Heroes ***spoilers***

[House of Mustard]

Here's a thought about surviving the explosion: in the past, Sprague was never affected by his power--he didn't get cancer, he didn't burn, etc.  So who's to say that he can't simply survive the explosion?  I don't think that's at all unreasonable.

After Nakamura discussed the samurai legend with Hiro--about how the samurai was willing to lose his heart (or something to that effect)--I wonder if Hiro is going to have to sacrifice Ando to kill Sylar.  He might have to choose.

And Linderman's death was mucho rad.  I figured DL was going to die--it was nice to see him go down fighting.

[Tage]

Most recent body count:

DL: didn't see it coming
Ted: knew it had to happen
Thompson (company man): holy crap
Linderman: woah, seriously?

I'm hoping Sylar doesn't get Candice, like the future implied he would. For some bizarre reason she's growing on me.

Also, I was checking the NBC forums to get Thompson's name, and I discovered a big freaking spoiler that made me very angry at the writers.  They're going to do what I'd hoped they wouldn't. I guess I won't say any more than that until next week.

[42]

So looking around the NBC site I found the "novels" which are just short comics. After reading them I'm impressed at how well they fill in little details. They mostly focus on the lady who can talk to computers--Hana. They also explain more about Linderman and you get to know more about the Petrelis.

I like that they moved these subplots to another medium. They really aren't that important for the show, but help round out the world.

[Fellfrosch]

I really liked this episode, except for the very tail end when they broke character in some serious, stupid ways:

1. Parkman didn't hear Mohinder sneaking up on him? Thompson knew he had to clear his mind, so I can almost buy that, but Mohinder would have been broadcasting "I'm right behind him. I'm going to hit him" loud and clear.

2. Ando ran off by himself, for no reason, with no explanation? The guy who's entire role in the show is to keep Hiro grounded in reality suddenly got so impatient he ran off alone to kill a supervillain? That's amazingly stupid on the writers' part. They didn't even pretend to make it plausible, just off he goes.

Other than that, it was great. I especially liked Candice in this one. The big problem is, I don't think they can tie it up in one episode, and I honestly don't think they're even going to try. They're going to keep Sylar alive (which is stupid--we need a new villain each season, Buffy style), and virtually none of the plot lines are going to wrap up. Maybe I'm just a pessimist (well, I'm definitely a pessimist), but there you go.

And DL might live--he stuck his fist straight into healing-man's brain, so it may have started healing him involuntarily. Or maybe I'm just so happy to see them finally doing something, I can't bear to lose him. Niki's little triumph over Jessica was awesome, though. Yay for that.

One more thing: what kind of gun does everyone keep using? Is it real? It's got a very distinctive shape, and I'm really curious if it means anything.

[The Lost One]

The big problem is, I don't think they can tie it up in one episode, and I honestly don't think they're even going to try. They're going to keep Sylar alive (which is stupid--we need a new villain each season, Buffy style), and virtually none of the plot lines are going to wrap up. Maybe I'm just a pessimist (well, I'm definitely a pessimist), but there you go.

They can't wrap it up in one episode. The show wasn't suppose to last this long but now that it is one of the biggest show on TV, they can't end it. Sylar, in particular, must be kept alive because of his popularity among views. This show isn't about writing a good series or progressing the plot. It's about TV rating and commercial advertising! Thus, long live Sylar (until the ratings really start to plummet).

[Tage]

WHEW! I'm so glad they didn't do what I was afraid they'd do, although I am slightly annoyed they let Sylar live. Also annoying is that they didn't mention Peter could have, theoretically, just flown up into space by himself. I mean, they could have slipped in a little something about him not having control because he's overloading, but oh well.

At least it tied in to the Save the Cheerleader thing. Claire had to live to give Nathan a reason to stop the bomb. I guess it worked well enough.

[Fellfrosch]

Well I'll be a ninja monkey's uncle--they actually did it. They wrapped it up in one episode, and brought all the characters together for a climactic battle, and every one of them did something cool and meaningful, and...I'm stunned. Sylar survived, which I think is very stupid, but we'll worry about that next year--for now, I'm fantastically pleased with how things turned out. The only thing that didn't happen is that Claire didn't punch her grandmother in the face, but there's plenty of time for that next year.

Of the many, many character arcs that wrapped up today, nothing made me cheer more than Niki finally using her superpower without giving in to Jessica--I literally stood up and cheered. She went from a character I didn't like in the beginning of the series to one that triumphed and made me love her. It was really a great moment, and I commend the writers and the actor. Well done.

As for next season, we know that Peter can survive blowing up, and I'm telling myself that Nathan is not necessarily dead either--he could have flown him up super high, dropped him, and ran. I don't know. He's too good of a character to lose, but I suppose they've proved they're not shy of killing characters.

One question, though: when Candice was knocked unconscious and morphed back into her natural form, why wasn't it her REAL natural form? That would have been a cool moment. I guess she has her Missy Peregym body set as the default somehow, I don't know.

