Tuesday, November 07, 2006

"Heroes" -- Worth Saving

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying "Heroes." It was always an intriguing concept, but after I watched the pilot I had some concerns. The artist subplot was too super-dramatic. The Vegas stripper plot was just confusing. And surely Milo Ventimiglia would fall back on the mannerisms that made him so appealing on "Gilmore Girls" and "American Dreams." Happily, the artist has disappeared, the Vegas strippr (exactly what is her power) is now more intriguing than confusing (the kid playing Micah is very good) and Ventimiglia is the strong, believable center of the entire ensemble. And of course Hiro is terrific fun. Besides, "Save the cheerleader; save the world" is a terrific catchphrase. It's not a landmark, earth-shaking show, just solid and entertaining. And hopefully they'll have a satisfying season-long arc where a bad villain is dispatched so we don't feel like mysteries are being stretched out too long. In last night's episode, they got a lot of mileage out of very low-key events: the cheerleader's brother discovered the tape of her "suicides," Milo played chicken with his brother and saved a major media profile, Micah and his dad helped victims of a car crash, and the cop learned who his wife was sleeping with. When the show can feel satisfying without huge, dramatic twists and major revelations, you know the show is going to be okay.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is it me or is the guy playing a cop who can "hear" thoughts a terrible actor?

Michael in New York said...

Poor Greg Grunberg. I remember him from "Felicity" and some other TV shows. It's the role of a lifetime for him -- when else is he gonna get to play someone this heroic and interesting? I've thought he was fine, but I understand if you find him dull.Who's the best actor on the show?

Anonymous said...

Other than Grunberg, and perhaps Ali Larter, the acting is pretty good. Hiro is my favorite character, but I think the cast as a whole is solid. If I had to pick the best actor though, I'd say the cheerleader's father...but it's always easier to be "interesting" when your character is possibly dark and evil and twisted.

Michael in New York said...

Yeah, I don't think the cheerleader's dad has had much to do yet. Hiro is great fun of course. I guess I'm just happily suprised by Milo Ventimiglia. Call him "most improved."