Chapter 54 - "Cold Snap" Discussion Thread - 3/23/09

[Mdizzle]

Only thing I was disappointed with was Sylar getting Doyle and giving him to Danko, who btw is my least favorite character on this show right now. I can't wait until he is killed. He's a crappy hunter if you ask me. Overall best episode of this volume.

Yeah I'm not sure what to make of that either. Is Sylar taunting Danko? Or is he going to join forces with him? I don't really see the latter happening, but I'm wondering why all the games.

 

[carrrnuttt]

Yeah I'm not sure what to make of that either. Is Sylar taunting Danko? Or is he going to join forces with him? I don't really see the latter happening, but I'm wondering why all the games.

If you saw the previews with Sylar and Danko talking, it seems like...

Spoiler

...Sylar is setting it up where he helps Danko hunt everyone down, in exchange for being the only powered being left. A big baddie move, and somewhat consistent for his character, since he'll then be the most dominant creature in the world, but it feels forced. I guess I'll have to see how it plays out.

 

[Steyin]

I'd assume Syalr will be using him just to get more abilities for himself, which, if rumors are true, would include the illusion/shape shifting ability.

 

[Mdizzle]

If you saw the previews with Sylar and Danko talking, it seems like...

Spoiler

...Sylar is setting it up where he helps Danko hunt everyone down, in exchange for being the only powered being left. A big baddie move, and somewhat consistent for his character, since he'll then be the most dominant creature in the world, but it feels forced. I guess I'll have to see how it plays out.

You know, that's exactly what I was thinking when I pondered whether Sylar was teaming up with Danko. However, after Sylar's whole life-altering revelation with his Dad (do what you need to do, seize your own destiny, go after the bada**, etc.), I feel like Sylar has no need for Danko. He can just go for the gusto himself, and keep doing what he's always done: take powers. I assumed last ep that by sneaking into Danko's place, he was just going to take out his top adversary. Without Danko to stop him, Sylar could just go back to business, as usual. Of course, you can always argue that someone would take Danko's place, but either way. To me, part of Sylar's revelation was realizing that yes, he's powerful enough to go after what he wants. And he can certainly do that, with or without Danko on board.

 

[Nivek]

Ummm did you forget that his photo was part of the files for gathering the meta-humans? His photo was shown twice, once with Nathan and president or congressman in the limo and again at the HQ hunters.

A Photo is one thing, however, what his listed power is is another thing. That's what I was implying, that he can change his power to a more nonthreatening ability.

 

[O'Haire]

If little Matt Parkman touches Peter I wonder if it will give him back his old ability to hold multiple powers at once again.

And what happened to the kid that was with Sylar? He just went away.

 

[louiebling$]

That's a great theory, and I agree that would be a nice way to tie-in his powers.

What's the deal with the fireball/electricity/red lightning zap thing tho?

Ok well i seem to be the only one who understands his ability lol cuz ive explained this more than once lol He can discharge Kinetic energy. It doubles as 1) Being able to supercharge others abilities for short periods of time and 2) being able to to charge up his kinetic energy and shoot them Via Energy Blast similar to a Kamehameha or Hadoken... thats my unstanding of his ability.

 

[Mdizzle]

Ok well i seem to be the only one who understands his ability lol cuz ive explained this more than once lol He can discharge Kinetic energy. It doubles as 1) Being able to supercharge others abilities for short periods of time and 2) being able to to charge up his kinetic energy and shoot them Via Energy Blast similar to a Kamehameha or Hadoken... thats my unstanding of his ability.

Ahhh cool, makes more sense now. He needs to do that more often.

 

[stillanerd]

To get the obvious out the way, it was pretty much much predicted by nearly everybody that Rebel was actually Micah, considering how he had the power to affect technology. It's also apparent that Sylar, while not actually in this episode, is the one who delivered Danko Doyle the "Puppet Master" to him. That later storyline should be interesting considering how Danko is so hell bent against those with abilities and Sylar, apparently, is looking for some "big game."

However, much of the episode seemed devoted to the fate of the female "heroes." You've have Angela suddenly finding herself in a situation in which she is now hunted and no longer the one manipulating events, her rain-soaked appearance illustrating just how far from power and prestige she has truly fallen. Then you've got Tracy Struss, who used to looking out for her own self-interests, makes a heroic sacrifice (and a very cool FX sequence I might add) in saving Micah from the Hunters by freezing them and herself in a fire sprinkler doused parking garage. Finally, you have Matt giving Daphne a fantasy filled recover and Superman inspired flight above Paris right before she succumbs and dies from gunshot induced infection. It seems odd that now Claire and Angela are, essentially, the only two major superpowered female characters left, not to mention that, just like Ana-Lucia from Lost, both of Tracy and Daphne were introduced this season only to end up being killed off.

