Powers

First off a correction to the various misconceptions by earlier reviews on IMDb. This show is based on a comic book that appeared 6 years earlier than Heroes TV show and 13 years before the Reckoners book series. I'd posit that those works were probably influenced by Powers (and other comics of the time (Watchmen anyone?).

I was very disappointed in the pilot episode for the unnecessary massive info dump from of all people Mario Lopez as an on screen celebrity reporter. The pilot seemed like it had been shot cheaply and clearly seems written as network sales pitch episode and it doesn't fit with the more nuanced better 2nd and 3rd episodes I've seen. Third episode redeemed the pilot in all aspects. The direction, script and acting all made me accept the sometimes dramatic differences to the source comic book series.

The writing is so disappointing considering the bones of the plot are already put together since it is based on an existing graphic novel. As well, the performances are unbalanced. So many wonderful actors (Izzard, Taylor, Forbes, Copley to name a few) are trying their best to give some depth to crap dialogue and playing against some truly awful acting by the main characters. Direction seems non- existent...it's painfully clumsy in all respects. As well, will someone shape Walker's eyebrow? That and his oddly manicured perma- 5 o'clock shadow make him look like a muppet which makes it that much harder to take him seriously. God, and the wardrobe....completely uninspired.

The dialogue and acting in that scene in the 2nd episode when the 2 main cop characters Walker and Pilgrim are watching a TV news report in his living room is an example of everything that is wrong with this show.

With the first episode of Powers I wasn't really sure what to think. It was good, but it seemed fairly obvious that the budget probably wasn't all that big and it has a different direction than the other superhero TV shows, yet I couldn't put my finger on it until about the third episode when it really take offs into being one of the best, if not the best of the superhero shows. First is that it's a real ongoing story, and it's solid, where everything that happens actually matters. People die, characters have both good and evil aspects, and everyone has a real back story that affects the big picture. BUT what probably works better than anything else in Powers is that the characters have complex relationships with each other that seem fairly realistic, or at least genuine in their motivations towards each other with invested interests so that the action carries a lot of weight. Show like Gotham, Arrow, and even Daredevil don't reach this level of effectiveness in their characterization.

One thing I would note is that this probably isn't for kids. There are a lot of F bombs, and though it doesn't really have sex, there are a few discussion about people using sex as a way to get what they want. Just FYI.

A world where people with powers coexist with normal people, yea sure it's been done before. Though I believe with this one they got things right. Unlike so many other shows these days that try to grab the audiences attention through sex, violence and special effects, powers focused quality actors, good dialogs and interesting musical choices. Sure the theme has been visited before, though none quite like powers. When I first saw the play-station logo appear I very nearly stopped watching all together, but I was glad not to. The plot seems thick the characters are extremely well rounded (not your usual good Vs evil type thing) and the acting is just superb. This show is a true work of quality, not just some mind numbing rehash as others might suggest, original and clever and just reeking of humanity. I would give it 8/10

They are going to have to bring in something new or I'm not going to get through this. The first few episodes were good and it seems to have legs but the cheesy special effects and silliness are starting to wear on me. We've seen it before in HEROES and others ... powers walk among us. There is a police force that deals with them. I'm interested in seeing how it plays out but am I 20 hours of my life interested?