Overview:
Željko ends up in a Goon Squad cell with Noah after Sylar frames him for the murder of his agents. Their efforts to escape prove easier than expected when Hiro freezes time and releases everyone there. Sylar finally meets President Worf after attempting to woo Claire, beating up Peter and slitting Nathan’s throat. His plan is overthrown, however, when it turns out Peter absorbed Sylar’s shapeshifting ability and masqueraded as Worf. With Sylar tranquilized, Angela and Noah persuade Matt to work an advanced Parkman Whammy that leaves Sylar morphing into Nathan and thinking he really is Nathan. The approximation fools everyone, including Worf, who agrees to fund a new Petrelli/Bennet-led Company.
Review:
As different as the two beasts might be, the Season Three finale has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as its Season One counterpart. It’s tense, well paced, and it brings a fitting sense of closure to the volume, but it also suffers from the same pitfalls when it comes to a rushed conclusion that leaves storylines unresolved and details hanging. The crucial difference is that where “How to Stop an Exploding Man” was essentially a good episode dragged down by minor flaws, “An Invisible Thread” is essentially a great episode dragged down by one gigantic flaw.
Nathan’s death didn’t come as a surprise, at least not to me. What’s unfortunate is the way he was killed off; the way the show actively used plotholes and inconsistencies to make it happen, the way the death was drained of all emotional impact because half of Nathan’s family have no idea he’s even dead, and the way Nathan’s death has been used as a gimmick to service Sylar’s ongoing identity crisis. As much of a relief as it is to know that Pasdar will be on the show next season, what grates is the realization that he won’t be playing Nathan, and that Sylar now has the chance to wear Nathan’s face and live his life until the show decides to let his real self resurface.
Or not. I’d like to be proven wrong. I’d like to be surprised next season. I’d like to give the show the benefit of the doubt and trust that this isn’t another spin on The Sylar Show. The sad part is that judging from the response across message boards this week, a lot of fans won’t give the show the chance to surprise them. A lot of them have walked away and won’t be coming back.
Which, in a roundabout way, is a testament to the show’s success in creating characters we care about, to the extent that we’re willing to walk away when we’re appalled by the way a character was written out. But it’s also a testament to this episode’s mixed success — as a finale to an outstanding volume, as the conclusion to a rocky season, and as a send-off for a beloved character.
The finale opens with Sylar nearly scalping Nathan and V.O. Mohinder rambling. Oh, show. You’re supposed to entice viewers, not repel them! As discouraging as this might be, it’s worth noting that the opening voice-over is one of the more lucid, and perhaps a hopeful sign that the show realized what a tough sell the Sylathan twist would be:
“There are nearly seven billion people on this planet. Each one unique. Different. What are the chances of that? And why? Is it simply biology, physiology that determines this diversity? A collection of thoughts, memories, experiences that carve out our own special place? Or is it something more than this?”
Thought-provoking, albeit typically pretentious. The key point is that physiology and memories do not a Nathan make. The fact that it’s here, in the opening voice-over, at least suggests that the show knew we’d never accept that Sylar could become Nathan. Reassuring from the start, if perplexing given the outcome.
The shot of Matt on the Greyhound was a nice detail. Amusing for the in-joke, because you have to figure he wouldn’t be up for another coast-to-coast drive so soon after the last one. But it’s somehow also a fitting way to start the episode: with the guy who left his ex-wife and son so he could remove the organization threatening them, and the guy who was roped into enabling Noah and Angela’s insanity.
Angela’s dream about Nathan “in trouble” ratchets up the sense of foreboding, but I can’t help wondering what became of Angela’s cryptic whisper to Nathan in “Exposed.” Not a huge plothole, but it seemed like she’d already dreamed about Nathan in trouble. In the end, though, Angela dreaming about an impending catastrophe is as effective a way to build the tension as any of the show’s prophetic paintings were.
Noah kicks Claire and Angela out of the car and tells them to avoid capture by finishing the journey on foot. This would be shrewd if it weren’t accompanied by Noah’s instruction to Claire to “get to Nathan and make sure it is him.” Which, *PING!*, earns Noah the episode’s first Dumb As Award, because unless he expected Claire to push Nathan off a bridge or plunge a knife into the back of his head to see what happens, Claire’s pretty much stumped when it comes to “making sure” it’s him. I guess Claire could have asked Nathan what his sons’ names were, but I’m not sure even the real Nathan remembers that.
Petrelli HQ. Sylar again gets stabbed in the back of the head and collapses, then gets right back up and pulls the knife out.
Sylar: “Remember that little off-switch in the back of my head? I moved it.”
At the risk of repeating myself after last week,
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?
I can buy the bone-rearranging and the DNA-altering and even the absurdity of the clothing-mimicking. But that “little off-switch” is Sylar’s BRAIN! Unless Sylar’s now able to move his brain around his skull, I can’t see how this is an adequate explanation. Sylar wasn’t impersonating anyone when Željko stabbed him, so it’s not as if the show could even argue that a different physiology meant a different skull structure. Željko hit the brain. That was enough to kill Claire, Peter AND SYLAR over the course of the series. There is no caveat to that.
Željko’s expression of disbelief resembles my own, although mine is the Looney Tunes caricature version of disbelief, whereas Željko’s is more the carefully underplayed Emmy-Award-winning version of disbelief. Thankfully, it seems like we might have a chance to see that kind of performance again after this volume, which is both a surprise and a delight. I was betting Željko would be dead within the first five minutes of this episode, and as disappointed as I’ve been that the character got so little backstory over these 12 episodes, I hope the show will explore his history next volume.
The shout-out to Angela feeding Bridget to Sylar felt a little redundant after it was already established last week, but if the show was intent on making the premise surrounding Sylathan as plausible as it could, they set it up clearly right away. Looking back, I’m almost tempted to think they planned that gross-for-the-sake-of-shock-value human sacrifice with this outcome in mind. If you’re cynical, it’s unlikely the show was thinking this far ahead. If you have faith in the writers, they planned this from the start. And with hindsight, there’s a certain morbid irony in Angela’s snack facilitating Sylar’s replacement of her son.
Sylar describes his “rendezvous with destiny” (was that intentionally bad dialogue?) and all but cackles and twirls his non-existent mustache as he lays out his maniacal plan. It’s mercifully brought to a conclusion …
… when Sylar morphs into Željko. Amazing effect, and all the more memorable when Ivanek brings that deliciously evil smile to Sylar-as-Željko. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that. The shapeshifting ability? Yes. The fun the actors have when they’re playing Sylar? Never.
Sylar-as-Željko plows bullets into the Goon Squad agents outside the office, morphs into Taub and pins the murders on Željko. And the rest of the agents arriving on the scene … just accept that their boss flipped out and killed his team? Evidence that Željko’s team were looking for the earliest opportunity to get rid of the guy, I guess.
Sylar adjusts his tie in the mirror. It seems like just a neat detail, but then you start to wonder why he’d bother putting on Nathan’s tie when he can shapeshift the tie onto his physique. And then you realize that Sylar’s using the tie to glean every detail he can about Nathan. All of which is awesome, but not as awesome as Sylar then kicking Nathan in an attempt to wake him up. Cruel but funny.
Was the reveal that Sylar absorbs memories from contact with people glossed over? The gist seems to be that if Sylar touched Nathan while he was conscious, he would have absorbed his memories just as easily as absorbing them through contact with Nathan’s belongings. Curious detail, but also a problematic one, because if this ability is still active after Sylar becomes Sylathan, you have to wonder why Sylar doesn’t immediately absorb Angela’s memories of finding Nathan’s dead body when he hugs her.
I never figured out if Claire knew right away that this wasn’t Nathan. There are moments when she’s blatantly suspicious, and there are moments when it isn’t clear whether she’s been fooled or whether she’s just pretending to be fooled. The implication is she had a strong suspicion this was Sylar but let herself be fooled. When Sylar-as-Nathan tells Claire that he thought Claire knew him better than anyone, he’s channeling his intuitive aptitude and telling Claire what she wants to hear: that her bio-dad trusts her, that he’s willing to confide in her, and that there’s a bond between them that can’t be impersonated. Which Claire immediately falls for, although it in no way earns her a Dumb As Award because Sylar’s performance is remarkably convincing, and more importantly, it demonstrates Sylar’s ability to analyze people, extract their insecurities and exploit them.
Pulling memories out of Claire’s necklace? Again, I’m tempted to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and assume they planned it all along. Very cool, and somehow sad, because when you recall the effort Nathan made to retrieve the necklace as a gesture to make amends, it’s heartbreaking to think it’s now a method for Sylar to lure Claire to the Stanton suite.
Claire: “I need to help stop Sylar. It’s time I put myself in the middle of this and made a difference.”
Proactive, determined, courageous … and it’s Claire!?! Color me stunned, because this was one of the few instances when I found myself not only sympathizing with Claire, but actually admiring and rooting for her.
I’d like to pause the review and offer a brief but respectful nod to the episode’s director, Greg Beeman, who, for those who aren’t aware, was let go after this episode.
I won’t pretend to understand NBC’s corporate reasoning — Beeman describes it on his blog as a “financially motivated decision” — but having reviewed, critiqued and dismantled this show over the years, and having religiously followed Beeman’s blog in that time, I feel it’s appropriate to mention how much I’ve enjoyed the episodes Beeman directed, and to point out the enormous loss the show has suffered from his departure. Among his many credits, Beeman directed “Homecoming,” “Unexpected,” “Landslide” and “Shades of Gray.” Which is to say, he directed four of the show’s absolute best.
Take a moment to visit Beeman’s blog, folks. If you’re not too shy to comment, let the guy know what an amazing job he did on this show. If you’ve listened to him on the commentaries, seen him working behind the scenes, read or watched an interview with him or had the privilege of working with him, you’ll know what a brilliant director and producer he is, and what a terrific guy he is. He’s been an integral part of the show’s communication with its fans, he’s consistently generated phenomenal performances from the show’s cast, and his part in coordinating and overseeing the show’s production over the years cannot be overstated.
Heroes won’t be the same without you, Greg. We wish you the best, and we look forward to your next project. For now, farewell, and thank you for being a part of this show.
As if to prove a point, Beeman’s episode takes a turn that surprises me in the best possible way: it makes Hiro likable again. The usual superhero references are there, but Hiro’s determination to see his plan through is admirable, and the performance Beeman gets out of Masi — with all of Hiro’s stoicism and self-sacrifice coming to the surface — is commendable.
Ando: “It’s just a headache now. Next, your head could explode.”
Hiro: “Explode?”
Was that meant to take us to a scary visual place? Or was it meant to inspire several very entertaining pieces of fan artwork? Either way, nicely played, show.
Goon Squad agents lead Željko past HQ. We get a glimpse of the staff’s reaction to the sight of their boss in restraints, and while their look of quiet vindication is telling …
… Željko’s expression, which seems to say, “Thanks for sticking by me, a**holes!”, is even more telling.
Was the decision to put Željko into the same cell as Noah worthy of a Dumb As Award? It’s a converted version of Tracy’s cell, so it’s possible this is the only cell in the building and the guards had nowhere else to put him. It’s also reasonable to assume that two middle-aged non-powered humans were never going to bust their way out the way Tracy did. I’m giving Goon Squad Central a pass just this once.
Peter finds Nathan at Petrelli HQ and delivers what’s possibly the funniest moment of the episode when he tells his brother, “I’ll bet you’re happy to see me.” As harsh as I might have been on the actor for some occasionally wooden acting this season, I have to say that the moment is made great by Milo’s deadpan delivery. If Peter had been written this way all along, I think I would have liked him much more.
We cut back to Goon Squad Central, where the show demonstrates that it can ditch all visual effects and pyrotechnics and deliver a stellar scene …
… with a bare room, a bench, a bright light, two great actors, and two compelling characters with all the regret in the world. As disappointing as the absence of a super-showdown is later on, it’s largely to the show’s credit that one of the highlights of the finale is a scene as straightforward and theatrical as this.
Were we meant to sympathize with Željko? The close-ups seem like they’re trying their best to sway us, and given the turmoil the guy seems to be in, it’s hard not to at least feel bad for him. But then, given the monstrousness of his plans, and given the ruthlessness of his methods, and given the outright hatred he’s demonstrated for the superpowered population throughout the volume … what am I saying?!
Željko: “How the hell did you do it? Deal with all of this. Can’t capture all of them, can’t contain them. There are no rules. Not even gravity.”
Great dialogue. Drives home how unprepared Željko was for the project, and how impossible it is for him to accept that in spite of his resourcefulness and fanaticism, he failed.
Noah: “It’s all about spinning plates. Living in the gray area. Twenty years of middle-management, becomes second nature.”
Željko: “So, in 20 years, I’ll ‘get it’?”
Noah: “Twenty years, and an adopted daughter.”
Again, great dialogue. Consistent with the characters, and an elegant way to bring the dynamic full circle and back to their conversation at Željko’s apartment in “Cold Wars.” We’re reminded that the distinction between the two Company Men is family; or at least a daughter, because there’s sufficient evidence to argue that Noah equates “family” with Claire. The message here, however — and possibly the one positive message in the entire episode — is that in the end, Noah’s devotion to his family saved him.
The irony there, of course, is that we’ve seen how worthless some of these characters find a normal life. The finale obliquely raises key questions in both Noah’s and Hiro’s story threads: What is Noah without The Company? What is Hiro without his ability? Hopefully questions that will be addressed next season.
Hiro freezes time and opens the cell door. I love the little “Nah!” headshake Hiro gives Ando when they realize they haven’t found the right room. Frozen Goon Squad Central was also a delight. As with the joy the actors get out of shapeshifting, it’s something that never gets old. One particularly cute detail is a Goon Squad analyst throwing a ball of paper at a wastepaper basket. Small detail, but it’s part of what makes the episode memorable.
One big disappointment about this episode is the way the fate of Building 26 is never established. Is it shut down after Worf agrees to the new Company? Will The Company move to Goon Squad Central’s premises? Will the staff here be re-assigned to The Company? It’s one of the details left exasperatingly unresolved, and that’s a shame because it was the focal point of the volume: Nathan’s decision to out the supers and create a government operation to hunt them down.
I laughed, but I also couldn’t help feeling bad for the guys who ended up drugged and semi-conscious. These agents and analysts were complicit in the capture and death of numerous supers, but a lot of them were only doing their job.
I also couldn’t help wondering about the ramifications to letting these supers go. As noble as Ando is for ushering a bunch of bewildered captives back onto the street, we know that supers like Doyle were among them. For every harmless and good-natured super that Ando released into the general population, he might have released a maniac who’ll go on to wreak havoc.
