Claire.

Beefcaaaaake!

With the eclipse in effect, Mohinder crawls out of the cocoon completely healed (not to mention completely nude and covered in slime - see the above formula). Sidenote: I had really thought that the Heroes writers had scraped the bottom of the barrel the previous week (having Sylar's shirt completely fried away by Elle's bolts, but somehow leaving his jeans miraculously intact), but this is an all-time new low for the show. At this point, they might as well just start packaging the show with Anne Rice erotica novels and packages of Bon Bons. On the other hand, I guess a TV show about superheroes and comic books that's seriously lagging in ratings could use all the female viewers it can get.

Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}Back in This-Makes-No-Sense-But-We're-Doing-It-Anyway-Land, HRG decides that rather than take Claire to a Company-run facility that would undoubtedly have capable medical personnel and tight security, he takes her back to Casa Del Bennett and basically patches her up on his own with a basic first aid kit. Brilliant. Parkman decides to try to help Daphne while Hiro and Ando go looking for a comic book shop (and find Seth Green and Brecken Meyer in a brilliant cameo that was the highlight of both episodes).

Nathan and Peter argue about the same sibling rivalry crap they're always arguing about ("You're a puppet!","I always have to save you", etc) when they find the Haitian. Their plans, however, get sidelined (ooh, big surprise!) when the Haitian refuses to go with them until he's stopped his evil invulnerable-skinned brother, Baron Samedi. Peter - always the good hero - agrees to help him but when they're attacked by Baron's men, Nathan is captured while Peter and the Haitian escape. Baron Samedi tells Nathan that not only did Arthur warn him that they were coming, but that he told Baron "to be himself". Good thing you have a father that cares for your wellbeing, huh Nathan?

Léon He Is Not

After removing the bullet with what I can only assume is salad tongs and Batman-brand bandaids, HRG and Claire have a touching moment where they connect again as father and daughter. Awwwwww...[insert "drama music"]. That lasts for all of about 15 seconds before HRG says "screw it" and bolts out again to go after Sylar. Matt waits until Daphne's father leaves, and then breaks into the house (yes, that is what it's called when you enter someone else's house without permission, Matt - or didn't you know that, being a cop and all) and finds out that the reason Daphne was so scared is because without her powers she can hardly walk (shocking, yes?).

Back at Canfield's house, Elle and Sylar come to and realize that their powers are still gone. Elle is worried, but Sylar seems almost relieved to be rid of them. Elle tells him that without powers, they can't "take whatever they want anymore", which is the lamest setup to a make-out session I've ever heard (right next to "hey, are those space pants?"). It apparently works, however, because in no time flat they're sucking face like drunk teenagers on Spring Break. Yes, that's right Sylar - make out with the crazy girl who can't make up her mind whether she wants you to be good or bad... that's not going to end poorly. Thankfully, HRG intends to interuptus their coitus with a well-placed sniper shot to Sylar's insanium cranium.

Which leads us right into:

Part Two: The Duracell Eclipse

It Keeps Going, and Going, and Going...

While Claire's wound re-opens and her body is flooded with infection ("like she's never been sick before" says one nurse), Sylar and Elle make the same mistake almost everyone on this show seems to make - when the guy who's out to get you knows where you are? Don't stay there. Doy.

But no, they just get all nice and cozy in each other's arms, totally forgetting that they just shot the little girl of a very dangerous man. Thankfully, that optical scope on HRG's rifle was apparently just for show because he decides to use an easy-to-spot laser sight instead, tipping Elle off just in time. She pulls Sylar (conveniently shirtless again) out of the way just before the shot hits. HRG ditches the sniper rifle in favor of the good ol' Company pistol, and manages to clip Elle in the thigh as they duck out the back door. He follows them out the back and down the alley, declaring out loud to himself that he will "end this today". A clearly defined mission for the episode? Surely not!

Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}Back at Pinehearst, Arthur Petrelli wants some answers about the eclipse. Unfortunately, Mohinder has none, which definitively proves one thing: not even the writers want to try to explain what the hell is going on. So, the blood chemistry/brain/adrenal- based powers are somehow affected by eclipses and solar power as well. Sure. What's next? We find out that all their powers are affected by waffles? Is a future Eggo shortage going to spell out dire consequences for our heroes? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Back on the farm, Matt learns that Daphne has cerebral palsy and that her powers cured her (which I personally found kind of offensive to everyone out there that actually has CP and had to watch her scissor walk around like an idiot in those leg braces). Daphne launches into full-on angst mode, saying that she deserved it for being a villain and that Matt can't help her. Mohinder, tired of being locked in his lab, attacks Flint and knocks him out, then leaves to go see Maya. Yup, Maya. I'm really sure that she's excited as all hell to see the guy who attacked her and kept her semi-unconscious in a mummified cocoon state. Memo to Moho: Get over it already.

Aisle 5: Hair Dye, Bath Products, and Gunshot Wound Kits

Sylar and Elle manage to limp their way to a local grocery store, and Sylar does his best to patch Elle up. He starts to take a page from the "Daphne Book of Remorse and Guilt", but Elle tells him he's not like that anymore, that he's changed. He's not a killer anymore... oh well, yeah. There was that car rental guy he just killed, but he doesn't count, right? Right? Would somebody please tell Elle to make up her damn mind already? Does she want him to be a ruthless killer, or a good guy?

Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}Baron Samedi has a chat with the captive Nathan Petrelli, who suddenly realizes how useless he is without his abilities. Baron takes one of his prostitutes into a nearby tent, but the Haitian and Peter arrive to save the day. Baron Samedi dares the Haitian to kill him, but in the end he just knocks him unconscious. Meanwhile, Matt arrives at the comic store where Frack (played by Brecken Meyers) has a theory that the eclipse is somehow blocking their powers (thank you Mr. Wizard), but that their powers will return when it's over. A quick glance into the almighty comic book shows Daphne running again, so Matt once again leaves to go talk to her. However, after seeing the horrible events that happened to him after his powers manifested (Kirby Plaza, going into the past, Kaito's death, etc) Hiro decides that he doesn't want to grow up after all and locks himself in a bathroom.

Peter frees Nathan, who is suddenly aware of his complete impotence as a person, and sends him packing with the Haitian while he holds off the Baron's men alone. Claire wakes up in the hospital and sees that HRG isn't there and launches into the whole "woe is me, I didn't want my powers and now they're gone and I want them again" monologue (cue "drama music") before flatlining and dying on the table. Of course, she isn't really dead because no one on Heroes ever dies - they just take a short break before somehow returning. Case in point - HRG finally tracks down Elle and Sylar in the backrooms of the grocery store. Sylar puts Elle on a cargo elevator and sends her down alone while he faces HRG. With years of Company training on his side, HRG takes Sylar down without too much difficulty and then cold-heartedly slits Sylar's throat with a boxcutter, leaving him to die on the concrete floor. Of course, he's not dead because no one on Heroes ever really dies - they just take a short break before somehow returning. Seriously - I'm still expecting Adam Monroe to pop back up one of these days.

So What Happens When They Get a Tan?

The magical "six-hour-long-looks-the-same-from-every-point-on-the-globe" eclipse finally ends, and sure enough - the second the sun hits Claire's skin, she starts healing and comes back from the dead. OooWeeeOoooo! Mere words cannot hope to describe just how incredibly lame this entire subplot was. Go go superhero solar powers! All this time, I didn't realize that none of their powers work at night or underground or... oh wait. That's right. They totally do. *slaps forehead*Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}

And just like that, the coach turns back into a pumpkin for everyone involved. Daphne gets her superspeed back and makes up with Parkman and her father (awwww... insert drama music), Peter holds off Baron's army until he runs out of ammo - then Nathan and the Haitian swoop in to rescue him and wipe Samedi's mind, Mohinder goes to see Maya but notices the scales are returning and then decides against it (and more surprisingly Maya doesn't open the door with a shotgun and/or restraining order in hand).

Back at the comic store, Sam (Seth Green) coaxes Hiro out of the bathroom with a "you can do it" speech so contrived and obviously scripted that I almost expected Sam to attribute the source to some rare back issue of Action Comics after he was finished. It works of course, and Hiro exits the bathroom with his head held high and a newly regained sense of purpose (as do I, on occasion - particularly after a night of Taco Bell). Hiro thanks Sam and they again consult the almighty comic books for answers. A single panel of the first issue shows present Hiro and Claire hiding in the greenhouse on top of the Deveaux Building 16 years in the past - the day that Kaito Nakamura gave Claire to HRG to watch over. Hiro understands what he has to do, takes the comic book, and disappears.

