# Heroes 11/24/08 "The Eclipse, part I" (spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2008, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363 "2008-11-25T01:33:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/41 "2008-11-27T20:50:08Z")
> [@Windwalker](#): > > Word. > > I can’t even count the times where Elle has gone from concerned, caring, conflicted girl to psychopathic sadist and back again. She is the epitome of Heroes shitty writing, which is too bad because she’s cute. Or (not to beat a dead horse too much) she’s a relatively accurate portrayal of a psychopath, but it just doesn’t translate well as a semi-regular character. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/42 "2008-11-27T21:25:38Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > Or (not to beat a dead horse too much) she’s a relatively accurate portrayal of a psychopath, but it just doesn’t translate well as a semi-regular character. Which is more likely, though; a well-crafted and accurate portrayal of mental illness in a semi-regular character in a show full of bad writing or just more of that same bad writing? Anyways, the only character I like is Ando and I have a bit of a soft spot for Hiro. I’d like every other character to die, with varying levels of pain and gore involved. They can start with NotNikki - or whatever the hell her name is - and those not-a-shade-of-white-found-in-nature, creep-me-the-fuck-out, gravestone teeth of hers. ---
**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:** [November 27, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/43 "2008-11-27T22:30:35Z")
Didn’t Elle’s father point out she had been diagnosed with some sort of psychological disorder – psychopath, maybe? She’s supposed to be acting crazy because, well, she _is_ crazy. And I think we all know that Sylar’s not right in the head, however much they’d like to rehabilitate Zachary’s character to tie in to the Spock uptick sure to come soon. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/44 "2008-11-27T22:56:43Z")
I thought it was hilarious when Hiro said “Holy crap!”. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/45 "2008-11-28T03:06:11Z")
So, eclipses last for hours and hours. Never knew that. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/46 "2008-11-28T03:26:10Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Which is more likely, though; a well-crafted and accurate portrayal of mental illness in a semi-regular character in a show full of bad writing or just more of that same bad writing? Well, first of all, it’s your opinion that the show is “full of bad writing”. I’m not saying that there hasn’t been some bad writing, but the trend lately seems to be to hate on Heroes no matter what the writers do; if they try to develop characters, the message boards light up with posts about how the story drags on and on, if the writers try to speed things up, there are complaints about how quickly characters change their tune. Is it so hard to believe that maybe, just maybe, this is one of the times that they got something right? > [@](#): > > Anyways, the only character I like is Ando and I have a bit of a soft spot for Hiro. I’d like every other character to die, with varying levels of pain and gore involved. > > They can start with NotNikki - or whatever the hell her name is - and those not-a-shade-of-white-found-in-nature, creep-me-the-fuck-out, gravestone teeth of hers. It’s Tracy Strauss, and the fact that you still call her “NotNikki” hints that you really haven’t been paying attention much at all anyway this season; as for the supposed tooth color…what the FUCK are you talking about?? I might have to watch some of the episodes again to see if this complaint has any merit; I know that the cinematographers of Heroes (and many other shows) use various camera filters and post-production effects, but I never in all the time I’ve watched the show thought, “Oh my God, what kind of hideous color are her TEETH?” I think you are just looking for things to complain about. Oh, well, it’s your prerogative, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/47 "2008-11-28T06:37:12Z")
> [@Promethea](#): > > To take a very small example, if one week she says how much she appreciates Claire helping her and showing grief at leaving her behind but the very next time they see each other she’s gloating over kicking Claire’s ass, it makes those past scenes meaningless. In between those two events she was recruited/clingy girlfriend-ed her way into the Pinehurst gang. After getting punted out of the Company, yeah, I can see why she’d be extremely compliant with the wishes of her new father figure, and screw being nice to the cheerleader. And so hard up for affection she’ll glom onto her father’s killer. She’s a fucked up little hamster. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2008, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/48 "2008-11-28T07:54:36Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > So, eclipses last for hours and hours. Never knew that. And they’re worldwide. Gosh. I’m looking forward to the eclipse of August 8, 2024. Montreal will be at the northern edge of totality around 7:30 pm. ---
**Author:** ![Bravo\_Romeo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bravo\_Romeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bravo_Romeo)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/49 "2008-11-28T12:17:24Z")
Ando’s English skillz have increased dramatically in about three episodes. Also this wasn’t in this episode, but has anyone noticed that Meredith just _loves_ to show off her powers? At least three times she’s walked into a room or had a camera pan up to her upper body while she just stands there holding a flame in her hand with a smug look on her face. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/50 "2008-11-28T12:48:19Z")
