JOINING WITH THE HEROES: MORE FROM KRING & BELL

[MattBrady]

by Troy Brownfield

Yesterday, we brought you the first part of our discussion, via conference call, with Heroes creator Tim Kring and its newest cast member, Kristen Bell. Today, we’ll visit issues of long-term plotting, fans, and Bell’s potential interest in the creative end of comics.

For his part, Kring explains the roots of the show thusly: “It wasn’t really a super-hero story that inspired the show. It was inspired by wanting to do a large ensemble drama that tackled some issues that were on everyone’s mind. That the world is a complicated and dangerous place and in need of help . . . help from us who are all ordinary. A regular cop or medical show didn’t seem to answer those questions in a large enough way.”

With a bit of a laugh, he added, “Clearly, sci-fi elements are very enticing to a certain audience.”

On the addition of Bell, and a swath of new characters that includes Hiro’s, er, hero Kenzei, the fugitive twins, and Micah’s extended family, Kring turned somewhat cryptic. Recognizing the risk of overpopulation, he said, “Yes, on a show like this, you have to be able to fold people in and fold people out. The audience should expect to see characters leaving in the near future.”

In terms of Bell herself, she’s clearly having a ball. “[My character, Elle, is] so much fun; I had been crossing my fingers in the hopes that I could play someone who was “a little off”….the depths to which they’ve written Elle, this character, she’s such a vixen, she’s so much fun to play with.”

While it’s well-known that Bell was in demand prior to taking the role (and also currently voices the narrator on CW’s Gossip Girl), she dismissed scuttlebutt that had her being offered a role on Lost. She explains, “I had been spoken to about possibly doing a role on Lost, but I wasn’t actually offered one. I have been such a fan of Heroes from the beginning that this would have been the dreamiest situation . . .”

Bell also reiterated that family connection that she feels with the Heroes cast. Of Hayden Penetierre, she notes, “I have known Hayden since she was eight; we met in New York and had the same agent . . . I was just starting college . . .She came to some plays that I did in New York; there was something alarmingly special and you knew she’d be a great performer . . . she’s a really cool, honest girl.”

It’s already established that Bell’s Elle will interact with the Bennett family, but she’s also eyeing a slightly deadlier confrontation down the line. Bell said, “I would most like to interact with Zachary Quinto for on and off camera reasons. He’s been a good friend of mine for 10 years now… I would love to see [Sylar] and Elle face-off someday.”

As far as that down-the-line plotting goes, Kring admitted the challenges that exist in telling long-running stories. He says, “One of the problems with staring a [new] season is that you have to pretty much start everything at the same time; with a show like our where there’s a lot to cover, it can get a bit cluttered. We’ve settled into a pattern where we’re telling fewer stories [at a time than last year].”

Kring also offered a further view, stating, “We are not a show that tries to keep answers away form the audience. No answer is so precious that we can’t tell the audience what it is. That said, there’s a certain amount of fun with drawing things out. Our show changes and morphs all the time. Last season, we had one volume, “Genesis” that was 23 episodes long; we were dragging a tremendous amount of story behind us to pay off in that [final] episode. This season, we have multiple volumes; “Generations” ends in episode 11. It cliffhangs us and takes us into another volume. If people are feeling the frustration, they say they want answers, but they enjoy following the mystery and watching it twist and turn.”

Bell has her own ups and downs with the mystery aspect. She said, “Even among the cast, everybody’s asking everybody else who had more information. When you have secrets, of course you want to spill them, but it’s vitally important to keep them.”

Looking ahead, Kring does touch on some future aspects of the plot. Regarding the photo of the previous generation that made its first complete appearance this week, he said, “We will be seeing the people in the photo. All of them will be the same actors . . .”

He also rewarded sharp-eyed viewers by allowing, with a chuckle, “And that did look an awful lot like Joanna Cassidy there.” (For those not in the know, the extremely accomplished Cassidy is probably most well-known in fan circles for her turn as Zhora in Blade Runner and for being the voice of Maggie Sawyer in Superman: The Animated Series).

