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Lost vs Heroes
Mar. 15th, 2007 12:59 pmThere's a big discussion over at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kradical's about Lost vs Heroes, and as anyone who's been reading this knows, I've been slagging Lost and praising Heroes. It has been pointed out that
1) Heroes is still young and fresh and Lost was pretty darn cool at this stage in its development, and
2) The Heroes producers are pretty much winging it as they go too.
My point is, they're winging it with *style.* More than that, even when they do go in a new direction, said direction acknowledges past developments before turning them on their heads (Company Man, anyone?)
Anyway, I finally came up with an analogy that pleases me so much that I'm expanding and top-posting here: The Chekhov Test
There is a gun on the mantle. Naturally, we expect someone to shoot it.
LOST PRODUCERS: It's not a gun, it's a bow and arrow! No, a toy bazooka in a vision! That's hidden in a strong box that Kate killed for! Oh, look over there, another polar bear! *hides gun* Gun? What do you mean? What gun? Look over there, some backstory about a new character. Riding a unicorn!
AUDIENCE: What are you smoking? Yes, there was a gun there, we only discussed it for three weeks online! Okay, bright boys, what about the bow, arrow, and bazooka then?
LOST PRODUCERS: I wear the cheese, it doesn't wear me.
AUDIENCE: What kind of cheese?
LOST PRODUCERS: Dharma Initiative cheese! WoooooOOOOOooo, Dharma Initiative! *makes spooky faces*
xxxxxxx
HEROES PRODUCERS: Well, the gun was supposed to be used by Sylar to kill Pete, but now Pete's a huge audience favorite and Sylar's developed this thing about brains, so I'm going to have Claude steal it and unload it while giving a speech to Pete about how the Company solves all their problems at gunpoint so he has renounced weapons. Oh, with at least one Doctor Who reference if you squint, although Chris has said we only get a limited number of those. George is so much cooler about that sort of thing.
AUDIENCE: Okay. Cool. *logs on so the Who fans can explain the reference on a chat board*
HEROES PRODUCERS: So now we're putting a bow and arrow on the mantle.
AUDIENCE: Why?
HEROES PRODUCERS: You'll find out in 10 more episodes. Promise.
AUDIENCE: Logs on again to check the comic book, the official site, and spin 15,000 theories on LJ communities.
HEROES PRODUCERS (to each other): WTF are we going to do with that bow and arrow?
KRING: Have a beer, see what develops over the next 7 episodes, and take it from there. Let's see, we've got a knockoff of Superman, and Mr. Invisible, and Johnny from the Fantastic Four, how can we make a knockoff Green Arrow?
PRODUCER 2: Robin Hood's out of copyright, use him. Let's see... steals from the rich, gives to the poor. For us, that would be works within the Company to help the mutants. I mean Heroes.
KRING: We haven't figured out who it was that Claude was hiding from the Company, did we? Okay, that's where we're going. Make him a Robin Hood fan, because actually shooting the bow would be stupid.
PRODUCER 3: Really? With the super hearing, Syler would hear even a silenced gun, but a bowstring?
KRING: I like it!
kradical's about Lost vs Heroes, and as anyone who's been reading this knows, I've been slagging Lost and praising Heroes. It has been pointed out that 1) Heroes is still young and fresh and Lost was pretty darn cool at this stage in its development, and
2) The Heroes producers are pretty much winging it as they go too.
My point is, they're winging it with *style.* More than that, even when they do go in a new direction, said direction acknowledges past developments before turning them on their heads (Company Man, anyone?)
Anyway, I finally came up with an analogy that pleases me so much that I'm expanding and top-posting here: The Chekhov Test
There is a gun on the mantle. Naturally, we expect someone to shoot it.
LOST PRODUCERS: It's not a gun, it's a bow and arrow! No, a toy bazooka in a vision! That's hidden in a strong box that Kate killed for! Oh, look over there, another polar bear! *hides gun* Gun? What do you mean? What gun? Look over there, some backstory about a new character. Riding a unicorn!
AUDIENCE: What are you smoking? Yes, there was a gun there, we only discussed it for three weeks online! Okay, bright boys, what about the bow, arrow, and bazooka then?
LOST PRODUCERS: I wear the cheese, it doesn't wear me.
AUDIENCE: What kind of cheese?
LOST PRODUCERS: Dharma Initiative cheese! WoooooOOOOOooo, Dharma Initiative! *makes spooky faces*
xxxxxxx
HEROES PRODUCERS: Well, the gun was supposed to be used by Sylar to kill Pete, but now Pete's a huge audience favorite and Sylar's developed this thing about brains, so I'm going to have Claude steal it and unload it while giving a speech to Pete about how the Company solves all their problems at gunpoint so he has renounced weapons. Oh, with at least one Doctor Who reference if you squint, although Chris has said we only get a limited number of those. George is so much cooler about that sort of thing.
AUDIENCE: Okay. Cool. *logs on so the Who fans can explain the reference on a chat board*
HEROES PRODUCERS: So now we're putting a bow and arrow on the mantle.
AUDIENCE: Why?
HEROES PRODUCERS: You'll find out in 10 more episodes. Promise.
AUDIENCE: Logs on again to check the comic book, the official site, and spin 15,000 theories on LJ communities.
HEROES PRODUCERS (to each other): WTF are we going to do with that bow and arrow?
KRING: Have a beer, see what develops over the next 7 episodes, and take it from there. Let's see, we've got a knockoff of Superman, and Mr. Invisible, and Johnny from the Fantastic Four, how can we make a knockoff Green Arrow?
PRODUCER 2: Robin Hood's out of copyright, use him. Let's see... steals from the rich, gives to the poor. For us, that would be works within the Company to help the mutants. I mean Heroes.
KRING: We haven't figured out who it was that Claude was hiding from the Company, did we? Okay, that's where we're going. Make him a Robin Hood fan, because actually shooting the bow would be stupid.
PRODUCER 3: Really? With the super hearing, Syler would hear even a silenced gun, but a bowstring?
KRING: I like it!
