Harrison Ford: Danko's survival
I'm glad that Danko seemingly survived. For the main villain of the volume, he was terribly underdeveloped, and I'd love to see him come back in some capacity (especially since it would give us a recurring villain not namedSylar).
Harrison Ford: Nathan coming out
The moment when Nathan corrected "one of them" to "one of us" and proceeded to hover in front of his old buddy was very cool; it went further towards redeeming the character than his sacrifice in battle withSylar.
Harrison Ford: Peter and Nathan's walk down the hall
Even though we knew the payoff would be a disappointment, Mrs. Teebore and I thought the scene of Nathan and Peter walking down the hall to confront Sylar, discussing strategy then affirming their love for one another, was pretty badass.
Wesley Snipes: Sylar vs. Peter and Nathan
Of course, as is sadly the norm on "Heroes," the payoff to the badass pre-fight scene is a hidden and implied battle royale instead of the real thing. Look, I get that this is a TV show and there are budget constraints and whatnot, but come on, this is your big season finale. You can't squirrel away some funds to actually show the super powered showdown between Sylar, Nathan and Peter to which the last several episodes have been building? Here's an idea: cut out a few scenes of emo Sylar shifting into his dead step mom from the previous episode and use that money on your finale.
It was one thing when they pulled this crap in the first season (Sylar vs. Peter in the future, the underwhelming showdown at Kirby Plaza) but three seasons and four volumes in and it seems ridiculous that we have yet to see two people with super powers use those powers to fight one another for an extended period of time. Sadly, I think it's just never going to happen.
You know what's cool? Watching two people with superpowers fight. You know what's not cool? Watching someone watch two people with superpowers fight.
Harrison Ford: Badass Peter
Mrs. Teebore squeed with delight when President Worf morphed into Peter and stabbed Sylar with the tranquilizer. It was pretty awesome. If this volume accomplished anything, it managed to effectively shift Peter from a whinyEmo to a quietly badass hero.
Wesley Snipes: The President's DNA
Despite being a cool scene, the moment when the President reveals himself as Peter was a little confusing: why did Sylar start to freak out and begin shifting into all those different people? Was it because he was trying to copy President Worf, and then Peter started shifting in the middle of the process? If a shapeshifter takes on the DNA of his subject (which the show has established is the case) then wouldn't Sylar have just gotten President Worf's DNA when he shook Peter-as-the-President's hand? Or is that why his power started freaking out: because he was trying to copy a copy? Whatever the answer, it was a bit unclear.
Wesley Snipes: Why don't they use Claire's blood to heal Nathan?
Remember back when Mohinder shot Noah in the head, he died, and then a transfusion of Claire's blood brought him back to life? Why didn't they do that for Nathan, especially since Noah himself was part of the group that decided what to do about Nathan's death. They could have even used Peter's blood, since he took the healing ability fromSylar.
What's that? The Mohinder-shooting-Bennet plot was from Season Two? Oh no! The Heroes Hired Goons are breaking down my door for daring to remember something from a season the Heroes writers have inexplicably blacklisted from their own recollection, and demand that we do the same. Run!
Wesley Snipes: Why doesn't Peter just pretend to be Nathan?
First of all, on paper, I like the idea of Sylar-as-Nathan. It's a neat way to keep the villain around but (hopefully) move him into the background for a bit, sparing us more boring stories where he hunts down relatives beforerejoining the main narrative, and there is tons of dramatic potential for a lot of different characters.
And I'm willing to accept that Ma Petrelli is right about needing Nathan to smooth things over with the President (although, arguably, the death of US Senator at the ends of a Special could probably be used to motivate PresidentWorf away from hunting them all down too: "Look what we can do-you need us to police our own."). I'm even willing to admit, in light of all her dialogue about a mother sparing her children pain, that she'd be willing to Parkman-whammySylar into pretending to be Nathan in order to spare Peter and Claire the pain of knowing Nathan died. The woman likes her potentially explosive secrets, after all.
But why in God's name does Bennet go along with it, keeping alive this monster that's terrorized and torn apart his family, when there's a perfectly safe and sane alternative: have Peter pretend to be Nathan.
He could probably do as good a job as a Sylar without using his "read objects' histories" power, and even if he couldn't, he has that power now. Sure, it'd kind of be tough for Peter to live as Nathan and Peter for an extended period of time, but Superman and Clark Kent manage it okay. Theoretically, once "Nathan" does smooth things over, they could fake his death in some non Specials-related death and let Peter go back to being just Peter full time. Either way, it'd be much safer for everyone.
I know why the writers want Sylar to be Nathan: that's obvious. But damn it, for a plot this potentially dangerous to so many people, they needed to establish SOME reason, in the show, why Bennet would ever go along with it.
Harrison Ford: Seven Minutes to Midnight
A little Lost-esque Easter Egg: when Sylar-as-Nathan adjust the clock in his office at the very end of the teaser, he changes it to 11:53 AM, which looks on the clock face like seven minutes to midnight.
