Heroes (SPOILERS)

[Morfiend]

Oh yeah, thats right. My bad.

[Velorath]

It's Peter that gets referred to as an empath by Claude.

[HaemishM]

Sylar's original power is the ability to look at something and know how to fix it. Once he learned how to "fix" himself so that he absorbed other powers, he gained a great deal of control over his own body. I'm sure he was faking it, slipping into a coma while repairing any of the damage Mr. Bennett's doctors did on him.

I think that's a bit of a stretch, but hopefully it will be reflected on what went wrong later on.

Not really. Look at the time when Sylar first absorbed a power. He looked into the guy and "saw what was wrong with him." He then fixed himself to match that guy's powers. At least that's how I'm interpreting his powers.

[tazelbain]

They have the same power but psychologically they approach it differently.
Peter needs to learn what Sylar already knows you can only use one power at a time.  Peter got in trouble when he used regen and invis at the same time.

[Sairon]

Sylar's original power is the ability to look at something and know how to fix it. Once he learned how to "fix" himself so that he absorbed other powers, he gained a great deal of control over his own body. I'm sure he was faking it, slipping into a coma while repairing any of the damage Mr. Bennett's doctors did on him.

I think that's a bit of a stretch, but hopefully it will be reflected on what went wrong later on.

Not really. Look at the time when Sylar first absorbed a power. He looked into the guy and "saw what was wrong with him." He then fixed himself to match that guy's powers. At least that's how I'm interpreting his powers.

Yea I don't argue that. That it automatically means that he has great control over his body to the point where he can put himself in a self induced coma, and recover at will from it, that's what I feel is a bit of a stretch. And then of course the whole beating up the doctor afterwards without his super powers. Since they didn't explain it in any way we can only speculate though.

[Miguel]

Actually I had a slightly different take on Sylars ability.

Last season Sylar explained to Mohinder's father that he knew how to fix watches, apparently from training from his father.  However there seemed to be an implicit assumption that he had killed his own father in order to gain that knowledge.  It seemed to me that when he learned of the existence of others with powers, he surmised that if he did the same thing to these kinds of people the same thing would happen.

In other words, Sylar's ability is to figure out powers based on people's brains, which in effect makes him the same as Peter, except Peter can do the same just by being in proximity to people.  Which of course implies that he now has all of the powers of Sylar since he was in close proximity to him at the end of last season (which seemed to me to be the explanation of why Peter freaked out after the confrontation).  Remember, we really don't know how many people Sylar has killed and how many powers he really has.

[Velorath]

And again, I have been saying from the begining that the show could turn out to "Lostie" where not much really happens, and when it does, its kind of a let down. Its also hard for it to follow the day after Rome, where so much crap happens its had to keep track of it all.

I always thought the problem people had with Lost was the fact that the overall mystery that the show is built around will never be able to have a satisfying payoff at the end of the series due to the writers never having actually planned out the story in advance.  From what I can tell from interviews with the writers of Heroes (a couple of them do a weekly Q&A article over at comicbookresources), they've known the mythology/backstory of their setting and characters, and they've had the first season's story arc mostly planned since before the show started.  They also seem to know some details for what they'll get into next season (the Haitian's backstory among other things seems to be planned for season 2).  That's not to say some of their plans haven't changed.  There was apparently some sort of issue that forced the writers to abandon the plot point of Claire's friend Zach being gay, despite it being heavily implied in the show and on the character's myspace page.

[HaemishM]

I wondered about the Zach thing, since they pretty much came out and said he was gay and ok with it, but that never went anywhere.

[SnakeCharmer]

I wondered about the Zach thing, since they pretty much came out and said he was gay and ok with it, but that never went anywhere.

Does it really need to go anywhere?  He's a 'minor' character in the grand scheme of things anyway.

/slightthreadderail

So what if he's gay.   It's like the two coaches in the Super Bowl: when people stop making a big deal about little, inconsequential things, the world will truly be a better place.

[stray]

I wondered about the Zach thing, since they pretty much came out and said he was gay and ok with it, but that never went anywhere.

Does it really need to go anywhere?  He's a 'minor' character in the grand scheme of things anyway.

/slightthreadderail

So what if he's gay.   It's like the two coaches in the Super Bowl: when people stop making a big deal about little, inconsequential things, the world will truly be a better place.

