Raiders Of The Jumped Shark: The Racialicious Review Of Heroes 4.10
By Special Correspondent Arturo R. Garcia, also Posted At The Instant Callback
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
“You could have told us all this in a restaurant.”
– Peter Petrelli
It’s never a good sign when Petey’s argument makes the most sense. But he’s exactly right — “1961″ was, quite the pointless trip in the wayback machine, an ostensible origin story for the Company wrapped around a maudlin effort at “reconciliation” for the Benetrellis.
Picking up from last week’s events, the family comes together at Coyote Sands — the site, it turns out, of a metahuman relocation camp and some sort of subsequent massacre involving the members of Angela’s family. But the vacation’s not all fun and tomb-raiding; the former Angela Shaw is there looking for her sister Alice, who was apparently so traumatized that she’s been living in a bunker at the camp for more than 50 years.
Think about it for a second: a firefight involving superhumans at a government facility, and the site is still wide-open? And, there’s evidence of spontaneous weather patterns generating in this one particular zone and nobody – not even Primatech — sussed out something weird was going on? And the camp can’t be as remote as we were led to believe if the nearby cafe has been able to stay in business this whole time. Surely somebody would have noticed a weird woman wandering around town?
For all the (literal) Sturm und Drang kicked up here, none of it ultimately matters a lick in the bigger storyline. Alice disappears (or something); Claire and Noah make up (for now); and so do the Petrelli boys (for now). Until their next pissy argument erupts; then it’ll take them four more months to figure out that, hey, the world might be going to pot again.
It’s not literally until the last minute that we get a bit of plot development: Sylar has somehow taken on Nathan’s appearance – have they even met? — and is impersonating him in front of the media. Wouldn’t all that time spent chasing ghosts in Arizona have been better spent preventing this from happening?
The Racialicious Scorecard
Charles Devaux: Who’s the handsome black chap callin’ people Ja-Shut your mouth! … For the most part, the young Mr. Devereaux we saw here was a complicated man (though Angela seemed to understand him). But seriously, that out-of-nowhere slur scripted for him was completely at odds with the serene, sympathetic Devaux we met in season one. (Not quite as jarring but also incongruous: Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” featured in the episode, was actually released in July 1961, months after the events depicted therein.)
Chandra and Mohinder: Like father, like son, in a bad way – we didn’t get a satisfactory resolution for either character. We saw Chandra conducting interviews and holding up a gnarly-looking syringe, but writer Aron Coleite pussy-footed around any hard evidence that the elder Suresh himself was doing anything harmful to the people at Camp Notanxmenripoff. Worse yet, after spending most of the episode in disbelief that his father would do such things, Mohinder begs off when offered the chance to actually confirm his suspicions. Instead he separates from Peter and company with some vagaries about seeking “Redemption.” Since that’s the title of Volume 5, it’s likely we’ll find out more about Mo’s quest next season – but what a lackluster way to seemingly write the guy out.
All images courtesy of Heroeswiki
Previously: Racialicious Heroes Archive
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Diana wrote:
This episode inspired me to…[wait for it] YAWN.
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 9:39 am ¶
cocolamala wrote:
intentional racialicious misreading:
is charles deveraux secretly Angela’s baby daddy, nathan and peter’s real father?
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 10:28 am ¶
Lisa J wrote:
Arturo, as always nice piece. I hadn’t thought about your points about the “hidden” site but you are right. It makes no sense that no one was keeping an eye on the place and that it wasn’t fenced off and guarded seems far-fetched.
As for Devarauex’s comment, sadly from WWII probably up until the late 60’s 70’s that was a term commonly used by all kinds of people (I nearly dropped my jaw when I heard one of my uncles say that once. Now it has had a resurgence directed at Jewish women which is not good either) Not good, not right, but I think that was almost most American’s default phrase for the Japanese at the time. Very wrong on many levels. As for the differences in young and old Devarauex, it was about 45 years after when we first saw them and I’m sure there are many things we say, do and think as a teen that as an adult, especially as an elderly one, we would never ever dream about doing, thinking, saying in a million years. Sometimes we might even deny, or allow ourselves to conveniently forget those not so good things we did at that time.
The rest of what you say is money. We are being set up for Pete/Nate and Claire/Noah to have another falling out AGAIN, and for the same reasons AGAIN. Sigh. Good thing the season is almost over b/c I don’t know if I can keep watching this show regularly for much longer. Maybe a nice summer break will make it easier to start up again in the fall. At least they threw us a bone and showed one “new” minority in young Charles and we saw Mohinder. Scraps is all we get this season me thinks.
Oh and Claire’s weave/wig does look better with the bangs! Still don’t know if Mr. Muggles got those pills though!
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 12:06 pm ¶
JC wrote:
This is the episode which ruined my suspension of disbelief. I don’t think I’ll be following this show in the future. Unless they’ve found a love interest for Hiro or Ando, then maybe.