Sylar-as-Nathan and Claire visit the Stanton Hotel. Claire recognizes Samuels because she “live[s] in America.” Hilariously, Sylar doesn’t seem to have a clue who he’s looking at until he shakes the guy’s hand and realizes that he’s looking at both a former acquaintance and Worf’s chief of staff. Between the watch repairs and the serial killing, I guess Sylar wouldn’t have followed the news or have a broad political knowledge.
Claire catching the left-handed signature from a right-handed dad forces you to applaud her observational skills, but also to question again whether Claire knew she was looking at Sylar. Based on the interrogatory tone, you’re certain she realizes the truth. But then, that begs the question, why on earth is she going along with it? Was she waiting for a chance to drive a knife into the back of Sylar’s head? Was she planning to dive between Sylar and Worf to keep them apart? Was she going to call Noah? You want to praise Claire’s bravery for going along with the charade, but at the same time you have to wonder what her motive was.
Goon Squad Central.
Željko gets stabbed in the neck by his own tranquilizer. It’s amusing for the comic expressions everyone brings to the scene, but perhaps more importantly, it’s a defining moment for Hiro, who now has a chance to exact revenge on the guy who was partly responsible for the death of his nemesis.
Or at least it would be a defining moment if anyone remembered Hiro’s nemesis.
It’s on the tip of my tongue.
I know I’ll remember her name any moment now.
Anyway, Hiro collapses, and by the look of it …
… you wouldn’t expect Hiro to be back on his feet anytime soon. You certainly wouldn’t expect him to attend a funeral pyre with only a headache. This moment was made out to be momentous, and yet somehow, by the end of the episode, Hiro seems on the way to recovery. Which isn’t a huge deal, but it makes us wonder whether we should bat an eyelid if Hiro dropped dead. On the basis of this, there’s a good chance he’d be back on his feet by the end of the episode.
Sylar-as-Nathan and Claire reach what will come to be known as the Suite of Decimation.
The moment we saw Sylar-as-Nathan peering over the balcony, I was going to point out how brilliantly Pasdar was channeling Sylar, and how even more brilliantly he’s doing it now than he was in “Five Years Gone.” Everything about the performance is perfect: the predatory eyes, the calculating stare, the confident, deliberate economy of movement.
Then Claire gets a call from Noah on the Secret Cell Phone, and Sylar-as-Nathan’s smirk …
… just kills me. He’s not even worried that they figured it out. It’s more, “Geez, took them long enough.”
Then — get this — Sylar-as-Nathan turns around …
… and inspects his fingernails.
THE FINGERNAILS OF A GUY HE’S IMPERSONATING.
Whatever this finale’s critical flaws, you can’t fault the show for ignoring nuances. Whoever came up with this deserves a bouquet, and it’s one of several reasons to look forward to Season Four. Pasdar is going to have a blast with it.
As grotesque as this scene is, the actors deserve praise for maximizing the horror. Hayden conveys the same fear and loathing she conveyed in the season premiere, although this time it’s conditioned by Sylar puppeteering her, which means the contempt comes largely through facial mannerisms; the icy glare, the gritted teeth, the look of helplessness as Sylar guides her around the room.
Sylar: “Everybody dies sometime. Well, almost everybody. Papa Petrelli, Ma Bennet, Mr. Muggles … What’s your brother’s name again? Larry?”
Funny. You know you shouldn’t laugh when Sylar’s threatening to kill him, but the fact that the show used an intense moment like this to remind us how forgettable Lyle is just goes to show what a running joke he’s become. Poor Lyle.
Sylar: “Have you ever stopped to think about how much we have in common, Claire? You were adopted, I was adopted. You can’t die, I can’t die.”
Wait, there’s more! You’re both annoying! And you’re both completely self-centered! And you both frequently have scenes where all you say is me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me-me!
There’s not enough ew to convey how sickening this was. I’d like to think that that was the idea, and again, props to Hayden for a superb performance, because Claire looks like she’s physically suffering when Sylar touches her. Hopefully that was the intention, in which case this was the episode’s implicit horror to complement the upcoming explicit horror. But then, you can’t help worrying that they’re trying to pull a Spike with a storyline in which Sylar rediscovers his humanity through Claire. And if that’s where they’re going with this — and starting with an episode in which Sylar kills Claire’s father — good God.
Nathan and Peter show up at the Stanton, and we learn that Samuels is part of the inner circle and clued in to Goon Squad Central’s existence.
Nathan: “His name is Sylar. He’s extremely dangerous.”
Samuels: “He’s a target? He’s one of them?”
Nathan: “He’s one of them. He’s … I gotta stop saying that. He’s one of us.”
Heartbreaking, because, looking back, you realize how hard Nathan was going to try to make amends. When he gets to this portion of dialogue, Nathan’s expression …
… is the expression of a guy who’s excited about the road he’s taking; a guy who, after years of acting like a douche, has had an epiphany and knows he’s been a douche and knows he needs to fix everything he’s done.
Which rubs more salt in the wound, especially when we see Peter’s response:
For the first time in the series, it looks like Peter admires Nathan; like he’s impressed that, for once, his big brother’s not lying, not thinking solely of himself and not putting on an act to manipulate everyone around him.
Nathan floats off the ground to prove his point, and as cool as this moment is, you have to wonder if Nathan realized how it could have backfired. We immediately assume he’ll dissuade the security guards from shooting him, but imagine how stupid Nathan would have felt if these guards had blown his brains out before Sylar had a chance to slit his throat.
Actually, thinking about it, would that have had more impact than the send-off the show’s about to give Nathan?
Nathan and Peter approach the Suite of Decimation.
Nathan: “I love you, Pete. You know that.”
Peter: “Of course. I love you too, Nathan.”
I’m not usually one for the Petrellicest, but that even got to me. With hindsight, knowing that it’s pretty much the last thing they’ll ever say to each other, and knowing that Peter won’t even realize it’s the last thing they’ll ever say to each other, it becomes even more saddening.
Claire comes flying through the doors and crashes into the hall, looks up at Peter and Nathan, like, “Hi, good of you guys to show up, I’m useless but what’ve you got?”
The brothers launch into the air, and …
And …
OK, that’s it folks! I think you’ll agree, this was one heck of a finale. A little shorter than usual, but in these tough times I think the show more than made up for it with a capital 35-minute episode. Boy, did they deliver the goods! Action! Suspense! Drama! What a mighty big cliffhanger to finish the season! What will happen next time? Will the Petrelli brothers defeat Sylar? Will Sylar become president? Will Angela find Matt and rescue Nathan, or will Claire somehow save the day? So many questions! I have no idea what will happen, but I can’t wait to find out! See you all in September!
Just let me stay in the Land of Denial for a moment. If the episode had ended here, it would have been so awesome. We would have felt cheated, but we would have still wondered if the characters we loved would pull through. Or, if they didn’t pull through, we’d still be hoping they’d be written out in a way that struck an emotional chord.
Instead …
… WE’RE LOCKED OUT OF THE ACTION?!
I’m going to hold off ranting about this. At the end of a season in which a lot of talented people on the show were let go, it seems insensitive to complain about the lack of expensive stuntwork. My complaint, if I were to make it, would be the same as it was in the Season One finale: that the episode had built up to this confrontation, that we were expecting it and that it was a disappointment not to see it. But in a finale about identity, broken bonds and emotional aftermath, it wasn’t essential.
The show does its best to convey a sense of action without showing it: we hear Ellectrobolts firing, furniture crashing, glass smashing, and lots of masculine grunting.
Beautifully shot. There’s something surreal about the ash in the air.
One moment of light humor amid the tragedy: the whole suite has been decimated, but the piano’s intact. Presumably Sylar and the Petrellis had enough respect for musicianship to leave it out of the carnage.
Peter staggers to his feet, limps across the room on Claire’s arm and reveals that Sylar and Nathan went out the window.
Which, again, would have made for an amazing spectacle in the season finale. Alas, we’re left to imagine Sylar and Nathan trading blows in the upper atmosphere.
Claire persuades Peter to leave the suite to “find them.” They’re going to “find” two flying guys on the ground? I guess Claire might have meant they’d find Sylar if they followed the president, because the alternative is wandering the streets and looking aimlessly into the sky.
Sylar tosses Nathan back into the suite, and the piano finally gets its share of destruction. There’s even a jarring CLANG! of piano keys as the legs collapse and the thing falls apart.
Sylar floats onto the balcony. Nathan clambers to his feet, Sylar lifts his finger, and if you were squeamish when Claire got her head ripped open in the season premiere, look away now, because …
… dayum.
I’m stumped on which part of this is more horrific. There’s the wound and the blood itself. There’s Sylar’s grim smile as he watches the life draining out of Nathan. And then there’s the way Nathan finds it in himself to stand up and face the guy who killed him, right up until he falls into a chair and bleeds out.
What’s interesting is that none of us wonder for a moment whether Nathan got what he deserved. And this at the end of a volume in which Nathan was largely responsible for a lot of the bloodshed.
Mostly, we’re wondering what kind of a monster is capable of chuckling while he watches a guy bleed out, and how we could have been moved by this monster’s moist eyes and mommy issues a week earlier. Which is a testament to the show’s ability to play on our sympathy, but also on its willingness to break our hearts by killing off one of the Petrellis. Because, villain or not, this was Nathan Petrelli, and the show just killed him in the most gruesome way possible.
R.I.P. Nathan, and thank you, Adrian Pasdar, for playing the character to perfection for three seasons.
Peter and Claire run through the Stanton lobby, and Peter’s like, “You look over there, I’ll look over here.” Uh, Peter? Buddy? Nathan and Sylar went out the window. Why would either of them be hanging out in the hotel lobby? I’m passing up the Dumb As Award, but only because Peter must really have gotten his senses knocked out of him in that suite.
Noah shows up and points a gun at his daughter’s head.
Noah: “You tell me that’s Claire and not Sylar.”
Peter: “I just fought [and got my ass kicked by] [and got hit on the head really, really hard by] Sylar, OK? That is Claire. Put the gun down.”
Claire: “Dad, it’s me.”
This persuades Noah that both of them are telling the truth, and when this is the extent of Noah’s approach to “making sure” the person he’s talking to isn’t Sylar, I’m amazed Noah has survived so long.
Security guards show up, and Claire …
… does something that seems flashy and reckless at the time, but which moves events along when the guard realizes that holding Claire to gunpoint won’t get him very far. Again, plus points to Claire for a proactive, problem-solving approach that helps the situation.
Angela and Matt arrive at the Suite of Decimation, and we reach what’s in many ways the emotional core of the episode.
To Cristine’s credit, Angela’s reaction is about the most visceral and affecting performance the actress has given all season. Which, when you consider that Angela has been the breakout character of the season and had some remarkable material to work with, is saying something. We’ve seen Angela angry, we’ve seen her scared, we’ve seen her distraught. This scene stands out from the others because we see Angela go through several stages of emotion within moments — from shock to denial to devastation.
What makes the performance stand out is the way Cristine is essentially tasked with carrying the audience’s grief. You can believe that Noah and Matt will mourn in their own way, but when we know that Nathan coerced Noah into joining his operation, and when we know that Nathan orchestrated the operation that got what’s-her-name killed and put his son in danger, it’s probably fair to say that Noah and Matt react to Nathan’s death with mixed feelings.
In the end, Angela’s the one whose grief mirrors the audience’s, and it’s portrayed with enough depth that when she lets out that blood-curdling shriek, you’re sold on her willingness to do anything to bring Nathan back.
Which isn’t to say that I thought the Sylathan twist was anything but awful, but after this scene, it’s not too hard to buy that Angela was driven to despair and willing to keep a walking, talking facsimile of Nathan around instead of losing him completely.
Sylar-as-Nathan reaches the Stanton kitchen, offs Samuels and takes his form, and …
Welcome back, Michael Dorn! Welcome back, Son of Mogh!
Did anyone see this twist coming? This is one of a few moments in the final 20 minutes that I enjoyed, not least because the look on both guys’ faces when they shake hands …
… is priceless. It’s hard to imagine Peter inside of Worf, but the smug grin that appears when Sylar-as-Samuels wonders what’s wrong is so perfectly done. Looking back, knowing that it’s Peter in there, you enjoy the sense of triumph even more.
^ ^ Triumphant!
The only downside is the realization that Peter has no idea what happened to Nathan in the meantime. That, and this:
Peter: “Bet you didn’t think I took that one from you.”
So, Peter’s one-power empathic mimicry meets Sylar’s multi-powered intuitive aptitude, and it’s like, “Hi there, IA! I’m EM! What’ve you got here? Telekinesis? Nah! Ellectrobolt? Done that! Weevil body-switching? Crap! Lie detection? Pfft! Midas Touch? Pitiful! Clairsentience? Screw that! Puppeteering? Lame! Disintegration? Boring! Flight? Useless! Shapeshifting? … JACKPOT, BABY! That’s the ticket, right there! GIMME!”
^ ^ Peter’s ability did this in the split second Peter had in the suite to make contact with Sylar? And while Sylar — Sylar! Mr. Intuitive Aptitude! — needed a full episode to get the hang of shapeshifting, Peter’s immediately a pro?
Seriously, show, are you kidding us?!
Peter hands Sylar over to Noah and Angela, who meet Matt at the Suite of Decimation and conspire to Parkman-whammy Sylar into becoming Nathan.
Matt: “This is insane. It’ll never work.”
^ ^ THAT! That is good sense! Listen to yourself, Matt! Walk away!
Noah: “It has to be right now. I don’t know how much time I bought sending Claire and Peter after Nathan.”
Translation: “Claire, go look for Nathan. He’s probably had the heck beaten out of him and he’s probably lying in an alley. Find him and take him to hospital. And if he’s injured, offer to do exactly what you did in the season premiere: offer a transfusion of your regenerative bl-”
Wait a second …
WAIT A SECOND …
?!?
?!?!?
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Now, here’s the pickle the show faced, because using the Magik Blood would have been a cop-out, and not using the Magik Blood would have seemed like an oversight. I’m not sure which is worse, but I can’t believe the show didn’t anticipate that this would be the first solution we’d think of. With that in mind, the best solution would seem to be to come up with an explanation to why the Magik Blood wouldn’t have worked: the amount of time that passed; the amount of blood Nathan lost; the fact that Claire’s no longer The Catalyst.
Something. Anything. I would have cruised right past it and never once complained that it was an arbitrary rule invented purely for this scenario, if only the show had acknowledged that Claire’s blood was at least a possible way to bring Nathan back.
Instead, we’re left with the impression that a gaping plothole was involved in a central character’s death, and that the show either ignored or — worse — forgot that there was a way to bring him back.
Matt: “Why don’t you just chain him up? Huh? Or tranq him? Isn’t that what you guys love to do?”
Cement mixer! Wood chipper! Dismemberment and immolation!
No, Noah would rather let Sylar — the guy who scalped his daughter and murdered his daughter’s bio-mom and impersonated his wife — walk around in Nathan’s body. And Angela’s willing to keep her son’s murderer around because, with shapeshifting and clairsentience and an extensive Parkman Whammy, he’s a good enough approximation of Nathan.
