Who Want's To Be A Superhero - Snakes Alive!
Episode 5 Recap by J.G. Bird August 24, 2007
Remember that the remaining heroes' secret identities were stolen; now the responsible villain's knowledge of individual phobias and histories comes into play. Dr. Dark makes several pushes back against the heroes' gains since last episode.
I've been thinking about which contestant, so far, has shown they have what it takes to be Stan Lee's next Superhero. Parthenon last week accomplished the capper for the challenge mission. He's been the most unassuming, while not blending into the background. Well the costume and the catch phrases make that impossible. He's willing to step up; he's raised the tough questions, like: should we be talking behind this hero's back?
The other heroes have more foibles. To a degree, that keeps the show interesting.
Our favorite circus worker, HyperStrike seems a bit jaded. HyperStrike's duplicity comes at the beginning of the episode. The five remaining contestants are sitting around in the bunkroom, noting that there are half as many heroes since starting. He states chances of winning have thus doubled.
Stan Lee calls the heroes to action because breaking news states that rolling blackouts are being blamed on a sinister Dr. Dark. The heroes are taken to a supposed power station for the main challenge of the episode. Yeah. Right. Uh, that's an electrical tower alright, but you are not putting these mere mortals within a hundred feet of a trunk line, let alone a power station! Let's just say a conveniently narrow access tunnel leads into some kind of crawl space slash bunker loaded with pipes and conduits. The exterior shot is in the midst of a tower. It's a fairly simple challenge
Disable Dr. Dark's power damper by removing fuses from the evil device, in turn, and the energy drain will be averted. Dark gloats that each will have to 'face your fears' - because known phobias were copied from their personal dossiers.
WhipSnap enters this six-minute challenge with her game face on. Rats are the critters in the dark enclosed space she encounters. She states that she can turn the fear to anger in order to overcome. She is in and out in one minute twenty. Parthenon keeps a pretty good time even though he shrieks loudly. There are now, large live snakes. Hygena requires nearly two minutes herself, almost stopped by a snake at the exit. HyperStrike scrambles in at 1:50 on the clock and out just 45 seconds later. He complains that he thought he took too long. Dufuser is last, and before throwing himself in, confesses to claustrophobia. Just a few seconds in, he believes his bulky frame is stuck in the narrow pipe. He wriggles to a better positioning and completes his way in. By now there are smallish rats, snakes (nothing more than small, lithe boas), and tarantulas. Defuser did it; taking the final fuse out, heroically, in the last second.
Stan offers them all a reward for their group triumph. A night out. He cautions all to act like superheroes while in the public eye. In costume, they enter and take a large booth while looking over the Mexican restaurant's menu. Fans come and go, mostly curious little boys. The table heroes are questioned by their waiter about how they will be paying for the meal. The public interaction gets more direct as with no money on them, they bus tables.
Called into the game room, Stan appears on the big screen, but then so does Dr. Dark. He says he's there to have Stan hear and see certain hero secrets revealed. First, he taunts WhipSnap with a little model of a two-story home. WhipSnap says once, while in love, she camped out on the roof of the guy's place and confiscated some car keys to get attention.
Suddenly Dr. Dark spouts off about HyperStrike, calling him, "Spandex Boy!" That's the best laugh I've gotten out of all the shows of this season so far. Spandex Boy; hee hee, I just like saying it. Anyway, HyperStrike's failure is relayed as a video re-enactment of a flip he struggled with once. Yawn.
Hygena is showed a large feather boa, which she concludes relates something about her past from college. It's related that Hygena has a desire to learn burlesque dance. Stan Lee wonders aloud if the lair will need to have a "stripper pole" installed. It's a throw away comment, right, related to the fad of pole dancing exercise, or good-natured joking?
Dr. Dark points out that Stan doesn't know his heroes well enough. HyperStrike fired for "performance anxiety." Hey, uh, children in the audience! I am surprised Stan Lee and even the villain are being scripted (or not edited) with such comments.
"Fancy Pants" Parthenon decorates (Oh horrors! I never would have guessed.) Perhaps the pirate-themed bedroom shows a "dark side."
Last up is The Defuser. Dr. Dark doesn't call him names, but he taunts him with a diploma. Defuser clarifies that he loss the privilege to participate in his high school graduation ceremony, but that he dealt with that regret years ago. Also, as a co-worker relates, Defuser destroyed a public bathroom stall following training which required he drink enough to be intoxicated.
Considering his size, it's easy to picture the bull in a china shop syndrome that must have struck. Stan dismisses Dr. Dark. Stan addresses his heroes and states how impressed he is that all are so open about the past.
WhipSnap ruminates over mission report entries. She states difficulty, feeling that she has to think carefully about what to include. In the summary phase of the mission reports Stan shares with the group these results: 1) Defuser and Parthenon are deemed the strongest; 2) Hygena underperforms; 3) WhipSnap is least heroic according to more than half of the respondents. And if that isn't harsh enough, HyperStrike comes forward to her to say it to her face, not just anonymously. He says it is better to let her know, as a friend, in an effort to help her perform better. However, being straightforward did contribute to Mindset's early removal from the competition. Could this backfire on him? If she's not sent home, will the wiry spandex boy have to endure more than just defeat in arm wrestling?
Ah, but the depth of WhipSnap's anger will not be plumbed, for elimination time has already arrived.
Defuser looks shaken taking in Stan's admonition that he's guilty of handing out weapons to young fans. His argument is all a matter of semantics. "The hero's costume is sacrosanct!" Stan declares. Stan strongly suggests that Defuser acted improperly with young fans in the restaurant by enthusiastically handing out trinkets (which look like single pieces from a game of Jacks), which Defuser actually describes as his own crime fighting tools against bad guys. Defuser attempts to counter Lee's logic, calling them mementos.
Parthenon is told to lead. More inner heroics are going to need to be displayed. Hygena is admonished to conquer fears, not merely face them. HyperStrike seems to be Stan's golden boy tonight, being told, "Your candor is appreciated." WhipSnap is noted as seeming very gracious with fans in the restaurant, but still troubled at so many other points.
This is not what those called to the red blocks actually said, but they might have -
Defuser: "Thank you sir, can I have another?"
Hygena: "Telling me how I slow down the group is a gift I will treasure, Mr. Lee."
WhipSnap: "Pleather, deep doubts and street smarts do not a hero make."
While it sounds like Stan Lee regrets having to make the decision, he sends WhipSnap home. The coping issues that have surfaced in the last three episodes were the main contributor. A lot of emotional baggage and anger seem to have kept her from stepping forward. Yet all the remaining heroes are charged with quickly developing and demonstrating their own brand of leadership, as we are to the final four.
One more reminder, true believers: Mega Snake is the movie featuring last season's winner, Feedback, (Matt Atherton); he's even spouting his own catchphrase: "Time for some Feedback" The commercials, unfortunately, are too scary for my not yet eight-year old daughter. It airs 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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