Sorry. Rant over before I can get out of hand.

Personally one of my favorite episodes of the show (close second behind Hysterical Blindness and HTSAEM), because Hey! Dead Simone! and because it really showcased the awesomeness of one C. Eccleston. I can say no more on this subject without babbling about the Doctor and how sad it made me when Eccleston said “bon voyage” (not that Tennant wasn’t amazing during his run, but still!)…….

Obviously in retrospect I have to disagree with you about Peter’s “evil potential” though we certainly caught a glimpse of what the side-effects of Sylar’s ability can have on even the most altruistic of characters. And sadly, the circular subplots for Hiro that started here have continued on and off throughout the show. Agh!

I continue to be highly entertained by the back reviews.

And I know this is silly, but why use those silly IM abbreviations? Are “about,” “something,” and “didn’t” really that much more difficult to type than abt, sth, and dint? The English language is a beautiful thing, and IM has destroyed it forever.

Peter could have absorbed Eden’s power because he WAS near her. Did Isaac obey after he used it? I’m not sure he did. And why wouldn’t Peter have told him to put the gun down? Sylar definitely didn’t get her power, or he would have used it on Sandra instead of the whole paper employee/Mr. Muggles ruse. Come to think of it, he would have used it on Bennet himself.

I’m not sure Peter got it, though. There seems to be the implication that the person must be alive for Peter to tap into that person’s power–the “connection.” It would be neat if it were that way–makes him more polar opposite to Sylar, whose victims must die for him to steal their power.

Otto, you’re awesome. Keep up the good work.

I’m not saying we should challenge every decision the characters make, but I think it’s a key part of what makes us love or hate them.

And dude, we be both a-chillin’!
Tim: awesome ideas, man. I agree that the Hiro story has moved along. The part I don’t like is how long it took to get here and the way it was done. I think a lot of us felt spoiled by the pace Hiro’s arc was moving at over the first seven or eight episodes. It slowed down pretty drastically after that, wouldn’t you agree?

On Mohinder: “Hopefully one more murder will convince him…” Ha! At least the body count serves a purpose. Mohinder gets a chance to be enlightened by it.
Didn’t mean to strike a nerve with the throw to Smallville. Don’t take my word that it’s budget holding the flight back, take AlMiles’s. They’ve admitted on a number of occasions that a limited TV budget is the reason why they’ve been unable to show more flight. The “no tights, no flights” thing is a smokescreen. When Heroes can do better flight sequences than a show which chronicles the teenage years of the ultimate flying superhero, AlMiles should be worried.

“When he flys at Clark, his abilities will be boundless.”

I disagree. It means his responsibility will become global, and he’ll be able to help people all over the world instead of in and around his hometown. That doesn’t necessarily make him Superman, it just gives him a bigger sandbox.

JSTN: do you think Sylar got Eden’s power? Eden put a bullet in her head to stop Sylar from getting her brain, and the “Oh %*@#!” expression on his face when she pointed the gun at herself was a hint that he really didn’t see it coming. I don’t think Sylar got Eden’s power, and I don’t think Peter did either (although if he had, it would have been in “Collision”, when he first met her at Mohinder’s apartment).

I agree, though: Peter’s definitely a kick-ass superhero.

The Sylar/Mohinder duo is disturbing if not only for the fact that Mohinder is blind and clueless. Hopefully one more murder will convince him that Zane is Slyar or vice versa.

Did not like the crack on Smallville. As a day-one fan, you must have a glitch if you think the only reason Clark is not flying is because of budget constraints. It is really frustrating when I read the message boards and see everyone crying and whining about how he doesn’t fly. Does not flying make him any more or less Super? He is not Superman yet. He is just Clark Kent moving toward Superman. When he flys at Clark, his abilities will be boundless. But that is not what the show is about at all. It is about the discovery.

hahahaha,
dude are you for real. I mean I love the series too, i think its really entertaining but that’s all that it is, entertainment. You’d have better luck goin back to kryptonsite and tell them to have Clark kill Lex right now. This is TV entertainment, chill. Enjoy what they present and stop with that stuff abt fictional characters being stupid, and goin on abt how they should’ve done sth else, lol.

Btw, as for the episode, it kinda sucked how they dint follow up with the Nathan/Jessica assasination thing. Makes up for it with the darkside of peter though, atleast he’s standing up to people. Everyone’s more closely related than you’d think.

I’m not sure, but I don’t think Tawny’s inexperience had anything to do with the character being written out. I eviscerated the way Simone was written on a number of occasions, more so as the show went on because she became less of a character and more of a caricature, but I’m not sure I ever disagreed with the way Tawny played her. There were times when I thought the actress rose above the dialogue and the inconsistent characterization and showed she could do more if she’d only been given a more prominent role on the show.

It’s the one reason I’m sorry the character was written out; the actress never got a chance to shine the way Hayden and Ali do. Her reaction to Charles’s death in “Nothing To Hide” is the only moment which springs to mind.

I’d say your Buffy analogy is apt, but for a different reason. Killing off Jenny established Angelus as a monster (beyond the nameless victims over the centuries). It’s how the show underlined that the danger was real. It’s what made the conflict between Angelus, Buffy and Giles resonate.

That’s effectively what’s being done here: when no one is safe, the peril is intensified; the suspense when it looks like another character’s about to be killed off is even greater. It’s unfair for the characters and the actors, but it takes the drama to another level.