/further derail ;)


The superbowl thing was overblown perhaps, but it's not inconsequential. Just 40 years ago, black men could suffer all kinds of indignities, for no reason at all, while Vince Lombardi was being equated with the likes of Generals Marshall and Patton. Now, a black man can be a Lombardi. And if a black man can be a Lombardi, he can be a president, or a CEO, or whatever he wants. The world is a better place because that can happen now -- it's not a better place if we just take it for granted and forget it.

[EDIT]

Or in other words, NFL football coaches are a kind of a microcosm of American success and leadership.

[Tale]

The reason Zach being gay is no longer mentioned, is that his memory of "coming out" to Clare was wiped along with all his other memories of that time. And she has been polite enough not to say "oh, and I found out you were gay" when filling in the gaps. We know he's gay, she knows he's gay, he doesn't need to know we know, so it just functions as a clever plot device to prevent us wondering "those two are getting close, why don't they ... ?".

[HaemishM]

I don't see Zach as a minor character, just one without powers. He is to Claire what Simone is to Peter and Isaac. Plus, I really dug the chemistry between the two. I actually like that they just sort of implied/said he was gay then went nowwhere with it. It was so subtle, since I was expecting there to be more of a club to the head obviousness to the whole being gay thing, like we normally see on TV.

EDIT: I thought it was pretty clear that Zach being gay was known school wide, since he got called gay by the now-dead cheerleader. The memory wipe shouldn't have anything to do with it.

[Tale]

EDIT: I thought it was pretty clear that Zach being gay was known school wide, since he got called gay by the now-dead cheerleader. The memory wipe shouldn't have anything to do with it.

It may be known school wide, but it didn't seem to be known to Clare until the now-dead cheerleader made it plain. That was when she began to understand him better and their close (pre-wipe) friendship began.

[Velorath]

I wondered about the Zach thing, since they pretty much came out and said he was gay and ok with it, but that never went anywhere.

Does it really need to go anywhere?  He's a 'minor' character in the grand scheme of things anyway.

/slightthreadderail

So what if he's gay.   It's like the two coaches in the Super Bowl: when people stop making a big deal about little, inconsequential things, the world will truly be a better place.

It's not a big deal whether or not the character is gay or if the plot needed to go anywhere.  It is interesting though when the writers establish a character as being gay and then have to scrap the idea for some ambiguous reason later.  Not that it matters much in the long run as the actor playing Zach is supposed to be leaving the show to star in a Terminator TV series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".

[SnakeCharmer]

I wondered about the Zach thing, since they pretty much came out and said he was gay and ok with it, but that never went anywhere.

Does it really need to go anywhere?  He's a 'minor' character in the grand scheme of things anyway.

/slightthreadderail

So what if he's gay.   It's like the two coaches in the Super Bowl: when people stop making a big deal about little, inconsequential things, the world will truly be a better place.

It's not a big deal whether or not the character is gay or if the plot needed to go anywhere.  It is interesting though when the writers establish a character as being gay and then have to scrap the idea for some ambiguous reason later.  Not that it matters much in the long run as the actor playing Zach is supposed to be leaving the show to star in a Terminator TV series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".

Why does the gayness have to go anywhere?  Who really cares if he is gay?  Why does being gay warrant any sort of storyline?

I think it's pretty obvious the writers (and rightfully so) feel the same, i.e. - Zach being gay is introduced as just a character trait, something for viewers to identify or associate with, something to make him more memorable, whatever.  His sexual preference isn't (and absolutely shouldn't be) a focal point in Heroes; it's not a Lifetime Television for Women drama "ZOMG MY SON IS GAY" movie. 

I could care as much about Zach being gay as much as I care that my dog's vet is gay; which is to say not much.

Again:  Race and sexual preference are inconsequential things, and the truly amazing thing would be for people not to feel the need to talk about.  It's a utopian want, I'll admit, because certain people will never be able to get past the race / sexual thing.

[Velorath]

It's not a big deal whether or not the character is gay or if the plot needed to go anywhere.  It is interesting though when the writers establish a character as being gay and then have to scrap the idea for some ambiguous reason later.  Not that it matters much in the long run as the actor playing Zach is supposed to be leaving the show to star in a Terminator TV series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".

Why does the gayness have to go anywhere?  Who really cares if he is gay?  Why does being gay warrant any sort of storyline?

I think it's pretty obvious the writers (and rightfully so) feel the same, i.e. - Zach being gay is introduced as just a character trait, something for viewers to identify or associate with, something to make him more memorable, whatever.  His sexual preference isn't (and absolutely shouldn't be) a focal point in Heroes; it's not a Lifetime Television for Women drama "ZOMG MY SON IS GAY" movie. 

