HEROES - season 1

[Kruemi]

Fortnightly Discussion of a Randomly Chosen Episode - 28.02.10



Heroes – season 1

This is one episode from my beloved season 1 I don’t choose for re-watching when I have the choice. I remember that I felt pretty embarrassed most of the time for I thought Colleen’s behavior a bit far-fetched. Of course she is supposed to be a normal teenager, but she wasn’t such a silly one. I don’t mean so much that she developed a crush on Sully but more that she followed this stupid story. She’d always been rather grounded so I was taken aback by her sudden change of demeanor. However, this was what we got to see and so I’m rather off to watch it again.
I didn’t change my mind about the Colleen storyline. Maybe I’m too far away from my teenage years ( ) or I can’t connect to her sudden feelings because I never had a crush on Sully myself ( ). I mean I understand that she got caught by this story. Everybody who reads knows this feeling but it is a total different thing to mix a story with your own life.
Anyway, I’m glad though that we met Lewis whom I like very much. I would have loved to see more of him (played by this actor – he could have been a friend to Colleen that was on her level of intelligence.). However, I rather leave the discussion about Colleen being sweet on Sully and him being the understanding hero to you .
I thoroughly enjoyed the Hank topic though. It was so him, blaming Grace, and so this town following one of their prominent citizens and boycott Grace. But it was priceless to watch how this problem was solved. The scene in the clinic, when Michaela shows them the microscope and Myra is the first who makes herself look plus the scene in the end, when Hank returns the Café, ordering meatloaf, just crack me up. So funny!!! (Remember Grace’s look at the knives in her hand when first Robert E. and then she spot Hank? - !!! )

I’m sorry , I don’t know what else to say about this episode right now.

[cooperkids]

I've missed these while I've been away. Great intro, as usual, Kruemi.

This has to be one of the most uncomfortable episodes to watch. Not only, as you said, does it seem strange that Colleen gets caught up in this story, but she doesn't act like herself through any of the episode. I keep expecting the usual Colleen to show up, but she is noticeably absent here. Now, I remember what it is like to have a crush on an older man, but Colleen has always been more focused on other things, so it doesn't quite make sense. I understand that she struggles with being different from the other girls and that perhaps this story is a way for her to fit in, but she just doesn't seem the type to be into this kind of story.

It doesn't surprise me, however, that Sully is so oblivious to the whole change in her. I love how uncomfortable it gets when Michaela is explaining how she can understand Colleen's feelings.

Now, we don't know how much time has passed in between Sully telling Colleen that he doesn't have feelings for her and the day they are sitting down eating at Grace's as a family toward the end of the episode, but for someone who was so adamant that she was in love with Sully, would she really be ready to sit down and eat with him and everyone else by then? Not to mention that she tells Lewis that Sully is only a friend, and it appears she truly feels that way. Again, this just seems off to me. Not typical Colleen behavior because she is so much deeper, for lack of a better word, than that.

I really like Lewis, and I wish he would have stuck around CS, or at least have come back a few times so that something could have developed between him and Colleen. It's a shame that they just kind of dropped their friendship, just like they did her friendship with Peter.

Am I the only one who thinks it's strange that Myra is sitting with Jake and Loren in the cafe when Hank comes in toward the end to order meatloaf again? I mean, they don't exactly have a high opinion of women of that profession, so why are they sitting down with her?

This isn't a bad episode, but it isn't one I make a point to watch when I have time.

[Ella]

I agree and I don't agree with both of you.

This episode was embarrassing and far-fetched in some parts. Most parts actually.
I just can't see Colleen developing a crush on Sully, maybe some other guy, but not Sully of all people. She knows (I think the kids knew it long before Michaela and Sully did) that he belongs to Dr. Mike. He is a kind of father-figure for her, not as much as for Brian maybe, but still. Her behavior was so embarrassing, and even if she had a crush on Sully she wouldn't have shown it that obviously, not to speak of this tooooooooooooootally embarrassing declaration of her love. No way a girl in her age would ever do something like that. This is way out.

And Sully not noticing this strange, strange, straaaaange behavior?????? Would have Michaela ever chosen a man who is that insensitive and blind? So: no way I buy this part of the storyline.