This is NOT Noah. This is NOT Angela. This is some kind of Bizarro alternate universe. Noah’s now responsible for releasing Sylar and letting Claire think her father’s still alive. Angela’s responsible for letting Nathan’s killer usurp her son’s life so she can tell herself that a part of her son’s still alive. Which he isn’t.
Angela: “Who will convince the president the whole thing was a mistake without Nathan?”
Noah: “Word gets out that a person with abilities murdered a U.S. senator, you’re gonna have a hundred [Željkos] out there.”
Call me crazy, but wouldn’t Peter — shapeshifter extraordinaire — be a strong candidate to fix this? I guess you could argue that Angela wouldn’t inflict the trauma of impersonating a dead brother on Peter, but it’s not like Peter would need to keep the charade up for very long. He could tell Worf to shut the project down, resign from his post as senator and disappear. It seems a smarter plan than letting a psychokiller loose when the only thing holding him back is a Parkman Whammy that already shows signs of weakening within six weeks.
This goes beyond a Dumb As Award. This is a TURBO Dumb As Award. It’s like 50 Dumb As Awards.
It’s been three days and I’m still trying to come to terms with how extensively this damages a great volume, a great finale, a great story and so many beautifully crafted character arcs. It’s not just that it’s selfish and irresponsible on Angela’s part; it’s not just that it makes a smart guy like Noah look like a fool for thinking it could work; it’s not even that it makes Peter and Claire look like victims of their parents’ scheming when they’ve lost Nathan and don’t even realize it. It’s the way it robs Nathan’s death of all meaning and drives the knife deeper into the wound by keeping an impersonation of the character around. Nathan’s dead, but someone who looks just like him sticks around as a reminder.
Noah gives Matt a look that tells him this is the best option.
Angela gives Matt a look that conveys all the despair that a grief-stricken mother can muster.
And of course, Matt caves. Because he’s human, because he has a heart, and because he’s been targeted by the show’s two master-manipulators.
On so many levels, this bothered me. It deceives everyone who cared about Nathan, it puts everyone in danger, it releases a monster into society with what’s clearly an only partially successful restraint, and it removes all emotional impact that Nathan’s death should have had.
Sylar-who’s-not-really-Sylar-but-in-fact-James-Martin-the-original-shapeshifter … burns.
It’s played as profound, but when you realize that everyone’s watching a total stranger burn, it somehow feels empty. Mohinder thinks his father has been avenged. In reality, the killer’s still walking around in another guy’s form without realizing it. Claire thinks her bio-mom’s killer is dead. In reality, the guy who killed both of her biological parents is unwittingly posing as her biological father. Hiro and Ando think the Brain Man who ripped open Isaac’s head is gone. In reality, he’s standing next to them by the pyre.
Above all, my heart breaks for Peter, who now believes he’s gained a sense of closure as he watches the man who terrorized his family and wrought unbelievable havoc go up in flames. In reality, that man’s alive and submerged beneath a convincing façade of his brother.
To me, this woman is now a villain. Not for giving into her grief, but for allowing herself to put her grief ahead of the safety of her son, her granddaughter and everyone in Sylar’s vicinity.
To me, this man is now a villain. Not for trying to salvage the situation by shutting down a dangerous operation, but for resorting to the most elaborate cover-up he’ll ever be involved in, and for endangering his daughter and the general population in the process.
And this guy is a hero who was manipulated, and who’s now saddled with the burden of knowing that he made a contemptible plan possible, that he gave in to emotional blackmail, that he allowed himself to be swayed by hokey justifications, and that in order to go back to his family he was forced to put scores of people in danger.
“It’s a new beginning,” Sylathan promises Angela. I hope so, because this …
… is not at all how I imagined the volume ending. This was such a phenomenal volume in places. It was so well written, so well structured and so beautifully filmed and realized, and it led up to such a phenomenal finale. But in the end, it’s a finale that, for all its greatness, was dragged down by a part of the plot that left a lot of us bewildered.
Based on the first half of the episode, this is a 5. That’s the half I choose to remember.
Based on the final half of the episode, this is a 1.
I’m going to settle somewhere in the middle.
3 out of 5
“Redemption”? The characters need it — particularly the two named Noah and Angela.
Tracy’s back, and mightily pissed at everyone connected to Goon Squad Central. I’m happy the character’s sticking around, I’m intrigued by the way her ability has expanded to include water, and as long as the show doesn’t kill her off and let Sylar take her shape, I know I’ll love wherever her story goes.
Sylathan’s already showing signs of an existential breakdown, and as tedious as the thought of another volume of The Sylar Show is, the shout-out with the time on the clock is extremely cool, and the idea that this crazy plan will come back to bite Angela and Noah in the ass fills me with fuzzy warmth.
Is she worried? SHE SHOULD BE! THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU COME UP WITH INSANE PLANS!
That’s a wrap on HeroSite’s reviews for Season Three. As always, thank you to Craig for continuing to let me contribute to the site, and a huge thank you to everyone for reading this season. It’s been a lot of fun.
I know of no better way to conclude the site’s reviews — and no better praise I can issue Volume Four — than to observe that everyone was smarter in Volume Four than they were in Volume Three. You could argue that the shorter volume meant no one had the opportunity to be quite so dumb, but perhaps that’s only part of it. With the season’s reviews complete, HeroSite invites you to take a nostalgic look at the cumulative stupidity amassed over the course of Season Three. A staggering 44 Dumb As Awards were earned by the main and recurring characters this season, 26 of them in Volume Three and 18 in Volume Four. The key offenders will surprise no one. The HeroSite Dumb As Awards for Season Three, in order of rank, are as follows:
Peter Petrelli: 7 awards
Mohinder Suresh: 5 awards
Matt Parkman: 4 awards
Noah Bennet: 4 awards
Angela Petrelli: 4 awards
Hiro Nakamura: 3 awards
Claire Bennet: 2 awards
Tracy Strauss: 2 awards
Meredith Gordon (R.I.P.): 2 awards
Arthur Petrelli (R.I.P.): 2 awards
Emile Danko: 2 awards
Building 26 staff (R.I.P. lots of them): 2 awards
Daphne Millbrook (R.I.P.): 1 award
Ando Masahashi: 1 award
Flint Gordon (R.I.P.): 1 award
Knox (R.I.P.): 1 award
Micah Sanders: 1 award
Three things worth noting: first, that Sandra is awesome; second, that besides the obvious stupidity involved in creating Building 26, Nathan’s actions throughout the season have mostly made sense; and third — and in spite of gargantuan amounts of screen time — Sylar emerged from the season with no blatantly implausible actions.
If only everyone could be this smart.
Hey, there’s always Season Four to get that right.
Have a great summer, and see you next volume.
This season has had me side with you and disagree with you so much…
You missed a few scenes I was amazed you missed…
But…
This was beautiful.
By the time you were done your note of gratitude to Greg, I was sold.
This is my favorite review of yours.
I can’t wait till you (and myself) get a chance at Season Four….
However, I’ll be in it to tear it apart.
The finale killed a large portion of Heroes for me.
You’ve been a huge part of my Heroes experience and thanks for that.
Otto, another great review, and now the wait for Volume 4. I agree for the most part. That lack of a fight was certainly annoying, but the way it was done did provide a mediocre compensation.
However, I really enjoyed that final twist. I understand how absurd it must be, but I think there is some necessity and logic to it. For one thing, I really don’t think it’s as simple as Peter impersonating Nathan and then having him disappear. For one thing, if they’re going to jumpstart a new Company, Nathan needs to be around. Plus, I don’t think Nathan, as a senator, could just disappear like that, especially with his family still around. I’m sure it kills both Angela and Noah to do this, but I think they really didn’t have a choice.
Great review.
I think Angela’s whisper to Nathan was about Bomb!Parkman, so he could get there to stop it, but I could be wrong.
I get why you blame Noah and Angela for this. Narratively, there have to be decision makers, and they don’t know they’re being retconned to allow for Sylar. That said, on the meta level, they’re victims too, and it’s a different, but equally valid kind of sad.
I look toward S4 with very mixed feelings.
Angela’s whisper couldn’t have been about Bomb!Parkman, that happened before it … I think. Didn’t it?
No,Bomb !Parkman happened later.
Matt painted D.C. in flames at the end of 3.17, Angela whispered to Nathan towards the end of 3.18, and Nathan defused the bomb strapped to Matt’s chest at the start of 3.19.
I’d go with Raissa’s call if Nathan hadn’t seemed as surprised as everyone else by the situation; someone had to call Nathan to let him know Matt was in front of the Capitol Building, he had to get there through the “Roof Access” door, etc. Whatever Angela told Nathan doesn’t seem to have included a name, a location, a time or any specifics that would help him.
Otto, I don’t think Noah deserves a Dumb as Award for thinking Claire could tell Sylar apart from Nathan. Noah probably didn’t realise that the agent he shot was Sylar and Sylar could supress the healing- he probably thought if Claire scratched him and the wound healed, she’d be able to tell it was the real Nathan.
About the “off switch”- I think it was a particular section of the brain and Sylar moved that section.
Yes, Peter could have become Nathan but he couldn’t have resigned and disappeared right away- it would have made Worfbama suspicious. And I don’t think Peter could have impersonated Nathan for a few months.
As for Peter choosing to take the shape shifter power, it was the only chance he had to catch Sylar off guard.
As the person above said, these reviews have been an integral part of my Heroes experience, so before I get to talking about the show, I just wanna say thanks.
Ok, now onto this brutal, horrid episode…
First, I have to mention the Doctor Who shoutout they had when Parkman whammied the guy with the piece of leather. Psychic Paper for the win baby. (Of course, if it were Ecclestone who did the bit instead of Grunberg, I’d still be marking out right now.)
Like you, I think the show had alot of great things about it, but that ending… GODDAMN, THAT ENDING… Firstly, we’ve technically lost Adrian Pasdar. Sure, he’ll be back for an episode or two next season, but when Sylar gets his memories back (and he will), we’ll be getting Zach back, effectively getting rid of Pasdar. That’s enough already to make me rage, but the way they went about it… If you’re gonna kill the character, especially like that, then keep him dead. Don’t *#@% with our heads, and hearts, with Nathlar.
But it gets worse. “We’re gonna get a new big bad next season! A female one! Ooh! Who is it?! Alice? A descendant of Adam? A new web character?” No. It’s *%#@ing Tracy! What the hell, show?! Even an alternate universe Monica would be better than that! Cool power or not, I hate the character, I hate the storyline, and I damn sure hate the actress. Do they really think we’d rather see slutty characters over interesting ones? I blame Fuller for this s**t. He obviously has some sick obsession, no pun intended, with Larter. And why does she get to come back while interesting characters, like Nathan, Adam, Daphne, and Knox get offed permanently? The whole thing makes me sick to my stomach.
Also, getting rid of Greg Beeman will no doubt be something NBC regrets, and after an episode that was this bad, as well as declining ratings, could be the death knell for the show. Financial issues, my ass. Maybe if they’d quit bringing back characters *coughlarterclonescough* we don’t want to see, they could use some of that money for keeping Beeman around…
All in all, I’ll be giving the show a chance to redeem itself, pun intended this time, but if they pull more dumb*#@%ery, I might be going back to watching wrestling instead.
Ah show. If this was supposed to be the season 1 character death meant to show us you mean business, it was an utter failure, as both villain and hero survive in a mutated, ugly way. Not that I wanted either talented actor to lose a job, but you have to be willing to pull the plug or there’s no sense of a real threat for the characters.
Otto, agree with many of the same points you hit on, magic blood, Sylnathan, etc., so I won’t beat a dead horse.
I did want to share the thoughts I had right after Nathan was killed, if only because it might have been a more daring route to take. When Sylar flew without ever having taken the ability, my initial fear was that Peter had snapped, taken all of Sylar’s abilities and taken revenge on Nathan for everything he’d done, posing as Sylar to trick Claire. I was revolted with the idea and up until the reveal in the limo, I was convinced Peter was Sylar and Sylar was Peter — that would have explained dried blood but no visible wounds and the reason Peter told Claire he couldn’t fly was because he (Sylar) had never taken the ability. I hated the idea, because Peter is a favorite of mine (and I realized on a second viewing that the details didn’t match, Sylar was supposedly using his TK to fly and had Peter done that he wouldn’t have been able to fly anymore either, so I realize I had an overactive imagination :-).
But after seeing the path the show took, I can’t help but think if I had to pick between my fear and what they did, I would have picked Peter killing Nathan. Angela could still have used her manipulation and had Parkman use the whammy on Peter to think Sylar had killed Nathan. It would have set up Angela’s determination to save one of her sons, the darker Parkman we’re supposed to see next year and give Peter a chance at discovering the truth and seeking redemption. It might not have been true to Peter’s character the way he was written the last four episodes, but it would have been a risky leap I could have appreciated and certainly could have been set up just as easily as his I forgive Nathan arc. Heck, anything other than what happened would have been an upgrade.
Mostly though, I fear where the show can go from here, though I will give them all season to convince me I’m wrong. While I love Ali Larter, stopping her from hunting down and killing the same people who imprisoned them, while an interesting moral dilemma for the characters, seems to lack the same grand scale every other season/volume has had. I hope I’m wrong, and I want to be wrong. But after building my faith that everything was on the right path again with an excellent Volume 4, based on the finale, I just don’t know if I can trust them not to crush me again. I will continue to be a faithful viewer, but I think my expectations have been irrevocably lowered, and while it’s a sign of how high the show can take me, it’s still a great shame.
Oh Otto, I totally agree with your review. It’s so heartbreaking that this is what they came up with. Did anyone in the writer’s room consider how the fans might react to this? Or were they too wrapped up in their “cool” idea? Because they essentially ruined 2 characters in one move. I’m more upset that they killed off Nathan and brought “him” back than anything else. I would have preferred they left him as completely dead. I’m not screaming about them using the Magic Blood to bring him back, but give the character some dignity. Especially since Nathan has been one of the more complex characters on the show. Especially with all the connections he has to so many of the other characters. WIth a Volume titled Redemption, who needs it more than Nathan? (Well, at least before this episode.) It is completely heartbreaking that Claire and especially Peter have no idea.
On to your review, I have to say you brought me very close to tears with this:
Heartbreaking, because, looking back, you realize how hard Nathan was going to try to make amends. When he gets to this portion of dialogue, Nathan’s expression …
… is the expression of a guy who’s excited about the road he’s taking; a guy who, after years of acting like a douche, has had an epiphany and knows he’s been a douche and knows he needs to fix everything he’s done.
Which rubs more salt in the wound, especially when we see Peter’s response:
For the first time in the series, it looks like Peter admires Nathan; like he’s impressed that, for once, his big brother’s not lying, not thinking solely of himself and not putting on an act to manipulate everyone around him.
