HEROES: Villains (Ep 1 & 2)

It's 11:02 as I start to write this. I just finished watching the third season premiere of Heroes. Finally! It'd been way too long since the last episode, which I believe was over 9 months ago! So I was definitely excited to watch two new hours tonight. Even the one hour premiere party/special that aired before was fun to watch. If you haven't seen the new episodes yet and want no spoilers, then definitely stop reading now. These are just my quick reactions right after the episode. I'll probably forget to mention some things, but feel free to comment and add your own inputs.



****SPOILERS BELOW****

Where do I begin? I guess I could start by saying that I really loved the episode. Then again, when haven't I? Despite some negative things that some people may have said about the last season, I still enjoyed that one. But so far, I think this season's already off to a great start. In just the first two hours they've already answered some of the "questions" as well as brought about so many new and exciting possibilities and futures.

We finally know the answer to the big question that was posed at the end of season 2. Who was that mysterious man in the cap that shot Nathan at the press conference? I would've put my money down on Noah Bennett. But then again, that seemed like the easy answer. I'm never good at guessing these things. hehe But I figured there'd have to be some sort of twist. The three people I never would've guessed were the three men up at the podium (Peter, Nathan and Matt). Ah, but then again I didn't think about the whole "futures" people. Scar-face Peter travels back in time to stop Nathan from revealing his...THEIR...secrets to the world, in hopes of changing the future for the better. But as with any tweaks in time, there are always consequences, changes, different outcomes and new futures set in motion. That dream-vision that Angela Petrelli has, in which the Heroes are all scattered, dead, and then poor Claire loses her head. Damn!

Which brings us to another big answer. Finally we know Angela's power! Then again, I know the hints were always there. Peter had to have gotten his dream-visions from somebody, after all. For some reason though, I don't think that's the only power Angela has. I still think she's keeping something back, maybe something bigger? Hmmmm.


And speaking of bigger, let's go to everybody's favorite smarty-pants, Mohinder Suresh. Have I not been paying that close attention before? Was he always that...beefcakey!? lol Or was it all a part of the Maya-power-juice he injected himself with? Did they make him literally bulk up and become muscle-man instantly? And what was with his milk cravings. I guess milk really does a body good, or at least Mohinder's! But if the fine print in that injection included "may cause sudden gruesome skin infections and peeling"....hmmm....I think I'd have to pass.

What was up with Nicky...or wait, was it Jessica? Actually, I think this ice princess may be someone new after all. Tracy Strauss, she called herself. And her power was definitely not one Nicky or Jessica had before. Exactly how many Nicky doppelgangers are there? I guess we'll have to wait to find that out.

I think my favorite little funny scene was when Parkman was talking to the tortoise. At first I figured there was someone standing above him. But then the tortoise kept "talking" so I thought...hmmmm....maybe his power has gone to the next level and he can communicate with the animal kingdom now! That would actually be pretty damn cool! But nope, my first thought was right. There was that mysterious African man, who apparently works for Sprint's outsourcing department, too. LOL

And what would Heroes be without the further adventures of Hiro! I know some people didn't care for his ancient Japan adventures, but his new ones with his speedster "nemesis" are already looking like a lot more fun. And now he's got the financial backings to help him on his journeys, such as his little GPS gizmo. He's like Batman and Ando is his Robin, which was actually made pretty clear in the episode. lol

Finally, there's the whole Level 5 deal, where they keep the best of the best worst. Sylar finally got what he's been wanting from the cheerleader for so long! (And no Mrs. Bennett, it wasn't what you think!) And while helping himself to some Claire knowledge, he grabbed some revealing documents from Noah's office. That scene when Claire was trapped in the closet and Sylar was just outside the door reminded me a lot of the original Halloween. I almost expected Sylar to bust his hand through the door. Oh and when he is checking out Claire's brain, she asks him "Are you gonna eat my brain?"...a question that we've been wondering so long. I loved Sylar's answer, "That's disgusting." lol And then off to Level 5 he goes, kills Elle's dad, but ultimately ends up being captured after being shocked unconscious by Elle. Unfortunately, that same little electrical outburst ends up freeing twelve of the worst superpowered people from Level 5. The dirty dozen are now on the loose, and it's up to Noah to stop them. But is he gonna let Claire join him? She apparently feels no pain anymore and can't die, so what's the worse that can happen....right? Father-Daughter quality time. It's the American way!

