We need to write a detailed critique of the plot, character, race and gender elements of Heroes. We need to have one place where the producers and writers of Heroes can come and find what fandom has to say on these issues.
That’s the purpose of this website. We don’t need to Save Heroes from cancellation or network misuse, we need to Save Heroes from itself. Because it’s not a lost cause. It’s still capable of being the amazing show it was in season one. No, it’s capable of being even better.
How can you help Save Heroes? Easy. Just give your opinion on the Plot and Characters or Race and Gender issues in the show. We’re inviting all fans to contribute to a collaborative document in which we provide constructive, respectful criticism of the current season. Whether you offer your original thoughts or point to existing posts on the Internet, all ideas are welcome. Once we have enough contributions to create a coherent document, we’ll put it together in total and digitally sign it.
from Save Heroes, A Collaborative Fan Effort to Save a Great Show
I enjoy reading The Angry Black Women and I was happy to see this post, in which she announces the launching of her Save Heroes project. There seem to be two main motivations. First, the show has simply gotten worse this season. I could not agree more and apparently even the creator, Tim Kring, thinks they made some serious mistakes.
More interesting is the attempt to create a collaborative analysis of the show’s portrayal of race, and gender in U.S. culture and to offer progressive alternatives. There’s sections on plot, character, race and gender, and a timeline. Since the writers are on strike, SH notes, they “can’t create any new Heroes scripts. That makes this the perfect time to present them with our thoughts, so they can keep them in mind moving forward.”
It seems to be working, at least in terms of collecting interesting comments. At this point the gender commentary is focusing on the array of passive girlfriends and women ‘who can’t control their powers.’ In the race commentary, one reader provides statistics illustrating the various biases of the show. There are 27 total characters, 10 women and 17 men; 13 are non-white (Black: 7 (26%), Latino: 5 (19%), biracial: 1 (4%)) and 14 white (52%).
It will be fascinating to see if they succeed at helping to create a show that is both progressive and fun. I think one of the strengths of the show, especially in the first season, was that it had so many types of characters. The criticism, of course, is that the many types tended to fall into predictable stereotypes. There is nothing in the idea of the show that would make that necessary, of course. It’s unfortunate they can’t hire Octavia Butler as a writer and consultant.