Me: *CLOSE TO TEARS*
About the only consolation is that the writers would probably screw it up anyways.
I had been spoiled about what was to happen, but I kept hoping and praying that was not the way they were going to go.
The thing that made me feel better was Adrian responding to the comments on his YouTube account. He seems very excited about next season. As long as I don’t think about the issues I have with this “twist”, I can deal. Unfortunately, this show works best if you don’t analyze it. It’s a lot of wasted potential. Is it fun and brilliant? Yes to the fun, sometimes to the brilliant (Cold Snap) for writing, always with every other production consideration (directing, photography, etc). This show could be so amazing and deep, if only the writers worked at keeping some kind of logic and cared about continuity instead of going for the “cool” factor.
As for not seeing the fight, maybe if they wouldn’t have had so many explicit shape shifts (do more of the spin around and switch, instead of seeing the bubbling face and actual shifting) they could have spared a few bucks to show us an exchange or two. I’m getting more convinced that the budget is just an excuse and they are incapable of coming up with a decent fight. We don’t have to see the WHOLE thing, but a few awesome moves would have gone a long way to soothing some or most of the fans. Someone mentioned that Smallville on the CW is better at giving good season-ending fights and they must have a smaller EFX budget than an NBC show.
For me the Volume started off pretty good and got awesome with Cold Snap. Into Asylum was pretty good too, but it’s a mixed bag because that’s where they gave Sylar shape shifting. It then turned into the Sylar show (save for 1961, which was a disappointment). The downward spiral really started for me with the shape shifting, since I absolutely hate that power and it’s been used relentlessly by Sylar. I understand TPTB wanting to give it to Sylar because of the uncertainty of Zach’s availability.
You know what would have taken even more guts? Actually killing Sylar either when Danko stabbed him or letting the Petrelli brothers get the best of him.
Peter was pretty good this volume, which kind of makes me sad because I miss multi-powered Peter. Unfortunately, they have no idea how to handle him with more than one power at a time.
For Adrian’s sake, I’m trying to be positive about next season, but it’s very hard. Nathan died in that chair and his family won’t even know it.
Otto, well this comment was a lot more random than I intended, I hope you are able to follow it. (You need a preview button.) Thanks for posting these reviews. They are always enjoyable. I’ll be looking forward to them next season.
Susan, great post, and thank you.
This made me chuckle:
“Unfortunately, this show works best if you don’t analyze it.”
And so, after 25 exhaustive analyses and extensive debates, we grudgingly came to this conclusion…
Excellent Review, Otto.
Noah gives Matt a look that tells him this is the best option.
Angela gives Matt a look that conveys all the despair that a grief-stricken mother can muster.
And of course, Matt caves. Because he’s human, because he has a heart, and because he’s been targeted by the show’s two master-manipulators.
Awesome, that means you dont dispise Matt´, SWEET!!!!!!, he´s pretty much the only one i can feel sorry for in that scene, and not only because he´s my favoprite character.
About the Magic-blood, it didn´t bother me much really, yeah, it would have fix all of this, but it would have been totally LAME, as a conclusion to the moment the volume has been building up to, dialoque should have fix the problem.
I´m happy that Danko survived the finale, it surprised me, and make me love it, i hope they bring him back next season,
and they give him some backstory, but that it doesn´t end up like Adam. That, and a cool story for Mohinder, i´m hpoing (and praying) for both.
I Can´t wait for next season, i hope spoilers come Fast.
This is going to be a long summer. See you then, Otto.
I have the same issues with this ep as you do, but my big issue was this, after it all, I could accept it if not for this:
Something. Anything. I would have cruised right past it and never once complained that it was an arbitrary rule invented purely for this scenario, if only the show had acknowledged that Claire’s blood was at least a possible way to bring Nathan back.
ANYTHING! ReaLLY, any stupid reason from he bleed out, like you said, to he was healed by Adam as a child and so Claire’s blood won’t work. It was insulating and bad, bad writing to ignore something, just to do what you want. But their big writing issue has always been not thinking of the consequences of their story decisions. How can one not see that magic blood becomes a be end all - game changer - good bye death tension fix. Just like this idea of Nathan and Sylar fighting for control just cuts off all of Nathan’s relationships for the future, as he is dead. They didn’t even transfer his mind from his - but I digress.
I do think Angela was overwhelmed by grief and made a terrible choice, Noah doesn’t have that excuse. The writers don’t either.
“… their big writing issue has always been not thinking of the consequences of their story decisions.”
^ ^ This. What puzzles me is that, assuming the plan was always to heal Nathan using Adam’s blood, TPTBs must have had this particular device in mind since 1.23. If they were thinking that far ahead at the time, I wonder why they wouldn’t be thinking that far ahead this time. It could be that the snippet of dialogue — the one that would have explained why Claire’s blood was a no-no — was killed for time. I’d really like to give someone the benefit of the doubt here, but if the writers get a pass for having parts of their script ripped out, the editors and producers end up looking like fools in their place.
I’m not sure the plan was always to heal Nathan using Adam’s blood. They could have been planning on revealing Peter took Linderman’s power at his dad’s funeral or something.
assuming the plan was always to heal Nathan using Adam’s blood, TPTBs must have had this particular device in mind since 1.23.
See, and I can no longer give them the benefit of the doubt on things like this. I honestly don’t think they knew, when breaking 1.23, that Adam would heal Nathan.
I think they came up with a cool idea, and when (if?) someone asked “well, how will Nathan survive” they shrugged and said “we’ll figure that out when we have to.”
At this point, I’m thinking that’s how they approach all their “cool idea.” Do it, and deal with the ramification later.
Susan,
She whispered before we saw Nathan arrive to stop it.
I will miss Nathan with all of my heart, but I still enjoy the twist. As much as it would have been great to see a proper death for Nathan, I’m happy I get to see Adrian Pasdar play Sylar next season. It will be interesting to watch. Besides, we shouldn’t blame Angela, since she’s in grief. Noah is the one that has no excuse, Seriously, why didn’t Noah and Angela not just have Matt Parkman mind-whammy the president into letting the Heroes be free again, instead of having Sylar/Nathan doing it. While we’re on the subject, how can Matt ever return to a normal life, when everyone who saw him on TV think he’s a terrorist?
Great review Otto! See you next season.
Simple- they just have the goverment arrest Danko and tell the cops Danko attached the bomb to Matt.
Woah, extended long review but pretty accurate. I love it when ppl give out their opinions on Heroe, wether they’re good or bad.
BTW go check: http://veronikasmix.blogspot.com
I’m a big Heroes fan too!
One advantage to the Sylar/Nathan thing is that we get to see Adrian Pasdar playing bad again.
“Profit” is one of my favorite short-lived TV series of all time.
Though… as popular as Sylar and Zachary Quinto are, I think both the actor and the character would be served better if he went away for a while.. just my opinion, of course.
I’m really going to miss Beeman. Such a smart director with a great eye. I was fortunate enough to see him at work a couple of times, and his enthusiasm and rapport with the cast and crew is unmatched.
Otto,
As usual, awesome review.
On the magic blood…while it wasn’t outright mentioned, I think logically (is any of this logical) the reason Claire’s blood couldn’t heal Nathan is simple: when someone is dead, blood is no longer pumping through their body. When it healed Nathan way back when, he was a) still alive, and b) had an IV hooked up to him. Noah (for what it’s worth) was also hooked up to an IV when he got the blood treatment–implying there was still blood flow, that he was still alive. Does that make sense?
But HRG was shot in the head, which must have killed him. And, Mohinder and Bob took him back to the Company office, which must have taken some time.
Otto, thanks for three seasons of thorough, thoughtful reviews. It’s great to get such a good overview of each episode, because I don’t have time to watch each one more than once anymore.
As for the Sylar “off-switch,” I remember someone, probably HRG, saying that it was a microscopic part of the brain or something like that. So, it’s not completely implausible that Sylar could have moved it. But seriously, show, how the eff can someone reconfigure their brain and not be affected by that?!?!?!
Sylathan completely ruined the episode for me and in my mind was the moment that Heroes officially jumped the shark. Oh yeah, they also put a nail in the coffin of any additional seasons after the next one.
The potential for Sylathan to go very wrong is there. I admit that. Worst case scenario: he gets Sylar’s memories back and changes completely back into the old circular Sylar: MWUAHAHA I slice heads! And necks! Can’t complain I don’t ever shake it up! Getting off topic, sorry. But the potential for Sylathan to be very well executed and intriguing is also there. With the white-erase shown of Sylar’s memories, I beleive that that version of Sylar is GONE. I think his story arc is over: the adoption issues, the insecurities, etc. Which is good, because I liked it a lot but it’s time for it to be done. And I think “I am Sylar” was done in the intention of really delving into that character before saying goodbye to him. I don’t see Sylathan in the way many people do, as a sort of fake Nathan, or something. What are you, besides your memories? It’s an interesting existential question that I hope will be explored by all the characters next volume. I see the character as Nathan struggling to exist and to fight the strange abilities and urges, to find himself again. Which could be complex and tragic.
But I do feel for everyone out there who cares the most about Nathan. Believe me, if it were Peter in this situation (my personal favorite), I would be venting and raging and threatening to leave the show.
A few more points I want to address from the review. In terms of Peter taking one ability from Sylar, I don’t envision that his EM just made the choice for him. I picture him initially touching sylar and trying to absorb all of the powers, which didn’t work, and then scuffling and grunting and dodging lightning for a bit, and then realizing he had to pick a power and touching him again with the mental intent of taking shapeshifting. but since we didn’t get to actually SEE the fight (cough), I guess we’ll never know. Btw, it is so lame that people think it was a great idea to show the fight from a doorway crack “because nothing is as good as what you imagine!” MY imagination doesn’t supply me with full-color video and sound.
Also, I actually found it very meaningful that Peter could get the knack of the shapeshifting so quickly. Imo, it wasn’t a plot device at all. See, Sylar was using the ability to BECOME someone else. He was insecure and wanted to escape himself. Peter is using the ability essentially just as a disguise. He doesn’t become the president, he just puts on the mask of the president’s body. (Crap analogy, sorry.) Sylar had issues mastering the ability because he wasn’t sure of who he was and he lost himself inside of the people he shifted into. Peter is much more secure and has a stronger sense of who he is, so shifting back into himself from Worfbama is fast for him. Changing INTO Worf might have taken more effort, but we didn’t see that.
Man, I was really hoping Peter would get multiple abilities again, though. Damn you, show!
I LOVED Hiro’s story line this episode. Finally, we’ve fixed his character at least partially! I thought the Danko-HRG frozen handshake was REALLY cool. And Otto, I appreciate your sympathy for neglected characters (I was with you on Nuke’s mom, for example), but feeling bad for the goon squad when they finally get a little taste of their own medicine? Yeah, some of them are just good people who are afraid and following orders and blah, blah, blah, but they are doing EVIL things. The Nazis were following orders when they rounded up people into gas chambers. (If Mohinder can compare building 26 to the Holocaust, so can I.) Besides dude, they could have QUIT their jobs, you know. AND I do feel sorta bad for them when they die, but tranquilized? My compassion just doesn’t stretch that far.
Jesus, this post is getting absurd. Sorry. Will try to wrap up ASAP. Oh, I was going to say. Peter’s line “I’ll bet you’re happy to see me?” I really wish they would stop making Peter so smug. He’s supposed to be compassionate. He’s an f-ing EMPATH! Here his brother is recovering from being knocked out by Sylar, and excuse me, but Peter wasn’t exactly a fat lot of help, showing up as late as he did. How about, “You okay, Nathan?” Or something along those lines. I know characters need to grow, but Peter seems to be losing his S1 spirit altogether, just because everybody is so obsessed with him being badass and cool. Ugh. (Am I in the minority for hating Future Peter?)
Last thing: Otto, any chance you could do an average rating for each volume?
Oh whoops, and I forgot to say thanks for writing the review! loved it as always!
MY imagination doesn’t supply me with full-color video and sound.
Ha! 100% Agreed.
On the subject of Peter shapeshifting, I COMPLETELY missed that he only took that one power: up until I read Otto’s review, I thought he had them all again.
So with that mind, I THINK that maybe Peter’s plan all along was to take the shapeshifting power from Sylar so he could protect the President, and then he met up with Bennet and Bennet suggested using the tranq he had.
If so, I figure when Peter touched Sylar he just thought “I want shapeshifting” or something to that effect. We know even his new, synthetic mimic power is still based in empathy so it makes sense that it would respond to his needs/desires.
And I’m willing to buy the explanation that he was able to shapeshift better than Sylar since he didn’t need to do it as thoroughly as Sylar and doesn’t have identity issues.
Hey Otto.
Great review, as usual. When I first saw the ep, I flipped out at the “twist.” Truth be told, I’m still shocked, but I also know that this plan will not work.
Positives:
Well, they did say they were going to kill someone off, and they kept their word. Granted, the way they did it is suspect, but Nathan really is dead. In a literal sense.
The exchange between Sylar & Claire at the hotel. The messed up thing is that what Sylar said actually makes sense. Assuming no one else has regenerative healing, they really are the only ones who will survive say, 100 years from now, and he might as well get some sex out of it. And Hayden really sold the scene. You could almost feel her revulsion, but she couldn’t actually go anywhere. The “what’s your brother’s name” line was brilliant.
Sylar kicking Nathan was gold. Such a mean thing to do, but I rewound that part three times. It was just too funny.
Peter owning Sylar in the limo. Best scene of the night, and Sylar had it coming. But I swear, I thought the President had Arthur-esque abilities, which would been seriously messed up.
Negatives:
Hiro, Ando, & Mohinder. If Hiro’s health is declining because of his abilities, then no way in hell should he have been at a bonfire, but at a hospital. It sounded like he was heading towards a stroke or a heart attack, but besides a headache, he was fine? BS.
I like Mohinder, I really do, but he had nothing to do with the episode at all. They could have done the episode without him and no one would notice. I don’t even care about the voiceovers; they don’t bother me, they’re like the credits. You can just ignore them. But they’re botching up the plots so much, he has nothing to do with any of them anymore.
Not showing the fight. While it was cool to see the reflection in Claire’s eyes, they could have given us a punch or something. But they didn’t have the money, blah blah blah.
Sylar taking Nathan’s power of flight. We all knew this was gonna happen, what I don’t get is when. Did Sylar get the whole “understanding” thing while he was getting his ass kicked in midair? I would have sooner believed that he just absorbed it the way Peter used to.
You hit the nail on the head classifying Angela & Noah as villains. No one will mourn Nathan because no one knows he’s dead, which craps on his memory even more. Furthermore, Angela & Noah have invited his killer to take his home, career, and his family. If that isn’t a kick in the head, I don’t know what is.
