Thoughts on Heroes 3.5

[sqbr]

It really is becoming the Petrelli show isn't it?



So they replaced the narrator with a Petrelli. And (seemingly at least) killed off two of the non-Petrellis. And then it turns out the big bad? Is a new Petrelii, who has been "dead" since before season one.

Which has gotten me thinking back to that season, and reinterpreting the events in this light. So instead of being a good man with depression who was in the pocket of a mob-boss, Mr Petrelli was a supervillain(*) with a complex friends/foe relationship with a fellow supervillain(*). Hmm.

But then...if Parkman Senior could have chosen ANYONE to be the messenger of God, why Linderman of all people? Nathan hated him, and he was evil, not exactly my first pick for "trustworthy messenger of God". Maybe he likes a challenge.
It's also interesting that he's appearing as Linderman to Daphne, who doesn't even know who he is. Maybe it's easier to take on a persona if he totally gets in character.

Maya notices blood and thinks "Man, why do all the nice guys turn out to be serial killers?"

I am refusing to believe that Maya and Ando are dead. Maya because why else would they have that guys eyes open (and deep down I am convinced she has some sort of destiny. All she's done so far is wander around whining and accidentally killing people) and Ando because even Heroes doesn't have people do things THAT out of character. And everyone loves Ando!

If anyone had told me I'd be cheering on Sylar in a fight I wouldn't have believed them, but having it be him vs Peter against Mrs Petrelli makes for a really interesting dynamic. Though any time he gets near Claire I am skeeved beyond all measure. She needs some decent male role models, maybe *tries to think of a man who hasn't used their powers for evil at some point* ...magical african guy can turn out to be an uncle too(**).

As much as I don't like Mohinder's current storyline (it's icky), Sendhil does do a very pretty "Evil and determined" face (I'd say "Mohinder" were it not for the slime and scales). Peter's, unfortunately, just looks silly.

Ohhhh. It just occured to me: In the future, lots of people have powers. How many of them can see/paint the future? Or travel through time? Hmm, I have a feeling they're going to ignore that though, too complicated. Maybe artificial powers tend to be boring stuff like super strength or flying. Who's doing the graffitti of exploded planets in the present though? Bad wolf?

Hmm, I know there was something else I wanted to say...This show is fun to speculate about :)

(*)As in, bad guy with super powers
(**) I was discussing it with Cam: how long has he had this power? Because up until recently Matt's life was pretty dull. 15 years ago he'd be like "Huh. Another picture of that american guy eating donuts and studying for his exams. Thanks spirit guide, that really helps with my life in *insert generic african country here*"

Comments

[warpwind.livejournal.com]

Peter is waaaay too overpowered and so is sylar for that matter. Honestly I think they should have killed each other in season one then we wouldn't have this escalation problem. To be honest I hate Peter Petrelli my extreme dislike of him stopped me really watching season 2 and I haven't even bothered paying much attention to season 3. And dammit did they make Mohinder more dark/evil? He was one of my favourite characters, why can't they let me remember him as he was?

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, they bought themselves a little time with the "Sylar has lost his powers/Peter has lost his memory" thing, but overall it's an unsustainable situation.

[nephron.livejournal.com]

Hey, do you know what's awesome?

They had two one-episode characters of colour in that episode.

Of course, one of them was a drug dealer, and another was a very angry black man...

[alias_sqbr]

And they both died. But OTHER than that... :)

[kadeton.livejournal.com]

I like the use of Linderman. I liked him as an evil bastard with a power that was purely beneficial to others in Season 1, and I like him as a symbol of the redemption that Nathan craves in Season 3. Of course, mostly I just like him because he's Malcolm McDowell. :D

I think they've been a bit abrupt with the 'transformation' of some characters from good to evil and vice-versa. Mohinder is particularly unconvincing.

As for your point (**), remember that the guy paints the future, not the present. Fifteen years ago, he'd be like "In fifteen years, Parkman's life is really going to suck and then the world will explode."

[alias_sqbr]

Oh, I think Linderman works really well in the part from a narrative POV, I'm just not sure I understand the logic of the guy who put him there :)

I think they've been a bit abrupt with the 'transformation' of some characters from good to evil and vice-versa. Mohinder is particularly unconvincing.

Yeah, it's both unconvincing and much less interesting than it could have been. Characters are much more interesting when the audience isn't sure whether to barrack for or against them or which direction they're headed in (Season 1 Nathan was good for this)

As for your point (**), remember that the guy paints the future, not the present. Fifteen years ago, he'd be like "In fifteen years, Parkman's life is really going to suck and then the world will explode."

Yeah, maybe :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/drayke_/]

Also remember about (**) that this generation all got their powers at about the same time... Claire, Hiro, Peter, Nathan - they had no idea about their powers until that first eclipse. That's what most of season 1 was - exploring their new powers

[alias_sqbr]

Hmm, point. Though we've seen plenty of people who got their powers a bit before or a bit after, and eg the Company haven't made any comment about there being a sudden spike in new powers, so that may have been a narrative choice more than anything. But I'm a bit fuzzy on S1.

