Heroes 11/17/08 "It's Coming" (spoilers)

[Promethea]

@Saltire

I think what they want us get from the “Go ahead, work out your anger by throwing lightning bolts at me” scene is that Gabriel has learned to telekinetically do what he used to do, only without opening the skull. He gave himself Elle’s power and corrected whatever was wrong with her by psychicly poking at her gray matter.

I guess it would be wise for him to never transmute metals in front of the girl.

I thought it was another clumsy “Gabriel is exactly like Peter, really and has been all along” message. The way things are going this season, I’m confidently awaiting the day they proudly announce the reason for this is that they’re in fact identical twins.

Oh and Tim Kring hates us for liking his characters amongst many other annoyances. Sad to say but he needs to step down from his own show if it has a hope of surviving. As it stands, he plainly resents his cast, his writers and his audience for making him write stories he struggles to do and doesn’t care about.

Tim Kring at 2008 Screenwriting Expo

“I was primarily fascinated by the origin story. Once the original story is over, and the character has no more questions about what’s happening or existential drama, then the questions become just about plot, and then it becomes harder for me personally to connect to…
The problem is you run into a whole series of issues, where show and business run into each other. The network falls in love with characters, the audience falls in love with characters, the press falls in love with characters. And it’s contractually hard to get people onboard for a brief period…You find yourself writing for characters you thought would be gone.”

[Grumman]

@Promethea

I thought it was another clumsy “Gabriel is exactly like Peter, really and has been all along” message.

Probably. Kring does seem to like destroying everything that was fun about the show.

[Mr.Kobayashi]

As a quick aside, I’m now thrilled that the UK and US now have near parity in Heroes broadcasting. Makes dodging spoilers on the interweb much easier.

Elle sure got over the tragic Sylaring of Ned from Groundhog Day quick, eh what?!

I am willing to suspend my disbelief for flying people, Sylar’s goodification, Peter naively blundering through life without walking in front of a bus, but I cannot suspend my disbelief for this:
Matt and Daphne. Come on! He looks like a chubby Keano Reeves and didn’t realise Daphne was betraying him even though he can read minds. She’s known him five minutes and is declaring her love for him?! Ladies: when you first meet a guy, does a tortoise and being told you’ll get married in the future by an overweight stranger do it for you? I’m thinking Matt’s using his powers on her for this to be even remotely plausible, which conjures up unfortunate implications.

I’m also sick of NotNiki. Zzzz.

I did like the two teams of supers seen with Angela and Arthur at the end, hopefully they end up whuppin’ the tar out of each other.

[Lightray]

@Tangent

So who is drawing the comic book that Hiro and Ando looked at in the comic store? Isaac didn’t appear to have anything worked out that far in advance before he died.

Just before he got sylerized, Isaac sent something off to his publisher – presumably that was his last comic issue. However, I thought we saw that last issue last season, didn’t we?

Since there’s no shortage of prognostipainters now, though, could’ve been Usutu, time-traveling Peter, maybe time-traveling Arthur, or even Sylar in some offscreen retcon disaster or other.

I think we’re supposed to believe it was Mystery Sock, though.

[clarkstar]

all i know is that this last episode sucked hard. this show is so hit and miss its very frustrating

[Annie]

@Mr.Kobayashi

Ladies: when you first meet a guy, does a tortoise and being told you’ll get married in the future by an overweight stranger do it for you? I’m thinking Matt’s using his powers on her for this to be even remotely plausible, which conjures up unfortunate implications.

Not usually, but I can be liquored up into such a mindset… oops, overshare. Naw, this is just example infinity of ‘character development that could have been reasonable if they’d taken their time over it and not made it happen over 2 ep’. She probably finds his naiveté and absolute faith in her kinda cute, and possibly, sees his as an alternative male protector figure.

I did like the two teams of supers seen with Angela and Arthur at the end, hopefully they end up whuppin’ the tar out of each other.

Yup- the classics!

