Monday, October 6, 2008

Heroes: Still Not Feeling the Love

I think my expectations are too high, because I'm just bored. Am I misguided? Thoughts?

6 comments:

Toby said...

I don't know, I'm enjoying it. We have to remember its source material is comic books, which run mostly on melodrama and fairly predictable storylines. I think you're expecting Frank Miller and they're giving you mostly Marvel/Stan Lee.

But the basic thrust of last night's episode was "If Sylar can become Gabriel, the loving father, then all bets are off." I still think the Parkman storyline and the Niki/Barbara/Tracy storylines are silly, but there is an interesting development in the division between people who came by their powers "naturally" and those who were given them by the company. That has potential. And maybe now that Hiro is on his quest he'll start turning into the badass and leave behind the slapstick. And now that Peter and Sylar are the same, that could be interesting as well.

Laura said...

Yeah, I'm definitely not expecting Shakespearean masterwork here. I am, after all, the person who found the inconsistencies in 24 not worth getting uptight about.

I think my issue is more that I viewed them as doing more subtle things than they actually were--exploring evil as defined by bad choices. I guess that's still in play--if Claire and Peter can be mortal enemies, and Sylar can be good. But if it's the nature of Sylar's powers (although it's nice to get more info on that) versus the choices that Sylar makes that separates him and Peter, I find that less interesting. I'm babbling, though.

Parkman serves no purpose, as far as I can tell. His storylines are always so tedious and domestic.

I come down on the side that Sylar is a Petrelli brother. Seems like what Angela would do. Betcha they have different fathers.

Who's Barbara? I was watching the Keating 5 video when the episode started, so I was multitasking. I obviously missed some details.

Toby said...

I'm not ruling out that Sylar is truly a Petrelli, but I haven't embraced it yet. The old man told Ali Larter that she's one of three, I think Barbara was the third name he mentioned.

I did think it funny that Nathan has now been with fire woman and ice woman. I wonder who he likes better.

My one disappointment was that Peter didn't draw the bullet out of Future Peter's skull and bring him back to life. I mean, it's common courtesy toward your future self, even if he is an asshole.

I also found it interesting that Sylar names his son after Noah.

In then end, I think that now that Sylar and Peter have the same power, the issue of evil becomes more interesting. If Peter becomes evil because of the power, then that is lame. If he is able to control the hunger and remain good, then Sylar needs to reassess his own self-image. But now I'm babbling.

Laura said...

Oh, goody. An endless series of Ali Larters. No doubt Nathan will sleep with all of them.

erik said...

well, if domestic sylar (gabriel) is any indication, it's a hunger that can be managed. what i want to know is, who's the mother of sylar's son?

expect tracy, barbara, and zombie nikki to form an acapella group in a future episode.

Laura said...

Yeah, isn't it a bit strange that Niki was still embalmed in a coffin there? Maybe they're waiting for one of the healers to trip on by, then the clones can really form a Supreme-type trio and do Motown covers. I suspect they can't sing, though.

Still, controllable urge or no, it provides an organic explanation and becomes less about Sylar's particular choices/upbringing. They did such work to flesh him out--mama's boy seeking approval, wanting so badly to be maximally special, which led to his excesses. The kind of power that Sylar and Peter have (to absorb or replicate other powers) has to lead to some feeling of omnipotence (compared to the other heroes, which have more obvious vulnerabilities, e.g., Claire indestructible but unable to defend herself).

I like Sylar and Peter as two sides of the same coin. Which I realize is still in play with wrestling the urge. But, meh, it still bugs me.

I wondered on the mother of Sylar's son too. Maybe one of the Ali Larter clones?