Heroes (and a little Journeyman)

[JasonEvans]

No one has posted about this week's episode with "all the answers from the past 4 months" so I figured I would take a stab at it.

First of all, it was ok, but mostly frustrating. Yeah, we got some answers but they were pretty lame answers.

Peter had his mind wiped by the Haitian who left him in the boxcar to get him away from the company-- ok, but where did "the box" with Peter's identity come from? I guess they have just 100% forgotten about that.

The notion that Peter just hung out for 4 months in a room while "sparky" flirted with him (is she a sociopath or what?!?!) is ludicrous. He would have gone crazy with boredom and gotten pretty damn frustrated after about 2 weeks, let alone several months. Oh, and can anyone figure out what the Company is doing? Are they trying to figure out how to supress powers so their powers are the only powers? Huh!!?

Speaking of going bonkers, if Adam was not out of his mind already, being locked in that room for 30+ years sure sent him over a cliff, I'd think. I did like the fact that Adam's blood has healing powers. That is sorta cool. If this show actually planned stuff in advance I would guess that Adam's blood will play a key role in how they are going to heal everyone who catches the virus in the future, but I am far from convinced they actually think about what they are doing on this show (as evidenced by the lack of a "secret identity box" being put in the boxcar with Peter).

We got a lot more of Maya and her healing brother's storyline this week. Thank goodness!! I was dying to know how that had started. NOT!!! I may just start fast forwarding through all of their scenes until they get their brains eaten by Sylar.

It was good to see Peter and Nathan's nuclear flight. I am cool with that and that was a good thing to show us. Ummm, but then Peter flies to a random hospital and that is where Bob and Sparky are waiting for him?!?!?! Are you serious!?!? That is a total joke. They were hiding in a room just waiting for Peter to walk by. Lets even assume they could know what hospital he would go to, how did they know where he would slink off to in that hospital? This was the single most fan-intelligence insulting development in the history of Heroes, and that is really saying something!!

Don't even get me started on the fact that (without the Haitian around) Peter should have been unaffected by Sparky's lightning fingers when they fdirst met in the Hospital or that Peter seemed to be very willing to go along with bob and the Company when he first woke up even though he knew they had caught him by blasting him and bringing him to a mysterious "hosptial." Good thing Peter is 100% trusting of people who kidnap him.

And one last thing-- Peter is still a nuclear bomb waiting to go off. I guess the show will just assume that now that he has had parts of his memory wiped that he no longer is liable to go boom at any moment. Yup, that's logically consistent.

Thankfully there are only 3 episodes of this lame storytelling left!!

--Jason "grrrrr, someone please tell me why I keep watching?!!!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I totally forgot to mention--

There are plenty of you who turn off your sets after Heroes is done... and that is a shame. Journeyman has become one of my favorite dramas on TV. It is really going in some fun and exicitng directions. It is not a show about changing the past like Quantum Leap-- the Time Travel aspect is almost incidental to what the time travel does to the guy who is travelling and what it is doing to his relationships with his family and friends. It really is fabulous and my wife agrees that it is one of our favorite shows.

This week's episode, with the escalating involvement of the FBI investigator and the revelation about his ex-girlfriend's past was fabulous!! There is something in this week's episode about a $20 bill that seemed to be a small, meaningless moment 4 or 5 episodes ago but has now come back to be a really significant plot point. Ladies and gents, that is the hallmark of a show that knows where it is going and is treating its audience with intelligence. It was perhaps my favorite moment from the entire TV season so far.

The episodes are available for streaming (http://www.nbc.com/Journeyman/video/episodes.shtml?__source=GGLS|CAMP026Farish_Journey man_Specific|ADGP019Journeyman_Specific|KWRD010jou rneyman&sky=GGL|CAMP026Farish_Journeyman_Specific|ADGP019J ourneyman_Specific|KWRD010journeyman) right now on NBC's website. It starts with episode #4. If you pick it up there you should be in good shape to follow what is going on.

