Fun With Keywords: Special “Where’s Mohinder?” Edition

Time for another look at the search phrases people have recently used to find this site. Is this just another excuse to use my snazzy “Where’s Mohinder?” graphic? Yes. Yes, it is. (I mean, just look at it! I Photoshopped ten different Mohinders in there! Ten!)

Let's get to it:

where's mohinder on heroes
sendhil leaves heroes
heroes spoilers +ramamurthy fired
heroes season 5 no mohinder?
is mohinder not in volume 5
why isnt mohinder on heroes volume 5

Mohinder will be back, probably in the episode after next, though it’s doubtful he’s going to have any kind of a relevant role this season. And yes, a male original cast member has been fired, and while I personal suspect it’s not Sendhil Ramamurthy, he’s certainly on the endangered list.

crockett loses his memory in an explosion miami vice
End of season four. After his rock-star wife (Sheena Easton) is murdered, a traumatized Crockett gets amnesia in a boat explosion and assumes the identity of his drug-dealing alter ego, Sonny Burnett. He then runs around shagging Julia Roberts and trying to kill Tubbs. It’s every bit as awesome as it sounds.

chef aprons with penis for Halloween
Er… exactly where are you planning to go Trick-or-Treating?

compass peter petrelli arm
Yeah, Peter’s got this moving tattoo of a compass that mysteriously appeared on his arm three episodes ago and has barely been mentioned since, even though we’ve had a few Peter-heavy episodes in the interim, and even though it sure seems like the sort of thing that would cause Peter a bit of worry. There’s no guarantee it’ll ever be addressed again. Somewhere along the line, probably around the time Peter stranded poor Caitlin in an apocalyptic alternate future and never mentioned her again, the writing on Heroes became disgracefully sloppy.

preppy gang vs biker gang movie
Whatever it is, it’s my new favorite film. The phrase “preppy gang” makes me unspeakably happy.

flash forward ridiculous
"flash forward" "nothing happens"
flash forward too slow

Yes. Yes. Yes.

please tell me claire and gretchen do not hook up
But they’re so loveable together!

do the kids sing on glee
Boy, do they! From what I understand, all the actors on Glee do their own singing. And they do it well.

people from heroes on glee
Meredith, Charlie and Bob.*
(*edit: And mean cheerleader Debbie as mean cheerleader Quinn, of course. Can't believe I forgot Debbie.)

heroes hysterical blindness terrible
Yes. Possibly the worst-ever episode, though I’m still going to cast my vote for “1961.”

heros scene in indian restaurant
heroes claire spitting indian food
psych indian dinner scene
bollywood homicide episode of psych can't see out of his left eye
psych bollywood homicide i see dead people

I could write a doctoral dissertation on the differences in tone between the Indian food scene in Heroes and the Indian food scene in the “Bollywood Homicide” episode of Psych. Both scenes had essentially the same premise (Westerners having a hard time with Indian food), but while the tone of the Heroes scene was weirdly malicious toward Indian culture, the latter approached it from the opposite direction and placed the ridicule squarely in the laps of our bumbling heroes. It helped that the scene was damn funny and chock full of bon mots (“I see dead people!” “I can’t see out of my left eye!”), and was executed with impeccable comic timing across the board.

who played raj on psych
who is raj on psyche
raj psych

Dear Heroes:
Sendhil Ramamurthy is smoking-hot. People like watching smoking-hot people. Sometimes, they'll even compulsively Google smoking-hot people to find out more about them. Just thought you should know.
Hugs,
Morgan

worst scene in heroes
Wow. There are so many to choose from. Here’s a random list of ten:
1. Peter rails at Jesus in “Into Asylum.”
2. Sylar calls Elle an angel in “Villains.”
3. The flashback scenes in “1961.”
4. Hiro stops the Indian wedding in “Building 26.”
5. Emma and Peter play the piano and marvel at the dazzling lights in “Tabula Rasa.”
6. Claire drops by HRG’s apartment and gives him a pep talk in “Acceptance.”
7. Claire and Gretchen mock Indian food in “Ink.”
8. Evil Alternate Future Claire tortures Peter in “I Am Become Death.”
9. Angela claims she only does evil things for the greater good in “Into Asylum.”
10. Sylar discovers he has The Power of Empathy in “It’s Coming.”

