Heroes

[enemy anemone]

the "Simone's not really dead!" fakeout was hilarious.
and when Hiro sees Nathan again and just about shouts, what was it, "flyman"? I laughed out loud. I think there's something inexplicably funny about those two together, kinda like Hurley and Jin.
and Ando! how great was he?
and now I love Claire's mom. "I know how to play dumb". xD
I need to rewatch the ep when futureHiro appears to Peter.

[murlough23]

the "Simone's not really dead!" fakeout was hilarious.

I usually hate dead characters appearing in some sort of vision or other fakeout that's teased in a trailer to make us think they're alive again, but that was good, as a vehicle for showing us another new character's abilities.

and when Hiro sees Nathan again and just about shouts, what was it, "flyman"? I laughed out loud. I think there's something inexplicably funny about those two together, kinda like Hurley and Jin.

It sounded like "Flying man!", which he blurted out during one of the first episodes back in January.

Hiro is totally this show's Hurley, and I love him for it. Especially when he gets to play off of one of the more serious, no-nonsense characters like Nathan.

and Ando! how great was he?

Him magically getting a job as a security guard kind of stretched credibility to its breaking point. But at least it was a fun deus ex machina.

and now I love Claire's mom. "I know how to play dumb". xD

She used to be the most annoying character on the show. I never saw that character revision coming, but I really like it.

I need to rewatch the ep when futureHiro appears to Peter.

Me too. I forgot about the scar comment.

NP: "Armchairs", Andrew Bird

[Brenden]

Tim Kring reveals: The upcoming second season will constitute a new volume in the multi-volume series, with new characters and an entirely new storyline. "If you remember, the opening of the pilot pronounced the episode as the beginning of Volume One," Kring said in an interview. "Volume One comes to a conclusion at the end of episode 23, and Volume Two starts with the opening of season two. And Volume Two is a different story." Kring added: "We could have new people and new storylines and new ideas and new threats and new bad guys and new heroes. So I would prepare the audience for that idea, that it's not just a continuing serialized storyline about only these people. It's a little more the 24 model than the Lost model." Kring also confirmed that some of the current heroes just might not survive this season, but added: "Many of your favorites will live to fight again."

[murlough23]

Basing Season 2 on a whole new cast of characters? Risky at best, though not out of line with how some comic book series run in parallel within a larger universe. They'd definitely take a hit due to viewers not understanding and missing their favorite characters, though.

[Brenden]

From what I'm reading, we may see some of the same characters, but there will be a focus on new charcters.

At least, Hiro supposedly has a storyline next season.

And if the model is 24, they'll do just fine. The revolving cast hasn't hurt that show at all.

[murlough23]

And if the model is 24, they'll do just fine. The revolving cast hasn't hurt that show at all.

That's because 24 is all about Jack Bauer. Heroes isn't all about one central character, so it's iffy.

[Brenden]

That's because 24 is all about Jack Bauer. Heroes isn't all about one central character, so it's iffy.

Yet I could see it easily working where they only have a few season one characters feature heavily and focus more on new characters. It's the sort of revolving cast thing that 24 does, helping to keep things fresh without alienating fans.

[murlough23]

Yet I could see it easily working where they only have a few season one characters feature heavily and focus more on new characters. It's the sort of revolving cast thing that 24 does, helping to keep things fresh without alienating fans.

Even when most of the cast is the same, focusing more on new characters almost always alienates the audience. Personally, I'm usually up for getting to know new characters, but I know last year on Lost a lot of folks were opposed to the whole Tailies thing before we even got to know them. And that wasn't even the entire story for most of those episodes.

I'm not saying it can't work. I'm saying it's risky. From a critical perspective, I respect that. But their ratings are going to take a hit, and they'll probably follow a pattern similar to Lost if they go that route - mega-ratings smash in Season 1 and at the beginning of Season 2, still strong and much talked about but a little less watched by the overall public by the end of Season 2, then the audience really starts to whittle down to its devoted core in Season 3 while a lot of other people claim it's not the awesome show it was in Season 1 (read: my favorite characters aren't doing the same cool stuff they did two years ago) and jump ship. Mark my words.

NP: "Masterpiece", Meg & Dia

[Waltrane]

Me too. I forgot about the scar comment.

As soon as Sylar did that, I said to my wife "You look different without your scar, Peter." I'm surprised I remember as much as I do about this show. We were running off a list of Peter's and Sylar's powers right after that.

[Brenden]

Return was somewhat predictable, but not bad. One part I didn't see coming was Linderman kidnapping Micah. 

[Brenden]

I was thinking as I drove to work today, what if it's actually Sylar who is supposed to be the bomb? We've seen him struggle to control new powers before (super-hearing). So if he takes Ted's power and suddenly loses control, boom.

Notice that Peter doesn't seem to have any trouble with the super hearing, even though he has absorbed it by standing close to Sylar.