Quick side note....for Veronica Mars fans...as Elle was laying there beaten up and sees Jesse (actually Peter trapped inside Jesse...still not sure how Scar-face Peter pulled that one off)...but I almost expected to hear Elle say..."Weevil...is that you?" lol

I guess this ended up being more of a recap than a review. But how many more ways can I say how much I love the show, and especially the start of this new season! I wasn't disappointed one bit, and I really felt like the story is a lot more action and fast paced than ever. I love that! And it's cool that there are actually more villains out there, the dirty dozen as I was calling them earlier. I look forward to seeing how they hunt them down one by one, and what kinda damage the villains can bring to the Heroes.

Edit 9/23/08: Forgot to mention, regarding that online Create Your Hero voting contest where you get to pick your favorite new hero, who might then make his/her way onto the show...my vote went to the Peruvian soccer player, Santiago! With Isaac Mendez gone, we could use some more Latino heroics. As of now, he's got 65% of the votes, going up against French girl Audrey.


****SPOILERS ABOVE****

9/11 Seven Years Later

Today is September 17. It's been almost a week now since the 7 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I meant to write a little something last week, but didn't get time. It almost feels like it was so long ago, yet at the same time it's an event that is still constantly on many people's mind. An event that was unimaginable to many. I can still remember where I was, what I was doing and how I found out that day. Without even having to think back, I know that the date fell on a Tuesday. Tuesday is when new music usually gets released at the stores. At the time, I was still on Summer break from UCLA. Our break was about to end in a few days, since we usually went back to school in mid to late September, a bit later than other universities. On that day, one of my favorite bands, Ozomatli, was set to release a new album. Ironically, the CD was called "Embrace the Chaos". So I woke up excited that day, looking forward to getting the new CD. As I woke up, I turned on the TV. And that's when I saw it. All the chaos that was striking our country that day. That was the moment when so many things changed.

I can't really express the feelings that were going through me that day. Needless to say, I never left my house that day. The CD I wanted suddenly didn't seem important anymore. I did go out and get it later that week. Then a few days later I returned to the Fall quarter at UCLA. Life had to go on as normal, despite the fear and anxiety that was going on. Every plane that would fly over a bit too loudly would have me looking up. Everytime my bus drove between the tall Downtown L.A. buildings, I couldn't help but think back to the images on TV. It was all a new feeling. I was never one to be naive and believe that life in the U.S. is 100% safe from attacks. But I also never imagined I would witness something this tragic, albeit through images on TV. Still, it was a scary time. I can't imagine what it must've felt for the people in/around NY. Ground zero, especially. To know that it was their own city that faced the major impact of the attacks. I don't know how I would've coped with that. Would I have been as strong as so many people I saw in the news?

It's a bit strange to know that there are actually people that really don't know about 9/11. Little people. The kids that were still very young around that time. J, who's a teacher, was telling me about how many of his students had honestly never seen the images of what had happened that day. I guess it must be different, seeing something that happened either in the past or when you were to young to remember, compared to seeing something that happened in your lifetime and you remember that exact day.

So my heart goes out to all the people that were personally affected by this tragedy. I know that with time, many emotional wounds will heal, but of course the people and the heroes of that day will never be forgotten.

This Life, This World

I was reading up on some older entries from a friend's blog this morning. There was one post in particular that caught my attention and left me thinking. He was talking about the idea of a "perfect world." One in which there was no hurt, no suffering, no hopelesness. The idea of a world where the future was bright and things were nice and calm, everything in it's place.