--Jason "I am telling ya, check it out-- well worth it!" Evans

[Cavlaw]

I'm 2 weeks behind on Journeyman and Life due to a deal going to ludicrous speed, but I hope to catch up tonight (between sessions of Super Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed).

[Stray Gator]

No one has posted about this week's episode with "all the answers from the past 4 months" so I figured I would take a stab at it.

First of all, it was ok, but mostly frustrating. Yeah, we got some answers but they were pretty lame answers.

Peter had his mind wiped by the Haitian who left him in the boxcar to get him away from the company-- ok, but where did "the box" with Peter's identity come from? I guess they have just 100% forgotten about that.

The notion that Peter just hung out for 4 months in a room while "sparky" flirted with him (is she a sociopath or what?!?!) is ludicrous. He would have gone crazy with boredom and gotten pretty damn frustrated after about 2 weeks, let alone several months. Oh, and can anyone figure out what the Company is doing? Are they trying to figure out how to supress powers so their powers are the only powers? Huh!!?

Speaking of going bonkers, if Adam was not out of his mind already, being locked in that room for 30+ years sure sent him over a cliff, I'd think. I did like the fact that Adam's blood has healing powers. That is sorta cool. If this show actually planned stuff in advance I would guess that Adam's blood will play a key role in how they are going to heal everyone who catches the virus in the future, but I am far from convinced they actually think about what they are doing on this show (as evidenced by the lack of a "secret identity box" being put in the boxcar with Peter).

We got a lot more of Maya and her healing brother's storyline this week. Thank goodness!! I was dying to know how that had started. NOT!!! I may just start fast forwarding through all of their scenes until they get their brains eaten by Sylar.

It was good to see Peter and Nathan's nuclear flight. I am cool with that and that was a good thing to show us. Ummm, but then Peter flies to a random hospital and that is where Bob and Sparky are waiting for him?!?!?! Are you serious!?!? That is a total joke. They were hiding in a room just waiting for Peter to walk by. Lets even assume they could know what hospital he would go to, how did they know where he would slink off to in that hospital? This was the single most fan-intelligence insulting development in the history of Heroes, and that is really saying something!!

Don't even get me started on the fact that (without the Haitian around) Peter should have been unaffected by Sparky's lightning fingers when they fdirst met in the Hospital or that Peter seemed to be very willing to go along with bob and the Company when he first woke up even though he knew they had caught him by blasting him and bringing him to a mysterious "hosptial." Good thing Peter is 100% trusting of people who kidnap him.

And one last thing-- Peter is still a nuclear bomb waiting to go off. I guess the show will just assume that now that he has had parts of his memory wiped that he no longer is liable to go boom at any moment. Yup, that's logically consistent.

Thankfully there are only 3 episodes of this lame storytelling left!!

--Jason "grrrrr, someone please tell me why I keep watching?!!!" Evans

At the risk of being derided, I'll confess that I enjoy watching both "Heroes" and "Journeyman." Of course, I'm just watching for the pure entertainment/escapism value, so the flaws that seem to annoy Jason and some others here don't bother me very much. If I wasn't able to check my plausibility sensor at the door, I'd be hard pressed to find any movie or television show that I could sit through for more than five minutes.

I think the common element in "Heroes" and "Journeyman" that makes them especially entertaining for me is "time travel"--a concept that I've always found particularly fascinating. The other "powers" possessed by characters on "Heroes" are interesting, too--though I agree with the criticism that the producers have created too many characters and storylines, resulting in a dissipation of focus. (But at least they've constructed a large enough tent to include "empowered" individuals representing virtually every major ethnic group!)

I really like the cast of "Journeyman"--including the new guy who plays the FBI agent and seems to be bringing a nuance to the role that is slightly atypical in a way that makes it a little more difficult to thoroughly despise him all the time. :) The guy who plays Dan's brother must be doing a great job, because I find myself wanting to slap him at least 2 or 3 times each episode. And the characters are like genuine people who make mistakes or errors in judgment, which they have to scramble to remedy!

