Don't Be Afraid of Fuller...

When Bryan Fuller wrote for Heroes, it rocked. When he left, it fell a little from grace. When he returned, it picked back up to a high degree... and again, when he left, it didn't work as well.

His Pushing Daisies series had been an innovative masterpiece and I think it's a shame that it didn't click with more people to remain on the air.

Well, Mr. Fuller is taking a stab at a reboot.

I, for one, am very interested in what he shall do with The Munsters.

His wacky and tender sensibilities just might do wonders with this concept.

Oh... and I still think they need to go with Brad Garrett.  It doesn't take a mad doctor to figure that one out.  He does a truly impeccable impression of Fred Gwynne.
Enough said.



A Little "Munster Cheese"

Not FULLer on Board...

Well, I stuck all the way until the end of this volume of Heroes.
I can’t say I enjoyed it. But I can’t say I absolutely hated it.

I believe I’ve said before how it just seemed to creep along at a lackadaisical pace with jolts of a very cool scene, event or twist. I had figured I’d just follow along, letting it dole out story as it saw fit.

Well, now that we’ve gotten to the end, I have to say I’m not so sure it had all been worth the erratic and annoying pacing. For the last few episodes ran very slowly, with a sudden urge to make the rest fly by because there'd been no time to finish... so we have out of the blue scenarios. Not necessarily outlandish, but noticeably quick when the rest had been at such an even keel. Not very well worked out across the arc of episodes.

As for the content of the episodes and what has happened with story… again, I don’t hate it. But it did turn a bit ridiculous or “too easy” from time to time. Not to mention I’d find myself internally screaming at the characters (and therefore the writers) to use an aspect of their super power that they seem to have forgotten. In their defense, one instance of that the character (Matt Parkman) did precisely what I suggested. Of course, Peter Petrelli had to come along and screw it up to flesh out a particularly lousy episode. I also must comment on how it worked out with Hiro’s “girlfriend” Charlie. I really wanted him to “pop out” and rescue her in the 1940’s and bring her back for a life with him — but how great a bittersweet turn that took! Which is: Charlie wound up with a whole life during the time she’d been away [in the past] and Hiro saving her would have negated all of it… up to and including her grandkids. Nicely done, to make Hiro see that he cannot have the world just the way he wants it to be [which had been one of the slow story arcs.] And don't get me started with Sylar... they kind of blew up my idea for an ending. (But then, one never knows...)

So… all in all, it certainly does not have the magic it once did. But at least I am willing to watch the next season. My guess is that without Bryan Fuller, the show suffers immensely. He has one of the wackiest imaginations out there. It’s a shame that more of his stuff such as Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies (I have not yet seen Dead Like Me) don’t seem to find followings beyond a few wackos who appreciate the strange quirks of this talented guy. And yet, he obviously isn’t just wandering in a bizarre landscape (which it always seemed to me Chris Carter has done) but has a detailed map of it — able to channel and focus a crazed-out shenanigans show like Heroes into a poignant and thrilling heady adventure.

Bring on more, Bryan Fuller. Something will catch fire… and we’ll be waiting for it.

Shhh...Heroic Writers at Work!

I've made it no secret that I'm fan of Heroes. Sure, it had its wobbles in the middle, we all know so... but it found its niche again just in time. At least for me and some friends. We're still enjoying it. Well, Heroes: Fugitives is now completed. Moira Lewelyn asked me in a recent comment how I liked the finale. I did like it. Not stellar, but not without shine either. The expected twist at the end managed to acutally be a twist - unforeseen. (At least for me.) It's quite a disturbing use of Matt Parkman's power. I applauded that... even though it seems a little gimmicky. But it's a gimmick I felt willing to accept. It's important to remember the show's arguable source material - comic books. It's even self-referential to them since the beginning with Isaac Mendez's paintings being described as a comic book. So with that notion comes a great deal of fantasticary. [Though as we learned from the sagging middle too much can spoil the brew!] What surprised me most is that I'm satiated. I imagined I'd be "jonesing" for another episode, to be tortured by needing to see what happens next. But no. I'm content. It felt completed. A chapter ended most definitely.

Yet just because it's off the air doesn't mean it's not running. The other side of the screen is abuzz... as the writers are hard at work. Info released yesterday said casting is underway for a new female character, reportedly a love interest. Speculation as to for who ensues... and I have my own theory given the info presented. I must share a snippet from the article I read on IGN. For those of you who watch Heroes, you'll understand. Ask anyone I talk to about the show... the latter is my one true concern. :)

All I'm asking is that Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) not be the one with the new girlfriend. Not until he can figure out a way not to get his girlfriends accidentally shot or trapped forever in an alternate plague-ridden future. - Matt Fowler

I found the above so true as to be hilarious. Hope you enjoyed it, too. (Poor Caitlin!)
So, along with everyone else, I will sit and wait until the Fall for Heroes: Redemption.

Tim Kring, Bryan Fuller and the rest of the team: Thanks for the fun.

Looking forward to more. Bravo.

Is It Monday Yet?

I’m glad to be able to report that the system is working once again.
No, not that one, not yet.
I’m talking about Heroes.
You might recall from these posts that I had acquired a severe disdain for the declining quality and storyline during the Heroes: Villains arc. Fortunately, the show began to redeem itself and by the end of it my fondness returned. I had also read that the writers had a meeting to discern what went wrong and how to fix it. The article outlining the issues can be found here.

Well, their summation of the problems proved correct. All the characters are no longer squeezed into every episode, allowing for better and deeper character and situation development. The characters are people we care about with real problems (who just so happen to have extraordinary abilities) once again. The heart of the show has returned.

Is it the absolute greatest? Well, no. But I’m entertained. When it’s Tuesday or Wednesday and I’m already wishing Monday would arrive, then the magic has definitely returned.

Bravo Tim Kring and associates! Perhaps I should also give a good deal of credit to Bryan Fuller, who returned to Heroes after his offbeat and wonderful Pushing Daisies had been pushed off the air.

And for those of you who are thinking “But they keep repeating certain elements” (such as some kind of agency rounding up people with powers) I say, yes, that’s a valid point. But the way I see it, it’s an aspect of Time itself. Certain scenarios will always happen, no matter how much future and past travelling (or illustrations) done. Think of Time as a house. There are certain support beams that cannot be removed or the structure will fall. You can move from room to room, build extensions or remodel and redecorate each one, but eventually walking past the major structure will occur…again. Time will always try and repair itself, just like Claire.

(Now just bring Hiro and Ando back to an episode - they’ve been gone from the screen too long. And let’s hope Hiro can restore his power. [I think I know how to do it!] The “heroes” will need it/him!)