Hosted by Special Correspondent Arturo R. García

You didn’t think we’d forgotten, did you?

Actually, this is the perfect time to revisit Heroes, since Monday marked the efforts of Fens Of Color United, an effort to bring to light sci-fi’s continuing struggle with positive POC characters. (Props to Roundtable member Erica for the tip.) Here’s more about it from The Angry Black Woman:

As RaceFail 09[*] continues, it has become clear that there are those who are hellbent on marginalizing and silencing people of color. In the past few months, minorities have been denigrated by bigoted authors and publishers who have also asserted that Fen of Color are rare and pratically non-existent. Despite numerous discussions and attempts to enlighten on the fact that POCs are fans, writers, artists and just as integral to this genre as our white counterparts, we are continuously dismissed.

On Monday May 18, 2009, we are asking anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white to post this banner, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their favorite fandom on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible. The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.

White allies can also show solidarity for this event by posting this banner and expressing the need for diversity and speaking out against the bigotry in the genre, through posts and/or their creative work as well.

With that in mind, we join our Friendly Neighbourhood Roundtable’s season-ending chat, already in progress …

Diana: Oooh, I hate the stanky leg
Andrea: speaking of stanky … shall we talk Heroes?
erica: nice tie-in
arturo: brilliant segue!
jen*: sho nuff
Diana: ok
mahsino: if we must
Andrea: i try, y’all. i try.

arturo: Well, let’s start at the beginning: what’d everybody think of the ep?
erica: bleah
Diana: C-
Andrea: zzzzzzzz.
erica: D+
mahsino: i’ve become so acclimated to the bad, i just don’t know anymore
jen*: i’m just mad about fake Nate.
arturo: how come?
Andrea: i feel you, jen. Go first.
erica: I was mad that they got my hopes up by actually stabbing him dead … and then couldn’t leave him dead for more than five minutes.
mahsino: that was frustrating
jen*: I hoped so long. It was my great wish for the finale.
arturo: but Nate *is* dead
mahsino: called it
arturo: yes you did

erica: The logic for resurrecting Sylar into Nathan was pretty weak.
Diana: That was a weird story twist. Does that mean we won’t see Quinto anymore?
arturo: depends; when does Star Trek 2 start filming? ha
erica: it hasn’t started filming yet?
Andrea: well, according to Entertainment Weekly he’s in the franchise for 2 more films.
mahsino: and yet they had the foresight to plan for his replacement
jen*: yes – but bewitching Sy for this – eh. It’s so obviously his Trek-out.
arturo: actually, E! reported that we *will* see Sylar next year — kind of a Fight Club thing, if you saw that flick
Diana: He can do both. Really he’s one of the few I like to see.
Andrea: I have to disagree, Diana. He bores me.
Diana: So they are going to do a dual personality thingy?
arturo: I imagine so — Sylar struggling to reclaim dominance and such.
mahsino: They’ve overworked Sylar
erica: I like to see Sylar in moderation.
Andrea: And Sylar’s gonna ooze out of Nathan. Already the man’s changing clocks.
Diana: I like it when he is really bad. They wasted time changing his personality.
arturo: Erica, I must say, I bought Noah’s rationale — if Sylar became a news story, metahumans would definitely be in the crosshairs.
jen*: maybe we could get the male version of Jessica and Niki
arturo: oh, just wait for that first “mirror” scene
erica: I want to see a scene like from Alien, where Sylar bursts up from Nathan’s ribcage and goes EEEEEEEEEE at all the Petrellis’ …
jen*: YES
arturo: And then he pops up and does a song?
erica: yes yes yes!
Andrea: LOL

mahsino: What was up with that creepy Claire scene?
Andrea: with sylar?
erica: OH GOD, that Claire scene thoroughly pissed me off
erica: What is the obsession the damn writers have with putting Claire in rape scenarios, though?
mahsino: but he was all over her like a bad episode of Law and Order: SVU
jen*: I’m tired of all the ladies being assaulted and it just being ok
Diana: I almost forgot the scene
erica: seriously, this much violent sexual imagery surrounding a seventeen-year-old is unhealthy.
Andrea: yep.
Diana: Claire should have figured Sylar was not Nate
mahsino: doubtful
arturo: She seemed to with the left-hand thing, but she was presented as being trapped there
erica: Claire has been put through literal and figurative rape way too many times, and it is getting seriously disgusting and creepy.
jen*: @ erica – totally with you – it’s creeping me out
jen*: why is everyone just believing people are who they say they are – because they SAY they are
erica: it’s bad enough doing it to all the other women on the show, but the minor?
Andrea: jen, the show has no logic….no goals….no storyline of note….
Arturo: Claire still can’t figure out what she wants to do from show to show. She has no role.
Andrea: except to be the blonde everyone wants to rescue or rape. Especially tim kring.
jen*: so – she’s a prop
Diana: they do compromise Claire too much
jen*: but HRG asked Claire if she was herself and she said yeah,and he just says, “ok.”
Diana: she needs therapy
arturo: they *all* need therapy
mahsino: except Ando