The problem I foresee with Journeyman is running out of fresh stories--though Dan's relationship with the former fiance, who apparently travels forward in time and always shows up in the same places--could add some interesting texture. I especially liked this week's episode, with the hippies on their way to see Neil Young in concert during the flashback to the 70s segment and then Dan making reference to the fact that Neil's still making music in the 2007 segment. Rusties Forever! :D

Anyway, if by chance there's someone else out there who likes these two shows, you're not alone--though I'm not sure that's very comforting to you, considering...

[Weks]

There is something in this week's episode about a $20 bill that seemed to be a small, meaningless moment 4 or 5 episodes ago but has now come back to be a really significant plot point.

Mild spolier:

I'm a week behind on the show, but it would seem that since Lydia took the lion's share of the money back to 1999 for Dan to blow in the poker game, the 2007 FBI would be now very unlikely to be hot to trot about the last $100 bill in the stash

[JasonEvans]

Excellent point, Weks. That is something the show overlooked. At this point we have to go with the storyline and ignore the inconsistency you presented, but nice catch.

Stray-- you have to understand, the fact that I keep on watching Heroes makes it one of those shows I love to hate. Sorta like 24-- I enjoy the ride even as I am angry at the folks taking me on the ride... if that makes sense.

There are other shows where the storyline stink and I have just given up. Like ER and Bionic Woman as recent examples.

-Jason

[DevilAlumna]

This week's episode, with the escalating involvement of the FBI investigator and the revelation about his ex-girlfriend's past was fabulous!! There is something in this week's episode about a $20 bill that seemed to be a small, meaningless moment 4 or 5 episodes ago but has now come back to be a really significant plot point. Ladies and gents, that is the hallmark of a show that knows where it is going and is treating its audience with intelligence. It was perhaps my favorite moment from the entire TV season so far.

--Jason "I am telling ya, check it out-- well worth it!" Evans

Couldn't agree more -- I love how the actual stories in each episode are somewhat secondary to the ongoing, real life issues (leaving his kid in a crowd, missing big events, leaving his moving car, which then drove into a pole) caused by Dan's timetravel.

A couple things that stood out for me in this episode (SPOILERS AHEAD!) were the fact that the FBI was tying his money issues with his disappearance off the airplane from a couple episodes earlier, and made reference to terrorism and no-fly lists. The other "whoa" moment was when the mysterious scientist dude said that Homeland Security was looking into the tacheon technology. I hope this doesn't turn into some sort of bad "Time Cop" thing where the bad guys also start timetravelling back to get to Dan; or we may found out that's already happening?

Anyways, it's well written, I love the characters (I even like the newpaper editor!) and can't wait for the next episode.

[JasonEvans]

Couldn't agree more -- I love how the actual stories in each episode are somewhat secondary to the ongoing, real life issues (leaving his kid in a crowd, missing big events, leaving his moving car, which then drove into a pole) caused by Dan's timetravel.

A couple things that stood out for me in this episode (SPOILERS AHEAD!) were the fact that the FBI was tying his money issues with his disappearance off the airplane from a couple episodes earlier, and made reference to terrorism and no-fly lists. The other "whoa" moment was when the mysterious scientist dude said that Homeland Security was looking into the tacheon technology. I hope this doesn't turn into some sort of bad "Time Cop" thing where the bad guys also start timetravelling back to get to Dan; or we may found out that's already happening?

Anyways, it's well written, I love the characters (I even like the newpaper editor!) and can't wait for the next episode.

Wasn't there some mention of quarks early in the episode and then the "mysterious scientist" said something about his research was moving toward quarks now. There is a lot mopre to learn about that guy and what he is doing. Pretty cool stuff and fertile ground to keep the story moving.