But: Colleen reading this story and get captivated? Why not?
She wants to belong to the other girls. (There was already an episode with Colleen being an outsider, being different. She was different, yes, but she was also a normal teenage girl that needed friends.
And she was curious, and liked to read, so for me it isn't unnatural at all that she began to read this story; what else did she have to read? The library with all the intelligent stuff for her intelligent brain came later.
And she was at an age when girls become romantic and dreamy, but don't have anyone to talk about it. (Maybe a best friend, but Colleen hadn't). What do they do? They read about it (Well, today they watch movies and series. )
So: This part of the storyline was quite plausible to me. I only wish they hadn't mixed up all this with Colleen and Sully. Too bad.

The Hank-storyline ..... hmmmm, at least this is for me the better part. Not totally understandable why he or someone else hadn't have the idea with the raw meat earlier, Myra for example, she could have asked Dr. Mike, but okay. Hank wanted to lash out in his pain and found Grace to be the right person to hit. Not nice, but typical Hank. Also typical that he recognized his mistake and apologised (kind of , in an also typical Hank-way).

I don't find it strange to see Myra with Loren and Jake, because, well, they knew each other, probably even very well. And mainly woman had a problem with Myra's reputation.
Btw: This last scene was always so classic for the Grace's Café feeling for me that it was natural to include it in our Café-banner.

[cooperkids]

Originally Posted by Ella

I don't find it strange to see Myra with Loren and Jake, because, well, they knew each other, probably even very well. And mainly woman had a problem with Myra's reputation.

Okay, I'll buy that.

Originally Posted by Ella

Btw: This last scene was always so classic for the Grace's Café feeling for me that it was natural to include it in our Café-banner.

Do you have any idea how long I've wondered what scene the banner was from? I knew it had to be the early seasons because Olive is in it, but until I watched this episode last night I couldn't remember.

[Geertrui]

I agree about Colleen being out of character. However I can imagine her being influenced by romantic stories. True, she was an intelligent girl, other than the others. But she struggled with that as we can see in other episodes in which she says she would like to be as anyone else (I don’t remember the exact episodes). I can’t see one thing and that’s falling in love with Sully. He is supposed to be her father, there is the age difference but more important the developing relationship between Sully and Michaela. Now I’m thinking about this, maybe it was the purpose of the producers to force Michaela in saying how well looking Sully was.
To come back at Colleen and her reading, young girls back then hadn’t the heroes as young girls have now. You hardly can’t miss handsome actors or singers in the media. So it would have been easier for Colleen to pick someone in their environment as a hero. But Sully ?? No way!

[Lizzie]

Originally Posted by Geertrui

To come back at Colleen and her reading, young girls back then hadn’t the heroes as young girls have now. You hardly can’t miss handsome actors or singers in the media. So it would have been easier for Colleen to pick someone in their environment as a hero.

Very good point!

Originally Posted by Geertrui

But Sully ?? No way!

I totally agree (with Ella too)! Teenagers do get phases of obsessions, but surely even if Colleen did get a crush on Sully, she wouldn't be so obvious about it... well I don't think I would in her situation!
Also, in a small community like that where people don't move around much, it would remain embarrassing for a long time; a lot of the town would know about it!

The Colleen having a crush on Sully thing is also made more embarrassing by the relationship between him and Michaela. But...

Originally Posted by Geertrui

Now I’m thinking about this, maybe it was the purpose of the producers to force Michaela in saying how well looking Sully was.

I agree - it forced her to seriously think about it.

I'm no teenager anymore, but I have to confess, I still find Heroes quite embarrassing to watch (*prepared for potential tomatoes* )

One scene that does make me giggle though is the cleaning the instruments "Do you love Sully?"!

Originally Posted by cooperkids

I really like Lewis, and I wish he would have stuck around CS, or at least have come back a few times so that something could have developed between him and Colleen. It's a shame that they just kind of dropped their friendship, just like they did her friendship with Peter.

It is, I agree. They were both not the totally "typical teenager" (though there's nothing wrong with that! ), but had intelligence, curiosity and a bit of shyness in common. It would have been nice to see them make friends (maybe more eventually).

Originally Posted by Kruemi

I thoroughly enjoyed the Hank topic though. It was so him, blaming Grace, and so this town following one of their prominent citizens and boycott Grace. But it was priceless to watch how this problem was solved. The scene in the clinic, when Michaela shows them the microscope and Myra is the first who makes herself look plus the scene in the end, when Hank returns the Café, ordering meatloaf, just crack me up. So funny!!! (Remember Grace’s look at the knives in her hand when first Robert E. and then she spot Hank? - !!! )

Ha, yes!