Let The Retcon Begin!

Claire is angry at HRG for leaving her when she was ill and lets it slip that she died during the eclipse. HRG suddenly realizes what that means, and runs downstairs to find a very-much-alive Sylar with his wife. Sylar pins him to the wall and tells him that he wanted to be a good person, maybe "someone like you" (alluding to the alternate future where he lives in Casa Del Bennett with his son, Noah). HRG drops a bombshell of his own when he tells Sylar that Angela and Arthur aren't really his parents, they're just playing on his parental issues to use him like a weapon (a shocking revelation about a character? It can't be!). Then, in the sole shining moment of this otherwise abyssmal event, Hiro appears out of nowhere, teleports Sylar away, then poof! Appears next to Elle, teleports her away. Finally, he pops up next to Claire and with a well timed "Save the cheerleader", teleports her away as well.Not enough parameters! You must have 4 parameters separated by "|" : e.g. {playerflv}290|140|false{/playerflv}

Of course, once that cooler-than-cool scene is over (which is a shame because those are the moments I really wish I could associate Heroes with), it once again returns to "WTF"-ville with Sam reciting the campfire tale of the "missing Isaac Mendez sketchbook" containing the final story arc for 9th Wonders he ever wrote, bequeathed to some poor bike messenger.

Wow, this story was so campy I expected it to end with a hook hand hanging on someone's car door handle at the end. But there it is - the new goal for next episode. Now Matt, Daphne and Ando have something to do in the background again.

And once again in This-Makes-No-Sense-But-We're-Doing-It-Anyway-Land, Nathan decides out of the blue that he's going to help Arthur after all.

Wait... what?

Nathan tells Peter that he wants to help give everyone powers so they can end things like murder and war. Of course, he's totally forgetting that the person who was causing all the death and war (Baron Samedi) was SOMEONE WITH POWERS. Yeah, he just conveniently forgets that part. Also, after praising the Haitian for stopping Samedi (by using his powers), Nathan just boldly decides to join the team the Haitian is fighting against. Oh yeah, that makes total sense. Of course, so does Peter just standing there like a total toolbox and not smacking some sense into Nathan. Seriously - all it would take is a well placed "imagine a thousand Sylars running around" and I'm pretty sure that would end the argument between them. But no, this is the world of Heroes - black is white, day is night, eclipses last 27 hours. It's almost like everyone in the show has the equivalent of a "choose your own adventure" for a brain. They don't do things that make sense, they just all make random decisions and then ride them out to see where they go, before drastically backpedalling to try to make things right again later.

All's Poor That Ends Poor

I could have sworn that they gave everyone on the show time travel powers, because at the end of the episode, almost everyone suddenly reset to 3 episodes back. Mohinder is back at Pinehearst trying to find a cure for his condition, Nathan is leaning towards his father's side, Claire and HRG are alienated again... even Sylar gets in on the action.

Hiro teleports Sylar and Elle to a beach somewhere (what's the matter Hiro? No more buried caskets to drop people in?) where Sylar gets hot and bothered with Elle. Apparently, they're big fans of "the P.D.A." Anyway, Sylar tells her that she was right and that nobody ever really changes. He says that he tried to be good, but that it was temporary and that they're both just damaged goods. He pins her down and cuts open her head, but either he's still weak from the eclipse, or he's not concentrating because the cut is extremely rough and uneven. Of course, even if he did actually kill her (they did cut away pretty quick) I'm sure we'll find out that she has a twin sister or she'll come back through time next volume or something.

Hiro teleports himself and Claire to the Deveaux Building 16 years in the past, back to the moment Kaito gave baby Claire to HRG. When Claire realizes what's happening, the only words she can utter is "holy sh.." and the episode ends. Hmmm, a cliffhanger ending. Who could have guessed?

And there ends the 2-part "Eclipse" storyline, and in lieu of my regular "thoughts and opinions" section (which I think I've made known throughout this review), I'm going to simply let the following picture say it for me:

Join us next week for chapter 12, "Our Father":

"Hoping to find a way to stop Arthur, Hiro and Claire band together and travel back in time 16 years to when Kaito gave baby Claire to H.R.G. Meanwhile, Peter and the Haitian team up to finish off Arthur Petrelli for good but are interrupted by Sylar. Elsewhere, in the lab, Suresh has a major breakthrough with the formula that will likely change everything."

