Heroes Reborn - Season 1 Discussion Thread (with Spoilers)

[Christopher]

Interesting how much recap there was at the start here, as if they knew the last three episodes would come after a hiatus. I didn't expect that, because the last pre-hiatus episode ended on such a weak note that I assumed it was made with the assumption that it would just pick up again the following week.

Oh, look, it's Snap Wexley from The Force Awakens! Hard not to see Grunberg that way now.

And why did the kid who can melt through walls just stand there and watch while Iron Luchador pounded on Micah's cage for half an hour? I guess he still thinks he needs to hide his power, but he just saw his uncle making out with an invisible woman, so you'd think he'd realize it was okay to tell him.

So... is Katana Girl dead, to be replaced by the real Miko as Kiki Sukezane's role? Or will she respawn?

Why would Harris risk his life to kill Katana Girl, instead of using one of his infinite army of clones? He has no reason to ever risk himself. Even if he had a personal grudge against her, using his power to kill her would be enough of a personal touch, I'd think. This was a pretty gratuitous excuse to get him killed before the finale.

I also have trouble with the idea that Matt could mind-control Harris's clones. Do they even have minds to control? Wouldn't Matt have to control Harris Prime to affect his clones?

 

[sojourner]

Oh, look, it's Snap Wexley from The Force Awakens! Hard not to see Grunberg that way now.

Sorry, I must have blinked during that part of TFA. Was he in it?

 

[DWF]

Oh, look, it's Snap Wexley from The Force Awakens! Hard not to see Grunberg that way now.

Sorry, I must have blinked during that part of TFA. Was he in it?

You must've slept though the entire third act then, he was the bearded X-Wing pilot.

 

[Forbin]

I'm still wondering about Harris' clone power. Do their clothes and guns reproduce too? Do the guns then all have the same serial number? The first clone, from his arm, was asked to give the watch back. Does that mean that even though the suit cloned, the watch didn't? Why not?

And why doesn't his severed head and/or body grow back? Highlander rules? Once yer head is off, it's over?

Is it ironic that Katana Girl's final victory was with a yari, not a katana?

 

[sojourner]

Oh, look, it's Snap Wexley from The Force Awakens! Hard not to see Grunberg that way now.

Sorry, I must have blinked during that part of TFA. Was he in it?

You must've slept though the entire third act then, he was the bearded X-Wing pilot.

Ah, one of the talking heads in the X-Wings. Yes, a very prominent role.

 

[Arrrrgggh]

I'm still wondering about Harris' clone power. Do their clothes and guns reproduce too? Do the guns then all have the same serial number? The first clone, from his arm, was asked to give the watch back. Does that mean that even though the suit cloned, the watch didn't? Why not?

Yes, he was shown to appear fully clothed and geared at least once in the first half of the season. As for the watch thing, well, you just can't expect much consistent logic from this show.

And why doesn't his severed head and/or body grow back? Highlander rules? Once yer head is off, it's over?

Even more confounding, why wasn't his blood growing new bodies, too? At least some of it had to have a bit of flesh attached.

Is it ironic that Katana Girl's final victory was with a yari, not a katana?

I'm not even sure how it's her final victory. Why can't the guy just recreate her? All she was was a computer program he animated (through yet another power that makes no sense).

 

[Christopher]

And why doesn't his severed head and/or body grow back? Highlander rules? Once yer head is off, it's over?

That seems to be pretty standard operating procedure in this universe, and a lot of fictional universes: The brain is the key. For instance, Claire could regenerate from anything, but there was a point at the back of her brain that would prevent her from healing if it were blocked or destroyed or something. And Sylar got people's powers by eating their brains, until he found an alternative way of doing it.

I'm more bothered by the death of the priest. We saw him turn his body into a cloud of powder to take out a guard, then reassemble himself into human form, complete with clothes. Clearly he has extensive mental control over the configuration of his molecules. But a moment later, he's shot in the chest and dies. Why? Why couldn't he just turn himself into powder, leave the bullet on the floor as he wafted away, and then reassemble himself in his normal, intact state? This is a perennial problem in superhero fiction, this assumption that shapeshifters are somehow unable to use their shapeshifting to heal themselves. It's one thing if you have a limited shapeshifting ability -- like, say, if you can alter the shape of your face or your general build but not be able to change your actual anatomy that much. But this guy could literally dissolve his entire body into dust, wardrobe included, without being harmed by the process. Being shot is a far, far less extreme loss of bodily integrity than transforming completely into a cloud of dust. So it's inconsistent that he couldn't survive it.