Interestingly, I am not looking for them to ever explain the time travel. I cannot imagine any explanation that "works" logically and is anything but silly. Seeing as the trips are designed to "save people" who go on to do different/better things once they are saved it must be a "higher power" behind the time travel. No way it is some government plot sorta thing.

-Jason "more people need to watch-- its ratings finally went up this past week (from 5.2 million to 6.2 million!!) but they need to keep on getting better!" Evans

[Rich]

The guy who plays Dan's brother must be doing a great job, because I find myself wanting to slap him at least 2 or 3 times each episode.

Reed Diamond, the actor who plays Dan's brother, has been around TV for years. My favorite role, however, was his work as Kellerman on "Homocide," one of the all-time great TV shows, IMO.

[BluDevilGal]

Wasn't there some mention of quarks early in the episode and then the "mysterious scientist" said something about his research was moving toward quarks now.

I could have sworn that each time they were talking about quartz, not quarks. Didn't the scientist say something about rocks? And the hippie had a quartz necklace?

[edensquad]

Re: Heroes; great post, Jason! Here's one my wife brought up: As the season started, Peter had been discovered in the container, and back in the USA, brother Nathan had a scraggly beard that must have taken weeks to grow. On Monday, as we are brought from 4 months back to the present, at no time does Nathan have a beard... much less the Grizzly Adams type we saw him with in the earlier view of the "present."

Sloppy storytelling.

[DevilAlumna]

I could have sworn that each time they were talking about quartz, not quarks. Didn't the scientist say something about rocks? And the hippie had a quartz necklace?

I heard quartz too, something about "you know, crystals,... silicon."

[jimsumner]

RE: Journeyman. When he is going to be talking to his brother, or his boss, or the FBI guy and just disappear? Since it seems to be random, why wouldn't it happen in such a way that there is no way to keep this secret?

And, he and the missus better be careful getting intimate on the couch. Does he really want to get sent back in time without any clothes? He's gonna have a tough time talking his way out of that one.

[TheGodfather]

Peter seemed to be very willing to go along with bob and the Company when he first woke up even though he knew they had caught him by blasting him and bringing him to a mysterious "hosptial." Good thing Peter is 100% trusting of people who kidnap him.Peter is an empath. He identifies and sympathizes with the emotions of those around him. Since he still doesn't have a strong level of control of his abilities he is continually vulnerable to this situation. That he becomes trusting of people he spends time around is a sign of consistency in writing the character.
Peter had his mind wiped by the Haitian who left him in the boxcar to get him away from the company-- ok, but where did "the box" with Peter's identity come from? I guess they have just 100% forgotten about that.Adam gave Peter the passport and ticket before he ended up in the container. The Irish guy put the things Peter had on him when they found him into a box. He could have just handed him the items but he was trying to bluff him into helping the gang by making Peter think there was more to it.
And one last thing-- Peter is still a nuclear bomb waiting to go off. I guess the show will just assume that now that he has had parts of his memory wiped that he no longer is liable to go boom at any moment. Yup, that's logically consistent.True, Peter still has the capability but he isn't in danger of going nuclear at any moment. Peter went "boom" because of Sylar. As long as an arch villain isn't using his powers in an attempt to radioactively destroy NYC it's safe to assume Peter has a reasonable level of control over this power.

[hc5duke]

I'm 2 weeks behind on Journeyman and Life due to a deal going to ludicrous speed, but I hope to catch up tonight (between sessions of Super Mario Galaxy and Assassin's Creed).

I hate you so much right now

[Exiled_Devil]

I gave up on consistent writing a while ago. These guys do not have a continuity administrator, but they need one.

I thought the episode was good. I expected that Peter's compliance was aided by the 1/2 dozen pills a day - it's easy enough to slip some valium in there.

However, as I think of it, how could those pills effect Peter? He has Claire's healing, like Adam's. If they could give Adam a cocktail that depowered him, they could kill him. But if the drugs didn't effect Adam, they shouldn't have effected Peter.