-or in other words-

"Blah blah blah... clearly defined mission for the week... blah blah blah... here's the problem that seems to want to prevent that mission from completing... blah blah blah... [insert male cast member shirtless or in some form of undress for the lonely female viewers]... blah blah blah... touchy-feely moment between two characters so that we can play the "drama music" and have the actors really tap into that high school emo saccharine sweet love moment... blah blah blah... shocking revelation about a character... blah blah blah... cliffhanger ending."

[DO IT FOR THE FONZE - DIGG THIS ARTICLE]

Peter Sorensen is a part-time reviewer and wasn't dead, he just took a break before somehow returning. You can email him here or follow his updates on Twitter.

Thoughts? Opinions? Do your eyes tear up when you hear the "drama music"? Which male cast member will be shirtless next week? Just how big of a shark-jump was that? Post a comment below and let us know!

Comments (15)

manzy704 wrote...

Peter,

Despite the crap episodes, I'm glad I have your entertaining reviews to look forward to. The writers are complete morons who write these characters to be so flipping stupid. Where can one begin? Nathan? Elle? Sylar?

The scene where Speedy Gonzales hugs her father was completely meaningless to any of us and Nathan's sudden change of heart was too absurd for the even the staunchest Heroes fan to back up.

I think my greatest qualm with this massive clusterf*** of writing was Sylar's decision to kill Elle. Why? According to what we know, Sylar doesn't necessarily want to kill the people he takes powers from but rather their death is a side effect of his hunger for their power. HE ALREADY HAS ELLE'S POWER! Why would he kill her? If the hunger drives him to kill, there is no logical reason why he would do it.

All in all, what was the point of this two part lump of crap? What changed at the end of the day? Nothing. This eclipse was just BS and accomplished nothing. Like you pointed out, the writers couldn't even bother to explain to us why it caused their powers to go away temporarily.

By the way, Seth Green was wearing way too much eyeliner to be taken seriously as a comic book nerd. I call shenanigans.

|| December 02, 2008

crood wrote...

To your point about taking Claire to a Company facility, remember that they moved to Costa Verde to hide from the Company, so there's not likely one nearby. As to the decision to hide alone in an abandoned house a couple of blocks from home, now that was stupid. They could have gone anywhere in the world on the Primatech's dime. I give them small kudos for having the police call Sandra, Mrs. Butler, since that should still be their assumed name in town.

The comic book is annoying, I agree. In the real world comic artists are missing deadlines like they don't exist, but Isaac is pumping out new material from the grave. By the way, didn't a previous issue show Ando killed by Sylar and weren't all of Issac's paintings of a future where the NYC explosion happened?

Wait a minute, a character on Heroes has a loving, supportive father. How did that happen? I doubt we'll see Daphne's Dad again, unless it's to see him killed.

What happened to the lab full of guys at Pinehearst? Now Mohinder's supposed to be an astronomer too? Of course finding a scientific answer to a magical eclipse is just silly. Besides being too long and looking the same from California to Haiti, it also occurred a year after the last one and was visible from the same places. While the average is about 2 eclipses a year, they're not visible from the same spot and may be total, annular, or hybrid. Why was this one different? It was part of the plot.

Will someone please tell Nathan that Dad was the one who tried to kill him? He might actually make an informed decision. Also, please have him watch The Incredibles, please. If everyone is super, then no one is. Telling him about the whole exploding Earth thing might be a good idea too.

Why did Noah wait until they were done doing the deed before shooting? They were just kissing when he had them lined up in his scope.

|| December 02, 2008

fungusmonkey wrote...

@crood - Excellent point. I guess I had assumed that the Company was like Starbucks - they have places everywhere. That may not be the case.

While I hate that they keep bringing 9th Wonders back, at least they had the common decency to comment on it by saying that the issue Hiro had was the last posthumous issue. Now it's just the sketchbook (and everything else everyone seems to be painting).

Why did Noah wait until they were done doing the deed before shooting? They were just kissing when he had them lined up in his scope.
Hahaha, I think you just answered your own question. Noah Bennett, you stone cold peeping tom...