This is what I responded:

I just read this specific post right now for the first time. Your descriptions about this "perfect world" really got me thinking about it and at first, my initial answer was just going to be "no thanks". As "perfect" as that would would seem, sometimes it's the tiny imperfections in the world, the random differences in people, the varied emotions we experience, the ups and downs, and the unexpected that really make a life worth living. Of course, with all those things will come a good part of the "good" variety but also the "bad." Nobody likes the bad, but that's just how it is. Not to get all Buffy-geeky now, but like she said, "The hardest thing in this world...is to live in it." So I'll rather have this imperfect world...and hope for the best.

Still...I can't help but wonder, what if I'd read this post at another time, like say...around 2005...a time when I was going through tough times? I probably would've wanted that "perfect" world in a heartbeat.

There have been at least two speicif points in my life where I almost felt like giving up. The first time I was feeling lost in life. Didn't know where I was headed. The second time I was feeling brokenhearted and didn't know how to cope. In both instances, being in this body, in this world, feeling what this heart and soul felt were just hurting so much. I felt lost, confused, scared, lonely and so much more. At those points...I think I would've asked for that perfect world. I would've wanted all these feelings to go away and in their place be given nothing but the best life had to offer. But that's just being greedy and lazy isn't it? To want the good things in life, to just expect them, and not work toward them. A good relationship, a nice job/career, great friends, loving family, happy life...all those things take lots of work. Day in and day out. We need to deal with life's everyday challenges, and do our best to learn and grow. The world will never be perfect, but we can do our best to make it as best as can be.

I feel like I've learned so much in the past several years. Not just about myself, but about other people. I have seen the good (and the bad) that there is in others. I've learned how to appreciate the good, and how to protect mysel from the bad. I've always tried to be the best person I can be, but even I can't be perfect. I'll have moments when I forget who I am, who I want to be, and may become a different person for a bit. A person I never want to be. I've seen it happen before. And I hope I don't become that person again. I've got plenty of love to give, to my family, my soul mate and my friends. That's one thing I feel brings that feeling of "perfectness" to the world. Love.

FRINGE

The first of the two big new shows I'm looking forward premiered last night, Fringe (the other being Dollhouse coming in early 2009). I think the first time I ever heard about this show, it kinda just surprised me. Joss Whedon, being the creator of my all time favorite show, Buffy, is someone I follow very closely. So from the very first instant any news about his new show Dollhouse started to appear, I was right there online reading it. J.J. Abrams I don't always tend to follow as closely, but I still really love his shows. Felicity, Alias and Lost are all from him and have been some of my favorite shows. So just knowing his name was behind Fringe, I knew I'd definitely be checking it out.

The first trailer that came out for the show looked pretty damn good. It didn't even feel like it was a trailer for a show! It looked like a movie! It felt intense...I was excited about it. So last night, I finally got to see the premiere. And I must say, I wasn't let down. :)

I don't like spoilers, and I don't plan to give any. So I'll just mention a few things I loved about the show. First up, the cast. There's Joshua Jackson. He was always my favorite Dawson's Creek'er. :) He plays a smart (and smart-alecky) guy, Peter Bishop, who's running from some troubles, but is brought back to help on a creepy case that his father might be able to help out on. It's nice to see him back on TV. I think he did a good job in this episode and am looking forward to seeing him more. The leading actress, Anna Torv, who plays the FBI agent, Olivia Dunham, I don't know much about, but she was also cool. So I love those two as the main characters. And the man who plays the dad, Dr. Walter Bishop, the scientist, was great as well. I was also surprised to see Kirk Acevedo, who played Miguel Alvarez on Oz. I'm not sure if he's gonna be a regular, but I hope he is. :)

The show itself would probably fall under the "Thriller-Mystery-Horror-SciFi-Drama" category. Which of course, are usually my favorite categories! lol So there are times when it's a lot of talking and mystery solving, and then there are others when it's fast paced action or scary moments. So a great mix. And of course there are a few funny lines thrown in through it all, especially by Jackson's character.

