Heroes is over for another season

[trinityvixen]

It's amazing that a show that so blatantly steals from common comic book plot lines/tropes should be so scornful of comic books and their readers. Even my patchily interfaced relationship with comic books means I'm aware of their plot lines before they do. I've been complaining for weeks that Sylar was too freaking powerful.

And with this season's finale, I realized what they had to do to him because I realized that he was the Dark Phoenix of this show. Before the episode even began, I was like, "I bet they mind-wipe him so he doesn't know/isn't able to use his disgustingly broken ability."

I like being right.

On the whole, I'm pleased with the development. I think only a clean break from Sylar-as-was would ever rescue the character, if they choose to really rescue him at all. Honestly, I was a little miffed that they made it clear that this would be temporary. I'd be much happier to think that Sylar was really gone for all that he has been a one-note character for his entire existence. I like Sylar's character, but there's gotta be a statute of limitations on how long he can just keep doing what he's doing when he's got no limits on either his psychosis or his powers that would ever prevent him from getting what he wants.

That's the problem with the Dark Phoenix. Dear God, do I love that character. But there is definitely some diminishing returns the more she shows up. The last umpteen re-insertions of that character--the twisted, malevolent Phoenix Force--have been real snoozers. It works better when you shake it up. I remember some comics from around the beginning of this decade where Jean's powers started to manifest increasingly in firebird shapes, thus freaking everyone the fuck out a lot. She wasn't turning into the Dark Phoenix or anything, but it was crazy scary to think that, after all her psyche had been through, she rooted herself in that idea--of being some super powerful celestial being. (Turned out that she was just a vessel for that being, which is a cool concept that avoided the issue of Jean being/turning into Dark Phoenix.)

So I really like the idea of getting rid of two characters in favor of a new one who is a little bit of both and neither all at once. Nathan's been without a guiding force for some time now. He got a little of his own back with the Building 26 thing--hey, I'll take "villain" over "plotless" any day--but it wasn't right because we knew he was, at heart, not really a bastard. Now that he is actually a bastard at heart, how will that play? Sylar-Nathan is a fabulous concept to me, not least for the fun of revelation later, but primarily for the joy of figuring out this new character. (It's like a more interesting Douglock!) For all intents and purposes, this new character is Nathan, but enough of him isn't that it could have a dramatic effect upon the person-known-as-Nathan.

For instance, will there be a dominant personality? Sylar's memories have been almost entirely erased (unless Matt was just lazy and hid them), so there's no "Sylar" for Gabriel Gray to go back to even if he recognizes that he's not really Nathan. Does that mean he'd stay primarily as Nathan? Would Sylar come back in any personality? What would happen if you gave Sylar's ability to someone kind of but not quite like Nathan? Would Nathan become like Sylar and have no idea why?

I admit it, I'm in it for the awesome of Adrian Pasdar having a good reason for darker motivations. I'm thrilled he's being given a complexly dark, imperfect, possibly dangerous character again. Nathan was like that, once, but never quite as fierce. If the Nathan facade falls and all that's left is Sylar's urges and Nathan's personality, I could see Pasdar going Profit again. Which? Amazingly perverse and maybe just what this show needs.

Comments

[viridian.livejournal.com]

Soooo, is Zachary Quinto gone from the show if he's somehow not playing Sylar? (I don't watch any more but I am gathering that Adrian Pasdar is still on the show despite Nathan being "gone"?)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

It's an open question. I've not heard any casting spoilers and I haven't avoided them, so I assume they haven't really worked out how to play this just yet. Presumably, Quinto won't return if his Star Trek gambit pays off. But I don't have any clue what they will or won't do. It's entirely possible that they won't change Sylar back into his original face. That's the trouble with shape-shifters, you know? The actor playing that character doesn't have to be there for the character to be played. I got the sense that they broke down and let Sylar shape-shift as a means of dealing with Quinto's possible exit from the series. For all I know, though, they could be doing the same thing with Adrian Pasdar--maybe it's a fake out and they're really letting him retire while making us think it's Zachary Quinto. I just don't know how obvious vs not this show is going to be.

[saturn-shumba.livejournal.com]

I read your review yesterday, loved it. It's how I "watch" the show, since I don't actually, you know, watch it anymore. :)

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Live to serve. Also, to have space to rant at the internet about the injustice of a bunch of studiohead-types flattering themselves that they know more about comic book conventions than even comic virgins.