tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post5344458010171170521..comments2023-10-11T10:40:48.712-04:00Comments on The Miserable Annals of the Earth: There can be only... nine, or ten, or maybe a dozen, I dunno...Doc Nebulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13052810933464744998noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post-68589579191098978232007-05-21T07:42:00.000-04:002007-05-21T07:42:00.000-04:00As to being able to sneak up on Parkman, I offer t...As to being able to sneak up on Parkman, I offer this (and not because I wish to champion the shitty writing, but only because this may be an example where they actually HAVE put some thought into what they are doing, and I want to give credit where credit is due):<BR/><BR/>Parkman almost universally adopts an affectation of straining to listen for something when he is trying to read a mind. I'm postulating, therefore, that his ability is focussed in a particular direction (possibly a narrow arc in front of him or along his focussed area of search, like a radar sweep). If that is the case, then someone outside his 'arc' would be able to sneak up on him.<BR/><BR/>Look back at previous episodes: when he is not concentrating on his ability, it seems to have a very short range, and only powerful thoughts are detected; when he is actively using it, it seems to be 'aimed' in a specific direction. In the scene where WhatsHisFace gets his grey matter ventilated by HRG Guy (Who IS a Villain, plain and simple. Even Batman and Joker had to team up once or twice against other foes. Cripes, you guys COLLECT these things and I need to remind you of this?!?), Parkman is clearly focussing on the location where he heard him from.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, Peter not flying them out of town just made me physically ill. I mean seriously, WTF? Well, wait a minute. We've never seen Nathan carry anyone in flight (unless I missed that episode?), and Peter hasn't absorbed any super-strength that I'm aware of... *sigh* is it possible that he simply can't carry three people and fly?<BR/><BR/>And, last (and probably least), in addition to Hiro's won ability to manipulate space-time, we have no idea what his father's power or powers are. He could be possessed of the mutant power to rapidly train others to perform any task he can do. (That's just a little joke.) (Although, I can see where something like that would be handy... "Oh Sally!! Have you ever been to a Hiro's Dad Seminar? I've never managed to learn anything so Quickly!! He's a genius, Hiro's Dad is!!")Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04492265703592804987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post-70272318899095782462007-05-19T18:11:00.000-04:002007-05-19T18:11:00.000-04:00We were just watching this ep last night, and as s...<I>We were just watching this ep last night, and as soon as Peter said that, my wife turns to me and says "wait - can't he fly?".</I><BR/><BR/>"Not unless the plot requires it, hon."<BR/><BR/><I>I admit I hadn't thought about the implications of Sylar setting off a nuclear explosion without Claire's ability. However, this does bring up my major problem with the entire "5 Years in the Future" episode - the entire future hinges on Sylar taking Claire's ability so that he survives Hiro's attack, not so he survives a nuclear explosion (which was not actually initiated by him, but by Peter). Hiro as much as says that right near the beginning - that's the whole reason for his "save the cheerleader, save the world" message to Peter in the subway.<BR/><BR/>But then we see that Claire has, in fact, survived. So how can Sylar have her ability?</I><BR/><BR/>In the very first episode, Parkman shot Sylar several times point blank. Sylar went down, and then, a minute or so later, sat up again, very much like Michael Myers. He certainly seems to have SOME kind of super-healing ability already. But the writing on this show has always been sloppy, and I myself wonder just how much was known about Sylar and his abilities when the show began. It's possible that the character concept of Sylar evolved from one episode to the next... although I grant you, the fact that he was stealing paranormal brains from the beginning would argue the writers had some clue what was up with him. (Still, his watchmaker background could indicate that he was planning to use those brains to build some intricate biological mechanism, not to somehow give himself the powers of each 'hero' he killed.)<BR/><BR/><I>That implies that the future is fixed, and cannot be changed (in other word, Peter did save the cheerleader and it didn't change the future at all).<BR/>Well, that, or the writers are too lazy to think through the implications of their plotting.</I><BR/><BR/>I'd vote for (b). But bad time travel sf is ALWAYS about changing the future/past; it makes for better cheap melodrama. It's much harder to write good sf where you CAN'T change the horrible past/future, and, for that matter, much harder to write intelligent fiction when you can. <BR/><BR/><I>Sigh. Yeah. Has Tim Kring not been paying attention at all? That sort of thing is going to attract attention. Maybe Linderman figures it doesn't matter all that much, as the city is going to be blown up in a matter of days anyway.