As for other famous females in the cast, Kring undoubtedly makes the day of many Trek fans as he declared, “Nichelle Nichols’ character will be supportive of [Micah] for a while; around mid-season that character will emerge in its own right.”

Bell, of course, has her own cult following, having played Veronica Mars for three critically-acclaimed seasons. She’s used to having a hardcore fanbase, and developed more of an appreciation for that aspect with her role in the forthcoming film Fanboys. In fact, Bell loves the San Diego Comic-Con. She says, “I try to go around and get pictures of every single person that dresses up. They fascinate me! Most of the time, when I ask for pictures, they’re like, ‘Okay, make it quick.’ At that, she burst into laughter.

She continued, “Certainly, having done Fanboys, anything Star Wars is wonderful and fascinating to me. And all my friends are fanboys. I’ve been so embraced by this community that I love it. I’m coming into my own as a fangirl.”

Bell elaborated with some takes on her favorite super-heroines. “I like the little pixie girls; it’s great to love She-Hulk (she’s so dominating), but I like Harley Quinn and Wasp from Avengers; they’re like something that I feel like I can accomplish.”

Regarding her own character, Bell tries to anticipate some reaction. She said, “I think (fans) will love to hate her initially; I hope that the more you find out about her and the deeper you go into her, the more you’ll sympathize with her.”

Bell outlined Elle’s agenda in broad strokes, saying, “[She has] determination, a very fierce and intense personality. She knows what she wants right now, which is good when you’re working with the good guys and really bad when you’re working with the bad guys, she’ll kind of go between . . . “

Tying some of these notions together, particularly in terms of Bell’s blooming “fangirl” status, her appreciation of digging into character, and her status among fans, I asked about the fact that Rob Thomas has discussed continuing Veronica Mars in comics, and if Bell would willing to participate on the creative end by writing an issue or two. She was extremely enthusiastic, saying, “If Rob invites me to mow his lawn, I’ll do it. I’ve heard rumors of [the comic], and I hope it comes to fruition…I would not be opposed to being involved in that at all.”

As for her immediate future on Heroes, Bell readily asserted that “I would be up for [a long-term commitment]. There was no hesitancy to coming in and being a part of the show. It’s been a great relationship so far. Right now, I think that I am signed on for 13 (episodes) at the discretion of how it fits into the major plotline. Quite frankly, I hope they use me . . . at the end of the 13, we’ll sit down and [talk about continuing].”

With Bell being featured prominently in the previews for next week’s episode, it seems likely that she’ll stick around for at least a while. She basically summed it all up simply: “It’s a lot of fun to play someone who’s a little crazy.”

[TheTyrantVirus]

I love Heroes and I love Kristen Bell. The two together might make my head asplode.

[Bugaboo-X]

I'm enjoying this second season so far. They're doing a good job of pacing.

The show works really well in weekly installments ... as long as you don't live and breath "Heroes" 24/7, picking apart plot holes, second-guessing story development, dwelling on characterizations, and rabidly salivating in anticipation of the next episode so you can whine a little more about how much the series sucks.

In other words, there are a lot of comic book fans who are going to hate it no matter what.

[Marius665]

I hope this Bell chick is the last new character this season, way to many people are being introduced this season, the first season introduced 12 characters and every episode of this season we've met a new Hero, but to make Mikah's cousin a character with powers is over doing it in my opinion.

[Troy Brownfield]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

by Troy Brownfield

On the addition of Bell, and a swath of new characters that includes Hiro’s, er, hero Kenzei, the fugitive twins, and Micah’s extended family, Kring turned somewhat cryptic. Recognizing the risk of overpopulation, he said, “Yes, on a show like this, you have to be able to fold people in and fold people out. The audience should expect to see characters leaving in the near future.”

Marius,

I think this quote addresses some of what you're discussing.

Also, with Micah's cousin and the I.D. of Parkman's father, it would seem that there is a lot more of a familial connection to the powers than originally anticipated. I also suspect that's why we had the brief re-intro of Nathan's kids. If Daddy, Uncle Peter, and half-sister all have powers . . .