Angela & Noah are no longer “morally gray” but “morally bankrupt.” For all his griping about how he tries to protect Claire, Noah just digs himself deeper into the hole by constantly lying to her and assuming she can’t handle the truth. You would think that he knew better after his marriage suffered, but he’s a Company man at heart, and he’ll suffer for this, too. When Claire finds out (and she will) Noah will really be up the creek and have no one to blame but himself.
Angela really got me. My interpretation is that her motives aren’t purely political, she’s devastated by the loss of her son and will do anything to keep him “alive”, even if it means masquerading a serial killer as her own child. It’s warped, but that’s how I see it. She can pretend that Nathan is still with her and bury any feelings of grief and shame. It’s pathetic, but in a really sad way.
Which brings me to the twist. I have a love/hate feeling about it. I think it’s brilliant, but it won’t work, at least not in the long term. I’m assuming this was meant to bring up a lot of questions, because I definitely have them.
For one thing; even if he touches everything Nathan owned, there’s no way that Sylar can pick up all of his memories. Exactly how does that ability work, anyway? Is it voluntary like his TK, or involuntary like the lie detector? And how will they explain the gaps from things he doesn’t know? I don’t see Matt doing another mindwipe on him, it would probably damage his brain.
And did Matt actually erase everything regarding Sylar, or just push those memories aside to make room for Nathan’s? If he did indeed erase everything, he didn’t do a great job. It’s only been 6 weeks and Sylar’s characteristics are showing. And if Sylar’s memory is erased, that means he has no idea where the “vulnerable point” is anymore; since it’s no longer in his brain.
I didn’t care about Tracy’s appearance because I knew she wasn’t dead and she was scheduled to show up. She was never a real good guy anyway, she had selfish intentions from the start. I’ll take her as the villain over psycho Alice.
Many props to Beeman. He seemed like a guy who loved the job, and I’ll miss him and his blogs. He gave a really nice shout out to Zach. Guess they were good friends.
I give the episode a 4/5, mainly because of the twist. And flaws and all, I know I’ll be back next season. So until then, thanks for the excellent review and I’ll see you for Volume 4.
I don’t think that Sylar took Nathan’s power of flight. I think he just used his TK to simulate flight.
Good review, Otto. I generally agree.
Yeah, I’ll be one of those long-time fans that won’t return for Season 4. Three disappointing episodes, including one BAD second half of a finale, has completely ruined an otherwise awesome volume for me. As good as Pasdar is, Sylar-as-Nathan doesn’t work for me at ALL. Heck, Sylar should be dead anyways. The fact that they kept him around even longer - a villian that should’ve been gone at the end of “How to Stop an Exploding Man” - is really annoying, and they kept him around in such a strange way, too. I don’t think I can watch a show that consistently negates any of its finer qualities with such frequent poor choices. It’s sad, because we know Kring & Co. are capable of greatness, but they always seem to run out of steam.
Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the blast of negativity - it’s just my opinion. For those of you who liked this ep, more power to you.
Oh yeah, I forgot…How did Peter become the President without access to his DNA? That’s another question that was never addressed.
HRG, Peter and Claire probably got the Secret Service to let Peter have access to the President. They just had to get to Nathan’s buddy, who would recognize Peter. Peter would tell him what’s up and he would have taken Peter directly to the President.
This show has lost it. The charm of season one never made it half-way through season two. Why is it called heroes? No one is being heroic. None of them is being selfless.
The Petrelli father story arc was for nought! A bullet kills him after absorbing nearly everyone’s power. Sylar is a Petrelli, then he isn’t. He keeps all his powers after season 1 and 2, then Peter gets de-powered? Peter and Claire, much like Luke and Leia are the heart and soul. Continually trying to make them crossover, even if only to tease us, drives us away from what the show started as being. Now it is no better than the tireless tail chasing that the late 80’s X-Men books, Marvel’s DP-7, and USA’s “The 4400″ took: every one gets a power and then a bunch are given or they do everything they can to get one. Please, end this show or put it in the hands of someone who can and will revamp it. Suresh was the Fly? Oh, no that was just another horrible analogue…sigh.
I actually think that the Sylar thinking he is Nathan thing could actually been done well. From what Pasdar said to TV Guide it sounds like Nathan’s mind did make it into Sylar’s, and that Nathan’s mind will be trying to gain control. I don’t think that Nathan is just going to be shoved aside after a few episodes, this sounds like it could be a very cool thing. I noticed that Sylar had started to allude to Nathan’s hypocritic tendencies in their scenes, not to mention that the character always did have some traits in common. Also, if Nathan had ever been jealous of Peter’s abilities this would be a way for him to keep up with his younger brother. If you could start over with a new body that never dies, wouldn’t you? There are reason’s for Nathan wanting to win the fight, so I highly doubt that Sylar will just resurface suddenly.
The Magik Blood to save Nathan would have been super LAME. Totally a cop out. I don’t even need an explanation, and what would you do with Sylar? Locking him up never helps and even though a wood chipper seems like a good idea, why do I have an odd reason it would backfire? He is the human cockroach.
I can’t wait to see the secret come back to bite Angela and HRG in their manipulative rear ends. If Sylar wins the body-battle and finds out it was them they are both dead this time. If anything it’ll just be another thing on the pile of bones he has to pick with them. Capturing him and locking him up. Check. Pretending to be his partner to get close enough to kill him. Check. Lying to him about his parentage. Check. Wiping his mind and implanting another personality in its place. Check. (I’m sure there’s more, but I’ll stop there.) I will say that I feel really bad about Matt. They are so going to use that poor guy until he rats them out or lets Sylar go seek his revenge for him. I have a feeling though that Peter and Claire will eventually figure it out and I have a feeling they will be angrier at their parents for this secret than at Sylar killing Nathan (because really, he’s killed so many people already that wouldn’t have hardly any impact. I wouldn’t be surprised if he rolled his eyes and laughed every time some one said “You killed my [insert relationship here]” or “You killed [name]“). The implications such a secret brings could really be a good thing for all the characters involved and not just Nathan/Sylar.
So not looking forward to Tracy. I think Ali Larter is a good actress, but I can’t stand most of her characters. They should have left Tracy dead. I was so much happier that way. I would have loved to see a new villainess. How about give Claire her own since, face it, Sylar is really truly Peter’s.
Kind of looking forward to what they will do with Hiro and Ando. I kind of like Hiro again.
And agree, I absolutely adore Zack Quinto, but give to poor guy a break for a little while. Since we will all have to live with the fact that Sylar will ALWAYS be around (and the characters should learn this too), then if he disappeared to go wreak havoc in a foreign country for a while we would understand. Although for some reason I could see him randomly popping back up in a scene that involves him eating left-overs out of Peter’s fridge. (I honestly don’t know why. It must be my sense of humor.)
Don’t know if I agree with you otherwise. I will have to watch the episode a couple more times to make up my mind.
From what Pasdar said to TV Guide it sounds like Nathan’s mind did make it into Sylar’s, and that Nathan’s mind will be trying to gain control.
Then they completely failed in the execution. No way did they take anything from Nathan’s body. For one thing, Parkman’s power shouldn’t work that way. It was all Parkman pushing thoughts around. Did he actually erase anything? That’s the Haitian’s power.
And I have to say that if this is supposed to still be Nathan, then there was NOT a death. But someone definitely died in that chair, who was it if not Nathan? A “death with a twist” is not a death that sticks. A Nathan still being there is not a character that is gone and never coming back and whatever else Grunny said. They really are trying to have their cake and eat it too.
“The Magik Blood to save Nathan would have been super LAME. Totally a cop out. I don’t even need an explanation, and what would you do with Sylar? Locking him up never helps and even though a wood chipper seems like a good idea, why do I have an odd reason it would backfire? He is the human cockroach.”
I completely agree with you on this point. Perhaps Angela and Noah made the choice to turn Sylar into Nathan as a way to stop Sylar. He cannot be killed and he has proven that he cannot be contained and given that he could shape shift into Nathan and Nathan was dead… the chips all fell into place to stop Sylar. They could “save” Nathan and “kill” Sylar at the same time. Granted, he is not likely gone for good (he is the cockroach of the show) but I suspect he will be gone for awhile and perhaps re-occur when we are not expecting it, which is likely what the show should have done with the character at the end of Season One. To me the character death was Nathan but the character that will be GONE is Sylar.
i think angela made that apocalyptic idea was because she was still sad by nathans death, and wouldnt think as logically wen put in a position to bring ur dead son back. plus… she still had to try and make out wat her dream meant, and this was obviously the closest she could get (matt “saving” nathan).
Hi Otto, while I agree with a lot of the stuff in this review I have to disagree by saying most of the things you stated as the episode’s flaws I see as some of the strengths to be exploited in the next volume. For example, think of it this way, what Angela and Noah did was CONTEMPTIBLE, it was HORRIBLE, it was a HERESY in every way; but seeing that only six weeks after they did this Sylathan is already showing clear signs of intuitive aptitude, and it’s looking like it will definitely come bit them in the ass, as you stated; this to me is quite a huge strength for this episode.
As for Nathan’s death, I loved that it was so visceral and cruel; if they had made it ceremonious at all, I’d have probably felt it unjustified, since, as you’ve repeatedly said: NATHAN CAUSED THIS WHOLE MESS, he doesn’t get to be anything but apologetic at this point, so the way his death was so quick and without giving us ANY solace in it, it brought home the point that even if Nathan caused this whole thing he wasn’t a bad person, he was a character we loved, and seeing him go this way was just so painful. To me that’s good writing, if you’re going to break the audience’s heart do it in the most vicious way, and give them no hope for salvation. The fact that Nathan “accepted himself” just moments before dying like this at least makes me feel like he got the redemption his character needed before passing on, it was a hell of a cool moment. Think of it in terms of character arc, what has Nathan been about since season 1? Basically the closeted guy, not coming to terms with his true indentity and doing everything to cover it up, it’s great he did this before dying.
Then, there’s the fact that the handling of Peter’s power is kept absolutely consistent, he can only handle ONE power. A lot of people thought even with this by touching Sylar he would be able to absorb all his powers, but he only could absorb one, and at the time the one that seemed like the smartest to pick was shapeshifting, it means Peter planned ahead in case he and Nathan were not able to beat Sylar, in fact Peter’s triumph by turning into President Worf was FANTASTIC in every way, it basically had me jump up from my seat.
Next, the fact that the magic blood wasn’t used to me was the right call and not really a plothole, in fact in an interview a while ago, Aron Coliete and Joe Pokaski stated that the “magic blood” would most definitely NOT be used this season and even if at some point we thought a character should’ve been revived with it, an near immediate infusion would be needed (when Noah was revived, Bob had magic blood in the van right there) and when Nathan died and bled to death Claire was nowhere around for quite a while, so it’s not the enormous plothole you’re making it out to be; and even if we ignore C & P’s explanation of the quick infusion, I HONESTLY am willing to look the other way and accept any rationalization there can be in order to keep the magic blood as far away from the show as possible, it’s a gimmicky device which should NEVER be used again and there should be a way to state it’s gone for good.
I think in the episode it was implied that the new “Company” would be situated in Building 26, though I need yet another watching to confirm this. As for the fate of the whole operation, it was quite clearly stated that it was shut down completely.
When Hiro dropped after saving Noah, Ando supposedly took him to the hospital, by the end of the episode he’s doing better, but he still looks obviously exhausted and broken. This is one development that I CAN’T wait to see ramifications of in Volume 5, what is the actual meaning of this whole thing? Will Hiro be diagnosed with a brain tumor? Will he be slowly wasting away and trying to find a cure? I think this all points to a more mature storyline for Hiro, which is something the character desperately needed. During his scenes in this episode I HONESTLY felt bad for him.
And finally, I think Sylar got a nice “send-off”, which could easily mean Quinto is not coming back (given his current movie stardom status with Star Trek) and we’ll just see a “Sylarified” Nathan, which would be amazing given Pasdar’s incredible performance. After all, Sylathan’s current condition doesn’t immediately mean Sylar will return, the Parkman whammy could actually have “killed” Sylar for good, but we could be seeing the effects Intuitive Aptitude and eventually the power hunger, could be having on Sylathan. As for the other powers Sylar acquired, we don’t know if they’re blocked completely now by the whammy, so basically it would be like Matt having the shape shifting effectively turn him into Nathan then sealing everything away where he can’t find it, except for Nathan’s ability (for appearances) and the ONE ability that DOES belong in Sylar’s body, which is the intuitive aptitude. The flashbacks as Sylar convulsed and “died” were amazing, if QUinto never comes back to the series for good, this and the bonfire were an excellent farewell to him after an outstanding performance. The fact that most people AT the bonfire are being lied to is NOT in my opinion a bad thing, but the logical thing after Angela and Noah’s horrendous deed, I mean, do you honestly think Peter, Claire, Mohinder, or even Hiro would’ve gone along with this? Not in a million years. So it not only makes sense, it leaves that evil foreboding air of “THIS IS WRONG” that will definitely be explored in the next season, if the beginning of Volume 5 is any indication.
I would’ve given the episode a 5/5, but to balance it with your review I’d give it a 4/5. This is easily the best season finale this show has had, let’s hope for more like this.
Great review, as always
Never posted on his blog before, but I stopped by earlier this week for the farewell with Beeman. I have no doubts NBC will realize their loss.
I won’t add up anything to where you stand for the first half of the ep, except that I still think it’s bullsh*t that Sylar can move spots his brain…
Peter taking the shapeshifting is okay, but did he really realize, while he was flying to Sylar, the whole plan to mascarade as PrWorf? Because he could have taken TK/Ellectrobolts/Desintegration (I guess he didn’t know about it but judging from what happen to Adam, I doubt Sylar could have “healed” from dust) to fight back/get rid of him…
Then, the switcheroo. For my part, I’m sad to see Nathan go, but since I’m resigned by the fact that Sylar will stay around, it’s a decent counterpart that his death serves an interesting storyline for next season.
I agree that Peter can’t imitate Nathan forever (not only with PrWorf, but then for the new Company). What bothers me more than the fact that they didn’t use the magic blood, is indeed that we didn’t even get a sentence where it’s said that it would be inefective there. It’s a PING* because it’s like they never knew about it (or the writers ignoring it).
Overall, I’m not as much disapointed by the second half as you were, because of the potential that it creates for next season. And I have no doubt about Pasdar (Happy Birthday a bit late) making it compelling enough (What worries me is that it could go fantastic, or horribly wrong depending on how it’s handeled by the writers).The only thing I would have liked is a bigger gap between both volumes (Give them a rest! Why not catch up with 2009? That would give more flashback potential :)). The fact that Sat(h)an already manifests Intuitive Aptitude only 6 weeks later shows how dumb A/H were for thinking it would last, because …
- When will Sylar be back, since he obviously will, and what definitively triggers the come back ? (Why not PapaLuthor?). He could also pretend to still think he is Nathan as some point, which would make A/H even dumbier. I doubt we’re done with ZQ, I think he’ll just get less presence in the beginning of the volume.