Of course, Daphne dying leaves it open for Matt to eventually get back together with his ex-wife Janice and to finally meet his son, Matt Jr., who himself has powers, these being what Hiro and Ando have labeled "Start and Go." Compared to other Hiro and Ando adventures this season, this didn't come off really annoying and actually provided some much needed insights into Hiro's character, touching upon his relationship with his father and witnessing his mother's death as a reason for his being uncomfortable around babies, and development of each of their powers. Ando can now expell his "superchager" and offensive energy blasts, as shown in the possible future from the first episode of the season, and Hiro finally has his powers restored. Limiting Hiro's powers so that he can only freeze or slow down time, just as they limited Peter's power absorbtion abilities, was a very wise move on the show's part, as Hiro's teleportation and time-traveling abilities had essentially made it less challenging for him. Hopefully it also puts to bed trips into alternate future timelines which have become an overused plot device.

All in all, not a bad episode and actually one of the better ones in this volume.

 

[JPC4]

When Peter touched his mom...wouldn't he not be able to fly???

Like Mdizzle said, I think Peter can choose when he abosorbs an new power. He held Nathan at gunpoint for a minute or so when Danko And HRG were surrounding them. And it wasn't until the last second that you actually saw Peter's hand light up as he absorbed Nathan's power.

 

[JPC4]

You know, that's exactly what I was thinking when I pondered whether Sylar was teaming up with Danko. However, after Sylar's whole life-altering revelation with his Dad (do what you need to do, seize your own destiny, go after the bada**, etc.), I feel like Sylar has no need for Danko. He can just go for the gusto himself, and keep doing what he's always done: take powers. I assumed last ep that by sneaking into Danko's place, he was just going to take out his top adversary. Without Danko to stop him, Sylar could just go back to business, as usual. Of course, you can always argue that someone would take Danko's place, but either way. To me, part of Sylar's revelation was realizing that yes, he's powerful enough to go after what he wants. And he can certainly do that, with or without Danko on board.

Sylar really doesn't need Danko, but the idea of them teaming up fits his manipulative ways. I look at it like Sylar is just using Danko to get quicker access to those with abilities (like he did in Season 1 with Suresh), instead of having to blindly track them down.

 

[KingOfMars]

I dunno, I thought he had some degree of control over consciously absorbing powers...like before when he interacted with Matt, he never drew his power until they stormed the agency building.

if he chooses to absorb or not to absorb, why did he seem to accidentally take tracies ability on the plane?

 

[JPC4]

If little Matt Parkman touches Peter I wonder if it will give him back his old ability to hold multiple powers at once again.

And what happened to the kid that was with Sylar? He just went away.

If the writers do intend on giving Peter his empath power back, I am leaning towards the idea that it will take both Matt Jr and Ando to restore it. Either way I still think Peter will have to get his powers back if the rumored showdown with Sylar is true.

Spoiler

If Sylar does go on a power collecting spree and ends up killing Nathan, like in 5 Years Gone, then Peter would have to have his full ability to stand even a chance in a fight. Hopefully with Fuller on board they can make this happen and learn how to effectively write an arc for Peter when he has his full abilities.

And yeah, Sylar just left the kid behind.

 

[JPC4]

if he chooses to absorb or not to absorb, why did he seem to accidentally take tracies ability on the plane?

I chalk that up to Peter being the old Peter, in that he didn't know how to control his powers at first. It wasn't until after the plane crashed when he informed the others that he could only retain 1 power at a time. So I assumed that meant he was beginning to understand how to control it.

 

[Mdizzle]

if he chooses to absorb or not to absorb, why did he seem to accidentally take tracies ability on the plane?

Yeah I dunno. Maybe he somehow gained mild control over his ability since then??

 

[Mdizzle]

Sylar really doesn't need Danko, but the idea of them teaming up fits his manipulative ways. I look at it like Sylar is just using Danko to get quicker access to those with abilities (like he did in Season 1 with Suresh), instead of having to blindly track them down.

Yeah you're prolly right. That way, he gets a shopping list and easier access--he gets the obstacles out of the way.

 

[GL1]

My Review is simple: Heroes. Is. Back.

Anything beyond that will be simple ranting. I loved Micah's return. Even knowing it was coming didn't stop it from being AWESOME. Micah is on the level he should be given his age and uber power. I cannot rant enough about Tracy's send off. Even knowing that I'll have to see Ali Larter again didn't take the joy of any of it from me. It. Was. Awesome. The effect on the guards, how Micah ran. All of it was uber sweet. Ali even got a scene with Jack, which, iirc, has never happened before.

Angela is getting fleshed out properly. Just the way she walked was boss. We also finally got to see where she was coming from, what her goal was, and how far she was from it. She went from a shadow broker to a real character in about fifteen minutes of screen time. Perfect.