why did puck join glee club?
To further the plot. Glee is really not the sort of show where you should spend any time wondering about the motivations of any given character. Just sit back and enjoy the peppy musical numbers.

who sings avenues and alleyways on karaoke on the film love honour and obey
Jonny Lee Miller, and he does it awesomely.

who plays boy's father in flash forward
Snotty Commodore Norrington

what is matt parkman's sobriety chip for
You remember in the awful later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer how they started making all sorts of ham-fisted allegories between Willow’s use of magic and drug abuse? Same thing here: They’re drawing parallels between alcoholism and Matt’s apparent addiction to using his psychic powers. It’s falling flat, mostly because we’ve never seen any indication that Matt’s powers are, in fact, addictive.

sendhil ramamurthy cheekbones
Phenomenal.

Comments

levitatethis said…
I love the various searches that bring people to your blog. It’s like a strange trip down memory lane.

I believe my thoughts on Mohinder’s lack of Season 4 appearance are well documented. I’m too tired to repeat myself. But I love your photoshopped Carnival picture in which ten of him appear. Also, maybe Mohinder should be the next Heroes cast member on Glee?

Ah yes, what the hell is the deal with Petrelli’s compass arm that hasn’t been mentioned since we first saw it? It’s things like this that make me want to storm the writers room...as does the list of worse scenes in heroes. Ugh. They all bring a grimace to my face. Reading those makes me want to pet Season 1 and hug it close to my chest.

You’re right on in your dissection of the Indian food scene in Psych versus Heroes. Same premise but one show did it right (funny) and the other came across more malicious. Heroes has this consistent problem with race and culture and how to address or mention those things without sounding like condescending and prejudice idiots. I honestly don’t understand how they get it so wrong.

I knew there was a reason I hated Matt’s mindreading as a drug addiction storyline...I hated it the first time around as Willow’s magic=drugs storyline.

Johnny Lee Miller? Good. Preppy Gang? Awesome. Sendhil’s irrefutable hotness? Perfection.
Morgan Richter said…
Also, maybe Mohinder should be the next Heroes cast member on Glee?

Personally, I'd be thrilled if Sendhil became a recurring character on Psych. Raj could become Shawn and Gus's smoking-hot chick-magnet receptionist who sometimes helps them solve crimes.

The "Bollywood Homicide" episode of Psych probably benefitted from having an Indian co-writer and an Indian director (wild concept: an ethnically-diverse writing staff = better ethnic characterizations). The humor in the scene came from watching Shawn and Gus trying to bluff their way through through the meal -- we were supposed to laugh at them, not relate to them. Whereas the humor (or "humor") in the Heroes scene was from a weirdly malicious standpoint of "Indian food is unappealing", and we were intended to relate to poor Claire and Gretchen, who were forced to eat this funny, unappetizing stuff.

(The scene gets to the crux of my problem with Claire. On the one hand, I'm sure there are plenty of teen girls out there who would misbehave in a restaurant by making fun of the food and spitting it into a napkin. But it's constantly jammed down our throats that Claire is special. If the writers want us to believe it, they can't show her doing crap like making fun of other cultures. She has to be better than that, or she's not special.)

We've seen Matt using his mind-control ability in situations where he probably shouldn't, but we haven't seen anything to suggest that Matt's powers are anything like an addiction. Abusing powers is not the same thing as being addicted to them, at all. The whole sobriety-chip business came out of left field, and it's not convincing, because they never bothered to lay any groundwork.
levitatethis said…
With Psych we as the audience we're meant to laugh at Shawn and Gus. Mission accomplished. The jokes weren't anything new but they work because they're ones that come up with Indian food (I can eat hot, but I've had my share of insanely hot Indian food that made me break into food sweats). And yes I think that having a diverse writing cast (or even just having people who have experienced something outside of their own ethnic group) is a plus.