[newfoundma]

Bell says that fans will love to hate her character initially? If she trashes the likes of boring and self-righteous Peter, then I will flat out love to love her.

[theprimedreamer]

Monday can't come soon enough!

[noncore-kid]

All in all, I'm not as thrilled with the show this season as I was last year but it's still the only show I have at least remote interest in watching on Monday nights... And I'm looking forward to Ms Bell's appearances.

Originally Posted by Marius665

to make Micah's cousin a character with powers is over doing it in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Troy Brownfield

it would seem that there is a lot more of a familial connection to the powers than originally anticipated. I also suspect that's why we had the brief re-intro of Nathan's kids. If Daddy, Uncle Peter, and half-sister all have powers . . .

Originally Posted by Article

“Nichelle Nichols’ character will be supportive of [Micah] for a while; around mid-season that character will emerge in its own right.”

Clearly Nichol's character will be revealed to have powers too, explaining the cousin's Taskmaster-ish talents.

One interesting thing with this carried-over-genetic-trait idea would be to see why/how characters whose parents show no sign of powers have powers of their own.
For example Nikki's dad appeared last season, most probably power-less, but I can't remember if the old lady she was hanging around with before she had to flee her house was her mom or just a neighbor. If it was her mom and she was power-less too, that's weird.
Then again maybe her dad will be revealed to have had a ludicrous power like garlic scented farts, No-prize style, and that will be that...

Another interesting pseudo-scientific thread to explore would be : why does a child whose dad can fly and mom can start fires be invulnerable instead of being able to fly and/or generate flames too? Or in Micah's case why he can't turn into, like, the Intangible Hulk...

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Bell elaborated with some takes on her favorite super-heroines. “I like the little pixie girls; it’s great to love She-Hulk (she’s so dominating), but I like Harley Quinn and Wasp from Avengers; they’re like something that I feel like I can accomplish.”

Memo to Christopher Nolan:

Work in a decent cameo scene for THE DARK KNIGHT featuring Kristen Bell as Harley Quinn. Or better yet, make her one of the prime villains for the third film.

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by noncore-kid

Another interesting pseudo-scientific thread to explore would be : why does a child whose dad can fly and mom can start fires be invulnerable instead of being able to fly and/or generate flames too? Or in Micah's case why he can't turn into, like, the Intangible Hulk...

Had a theory about that the other morning. Claire is invulnerable because of being in pyro-mom's womb. The powers would have to manifest themselves early on, and then not be as noticeable as she was growing up. If she didn't run around and scrape her knees, break any arms while younger, the powers would have atrophied.

Micah didn't know about his dad's powers, or his mom's personality conflicts. He was around computers and electronics though, and through that environment his genetics decided to work towards talking to technology.

[longshot7]

Can you ask Kring the next time why the hell he feels the need to put "To Be Continued" at the end of every episode? It's a serial drama. I mean DUH!!!!

[TheTyrantVirus]

Originally Posted by longshot7

Can you ask Kring the next time why the hell he feels the need to put "To Be Continued" at the end of every episode? It's a serial drama. I mean DUH!!!!

This is not meant to be condescending or sarcastic and is a serious question, but have you ever read a comic? If not, pretty much any comic that is part of a story arc ends with "To be continued."

[nyhardcore]

I don't know what changed behind the scenes, but Heroes went from being a great show in season one to an absolutely terrible one this season. I used to be on the edge of my seat for an hour, now I'm making snarky remarks like I'm watching Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Aside from the abysmal writing and and over the top unrealistic soap opera acting, has anyone else noticed how piss-poor the special effects are looking this season?

[Skatonic10]

She's in 13 episodes? And the first story arc ends in 7 weeks? That's interesting

[The Guvnor]

Bell is certainly showing a lot of enthusiasm and I hope she comes across well on the screen. She has got plenty of episodes to play with so maybe she will do enough to warrant a contract extension. Pity I won't get to see her for ages, as we are only two thirds of the way through the first season over here.