Oh and I haven't even mentioned what it's about. In case you don't know. Basically, Agent Dunham, Dr Bishop and his son work together to try to solve a mysterious case in which another agent has been infected with some type of virus or disease which is literally making his skin transparent...killing him slowly. This all falls under the category of "Fringe Science"...the strange mysterious scientific phenomena such as mind reading, reanimation, etc. There seems to be some big company that's behind all this. Hush hush, top secret of course. I guess the series will revolve around these mysterious events, trying to solve them and see whose behind them, and ultimately finding a way to stop them. Yeah, my description's not the best. lol But just to give you a general idea.

Although I really did like the show and will definitely continue to watch...I must say it didn't exactly blow me away. I didn't feel that initial excitement I first felt when I saw the Lost and Alias pilots. But nonetheless, I still enjoyed it very much. I also loved that they had limited commercials! For the most part it was just 60 or 90 second breaks! The two hour premiere took just 90 mins of air time. :) The only drawback is that I don't have TiVo so I can't pause it during those very short breaks when I needed to make a run to the kitchen or restroom. lol

Oh and I do have one little bone to pick. Some of the teasers for the show had "real life" people that had seen the pilot giving us their reactions. They focused those ads on a specific comment that several people had made regarding those "last two words" that they say at the end of the episode. So that really had my interest peaked to find out what they were! And yeah, they were pretty interesting...a nice way to end the episode. But they weren't really anything to get THAT excited over. lol Or maybe the little hype from the ads just had me expecting something way more major than what it really was? Sometimes I hate that in ads/marketing. Making me get all hyped up and then just giving me a bit less than I was anticipating. hehe

But no worries, I'll continue to watch. The season previews already look interesting. :)

It's so hard to say goodbye

I'm a very caring person. I'm friendly, considerate, well-mannered, sensitive and an all around nice guy. I always try to see the best in people, be a good friend, and do my best to be a good person.

Yet, for some reason, I tend to have trouble with goodbyes. They always seem so awkward to me. I don't look forward to when it's someone's last day at work, for example, or if it's my last day. I always feel awkward when I have to say goodbye to someone that's leaving. And if it's me leaving, sometimes I just feel like sneaking out and not being noticed. In fact, that's usually what I do at the end of each work day. I literally just leave. lol I don't know why. I'm not trying to be rude or anything. That's just how I am.

Is that weird? :)

Prison Break & 90210 Return

Wow, I'd almost forgotten what new TV episodes felt like! LOL Seems like so long ago since I enjoyed one. :)

Last night Prison Break returned for it's 4th season. They had a two hour season opener that pretty much reinvented the show. It's no longer about running and hiding...well, ok it still has some of that. But it's also about revenge now. Michael & company are finally starting to fight back, trying to bring down all the people that have had a part in making their lives a living hell. So what did I think of the episode? Well, as a fan of the show I definitel enjoyed it. I did feel that it kinda moved way fast and so many things happened already. And some pretty damn major things, too! But I guess they just wanted to get that all out of the way in order to set things up for the season, which I believe might be the last. The previews for the upcoming episodes look cool. So I can't wait. It may not be the best show in terms of stories, writing, etc. But it's a fun ride nonetheless.

And then tonight, 90210...the revamped 2008 edition...premiered, also with a two hour episode. Aside from the same zip code, high school and a few familiar faces...the show is pretty different from the original, yet kinda similar at the same time...if that makes any sense. lol I watched the episode but after the first hour and a half I was kinda getting distracted and went back online. I would NEVER do that for my other shows. hehe I'll have to wait and see if I continue watching this show. It's just one of those "guilty pleasure" type of shows that I really shouldn't care much about at my age, but I can't quite turn it off. The original will still live on in my heart as my favorite, of course. :)

I can't wait for my other returning favorites, as they come back one by one! :)