Showing posts with label Heroes Season Three. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heroes Season Three. Show all posts
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Heroes 3x24: I Am Sylar
Wesley Snipes*: Agent Taub
Heroes, of late, as been in the disquieting habit of inserting scenes cut from previous episodes into the "Previously On" segment preceding a new episode, but never has it been more egregious than in this episode, in which the entire plot point upon which this episode hangs (Sylar is having identity issues while masquerading as one of Danko's agents), not to mention the implication that Danko is "feeding" his own agents to Sylar and all that entails for Danko's character, is introduced in the "Previously..." segment. Wow. That's just...wow. Talk about telling and not showing: "Oh, and Sylar's been pretending to be another agent for awhile now, and it's causing him some problems. It was never important enough to establish before now, but it's important now. Trust us."
Harrison Ford: Shapeshifting
I was all ready to flame the show for having Sylar impersonate Nathan despite the heavy implication in previous episodes that shapeshifting requires physical contact with a subject, and Nathan and Sylar never met after Sylar acquired that power, but the show sidestepped my criticism by not only confirming how the power works, but by making Sylar's acquisition of Nathan's DNA a plot point. Kudos.
Wesley Snipes: Shapeshifting
Of course, the show then squanders that goodwill by showing Sylar's clothes change when he shifts to another person, despite the fact that in previous episodes this wasn't the case. And by having Sylar talk about how the power changes his DNA, despite the fact that when the original shapeshifter died with Sylar's form, he possessed his own DNA, not Sylar's. And the confirmation that physical contact is required to assume someone's form begs the question of when the original shapeshifter had contact with Sylar in order to impersonate him.
Wesley Snipes: Hiro and Ando
Their constant bickering about Ando's power and the nature of their relationship (partnership vs. mentor and sidekick) is becoming as tired as the Claire-Noah "I love him-I hate him-I love him" merry-go-round. Enough already.
Wesley Snipes: Hiro's glasses
Seriously, it took THAT long for one of the agents to realize one of his team members was wearing glasses when he never has before?
Wesley Snipes: GPS
Based on Hiro's ability to use an agent's GPS device to locate Building 26, are we to assume that every agent has the location of their secret headquarters programmed into their GPS units? That seems pretty sloppy.
Furthermore, didn't Hiro inject Ando and himself with GPS tracking chips? Meaning Hiro wouldn't have had to tag along in the van with Ando to keep dibs on him and track him to Building 26?
Harrison Ford: Danko's Watch
I enjoyed the scene between Sylar and Danko, in which Sylar studied Danko's watch and knew the make/model and how off it was. It was a nice throwback to Sylar's origins.
Harrison Ford: "I Am Sylar"
Similarily, Sylar writing "I am Sylar" in blood on the wall of Clint Howard's apartment was a nice nod to his mysterious, pre-Zachary Qunito season 1 days.
Wesley Snipes: "I am Sylar"
Yet at the same time, that bloody scrawl didn't make any of the non-Danko agents suspicious that Sylar was alive? No questions along the lines of "if Sylar is dead, why is someone killing using his MO and proclaiming themselves to be Sylar via blood on the wall?" It seems like they just shrugged and moved on.
Wesley Snipes: Rebel's operation
Mrs. Teebore wondered how Danko was suddenly able to locate Micah when they hadn't been able to do so before. My answer was that since the show has yet to show us how Micah operates as Rebel beyond the vague implication of "he can talk to machines, that's how," it's difficult to ascertain how those methods might have led Danko to his location.
Also, assuming that's the last we'll see of Rebel in this volume, I should add that, overall, I was dissappointed in the Rebel subplot. I LOVE that they brought Micah back (now, where's his cousin?) but it seems far-fetched that he was running an entire counter operation by himself, even with his power. It sure seemed like the show was setting up "Rebel" as a network of agents, including Micah, some of which had access to future info (suggested when Hiro and Ando were in India-Rebel knew they'd be there before they arrived). It's mildly disappointing that in the end, it was Micah and Micah alone.
Wesley Snipes: Parkman and Janice
I get that Matt wants to be a part of his child's life, and that's fine. I have no problem with him attempting to work things out with Janice to make that happen, and going out of his way to protect them both. But yeesh, Matt, you're already talking about romantically getting back together with Janice? Already? Is Daphne's body even cold yet?
Wesley Snipes: Sylar's meeting with the President
So Sylar can enter Clint Howard's apartment, pour himself some hot chocolate and sit down on the couch, all without making a sound or otherwise making his presence known? Fine, I'll grant some artistic license in the name of making the villain creepy and whatnot. But then, shouldn't Sylar be able to similarly sneak undetected into the President's office, nab some DNA and take his shape, all without having to perpetuate the entire "pretend to be Nathan and force the President to meet with me" ruse?
*Key:
Harrison Ford: Things I liked about the episode.
