"Just when I thought it couldn't get any dumber..."

"Heroes does something like that..."

The Heroes finale aired on NBC last night, and after commenting last week about how I thought it might hurt them, I thought it would be necessary this week to discuss at length how it actually turned out.

First, one very interesting thing to note is that Heroes is written by multiple people, but last night they gave the writing credit to one of their big guns...Jeph Loeb. A friend of mine recently passed along some of Jeph's comic books, and he's had a ton of writing credits under his belt, so, needless to say, I was pretty excited to see him listed as the primary writer for the season finale.

Another interesting choice was made that I did kind of expect. It wasn't a hard ending. In other words, it was much more Empire Strikes Back than it was A New Hope. It ended, but there's a lot more to be resolved.

I won't go into details, because I don't want to add too many spoilers (although you should feel free to do so in the comments), but those were two things I found intriguing. But what did I think overall?

"...and totally redeems itself!"

Okay, yeah, I really liked last night's episode. I thought it was definitely up to par with Season 1 (although, Season 1 is still better overall). The writing was tight, it made sense, it cleared up some loose ends, it contained a good deal of action and suspense, and it left things open.

There were still some story arches that definitely needed more effort. We still didn't get connected to some of the emotional consequences of the show. Some of the things that came up (okay, one spoiler), like Nikki's, "I have a virus" didn't really pan out well. It needed more attention drawn to it, but they ran out of time. So, it wasn't all perfect, but it was pretty good.

Moral of the story? Not sure. But, definitely don't rush your story home at the last minute. If you've got a guy on third base, don't have him steal home plate just before a rain delay. Wait it out, keep the suspense up, and when the rain has passed, drive him home (all right, bad analogy).

If you're gonna send him home, though, make sure he's fast. Real fast. Bring in a substitute runner...like Jeph Loeb. I guess a really good writer can come in and clean things up really well, even with a struggling storyline.

Excellent writing. It's fun for a writer to watch another writer just kill. It's inspiring.

What'd you guys think of the season finale?

End of Season 2: Heroes

From Best to…pretty good.

I will be the first to tell you (and to many of you I already have) that Heroes: Season 1 is the best series television has ever seen. I don’t say that lightly. TV has had some phenomenal shows, no doubt about it. Magnum P.I. CHiPs. Knight Rider. 24. Prison Break. Lost (well, the first couple seasons, at least). Oh, right, and like, The Sopranos or whatever, too.

But seriously, Heroes: Season 1 was, in my opinion, the best television series I have ever seen. Incredible action, adventure, and suspense, great and memorable characters, excellent plot twists…the list goes on. The future episode alone is worth watching the entire season for.

So, what’s my point?

The Writer’s Commentary

This season of Heroes, Season 2, has had its ups and downs. It’s still pretty good, and still my favorite show, but it’s not the same as last year. Some of the same characters are back, new characters have been added, and the world is still plugging along in need of…heroes.

The show has had guest writers and directors, and that takes away from the core somewhat, but it’s been relatively solid until the last 3-4 weeks. What happened? They tried to please the audience beyond what was necessary.

I’ll be the first to tell you, pleasing an audience is incredibly rewarding. There’s no better feeling than having someone go, “Wow, that was a cool story.” It’s fulfilling, and it’s what writers write for (most of us, anyway). So, I can’t fault the Heroes crew for their decision, but it has led to an awkward transition.

Essentially, this season, rather than end it in 18 episodes (or however many are left, but it’s a sizeable amount), they have chosen to wrap this year’s season up in just 3. Why? The writer’s strike. I can see it now. “We know there’s gonna be a strike, but what do we do?”

“I got it. Let’s end it early. That’s what the audience will want. We can’t leave them hanging. Let’s just finish up the season.”

Not a bad idea, right? I can hear the writers groaning from here. What about the build-up? What about all the storylines? Our characters can’t develop in 3 episodes!!!