Even Danko seems worth watching to me this ep, just seeing him shave. Anything other than bust Nathan's balls with little more motivation than being a *****e. Now he has a shot at actually teaming up with Sylar instead of just being used by him.

Daphne's send off was great... glorious for a character so tragically broken from the first time she stepped on screen. Which reminds me about what I loved most about this ep: These people made sense. Their motivations, even if handed down ham fisted, were clear and made sense of an otherwise self-conflicting backstory, even, or perhaps especially characters who were about to die.

And did I mention that there were 2, not 1 but TWO deaths of major characters. And we're down two blonde girls... hopefully the showrunners figure out there are beautiful women with other hair colors.

And finally, if that weren't enough, Hiro got his powers back, had character development and ANDO went from sidekick to... partner might be the best way to describe it. They're still comic relief, and it may take some time to evolve from that, but in the meantime, they're still leveling up in awesome, if not badass.

Now if Hero gets his sword back and starts slowing down time in fights, I will lose my frikkin mind.

I haven't enjoyed Heroes this much since the episode before the S1 finale. I said it before, I'll say it again: Heroes. Is. Back.

Commence to dancing.

 

[stillanerd]

^^^
That's another thing I noticed. The visual style in which this episode shot, with it's "300" style of utilizing slow-motion and speed-ups, combined with quick close ups, actually underscored and paid homage to its comic book inspirations. That shaving scene with Danko seem to convey more about the character than anything we've seen thus far, and as you said, the scene with Tracy freezing the Hunters in the parking garage, combined with Mich escaping, was visually eye-catching. Perhaps it would be a good idea for the show in the future to make it more like a moving comic book.

 

[BojacRedleif]

Tracy's gone Iceman style.

Daphne...ugh what is with the writers and killing Volume 3 characters? Take out one of the Petrellis or Claire (preferably Claire...who is also a Petrelli).

I almost want to go to SDCC just to go to the Heroes panel and ask them why they want the fat Hero to never get a break? Can't believe they pulled a Matrix Sequels on Daphne...

 

[Johnny Drama]

Why doesn't Greg Gruneberg lose some weight? They are giving Matt Parkman such awesome storylines, I think he would be as popular as Peter and Sylar if he wasn't such a tub-o-lard...

 

[Johnny Drama]

Is Ali Larter officially off the show now?

 

[neemer5]

^^^
That's another thing I noticed. The visual style in which this episode shot, with it's "300" style of utilizing slow-motion and speed-ups, combined with quick close ups, actually underscored and paid homage to its comic book inspirations. That shaving scene with Danko seem to convey more about the character than anything we've seen thus far, and as you said, the scene with Tracy freezing the Hunters in the parking garage, combined with Mich escaping, was visually eye-catching. Perhaps it would be a good idea for the show in the future to make it more like a moving comic book.

I thought the whole Danko shaving thing and the cue up of the creepy puppet music was easily the most contrived thing I've seen on television lately. Luckily, the rest of Heroes didn't substitute substance for style. I think this was by and far one of the best episodes. Hopefully it redeemed itself enough where viewership kicks back up.

 

[Matt]

Everyone knew rebel was Micah so that reveal was not shocking. They then kill of Daphne which was utterly pointless after keeping her on for 3 or 4 episodes after she was shot. They copied Watchmen and now they blatantly copied Superman Returns. Ando and Hiro were the only two characters holding back this episode from utter greatness. This was the best episode this volume and last volume of course. The directing for this episode was top notch and it I wish Bryan didn't have to tie up the idiotic loose ends left by the plots that are already in place. But, I have to admit that Daphne's death was a surprise and it was really heartfelt and of course perfectly directed...it was a tear jerker.

The sad part is, there clearly are improvements coming. The changes to cinematography alone were intriguing. The problem is, Heroes is a serial. While us fans may be happy Fueller is back, most people don't care. Heroes dropped again last night in the ratings and fell in the crucial 18-49 male demographic. Once a serial show drops, it is very hard to bring that audience back. I fear no matter how good Fueller makes it, it will be canceled by November (it'll finish volume 5 and that'll be it).

 

[GL1]

Ali Larter is a staple of the show now. There's a third triplet named Barbara. Have you been watching the show?

I think that some characters are beyond redeeming. Daphne and Tracy were, from their very basic roots, ill conceived, born in ill conceived storylines. They are not grounded in anything that is worth anything, imho.

I do see what you mean about killing female characters. I say lets kill off some guys too, starting with two guys who should have been dead with the end of S1. Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman.

 

[Deaths Head II]

Why doesn't Greg Gruneberg lose some weight? They are giving Matt Parkman such awesome storylines, I think he would be as popular as Peter and Sylar if he wasn't such a tub-o-lard...

I like the fact he has a bit of weight. It makes him feel like more of an everyday man, and this show is supposed to be about ordinary people with extraordinary powers. It's not like there aren't fat people out there.