At the risk of becoming Mikey Likes Heroes, here is the second consecutive post on the topic – I assure you, it is most deserved. In addition to reclaiming the title of “highlight of my week,” Heroes is also becoming a hotspot for ridiculously obscure cameos. And possessing a keen sense for noticing such cameos, I feel compelled to share.
Last night we explored the softer side of Sylar. When he realized that he might soon blow up Manhattan, he started worrying that that might be too evil for even the most super of super villains. And how does Sylar handle this? He does what every wayward creep and latent homosexual does when encountering a crisis of conscious, visit mom! Conveniently enough, Ma Sylar was just few blocks away in some poorly reconstructed 1970s lower east side apartment and more than worth the walk. Virginia Grey has all the makings of a perfect horror movie mom. She’s…
a) overbearing (Psycho)
b) overly religious (Carrie)
c) obsessive (Friday the 13th)
d) a veteran of 80s camp movie-musicals?
She looked familiar, but it was that charming nasal voice that gave her away. Sylar’s mom was none other than Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors. I’ve never been one for musicals, but LSoH was a staple of my youth. It’s the perfect of amalgam of vintage New York and science fiction – just as absurd as Rocky Horror but not as gay. A little IMDBin’ will show that the Audrey (Ellen Greene) has not done much of consequence between then and now, but if Heroes and Little Shop are the bookends to her career, I’m sure she’s plenty satisfied. (Also, she apparently has had a really successful stage career going for her – if you dig that.)
Fulfilling the duty of all classic cinema killers’ moms, Virginia died at the hands of her evil spawn. And whether it was unconsciously intentional or by accident, it’s safe to assume our man Sylar has gone completely over the edge. He tries to destroy a now Audrey-less New York next week.
i’ll give you the mom, dude – but last night’s episode was unbearable. They must have called in the “B” team to write up a script to follow last weeks masterpiece, because I could hardly even watch it. It was just like it used to be – inexplicable stupidity, poor dialog, focus on the least interesting characters, and utter nonsensical catalysts (how exactly did those scissors get through mom’s rib cage? accidentally?) – i have no doubt that they’ll do something to win me back before the end of the season, but Heroes pushed “terrible” of “24″ proportions last night.