Some Heroes thoughts inspired by the original draft of the pilot

[selenak]

I suppose this is old news to other watchers, but the script of the "Heroes" pilot, dated 12/2/05 and presumably written before they cast any of the actors is very interesting as a work in progress, and illustrates, among other things, how it pays for TV makers to be flexible. For example, in this version, Claire's adopted father, Mr. Bennet, is not yet identical with Horned Rimmed Glasses; these are two different characters. (Also, his first name is Kent. KENT? Never mind, worse naming choices will be revealed.) As the HRG-Claire connection and relationship is rather crucial for the show as it turned out, I wonder who had the inspired idea to make the two characters one and the same, and whether it came before or after they cast Jack Coleman as HRG.

Also, Zach is a girl named Zoe, though he/she has the same dialogue. The line about Claire promising to talk to Zoe in public, which is in the pilot as broadcast and said to Zach, reminds me of something:



Although "Six Months Ago" has Claire being uneasy with Jackie's behaviour, she clearly was ambitious enough to go not just for the cheerleader position but also for the popular girl position in general, in fact so ambitious that she did ditch old pal Zach - Godsend has him (when mindwiped) bringing up again that Claire stopped talking to him in their later high school years, too - until she needed someone when finding out about her powers. She also reacts to the initial discovery by wishing it away, resenting the whole thing and trying as hard as she can to cling to her previous normal life. Of course, in a linchpin, she does come through, and uses her powers to save someone life. Does this remind you of anyone? Claire does share traits with Nathan after all.


Meanwhile, it's clear that the Petrelli brothers were planned as the most co-dependent relationship of the lot from the start. Only they're not the Petrellis yet; instead, they're the Campbells, and additionally burdened with the names Ethan (Peter) and Harrison (Nathan). Also, they're twins. Not being Italian does not stop them from getting physical (Harrison delivers Nathan's "you need to snap the fuck out of this, you understand?" etc - lines identical to what was broadcast eventually - after having grabbed Ethan and pulled him against a wall) or bursting into emotional declarations. Interestingly, one of the cuts mirrors the second Nathan and Peter scene from O.07, only with reverse positions. To wit:



HARRISON:

(...) What are you doing there, Ethan?

ETHAN:

Finding out who I am!

HARRISON:

You know who you are! You're my brother! My better half! The nicest guy on the planet!


And the scene ends with:


Ethan is heavy and Harrison unsteady. He can't hold him up. Ethan slips out of Harrison's arms! Harrison grabs on to Ethan's hand (...)

HARRISON:

Ethan...oh god...

A desperate beat, as they try to hold on.

ETHAN

It's okay. I love you, Harrison.

And as Ethan's fingers begin to slip, Harrison holds on for dear life as we slam to black: The End.


Now, aside from the fact some script editor must have said "Kring, let's save the declarations until a bit later", the most important change made was from twin brothers to older brother/younger brother, and that obviously came with the casting; same with the name change and the Italian-American background. In regards to Angela Petrelli, who is Alice Campbell in the draft, and how she developed in the course of the show, it's definitely worth noting that even in her introduction scene, the script says "don't let her sweet appearance fool you, this is a formidable woman"; if anything, the "your brother doesn't love you" discussion later with Ethan is even harsher on her part than the one Angela and Peter have in the broadcast version. Ah, Petrellis. Even when you were Campbells, you were outlined as such a screwed up family.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

That would have made him 21 when Claire was born - an adult, and thus someone who at least theoretically should have had more to say about how to deal with his girlfriend and daughter than a minor (we are talking about the Petrellis here of course, so I'd think he would still have been in trouble had he been 32 at that point).

I really want more on the Meredith backstory. When she says to Nathan, re: Claire, "she thought you'd save her from her sad life - sounds familiar?" it sounds like an allusion to their old relationship, so she did expect him to save/marry her. But otoh, it doesn't sound as if he just dumped her when she got pregnant, either; other than that remark, she's nowhere near bitter enough for that, and if he went to her funeral, she wasn't a "secret" he kept at the time, either. Also, he recognizes her voice after 14 years, so I do believe him when he says to Angela she meant something to him. Angela's "Nathan's folly in Texas" description sounds like Meredith was beyond the pale for the senior Petrellis socially; or she might have been "folly'" because he could have considered moving there and living with her and Claire instead of following his career. We just don't know.

Unsuccessfully tries to envision Peter as Michael Corleone.

"That's my family, Simone. It's not me."

[wee-warrior.livejournal.com]

I really want more on the Meredith backstory.

Oh, seconded. They really built it up as something more than just a fling, in the way Nathan reacted to her call and later when he talked to Angela, and the way they interacted with each other, be that on the phone or later in the trailer. I also thought that Angela's whole demeanour in her conversation with Nathan had very much of an enraged parent whose underage son has messed up badly - to contrast, she is as cold and ruthlessly practical when she suggests hiding Peter's body until after the election, but she doesn't treat him with the same scorn. It suggests that she did definitely see Meredith as a fauxpas Nathan committed, and the "folly" remark nicely underscores that

Tim Kring said at some point that we'd see more of Meredith in Season Two, so I hope we'll eventually find out the details.

"That's my family, Simone. It's not me."

Hee. It has been ages since I saw the movie. Now I'll see Marlon Brando every time I try to imagine Dallas.