I could care as much about Zach being gay as much as I care that my dog's vet is gay; which is to say not much.

Again:  Race and sexual preference are inconsequential things, and the truly amazing thing would be for people not to feel the need to talk about.  It's a utopian want, I'll admit, because certain people will never be able to get past the race / sexual thing.

Sweet Fuckin Jesus man, did you even read the part where I said that it DOESN'T matter whether the plot went anywhere or not?  It's not about making the character's gayness the focal point of the show.  His gayness didn't really become a focal point to anybody until the writers of the show said something along the lines of "hey, we made him gay at first but now due to behind the scenes reasons he's not any more".

I don't care about the character's sexuality one way or the other, but at some point, someone behind the scenes did enough to have it changed mid-season, and NBC made sure to have their publicists let people know that the character is not gay.  Fuck, you're saying the same shit over and over again, and not even reading what I'm actually writing.  The only interest I really had in the character being gay is the fact that I was relieved that they wouldn't go the obvious route and pair him up with Claire eventually.  It was important enough to someone else though to not just have it quietly dropped, but to have people go on record saying that the character isn't gay.  That's the part I find odd.

[Samwise]

Psst... use more Ks.

[Velorath]

Psst... use more Ks.

I'll be honest... I have no idea what that means.

[SnakeCharmer]

It's not a big deal whether or not the character is gay or if the plot needed to go anywhere.  It is interesting though when the writers establish a character as being gay and then have to scrap the idea for some ambiguous reason later.  Not that it matters much in the long run as the actor playing Zach is supposed to be leaving the show to star in a Terminator TV series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles".

Why does the gayness have to go anywhere?  Who really cares if he is gay?  Why does being gay warrant any sort of storyline?

I think it's pretty obvious the writers (and rightfully so) feel the same, i.e. - Zach being gay is introduced as just a character trait, something for viewers to identify or associate with, something to make him more memorable, whatever.  His sexual preference isn't (and absolutely shouldn't be) a focal point in Heroes; it's not a Lifetime Television for Women drama "ZOMG MY SON IS GAY" movie. 

I could care as much about Zach being gay as much as I care that my dog's vet is gay; which is to say not much.

Again:  Race and sexual preference are inconsequential things, and the truly amazing thing would be for people not to feel the need to talk about.  It's a utopian want, I'll admit, because certain people will never be able to get past the race / sexual thing.

Sweet Fuckin Jesus man, did you even read the part where I said that it DOESN'T matter whether the plot went anywhere or not?  It's not about making the character's gayness the focal point of the show.  His gayness didn't really become a focal point to anybody until the writers of the show said something along the lines of "hey, we made him gay at first but now due to behind the scenes reasons he's not any more".

I don't care about the character's sexuality one way or the other, but at some point, someone behind the scenes did enough to have it changed mid-season, and NBC made sure to have their publicists let people know that the character is not gay.  Fuck, you're saying the same shit over and over again, and not even reading what I'm actually writing.  The only interest I really had in the character being gay is the fact that I was relieved that they wouldn't go the obvious route and pair him up with Claire eventually.  It was important enough to someone else though to not just have it quietly dropped, but to have people go on record saying that the character isn't gay.  That's the part I find odd.

Where is a link to the publicists saying the char isnt gay?  Did you actually read it, or is this some sort of pseudourban legend?

Besides, you're just NOW bringing this up?

[Velorath]

Where is a link to the publicists saying the char isnt gay?  Did you actually read it, or is this some sort of pseudourban legend?

Besides, you're just NOW bringing this up?

Here's a link for you.

[HaemishM]

The really shitty part is that he'll be leaving the show, and the even shittier part is that someone thought a "Sarah Conner Chronicles" was worth doing after the shitty shit shit shit Terminator 3 movie.

[Samwise]

Psst... use more Ks.

I'll be honest... I have no idea what that means.

Count yourself lucky.

[HaemishM]

The latest episode was probably my least favorite of the series. It was the first time I felt some bits were added to waste time, specifically the Hope/Ando thing. There were some good bits in it, like the Sulu reference, and the Parkman/Nikki fight, and Nathan's dilemna. But it felt a bit filler-y. Next week looks good.