@manzy704 - You're totally right on this one: there is no LOGICAL reason for him to kill Elle. But since when has anyone on this show done something logical? Personally I think he killed her just to get her to stop jerking him around - "be a good guy, now be a bad guy, now be a good guy...".

And I checked the cast listings for the next two episodes and (sigh) no more Kristen Bell, so yes - he definitely killed her. The only thing I can think of is that maybe - and this is a HUGE maybe - we was still hungry for her power because he didn't master it when he took it the nice way. Like Peter, maybe the passive power theft requires concentration and mastery, while phsyically taking it from them via the brain is much easier and allows him to fully understand it. Maybe the hunger wasn't satisfied with a watered down version and wanted the real deal. I dunno. This whole paragraph feels like I'm rationalizing on behalf of the writers who can't be bothered to do their jobs correctly in the first place.

|| December 02, 2008

Peter wrote...

Oh, and I'm totally putting my cash down on it being Mohinder who "loses" his shirt next episode. He's supposed to have a breakthrough, so I'm sure all the hacky Heroes writers will have him doff the shirt to inject himself with the cure or something stupid like that.

I'm also putting lesser odds on it being Sylar, because he's still wearing that bloody T-Shirt, so maybe they'll have him dressing or something at the beginning of the episode. This is how sad the show has gotten. Right now, I'm putting this almost at soap opera level. We've already got evil twins and people back from the grave.

http://www.bleepinggeek.com || December 02, 2008

manzy704 wrote...

You should migrate to Dexter next season buddy. That show has been my saving grace this Fall!

Thank you for pointing out the absurdity of the eclipse looking the same from all places on Earth. You have to take into account though that a ton of people who watch the show probably don't know otherwise.

|| December 02, 2008

Tron wrote...

@Manzy704

I've been egging Peter on to review Dexter for ages!

Man, that scene on the roof with Prado and Dex from this weeks ep was win. Smitts was ragin!

|| December 03, 2008

crood wrote...

I just realized why this season is so annoying. They showed us what could have been the beginnings of a great one and then abandoned plot points with no rhyme or reason.

You could build an entire show around Noah being partnered with Sylar. There's so much potential there and it was dropped.

A Claire and Elle roadtrip could have been a nice parallel story. Their interaction has been the only time Claire hasn't been whiny and annoying all season.

Peter being stuck in Jesse's body on the run with the villains could have really fleshed out what have to date been fairly generic and uninspiring villains.

Alternately, Peter dealing with Sylar's powers and then, after conquering the hunger, trying to plot out the future to prevent the apocalypse. You could have even used future Peter for this and done both.

Hiro and Ando's pursuit of Daphne could have been quite funny. Throw Parkman in as the guy stuck in the middle.

On the other hand, Hiro and Ando dealing with what Hiro saw in the future along with Ando's growing resentment with his "sidekick" status could have added real depth to their friendship.

Nathan's religious awakening probably couldn't have gone on much longer than it did before getting irritating, but his return to public office after what happened could have been mined for something.

I think Arthur should probably have been held back until the second arc. Maybe a mysterious recruitment drive behind everyone's back while the rest was going on. That way we'd have had the pieces in place by the halfway point of the season before the apple cart got upset and everyone starts changing sides.

|| December 03, 2008

jbsoren wrote...

I especially like the water wings in the drawing.

|| December 03, 2008

darthmike431 wrote...

There have been so many problems with this season, the list is too long to count. But here are some of my major annoyances / questions:

1. The whole comic book thing is one big fail. I understand that everyday people in the show probably would know who Hiro's character is because he was the focus of the 9th Wonders series, but when the comic book store guys start spewing out Matt, Claire, and Kaito's names like they're as popular as Luke Skywalker then I think they're going way too far. If all of the Heroes are popular comic book characters, you would have expected that they would have been spotted by people on the street by now and be celebrities. >:(

2. Elle has been killed by Sylar for what seemed like no reason at all. And while Pete's guess as to why he might have killed her gives it a little more sense, I doubt the writers even had that in mind. But this issue has been discussed enough anyway so onto my next problem.

