Warning: this post contains many OMGs, many references to The Pasdar's aweseomness, and CAPS LOCK.

[charloween]

Holy flipping one-eyed mermaids, Heroes is for sure the good crack.

(running commentary, typed in between fits of squeeeee)

Zomg Sylar exploded? That's kind of... from left field. But, you know, we'll go with it.

Hiro is scared of Future!Hiro. I would be, too. I mean, Future!Hiro is intense.

Ando: “You? A terrorist?”

Ah! Strip club! It would be awesome if Peter was working as a dancer. Oh, no. Peter's girlfriend? So... not Claire, probably not Mrs Parkman, what other women are on this show? Please be Nikki. OMG Jessica?

Ew. Enough with the face-sucking. It's really creepy. He looks like an even skeevier Tom Cruise like that. And $500 or not, she looks like a strung-out stripper. WHICH SHE IS. Oh, burn. SERIOUSLY. Creepy with the face-sucking.

Oh Adrian Pasdar ♥.

Apparently in the future, people grow facial hair.

Nathan's a cold-hearted evil fuck, ain't he? OH Adrian Pasdar. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Secret Agent Peter!

Matt and Bennet, still together after all these years. It would be awesome if that picture was a photo of a baby Thing, eh?

Oh, that Greasy Andy guy is so going to sell her out. Oh. Maybe not. Maybe Matt'll get to do that first?

Awwwwwwwwwwww... Hiro ♥ Ando.

Mohinder, you just broke Hiro's string theories! Couldn't you just poke the string and make the same point? Why do destructive, man? (“Please excuse my friend, he has a penchant for the dramatic.” Why am I quoting Dogma?)

Nathan, you weren't elected. You were put in power. By a mobster. There's a difference.

♥ Adrian Pasdar. My toes actually curled when he said he was the most special person in the world. That low, growly voice... :::thud:::

OMG SYLAR. I should have guessed when he said the whole thing about how dangerous could he be because all he can do is fly. But I didn't. Because The Pasdar is SO FANTASTIC. ZOMG. ♥

Also, it's a relief that this Evil President Petrelli is actually not Nathan. That means Nathan's still cuddly! YAY. Or, rather he was still cuddly when he had his BRAINS EATEN.

Wait. So. Who exactly exploded? If not Sylar, then ...Ted? Unlikely. Ted would probably have angsted himself into catatonia before he could actually explode.

Ah. There we are. Peter exploded and survived, which means... Peter's scar came from Hiro stabbing him in the face? INNA FACE. And also, why did Peter explode?

Yeah, Parkman. The Haitian can block their powers. Except, Hiro can still use his sword master skillz even if he can't freeze time. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Parkman still gets tripped up by rookie shit like sending an 'empty' elevator up. And his own men question his command.

*LOTSA FLAILING*

SYLAR VS PETER COLD HANDS VS FIRE HANDS OMG SO EPIC. It's like good wizard vs bad wizard. All they need is robes. OR LIGHTSABRES!

Man, that is so a cheat. Get all the future!people together for an epic battle and then DON'T LET US SEE THE BATTLE. A whole episode of foreplay and then *poof* back in time again to... 1989? 2004? 1967? Are Hiro and Ando going to meet Andy Warhol and “star” is one of his “films”?

SERIOUSLY. GAWD. WANNA SEE THE EPIC BATTLE. (Am so happy I have this downloaded because holy smokes I think I'll want to watch it again maybe right now.)

Comments

[aoshi.livejournal.com]

A few small things that ran through my brain during that episode... and maybe it was just my brain looking at the Future! physicallities of our heroes.

1. Future!Hiro is kindasortzomg really sexy. I think there seriously is something wrong with me for thinking that, but when he speaks with his perfect English and kind looking like a young Ken Watnabe (okay, I exaggerate that point slightly). It really is kinda hot.

2. Scott and I were talking earlier today and we suggested that Parkman is just not allowed to ever be badass. He looks awkward and just plain wrong. I can't help it, I'm a sucker for the fluffy Parkman who loves his wife and child and who emos over them when he can't be with them. So I vote not again Future!Parkman's badassness...ness.

3. WTF Future!Peter got all badass. Its kind of wrong I think. And should not be sexy because I don't like Peter. But god, I must have been uber tired to ever think such an awful thought. :P Essentially though, Peter does have better reasoning to become badass over Parkman.

I told you you'd squee over this episode. XD;

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

1. Future!Hiro is fiiiine (and a sword master!), but Now!Hiro is cuter. Both are a bit too round for my taste, though. I like them longer, rangier, Petrelli-er. I have to admit, however, whenever Ando's on screen, it's a bit hard to see Hiro. ZomgAndo.

