Who Want's To Be A Superhero - Don't Be an InAction Hero!
Episode 4 Recap by J.G. Bird August 17, 2007
This second season has revived the old Batman television series type narration two-minute recap. I'll give you an example: When last we saw our heroes…Dr. Dark escaped! Stan Lee shocked the heroes by sending not one, but two of them home in elimination. And didn't I tell you Ms. Limelight and Mr. Mitzvah would make a nice couple?! But what's this? The Lair has been ransacked! The remaining heroes' secret identities stolen, but what's worse - Stan Lee's prized pencil - Stay tuned, True Believers! I'm not giving you a verbatim narration, but it's something close to that at least. Anybody could write this stuff! While I'm digging up the bones of comic book television, let us not forget that camp comes off in marketing hype too. As if the Esurance commercials haven't been overrunning the commercial time in Who Wants to Be a Superhero2, the cartoon spokesperson, Agent Erin Esurance, makes an appearance throughout the main challenge for this episode.
Returning from the rooftop elimination, the remaining six contestants discover the violation to the lair's contents. Hygena goes into cleaning mode, but The Defuser treats it like a crime scene, and barks out orders to "Stop!" Don't move anything!" I think Hygena, who's already closed some kitchen drawers and cabinets ironically says, Oh yeah, we can dust." The Defuser goes on automatic. He's really not the type of guy who can defuse interpersonally. He takes charge too much, and I think HyperStrike definitely has had it with the supreme authority figure. After giving The Defuser some long minutes of doing a Tony Shalhoub as Monk type crime scene scan, HyperStrike says, "Uh, you think we can pick up now?"
Suddenly, WhipSnap cannot deal - she's supermodel imposing, but emotionally erratic. It's these portions of this series that feel directed, "Here's a situation, now react to it!" where I'm sure it's supposed to come off as just the opposite. But we'll go with what comes, I guess. There's supportive interview commentary from her hero lair roommates interspersed here, noting that she does not trust easily; yet she's accepting these strangers as a family. Of course it's a family that's being torn apart every evening with elimination. But as long as Hygena, Parthenon, and maybe even HyperStrike remain part of a group that temporarily support WhipSnap, I don't think anyone will get hurt. Basura and The Defuser seem a little too ambivalent about anyone's feelings to escape harm.
Challenge time comes the next afternoon. Transported to Universal Studios' Universal City Walk, the wrist communicators finally come into play. The pink-haired agent from Esurance appears on the wrist communicators to explain the challenge. The lair safe held not only the cache of personal dossiers on the heroes, but a donation check. This is where the brand placement for Esurance begins its fifteen minutes of fame. The goal of the challenge is to recover this stolen charity check and the secret identities info. One of the group will have to intercept the courier before he can hand off the pilfered cash. The heroes need to each gather civilian clothes for an undercover disguise within 15 minutes from pedestrians at Universal City Walk. Each hero has to ask for someone's shirt, shoes or pants (!) to have a complete disguise. HyperStrike is super focused on meeting this challenge; of course, he also has the most fluid body shape of all the contestants. He's able to gather items pretty quickly by making the outlandish request of strangers, but providing entertaining flips in return. No one else has that shtick. The best part of watching each hero ask for someone's shirt, shoes or pants, is in imagining how these articles of clothing are going to conceal Stan Lee's garish costumes. Hygena has the hardest time, I think, because her powder blue square dancing skirt and cape speak the least, "I'm a superhero."
At only twenty minutes into this episode, I know Basura's earned an immediate ticket off the show. She takes a man's offered shoes, but doesn't blink an eye when he says, "But I'm leaving." She's only thinking, competition - fifteen minutes. There's a minute distraction to the clothing gathering frenzy, a non-descript woman comes up and says her daughter is missing. Every other hero goes into immediate search mode with the worried mother, except for Basura. In just a minute, a phone call signals the "mom" that the kid is found. You see Basura's later realization when the other heroes relate that they each helped that mom too.
Once a hero has collected the three costume items and has changed, the Esurance agent comes up on the communicator wristwatch to tell a hero to use the phrase, "I need ears. Can I have yours?" to tip off the nondescript courier.
Parthenon accomplishes the mission of contacting the courier in time, and the challenge is over. The heroes' information files and the esurance fifty thousand dollar check to Friends of the Urban Forest is recovered, but not Stan's pencil.
The heroes are transported to a Golden Apple comic book store, where they meet Michael Richardson, President of Dark Horse Comics. Here, each of the remaining heroes' comic book covers are revealed. In order of actual resemblance, I vote Parthenon, Basura, HyperStrike, WhipSnap, The Defuser, and then Hygena. The one for Hygena is lovely, but an otherworldly, almost lithe, fairylike representation. WhipSnap was open-mouthed bowled over with hers, and Defuser yammered on all fan boy about it.
As a reward, Parthenon is allowed to make a call home. Parthenon makes his call to his partner, Derek. Parthenon is also charged with choosing only one other hero to receive the honor of calling home. He briefly interviews each to make his choice as fair as possible. Hygena is chosen to get the second phone call, and gets a good dose of encouragement from her husband, Mark
While waiting, mission reports are filed and some honest talk stirs the conversation. Basura relates to The Defuser that he needs to control his way of talking over people.
Defuser asks her to step up and speak more about her strengths. Stan reminds everyone that the mission reports are meant to honestly assess one's self and the other heroes. A little arm wrestling fills the time and WhipSnap beats HyperStrike.
Per the reports, The Defuser asks HyperStrike to come out of his shell, which seems to insult the red-suited guy.
Again Stan Lee congratulated Parthenon for completing the mission. I keep looking at his costume when he's standing on his rooftop cube and thinking he looks the part of a yell leader or mascot in a cheerleading squad. But he certainly has the hero's code written on his heart. Stan actually warned, "What happens in the lair stays in the lair." I guess in his enthusiasm to gather the clothing in the challenge, he was telling everyone about the lair getting ransacked.
In elimination at show's end, Stan warned Hygena, "Do not let your compulsions keep you from doing your best." When he got to Basura, he related that she'd already been warned to be more assertive in past weeks. Stan exhibited concern about WhipSnap's emotional state after the lair break-in. And even though WhipSnap was not one of the three called to the red cubes, this week, she gave a very convincing rebuttal on her behalf.
The Defuser on the block was commended for his reports; yet it was pointed out to him that his style of leadership came across as bossy rather than heroic
Basura was indeed eliminated, for exactly the infractions I have mentioned earlier. Stan bade her farewell, and we watch her exit in what I can only call a goth librarian outfit. Stan cautions The Defuser to lead, but without inhibiting other superheroes. And, Stan reminded Hygena to be prepared to step outside of her comfort zone. Yeah, next week's challenge will require that, it appears.
The lesson this week True Believers: An assertive and decisive hero is needed. And it's OK to lead while remaining tactful.
Red Alert fans! Mega Snake is the movie featuring last season's winner, Feedback, (Matt Atherton); he's even spouting "Time for some Feedback" catchphrases and everything. It is airing on the SciFi Channel Saturday, August 25.
About J.G. Bird
J.G. Bird has been writing for three-quarters of a lifetime, over-analyzing and using big, yet appropriate words in an on-going dialogue with the universe. She works at a great metropolitan newspaper, but has never used the broom closet to change into a costume. Both the Internet and Reality TV give her the power of flight. You'll find her portfolio here. You may contact her at walkinbird@writing.com.
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