> [@Hyper Aware](#): > > Ando’s English skillz have increased dramatically in about three episodes. Also this wasn’t in this episode, but has anyone noticed that Meredith just _loves_ to show off her powers? At least three times she’s walked into a room or had a camera pan up to her upper body while she just stands there holding a flame in her hand with a smug look on her face. I guess the problem with having pyrokinesis (pyrogenesis?) is that if you actually want to use the ability in an effective way, you’re essentially gonna be frying people alive or at least burning buildings down. There’s very little middle ground there, so I guess Meredith deals with her frustration by putting on little fire shows for people. A show-off is considerably less evil than a rampaging pyromaniac, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/51 "2008-11-28T13:03:36Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > So, eclipses last for hours and hours. Never knew that. I blame Ego, the Living Planet. ---
**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:** [November 28, 2008, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/52 "2008-11-28T14:38:35Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > I blame Ego, the Living Planet. That bastard… he’s so full of himself. ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/53 "2008-11-28T14:48:13Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > Or (not to beat a dead horse too much) she’s a relatively accurate portrayal of a psychopath, but it just doesn’t translate well as a semi-regular character. So she’s a psychopath (typically characterized by amorality and no empathy for other people) who has extremely convincing moments when she feels really, really bad for her actions and cares about others? And those moments sometimes occur when she’s by herself, so it’s not like she’s playing for an audience. Or do you mean something like multiple personality disorder? Whatever the case, it’s the least convincing (read: most ridiculous) character portrayal I’ve seen in a long, long time (though Angela Petrelli is hot on her heels). TV and film have done many great portrayals of all sorts of crazy people; Heroes is just woefully incompetent. I don’t really mind, as Heroes makes for a nice farcical comedy. It’s just that the characterization seems to be taken seriously by a lot of people, and that really, truly mystifies me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2008, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/54 "2008-11-28T15:57:07Z")
They just need to either commit to a characterization, or develop the character well, or at least a clue that it’s a work in progress (which was how they did things in season 1-Heroes is great for the small reveals that all fall into place around episode 19). What’s happening with our little nutbars now reminds me of some recovering substance abusers I know- they want to recover, they will work at it, they will occasionally fail and they will keep reminding you the addiction is why they continue to be an asshole. It’s the _druuuugs/huuunger_. OK, that’s step one on your path to enlightenment. Number two is quit using that as an excuse. Someone has to call Gabriel out on a couple of things, number one being that he _really_ seemed to enjoy all the killing. “It wasn’t me, it was the huuuuunger.” No dude, it was you. Elle, yeah, she’s a little bundle of personality disorders. They can write it to acknowledge that and still have her behaving erratically all the time. Or she can go to Noah’s school of wood based self defence and personal development. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/55 "2008-11-30T03:20:54Z")
I feel vindicated. Back in season one I felt like the only one who kept harping on the damn eclipse. Everyone kept saying, “it’s nothing, just a cute image, don’t worry your pretty little head, sweet thing.” Ha! ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/56 "2008-11-30T04:42:54Z")
Yeah, but the played some cute song over it. Total psych! ---
**Author:** ![Bravo\_Romeo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bravo\_Romeo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bravo_Romeo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/57 "2008-11-30T05:45:53Z")
> [@Windwalker](#): > > I guess the problem with having pyrokinesis (pyrogenesis?) is that if you actually want to use the ability in an effective way, you’re essentially gonna be frying people alive or at least burning buildings down. There’s very little middle ground there, so I guess Meredith deals with her frustration by putting on little fire shows for people. A show-off is considerably less evil than a rampaging pyromaniac, I guess. Nice analysis. She might be able to get a few shipping containers together and use her Guantanamo-style interrogation/intimidation techniques on some detainees, if she was looking for another way to contribute. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/58 "2008-11-30T06:44:27Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I feel vindicated. Back in season one I felt like the only one who kept harping on the damn eclipse. Everyone kept saying, “it’s nothing, just a cute image, don’t worry your pretty little head, sweet thing.” > > Ha! Telling quote from [Greg Beeman](http://gregbeeman.blogspot.com/) (Executive Producer of show and Director of the episode) on the this one: > [@](#): > > Of course, we all had to get past the un-reality of the event. In real life there would never be a full eclipse visible from all these places on Earth at the same time. Eclipses also never last for this kind of duration.( **Hey – I’m dubious about the whole premise that the eclipse would take our Heroes powers away at all. I don’t think the Pilot’s eclipse gave powers… But others disagreed and that ship had sailed**.) Little depressing when senior figures in the show start publicly distancing themselves from big aspects of storylines. I would dearly like to know the nature of the resistance he encountered though because he’s 100% right for all the reasons **Wile E** mentions. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2008, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363/59 "2008-11-30T06:54:30Z")
> [@Baldwin](#): > > So, eclipses last for hours and hours. Never knew that. And it’s perfectly safe to view eclipses with a shoebox pinhole viewer by _looking through the pinhole_. That or really-Nikki has invulnerable eyes too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-11-24-08-the-eclipse-part-i-spoilers/474363.md?page=2)