[evil-megz.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind they only referred to Mr Petrelli as Mr Petrelli. Keep in mind that Peter Petrelli has the power to travel back in time and has done so god knows how many times...


As for killing characters, I didn't even think they tried to imply that Maya was dead, it's the typical spider paralysing and cocooning a live victim thing. And I am also sure there is some trick to Ando being killed- there seemed to be a bit of the Hiro and Ando story left out between that scene and the last time we'd seen them (in that the scenes were relatively far apart), and here's Daphne involved who is being given visions of Linderman for reasons we are so far unaware of, keeping in mind that Nathan's Linderman-vision was supposedly responsible for bringing him back to life. Secondary to that train of thought is that the guy who said Hiro and Ando were looking for work had just thrown Adam, mr invincible, into the back of a truck. Why grab one of the trio that way and then come for another with such a different approach.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh, that WOULD be an unexpected twist! Clever thought :) Though I'm not sure Mrs Petrelli would have reacted that way then.

Yeah, I don't think they're really dead either.

I think Hiro is only useful as a willing employee, while Adam's main use to an outsider is his blood, which requires no consent :/ (That and he's too sneaky to allow to walk free)

[warpwind.livejournal.com]

Peter is waaaay too overpowered and so is sylar for that matter. Honestly I think they should have killed each other in season one then we wouldn't have this escalation problem. To be honest I hate Peter Petrelli my extreme dislike of him stopped me really watching season 2 and I haven't even bothered paying much attention to season 3. And dammit did they make Mohinder more dark/evil? He was one of my favourite characters, why can't they let me remember him as he was?

[alias_sqbr]

Yeah, they bought themselves a little time with the "Sylar has lost his powers/Peter has lost his memory" thing, but overall it's an unsustainable situation.

[nephron.livejournal.com]

Hey, do you know what's awesome?

They had two one-episode characters of colour in that episode.

Of course, one of them was a drug dealer, and another was a very angry black man...

[alias_sqbr]

And they both died. But OTHER than that... :)

[kadeton.livejournal.com]

I like the use of Linderman. I liked him as an evil bastard with a power that was purely beneficial to others in Season 1, and I like him as a symbol of the redemption that Nathan craves in Season 3. Of course, mostly I just like him because he's Malcolm McDowell. :D

I think they've been a bit abrupt with the 'transformation' of some characters from good to evil and vice-versa. Mohinder is particularly unconvincing.

As for your point (**), remember that the guy paints the future, not the present. Fifteen years ago, he'd be like "In fifteen years, Parkman's life is really going to suck and then the world will explode."

[alias_sqbr]

Oh, I think Linderman works really well in the part from a narrative POV, I'm just not sure I understand the logic of the guy who put him there :)

I think they've been a bit abrupt with the 'transformation' of some characters from good to evil and vice-versa. Mohinder is particularly unconvincing.

Yeah, it's both unconvincing and much less interesting than it could have been. Characters are much more interesting when the audience isn't sure whether to barrack for or against them or which direction they're headed in (Season 1 Nathan was good for this)

As for your point (**), remember that the guy paints the future, not the present. Fifteen years ago, he'd be like "In fifteen years, Parkman's life is really going to suck and then the world will explode."

Yeah, maybe :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/drayke_/]

Also remember about (**) that this generation all got their powers at about the same time... Claire, Hiro, Peter, Nathan - they had no idea about their powers until that first eclipse. That's what most of season 1 was - exploring their new powers

[alias_sqbr]

Hmm, point. Though we've seen plenty of people who got their powers a bit before or a bit after, and eg the Company haven't made any comment about there being a sudden spike in new powers, so that may have been a narrative choice more than anything. But I'm a bit fuzzy on S1.

[evil-megz.livejournal.com]

Keep in mind they only referred to Mr Petrelli as Mr Petrelli. Keep in mind that Peter Petrelli has the power to travel back in time and has done so god knows how many times...


As for killing characters, I didn't even think they tried to imply that Maya was dead, it's the typical spider paralysing and cocooning a live victim thing. And I am also sure there is some trick to Ando being killed- there seemed to be a bit of the Hiro and Ando story left out between that scene and the last time we'd seen them (in that the scenes were relatively far apart), and here's Daphne involved who is being given visions of Linderman for reasons we are so far unaware of, keeping in mind that Nathan's Linderman-vision was supposedly responsible for bringing him back to life. Secondary to that train of thought is that the guy who said Hiro and Ando were looking for work had just thrown Adam, mr invincible, into the back of a truck. Why grab one of the trio that way and then come for another with such a different approach.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh, that WOULD be an unexpected twist! Clever thought :) Though I'm not sure Mrs Petrelli would have reacted that way then.

Yeah, I don't think they're really dead either.

I think Hiro is only useful as a willing employee, while Adam's main use to an outsider is his blood, which requires no consent :/ (That and he's too sneaky to allow to walk free)