On Heroes it seemed like we were supposed to laugh at the Indian food and anyone who would consider it food. I mean, when you have Claire referring to it as the yellow stuff or orange stuff it's just offensive. And as an extension of that it makes Claire seem like a moron. She's never heard of the term curry? Even if it's misused at least it would show some sort of recognition.

The Matt storyline is another example of them telling us something without showing it to us. It wouldn't have been difficult to show Matt abusing his power to the point where it becomes an addiction but we've never seen that. I'd prefer a storyline in which he uses his ability on the job and it's all going swimmingly but then there are concerns from his superiors about how he seems to know certain things before anyone else, before the facts present themselves. Under that scrutiny Matt would have to struggle with how and when to use his power but not to not use them (if that makes any sense?).

Sendhil needs a gig on a show that appreciates him and makes use of him. It's not alot to ask for but apparently Heroes finds it an insane request.
Morgan Richter said…
On Heroes it seemed like we were supposed to laugh at the Indian food and anyone who would consider it food.

Yeah. That was the entire joke. And it wasn't a clever enough joke to make it worth insulting an entire culture.

One of the things I've always dug about Matt's characterization are the little nuggets that have been planted along the way to suggest Matt has some moral weak spots (stealing the diamonds, using mind control to manipulate his NYPD boss, using telepathy to rekindle his bond with Janice), which was beautifully supported by Evil Matt in the Five Years Gone universe. It also raises the possibility of a cool plotline about Matt trying to resist corruption by not deciding not to use his powers (and possibly failing miserably)... but again, that's not the same thing as being addicted to powers. It seems like they're trying to take responsibility for Matt's actions out of his hands (it's an addiction! he can't help it! he just wants to do the right thing!), which is skirting too close to the Volume Three crap of "The Hunger makes Sylar kill! It's not his fault! He's a gentle soul at heart!"

At this point, I don't think Heroes is doing justice to any of the characters. At least everyone else is getting screentime, unlike poor Sendhil. I'm staggered by the number of bad decisions the show has made over the past couple of seasons.
levitatethis said…
Back in season 1 the writers did a much more solid job of showing the complexities to the characters, such as the weak moral spots in Matt's character. There were times he used his ability for an overall greater good and other times for more selfishly motivated reasons. The show could and should have built on that, make the distinctions between those less obvious and therefore more questionable, all working towards the Matt we see in the 5YG verse.

It does feel like this show is becoming notorious for taking away characters responsibilities. So many of them are now coming across as victims of circumstance instead of being active agents in their own stories.
Morgan Richter said…
So many of them are now coming across as victims of circumstance instead of being active agents in their own stories.

Yes, exactly. I'd argue that Mohinder is the notable exception to this, which is one of the things that makes his absence in the current volume so hard to stomach. As much as I hated "1961", I appreciated how self-savvy Mohinder was in it, what with explicitly telling HRG and Peter, "I did awful things when I was a crazy bug-man, and now I suspect I'm not a good person, and I need to find some way to make it right." It was a rare moment of clarity for the show (and a moment that almost everyone, Peter and Claire included, could use every once in a while).

On the other hand, I don't like how Mohinder is the show's sole whipping boy. Sylar? Did bad things because The Hunger (and maybe Elle, the minx) drove him to it. HRG? Just wanted to protect his family. Angela? It was all for the greater good of humanity. Tracy? Just wanted to get her old life back. Even Nathan, who rounded up and imprisoned everyone with powers who wasn't a blood relative, is consistently portrayed in a more heroic light than Mohinder. I question the imbalance.