Ugh. Forgetting Peter's powers is a hobby of the writers apparently.

Exiled

[xenic]

I totally forgot to mention--

There are plenty of you who turn off your sets after Heroes is done... and that is a shame. Journeyman has become one of my favorite dramas on TV. It is really going in some fun and exicitng directions. It is not a show about changing the past like Quantum Leap-- the Time Travel aspect is almost incidental to what the time travel does to the guy who is travelling and what it is doing to his relationships with his family and friends. It really is fabulous and my wife agrees that it is one of our favorite shows.

This week's episode, with the escalating involvement of the FBI investigator and the revelation about his ex-girlfriend's past was fabulous!! There is something in this week's episode about a $20 bill that seemed to be a small, meaningless moment 4 or 5 episodes ago but has now come back to be a really significant plot point. Ladies and gents, that is the hallmark of a show that knows where it is going and is treating its audience with intelligence. It was perhaps my favorite moment from the entire TV season so far.

The episodes are available for streaming (http://www.nbc.com/Journeyman/video/episodes.shtml?__source=GGLS|CAMP026Farish_Journey man_Specific|ADGP019Journeyman_Specific|KWRD010jou rneyman&sky=GGL|CAMP026Farish_Journeyman_Specific|ADGP019J ourneyman_Specific|KWRD010journeyman) right now on NBC's website. It starts with episode #4. If you pick it up there you should be in good shape to follow what is going on.

--Jason "I am telling ya, check it out-- well worth it!" Evans


Really? has it gotten better than the first 4ish episodes? Cause I found it to be an extremely uncompelling show. Not bad, just not good either. I don't feel the chemistry between any pair of characters that is supposed to have a relationship. I think the storyline of "marry your brother's ex when your fiance dies, then find out that your fiance is still alive, but she left you" is just not that interesting or realistic.

[xenic]

Excellent point, Weks. That is something the show overlooked. At this point we have to go with the storyline and ignore the inconsistency you presented, but nice catch.

Stray-- you have to understand, the fact that I keep on watching Heroes makes it one of those shows I love to hate. Sorta like 24-- I enjoy the ride even as I am angry at the folks taking me on the ride... if that makes sense.

There are other shows where the storyline stink and I have just given up. Like ER and Bionic Woman as recent examples.

-Jason

Interesting, as I think Bionic Woman has picked up a bit... this was the new show that I thought sucked the most after watching the pilots, but it has been getting better with each episode.

[Cavlaw]

I hate you so much right now
If its any consolation its almost 11pm here and I'm still at the office. So, my plans for gaming tonight have been shot.

[JasonEvans]

I could have sworn that each time they were talking about quartz, not quarks. Didn't the scientist say something about rocks? And the hippie had a quartz necklace?

Yes-- of course-- my bad. I mis-remembered.

[JasonEvans]

Really? has it gotten better than the first 4ish episodes? Cause I found it to be an extremely uncompelling show. Not bad, just not good either. I don't feel the chemistry between any pair of characters that is supposed to have a relationship. I think the storyline of "marry your brother's ex when your fiance dies, then find out that your fiance is still alive, but she left you" is just not that interesting or realistic.

I was waffling a bit after thef rist few episodes and my wife was not at all bought in. The past 4 or so have been truly excellent though and the latest couple have been amazing.

Check it out again.

-Jason

[micah75]

I totally forgot to mention--

There are plenty of you who turn off your sets after Heroes is done... and that is a shame. Journeyman has become one of my favorite dramas on TV. It is really going in some fun and exicitng directions. [...]There is something in this week's episode about a $20 bill that seemed to be a small, meaningless moment 4 or 5 episodes ago but has now come back to be a really significant plot point.