And let me be the first to say that I love action-packed episodes. It’s what makes a show like 24 (link) work. Otherwise it’s a soap opera. I would even argue that the writers probably could have made it work in 9 episodes. Cut out the additional stuff. Cut out the ten minutes of Claire making out with Flyboy. Cut out Mohinder’s attitude problems. Cut out the fluff. Cut out some character development.

But 3 episodes? It isn’t enough.

Now, as we come into next week’s episode, we’re left wondering what’s going on with Parkman. We’re wondering how certain characters will play a role. The build up of this terrible act that’s about to happen seems a little undefined. It’s still good, but it’s not great.

I’m still hoping they can pull it off, or at least leave us with some crazy cliffhanger that will have us licking our chops for more. But, the writer in me is just a little disappointed. The climax is coming too quick. Instead of a horse race with multiple laps and a photo finish, we’re left with a Nascar race that turned into a drag strip.

I still love Heroes, though, so I find it tough to critique, especially after I read the article (which I strongly encourage you to read if you're a fan) that my friend sent me. The guys that make this show are cool guys (and gals). And I’m gonna keep watching until Peter Petrelli and Sylar destroy the earth in a massive Armageddon-like battle. I just wish I was watching for more than just one week, or at least that it wasn’t really ending.

What do you think? Did they rush it this year?

"I...am..BEOWULF!"

"...and my life climaxes at interesting periods."

I saw Beowulf over the weekend, and it occurred to me that it might make a decent post on this blog. Why? Well, because I think it had some interesting storytelling elements that made it worth discussing. Most bloggers will probably talking about Angelina Jolie as a naked demon with high heels (even Roger Ebert), and that's fine, but I'd like to explore the storytelling a little bit (and, yes, it has to do with Angelina, but not so much with her lack of clothing...sorry).

Oh, and there are spoilers here, so don't read if you are concerned with knowing story elements (I'll try to keep the spoilers minimal, though).

Point #1: The Setup

The way the movie starts is great. We're in the King's hall, there's a party going on, and everybody is happy. But it's eerie. We have the feeling something is going to go wrong. The cinematography here is really good, too. And then...well, then everything goes south. It's a great setup, though, and it's filled with suspense.

Point #2: The First and Second Acts

I actually thought the first and second acts were very well done. We meet the characters, we understand the dilemma, and we even get insights into the fatal flaw of our hero, Beowulf (he can't control himself around beautiful women that want him, especially if they're mythical). That's done through good storytelling and a very strong flashback sequence. Very cool.

Point #3: The Turning Point

And all of that takes us to the key turning point of the movie. And here's where the storytelling takes a slight dip in its effectiveness (in my opinion). It's about a two hour movie, and it takes about an hour and a half to get through the first portion of the movie.

So, we've seen this massive climax (battling his first monster, meeting naked Jolie, etc.), we're well past the mid-point of the movie (really closer to where plot point 2 should be), and then...there's only a half an hour to finish everything out.

The finish is very short, involves another massive battle (which is actually done very well and looks really cool), and then...it's over. We don't see a lot of Beowulf from the time of his "mistake" (you'll know what this is if you've read the book or seen the movie) to the time of his "redemption" (if you can call it that).

"...and I have a problem with clothing."

The summary, then? Well, I think it would have made more sense as a three-hour movie. Let's see more of Beowulf after his mistake and understand how it's really effecting his life. We get hints at it, but not enough. The climax for the second battle is just sort of...normal. It's a great battle, very intense, but we don't have enough emotional investment in it to care beyond, "Wow, that's cool."

The movie, overall, is good. Maybe a 6, 6.5 out of 10. The special effects are good. The action is good. There's a lot of skin (both on behalf of Jolie and our hero, who seems to hate any kind of chafing against his sensitive skin). But, it's just an "okay" film.

Switch the storyline up a bit, make it tighter, give us a sense of gravity regarding Beowulf's "mistake," and then you've got quite a story. Oh, and probably keep the main character's clothes on more. Just cause you made really cool CGI muscles doesn't mean we have to see them every second. I'm not a hater, I would just prefer not to snicker every time something is supposed to be serious...

Any other thoughts?