- If Nathan “dominates” Sylar. I’ll admit that he won’t realize he “understands how things work”, but what will happen when/if he heals himself/”hear tingles in his head” (lie detector)/realize he can’t fly? (TK, Ellectrobolts and desintegration seems more voluteer so I’ll leave them aside). Nathan realizing he isn’t himself and the consequences could also be interesting.
I feel bad about you having to sum up all the “Dumb As” awards, no matter how long it took…
What looks good that I’m expecting about next volume :
- Company 2.0 : We were wondering how long it would take for them to go back to lie/torture, etc… Well it looks good. The whole thing is already based on a TERRIBLE lie. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point, it splits (definitively) between Peter (maybe Claire) against HRG/Angela, Sylar eating popcorn while watching.
- Tracy as one of the villains : My guess would be that she isn’t the “big” villain, but extending her ability to water control makes her kind of powerful, and at the moment, the only ability I can think of to counter her is Ellectricity (if used wisely of course, or it’s just suicide), which leaves “Nathan” for now…
- Danko lives ! While disapointed at him turning his back on HRG, it was really in-character (I would just have loved Danko as a Company Man). I hope he makes an appearance, even if brief, next season and why not learn about his backstory.
- Aren’t there powers Sylar acquired while working for Bld26 that we don’t know about ?
- Matt/Hiro/Ando direction, no idea where it’ll go, but sounds interesting…
What in the season made me a bit bitter :
- Who is Mohinder? Oh yeah we need VOs
- Tired of Sylar, but they once again found a way to make me watch what he’ll be up to next. geez.
- Adam’s death : Seeing how much we learnt about Arthur, great trade… Potential for flashbacks. RIP, I’ll miss him :).
- Elle’s death : No influence, not even a tiny bit on Gabrielar, just another of his victims. Didn’t learn anything of her backstory, and pregnancy/little Noah would have been interesting (or really funny ^^) if she lived, even if she appeared in only one or two episode(s) next season. RIP, I’ll miss her :).
- Arthur’s death : duh… flashback? (Won’t miss him, he acted to dumbly).
- Daphne(!)’s death : maybe less potential than the others, but I’m kinda pissed everyone forgot about her that fast (haha…). I liked her when Matt wasn’t around and I’ll miss her
- Nathan’s death : Redemption would have been perfect for him. At least he’ll be serving another storyline which sounds promising if handled well. I think I loved the horrified reaction of Angela when “he” landed his hand on her shoulder, and the teaser prooves that Pasdar can make it creepy enough. And I think the “Italian? or Chinese?” just killed me ^^.
Well, since you’re probably done with the blog for this season, happy holidays, and hopefully see most of you in the Fall
The cuts on Peter’s head from the fight had healed too. I think Peter absorbed EVERY ability that Sylar had. And since Sylar can use his ability empathically, that would also mean that Peter would be able to as well - thus giving him back full use of his abilities.
Great review Otto, thanks for your work this season.
I hated the ending. I would have preferred if both Sylar and Nathan were killed (for good) than this. It’s not Nathan. Though I’m wondering if when Sylar tried to steal Nathan’s memories directly from Nathan, a piece of Nathan’s mind got transferred over to Sylar’s body. In that case, it could be the “real” Nathan.
I didn’t see Nathan analyzing the clock as Sylar returning, but fake Nathan having the intuitive aptitude ability.
Also, what happened to Matt’s prophetic painting of Washington, D.C., burning? Did that just not happen? Will it happen next season? All of the paintings have come true, except the one of New York City exploding, but the heroes spent an entire season trying to stop that one and it involved several time travels to fully pull off. Was it supposed to have been what would happened if the bomb on Parkman went off? If so, they should have acknowledged it in the show.
As always, a funny and good review. Gave the season a 2.5/5, the season-finale really messed up things. A shame, I really don’t know where they will be going from now on. The killing of Nathan was really lame. What where they thinking? http://flaglima.com/?p=867
Once again, they kill off the wrong characters and fire the wrong people…
True, I won’t get to see this episode for another 10 weeks or so; however, I’m struck by the sense that Sylar becoming Nathan has been the plan for quite some time now. In hindsight, can any of the following events be seen as foreshadowing this episode? Nathan’s distorted mirror image in season 2 (Pasdar made a comment about season 4 that both he and ZQ will be around “to play what you see in the mirror” or words to that effect). The whole Gabriel Petrelli arc (now Sylar really is a Petrelli). Sylar saying he wished Angela really was his mother (ditto). Elle’s viking funeral. Sylar’s habit of assuming the identity of his victims, including wearing their clothes (Zane in season 1). And, of course Five Years Gone. Sometimes it seems like the writers are making things up as they go along, and sometimes it looks like there is some sort of plan they’re following. This feels planned to me, though of course I could be wrong.
Sylar always survives because he is the show’s cockroach. The point has been made in audio commentaries at least once, and I think even by Kring. So of course he survives, somehow; like Doctor Who says about the Daleks “they survive, they always survive…”
I read on a spoiler site that Hiro had a stroke, and if he keeps using his powers he will kill himself; which has to be the nastiest way to depower a character. Also, that Peter got Sylar’s whole package of powers - Intuitive Aptitude, and everything with it. Which might explain three things about Dark Future Peter: he didn’t take Sylar’s ability because he already had it, he is so dark because he channelled the Hunger into being all dark and obsessive, and he didn’t think to use invisibility because he no longer had it.
Given that I like shows that play identity games (such as The Prisoner), please forgive me for looking forward to seeing how Sylathan plays out. I hope it doesn’t go the way Grunberg has hinted, that Matt decides to let Sylar remember what happened. I do agree that the way it was achieved has to be the show’s top “what the hell were they thinking” moment.
3.15 aired here last night. Interesting.
Even though you haven’t seen the episode yet, the way you view it is the way I view it. I feel as they are following a plan too. When you really think about it everything ties together, it just involves a little thought. Having two strong identities fighting over the same body could be awesome TV if done right.
Sylar doesn’t have to move his whole brain, just one part. Being a psychology major, I always figured that the reason getting stabbed stops making you regenerate was because your medulla (which controlls blood pressure and breathing) had a knife in it, so the regenrative blood doesn’t go through your body and heal you. And it just so happens that a knife in the back of the head would probably hit the medula. Sylar just has to move it to, say, the upper part of his head where it’s protected by his skull. I know it’s nerdy, but it makes Sylar’s survival a bit more plausible for me.
As terrible as ithe whole idea is, I’m cautiously optimistic that Sylathan will turn out well. Pasdar is one of the best actors for playing an alter-Sylar. Besides, there was just something awesomely creepy about Nathan and the clock scene.
Thanks for the recap of Dumb As Awards. It really helps to see how much better this Volume as a whole was. (BTW, you forgot Matt’s Turbo Dumb As award for going along with Angela and Noah’s plan instead of listening to reason).
And thanks for the shoutout to Greg Beeman. He will be sorely, sorely missed.
Dude, well done! That’s not “nerdy” at all — it gives us hope that there’s a real scientific rationale behind parts of the show which seem to make zero sense. I wonder if TPTBs actually thought it through the way you just did, but I’d like to think so.
Dear Otto, I’d disagree with Will on this.
“Sylar doesn’t have to move his whole brain, just one part. Being a psychology major, I always figured that the reason getting stabbed stops making you regenerate was because your medulla (which controlls blood pressure and breathing) had a knife in it, so the regenrative blood doesn’t go through your body and heal you. And it just so happens that a knife in the back of the head would probably hit the medula. Sylar just has to move it to, say, the upper part of his head where it’s protected by his skull.”
This only works on the premise that Sylar absorbed another ability which allowed him precise control over the manipulation of his own anatomy. Super-powered abilities in this show; like mechanics and features in a video game, must follow a set of rules and behaviors.
Claire’s healing ability didn’t give her control over exactly which body part/cell to regenerate. The ability remembers a healthy physical state and will always return Claire (or in this case, Sylar) to that exact state if the ability can function. Nothing more, nothing less.
The same principle follows with the Shape Shifting ability. You get from Person A to Person B. There’s no in-between. I’m gonna stretch it and say that one of the identities Sylar stole had his/her medulla in the butt. But in order to change the position of the medulla (assuming Will’s posit is correct), Sylar would have to complete his shape shift to said person. But we saw that was not the case. This is simply another case of “treating-the-audience-as-idiots-to-accommodate-the-brilliant-Zachary-Quinto” writing.
Probably, but it’s the best explanation I’ve heard, so I’ll gladly take a combination of both of your theories.
The only other explanation I could come up with is Sylar took the shapeshifting ability beyond its original boundaries. We’ve seen how quickly Sylar got a grasp of the ability, to a point where he was much better at shapeshifting than James Martin was. So, if it’s not a case of him acquiring a useful and compatible ability off-screen, I could just about buy that Sylar ~*expanded*~ the ability’s potential, to a point where he could control specific elements of the DNA-restructuring/bone-re-arranging whatever-whatever. Tinkering around with his brain and skull seems a little intricate, but then Sylar’s schtick is studying and understanding how people’s brains work, so it’s at least a semi-plausible explanation.
“So, if it’s not a case of him acquiring a useful and compatible ability off-screen, I could just about buy that Sylar ~*expanded*~ the ability’s potential, to a point where he could control specific elements of the DNA-restructuring/bone-re-arranging whatever-whatever.”
Haha, fair enough Otto, which is just about the same as the Heroes writing staffs’ ability to ~*expand*~ Sylar’ (notice I said Sylar and not Zach Quinto, bless the man, he’s really an awesome actor) repertoire of powers despite them acknowledging the need to reduce Peter’s AND to ~*extend*~ Sylar’s unnecessary lingering in the show by stretching our suspension of disbelief to a truly unbelievable extent.
*Tongue-fully-in-cheek*
hey otto! great review!!
I kind of liked this episode, well, only a half of it. Loved Sylar and Claire scenes, hope they’ll have a future together even though Sylar killed her bio-parents! But who knows!
The end of the episode left me hanging… I really really hope that Zachary Quinto makes a big come-back because the whole Sylathan thing didn’t buy me at all! Get rid of Adrian Pasdar already! Yeah, we’re all sad cause his character’s dead, ok, but watching him acting as Sylar…. arggg!! I want Zach right now!!!
Using Claire’s blood to bring back Nathan would’ve been sooo old, but like you said they could at least explain why not to use it, and I think that everything will go insane in the Petrelli family, eventually, Sylar will remember and I hope he takes care of HRG, Angela and Matt…
I’m gonna miss Heroes and your reviews dear Otto, can’t wait till next season, and for the show’s sake, gotta be a real Redemption!
Generally, I liked the finale. It was cool to see Peter, Claire, Hiro and Nathan all step up and actually accomplish something for a change. The dynamic between the Petrelli brothers was nice to see. Claire had some good lines and Hayden gave a great performance. It was fun to finally watch Peter use his powers, minimal though they were, to totally triumph over Sylar. Hiro used his power very effectively, and selflessly, and looked totally cool doing it. Nathan, in my opinion, went a long way towards self-redemption before he died, which makes V5’s title even more sadly ironic. I wish Ando’s powers were better explored, but maybe next season.
I’m disappointed with Hiro’s apparent stroke. His limited power and recent actions made me think he might become an interesting character and effective hero again. Now it appears that next season’s storyline will involve yet another quest to get his powers back. Sigh. Yawn.
The advent of a new company might offer Mohinder an actually interesting storyline, if he stays around for it. We’ll see.
As for Peter v. Sylar, the impression I got was that he only absorbed shape-shifting from Sylar. The frustrating thing with that confrontation was not just that he passed up all those other powers, but that, while he might not have known it, Sylar also has Pete’s original power, Empathic Mimicry. Whoops. I don’t credit the reports that he got ‘em all, because that would put Peter back in the same over-powered sitch he was in in Season Two, when they just couldn’t figure out what to do with him. Same issue if had managed to reacquire EM.
I’m so disappointed in Angela. I love Christine, and her grief was quite gut-wrenching to see. I love the way Angela steals socks in remembrance of her abandoned sisters. I love her style and panache and her passion for her family. I’ve maintained since V3 that the Bridget-brain-feeding was entirely out of character for her, mostly because I did admire her so much. Now, it’s clear that her murder of Bridget was closer to the mark than I liked to admit. Despite her grief over Nathan, and her feeling that she should be steered by her dreams, what she did was utterly obscene. You’re right, Otto; she’s a villain, and has been for some time. She’s just a charismatic villain.
I’m almost as critical of Noah: he’s the shady brains around her, and should have been unburdened by grief over Nathan. The option of Peter-as-Nathan convincing President Worf to call off the hounds should have occurred to him, at least. I don’t even want to get into the issue of the “Magik Blood.” And, apparently he has learned absolutely NOTHING from his recent family problems with regards to keeping important, crucial secrets from those he loves. I had some sympathy for him before when Sandra gave him the heave-ho. No more now.
Peter and Claire will never forgive either one of them when they finally find out, nor should they.
Poor Matt is gonna be totally tortured over this. But on a side note, where has his precog power gone? I never liked that he had it, but once he did, it should have been managed somehow, not just abandoned, as they always seem to do with unpopular or difficult plot points.
I actually think Tracy might really be the Big Bad next season. She’s probably a little loosely wrapped, at the moment, having spent the last several weeks presumably regathering her molecules that were floating around the Chesapeake Bay, or wherever she was. Also, she’s going after the agent’s who captured her, tortured her, ruined her life and reputation, and “killed” her while she was defending her nephew. Remember that the people ultimately responsible for all this were the US government, in the persons of the employees of Bldg. 26, Danko, Nathan, and President Worf. If her powers are really much more advanced she could be a powerful threat, and might just be gunning for the big guys.
With her more on the scene, I really hope that means more Micah. I’m not sure that Rebel’s raison-d’etre is finished, merely because Bldg. 26 is gone. Who knows how the new “Company” is gonna operate with people like Sylathan, “morally grey” HRG, and the ruthless Angel in control?
Sylathan’s presence in V5 is problematic on so many levels. So many of Sylar’s powers are, to at least some degree, autonomic: Healing, Clairsentience, Lie-Detection, Intuitive Aptitude. Would Matt have the ability to “whammy” those away? I doubt it. It’s clear from the teaser that the IA is already online. As someone else mentioned, Peter healed himself from a Haitian-mind wipe. Linderman healed Angela from an Arthur mind-wipe. The implication there is clear. I hope we’re wrong. In fact I hope, despite how much I like Pasdar and how good he is as Sylar, that Sylathan is killed before he morphs back into Sylar, but I fear that it might just be another season of The Sylar Show.