Wesley Snipes: Things I did not like about the episode
Tommy Lee Jones: Questions, comments or other non-qualitative items about the episode.
Heroes, of late, as been in the disquieting habit of inserting scenes cut from previous episodes into the "Previously On" segment preceding a new episode, but never has it been more egregious than in this episode, in which the entire plot point upon which this episode hangs (Sylar is having identity issues while masquerading as one of Danko's agents), not to mention the implication that Danko is "feeding" his own agents to Sylar and all that entails for Danko's character, is introduced in the "Previously..." segment. Wow. That's just...wow. Talk about telling and not showing: "Oh, and Sylar's been pretending to be another agent for awhile now, and it's causing him some problems. It was never important enough to establish before now, but it's important now. Trust us."
Harrison Ford: Shapeshifting
I was all ready to flame the show for having Sylar impersonate Nathan despite the heavy implication in previous episodes that shapeshifting requires physical contact with a subject, and Nathan and Sylar never met after Sylar acquired that power, but the show sidestepped my criticism by not only confirming how the power works, but by making Sylar's acquisition of Nathan's DNA a plot point. Kudos.
Wesley Snipes: Shapeshifting
Of course, the show then squanders that goodwill by showing Sylar's clothes change when he shifts to another person, despite the fact that in previous episodes this wasn't the case. And by having Sylar talk about how the power changes his DNA, despite the fact that when the original shapeshifter died with Sylar's form, he possessed his own DNA, not Sylar's. And the confirmation that physical contact is required to assume someone's form begs the question of when the original shapeshifter had contact with Sylar in order to impersonate him.
Wesley Snipes: Hiro and Ando
Their constant bickering about Ando's power and the nature of their relationship (partnership vs. mentor and sidekick) is becoming as tired as the Claire-Noah "I love him-I hate him-I love him" merry-go-round. Enough already.
Wesley Snipes: Hiro's glasses
Seriously, it took THAT long for one of the agents to realize one of his team members was wearing glasses when he never has before?
Wesley Snipes: GPS
Based on Hiro's ability to use an agent's GPS device to locate Building 26, are we to assume that every agent has the location of their secret headquarters programmed into their GPS units? That seems pretty sloppy.
Furthermore, didn't Hiro inject Ando and himself with GPS tracking chips? Meaning Hiro wouldn't have had to tag along in the van with Ando to keep dibs on him and track him to Building 26?
Harrison Ford: Danko's Watch
I enjoyed the scene between Sylar and Danko, in which Sylar studied Danko's watch and knew the make/model and how off it was. It was a nice throwback to Sylar's origins.
Harrison Ford: "I Am Sylar"
Similarily, Sylar writing "I am Sylar" in blood on the wall of Clint Howard's apartment was a nice nod to his mysterious, pre-Zachary Qunito season 1 days.
Wesley Snipes: "I am Sylar"
Yet at the same time, that bloody scrawl didn't make any of the non-Danko agents suspicious that Sylar was alive? No questions along the lines of "if Sylar is dead, why is someone killing using his MO and proclaiming themselves to be Sylar via blood on the wall?" It seems like they just shrugged and moved on.
Wesley Snipes: Rebel's operation
Mrs. Teebore wondered how Danko was suddenly able to locate Micah when they hadn't been able to do so before. My answer was that since the show has yet to show us how Micah operates as Rebel beyond the vague implication of "he can talk to machines, that's how," it's difficult to ascertain how those methods might have led Danko to his location.
Also, assuming that's the last we'll see of Rebel in this volume, I should add that, overall, I was dissappointed in the Rebel subplot. I LOVE that they brought Micah back (now, where's his cousin?) but it seems far-fetched that he was running an entire counter operation by himself, even with his power. It sure seemed like the show was setting up "Rebel" as a network of agents, including Micah, some of which had access to future info (suggested when Hiro and Ando were in India-Rebel knew they'd be there before they arrived). It's mildly disappointing that in the end, it was Micah and Micah alone.
Wesley Snipes: Parkman and Janice
I get that Matt wants to be a part of his child's life, and that's fine. I have no problem with him attempting to work things out with Janice to make that happen, and going out of his way to protect them both. But yeesh, Matt, you're already talking about romantically getting back together with Janice? Already? Is Daphne's body even cold yet?
Wesley Snipes: Sylar's meeting with the President
So Sylar can enter Clint Howard's apartment, pour himself some hot chocolate and sit down on the couch, all without making a sound or otherwise making his presence known? Fine, I'll grant some artistic license in the name of making the villain creepy and whatnot. But then, shouldn't Sylar be able to similarly sneak undetected into the President's office, nab some DNA and take his shape, all without having to perpetuate the entire "pretend to be Nathan and force the President to meet with me" ruse?
*Key:
Harrison Ford: Things I liked about the episode.
Wesley Snipes: Things I did not like about the episode
Tommy Lee Jones: Questions, comments or other non-qualitative items about the episode.
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