Heroes Season [Volume] 2 (#34)---12/03/07-'POWERLESS' Mid-Season Finale (or the End)

[Dire Bare]

Well last week I called Nikki and Maya; really didn't expect Nathan's assassination, wow. His mom really is a cold hearted *$%%@.

Ma Petrelli didn't order Nathan's death and had nothing to do with it. She was notified by the company (probably Bob) after the fact. She seemed to accept that it was necessary, but that could have been an act. Ma Petrelli will definitely be in Volume 3, but will she be seeking vengeance for Nathan's death?

Hiro dumping Adam in the grave was awesome. That is actually a whole hell of a lot less humane than just killing the guy.

I was horrified when it was revealed what Hiro did with Adam. Imagine being buried alive for all eternity!!!! If/when Adam escapes, whoo-boy he's gonna be nasty! Even after reading some of the posts here and realizing Hiro didn't know Adam's weakness and did what he felt necessary, I'm still wierded out.

 

[Dire Bare]

I thought of that but realised that it's no good--Kensei is immortal, that just gives him millions of years to become more powerful. Then I thought Hiro might have sent Kensei to the distant post-apocalyptic future when Earth was all used up.

Shades of Vandal Savage?

Or he could have done the most evil thing that anyone ever did to anyone in the whole show, what Peter did to Caitlin and was planning to do to her (he left her in a future that he destroyed, so now she no longer even exists, and yet, that was his plan all along--why didn't he ask Hiro to retrieve her first?)

Time travel is a tricky thing to write and each writer (or group of writers) has different time travel rules. Now that Peter has changed the future, what does that mean for Caitlin? We don't know. Does she cease to exist in a future that never happened? Or does she continue in post-apocalyptic New York in a future alternate timeline? Or is she dropped back into the "real world"?

One of Peter's main motivations for helping Adam after regaining his memory was to save Caitlin. Peter was convinced by Adam that if the virus was destroyed, Caitlin would be saved. Will this come to pass? I sure hope they tell us in Volume 3!!!

 

[Dire Bare]

If Grandma Patrelli can shield her mind from telepathy, it's likely that all of the old-school heroes can.

I don't think Ma Petrelli has a "power" to resist telepathy. Rather, she is aware of the "power" and so can fight against it. Most people that Matt and Peter encounter either aren't aware telepathy exists or aren't experienced enough to fight against it.

Matt's dad, the Nightmare Man, was a subtle expert with his powers, so by the time you realized he got you, you're hip deep in nightmares.

By the way, how many of the previous generation heroes are left? Ma Petrelli and Bob, anybody else? (oh yeah, Matt's dad is in a "coma")

 

[Dire Bare]

Well, he didn't get hit with a head shot (by Bennet, no doubt). Peter just pumps some healing juice into him and he's good to go.

This is a possibility, but I think Nathan is dead. It would terribly weaken the dramatic impact if he was resurrected. Of course, that sort of thing happens all the time in the source material!

Sylar's played out. As a villain, he has no real personality or motivation other than "me want more powers".

Actually, in Volume 1, I think they did a great job of showing Sylar's motivations and how he got to be who he is. In Volume 2, Sylar wasn't written all that well so it's easy to forget.

 

[Grog]

I think that's it for me and Heroes. Beyond the terminal stupidity displayed by most of the characters, I feel like they haven't really developed at all this season, and in fact, some of them have actually regressed back to where they were early in season 1. I don't think I'm up for another round of this.

File this year of Heroes under "object lesson in how to take your show from awesome to crap in just half a season."

 

[Glyfair]

File this year of Heroes under "object lesson in how to take your show from awesome to crap in just half a season."

I believe the creator (or one of them) has chalked up this "volume" to a learning lesson. He assumed that people would want more of what they got in the first season. He learned he was wrong.

He's listed quiet a few things he felt he did wrong. Characters shouldn't be far removed from the plot, they should be introduced in the plot was one thing he mentioned.

 

[Felon]

So, I shouldn't be so hard on Heroes, because some other shows have sucked too, er, okay.

By your espoused line of reasoning--namely, that you "expect better of TV" than comics--yes, that would seem to be the case. Everything "TV" is of a certain level of quality and everything that's "comic book" is of a lower level of quality.

Some comic books suck, some don't. Some TV shows suck, some don't. It is, of course, much more reasonable to "expect better" based on more substantial qualities than the medium through which a story is delivered.

 

[Felon]

This is a possibility, but I think Nathan is dead. It would terribly weaken the dramatic impact if he was resurrected. Of course, that sort of thing happens all the time in the source material!

I agree. Then again, I felt that way when Bennet (whom people keep referring to as HRG long after his name has been revealed) had his long-awaited eyeball-shooting prophecy fulfilled, only to come back to life minutes later.

There is a real double-standard that I see about Heroes in these threads. If the characters act stupidly or display bathos, somebody defends the show for portraying the characters as real people, not larger-than-life comic book characters.

Then when the show has its moments where something is handled in a ham-handed manner for dramatic purposes, somebody jumps forth to defend it as being very true to its comic-book inspirations.

And sometimes it's the same darn person.

I think we get the latter here for Nathan's death. If your intention is to silence someone before they expose you, then do not wait until the instant before he makes his announcement to assassinate him--especially not in front of twenty or so cameras. This is indiscreet, and tends to spur investigations, not defuse them. I mean, Peter could call the press up the next day and make his own announcement about why his brother was murdered.

Then again, it's pretty dumb for Nathan to blithely stage that press conference in open public. "Big crowded room with lots of exit and entry points? Sounds good."

Actually, in Volume 1, I think they did a great job of showing Sylar's motivations and how he got to be who he is. In Volume 2, Sylar wasn't written all that well so it's easy to forget.

???

Last season--err, pardon me, in "volume 1"--Sylar is primarily just a shadowy, faceless, brain-splicing boogeyman. He gets three or four episodes of focus, tops. And all we find out is that he's a momma's boy who wanted to be special, and this turns him into a remorseless killer. Then he kills mommy and decides "ah, what the helll, I'll blow up New York".

 

[Felon]

Sylar's nowhere close to being "played out" as a character - as it is now, he's one of the best characters on the show.

He's used-up. Bbone dry. A two-dimensional thug whose closure is long overdue. Time for him and Peter to be moved along and let some other heroes and villains drive for a while.

I caught the episode you refer to, and he was quite happy to gobble up Claire's powers the second he was able, griinning evilly the whole time like a true 2D dastard. So, he wasn't all that tired of stealing powers, was he? He became the evil president because that's what evil 2D dastards do.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Personally, I think Adam deserved his fate since he was stupid enough not to slice open Hiro's neck during his monologue. Think about it, he knows that Hiro can slow down time and teliport, but what does he do? He gives a two minute long monologue and only decides to drop the vial once Hiro tried to grab/teliport him.