[SnakeCharmer]

Yeah, I'd agree with that (filler-y)...Very much a 'prep' episode for things to come.  The Hope/Ando thing is going to lead somewhere, I imagine; where I have no idea.  Is Parkman turning into a 'bad guy'?  Very much seems so since he pocketed the diamonds, and everytime he turns around he's getting slammed by the police.  I'm also wondering whose baby his wife is carrying.  Is it Parkmans, or the detective she was banging.  If it's not Parkmans, that could be one more thing to push him towards being a bad guy.

[MuffinMan]

New e-mail from Primatech:

Last file 4 a while. Go 2 primatechpaper.com, find helix. Same place as b4. Usrnme: bennet pwrd: claire. Matt's code: MPggtn75x Rembr: Usrnme always bennet

I've assumed the baby's in Matt's. I doubt his wife is taking any chance on lying to him since he can just read her mind when she thinks about it.

[SnakeCharmer]

Any idea how much time has passed since the last time his wife cheated on him?

[MuffinMan]

She was probably still doing it when he found out in the locker room. The other guy said he was banging his wife like it was in the present tense.

[stray]

Matt's a character they don't go into enough. Didn't mind that episode too much for that.

[SnakeCharmer]

She was probably still doing it when he found out in the locker room. The other guy said he was banging his wife like it was in the present tense.

Yeah, but any point of reference as to how long ago that was in comparison to when she said she was pregnant?

Matt's a character they don't go into enough. Didn't mind that episode too much for that

Agreed.  I think he's a temptous slope right now as to whether he's going to continue the good fight (despite being slammed by his coworkers) or say 'Fuck you', and start using his power for entirely personal gain.  He's an interesting character that I wish they would have developed more.

[MuffinMan]

Yeah, but any point of reference as to how long ago that was in comparison to when she said she was pregnant?

Well, he found out she was cheating in the 8th episode and learned she was pregnant in the 13th. It doesn't seem like there's two much of a passing of time that we don't see between episodes except maybe when they did the flashback episode. My best guess would be 2-3 weeks, not really sure.

[SnakeCharmer]

OK.  Based on that...

Prediction:  Parkman finds out the baby isn't his.  Gets pissed.  "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister starts playing in the background (not really).  Keeps the diamonds.  Gives in to the dark side.  Becomes a bad guy.

[bhodi]

I sort of agree, it really seems like they're setting it up with 'how much can this guy take' and still do the right thing.

[HaemishM]

The first episode of Heroes was 1 month from the time of the bomb. The bomb is 2 weeks away. I think the time has been stretched a bit but that should be about right.

[stray]

See, now that was a great episode. When I made earlier gripes about shit not happening, I meant the lack of that.

[EDIT]

I have to say though...

Sylar sucks. Not a cool villain imo. Can someone refresh my memory on why he's such a mean asshole? Wasn't he a fairly normal/nice guy before? Why does he drool and grimace when he kills people? You'd think if all he was concerned about was power, then he'd be more gentleman like / nonchalant when he takes people out.

It's just totally wrong for a longterm villain, especially of the "comic book" variety.

In my opinion, the first rule for these type of characters is: Make them sympathetic somehow. Even to the point where you want to cheer for them. There are as many fans of the Joker, Lex Luthor, or Magneto as there are Batman, Superman, and Professor X.

Sylar has none of that. He's just a shithead. No reason to sympathize with him, and no charisma whatsoever.

[CmdrSlack]

See, now that was a great episode. When I made earlier gripes about shit not happening, I meant the lack of that.

[EDIT]

I have to say though...

Sylar sucks. Not a cool villain imo. Can someone refresh my memory on why he's such a mean asshole? Wasn't he a fairly normal/nice guy before? Why does he drool and grimace when he kills people? You'd think if all he was concerned about was power, then he'd be more gentleman like / nonchalant when he takes people out.

It's just totally wrong for a longterm villain, especially of the "comic book" variety.

In my opinion, the first rule for these type of characters is: Make them sympathetic somehow. Even to the point where you want to cheer for them. There are as many fans of the Joker, Lex Luthor, or Magneto as there are Batman, Superman, and Professor X.

Sylar has none of that. He's just a shithead. No reason to sympathize with him, and no charisma whatsoever.

Well, I think the reason we're supposed to sort of sympathize with him is that Mohinder's dad pretty much told him to FOAD because he couldn't demonstrate a power.  The guy had spent his whole life wanting to be important or unique or special.  So he figured out how to be that. 

I don't think he's going to be very long term.  I think we have yet to see the true bad guy (unless it's Claire's dad).  Did you see how he was having issues dealing with his new super hearing?  My guess is that as he absorbs more powers, he'll have a harder time controlling them and then croak.