[Windwalker]

Random Character Development Bits:

Angela Petrelli: I’m in a great big conspiracy, part of which involves blowing up New York City. But at least I love my family. Oh no, my husband wants to kill my son. And I discover that he’s been manipulating my mind all these years. I shall kill him! Yay, he’s dead! Now I can manipulate everyone myself! Peter, you’re my favorite, join me! Drat! Nathan, you’re my boy, join me! Drat! OK, I’m not very good at this. Oh no, Sylar’s on the loose again! He killed my golden partner! Ah ha! Now I’M in charge! Elle, you sorry excuse for an agent, get your ass out the door! YOU HAVE NO ONE NOW, I WILL SMIRK CRUELLY WHILE YOU SOB AND LEAVE! Oh no, someone’s after both halves of the formula. It must be a great big conspiracy! But I’m not part of it, so it’s evil and must be stopped! Oh look, we captured Sylar! You’re my son, Sylar. I actually love you the best, even though I abandoned you and not my other sons. Here’s an innocent and hot girl with an ability, eat her please! I WILL SMIRK CRUELLY AGAIN AT MY OWN EVILNESS! Oh no, Arthur’s alive! And he’s evil with evil plans and must be stopped! Oh no, I’m now trapped in my mind. Help me, Peter (if you do, you may become my favorite son again)! Help me, Sylar (remember, I’m your mother who wuvs you very very much)! Oh hey Matt, thanks.
**
Peter Petrelli**: Oh hi Future Me! Oh, the future sucks? Well the logical thing to do is to take Sylar’s power, of course. Hey look, I now have The Hunger! RAWR! I HATE YOU MOM! YOU’RE A MANIPULATING BITCH! Oh hey Sylar, I was just gonna eat Mom. DOH, I suck at fighting anyone stronger than a toddler. OH NO! Mom’s been attacked! How dare they, especially when I haven’t finished eating her! OK it’s time for a one-man rampage. Oh hi Dad, you tried to kill Mom, who I suddenly love again. A hug? Sure, reading your mind would be rude. Oh snap, you stole my shit. Wow, Sylar saved my life by throwing me out of a window not as hard as he could have. Well, it looks like my job as a non-ability’d person is to protect the indestructible cheerleader. Wee!

Claire: I just want a normal life! Aw, screw that, I want vengeance! Oh yea, I’m pretty badass, because I got me and my Mom caught trying to rescue Fire-Mom but managed to luck my way into victory. Oh no, I can’t feel any pain, let’s go to the Bad Guys’ Lair, where they will clearly cure me and let me go and not use me for any nefarious purpose whatsoever. Oh hey Peter, falling down on the job? Heh heh. OK, I guess I should probably run away now. I have great plans. I can jump out of windows and serve as a useless sewer doorstop.

Tracy: Yes, Nathan would be a great political candidate for my boss. Oh snap, I’m an ice queen! I’m a murderer, which is evil! Evil is bad! I’m so scared! But I can recruit Nathan anyway, it looks like it’s gong well. Oh no, I’m actually a triplet and I was given abilities. I’m gonna commit suicide! Oh Flying Man, you’re so studly and sensitive, I guess I have something to live for now. Oh that was a sticky situation, but Flying Man and I got through it. Gosh, I love Flying Man. Oh it’s Flying Man’s clearly evil father. Hey random Evil Guy I Just Met, I can manipulate Nathan for you, if you promise me unspecified future benefits. Cool? Sweet.

[Kaio]

I nominate Annie and Windwalker to take over the writers’ room on Heroes.

[jackdavinci]

@Promethea

I thought it was another clumsy “Gabriel is exactly like Peter, really and has been all along” message. The way things are going this season, I’m confidently awaiting the day they proudly announce the reason for this is that they’re in fact identical twins.

I think they are probably fraternal twins. Sylar already had a similar power to Peter, as does Papa Petrelli, but whereas Peter just copied them, Papa steals them, and Sylar’s was a side effect of his power of seeing how things work. It looks like whereas previously Sylar had a hunger for power that led him to use more forceful methods to examine how someone’s power works, now he knows that he can see how a person’s power works through empathy. If this stays consistent, I guess his method of gaining new powers will be similar to Spock’s apocryphal brother in Star Trek 5.

