I’ve started watching season 2 of Heroes. I had heard much talk of Cork being in the second season, and god it’s bloody awful. The accents are woeful, the sets make Ireland look like it did in 1954 rather than 2007. The second episode shows a pub “The Wandering Rock” (whatever that meansan apparent reference to Ulysses – in Cork?), with dingy bathrooms and people wearing shabby dirty clothes. Jaysus.
I guess there are some pubs like that, but do we have to stereotype to such a degree?
Here’s hoping it gets better.
Without giving away any real spoilers, I have seen it Series 2 right up to Episode 6, and I can guarantee the Cork accents don’t get any better, but overall the plot just about has enough to keep me interested.
I thoroughly agree about the lack of authenticity. In this day and age surely it isn’t that difficult to make a few phone calls to find out what a place is really like if you’re going to use it in a storyline.
Exactly, is it too much to expect writers to realise Irish people don’t say really say ‘boyo’ (especially not in Cork). And while the first mention of Cork is stealing some iPods from Cork harbour, surely they could have made the bar a bit more contemporary to reflect that we know what iPods are? As oppose to frickin vinyl?
Even funnier are Cork security guards with guns.
With badges!
I was informed by an American friend of mine that most Americans who haven’t traveled outside of their state never mind country would not accept that Ireland is a modern society. Thus the producers kept in mind what type of audience they wanted. And kept a murder she wrote type of Ireland that the “American’s can respond to with out a single brain cell being used.
I don’t think Americans are dumb, but are the writers lazy?
I don’t think Americans are dumb in general. But my friend said that the producers do and their also American. The writers are just doing what the producers tell them.
“The Wandering Rock” must be a reference to the Wandering Rocks episode in Ulysses. I guess since Lost referenced Flann O’Brian, the Heroes writeers decided they had to get a Joyce reference in. Pity it’s the wrong city though; goes along with the general lack of authenticity I suppose.
Jaysus, will wonders never cease.
I’ve just been catching up with series 2 this last week. It’s weird seeing “Cork” filtered through the show. It does kind of put it into perspective when these shows go to other countries. Are there portrayals of all other countries so innaccurate? Makes you feel sorry for the residents of Mumbai and Tokyo who must be watching loads of American programming…
Just saw episode 8. Want a glaring oversight? Apparently taxis in Cork are Black Cabs, ala England, with yellow licence plates. I mean come on, how hard is it for them to get some aspect of Ireland right? I wonder has anybody heard an Irish accent in America and do they still think we are part of the UK?
The fact that one guy mentions the “thousands of containers in Cork harbour” suggests to me that they just did a search for a port in Europe and thought that Cork would have a charming Irish appeal or something. But yeah, it’s a real stereotypical view, and the accents are not only dire, but all different. One guy’s is English, one is belfast and one is half dublin half galway pikey accent :O