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 5:32 pm ¶
Nin wrote:
I stopped watching this show moons ago, but I still read the Racialicious review, and surprised as I was to see the name Devaux pop up, my hopes for them bringing back Simone have gone from 2% to 4% which makes me feel better about this show actually being back for yet another embarrassing 2o episodes next season.
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 6:04 pm ¶
Erica wrote:
One other thing about the “super sekrit resirch” facility is that apparently they didn’t bother keeping records to indicate that these four kids were ever there — since they all went on to be successful and rich and powerful, and Linderman was even in the army and served in Vietnam (according to the graphic novels). It was just a ridiculous plot device introduced just in case anybody was thinking, “Hey this whole military containment thing is actually a good solution to the mutant problem.” At least Heroes is proudly maintaining its ability to insult our intelligence at every turn.
I agree with Lisa that Young Deveaux’s terminology was probably true to the time (and it’s also not surprising that his maturity and sensitivity would have improved over the decades). Really, though, it’s not a word that added anything to the scene; indeed, it lessened from the point he was trying to make. If you want to point out that concentration camps had historically been used against innocent, undeserving people, using ethnic slurs isn’t a great way to convince your audience. I’m left with the theory that the writers tossed that in there because they’re insensitive idiots.
Nice catch, by the way — Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” featured in the episode, was actually released in July 1961, months after the events depicted therein.
Whoops!
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 6:15 pm ¶
Madame Zenobia wrote:
Great summation of an episode that left me yawning and WTFing altogether. While those past scenes I enjoyed were so nicely acted, pulling out and looking over all of it I see this eppy did NOTHING. More makeups to breakups for the chosen few…those darn Benetrellis.
I have to wonder, where the heck are they going with things? Do they just write these eppys throwing caution to the wind while simultaneously insulting our intelligence just for shyts and giggles?
I loved seeing Charles Deveaux; what a pleasant surprise, but then he said what he said (maybe the writers’ attempt to push the envelope) and I was like, meh. However, I felt he and Angela had great chemistry. I’ve always felt she and Charles were close and Peter arriving at being his nurse towards the end wasn’t coincidence. Mama P probably set that up.
With that said, why not bring him back? Maybe he’s actually out there…alive…and working with the President? Ole dude from Star Trek. I hate Charles died in the first place.
Question:
I thought Charles’s power was astral dreaming and ‘not’ influencing folks thoughts……
Did anyone else pick up on that?
So Angela’s sister is a weatherman. 50 years in the bunker? Alone? Hmmm. One tie-in I ‘did’ like was Angela’s admittance to stealing socks and the reason for it. Christine acted so well in this episode, but when does she not?
And these writers keep going out of their way to write Claire into the serious stuff. PLEASE STOP. SHE IS A CHILD and ANNOYING. I’d rather Mr. Muggles be in on the family discussions and not bratty, whiney, annoying, flip-flop wig-wearing Claire.
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 7:19 pm ¶
Madame Zenobia wrote:
One other thing:
What the freak was the purpose in digging up graves???? when they didn’t DO shyt with it?
Angela: dig
Pete: But why, ma?
Angela: so you can see the bones
*tumbleweed…crickets*
I mean, really. This was…shaking my head at this show. And the gall to advertise the season finale next week…NO you need to tie all this b.s. up first! And Natey-Poo’s going back to D.C. ??? Really? *head to desk*
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 7:24 pm ¶
jd wrote:
Personally, I’d rather hear a slur if it’s what a character in that time or place would have said. I felt the same way when the cook said something about him dancing with Angela. If that hadn’t happened the scene would have been a white-wash of history. I find pretending that ugliness isn’t widespread and can’t be a part of people you otherwise like and even respect much more upsetting than seeing the ugliness head-on.
Or, they could have had him pick another example. (like maybe Jim Crow?)
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 8:42 pm ¶
Lilith wrote:
@Madame Zenobia: Angela had a dream that her sister was alive, but she had believed for 50 years that she was dead. Since her dreams were “confusing” she wanted them to dig up the graves so she could find some visual confirmation. But then the crazy weather lead her to her sister very much alive. That’s what the point of digging the graves was for.
And also, I imagine, for showing the audience that “something serious” went down.
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 10:07 pm ¶
Madame Zenobia wrote:
@ Lillith, thanks
Posted 16 Apr 2009 at 10:24 pm ¶
Kit wrote:
To use a tv trope, the idiot ball seemed to be passed around multiple times through the episode. I catch an episode every few months it seems. It seems that not much has changed beyond Mohinder not being Spider-Mohinder anymore. Right down to the Petrelli boys *still* arguing with each other. Plus, if I were living in a world of super powers and I was wandering around a ghost town, I would not spout the equivalent of “lets split up gang!”
Posted 18 Apr 2009 at 6:18 pm ¶