Heroes 3x14 "A Clear and Present Danger" Discuss and Grade
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I don't get this. How would feeling guilty over someone's death make him retain the power he took from them? Does that mean it was the only one he was guilty about out of everyone he killed? And why that one person? Did they explain any of this?
Since his power is that he was able to alter his own brain to duplicate another person's power (which means he MUST have had some kind of telekinesis beforehand to rearrange his own brain matter), thinking about one guy above all else means the effects of that first fellow would be more "burned" into his brain than anyone elses'. So that burned in memory meant he was able to maintain that first brain alteration over all the others.
I'm starting to think Sylar's actual number one ability is empathic mimicry like Peter as Arthur sorta implied, but on a cruder level where he really needs to become personally and emotionally involved with the person to absorb their power (ie Elle and her guilt). Perhaps when he was young he absorbed intuitive aptitude from somone else (maybe his real father?) and because of the overwhelming "hunger" he sees and thinks that as his own natural ability. I don't know. As good as a rationalization as any I guess.
Arthur explained to him earlier in the season that he is capable of empathic mimicry as Peter was. Davis was the first one he killed and thus the person he feels the most guilt over. That guilt leads to empathy and there you go, telekinesis.
Encouraging.
As it is now set up, this chapter has far more potential to remain focused than the Villains chapter or Season 2. The Heroes are banned together against a common threat, instead of muddling about in small groups/individually in undernourished subplots that went nowhere.
And the threat is tangible and personal. It's not an abstract concept of saving the world because a painting showed the earth cracked (or whatever it was last chapter). It's a very simple "the black SUVs are out to get us, run!"
Further, it appears: Nathan is fixed. He is far more in line with the oily politician he was originally slated to be. His personal relationship with the Heroes, and his apparent betrayal - to the Heroes, his family and "his own kind" - makes him a compelling bad guy. Peter is fixed. Assuming the single ability speculation is correct, his powers aren't plot breaking. Noah is fixed. Less Claire-Bearing more shadow lurking and mystery. Sylar is fixed. Less good to bad to good to bad again flip flopping while whining about it the whole way. More menace and butt kicking. Claire is fixed. Less ...well ... come to think of it, Claire isn't fixed. She can't be. Even so, she was put to decent use.
Again, encouraging. Let's hope this keeps up.
Decent viewing: Above Average.
As it is now set up, this chapter has far more potential to remain focused than the Villains chapter or Season 2. The Heroes are banned together against a common threat, instead of muddling about in small groups/individually in undernourished subplots that went nowhere.
And the threat is tangible and personal. It's not an abstract concept of saving the world because a painting showed the earth cracked (or whatever it was last chapter). It's a very simple "the black SUVs are out to get us, run!"
Further, it appears: Nathan is fixed. He is far more in line with the oily politician he was originally slated to be. His personal relationship with the Heroes, and his apparent betrayal - to the Heroes, his family and "his own kind" - makes him a compelling bad guy. Peter is fixed. Assuming the single ability speculation is correct, his powers aren't plot breaking. Noah is fixed. Less Claire-Bearing more shadow lurking and mystery. Sylar is fixed. Less good to bad to good to bad again flip flopping while whining about it the whole way. More menace and butt kicking. Claire is fixed. Less ...well ... come to think of it, Claire isn't fixed. She can't be. Even so, she was put to decent use.
Again, encouraging. Let's hope this keeps up.
Decent viewing: Above Average.
Above Average. Why Noah Bennet decides to work for Nathan Petrelli makes little sense. He's no saint and doesn't have a spotless record, but in recent seasons he has evolved more into a protagonist, one who collaborates with the good guys to stop threats like Sylar. Noah must be aware that Nathan has an agenda and is working with the government, which is now kidnapping the superpowered people one by one, and that Claire would be no exception, even if Nathan didn't want her to get involved. The least he could do is try to protect his adoptive daughter from her biological father.
I should have known we'd be in trouble when we got Peter AND Claire emoting in the first 3 minutes of the episode... 
Did the writers really claim that this show was on the path to becoming more character-driven as opposed to the plot-driven, "let's have the characters do whatever suits the plot even if it doesn't make sense" crap that was the second and third seasons so far? If so, they failed miserably.
Of course, that might have to do with the characters being ruined to the point that nothing they do makes sense anymore. I'd like to see someone try and explain how Nathan and HRG got to where they are now in any logical fashion.
Did the writers really claim that this show was on the path to becoming more character-driven as opposed to the plot-driven, "let's have the characters do whatever suits the plot even if it doesn't make sense" crap that was the second and third seasons so far? If so, they failed miserably.
Of course, that might have to do with the characters being ruined to the point that nothing they do makes sense anymore. I'd like to see someone try and explain how Nathan and HRG got to where they are now in any logical fashion.
my guess is that Nathan promised Noah he'd keep her safe/away from the camps if he would help him out...
That's what I figured. It also goes a ways toward explaining why Ma Petrelli is also along for the ride. But with her, it is a little harder to say for certain; I've never really gotten a handle on what motivation drives her.
Since season one, Nathan has always shown the potential for evil. Nathan's new purpose was talked about in "The Eclipse, Part II". Whether you believe it or not is an entirely different matter.
Noah's involvment with the hunters will be explained in the next few episodes. Obviously the writers didn't want to reveal everything by the end of the first episode.
A good point there. It seems to be a Heroes tradition that once a year we get an episode that flashes back to what happened before the start of the season's first episode.
Above Average.
Yes, it has taken me this long to get around to this frakkin' episode!
OY! LIFE!