3. NBC overhypes the wrong things way too much (remember Season 2's "THE BOX"? ;) ). I like how at the beginning of the season they promoted the guys on Level 5 as such a big threat, as if they would have been the main villains of the season. Within a few episodes they killed off the German (in my opinion the most interesting of the group) and Jesse. Canfield wasn't really a villain and Doyle was taken care of quickly. Knox is by far the most villainous of them all, but what do the writers do? For the last bunch of episodes, he has been reduced to a few scenes or no scenes at all. The only one left is the bumbling moron Flint.

4. Speaking of characters suddenly disappearing --- where the hell is Meredith?

And just like the Duracell Eclipse, the list just keeps going, and going, and going...

|| December 03, 2008

crood wrote...

Meredith's disappearance has been puzzling to me as well. Why focus on her in the flashback episode and create the relationship with Flint only to immediately fall off the map?

|| December 03, 2008

Tom wrote...

Ha ha! I haven't had TV for weeks, but guess what I haven't been missing? Thanks, Pete, for the reviews.

If you read your review of these episodes, Pete, and I'm sure you'll agree that you don't have near the patience or positive outlook on this show that you once had. Of course, Peter jumping the shark truly says it all.

I'm frankly astonished at a couple of things. 1) After a prolonged hiatus, *this* is what a team of the best-paid writers for NBC came up with??? 2) How sorely the writing team / producers and even actors for that matter have misjudged what made this show great, novel and exciting in Season 1.

Astonishing.

|| December 04, 2008

Tom wrote...

When does Lost start up again?

_

|| December 04, 2008

Peter wrote...

@manzy704 - I'd actually love to do reviews for a few shows. I'm digging Fringe this season, True Blood was consistantly pulpy and entertaining, Dexter is just always awesome (Dexter v. the Skinner is going to be sweeeet!), and so on. However, life is hectic and I can usually only find time to review one or two shows a season. However, I've been toying around with a new idea for the site that might make it easier for me to review all the shows I like each week.

@crood - Again, I think you've hit on something there. It does feel like the show is struggling each week to find it's feet. Any of the scenarios you listed would have made for interesting TV, but they just keep throwing things out there and then never coming back to them.

@jbsoren - Thank you, it's the little details that matter. ;D

@darthmike - Meredith is apparently wherever Molly is. The other thing that really bugs me about the comic is that it obviously shows the battle and explosion in Kirby Plaza. When the explosion over Kirby Plaza actually happened, don't you think someone would have jumped on that? Surely some media outlet would have gotten wind that a comic book had predicted the event. And moreso, if Isaac described all these things happening - wouldn't someone have gone looking for the actual places described? I know I've always wanted to make a trip to Queens so I can see the house they filmed as Peter Parker's house in Spiderman (yes, I'm a f**king geek - check the name of the website), I'm sure the diehard comic fans would want to visit Kirby Plaza, Matt's apartment, Primatech, etc.

But the thing that really gets me is that if Isaac's comic mirrored the storylines in the actual show... well, I doubt the comic would have too many fans. I'm sure lots of people read the first few issues, but then stopped reading after the second volume (hahaha).

@Tom - You're right, and I don't think I'm alone as a fan when I say that I really, really, really WANT to like the show. I'm still there every week, trying to be optimistic, honestly looking forward to each new episode. But more-often-than-not lately, my hopes have been dashed, and it kinda bums me out. Nothing is as sad as a once good show slowly molding away. Heroes could have been the next Dr. Who, the next Star Trek. It's not on the air during the entire month of January, so with any luck they'll come back strong.

Lost returns January 21st, and will be reviewed as always (great jumping Jesus am I looking forward to Season Five!).

BSG returns for the second half of it's last season (worst decision ever, Sci Fi)on January 16th and will also be covered each week, leading up to the grand finale.

http://www.bleepinggeek.com || December 04, 2008

Glendon wrote...

"Nathan, you're a puppet"
"Peter, NO I'M NOT"
"Nathan, you totally are, like that time you thought blowing up New York was a good idea"
"Peter, we've been over that, besides I've learned my lesson and realized I should have been working to make sure everyone has powers"
"Nathan, you're being tricked AGAIN, you're a total puppet"
"Peter, NO I'M NOT"

|| December 07, 2008

crood wrote...

So Hiro and Claire not speaking at Kirby Plaza doesn't count as meeting, but a 10 year old, game playing Hiro and an infant Claire does count?

|| December 08, 2008

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