Open Letter to Tim Kring

Dear Tim,

Hey man. Looks like you're trying to turn the show around after season 2, which many fans thought was disappointing. I actually liked season 2, personally, but I'm apparently in the minority, and since I pirate your shows off various Chinese websites, my opinion matters even less. Listen, I know you're busy, so let me just make this short. I really think the writing team at Heroes needs a break. They seem to have lost their focus and can't figure out how to make the show work right.

First of all, there's the fact that your show is thinly veiled ripoff of Marvel's X-men and other mutant storylines. I know you said you'd never even heard of mutants and the X-men, but clearly your writers have, as it's a total ripoff as of season 3. Case in point - Dr. Suresh has injected himself with a serum from one of the evolved people that has jumpstarted his own mutation, and of course what powers did he get? The power of strength and agility. Then in episode 2, he started to physically change - something started happening to his back, like his skin started to peel off. In other words, the brilliant scientist and world expert on mutations is turning into a beast with powers of agility and strength. Still saying that this is all original? Then there is Sylar, who has an insatiable "hunger" to kill other mutants and take their powers. He's gone from being an obsessed serial killer to someone who can't control his hunger. Anyway, he's Sabretooth, as of episode 3.

The actors also seem glazed over, which I'm thinking has to do with direction and scripts, and less to do with their acting abilities. Everything is so existential. Which is fine, I guess. Any person who wakes up with various paranormal abilities is going to probably go through some serious soul-searching. But we're on season 3. At some point, they move on and this becomes less about their internal angst, and more about kicking ass (pardon my language, Tim, but you know what I'm saying!). Here is a scene that is becoming way too common. Claire learns she not only can regenerate, but she also cannot feel pain at all. Sylar also tells her she is immortal because of the powers in her brain. So what does Claire do? She starts filming herself trying to kill herself multiple times, just like from the first episode of season one. The same talking into the camera, in her most Serious Voice and Sad Face, saying really stupid things like, "When you stop feeling pain, are you even human anymore?" right before she's run over by a train. Is it too much to ask that you figure out a way to make this at all believable? You're telling me you found the one teenager who doesn't think it's cool they can never be killed, nor even feel pain, plus she talks like the kids who were obsessed with Bell Jar from high school? Come on. Move on. No more angst-filled heroes struggling to come to grips with their powers.

Which leads me to my last point. Please stop making the powers the center of the story. Make the characters and the various events the center of the story, but not the powers. The powers make it science fiction, but the best fantasy and science fiction still tries to sell interesting stories with interesting characters, and not constantly remind us with every single sentence that This Person Has Powers by actually having never-ending conversations between characters about the fact that The World Is Different Because People Have Powers, and Gosh Nathan, I Want To Be A Hero With My New Powers! Argh!

Basically, you're screwing it up, Tim. Don't make me stop watching your show on pirated Chinese websites, I'm serious. Fix these problems.


Earnestly Yours,


Pomeroy