Is Kring thinking on Whedon’s level? I’d say yes, if only because he’s showing the same level of flexibility when it comes to his story and his characters. Oz was originally the one who was going to die (not Jenny), but Whedon was flexible enough to scratch that idea and make Seth Green a regular. The Host on Angel was a recurring character for three seasons, but the character was popular enough for Whedon to relent and make him a regular.

Now, here’s how that relates to your point: I think Heroes is developing at a faster pace than either of those shows (which isn’t intended as a jibe, just an observation), meaning the cast turnover and the introduction and departure of characters is likely to be quicker. If characters are working for the story, they become regulars (as Bennet did); if they’re not, they’re written out (as Simone was). It’s ruthless, but in the end I think it’s going to guarantee the show a successful run.

Simone’s death was probably planned from the start, but it sounds like fan reaction to the character influenced the decision. If that’s true, I’d be less worried about Mohinder and Isaac and more worried about Niki and Matt.

I agree that James Kyson Lee is awesome as Ando. His name’s still appearing in NBC’s episode descriptions, so I’d say it’s likely the guy hasn’t been written out.

Specifically, they need to dial back the death. While few will weep for Simone, there is a disturbing precedent set here which interviews with Kring and some spoilers make even more worrisome. There is a problem here with the producers being almost too willing to kill characters off. This is obviously “Lost”-inspired, but we need to remember that when “Lost” first killed off a regular it was daring and groundbreaking. When the show started doing it twice a season, it became too much.

The problem with the road “Heroes” is choosing to take is that it is giving its (admittedly excellent) villain far too much control and power. We pretty much know now that when a new “super” shows up, no matter how interesting or well-acted, that he or she is soon going to be scalped. Here I’m not counting “older” supers such as Hana, Ted, and Eden who have had contact with HRG and his organization, for better or worse. I mean the newly emerging supers who are just discovering their powers. Other than the “regulars,” have any of them been allowed to live? I can’t think of any. We knew Zane and Dale were doomed from the moment we met them, largely because of the sad precedent of Charlie. Yes, we get it, Tim. Sylar is bad. Very evil dude. But why continue to create interesting characters only to waste them right away? Has there ever been a more horrible waste of a wonderful character than Charlie? Or even Eden, who was extremely likable at the end, when the “Nora Zehetner is a bad actress” theory was definitively proven untrue.

There’s too much death, “Heroes.” Step back a bit. I’m hearing spoilers that Simone is not the only regular who will meet an end this season, and that there will be another. Quite frankly, Mr. Kring, this is a horrible idea. Inevitable at this point, I suppose, but a dreadful idea and an unconscionable writing faux pas. Who will it be? Mohinder? Killing off the show’s narrator is not usually a wonderful idea. At least not in the first season (and “Desperate Housewives” doesn’t count–Mary Alice was dead before she narrated a thing). Isaac? What would that prove? That fate is inevitable? That all is futile? that Sylar was right? We’ve established Hiro’s limitations changing the past. If Isaac dies, it means that he can’t even change the future, in which case the whole damn series seems for naught. So Isaac’s death would be a horrific mistake. But who else is there? Exactly. You have an excellent cast, Mr. Kring. Isn’t it in your best interest to keep them all employed?

At least the colossal blunder of killing off Ando was avoided. Simone was a better choice, even though she was a “regular.” And who decided this distinction anyway? Why in the world is James Kyson Lee NOT a regular? He consistently had more screen time and lines than Tawny Cypress, and he has always been more entertaining. In fact, Lee has done such a fine job creating Ando that we can’t help but feel that the writers are shooting themselves in the collective foot with Hiro’s latest decision. But at least Ando didn’t die.

But it really comes down to giving us a break from the death. You want to know how to handle killing off characters, Mr. Kring? Look no further than Joss Whedon. Yes, the deaths on “Buffy” were emotional and packed a wallop, but Mr. Whedon knew how to pace things, how to space them out.

In Season 2, we had the very dark moment of Jenny Calendar’s death. Necessary and dramatically sound. But she was not a “regular.” So when did Whedon next kill off a major character? Not in Season 3, although some recurring students were killed (one of whom, Harmony, became a more developed character AFTER her death). Then we don’t have a major death until the second half of season 5, when Joyce Summers was killed by (shock) natural causes. Again, she was not a regular. Not until Season 6–Season SIX, Mr. Kring–did Whedon dare to kill off somebody who was in the opening credits, and that was Tara. And he only did it again with Anya in the season finale.

Moderation. Proper pacing. Spreding the deaths out over seven seasons. Mr. Whedon understood how to do it. If Kring kills off a second regular in the show’s first season, how far will he end up going? It’s just bad storytelling, no matter how thrilling the individual episodes end up being. It’s not a way to run a long-term television series, and who doesn’t want “Heroes” to last at least a few seasons? But how will they do that if the cast keeps dropping like flies?

So what needs to happen? Well, a “new” super must eventually get to live. It will become totally implausible for even one more death to happen right after Mohinder and Sylar find the person because the audience does not want to accept Mohinder as a complete imbecile. So let the next one live.

And for God’s sake, don’t kill off Isaac or Mohinder. If either is killed, the entire dramatic structure of the show will be damaged and we will all feel cheated.

Listen closely to this advice, “Heroes,” and let up on the death. We get the idea already.

I hope that this isn’t too much soapbox-jumping, Otto, and that you’ll have some thoughts in response.