T Bag’s Here!
Warning: Spoiler Alert
IMDB rating: 8/10 and 7.7/10 for E01 and E02 resp.
Our rating: 8/10 overall
Release Date: September 21, 2009
Season 4: S04E01-02.
Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell. Now in Heroes. Can life get any better?
Easily one of the most awaited premieres this September, Heroes returns. With a slightly smaller cast, and one incredible inclusion, this season will hopefully be worth it’s wait. But, being the pessimists that we are, it could have been better.
As expected, the season premiere was 80 minutes long and had Episode 1 (‘Orientation’) and Episode 2 (‘Jump Push Fall’) together. If you think about it, episode combos are only slightly smaller than a regular sized feature film. So you’d expect a lot more story, since a TV show’s had 3 seasons of character development to back on. This is where it falls short.
Most of the characters continue their expected path, to the point where they’ve become stereotypes. The cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere) is still trying to fit in – with the writers trying to throw in a teenage drama perspective to the mix. Hiro (Masi Oka) is still trying to be a hero – albeit with Ando (James Lee) attempting to use his newfound powers. Matt (Greg Gunberg) tries to save his family from himself – while attempting to stop all use of his power. Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) still tries to save the world. There ARE additions. But the main storyline is still the same. Come on! We don’t want another Prison Break, do we?
The premiere picks up quite well after about 40 minutes – i.e. the second episode. Samuel Sullivan (Robert Knepper) and his Carnival (?) start playing a larger role, and the plot takes off. They’ve got a whole bunch of different powers; the most noteworthy being a smoking topless woman with tattoos on her back. Her power? The tattoos move around like Rorschach’s mask….with a tiny addition which I shall refrain from mentioning. Speaking of smoking women, Tracy Strauss (Ali Larter) is back as well. Her power’s progressed considerably, and her problems remain the same. The Nathan-Sylar schizo problem is one of the largest twists this season, and is something I’m looking forward to.
All in all, it was a fun watch. They’ve left enough open ends for the show to be as unpredictable as ever. Again, I must reiterate that they could have done a better job. But, when you have Knepper, the show will HAVE to be awesome! Imagine a Heroes with Anthony Hopkins. Tim Kring, I hope to God that you’re reading this!