[murlough23]

I was thinking as I drove to work today, what if it's actually Sylar who is supposed to be the bomb? We've seen him struggle to control new powers before (super-hearing). So if he takes Ted's power and suddenly loses control, boom.

That would be a good twist. Both this show and Lost are trying to get us to believe a particular line about the future by way of characters who can see or travel to it, but I don't think that'd be too exciting if it couldn't be changed, and changing it in a way that still matches up to what was originally seen, in a poetic sort of way, would be the most satisfying twist.

I enjoyed this episode a great deal, but it did seem like setup for the rest of the "final chapters". I was a bit perturbed at how Peter couldn't take out Sylar, but Mohinder could knock the dude out with a friggin' bulletin board? Whatever. Also, what NYC cab company in their right mind lets you carry a dead body across town, and how did Mohinder get Peter's body all the way to his mother's house without noticing the huge honkin' shard of glass in his skull? Gah.

Next week, with Hiro and Ando in the future, is gonna be awesome. Six Months Ago has been my favorite episode thus far, because I love episodes that go backwards or forwards in time. So I have high hopes for String Theory.

[AldaForPresident]

I noticed Sci Fi is having a Heroes marathon on May 19, which is exciting for me since I haven't seen any of it and I always like to begin at the beginning.

[murlough23]

Another thought that I had: Sylar was clearly pissed at the desctruction of Mohinder's computer, which had "the list" on it. Is it possible he'll take the broken pieces and try to go track down Micah to get some sort of data restoration done?

[Brenden]

The latest graphic novel states that Future Hiro tried to stop Sylar from exploding but couldn't because he had killed Claire and regenerated, still exploding. So he WAS the bomb, but may not be now that the timeline has changed.

We also now know that, "save the cheerleader, save the world", seems to have proven untrue. Future Hiro thought it would keep the bomb from going off, thus saving the world, but apparently the bomb goes off anyway, whether Claire died or not.

So if Peter really is the bomb, then there may be no way to stop him from exploding if he does start to go off. If it's Sylar or Ted, there's a chance.

[murlough23]

It seems that we may have misinterpreted "Save the cheerleader, save the world". I don't remember the context in which future Hiro said it to Peter, or the exact wording, but most of us seem to have taken it for granted that the catchphrase can be parsed as "If you save the cheerleader, you will have then saved the world." But what if those are two separate directives? "First, you need to save the cheerleader. Then, you need to save the world." One may be a prerequisite for the other, because saving the cheerleader saves at least one of the lives of someone who is supposed to help save the world. But accomplishing goal #1 isn't the only thing one needs to do to accomplish goal #2.

[Brenden]

It seems that we may have misinterpreted "Save the cheerleader, save the world". I don't remember the context in which future Hiro said it to Peter, or the exact wording, but most of us seem to have taken it for granted that the catchphrase can be parsed as "If you save the cheerleader, you will have then saved the world." But what if those are two separate directives? "First, you need to save the cheerleader. Then, you need to save the world." One may be a prerequisite for the other, because saving the cheerleader saves at least one of the lives of someone who is supposed to help save the world. But accomplishing goal #1 isn't the only thing one needs to do to accomplish goal #2.

According to the graphic novel, it seems Future Hiro meant it as one would lead to the other, because that was what he believed, which turned out to be untrue.

[murlough23]

According to the graphic novel, it seems Future Hiro meant it as one would lead to the other, because that was what he believed, which turned out to be untrue.

No wonder Future Hiro's pissed off at Present Hiro.

[Brenden]

No wonder Future Hiro's pissed off at Present Hiro.

Yeah, if time is working like I think, Future Hiro would remember meeting himself and then the future still hasn't changed.

But I don't get why he'd be suprised that the light in his loft was on (in the graphic novel), since I would assume that if you met your past self you would remember meeting yourself.

It all hinges on what Isaac had in his sketchpad, I think. He alluded to having painted a way to kill Sylar and stop the bomb, but Sylar wouldn't be able to find it. It's a fitting way for him to die, and unlike pretty much every death on Lost, is actually satisfying.

[murlough23]

It all hinges on what Isaac had in his sketchpad, I think. He alluded to having painted a way to kill Sylar and stop the bomb, but Sylar wouldn't be able to find it. It's a fitting way for him to die, and unlike pretty much every death on Lost, is actually satisfying.

What, you weren't satisfied with Ana-Lucia's death?

[Brenden]

What, you weren't satisfied with Ana-Lucia's death?

Not really, since she meant so little to the story in the first place.

[murlough23]

Not really, since she meant so little to the story in the first place.

I meant it in the sense of being satisfied that she was dead.

[Brenden]

I meant it in the sense of being satisfied that she was dead.

I never found her that annoying in the first place, just kind of boring, so I didn't care if she was dead or not.

[Brenden]

So, in Future Hiro's timeline, Peter actually WAS the bomb! Now Hiro posseses the last 9th Wonders comic, so assumedly he has knowledge which will help him save NY.