Overall, while there were flaws, I liked V3 so much better than V4 that, despite the Sylathan issues, I’m looking forward to what the writers do with “Redemption.”
Thanks so much for all your reviews and comments, Otto, and being so conscientious about replying to our own comments. Have a great summer.
K
Sigh … did it have to end this way?
Positives first though:
- Peter pwning Sylar in the limo. I know it was a stretch to believe that Peter got the hang of shapeshifting so fast, but it was still cool.
- Angela’s primal scream of grief. Amazingly well acted.
- Tracy’s comeback! I’m interested to see what she’ll do next season. Hopefully some more scenes with Micah.
- Nathan and Peter’s brotherly reconciliation … well It was cool until The Stupid Plot Twist.
- Nathan saying “One of us.” instead of “One of them”. Nice moment
- Not exactly a positive I guess, but Sylar luring Claire definently achieved the creepiness it was supposed to and it was solid acting on both sides. I hope it NEVER becomes true romance though. That would be worse than The Stupid Plot Twist. Well … maybe not. I’m not sure yet.
- Noah and Danko’s scene in the jail cell. Very cool.
Negatives:
- Getting locked out of the battle. I know they had budget cuts and everything, but it was still a bit anti-climatic.
- And here comes the big one: Sythan, or like as I like to call it, The Stupid Plot Twist. At first I was upset, but ultimately content with Nathan’s death. I know he probably deserved it after all he’s done this season. (And he didn’t get Sylar’d after all … he got Sweeney’d. Go watch “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”, the throat slitting was remarkably similar, minus the blood fountain.) It was a shame to see him go after all the progress he’d just made with Peter and Claire. The necklace thing was a sad reminder of that. I knew he was going to die after Peter and Nathan said that they loved each other, but I figured I’d live. Then Noah and Angela get the ASININE idea to make a pseudo-Nathan/Sylar mind hybrid. What?! Were these two thinking?! I agree with the Peter argument. Of course it would be difficult for him, but I think it actually would have made good drama. This was unacceptable and totally out of character for Angela and Noah. I hope this bites them back in a monumentous way. This is all without mentioning that they just sacrificed an interesting character to fit into Sylar’s mopey self-worth identity issues.
“I guess Claire could have asked Nathan what his sons’ names were, but I’m not sure even the real Nathan remembers that.”
^ ^ Lol, nice. I thought that was a pretty goo burn
Really though, I hope they’re at least mentioned again.
I say my farewells to Beeman as well. You were a great director for the show. Sad to see you leave!
Best review in a while Otto
What the HELL!!!!! I thought Peter would be able to get all of his powers back FINALLY, and we would have a battle of the 2 super-powers. Ever since Sylar became the ultimate bad ass this season I couldn’t wait for wholesome heart Peter to get re-empowered to beat him down. Anyone feel the same way?
First off…I did call the idea that Sylar changed his Achilles’ Spot last week, and honestly…i find it very belivable. He’s a shapeshifter now, in charge of his whole body structure. Now, as for this Season Finale…while there were some awesome scenes, such as Nathan revealing his ability, the Petrallis doing battle with Sylar, Claire’s Pro-Activity….that unseen final battle and Synthian brought it down a lot. Just like the First Season’s Finale, we get a build-up to an awesome final battle between the main protagonist and main antagonist, two characters that are polar opposites. And yet…we are left with a disappointing super-powered showdown, where two of the most powerful beings on the show, with multiple powers between them…simply punch each other. However, being the first season, i think this could be forgiven.
But this being the third season, and we get an eye in a door?! I’m sorry, but i think actually SHOWING the final battle was essential, as the audience has been teased constantly about it across the various volumes. There was NO excuse for this. As for the Synthan thing…I think the Claire’s Blood explanation should have at least been touched on. It is obvious that the show wasn’t going to use this, but still…an explanation should have been voiced by Noah or Angela. This reminds me of the Scarlet Witch Situation, where Brian Micheal Bendis(who essentially destroyed the character) had amped up her power to reality warping levels, and, despite Marvel continuity having introduced such things as mutant collars to shut off mutant powers, or Forge building a gun that can neutralize mutant powers, none of this is EVER explained or touched on.
As for Season 3 as a whole…while i enjoyed it, i feel that the Volumes concept is detrimental to the storytelling. None of the characters introduced this season were really developed or reach their potential. Arthur Petralli and Knox are killed off before we even get to know about them…and Arthur is essentially jobbed for plot sake. Danko and his operation are written as fools as opposed to true frightening menaces. I just feel that part of Season 1’s success was the fact that the story had room to breathe…we believed Linderman was really something to be feared of because we could see his influence everywhere.
On another note…what’s up with giving Charles Dereveux telepathy? I was hoping he had memory-related ability.
two things.
one, if sylarnathan doesn’t die within the first two episodes of season 4, I will be horrified
two, my only explanation for why peter’s shapeshifting was so smooth, is that when sylar absorbed it rocky, he had to improve, so maybe peter took the “improved” version.
also, I think that the episode should have ended after nathan died, but with noah and angela slicing sylar into thing peices, and then sticking spikes into each of those pieces, and then burning the whole thing - to make sure he was dead. I love sylar’s character and the actor’s performances, but to catch him and NOT KILL HIM, was too much to take
Few things to say:
1. I like the name “Natelar.”
2. I am a Sylar fan, but agree that the Operation Natelar was a horrible and completely incriminating and INSANE plot on HRG’s (He no longer earns his first name to me) and Angela’s part.
3. With Bryan Fuller and not too much emphasis on Sylar, the Operation Natelar could turn out to be an interesting storyline and could bring back in flashbacks or dream sequences many decesed characters. This has inspired a fanfic.
4. Goodbye Mr. Beeman! You were awesome!
5. Hooray Tracy!
6. IF YOU SWEAR YOU’RE NEVER WATCHING THE SHOW AGAIN: please at least watch the first one or two episodes of “Redemption.” It could be the “Redemption” of the show for you. Have faith!
7. Good review, Otto. I might’ve given it a 3.5, but whatever. Will definitely be reading your reviews next season.
Thank You for putting into words so eloquently EVERYTHING I felt about the Finale. Your words are my emotions about this episode to a T. I don’t feel there’s anything to add or take away. But I will say, reading what you wrote has made the brutality of the end a little less, and I don’t quite feel so robbed. Will definitely be bookmarking this blog and reading your reviews next season, take care & have a GREAT summer…
Fantastic review as always. By far the best of what’s out there. Particularly loved the “To be continued…” let’s-ignore-what-comes-next part.
The episode had my full attention the whole time - yay for no cringe-worthy side-stories (I’m looking at you Maya, Monica and Mohinder. What’s with the Ms?!).
I find myself looking forward to the fall, because I’m totally tickled by the thought of Nylar in the coming volume. Will he keep Sylar’s old abilities (assuming they’re “physically” manifested) and discover them one by one? Or will he have to start from scratch because everything got wiped out during the memory sweep? Will he have “the hunger” or does that have to be “awakened”? (Can’t remember) What will Peter’s reaction be the first time he tries to swipe his brother’s flying ability? Oh, the possibilites!!
Yum! 
After seeing this episode I am ready to give up on Heroes. I will clarify my ever so selfish desires for the show, as a fan, and what I read every where.
GIVE PETER BACK HIS DAMN ORIGINAL POWER!
Okay, because I am a sucker for punishment, I will keep watching, waiting for the writer’s to make my dream of a true Hero on a show, funnily enough called Heroes, come true. I am starting to think though I may win the lotto before this happens.
For anyone that thinks it makes the show too lopsided having Peter so powerful. Um WTF! look at Sylar! Hes a gun and powered up enough to take down Superman.
Also saying that, the Petrelli’s fly in and take on Sylar, with all his abilities and come out not too shabby (apart from Nathan dying that is - glad they found away to keep Adrian in the show, he’s a gun)
So lots of powers who care’s. So again give Peter back his original power, this one at a time thing is crap.
I am so frustrated by this I barely can make sense, some one out there tell me, give me hope, will there be a day when writers of show actually listen to there fans???
There was a great anticipation for this review, Otto. I really wanted to know what insights you had about this episode which was the first time any television program actually made me really miffed. The NOT-petrelli-brothers-sylar-smackdown wouldn’t have been such a sore point if not for the double whammy of the show later killing nathan and brainwashing sylar. I agree with every point you made on the review and I sincerely hope the producers would get to see what you thought of it.
I have never liked a show more than Heroes, and I probably won’t ever get to a hate the way a show was written quite like Heroes from now on. You should have said what was on everyone’s mind in your review. That they killed Nathan but not Sylar simply because the show was afraid of alienating the Zachary Quinto fans. I loved the Gabriel Gray/Sylar character in Volume One and will always be in awe of Zach’s acting throughout the series but they just did irreparable damage to the show and quite honestly is simply beyond REDEMPTION.
R.I.P. HEROES (Quite possibly the most brilliant and most tragically copped-out television show I have ever watched)
P.S.: I told friends who were fans of Heroes that my fav was Hiro. The way he was written after Volume One made me wonder why I was ever a fan. I’m glad in the end I left with Hiro as he was back in Genesis, a REAL HERO.
All the best, Otto~
I now realize that HRG (I agree that he doesn’t deserve a first name anymore ^^) and ANGELA (and I agree that they both are VILLAINS now), after CREATING (at least being part of it) a MONSTER, passed on several occasions to KILL HIM OFF. And I can’t beleive it didn’t bite them in the ass yet (How great is it that Sylar only killed guest stars, until Nathan in the finale). I hope that when he’ll learn about the switcheroo, Peter will be done with them for good (well that will at least kill his eternal optimicism), leading to a potentially interesting storyline. And I really get it when you say its depressing to see Peter happy, thinking they finally got rid of Sylar…
The finale, is probably the one who made me the most want to see the following volume : not a “real cliffhanger” (like S2’s), but a glimpse of what will be interesting if we get another Season.
While I don’t worry about getting a 4th season, it could probably be the last. The last 3 episodes and the switcheroo (Even if it has potential, and I have no doubt Pasdar has the talent to make it compelling AND creepy) probably drove away lots of viewers (Nathan’s fans, Sylar’s fans and people thinking it’s a bad idea) and it’s been prooven that it would be really hard to hover lost viewers back, no matter how good next season is.
And honestly, I’d rather like to see them finish on a good note than see the show last and getting worst because they don’t know what to do to get better ratings. So far, the show managed to keep me interested, even when it killed lots of my favourite characters (or making others stupid). I don’t want it to become one of these shows I’m waiting to end its season so I can never watch it again. Half the shows I watch did it this year, and I hope it won’t be the case for Heroes next year.
Now, let’s just hope Fuller can put some structure in the writers’ room, which at some point was obviously a mess.
Sylar did also kill Isaac, who wasn’t a guest star.
The thing I can’t get over is that somebody, ANYBODY, along the way didn’t bring up that it might not be a good idea to do this because of ANY potential of completely alienating a significant portion of the fans? It’s a risk worth taking when a show is going strong, but NOT when a show is losing viewers left and right and needing to regain viewers.
My bad about Isaac being a main character (He’s the only one I can think of though - They even saved Maya). I was more referring to the fact that HRG and Angela looked like obvious targets after the “Not-Petrelli” arc, whom he could easily have killed if he wanted to. And obviously, HRG and Angela love him enough to keep him around.
They made a semi-ballsy move which is a triple risk (Nathan/Sylar/twist) that probably damaged the audience, maybe really hard, and I’m not sure the show can take that kind of hit at the moment. If the premiere doesn’t do well rating-wise, the series could be doomed from the start.
The difference is that Isaac maybe had run his course (or at least it seemed so untill Usutu, 9th Wonder 2.0, and Precog Pahkmann) while somehow Nathan still had lof of potential and would have been perfect for Redemption. Even if Sylar/Nathan seems interesting, it isn’t at all the same than having Nathan and/or Sylar, which is really what bother their respective fans. That’s why the magic blood seemed like the obvious answer, and most of people would probably have been okay with the twist IF they tried it and it didn’t work or said something about it.
Ignoring your mistakes isn’t really a solution. You keep them in mind and move on, and try not to reitarate them. Well it’s at least how I see things. And in spite of the slow pace (and Maya), I liked S2, which gave us good things (which are mostly gone now) and I don’t think it deserves to be ignored.
If the blog is going in the dark, enjoy your summer people
Cheers !
They made a semi-ballsy move which is a triple risk (Nathan/Sylar/twist) that probably damaged the audience, maybe really hard, and I’m not sure the show can take that kind of hit at the moment.
I am pretty sure they can’t take that kind of hit.
The difference is that Isaac maybe had run his course (or at least it seemed so untill Usutu, 9th Wonder 2.0, and Precog Pahkmann) while somehow Nathan still had lof of potential and would have been perfect for Redemption. Even if Sylar/Nathan seems interesting, it isn’t at all the same than having Nathan and/or Sylar, which is really what bother their respective fans.
Very true regarding Isaac. He had seemed to run his course. Unfortunately, TPTB were unwilling to lose Tim Sale’s art work, which is understandable. The thing is Peter had Isaac’s ability, so they could have kept it through him but then they took that away. Sylar had it too, and that was gone thanks to the virus. What it boils down to is TPTB want to have their cake and eat it too. They keep shooting themselves in the foot. They seem to go for the “Oh cool” moment then have to come up with some hackneyed or trite resolution to keep what they lost. For all the writers talk about how they do discuss the outcomes, they must not do it for everything or they are just limited in their foresight or just ignore the consequences.
Sadly, Nathan definitely still had potential.
Although, from what Adrian said, the writers are going to look at this as it is Nathan, just with Sylar inside. I don’t buy that, but what can you do? If they wanted that they shouldn’t have killed Nathan and had Sylar escape into him somehow, possibly ala Voldemort in the Harry Potter novels. Nathan died in the chair and just erasing memories or forcing another person’s memories to the front does not make them that person. Yet, your mileage may vary. This is just my opinion after all.
I’ll be watching next season, but not as obsessively as I had been. I’m curious to see what they do with it, but I don’t like it. My viewership also comes down to what they do with Peter. I’ve got a bad feeling though, that since this “Nathan” is supposed to be the real Nathan, they will go no where near having Peter think there is something wrong with him. Which is another really bad idea considering all the clues to the contrary … i.e., all the power issues from healing to AI that “Nathan” should now possess.
I have no more faith in the writers. They have moments of brilliance, but seem to lack the skill or talent (or leadership?) to be consistently brilliant.
The actors, directors, cinematographers, prop people, set people are what make this show better than most of what TV has to offer and it is for those people that I will continue to watch.
“I’ll be watching next season, but not as obsessively as I had been. I’m curious to see what they do with it, but I don’t like it”.
