Entry tags:

americatown, dick grayson, fringe, heroes, sarah connor, terminator

I complain about everying else, so why do I like this?

It's dramatic. It's got cool powers. It's got likable characters. Is that why I watch in spite of tons of plot holes and contradctions like:

- Claire's mom being able to breathe with no oxygen while Claire chokes?
- Time travellers who can't jump back 5 seconds and stop something crucial from going wrong?
- A time traveller trapping his past self in some guy for no reason?
- A man who wants to kill an all-powerful guy and is friends with someone who takes powers away, yet can't connect the dots to an obvious way to use his power-taking friend to kill the object of his ire?

There are probably more, but those are the ones that leap to mind. Again, don't get me wrong, I am quite entertained by "Heroes," but for some reason, inconsistencies don't seem to leap to mind so readily as they do in other shows/movies I critique. Could it be that years of reading comics has conditioned me to events that are ignored or retconned? I wonder if I just like "moments" in the show and keep on tuning in for them: Hiro being, well, the geek we all think we'd be if we became "super." Sylar being one of the most creepy and evil guys on TV. Peter... well, I've kind of given up on him for the time being until (hopefully) the scripts start to make more sense. I guess this program is like reading most "Superman" comics: Most individual stories aren't all that great, some are pretty messy affairs, but I keep coming back, getting a litte escapism for a while.

"Fringe" introduced a little mythology this week by introducing a creepy bald guy with no eyebrows called "The Observer." The end sequence with him and Peter was interesting, though it was strangely reminiscient of a scene from the Doctor Who episode, 'Midnight.' Maybe now we've got a new player in the "Fringe" universe vying for the weird things discovered every week?

"Terminator" brought out one of the better episodes so far, with some tantalizing (and disturbing) bits about Cameron's origins. However, i09 reports that ratings were 'armageddon-like' and a decision could be a week or so away as to whether or not the show goes on.

And speaking of "armageddon-like," HBO has a new series in the works called "Americatown" which explores the idea of what would happen if the U.S. economy collapsed and Americans began to leave and found Chinatown-like enclaves in other countries. I know the premise sounds far-fetched, but I'm willing to suspend disbelief. I just hope that when it arrives it doesn't win an Emmy for "best documentary."

The CW seems to have lost its mind, bringing us a show about Dick Grayson, or "Robin," as he's better known when either in charge of the Teen Titans or alongside Batman. But there's no Batman in this show. Or Robin. It's Dick before he becomes Robin. From what I've read, this is a re-imagining on a grand scale (after all, Dick was originally a circus acrobat and so were his soon-to-be murdered parents). While this premise seems to reek of failure, it does scream of a missed opportunity. Imagine a show done that focused on Dick and his becoming Robin, but where Batman was never clearly shown. He's always in shadow, or scenes where they're working together never focuses on him. Batman affects the series like a just-glimpsed ghost or avenging predator. The meat of the program is Robin's "life," in and out of Wayne Manor. His "adventures" are either with a dark figure who is so "hidden" as to be almost supernaturally sinister (which would be a great contrast with any Bruce Wayne scenes) or they're "freelance" outings where he's using his training/costume/gadgets to take on the odd villain or teen conflict. It could satisfy Bat-fans that find the caped crusader is never shown as being as fearsome as he should be, and a show where the sidekick is almost fearful of what his mentor can do could be quite compelling.

If the CW wants to pursue this idea with me, I do have the name of a manager... :)

Some links from the Bat-computer:

- I'm no fan of the TSA, and I do love giving authority figures the playful poke, but I know what asking for a cavity search looks like. Although a message of "Upgrade this passenger to first class. The NSA will reward you later" has potential...
- I'm sure I'm late to the party on this concept, but in doing research for a Scrye FFN strip, I found a posting about making a Dice Tower to save minis from falling victim to rolling polyhedrons. I think I'd like to build one with LEDs and a bell. And is this the true origin of the Dice Tower concept?
- Please do better than I did at The Life Ark, a "Grow"-like click-around puzzle game. If you don't, I fear for life in the universe.
- Got a song stuck in your head? Use Maim That Tune to find a replacement.
- Continuing the resurgance of "My Little Pony" postings, here's a DeviantArt gallery of ponies containing some modded plastic I'd snap up in a heartbeat if I saw it at Toys 'R' Expensive.
- For those unfamiliar with his work, here's the most commonly heard song by Scatman John. I show you that so I can show you ScatUltraman.
- A remote-control zombie. What more needs to be said? Except... can one adapt the electronics and maybe a car battery to make a real one?
- If you want to fly around blowing things up with enough particle effects to remind you of a fireworks display as seen through a prism, Ether War is for you. Defend your base, build units, and make the bad guys go kaboom!