</I><BR/><BR/>I suspect Linderman simply forgot to tell his pawns "don't steal the election by too much". But it doesn't seem like a detail he'd overlook.<BR/><BR/><I>That was something I'd thought of too, although I think that the writers really don't have the faintest clue what to do with this guy. I don't understand why Hiro is so down about "failing" to kill Sylar. Dude - you can *travel in time*. If you're so down about not killing Sylar that one time - go back and do it again.</I><BR/><BR/>I suspect Hiro is just scared shitless of Sylar. God knows <I>I</I> am. <BR/><BR/><I>And I'm not sure why the Future Hiro, instead of going back and leaving a cryptic message for Peter in a subway car, couldn't have just gone back to Claire's highschool himself and killed Sylar and saved Claire.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, me, neither, but if I were going to do that, I'd use a gun, not a frickin' sword. <BR/><BR/><I>The possibilities are essentially limitless when you've got that kind of power. Unless the future can't be changed.</I><BR/><BR/>In those specific cases, Hiro would be attempting to change the past, not the future, and he may well have already internalized that the past cannot be changed, from his experience trying and failing to save Charli. Trying to change the future, which to him has not happened yet, may seem like an entirely different thing... and given that he's probably read every bad Claremont/Byrne/Edelman/whoever X-MEN story where yet another horrible future was narrowly averted by someone from that future traveling back into the past and joining up with the X-Men to change history, it would make sense that he'd see it that way.<BR/><BR/><I>Stories involving time travel are very hard to do well - I can think of maybe three (The Terminator and 12 Monkeys, Primer) that manage to avoid obvious contradictions and inconsistencies.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't believe time travel stories are any more difficult to do well than any other kind of story -- or, well, not enough to make a difference. What I DO believe is that good, intelligent sf in general, and time travel sf stories in specific, require a prioritization of certain specific plot elements over everything else, and most producers feel that plot elements are ALWAYS subordinate to other factors. The vast majority of people would never ever list 'intelligent, internally consistent plotting' as an element in a movie or TV show they want to watch. Good action sequences, good acting, good special effects, interesting and exciting characterization... these are the things that put asses in seats. Those of us who even <I>notice</I> lapses in internal logic are very rare; and out of that small number, many many of us are willing to forgive such lapses if other elements of the artifact make up for it (Jim Henley is a fabulous example of this).<BR/><BR/>For me, and maybe for you, if the plot ultimately doesn't make any sense, it's almost impossible for me to really respect a movie or TV show, or really enjoy it fully. But most people won't even notice (and will deeply resent it when someone points it out to them) and a significant percentage of the very small number of us who notice such things, still don't really care. So, it's not going to be a priority to anyone who gets entrusted with several million dollars to make a major movie, either. <BR/><BR/><B>* Was it good for you when Horned Rimmed Glasses guy blew Eric Roberts' head off? "What am I thinking now, Parkman?" "Your last thought --" BLAM-BLAM! Fuck, that rocked.</B><BR/><BR/><I>Uh, I actually thought it was a little bloodthirsy - but I still have this quaint idea that good guys aren't supposed to kill in cold blood.</I><BR/><BR/>As the currently running HEROES marathon makes clear, despite recent whitewashings (mostly consisting of the character repeatedly whining "I was doing it for my family! For my daughter!"), Claire's father is NOT a hero. He has some good points, and he's certainly a likable sonofabitch, but he is, nonetheless, basically a vicious sociopath, and NOT a hero at all. Given that, while I was startled by his execution of his former boss, it wasn't because it conflicted with his characterization. <BR/><BR/><I>But that scene bothered me more because, well, how in the hell does Eric Roberts sneak up on a mind reader? Parkman had already overheard his thoughts right before that, from a distance, when he wasn't expecting to - but when the guy is sneaking up behind him, probably rehearsing his smart ass comment, he doesn't pick up anything?</I><BR/><BR/>Parkman is perhaps the single character in this show who most clearly and consistently displays the creative laziness of virtually every plot. His powers only ever work when it would be helpful to the plot for them to work. <BR/><BR/><I>And the show needs smarter writers - send in your resume, Highlander.