[Fellfrosch]

Dangit, Tage beat me.

[42]

I was pleased with the ending. I agree with Tage that I don't see why Peter didn't just fly up himself. But I expect to see Peter return in some sort of Silver Surfer fashion in the next season. I do kind of hope that Nathan and Peter don't return next season, but I do want to see their mother return.

I'm both glad and annoyed that they showed us the start of the next season. I don't want to wait a year to see what happens to Hiro in feudal Japan.

Also, I'm glad they alluded to a bigger baddy than Sylar for the next season.

[Tink]

I was so annoyed that Hiro didn't have the sense to immediately, after stabbing Sylar with his sword, to cut off his head. Everyone knows that to make sure to kill a villain, you cut off his head, and then burn the body for good measure. How dumb. And no one seemed to take any notice of Sylar whatsoever. He was able to crawl (and I assume slowly from the blood trail) to the sewer and get under without any opposition. He knows exactly what he needs to do now to be President.

Which brings me back to Peter. We're assuming he survives because when Hiro went to the future, Peter was there and I can't remember who, but someone indicated that he was the real bomb, and not Sylar. So if he had been the one to explode and survived, then I doubt he didn't this time (esp. since he can fly and regenerate).

So Peter survives. Tell me, what will prevent Peter from blowing up later? In the vision of Peter exploding, he was in a very busy area of the city during the day. There were lots of cars around him and the other heroes were running away from him. Not like in last night's episode, where it was night, hardly anyone was around, and the heroes were standing there watching. This worries me. I know Nathan wanted to save Peter and everyone by sacrificing himself (assuming he was not able to get away before the explosion), but it may have been worthless. If Peter comes back the next day and explodes, then Nathan won't be dead long enough for Sylar not to take over (for people to know Nathan died). I'm sure Sylar knows where Candice is and will take her ability while she's still unconscious and replace Nathan. Maybe Peter won't even realize because he'll want to believe Nathan didn't die.

It seems to me that Peter's inability to control going nuclear is because Peter is a very emotional being, and when his emotions flare, so does his nuclear powers. Sylar, on the other hand, seems very unemotional, which is why he's able to easily control going nuclear. Ted had to go through a lot before he was able to control it. So I think this is why Peter goes to drinking and such in the future and seems much more cold. Just a thought.

And I agree with Fell about Candice not reverting to her true form. I was thinking the same thing.

[House of Mustard]

What if Sylar didn't survive?  That smear on the sidewalk looked--to me, at least--more like he'd been dragged into the sewer.

[Fellfrosch]

I think it's more likely that Candice becomes Nathan than that Sylar kills Candice and does it himself. The company will carry out their plan as well as they can without the explosion, and the heroes will be left to wonder why Nathan is back, and if it's really him, and of course it won't be.

As for Peter coming back and blowing up again, I don't think it's an issue for two reasons: first, it will probably take him a long time to reform and come back; second, they've already spent a whole season on "gee, I hope I don't blow up," and I can't imagine them doing it again. The second season will, ideally, have different conflicts.

And Mustard--you are absolutely right. It did look more like a drag than a crawl, and if it was a drag, the bug on the manhole cover at the end could have more meaning: maybe there's a villain who can control bugs or something, who lives in the sewer. That would make me very, very happy.

[Nessa]

Tink's issues with what we saw in the 'future' episode are questioned when we know that they changed the past, so of course the future is changed.

This means we can speculate anything! Hurrah!

[Tink]

I think it's more likely that Candice becomes Nathan than that Sylar kills Candice and does it himself. The company will carry out their plan as well as they can without the explosion, and the heroes will be left to wonder why Nathan is back, and if it's really him, and of course it won't be.

That makes sense in a way, but didn't Nathan change to Sylar and then start using Sylar's powers (i.e. couldn't be Candice). She may be able to make you see things, but she couldn't make you feel pain that wasn't there. I would have to watch that scene again, but it seems like he starts to open up Claire's brain.

[House of Mustard]

Have you seen this?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroes:_Origins

Heroes: Origins is an upcoming American science fiction drama television series, a spinoff of NBC's hit show Heroes. Heroes: Origins will introduce one new character per episode, and viewers will choose which character will join the main cast at the end of the run. The second season of Heroes and the first season of Heroes: Origins will include a total of 30 episodes.

The reason given for the spin-off was to remove the mid-season hiatus, which caused the ratings to falter when Heroes returned in Season 1. "We've got something I call the 'bulk-up challenge' for next year, which is trying to stay more consistent in our scheduling for the audience," NBC chief Kevin Reilly told reporters Monday (5/14) at a press conference announcing the network's 2007-08 schedule. "We asked ['Heroes' creator] Tim Kring to come up with an idea, and what I love is not only did we bulk up with 30 hours next season, but also a whole new idea which I think is going to take the show to the next level." While not all scheduling details have been hashed out, Reilly says, "I'll tell you one thing you won't see is 'Origins' peppered throughout, I think that would be difficult for the audience to navigate."