That was a really good episode. Next week looks great, too.

[Brenden]

http://www.heroesrevealed.com/

Preview of tonight's episode.

I don't think there were any real spoilers, just enough in there to tease people.

The main thing was that Molly Walker might share a power with Caliban from X-Men.

[PopePouri]

So when is the finale? This week or next week?

[murlough23]

So when is the finale? This week or next week?

Next week.

[Brenden]

I'm now really excited for the finale.

And I had a dream about a Peter/Sylar battle last night. It was awesome, I may be addicted.

[murlough23]

That whole ending with Sylar saying "Boom." would have been a lot cooler IF THEY HADN'T SHOWN IT TO US IN THE PREVIEW RIGHT BEFORE THE EPISODE.

[spacebrat311]

I feel like revealing previews have been kind of a trend this season on television in general.

[murlough23]

I feel like revealing previews have been kind of a trend this season on television in general.

Yeah, it's called "We don't have much confidence that our audience will want to watch unless we show them the most exiciting things that will happen during the episode."

At least, for the most part, episode trailers for Lost show you snippets of stuff that actually happens in the episode, but in a way that misleads you into thinking it's something different than what will actually happen.

[AldaForPresident]

I've been taping the marathon on Sci Fi all day; weirdly and annoyingly, according to their online schedule, they're showing the episodes in a completely random order and leaving one random one out. Oh well. I'll take what I can get, I suppose.

[AldaForPresident]

Well, disregard the "completely random" statement. After doing a little research I figured out episodes nine through 22 were shown first, from nine till eleven, and episodes one through seven start at eleven tonight. (Episode eight isn't being shown at all.) I'm still confused as to why they did that, but I'm glad I won't have quite so much tape-sifting to do.

[enemy anemone]

man, that sucks. I looked up episode 8 and it has one of my favorite characters in it. maybe I will have to burn the avi file to a cd and mail it to you.

[murlough23]

***SPOILER ALERT, OBVIOUSLY***

OK, so that finale was kind of underwhelming. They might have started the season learning from some of Lost's mistakes, but they definitely became almost too conventional with the narrative towards the end. That last little bit with Hiro was awesome, though. (Was that his dad in a samurai costume?)

So quick summary of where everyone ended up... Parkman's apparently dead, Nathan apparently blew up because he couldn't understand the concept of dropping Peter off somewhere in the vastness of space and then flying somewhere else himself, Sylar's a pool of blood congealing in the sewers somewhere, D.L. magically healed himself for no apparent reason (did he get Linderman's powers by taking his brain?), Niki magically overcame her schizophrenia, saving Claire didn't apparently have that much to do with saving the world, and... I'm really confused. Can anyone shed some light on what I apparently missed?

[spacebrat311]

Parkman's apparently dead

Parkman's dead? I didn't get that at all. I mean, he seemed pretty unconscious, but if someone's in an ambulance and their head isn't covered, I'm pretty sure that in the TV world that's supposed to signify being alive. Maybe I read that wrong.

[Brenden]

saving Claire didn't apparently have that much to do with saving the world

I was under the impression that she was the one who convinced Nathan to fly Peter away, which she couldn't have done if she was dead.

[Brenden]

Also, does anyone else think this guy is gonna make an appearance at some point?

http://heroeswiki.com/images/0/06/Issue13.jpg

[murlough23]

Parkamn was shot with his own 3 or 4 bullets, but I guess nothing's conclusive until they put the sheet over the head, or close the eyes, or you see a funeral, etc. It's definitely a tactic that allows them to leave it open-ended regarding whether a character can return next season.

Why the hell didn't Claire tell Peter to just fly away himself? And like she's the only one who could have thought of that? Come on. As far as I can see, she saved Peter, because he can survive his body exploding now. But any fool could have suggested how he could prevent the city from getting blown up.

Regarding Uluru, my guess is he might be one of the six new Heroes to show up in the interim mini-series we're gonna get (this summer, perhaps?) that will allow us, the audience, to pick one at the end who gets to join the main cast.

[Brenden]

Why the hell didn't Claire tell Peter to just fly away himself? And like she's the only one who could have thought of that? Come on. As far as I can see, she saved Peter, because he can survive his body exploding now. But any fool could have suggested how he could prevent the city from getting blown up.

I've heard theories like he can only use one power at a time, since it's debatable whether he's ever used two at the same time, or that he was so overwhelmed by trying to keep from exploding that he couldn't concentrate enough to fly away.

Either way, if the finale had been two hours, we'd probably have gotten something more satisfying.

Regarding Uluru, my guess is he might be one of the six new Heroes to show up in the interim mini-series we're gonna get (this summer, perhaps?) that will allow us, the audience, to pick one at the end who gets to join the main cast.

Or Uluru could turn out to be a new villian, perhaps even, "him"?