Definitely my favorite new show of the season. Maybe it needs an earlier time slot if it's sluggish on ratings. Having his former fiance meet up with him when he time travels is probably the big clincher for me. Adds an intriguing dimension to the whole theme, especially after learning that she is from the 1940's and travelling forward. Plus the fact that he must suppress his feelings for her, being that he's currently married.

Bill Sumner raised some interesting points about how awkward it would be if he were whisked away during an intimate moment or during an interview with police. One thing that puzzled me a few episodes back: how come he and his wife didn't coach their son to keep hush-hush about the "monopoly money." Especially when the kid's uncle is a cop. Other than that, can't find much fault with it. Strong cast of likeable characters and some pretty good storylines thus far.

[JasonEvans]

Bill Sumner raised some interesting points about how awkward it would be if he were whisked away during an intimate moment or during an interview with police. One thing that puzzled me a few episodes back: how come he and his wife didn't coach their son to keep hush-hush about the "monopoly money." Especially when the kid's uncle is a cop. Other than that, can't find much fault with it. Strong cast of likeable characters and some pretty good storylines thus far.

You know one thing I love about the show-- they did not go for the cheap joke this past episode when Dan and Katie were getting intimate on the couch by having Dan go back in time as she was kissing him or --uhhh-- otherwise engaged. I was sure they would do this and was dreading it. It would have been too obvious and too cheap a stunt. I was thrilled when they just let that scene happen and did not bring the time travel stuff into it. I think it takes faith in yourself and your show to not go for the obvious and easy way out. Well played, Journeyman producers!!!

One thing that has bothered me a bit is the fact that Dan has not brought his brother in on the time travel mystery. It would make some of the conflict on the show go easier and would provide Dan and Katie with an important ally in their quest to make Dan's life work as he is bouncing around in time. But, of course, making it easier is exactly the opposite of what the show is designed to do. The son accidentally letting Jack know about the monopoly money has led to some fabulous storylines. I think that (if we get a full season of the show) Jack will slowly start to figure things out and perhaps the end of season cliffhanger would be Jack putting all the pieces together and discovering Dan's secret.

I think it could also be fun if Dan began to find himself in such a huge legal bind that he cannot get out of it when suddenly he got a visit IN PRESENT DAY from Livia who figures out she has been sent to present time so she can change Dan's future and save him the way he is usually saving others. Heck, maybe someone else from the future, a man from 2020 or so, could come back to save present day Dan.

Ooooh, how about this-- Dan from 2018 comes back to help Dan in 2008 get out of a bind. Yeah, I like that!!

--Jason "loving this show... hope there is more than 3 or so episodes of it left" Evans

[micah75]

You know one thing I love about the show-- they did not go for the cheap joke this past episode when Dan and Katie were getting intimate on the couch by having Dan go back in time as she was kissing him or --uhhh-- otherwise engaged. I was sure they would do this and was dreading it. It would have been too obvious and too cheap a stunt. I was thrilled when they just let that scene happen and did not bring the time travel stuff into it. I think it takes faith in yourself and your show to not go for the obvious and easy way out. Well played, Journeyman producers!!!

Excellent point. If some type of higher cosmic power is involved, (although I guess we don't yet know the source or the cause), then it would make sense that his time travelling is somehow being monitored or controlled by this "cosmic intelligence." I agree about how the monopoly money has led to some great storylines. Just now checked the online TV Guide preview for Monday's episode, and it seems that the issue of Dan's brother needing to learn about time travel will be addressed. Whether Jack accepts or not is another matter.

Yes, definitely, let us hope there are more than 3 episodes left. It looks like the competition for that slot is Bachelor and CSI Miami, although I haven't been keeping up with the respective ratings.

Oh, wanted to apologize to Mr. Sumner for accidentally addressing him as "Bill" in my previous post. By the time I caught it, it was too late to edit. Not having met the two senior journalists on this site (Bill Brill and Jim Sumner) I guess I somehow mindlessly interchanged their respective first names. Sorry about that.