[Ken B.]

Now now, let's be honest; the last season of Veronica Mars sucked. Especially those last few episodes.

[nonamesleft]

Originally Posted by Ken B.

Now now, let's be honest; the last season of Veronica Mars sucked. Especially those last few episodes.

Let's also be honest about this season of Heroes. It's also off to a sucky start. Seriously, Parkman and Mohinder doing the "My 2 Dads" schtik is getting old real fast. The Hiro in feudal Japan story is boring me to death and is being dragged out way too long. The hispanic twins are the most uninteresting characters ever to show up on the show and are involved in the most repetative storyline ever (they run, they kill, they run some more). The memory-less Peter is also frustrating and uninteresting. They spent all of last season developing all of the character's powers, their connections, and bringing them together for the final confrontation against Sylar, and this season it seems like they're regressing the developments from last season way too much, and introducing a batch of crappy new characters that are so lame it hurts to watch them on screen. I am looking forward to Kristen Bell joining the group because at least I know she can act. The latest episode showed some hints of interesting story potential for upcoming episodes but they just need to get on with it and stop dragging out lame plot lines like the twins on the run.

[noncore-kid]

Originally Posted by JohnP

Had a theory about that the other morning. Claire is invulnerable because of being in pyro-mom's womb. The powers would have to manifest themselves early on, and then not be as noticeable as she was growing up. If she didn't run around and scrape her knees, break any arms while younger, the powers would have atrophied.

Micah didn't know about his dad's powers, or his mom's personality conflicts. He was around computers and electronics though, and through that environment his genetics decided to work towards talking to technology.

(emphasis mine)

But... if the 'empowering agent' assesses environmental conditions before it kicks in... doesn't that make it sentient?

(and while I agree VM's third season wasn't the greatest, I don't think it was anywhere near the "suck" level)

[Roy Batty]

I watch HEROES mostly as a guilty pleasure, because it's about, you know, people with powers, and we all here have some kind of soft spot for the genre.

But it's bad, bad, BAD, every opportunity is wasted, and nothing makes sense, and I mean NOTHING at all. And to make matters worse, it takes itself way too seriously (and believe me, I am all for 'realism' and epic applied to superheroes, but not when the story is so flawed and puerile or, even worse, when there's really no story – this is not UNBREAKABLE).

First season finale was incredibly absurd, and this season it's proving to be equally directionless.

I'll keep watching because I am weak that way, but there may come a time when it turns too awful even for my easy-to-please superhero gluttony (SMALLVILLE, anyone?).

P.s. By the by, VERONICA MARS at its lowest was way smarter and better than the best of HEROES, sorry.

[ultraaman]

Originally Posted by nonamesleft

Let's also be honest about this season of Heroes. It's also off to a sucky start. Seriously, Parkman and Mohinder doing the "My 2 Dads" schtik is getting old real fast. The Hiro in feudal Japan story is boring me to death and is being dragged out way too long. The hispanic twins are the most uninteresting characters ever to show up on the show and are involved in the most repetative storyline ever (they run, they kill, they run some more). The memory-less Peter is also frustrating and uninteresting. They spent all of last season developing all of the character's powers, their connections, and bringing them together for the final confrontation against Sylar, and this season it seems like they're regressing the developments from last season way too much, and introducing a batch of crappy new characters that are so lame it hurts to watch them on screen. I am looking forward to Kristen Bell joining the group because at least I know she can act. The latest episode showed some hints of interesting story potential for upcoming episodes but they just need to get on with it and stop dragging out lame plot lines like the twins on the run.

I echo almost every sentiment you got dude. I TiVo the show and I fast forward through the twins, they are that boring to me. However, I don't agree with the Hiro storyline. I like the idea that his idol is nowhere near the hero he thought he was and how he is taking an active part in molding him so that he can become it. The notion that he creates the hero he's always known, or that maybe he is his own hero, is kinda cool. And Kristin Bell I cannot wait for!