Director: Ben Gregor
Cast: Nicholas Burns (Alex/The Hotness), Claire Keelan (Sarah/Electroclash), Patrick Baladi (Devlin/Excelsor), James Lance (Don/Timebomb), Rebekah Staton (Jenny/She-Force), Jim Howick (Simon/Thundermonkey), Steve Spiers (Norse Dave), Joe Cornish (Power Hour Presenter, voice), Nick Mohammed (Ian), Alan Barnes (Scottish Drunk), Tom Basden (Fusebox), Tanya Fearon (Hoody Girl), Laurie Hagen (Uninterested Bus Girl), Ray Peacock (Darren), Wayne Powerdavis (Hoody Boy) & Tony Way (Praying Mantis)
Cast: Nicholas Burns (Alex/The Hotness), Claire Keelan (Sarah/Electroclash), Patrick Baladi (Devlin/Excelsor), James Lance (Don/Timebomb), Rebekah Staton (Jenny/She-Force), Jim Howick (Simon/Thundermonkey), Steve Spiers (Norse Dave), Joe Cornish (Power Hour Presenter, voice), Nick Mohammed (Ian), Alan Barnes (Scottish Drunk), Tom Basden (Fusebox), Tanya Fearon (Hoody Girl), Laurie Hagen (Uninterested Bus Girl), Ray Peacock (Darren), Wayne Powerdavis (Hoody Boy) & Tony Way (Praying Mantis)
Its jokes still evaporate from memory, but No Heroic's "The Fantastic Chore" was more amusing than the premiere -- if still too reliant on coarseness. However, the first episode not written by creator Drew Pearce, Daniel Peak's "Mean Gills", was a notable improvement in every respect -- wheedling out some decent laughs.In "The Fantastic Chore", superwimp Alex/The Hotness (Nicholas Burns) is tipped off about a drugs bust, so he sets off to become a hero after boarding a bus to the crime scene -- using the journey time to flirt with a woman (Laurie Hagen), as two teenage hoodies antagonize him.
Meanwhile, Sarah/Electroclash (Claire Keelan) and Jenny/She-Force (Rebekah Staton) go to a convention for fans of their retired crime-fighting partnership -- the unfortunately-named "Ladytrouble". Finally, Don/Timebomb (James Lance) spends time alone in The Fortress pub, where he meets a fellow cape called Fusebox (Tom Basden) with the strange ability to fuse objects (and his own words) together.
Each vignette is more entertaining than anything going on last week, which helps "The Fantastic Chore" pass the time much easier. It was interesting to discover Sarah and Jenny were once a dynamic duo, and scenes of the girls fielding questions from a roomful of geeks (one with a life-sized cutout of Jenny, complete with a hole in its crotch) were good fun. Staton is already the most likeable presence, even if she hasn't done as much. And, while nobody does stroppy cynicism like Keelan, I hope she's not going to be so contemptuous all the time.
Alex's story was once again the least successful, as he's too drippy and pathetic to be appealing. He's the repressed opposite of Devlin/Excelsor (Patrick Baladi), there to be thwarted at every turn despite his best efforts. Burns is a likeable comic actor, but he looks a bit hamstrung by his character's utter insecurity and loser status. He's not a funny creation, just sad and tedious.
James Lance has the most interesting character (his deadpan expressions and miserable manner easing the fact he's the focus of most sex-based punchlines.) In "Mean Gills", Don agrees to take Alex to a seedy strip club (full of hot girls dressed as Wonder Woman), with the intention to cause a ruckus and earn himself a "bad boy" reputation in the press. Needless to say, all Alex succeeds in doing is looking like a bumbling idiot and upsets the staff.
Elsewhere, Claire is reprimanded by the Super Powers Authority for bad behaviour and given a delinquent sidekick as punishment (a bucktoothed teenager called Jackrabbit, who can cause localized earth tremours). Despite her initial reluctance, Claire begins to enjoy Jackrabbit's company and similarly anti-social temperament. This story worked well, mainly because Jackrabbit is twice as funny as any of the regular characters -- earning the show its first belly-laugh when he started vibrating in a booth. Hopefully he'll be back.
At The Fortress, Jenny is excited when a pool player begins flirting with her, although the smooth lothario's disgusting super power is an unfortunate turn-off. Staton again shows welcome vulnerability here, in contrast to her character's more cynical or self-obsessed friends. It was also rather sweet to discover her contempt for super powers because they just get in the way of a normal life. She's the Bridget Jones of superheroes, sort of.
Overall, "The Fantastic Chore" was a small improvement over "Supergroupie", and "Mean Gills" was undoubtedly the best episode yet. Hopefully this improvement will continue and No Heroics will find a winning comedy formula before it ends. Unfortunately, I still don't think any of the characters are particularly strong, the material slips into dumb vulgarity too often… and, most crucially, it's just nowhere near as funny as a superhero comedy should be. But I appreciate ITV2 giving this sitcom a whirl, and hopefully the depressing and miserable atmosphere will continue to clear.
25 September & 2 October 2008
ITV2, 10.30pm