I think there's an interesting story to be told about Matt wanting to use his abilities for good, but gradually becoming corrupted by them. Too bad we're not seeing that story.
Anna said…
What I heard about that Indian food scene made me hate Heroes. Seriously, you do not get to make inconsiderate jokes like that when you cannot even bother to give your one Indian main character SCENES.
I hope this show dies.

Right now, I want Sendhil on White Collar. I would campaign for this.
levitatethis said…
Anna - I take it White Collar has started in the States? It's not starting in Canada until Friday but I can't wait (based on the promos I've seen) and now hearing you say Sendhil should be on this show has me more excited for it. Maybe you can lead the charge?

Morgan - it's interesting isn't it how Mohinder gets dragged through the mud on this show (and yet at least he has some self awareness) whereas characters who knowingly and willingly did horrible things are getting a free pass. Actually it's not interesting, it's unfair bullshit.
Anna said…
Well, to be fair, I want Sendhil to be on pretty much every show (except Heroes), but I'm impressed with White Collar because it is a light-hearted show that has competent and likeable characters who like and respect each other... and... and... After Glee, FlashForward, and - duh - Heroes, it's extremely satisfying to watch a TV show where the characters aren't being their own worst enemies, and don't make a huge drama out of every little issue. There is even a marriage that isn't just there to be destroyed. No love triangle, divorce angst, no deceit. (Even the slashers like the wife. I'm honestly stunned!)

It made me feel how TV should make one feel: good. Take notes, Heroes.
Morgan Richter said…
Anna, it's good to hear that White Collar is worth watching. I'll check it out.

Seriously, you do not get to make inconsiderate jokes like that when you cannot even bother to give your one Indian main character SCENES.

Yup. It was an alarmingly tone-deaf scene. Heroes, you already sidelined Mohinder. No sense mocking his culture on top of it.

it's interesting isn't it how Mohinder gets dragged through the mud on this show (and yet at least he has some self awareness) whereas characters who knowingly and willingly did horrible things are getting a free pass.

The tone of the show got actively contemptuous toward Mohinder last season (there were traces of that even in volume two -- in "Cautionary Tales", we're clearly meant to sympathize with HRG over Mo). It's unsettling.
levitatethis said…
Whoa, hold the phone. White Collar has a marriage in it that is not meant to be destroyed? You mean it's like an actual, functioning relationship? That's just shocking. I'm so used to supposedly committed relationships being easily and unoriginally brought down through adultery, lies, blahblablah. So it looks like I have yet another reason to check the show out.

I hated how during season 2 so many people were mad at Mohinder for not following Bennet's orders without question. That kind of blind faith drove me nuts. Bennet is good as a rogue soldier but an absolutely terrible leader. He has no clue how to lead a team, relying on "do as I say" as his motto. He doesn't share necessary information, instead expecting people to trust him implicitly.

Had he actually given Mohinder reason to trust him in season 2, had he actually been there for him and shared some necessary information so much would have been different. Instead Mohinder is made to look like an idiot through his actions, but I tended to think that Mohinder's actions made sense given everything he didn't know. He had to make a judgement call based on very limited information and let's be honest for two seconds -- Bennet would have totally shot Elle and it would have been the latest in a long list of highly disturbing actions on his part. Yet somehow he's still held up as this great hero, as a "good guy", and anyone who questions him deserves to die (?). Not only is it a case of bad writing but it's one of the aspects of the viewership that makes me cringe -- that certain characters are essentially given the go ahead by fans to do what they want while others (like Mohinder) are constantly attacked.

Apparently (in a recent?) Entertainment Weekly post a fan or contributer was listing things she can't stand and Mohinder was one of her choices -- she couldn't say if it was the actor or the accent for the show but everytime he talked she wanted him to shut up. Mohinder...a character who has yet to appear this season or be mentioned? To me this smells more like left over dislike based on something from an earlier season that she never got over. And I find a lot of dislike for Mohinder works the same way...people who didn't care for him right off the bat in season 1 hold onto that steadfast dislike through the seasons no matter how much Sendhil improved and tried to make something of what he was given.
Morgan Richter said…
Oh, yeah -- I don't think "Cautionary Tales" is Mohinder's proudest moment (both he and HRG disconnected their brains at key points in that plotline), but for me his big mistake and the part I find inconsistent with his character wasn't shooting Bennet (I thought that was fairly adequately motivated under the circumstances): it was participating in the scheme to kidnap Claire for her blood in the first place. Even with Niki's life potentially at stake, this strikes me as a singularly unMohinderlike thing to do.