[Annie]

@jackdavinci

I think they are probably fraternal twins.

I’m still hoping Angela’s lying about Gabriel being her kid (he is a handy guy to have on the payroll when he’s not on a murder spree and he has some bigass mama issues ripe for the manipulat’n); but Arthur told Mohinder that Gabe was his son-and I’m pretty sure had his skull smashed into unconsciousness at that point. No reason to bullshit when the bullshit-ee isn’t awake to hear it.

Based on the name of the next chapter, Fugitives, it seems probable that Team Angela’s going to get their collective asses kicked. I really hope that it turns out that rather than the show being on a spiral of stupid, it’s the characters. They all have to fuck up and really hit bottom before they can develop their talents and save themselves. If Claire wants to be the littlest Company Gal, she has to drop the attitude, grow some smarts and learn how to fight- as it is now, some very strong baddie just has to be able to throw her a half a mile away to get her off his back. Peter’s clock’s been cleaned, thank god. Mohinder’s still got the tragic flaw monkey on his back-he’s brilliant enough to understand the biology of it all and develop that crappy formula, but he still has that lust for powers. Want the abilities? OK, then, welcome to your future as a cockroach. He’s got some crashing, sacrificing and redeeming himself to look forward to.

But when someone does something really heroic, they usually suffer, huge. Nathan-flies off with Nuclear Pete to save the city-horribly maimed. DL- becomes a fireman, then goes to pull Niki’s stupid ass out of trouble-shot dead. Niki, powers lost, rescues Monica from a burning building-dies. Isaac embraced his fate rather than grab his brushes and get the hell out of the blast zone. Bummer for them.

[Ethilrist]

I’m still waiting for the big reveal that Angele Petrelli is Hiro’s mom.

[Cat_Whisperer]

@jackdavinci

<snip>If this stays consistent, I guess his method of gaining new powers will be similar to Spock’s apocryphal brother in Star Trek 5.

I think the one thing we can count on in this show is for them NOT to stay consistent.

[Windwalker]

@Ethilrist

I’m still waiting for the big reveal that Angele Petrelli is Hiro’s mom.

“You’ve always been my favorite, Hiro. Now, remember when you stabbed my other son with that samurai sword? Can you do that to my husband? If you do, I’ll promise I’ll take you to the carnival, like a real mum. Isn’t that a good boy…”

[DigitalC]

Im getting really pissed at the previews for the next episode. All through the first season the writers said the eclipse did NOT give them their powers, it was just a coincidence and they served as book ends for the season. Now all i hear on NBC is “the eclipse gave them powers and now its going to take them away!” and its annoying the hell out of me.

[Drunky_Smurf]

Yeah me too.

[Justin_Bailey]

@Promethea

Tim Kring at 2008 Screenwriting Expo

Tim Kring is a moron and has been saying stupid, moronic shit about this show from the day it started. And he still hasn’t caught on to the fact that he pretty much got really, really lucky with season 1. I still like Heroes, but it is not the show I used to joyously watch in season 1.

[Wile_E]

@DigitalC

Im getting really pissed at the previews for the next episode. All through the first season the writers said the eclipse did NOT give them their powers, it was just a coincidence and they served as book ends for the season. Now all i hear on NBC is “the eclipse gave them powers and now its going to take them away!” and its annoying the hell out of me.

Yeah, me three. I even wrote a post saying so but I think I said “to hell with it” and didn’t post it. I’m still hoping the promo department isn’t quite up to speed on the details.

[Oslo_Ostragoth]

@Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank

Etc etc.

Thank you. That was more entertaining than the show. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

Don’t forget the fried chicken.

[Oslo_Ostragoth]

@Cuckoorex

Annie’s summary was highly entertaining; but then I think that if Annie used the same approach to summarizing any movie (say, LOTR: The Two Towers, or Taxi Driver) the result would also be “more entertaining that the actual show/movie.”

I’d subscribe to that newsletter.

[Half_Man_Half_Wit]

@Oslo_Ostragoth

I’d subscribe to that newsletter.

You might like The Editing Room, then.