Heroes and The Black Donnellys 3/5/07

Yes, I've added two more shows to my roster of primetime TV. Don't ask me why. I guess I like to pretend I have a whole lot of time on my hands, when really I don't.

So, I'll start off with Heroes. I've just started watching this show about three weeks ago, so I'm still learning who the characters are and what's going on with them. But, using the wonderful recaps on TWoP, I've pretty much caught up.

Compared to lsat week's episode that focused only on a few characters, this week's seemed packed to the brim with action and characters, and yet more new characters for people to get to know. It almost seems like they tried to show every character on the show to remind people of everyone before they go on hiatus for six weeks or so.

I wasn't as thrilled by this episode as I was by some of the others, because there was just too much going on.

I did like the twist at the end where the Petrelli's mother knew all about Claire and was trying to protect her. From what I've read in recaps, I didn't think that their mother knew about their powers, so that was interesting to see.

As an aside, I've seen the woman that play Mama Petrelli in so many different things, most notably in season 1 of Gilmore Girls as Christopher's mother.

Claire is quite resourceful when she wants to get something done. Who knew she was a little pickpocket in disguise.

I'm fascinated by Sylar. He's so deliciously evil that it makes it fun to watch him. I knew Mohinder wasn't going to be able to keep him subdued. That would have been too easy. I also like the way they're explaining getting rid of Milo's bangs. It was cool that the camera panned down and we saw a clump of hair fall down.

I wasn't at all surprised by the new girl morphing into Mrs. Bennet. They kind of telegraphed that plot point when she commented on Mrs. Bennet's hair. It was especially obvious when her cell rang and it wasn't that annoying doggy ringtone. It seemed a bit contrived to me.

I'm still confused as to what is up with the company that HRG works for. Why do they want to catch all the mutants, for lack of a better, non-made-up word? I'm just curious if that's been answered and I missed it in the recaps.

Also, I know a lot of people love Hiro, but his cutesy shtick is getting a little annoying to me. Maybe that's just me, though.

Overall, a decent episode, but still too jam-packed with characters to really have a clue what's going on.

Now, The Black Donnellys is a show that I wasn't sure I'd get into. I'm typically not a fan of the mob shows, but I kept tuning in per the suggestions of Rod and others. I wasn't thrilled by the first episode, but it was interesting enough for me to tape it on Monday.

I must say, though, that I didn't expect to be as invested in this show as I am. The stories are great, and it's not as mob-involved as it is Tommy protecting his family. I think it's a show that I'll keep watching.

Of course, I have to give major props to anyone that's going to cast Kate Mulgrew in their show. She's a great actress, and it's nice to see a bigger name on the show. She really sold Mama Donnelly to me.

And can I just say how shocked I was to see how ripped that the guy that plays Tommy is? Seriously, I don't think he had an ounce of body fat on him. He, as eye candy, is enough for me to keep tuning in. (Yes, I know. I'm a shallow, shallow man.)

I also loved the use of humor in the show. Everyone being sarcastic was great, because I'm a big fan of sarcasm. It's my main source of humor.

It was kind of cute how "Ice Cream" (whose name is not coming to me at the moment) kept inserting himself into his stories, and the Donnellys were all confused as to how he showed up. That was just hilarious.

I'm really amazed at how far Tommy's willing to go to keep his family safe. I didn't think he had it in him to be cold enough to start breaking a guy's bones with a sledge hammer just to get rid of evidence. I guess it's true. It's always the nice ones you have to watch out for.

Surprisingly, I think I'm getting hooked on this show after only two episodes. If it can keep up this pace, I'll probably continue to tune in.