Andrea: Lawd jebus … can we talk about Mohinder?
erica: XD
Diana: I could see Mo in a UPS Brown uni
arturo: “What can Brown do to you?”
Andrea: or just nekkid.
jen*: heh
Diana: nekid is goood
erica: I was rolling my eyes yet again at “oh hey you’re a doctor” directed at Mohinder … he’s not that kind of doctor, for pete’s sake.
arturo: But, hey, he diagnosed Hiro by just looking at his pupils!
erica: it’s interesting to know that unevenly dilated pupils means “special power rejection” — I totally mis-diagnosed my spouse that one time he had a concussion.
Diana: yeah, poor Hiro
mahsino: what does he have a degree in, anyway?
erica: molecular biology, I’d imagine, since he’s a geneticist
mahsino: it seems to change from PhD to MD depending on the need
Diana: rabbit hole degree
jen*: I didn’t think it was MD, tho
Andrea: MD, PhD….whatever on this show, right?
arturo: a BA in Voice-overs
Andrea: Sexy Voice-overs at that.
mahsino: he does do a nice voice-over
arturo: That last VO sounded like some self-help ish
Diana: his voice is smooth
jen*: yeah – but it seems that’s all he’s doing lately
arturo: and getting captured
jen*: oh – forgot that
mahsino: and blamed for stuff
arturo: I didn’t spy any POC on the gurneys, did you?
Diana: No POC and don’t know where they were running off to
arturo: maybe off to a Wizards game? Plenty of good seats still available …
erica: hehehe
mahsino: zing

A brief aside about Tracy:
erica: but frankly I’m only hoping that so we are that much closer to getting rid of Ali Larter forever
jen*: naw – that’s Tracy
arturo: they’re not gonna ditch Larter — she’s a movie star now!
erica: bah. ruin my hopes …
mahsino: we still have Barbara to get through
Andrea: or another multiple-birth sister.
jen*: Oh for the days of Nikki and Jessica
mahsino: co-staring with Beyonce does not a star make
Diana: Yes, exactly
arturo: Mike Myers can tell you about that
mahsino: or the other Destiny’s Children

Andrea: Should we watch anymore?
jen*: I think I probably will
mahsino: i’m going to see it through til the end
arturo: judging by the finale review thread, I guess I keep having to. ha.
Diana: only to snark
mahsino: it’s entered that level of bad – only surpassed by grey’s anatomy
erica: yeah, I have no interest in seriously supporting it, I only want to complain
jen*: since we’re starting over at season 1, maybe it’ll be good again
jen*: except there’s no D.L. anymore.
Andrea: only to snark. but the promise of Heroes was that it had PoCs rocking the storylines.
jen*: I got folks on my facebook talking about how Kring crapped on the POCs of Heroes
arturo: actually, he didn’t just squander [that promise] — he publicly turned his back on it with that “it’s always been about the Benetrellis” statement
mahsino: i never bought he gave a sh-t
Diana: The Benetrellis are crap
mahsino: to him, i think POC’s were just filler characters, easily expendable in order to provide growth and development for the Benetrellis
arturo: but at least their own subplots — Hiro’s hero quest, Mohinder’s quest for the answers — were compelling on their own. And in year one, it seemed they were mixed in with the two families better, like Future Hiro’s encounter with Peter
jen*: but they’re not growing
Diana: that’s too bad. the diversity and interconnectedness made it refreshing
Andrea: after a while, yes, that’s how Kring shook it out.
mahsino: which makes it worse

Andrea: any more questions, Arturo?
arturo: Yup: PREDICTION TIME!
Andrea: like Indiana Jones, everyone goes off into the sunset.
Diana: Tracy drowns all the Heroes, the end
Andrea: Diana wins!
mahsino: Sylar returns, and somehow so does Nate. Claire gets almost raped. Hiro learns a lesson. Mohinder runs a test. repeat.
erica: my prediction: we suffer through another few months of dreck … or would you like something less serious
jen*: Hiro and Ando go back to Japan and find his sister in charge of the company – and then they find that she has powers and there are way more Japanese heroes than anyone thought
erica: “hiro learns a lesson” — what would possibly make you think that?
Andrea: not again!
Diana: I marry Ando and have an affair with Mo
mahsino: um, Diana, that would be difficult seeing as in make-believe world I’m totes already married to Ando
arturo: I’d like a Mexican Hero
mahsino: would you? Imagine how bad a Mexican hero could be
erica: … actually you probably wouldn’t want a Mexican hero … remember just a scene IN Mexico?
arturo: I know, I know
Diana: that Mexican car horn started going in my head
Andrea: right.
mahsino: didn’t they have that soccer-playing dude from the web-series?
arturo: but, hell, if every other country is going to get wrecked, in the name of unity, I want in.
mahsino: i see your point
Diana: swine flu tie in, ya’ll
jen*: they should have the dead POC heroes haunt the Benetrellis
mahsino: it’s time for them to recycle themselves by now
Andrea: i stand my my suggestion: Heroes need to go porn.
arturo: talk about a Crimson Arc
Diana: porno, yes yes
jen*: bam chicka bow wow?

And on that slightly lascivious note, we close out this season’s worth of snark. As I mentioned here, upon reading the results of the recap thread, I’ve decided to endure stick it out with this series. Thanks to everybody who’s been reading so far — now stay tuned for the ‘Table talking about something that doesn’t stink!

Previously: Racialicious Heroes Archive

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*Latoya’s Ed Note: Trying to write about Race Fail ‘09 is like trying to jump into an increasingly complicated game of double dutch when you aren’t wearing your glasses.

Here are some places to read more:

A short summary of the first major event
“Race Fail ‘09″
“Race Fail ‘09: This Hurts Us All”
The Race Fail ‘09 Wiki
Entry on Mammoth Fail