Heroes 3x19 "Shades of Gray" Discuss and Grade

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Dream, Mar 9, 2009.

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Grade the episode

  1. Excellent

    8.8%
  2. Above Average

    47.4%
  3. Average

    28.1%
  4. Below Average

    5.3%
  5. Poor

    10.5%
  1. melancholymecha

    melancholymecha Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I think it would have been cooler if Sylar's dad had gotten Sylar's healing power & then he'd stick around as sort of this constant pest for Sylar deal with, always trying to one up him... too bad, he could have been interesting.
     
  2. hyzmarca

    hyzmarca Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Since his escapade in Haiti, Nathan had been concerned about the possibility of superpeople going off the deep end and using their powers to set themselves up as god-kings. And he's just figured out that the National Socialists he's been working with may be a worse problem.

    This episode does a fairly good job of setting up what comes next, in my opinion, just looking at the preview. As a standalone, it's weak, but it is indicative of a real change of pace. They're still holding back a little bit, but they're actually moving towards something again. And they're moving there fast.
     
  3. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I thought this episode was a mild improvement over the norm this volume, but maybe I'm just imagining it since this is the first "Bryan Fuller's Back!" episode. I like the metaphor of Syler's Dad the rabbit killer, and Sylar sparing his life, and the dad trying to kill him for a new life right after his speech about wanting to die. And Nathan finally got outed by Danko, so that was nice. Right after Nathan finally gave him the boot. And even Claire's on the run now, so we're getting some movement on the plot. I also liked the 'redemption' of Puppet Master. As for baby Matt Parkman, I called it would be a baby, but the name sure is a WTF moment. Just a coincidence? Or did Matt transfer his consciousness into a baby or something? Weird.
     
  4. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I think Micah is Rebel.

    This series just hasn't had that spark it had originally, I don't know if it's because the novelty is gone or the quality. It might be the constantly put-upon state of the heroes.
     
  5. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I'd be friggin' shocked if Micah wasn't Rebel, it's basically either him or the Israeli internet girl from S1. Much as I like Parkman, that would have been awesome if they really did blow him and make him a martyr for the mutant cause (or should I say the mutant hunter's cause!).
     
  6. Kryton

    Kryton Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, but it's hardly being "outed" when the only other witness is one of Nathan's strongest allies. Especially considering he'll be dead within hours anyway (Sylar).
     
  7. Snaploud

    Snaploud Admiral Admiral

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    Wasn't there a camera in that room...?
     
  8. DontFeedPhil

    DontFeedPhil Fleet Captain

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    Nope it doesnt look like the Hunter will be killed by Sylar. From the next weeks previews they show the Hunter takining over the company or the unti he was just kicked out of...
     
  9. Mallet

    Mallet Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    So I wonder what the Hunter's Power is?

    He must have one. Nathan's mom pretty much said so during their conversation.
     
  10. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Good.

    I like that Danko finally found out that Nathan can fly. About freaking time. That suicide bomber thing really went nowhere fast. Thank god Sylar didn't take the entire season to find his dad. Sylar met dad and... left him to die alone.

    The Star Trek trailer was a nice surprise!
     
  11. Hyperspace05

    Hyperspace05 Commodore Commodore

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    Above Average - Finally a decent episode that is more than just "meh"...

    - Decent Claire story for once
    - Nathan/Hunter story finally moves forward
    - Nice confrontation between Sylar and SylarDad.
     
  12. FreezeC77

    FreezeC77 Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    So Chuck & Heroes...Same universe? Although it then messes up that Chuck had Al Powell (Die hard/2) appear when the actor who plays the hunter was in Die Hard 4 himself...;)
     
  13. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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    Wait a minute...

    I thought that the baby wasn't Matt's? That it was really the baby of the slug that his wife was sleeping with?:confused: Wasn't that how they wrote the wife out in S2?
     
  14. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    Matt doesn't know if the baby is his or not. We learned from one of the nightmares that Matt's father gave him in season two that Matt never used his telepathy to find out the truth from his wife.
     
