# Heroes 10/20/08 "Dying of the Light" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830 "2008-10-21T01:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/21 "2008-10-21T07:21:44Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I actually said aloud, “Please, tell me he’s not taking his powers.” > > Oh, God, why am I staying with this show? Because the idea that someone who absorbs power through touch has one child who absorbs them through emotional floofiness and one that absorbs them through brain-eating is kind of cool. And you can imagine how a good showrunner with a good writing team could really do something with that. Instead, we have a show where one person is talking to someone she knows is a mindreader and is surprised when he knows something private about her. (“He reads minds, you moron. That makes his knowing your grandmother’s name not even remotely impressive.”) The Peter/Sylar fight was fun, as they always are - once both of them stop speaking. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/22 "2008-10-21T11:43:51Z")
I liked this episode so much! The scene where Adam ages and crumbles to dust was incredible! I didn’t expect it, and I thought the special effects were pretty good. The story arc with Creepazoid was good, too. I hope he shows up again sometime. MojinderFly is confusing, but interesting. Looking forward to more about him. Why is he a fly? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/23 "2008-10-21T13:11:39Z")
[QUOTE=Dolores Reborn] MojinderFly is confusing, but interesting. Looking forward to more about him. Why is he a fly? [/QUOTE] Because he’s evil now. Why is he evil now? Because he experimented on himself. When dealing with people who have superpowers, there are certain rules you must follow: If you get superpowers from experimenting on yourself, you will become evil. (cf: Doctor Doom, The Phantom Limb, The Green Goblin.) If your superpowers are from someone else experimenting on you, you have a fifty-fifty chance of becoming evil. (Good: Captain America. Evil: The Scorpion) If your superpowers are a result of a freak accident that no one else was around to see, you are more than likely to become good. (cf: Spider-Man, The Flash.) * * * I thought Angela was in her coma because Maury put her there. We know that he can lock people in their own minds; he did it with Molly last year. * * * See? Hiro wouldn’t kill Ando. Hiro with out Ando to keep him grounded (or occasionally leading him astray) would be just wrong. * * * I’m kind of warming up to good Sylar, but I still think he’s on his own side. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/24 "2008-10-21T13:15:27Z")
Way to strike out, Parkman. AllWalker (watching): Heh, if he’s an idiot he could be really creepy. “I’ve seen the future, we are destined to be married.” Parkman: I’ve seen the future, we are destined to be married! Daphne: Creepy. Stalker. I’m leaving. AllWalker: _smack smiley doesn’t quite cover it_ Also, some more running commentary, AllWalker: No, Peter, don’t let him hug you! You don’t know his power, assume the worst… ah, never mind. This show needs to be watched with friends. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/25 "2008-10-21T13:40:28Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > Also, some more running commentary, > AllWalker: No, Peter, don’t let him hug you! You don’t know his power, assume the worst… ah, never mind. Peter is emotionally needy – _really_ emotionally needy – and Nathan hasn’t been around lately. Hugs are kind of his kryptonite. Well, that and his stupid. So: his stupid is like his green kryptonite, and hugs are like his gold kryptonite. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/26 "2008-10-21T13:57:11Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > So: his stupid is like his green kryptonite, and hugs are like his gold kryptonite. Nice! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/27 "2008-10-21T14:15:20Z")
So Peter’s depowered and Sylar’s stupid. This is almost like a reset! Doyle was just _good_ though. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/28 "2008-10-21T14:26:14Z")
Were we ever told what the Petrelli kids thought had happened to their dad? Obviously, they thought he was dead, but from what? Disease, car accident, etc.? I’m wondering if there was some throwaway line from Season 1 that I’ve long since forgotten. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/29 "2008-10-21T14:37:44Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > Were we ever told what the Petrelli kids thought had happened to their dad? Obviously, they thought he was dead, but from what? Disease, car accident, etc.? I’m wondering if there was some throwaway line from Season 1 that I’ve long since forgotten. It was implied that he comitted suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/30 "2008-10-21T14:45:48Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Because the idea that someone who absorbs power through touch has one child who absorbs them through emotional floofiness and one that absorbs them through brain-eating is kind of cool. > > And you can imagine how a good showrunner with a good writing team could really do something with that. > > Instead, we have a show where one person is talking to someone she knows is a mindreader and is surprised when he knows something private about her. (“He reads minds, you moron. That makes his knowing your grandmother’s name not even remotely impressive.”) > … He’s not going to get the grandmother’s name from your mind unless you are thinking about your grandmother when he reads your mind. > [@Meltdown](#): > > Were we ever told what the Petrelli kids thought had happened to their dad? Obviously, they thought he was dead, but from what? Disease, car accident, etc.? I’m wondering if there was some throwaway line from Season 1 that I’ve long since forgotten. I seem to recall he supposedly committed suicide, which was why Angela was so worried about Peter when he was acting crazy, she thought he might be like his dad. Now that we know more about everyone she probably was worried about him actually being like his dad and not being suicidal. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/31 "2008-10-21T14:49:31Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > Were we ever told what the Petrelli kids thought had happened to their dad? Obviously, they thought he was dead, but from what? Disease, car accident, etc.? I’m wondering if there was some throwaway line from Season 1 that I’ve long since forgotten. Angela told Peter he killed himself, but she covered it up by saying it was a heart attack. Just before Peter and Nathan were going to do something DA-ey to get Linderman and dad busted for mob stuff. Arthur may be cranky about this.😉 Peter not being able to read Angela’s mind-same thing happened when Molly got Maury-ized- Matt couldn’t read her either. Sylar becoming all goody 2 shoes- seems colossally weak, but really, he’s only been on a psycho homicide streak for about a year. Before that he was back home fixing watches and presumably not practicing brain surgery on small animals, or indulging in other serial killer training rituals. He knows how to be a good man, he was one most of his life {retcon} ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/32 "2008-10-21T15:14:02Z")