Pretty respectable start to the new volume. The premise appears to be a lot simpler than the "Villains" idea - which could have been great in competent hands - but in the hands of hacks (which this show still is in, till the very final episodes), a simple-minded chase plotline is probably for the best. After that, I expect Bryan Fuller to take on more interesting and complex plotlines, and have some confidence he can actually do so.
Till then, we're in a holding pattern and just hoping this all isn't too dopey...
Mohinder appears to have gotten over his bout of extreme stupidity and has gone back to believing that yes, powers are BAD! Very BAD! Why did he have to smack his head against the wall to figure this out? Who knows, but I'm willing to move on...
Very fun watching the Men in Black take down all our mutant heroes with relative ease and then run up against a brick wall named SYLAR.
That's our boy! I don't even care how or why he survived, since it was so damn obvious he would.
Nathan - eeeeh. There better be a good explanation for what he is really up to, and why he Can't Tell Peter. Yeesh.
Most importantly, Peter looked very cute in his paramedic uniform, even cuter than the football uniform from the Superbowl ad. Obviously the way to improve Heroes is to find new jobs for Peter to have, that require him to wear a variety of uniforms. Any way we can get him in the navy?
Looks like they're setting Peter and Mo up to be the lovebirds this season, now that Petrellicest is taking a (hopefully temporary) breather.
Onwards to this week's Heroes! Well Lost first. Then this week's Heroes.
The writers suck. There's no point trying to figure out their nonsensical logic. They had Sylar keep the TK because it's his signature power. They've already turned poor Sylar into a pretzel and then some simply because they think certain things are "cool" - he loses his powers, then gets them back, then becomes a Petrelli, then gets a girlfriend who he follows around like an obedient poodle, then loses his powers again and gets them back, then un-becomes a Petrelli, then kills his girlfriend because she doesn't want to stay with the show...ech. I'm not fretting over any plot logic till Bryan Fuller comes on board.
Heck I thought they'd return him to his power-sponge status, too. But they had to do something to stop the overkill on the power thing. And I expect more fun & games with the rules behind Peter's essential power-sponginess. They'll find some way for him to keep the powers longer or something. They aren't through with messing with that boy yet.
Peter's power is much more useful than Ando's - he can swipe an antagonists' power and turn it against him. Makes for some very interesting possibilities vis a vis his next encounter with Sylar (and this time I hope gaining Sylar's power also causes tweaky mentality for the duration of the power, since it never made any sense that it wouldn't and it's been established that Sylar's insanity stems from his powers, unless the writers change their minds or forget about that, too).
Yes, it has taken me this long to get around to this frakkin' episode!
OY! LIFE!Pretty respectable start to the new volume. The premise appears to be a lot simpler than the "Villains" idea - which could have been great in competent hands - but in the hands of hacks (which this show still is in, till the very final episodes), a simple-minded chase plotline is probably for the best. After that, I expect Bryan Fuller to take on more interesting and complex plotlines, and have some confidence he can actually do so.
Till then, we're in a holding pattern and just hoping this all isn't too dopey...
Mohinder appears to have gotten over his bout of extreme stupidity and has gone back to believing that yes, powers are BAD! Very BAD! Why did he have to smack his head against the wall to figure this out? Who knows, but I'm willing to move on...
Very fun watching the Men in Black take down all our mutant heroes with relative ease and then run up against a brick wall named SYLAR.
That's our boy! I don't even care how or why he survived, since it was so damn obvious he would.Nathan - eeeeh. There better be a good explanation for what he is really up to, and why he Can't Tell Peter. Yeesh.
Most importantly, Peter looked very cute in his paramedic uniform, even cuter than the football uniform from the Superbowl ad. Obviously the way to improve Heroes is to find new jobs for Peter to have, that require him to wear a variety of uniforms. Any way we can get him in the navy?
Looks like they're setting Peter and Mo up to be the lovebirds this season, now that Petrellicest is taking a (hopefully temporary) breather.
Onwards to this week's Heroes! Well Lost first. Then this week's Heroes.
The writers suck.
There's no point trying to figure out their nonsensical logic. They had Sylar keep the TK because it's his signature power. They've already turned poor Sylar into a pretzel and then some simply because they think certain things are "cool" - he loses his powers, then gets them back, then becomes a Petrelli, then gets a girlfriend who he follows around like an obedient poodle, then loses his powers again and gets them back, then un-becomes a Petrelli, then kills his girlfriend because she doesn't want to stay with the show...ech. I'm not fretting over any plot logic till Bryan Fuller comes on board.Oh this plotline is far more antique than that - the X-Men were being harassed by the gubmint in the 1960s. Back then, it was all about McCarthyism.
You called?- TEMIS! I told you! I told you Peter would get some nerfed, single use power! I WIN TEH INTERNETS!
- Seriously, though, Peter's power is almost as useless as him not having any powers at all. He's like Ando, he needs another person with powers around to do anything.
Heck I thought they'd return him to his power-sponge status, too. But they had to do something to stop the overkill on the power thing. And I expect more fun & games with the rules behind Peter's essential power-sponginess. They'll find some way for him to keep the powers longer or something. They aren't through with messing with that boy yet.Peter's power is much more useful than Ando's - he can swipe an antagonists' power and turn it against him. Makes for some very interesting possibilities vis a vis his next encounter with Sylar (and this time I hope gaining Sylar's power also causes tweaky mentality for the duration of the power, since it never made any sense that it wouldn't and it's been established that Sylar's insanity stems from his powers, unless the writers change their minds or forget about that, too).
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