Mr_Grue wrote:Brown asked Matt where he was in his life, where he was dissatisfied, and sought to help him help himself
But he didn't, or at least not where we could see. Matt thought he was applying for some sort of DB game show. We can assume he had an interview which included a chat about his job, life situation, and ambitions -- which would be expected of a game show contestant. But we can't assume he had any kind of serious session where he took a long hard look at his life and decided what he wanted to change.
Mr_Grue wrote:It seems to me that Brown was at pains throughout the show to make it clear that all he was doing was creating opportunities for Matt, and it was down to Matt to make use of them as he saw fit.
True enough. Nobody forced Matt to do the various things he did. In fact, he was probably so dissatisfied that he only needed that one last nudge to set himself moving. It's quite possible that he would have begun making changes entirely on his own within the next few months, with something else acting as a trigger.
Mr_Grue wrote:The message of Hero wasn't "I can cure you" it was "cure thyself".
True. The overall message was basically "this is your life, it's all you've got, so don't waste it". Which is an uplifting thought, and I hope lots of viewers were inspired by it.
It comes down to personal ethics. I'm a big supporter of ends justifying means, and the whole project was done with nothing but goodwill. It's just how far you should alter someone else's free will and self-determination, even when you've got nothing but the person's best interests at heart. And this is a line you've got to draw for yourself.
Speaking entirely for myself, I'm not thrilled by the shift from mentalist to life coach, and I hope it's not a permanent change of direction. Ironically, it's a waste of Derren's talents. (At least in my opinion. He might consider it a higher calling.)