2. I've said it before, but Parkman really works best when he's following orders. This grouchy tool!Parkman? Not so cool. More like he got infected by the whiny bitch pheromone and bought a black t-shirt. C'mon, Parkman. Grow a backbone! We need to bring Clea Du Vall's character back to slap some sense into the man. GAWD. :)

3. Future!Peter is one sullen mofo, that's for sure. Speaking of badassery, Future!Hiro doesn't even flinch at slicing people. He's scary! He and Future!Hiro seemed to really enjoy killing and maiming all those guards. Makes you really wonder about what life is like under the Petrelli Administration.

I love my show. SO MUCH.

[aoshi.livejournal.com]

Its like everyone got made to be badass in the Future! although it makes perfect sense, you have New York which has 'slopded and suddenly its transformed everyone into major forms of badass. Peter who's fluffy and emo? SAY NO MORE IN THE FUTURE! XD Parkman who's cute and a pushover? Well, he's a wannabe badass. :P And holy shit, your right about Future!Hiro. I think he may just be the most badass of the three.

And of course Now!Hiro is better and cuter. I always wanna hug him. :D But Ando, Ando is SO CUTE. His face when he he found out he died? OMG! Cuddle! Cuddle! My arms were flailing to want to cuddle my tv! XD;;;;

Life in the the Petrelli Administration = Its Super Orgy Porno Party... within the party. Or the porno. Peterelli-cest is kind of hot? *sweatdrop* I....have no clue.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Super Orgy Porno Party without the party or the porno = just a super orgy? Naaaah, those people are all too uptight to relax and have a good time. They're busy being badass.

Except for Nikki. Who's whiny. And clingy.

That whole scene with Peter and Ando, where Peter says, "He didn't tell you? You're dead!"... such great acting in there because Peter just sounds so tired, so used to having dead friends. SIGH. *cuddles Peter and Ando and both Hiros* *cuddles Nathan, too*

Peterelli-cest is kind of hot?
hackthis has written some stories that'll turn your "kind of" into a GUH YES.

[siskaren.livejournal.com]

Peter exploded and survived, which means... Peter's scar came from Hiro stabbing him in the face?

But how can a guy who can regenerate have a scar? And I just thought of something. If Hiro gave Peter the scar, then how come when Future!Hiro met Present!Peter he commented on how he looked different without the scar? That would suggest that Future!Hiro had never seen Peter without the scar. And another thing that's totally confusing me. Future!Hiro told Peter to "save the cheerleader, save the world." So how come Claire is alive in the future, but New York still blew up? Maybe it's that rift Future!Hiro feared creating. *g*

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Maybe... maybe Peter kept the scar by choice because he thought it made him look badass? Because he wanted some kind of physical reminder, to keep a mark on him?

That would suggest that Future!Hiro had never seen Peter without the scar.
He wouldn't have seen him, though, because Hiro'd only met Nathan. Or... yeah. Yeah? I can't remember. If there are only two timelines, the gone-wrong future and the malleable-past, then the subway would have been their first meeting.

Ah. I can't. Can't... time-travel hurts. I'm happy with seeing how the show explains it because I get a pudding brain when I try to untangle these things. I like the rift. Rifts are good explanations! (Then? Maybe those winged monsters will show up like in Doctor Who and then Claude would show up, and everyone would turn to the camera and shrug, and that would be then end of the season!)

Though, in this ep Future!Hiro revised his Key Moment to the killing of Sylar on bomb day. It looks like it's a two-step process: first, Save the Cheerleader (so Sylar doesn't get her power), then Kill the Watchmaker (which'll remove President Sylar Petrelli), then save the world.

Ha! It was an if-then statement!

[alexmegami]

Maybe it was a dire warning against another future, where Sylar didn't even have to worry about eating Nathan to hide himself amongst them.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Too... many... alternate... possibilities.

A future where Sylar did get Eden's power, where he could've just gone on national television and told everyone to vote him into office. Creepy.

Though, pretending to be Nathan (...and taking advantage of Peter?) would have been a crazy-temptation. I think he'd have done it anyway. Killed Nathan, I mean.

[alexmegami]

Oh, he probably WOULD have eaten him. He just wouldn't have disguised himself as Nathan for the rest of the world. Maybe to fuck with Peter's head. After all, Pete can do everything Sylar can do.

Probably including eating brains, come to think of it.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Maybe to fuck with Peter's head.

That's what I'd do. Peter gets so frustrated so easily. It's almost not a challenge. But he stews so well. *is maybe a bit evil*

Probably including eating brains, come to think of it.

Is that a power or a predilection? I know this debate goes back and forth, but does Sylar really need brains to get powers, or does he just pick them up like Peter does?