Yeah, anyone who has raised any objections to Mohinder for anything post-Volume Three is holding onto residual grudges. He was consistently reasonable and low-key all throughout Volume Four (in the few episodes he appeared, at least), and as for Volume Five... come on.

I'm okay with viewers disliking Mohinder (to each his/her own), but there's a herd mentality at work in a lot of this. My guess is that it mostly springs from passive viewership: Heroes tends to hand-feed viewers what they should think about a character (Angela to Claire in "1961": "I wish I'd had your courage, your strength and self-confidence"), and since viewers have never been explicitly told that Mohinder is awesome -- instead, they've seen HRG call him a son of a bitch in volume two, they've seen Matt refer to him as a monster in volume three, and they saw Mohinder refuse to forgive himself in volume four -- they're quick to join the dogpile of Mohinder hate.

Factor in that he's an ethnic minority -- the only remaining ethnic minority in the principal cast who's not comic relief -- and suddenly the way the writers have fueled viewer antipathy towards Mohinder starts to look like a glaring herpes sore on the show. Sendhil is charistmatic, classically trained, and, lest we forget, smoking-hot. That Mohinder is an unpopular character means someone dropped the ball -- and it wasn't Sendhil.
Lou said…
chef aprons with penis for Halloween
Im afraid. Very afraid.
Anonymous said…
Factor in that he's an ethnic minority -- the only remaining ethnic minority in the principal cast who's not comic relief -- and suddenly the way the writers have fueled viewer antipathy towards Mohinder starts to look like a glaring herpes sore on the show. Sendhil is charistmatic, classically trained, and, lest we forget, smoking-hot. That Mohinder is an unpopular character means someone dropped the ball -- and it wasn't Sendhil.

This. A thousand times. It's completely disgusting. And do you also occasionally typo "herpes" instead of "heroes"?

levitatethis,
What strikes me is how a lot of people - including the actress - notice the stable relationship and point it out as a good, unusual, awesome thing. The same applies to the whole competent "characters who respect each other"... Considering how many TV shows use lack of communication, glaringly obvious mistakes their characters make, misunderstandings, secrets they irrationally keep from each other, and tension and dislike between friends, colleagues and married couples as the main source of a plot...
It's why I've given up on Heroes. That show just radiates HATRED these days, and that the hatred is directed towards its ethnic minorities is simply disgusting. I cannot stand for this. I get mad when I remember that Sylar had the last comment on Maya's storyline: "a long night after a bad taco". I wish I could confront the writers about this stuff, but they'd just feign innocence - however, that they write glaringly racist dialogue and - worse - themes/trends into their story supposedly without noticing just means they're unqualified to write stories for a wide audience in this day and age.
Morgan Richter said…
Im afraid. Very afraid.

Oh, sure, Lou, it's a Halloween tradition. You can find the chef penis aprons in the Halloween costume aisle of your local Kmart, right next to the Batman and Transformers costumes.

Bad enough that the recent Heroes scripts have been lazy and sloppy. Combine that with traces of spite and contempt toward the characters, and watching the show becomes an uncomfortable experience. It's been an awfully long time since I've genuinely enjoyed watching an episode.
Anna said…
Oh, btw:

people from heroes on glee
Meredith, Charlie and Bob.


And Debbie, the one-dimensional mean head cheerleader at Claire's school in Season 2. Now playing the multi-dimensional mean cheerleader Quinn. ;)
Morgan Richter said…
I thought I was missing someone. Yep, Debbie = Quinn. Thanks!