</I><BR/><BR/>Intelligence is far from a requirement when writing for big media, and in fact, I suspect it's often regarded as a detriment.Doc Nebulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052810933464744998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post-61047817654493999482007-05-19T10:02:00.000-04:002007-05-19T10:02:00.000-04:00Well, here's a thought -- when you're trying to ge...<I>Well, here's a thought -- when you're trying to get somewhere FAST, and you have the ability to fly at supersonic velocities while carrying someone else -- </I><BR/><BR/>We were just watching this ep last night, and as soon as Peter said that, my wife turns to me and says "wait - can't he fly?". <BR/><BR/><I>Well, no, because he still hasn't managed to get Claire's ability to regenerate himself </I><BR/><BR/>I admit I hadn't thought about the implications of Sylar setting off a nuclear explosion without Claire's ability. However, this does bring up my major problem with the entire "5 Years in the Future" episode - the entire future hinges on Sylar taking Claire's ability so that he survives Hiro's attack, not so he survives a nuclear explosion (which was not actually initiated by him, but by Peter). Hiro as much as says that right near the beginning - that's the whole reason for his "save the cheerleader, save the world" message to Peter in the subway. <BR/><BR/>But then we see that Claire has, in fact, survived. So how can Sylar have her ability? <BR/><BR/>That implies that the future is fixed, and cannot be changed (in other word, Peter did save the cheerleader and it didn't change the future at all).<BR/>Well, that, or the writers are too lazy to think through the implications of their plotting. <BR/><BR/><I>Nathan is down by 5 percent in the exit polls, and suddenly takes 64% of the vote? </I><BR/><BR/>Sigh. Yeah. Has Tim Kring not been paying attention at all? That sort of thing is going to attract attention. Maybe Linderman figures it doesn't matter all that much, as the city is going to be blown up in a matter of days anyway.<BR/><BR/><I> It's worth noting that nobody can have any clear idea just how long Hiro actually spent being trained by his father in that classic cinematic empowerment montage. </I><BR/><BR/>That was something I'd thought of too, although I think that the writers really don't have the faintest clue what to do with this guy. I don't understand why Hiro is so down about "failing" to kill Sylar. Dude - you can *travel in time*. If you're so down about not killing Sylar that one time - go back and do it again. <BR/><BR/>And I'm not sure why the Future Hiro, instead of going back and leaving a cryptic message for Peter in a subway car, couldn't have just gone back to Claire's highschool himself and killed Sylar and saved Claire. <BR/>The possibilities are essentially limitless when you've got that kind of power. Unless the future can't be changed. <BR/><BR/>Stories involving time travel are very hard to do well - I can think of maybe three (The Terminator and 12 Monkeys, Primer) that manage to avoid obvious contradictions and inconsistencies. <BR/><BR/><I>* Was it good for you when Horned Rimmed Glasses guy blew Eric Roberts' head off? "What am I thinking now, Parkman?" "Your last thought --" BLAM-BLAM! Fuck, that rocked. </I><BR/><BR/>Uh, I actually thought it was a little bloodthirsy - but I still have this quaint idea that good guys aren't supposed to kill in cold blood. <BR/><BR/>But that scene bothered me more because, well, how in the hell does Eric Roberts sneak up on a mind reader? Parkman had already overheard his thoughts right before that, from a distance, when he wasn't expecting to - but when the guy is sneaking up behind him, probably rehearsing his smart ass comment, he doesn't pick up anything? <BR/><BR/><I>If they let the bomb go off and the Dark Future take shape, this turns into a science fiction show set in a very different reality than ours, and as such, a very different series than it has been to date. </I> <BR/><BR/>*Of course* they're going to prevent the explosion. The Dark Future (aside from the problems I mentioned earlier) was kinda interesting (although why are people still wandering around a city which should still be radioactive?), but way too dark. <BR/><BR/>I am actually hoping that they do something like what you describe in the second season, with an actual super team, doing the actual superhero stuff that Claire described. <BR/><BR/>And the show needs smarter writers - send in your resume, Highlander.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post-22943511152074273962007-05-16T07:57:00.000-04:002007-05-16T07:57:00.000-04:00I can certainly never get too far ahead of the wri...I can certainly never get too far ahead of the writers. This is one show that consistently keeps me in the dark and guessing. I really gotta give it to them for that!SuperWifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02856384425069616224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18829500.post-90373548353807146612007-05-15T16:28:00.000-04:002007-05-15T16:28:00.000-04:00All good stuff here. Nothing to say, but it's ok,...All good stuff here. Nothing to say, but it's ok, good morning, good morning.Natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04492265703592804987noreply@blogger.com