Well... unless maybe he involuntarily took anything on his person with him when he transformed and then just automatically reconstituted in his former state. In that case, if he had dissolved and reassembled, he wouldn't have left the bullet behind but would've dissolved and reassembled it with him in exactly the same configuration as before -- like being beamed by a transporter. But if that were the case, it would've helped to establish that somehow, so that his death scene would make sense.

Oh, wait, this is Heroes. Making sense has never been on the table. I forgot that for a moment.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Micah grew some muscles. I can't believe he's 20 now.

 

[The Old Mixer]

And Sylar got people's powers by eating their brains, until he found an alternative way of doing it.

Did they ever establish in the show that he was actually eating the brains? His reaction when somebody mentioned it (think it was Claire in Season 3) was to say, "That's disgusting!"

 

[Christopher]

^Oh, that's right, I forgot. He studied them and somehow copied how they were wired, or something like that. Yeah, that's it... he was originally a watchmaker and his power was that he could sense how things worked and how to fix them, and that somehow, in a nebulously explained way, gave him the ability to replicate others' superpowers by studying their brain structure.

 

[Mr Light]

I just rewatched Season 3. He just cuts them open and then looks at it. He doesn't eat anything.

 

[Arrrrgggh]

His power was always "figure out how things work." I'm not sure how that allowed him to alter his own brain chemistry, but... again, not the best show for believable (as opposed to realistic) explanations for things.

 

[DWF]

Originally the brains of Sylar's victims were missing which led to the theory that he actually eats brains. There's never been an explaination for the missing brains though.

 

[RJDiogenes]

^^ They're in a warehouse in Presque Isle with everybody's lost luggage and socks.

I'm still wondering about Harris' clone power. Do their clothes and guns reproduce too? Do the guns then all have the same serial number? The first clone, from his arm, was asked to give the watch back. Does that mean that even though the suit cloned, the watch didn't? Why not?

Reminds me of Odo's communicator. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Harris, though, is easier to explain. We can say his cloning powers work more like a 3D printer than cell division and that it works on anything organic. So organic clothes that are in contact with his skin will become part of the process, while watches and guns will not (yes, I know, but his clothes are specially made). Now we just have to solve the mystery of the missing mass-- saying that he can dip into dark matter is kind of heavy (no pun intended), but it would have to be something like that. In the final analysis, we're in comic-book land here.

Even more confounding, why wasn't his blood growing new bodies, too? At least some of it had to have a bit of flesh attached.

Heh. Or other bodily fluids. That would be funny.

 

[Guy Gardener]

That's a waste of food, or catfood.

 

[Mr Light]

OK it's been awhile since the last episode and I've totally forgotten... where did the one guy get the Iron Man armor from? He is not an Evo right? And if he was infiltrating the Evil X-Mansion and I vaguely recall him getting captured.... how did he get the armor back? Did he bring it in with him?

 

[Guy Gardener]

Armourlad's nephew and friend the priest are evo's that were being held at the estate.

He's a really shitty super hero, who used to be a soldier boy with the invisible girl who was guarding the blond twin girl Petrelli, and also rescued form the estate which is why Armourlad and invisible girl were kissing.

Armour lad and bounty hunter did the captured wookie trick from Star Wars, since the handsome bounty hunter chasing down evos was a selfloathing evo himself or he was involved in a different master plan other than getting paid to hunt down evos.

The nurse at the front gate said the armour looked cool but it had to go to the evidence lock up in case to was exotic.

I really don't care enough to learn these peoples names.

 

[Christopher]

OK it's been awhile since the last episode and I've totally forgotten... where did the one guy get the Iron Man armor from? He is not an Evo right?

He built the armor, as he explained to Farah here. His late brother was a superstrong Evo who assumed the identity of the street vigilante El Vengador. After his brother's death, he found the armor and modified it into a strength-enhancing exoskeleton so that he could take over the role.

And if he was infiltrating the Evil X-Mansion and I vaguely recall him getting captured.... how did he get the armor back? Did he bring it in with him?

You must've been out in the kitchen for a bit or something. There was a scene where he and Farah found a room where his armor was being kept (along with her weapons, I think). That's where he explained that he'd built it, while he was putting it back on.

 

[Forbin]

I'm more bothered by the death of the priest. We saw him turn his body into a cloud of powder to take out a guard, then reassemble himself into human form, complete with clothes. Clearly he has extensive mental control over the configuration of his molecules. But a moment later, he's shot in the chest and dies. Why? Why couldn't he just turn himself into powder, leave the bullet on the floor as he wafted away, and then reassemble himself in his normal, intact state?

I shared the question with my wife just now, since she's buzzing around the room while I'm surfing. She says "He wasn't ready."

 

[The Old Mixer]

He was unexpectedly shot while solid, and that killed him real good.