[alexmegami]

I'm not sure. I think that at the very least he needs to "open them up" - like a watch. Peter's seems to be more empathy-based.

Maybe Peter will emo all over Sylar and Sylar will repent his ways? Hey, it's comics. It's happened before.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Like the time Wolverine came to New York and got bitched out by Daredevil and Spiderman? That was fun.

I'd like to think he doesn't need the brains, not right away. It just makes Sylar creepier if he doesn't need the brains, just likes them. *shudders*

Also: What if there was a Crouch-Moody thing where Sylar kept Nathan around to learn all his backstory and mannerisms and stuff to fool the other Petrellis...? Sylar'd use the disguise-power for a few weeks while keeping Nathan in a box somewhere (HA: Profit!) to interrogate him before he ate Nathan's brain. Sylar doesn't seem to think flying is a very useful power. (It's just a cool power.)

[aoshi.livejournal.com]

Mohinder, you just broke Hiro's string theories! Couldn't you just poke the string and make the same point? Why do destructive, man?

Tee hee! I love you! XD; Clearly Mohinder wants us to believe he is a force worth reckoning with.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Hee!

Mohinder looks at Nathan, sees the leader of the free world.

Mohinder thinks, "Well, at least my beard is nice and thick."

Mohinder looks at the tangles of string, of the five years of careful planning and agonizing and painful reliving of the past and snips through it and it all comes tumbling down. Not even in a graceful cascade, either, just a limp tangle of the key to saving the world from chaos and genocide and a heartlessly sociopathic serial killer of a president and snips the one string that'll tumble the past into obscurity.

Mohinder? Is a bit of a douche.

[deleriumd.livejournal.com]

I wanted to know your opinons of this.

http://community.livejournal.com/deadbrowalking/145304.html

I don't get it, I can understand whatshe's saying, but it seems a lot of people do not agree.

[naturelf.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's pretty interesting. Thanks for linking it.

It's the same reasoning some people use to explain why the family on The Cosby Show isn't actually black.

Basically, if a non-white character is behaving like a white (and usually also middle-class) character, then you can accuse the character's creators of whitewashing the unique, colourful and distinctive racial and ethnic reality of said non-white character by making him or her hold the same values and interests as would a white character in similar circumstances. (More or less; I can dig out the readings this weekend and quote them at you if you'd like.)

There are obvious problems with this position, but it's also valid for a number of other reasons. Mostly this centres on the idea of the US/North America as a melting pot of cultures and a place of forced assimilation. Do our disproportionately represented ethnic populations ascribe to values, attitudes and lifestyles that are our (white, middle class, Christian) values and so forth, that is,did we force them to become like us and therefore give up their own lives? Are we misrepresenting extant cultures? Or are certain values and the rest of it universal? This is where media theory and anthropology and sociology collide and make a big mess of everything.

In Hiro's case, well... he's a giant otaku. deadbrowalking seems to be saying that Hiro's particular brand of fanboying isn't uniquely Japanese enough. Leaving aside the fact that globalization and increased international migration and business stuff has made sure that Western pop culture has pretty much obliterated any hope of individual nations' cultural sovereignty, yeah, Hiro seems to be oddly obsessed with American comics.

But there are hundreds of thousands of North American kids who go to anime conventions and watch Cowboy Bebop and know what hentai is. Cultural products hop across oceans now like never before. As with any under-represented group on television or film, the minute a member of that group shows up they bear the burden of representation: by virtue of being the only one, they get to stand in for their entire group. Veronica Mars did this for hard-line feminists early this season. But Heroes does have more than just one Japanese character interact with Western culture: Ando makes a Spock reference, the boys in the bar in the first episode are doing karaoke to Backstreet Boys... it's not like Hiro's alone in this.

On the other hand, it's an American show. If the characters were referencing Akira and, like, Genji rather than X-Men and Star Trek then the American audience would have a harder time following what is an American product.

There is for sure a lot in how Heroes treats race, but it's part of a much larger theoretical debate than can be fully explored in a post of that length.

So what do I think? There are some good points (not original or ground-breaking, but still good) and it's definitely worth talking about what this incredibly popular show does with race, mostly because they've tried for diversity and because it is so very popular of a series.

As for the question about why one of the black (or half-black) characters aren't the fanboys? Kind of irrelevant. Sure, Hiro and Ando can be read as clownish, gimmicky characters, but having them there is also a good reminder of the global scope of the world of the show. And, in the last episode, the pair of them and their relationship grew a touching new dimension that brings them further out of being cartoons and closer to being real people. They were darned close before, but now... it's there.

Gah. I always end up going on and on when you ask these questions. :P