  15. HIj'Qa

    HIj'Qa Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    John Glover is always a pleasure to see. And Mohinder next week will ne nice :drool:
     
  16. Icemizer

    Icemizer Commodore Commodore

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    Terrific episode until the last two minutes when once again poor writing hit the reset button.
    Now we know that rebel turned off the camera so there is no proof that Hunter can use to prove Nathan can fly. Watch the scene and notice the red light stops blinking on the camera over Hunters right shoulder meaning the camera goes off.
    Why didnt HRG just give Hunter a push out the window at that point? Would have ended all our problems.
    If Hunter had been removed as the guy in charge why did the agents go after Claire? Noone saw her help the puppet guy.
    How long before Sylars dad shows up on Claires door step?
    How fast can Nathan fly? From Washington to Costa Verde in seconds.
    Baby Parkman is very fat.
    Why was Mrs. Petrelli hugging a sock?
     
  17. Roshi

    Roshi Admiral Admiral

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    So Mama Petrelli is back stealing socks! That's the Fueller touch :lol:

    This episode is sliiiiiighlty better than the usual crap we've been served these last two volumes. From Rebel's action (messages displayed wherever the recipient is) can only mean he's a technopath. So either the whiz kid is back or someone similar will show up.

    And I still laugh my ass off regarding how the writers really care about not uttering the word "power" but use the word "ability" instead! :lol:
     
  18. Servo

    Servo Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Sounds a bit too much like a superpowered version of Lionel vs Lex.

    Having said that, John Glover is always quality, and I do kinda hope this isn't the last we see of him in Heroes.
     
  19. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Below average, cripes. :rommie: Bryan Fuller's episodes start in two weeks, right? I'm gettin' desperate here.

    This was a Fuller episode? Erk.

    So Sylar's road trip amounted to precisely nothing, as he gains the amazing insight that he should kill people who have big-time powers. What exactly has he been doing for three years now? I've never noticed him shying away from dangerous metahumans. Just the opposite - the stronger the power, the more he wants it.

    And now that Peter is "nerfed," poor Sylar doesn't even have someone in his weight class to go after! The whole Sylar plotline this season is a bust. They should have left him a Petrelli and tried to whomp up a good backstory for that (Angela sending him away to keep him out of Arthur's clutches had some potential) instead.

    And the characterization of his dad was just piss poor. He's evil. So what? Don't the writers yet realize that characters who are evil and nothing more are boring? Poor John Glover, completely wasted in a nothing role.

    No doubt Sylar will offer to team up with Danko and hunt mutants together (no way Sylar would consider Danko worthy prey). That should be good for some cheap thrills; Danko will think he can use Sylar and kill him in the end, while Sylar of course will be able to predict, so this will not end well. I love twisted alliances. But none of this solves the essential problem of Sylar, it just postpones it. Again.

    Matt Jr. is an interesting development - good attention to plot logic there. 5YG implies Matt Jr. was indeed Matt's son (otherwise why did Mom go into hiding?) But I'm not wild about any baby being introduced into a story, and this baby is just going to lead to soap opera plotting as Daphne gets jealous about Matt's previous family, blergh.

    It's like there are several establishing scenes for Nathan's motivation that got left on the cutting room floor.

    1) BIG traumatic event that convinces Nathan and the audience that the metahumans are headed for certain disaster if someone doesn't do something.

    2) Nathan mulling over options, realizing that segregating them from the population is the only route likely to succeed.

    3) Nathan trying to convince Peter that his plan is sensible; Peter flips out.

    4) Peter convinces everyone else that Nathan is off the rails and makes the situation worse by making them panic (Not trying to dump the guilt on Peter here; just trying to diffuse it between the brothers and make it all about their character flaws - Nathan too controlling, Peter too stubborn and emotional).

    5) Nathan tries to "solve" the mess of scattered metahumans by rounding them up without regard to their civil rights.
     
  20. melancholymecha

    melancholymecha Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    yeah Im getting sick of Sylar being so untouchable, Id like to see someone give him a run for his money a few times, but not Peter, someone new.

    oh, heh & I dont even watch Smallville.

    btw what was with Nathan sucking on a toothpick? another weird Fuller touch? :p