While I can tolerate copying someone’s powers (i.e. they have a weird DNA quirk that lets them fly, you have the ability to detect and copy this quirk into your own DNA), stealing them just irritates me, as though powers were like trading cards to be swapped around at will. It reminds me of too many crappy sixties-era Superman stories. Besides, I wanted to see Peter crumple to dust, too, because I hate that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/33 "2008-10-21T16:39:29Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > He’s not going to get the grandmother’s name from your mind unless you are thinking about your grandmother when he reads your mind. We know that because we watch the show. She doesn’t know that unless her briefing was a bit more then we saw. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/34 "2008-10-21T17:05:53Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > We know that because we watch the show. She doesn’t know that unless her briefing was a bit more then we saw. No, I don’t know that from watching the show. The term “mind-reader” implies that one can read your current thoughts, not suddenly know everything you know and have ever known. If all she was told was that he can read minds then I think that naturally she would expect that he could only read current thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/35 "2008-10-21T17:52:40Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > The term “mind-reader” implies that one can read your current thoughts, not suddenly know everything you know and have ever known. If all she was told was that he can read minds then I think that naturally she would expect that he could only read current thoughts. I understand your point but don’t necessarily agree with it. That’s certainly one interpretation, but not the only one nor even the most logical one IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/36 "2008-10-21T22:48:58Z")
Why was Maury in the airport watching Daphne? Are we meant to infer that he’s always there whenever someone "sees"Linderman? I can’t recall if he had to lay eyes on you to use his power. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/37 "2008-10-22T00:50:57Z")
Was it just me, or did this episode have more than the usual share of facepalm moments? Things I’d like to tell the characters, not that anyone cares: Parkman, you knew that girl for like three minutes when you told her that your future daughter would be named after her grandmother, whose name you also ‘happened’ to know. That’s going a bit fast even for someone who can zip halfway round the globe before you can say ‘creep’. Mohinder, damned if that serum didn’t just enhance your strength, speed, reflexes, and wall-climbing ability, but knocked up that stupid you got a notch, too – you know that woman’s got a sub-zero touch. You’ve just knocked her out and tied her down. In a room filled with people goobered to the walls. A woman with a freezing touch, in case you forgot. Freezing. Touch. Touching results in freezing. What she touches, freezes. It becomes frozen. Solid. It’s just not a great idea to touch her, because, again, she can deep-freeze, refrigerate, cool, frost, chill and icify anything she touches, comes into contact with, clutches, grips, handles or holds. Yes, even if she claims she ‘understands’ you. Hiro. You can freeze time. You see, that should be like your default response to anything fishy going on. It apparently doesn’t take much of an effort, and doesn’t hurt anybody, or mess up something timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly. So, if something happens, freeze time, try to get as much of a grip on the situation as is possible to you, then unfreeze, being practically guaranteed to have the upper hand. Like, for instance, when you see a painting of a guy who paints the future whacking you over the head with a shovel. OK, so every one of us gets caught off guard now and again. It happens. But, how does that saying go again? Fool me once…? Just keep these words in the back of your head at all times: _I can freeze time_. Well done on the not killing Ando thing, though. I just won’t mention that you, having already travelled back in time, could have circumvented this whole business altogether by simply not letting Adam escape. Peter. Peter, Peter, Peter. Actually, you didn’t do too bad. At least you keep on trying. Thumbs up for that. Claire, yeah, this hero thing? It’s not really working out for you. I mean, what was even your plan? Meredith, who at least has some offensive capabilities, was obviously no match for that dude. You, on the other hand, can heal, which is pretty awesome until you realize that really the only career you can get outta that is serving as a reusable demonstration object for vivisections at some med school, which might at least land you some good doctor husband eventually who’d only say ‘I know you inside out’ a smidgen too often for comfort. Your dad, on the other hand, goes toe-to-toe with those guys on a regular basis, yet you don’t tell him what you’re off to because… Well, actually I’ve got no clue. Let’s just say ‘daddy issues’ before opening that particular can of worms. Other than that, I really liked this episode. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/38 "2008-10-22T01:14:39Z")
Having just watched this again, I’m not sure how Peter even _lost_ his powers to his dad, since he would have absorbed his dad’s power. And I would sure expect his dad to know this. Also, I am apparently waaaay waaaaay more evil than puppet man, since nothing I would’ve thought to do after ten seconds with that power could be shown on regular TV. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/39 "2008-10-22T01:25:08Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Why was Maury in the airport watching Daphne? Are we meant to infer that he’s always there whenever someone "sees"Linderman? I can’t recall if he had to lay eyes on you to use his power. He has used his powers at a distance - affecting Molly, for example, and Mrs. Petrilli. But he may prefer to be closer if it’s convenient - or he might have wanted to see his son. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2008, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830/40 "2008-10-22T01:27:32Z")
Does Firemom need to gesture to use her ability, or just concentrate? Seems to me that when she was dancing with Puppet-Master, she coulda just fried him. I don’t see a lot of erotic potential in PM’s ability, myself. Sadistic, sure. Him and Fear-Hulk would make a pretty impressive team, I guess, but the logical response to containing this guy is a sniper shot to the head from 500 meters away, or just one in the head when he’s down and unconscious, but Noah passes on the opportunity. As with keeping the formula (for no apparant reason but to create dramatic problems down the road), they sure like to keep sadistic killer badguys alive (for no apparant reason but to create dramatic problems down the road). Heck, wasn’t Noah executing people left and right in the first two seasons? Is he getting soft? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-10-20-08-dying-of-the-light/468830.md?page=3)