I pretty much feel the same. I’ll watch for sure, but I won’t really miss the show untill then. The little magic that made that I couldn’t wait for the next episode is gone, at least for now. I think the three last episode (even if I personnally liked the finale) were like a cold shower that woke me up. I was a bit bitter when they killed Adam, then Elle, but was still interested by the plot. Seeing that both deaths were completely useless to the plot (except if you consider Arthur was somehow developped) just made it worst. Daphne recently joined them in the graveyard of oblivion.
“I have no more faith in the writers. They have moments of brilliance, but seem to lack the skill or talent (or leadership?) to be consistently brilliant.”
I don’t expect the show to be consistently brillant, but I kinda hated the fact that the “brillant” was generally surounded by “lame” for a while. I don’t know anything about the individual skill of the different writers, but generally, I’m not surprised to find out that the episodes I liked weremostly from a few writer(s). The fact that there are 20 writers (dunno the exact number) can’t be good, especially if there isn’t a “leader” to filter the ideas (and seeing what happened with V3, they must have put all those ideas in a blender and watched what would happen), and Fuller seems to be the one that will fit that position. All we can do now is wait and see.
“The actors, directors, cinematographers, prop people, set people are what make this show better than most of what TV has to offer and it is for those people that I will continue to watch.” <– Same here.
The thing with claire’s blood was a mistake and I’m sure they regreted about introducing it to the show. It’s lame, i mean if claire’s blood can ressurect noone has to die. They intentionally “forgot” about it in order to make things right
I as well did not like the plot twist with Sylar becoming Nathan. Thought it was dumb but I think that the character of the true Nathan is not dead.
Remember that he was shot by future peter, pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital but then came back to life. He still has Adam’s regenerative blood in him and it was not clear what they did with true Nathan’s body.
I have a feeling that he will be back.
My biggest complaint was not letting us see the fight between Sylar and Peter and Nathan. I suspect it will be part of some flashback episode next season.
Otto - okay, I’m confused.
So you hate the twist because it makes Angela/Noah villains, Matt a tragic conspirer… and everyone else tragic for thinking Sylar is dead when he isn’t? Because… well, that’s the point. Surely. That they’re setting up the pay-off of everyone realising that they’ve been manipulated, again. That Peter’s ‘we do this as a family, not a company. No more lies’ from 323 has been eradicated by ‘Elders know best’, again.
Ian,
I agree that they’ve set it up for a pay-off. I can’t speak for Otto, but apart from anything else, I’m just not pleased with the family conspiracy merry-go-round 5.0. Three seasons later, you’d think they would have found in-character ways to involve these people in a different kind of story line.
True, except this time it’s less ‘protecting you for your own good’ and more ‘harbouring a known murderor.’ Effectively, this plan blowing up puts everyone in danger - and creates the question ‘Will Peter and Claire want to help the people who lied to them and harboured Sylar, when Sylar gets loose?’
Time for another Doctor Who reference…
Henceforth I am referring to the Sylar-Nathan character as The Slitheen.
For obvious reasons, if you have seen the Christopher Eccleston season of Doctor Who.
Other than that: so, it is now the Dumb As Peter Award again?
Dear Otto,
I usually read your reviews each week but I had never posted. I usually have the same feelings than you, but for few things, like Sandra or Hiro, but this time, I totally agree with you. The episode was totally superb! but then, two moments made it the worst thing in Heroesverse:
- Will we ever see a fight? In comics, in sci-fi movies and series is a MUST. I don’t get why they spend so much money in other things, and we feel like Claire: we can’t don anything and we can’t even be watchers of the GREAT FIGHT.
- I don’t understand if Mr Bennet was replaced by a zombie in the scene in which Synathan is created. As you said, it’s a Turbo prize of Dumb! I can understand Angela, yes, because you know the lenght of her creepyness, but Mr Bennet evolved to a heroes through the series, so it’s so out of character that he starts lying again and not killing his nemesis. Badly done show! You can’t change the character development for making the Sylar Show. It makes viewers angrier!
So, I am sure I’ll be there for Season 4, but I am totally sad because of these movements and future (in which that season is probably the last one). They way they forbid us the fights and the way they have doomed HRG has no sense at all. I thought they were repairing the faults, but those last 10 minutes were crazier than any line in Season 3, which were crazy you know. I don’t know what to think!
Enjoy the summer! And I hope someone gets sane in Heroes writer’s room.
Hey folks. Just wanted to say a brief thanks to everyone who wrote in with kind words for the reviews this season. I wanted to once again say thank you to everyone for reading, because it goes without saying that we wouldn’t be here without you.
I also wanted to dispel any uncertainty people expressed about whether I’d be reviewing the next season: rest assured that unless there’s an enormous influx of readers who want me gone, I’ll happily be back for Volume Five. I still have very mixed feelings about the Volume Four finale, but the episode didn’t change my feeling that Volume Four was second only to Volume One in terms of quality. As long as I’m enjoying the show and as long as everyone’s happy to read the reviews, I’m happy to write them.
Just a couple of points I wanted to contribute to:
Daniel P,
“I’m sure it kills both Angela and Noah to do this, but I think they really didn’t have a choice.”
Ian,
“So you hate the twist because it makes Angela/Noah villains, Matt a tragic conspirer… and everyone else tragic for thinking Sylar is dead when he isn’t? Because… well, that’s the point. Surely.”
I know what you guys mean, and I think that’s exactly how TPTBs intended it to come across, but to me the problem goes beyond villainy or manipulation. I think my issue here is that this undoes substantial parts of both character arcs. HRG’s arc this volume wasn’t about perpetuating secrets and lies, it was about putting an end to them. That’s what his divorce from Sandra was all about; that’s what Claire’s anger at HRG has *always* been about. So, like Raissa, my anticipation for Volume Five is hampered by the fact that this finale left us looking forward to yet another ride on the Secrets & Lies/”Hate/Love/Forgive HRG” merry-go-round. Similarly, Angela’s arc this volume — and this entire season — wasn’t about sustaining her deception. It was about coming clean with her sons and rebuilding her relationships with them based on truth. That, to me, was the whole point of her and Peter’s thread in “Into Asylum,” and the one big thing we were intended to take from the Coyote Sands and Alice storylines.
So, I hear what you’re saying: that in the end, the tragedy stems from the parents inevitably falling back on manipulation and lies because they’re convinced it’s in their kids’ best interests. My problem is partly that, as Raissa pointed out, it’s repetitive, but also that it’s not so much a moment of ~*inherent tragedy*~ as it is a gigantic step back in the characters’ development. Given the way we’ve seen Nathan discovering Sylar’s IA, Noah ends up looking like a misguided fool instead of the loving father who was always 10 moves ahead of everyone else; Angela ends up looking like a selfish and irresponsible mastermind instead of a morally ambiguous hero. I loved these two characters before this episode, and as much as I want to share your perspective about this episode, I can’t believe the show wanted us to walk away from this season hating two of the mains, especially two who’ve had very significant character arcs this volume.
Susan, you’ve come the closest to articulating what I’m still trying to put my finger on, re: Nathan:
“The thing I can’t get over is that somebody, ANYBODY, along the way didn’t bring up that it might not be a good idea to do this because of ANY potential of completely alienating a significant portion of the fans?”
^ ^ This, exactly. And this is what I still can’t figure out. How did the show intend the audience to react to it? Were we meant to be shocked or saddened or excited for the potential next season? Probably all of those, but it seems like for you, for me and for a lot of fans, they failed on every count: they didn’t have the balls to write Nathan or Sylar out altogether, so it’s not as shocking as it should be; Nathan’s brother and daughter have no idea he’s even dead, so it’s not as saddening as it should be; and as exciting as the next volume might be, I wonder if it’s just me who’s having awful flashes of a volume that consists entirely of the Claire/HRG merry-go-round, Nathan looking mopily into a mirror and wondering who he is, and — inevitably — Sylar Sylar Sylar Sylar Sylar.
I genuinely *want* to look forward to Volume Five, but this finale doesn’t make it easy.
BUT…
Mark T,
“While I love Ali Larter, stopping her from hunting down and killing the same people who imprisoned them, while an interesting moral dilemma for the characters, seems to lack the same grand scale every other season/volume has had.”
This is where I disagree slightly and find myself leaning in the show’s favor. The other season teasers were equally cagey (although I find it oddly telling that the last two previews focused on Sylar and Nathan, respectively), but I like that the focus was very much on the characters: Tracy’s vendetta because… she’s angry, vengeful, pissed off, etc.; elements of Sylar’s personality are emerging from beneath Nathan’s faux-personality and creating a split in his identity, a dual personality, a potential Jekyll and Hyde scenario, etc. Both of those seem very much character- rather than story-oriented. Which, yay.
Of course we’ll be happy to read your reviews again
“I genuinely *want* to look forward to Volume Five, but this finale doesn’t make it easy.”
Well, “1961″ and “I am Sylar” doesn’t make it easier either, at least for me.
“Nathan’s brother and daughter have no idea he’s even dead.”
Which is what makes it sad, specially after Peter’s “This isn’t a Company, but a family.” (Sylar really *is* his *brother* now - Haha…). Also, nice to point out that the switcheroo (and I agree that it’s the only HUGE point that dragged down the finale) somehow neglects HRG and Angela’s storylines this volume. The Company 2.0 is already based on a terrible lie, and the way it’s different (if it’s any different) from the first one will be interesting to see. But, seeing HRG go back to “Anonymous trenchcoat guy” wouldn’t surprise me that much, provided that Claire is safe (of course) -_-.
What do you think the impact would have been, if we didn’t see Nathan getting his throat slit, then only learnt about the switcheroo a few episodes into S5 with a flashback episode (which would include the fight, death and swticheroo) and only had hints because of Nathan’s (and Matt’s) behaviour(s) untill then. Do you think people would scream BS like they did for V3, or would it have been better received? The impact of Sylar’s *death* would somehow be real (even if we know there’s no way they’re getting rid of him) and we wouldn’t be mourning about Peter and Claire not knowing about Nathan’s death, or complaining about HRG and Angela.
“I wonder if it’s just me who’s having awful flashes of a volume that consists entirely of the Claire/HRG merry-go-round…”
Unfortunately, you’re not alone. While Claire was the centerpiece of S1, I hardly see her being as important as she was back then, which is why I share your fear when it comes to her upcoming storyline, that could just turn into a filler. And while I can see Peter definitively turning his back on HRG and Angela when he learns about Sylathan (which I hope will be a pivotal moment of the season) and why not go a darker path, I can hardly see them take Claire the same direction, for obvious reasons…
With the (again) budget restriction, I don’t doubt next season will be more character oriented, which is definitively a good thing…
I’ll check back from times to times, but if that was your last post, enjoy your summer :).
It’s not just you - I’m somewhat skeptical. But I think Sathan has a lot of possibilities, and like the fact that the ‘lie’ this time isn’t based on a vague construct. There’s a reason for it. But there’s also a reason for the characters growing to hate it. So it’s like the end of Angel S4, where you knew things were going to get bad when the truth came out.
angelas whisper to nathan was about the change in peters ability she said she just saw it and what had she just seen…..peter needing to touch nathan before he flew off … [Edited -- please watch the tone when referring to fellow posters. Thanks. -- Otto]
Okay, I did the average ratings for you:
Volume 1: 2.24
Volume 2: 3.68
Volume 3: 3.85
Volume 4: 4.08
Sounds about right. Sorry for doubting you.
I did notice in doing this that “Powerless” got a 4, though, while “Invisible Thread” got a 3. I’m going to quibble on that one.
Volume 1 was a 4.24. Whoops!
Wow — thanks so much for doing this, Clarkie! I shudder to think how long it must have taken to add all the scores together, but I really appreciate it. It’s pretty cool to see how the overall scores tally with an overall impression.
“Powerless”/”Invisible Thread” — hah! I think the scores are very defensible in each case, but your mileage may indeed vary.
Thanks again.
I agree except for the fact that I’m not sure whether volume two or volume three was worse. But you know … I’ll have to say volume three was worse. Partly because of all the hype that volume three was going to be AMAZING, when it really turned out to be a disappointing flop. Sure it had great moments and everything, but negative moments outweighed the bad ones. S2 and V3 had oppostie issues — S2 was paced very slow and dragged-out. V3 on the other hand was paced like a six year old with a sugar rush. It’s like Kring and co. saw the fan comments and thought “Hey, season two was way to slow, we need to speed this up pronto!” And that’s exactly what we got … be careful what you wish for I suppose. Not that S2 was a masterpiece by ay means (cringes at the thought of Caitlin, Ireland, Feudal Japan, West, Niki’s death, and so on.) I think V4 is definently the best since S1. (Well, excluding Sythan and HRG and Angela’s character degression … and Hiro and Ando in India. Seriously, what was that?)
Nice to see the overall scores together. But while I agree that V4 in quality beats V2, I still personaly prefered V2 (sue me :)). From where I stand, the 3 last episodes of Fugitives dragged down the volume the same way the 4 episodes following the premiere dragged down Generations, which may make the diference to me. V2 got better towards the end, while V4 sunk a bit.
What maybe makes a diference in my mind is that V2 managed to tie all the main characters storylines to the Company/Virus, while introducing new characters. Except for Daphne and Danko (who didn’t get as much developped as I would have like to), I can’t say the same, and Sylar and Hiro/Ando’s roadtrips (amongst other things, like Mohinder) took maybe too long to join the main storyline.
That said, I’ve already rewatched V2, and even if Ireland lasted too long (Japan too but in a more watchable way), I’ll watch it again for sure (fast-forwarding through anything involving Maya, making it a 10 eps volume). I think I’ll hardly rewatch S3 more than once.
Concerning V3, even if I enjoyed it, I’ll go with Leigh and say it was the worst. It was in no way better than V2, just different, and the fast pace was at the expense of most of the characters’ development. Now that I have seen the whole season, I kind of think it was a mess, and the brillant things were too episodic to redeem the bad stuff. The only good thing that really came out of it was Daphne, and she followed the path of all V2 characters, which is pointless deaths (by pointless, I mean no consequences and/or no influence on any main characters) or evaporating in the air (Oh! Monica appeared in a GN :D).
For S4, I’d say that for the moment, I’m interested, but I’ll have to wait to see it to get excited about it (at least I won’t accidentaly stumble on spoilers now). Since they probably alienated a chunk of the audience with the V4 finale, it could be the last season, even if it’s awesome. That’s probably the last shot they’ll get to redeem the show anyway, and go out a good note if it’s the end.
claire’s magik blood would have worked because adam monroe was not the catalyst and he healed nathan of his nuclear burns in season 2. also Noah came back from a bullet through the eye to the brain!!! it never gave any time indicator for how long noah was down before revived but since they moved his body it had to have been longer than nathan was dead. the ending was ridiculous and it saddly ends my love of Heroes.
Not necessarily - Claire and West flew away immediately. Chances are Noah was in a Primatech room within twenty minutes.