"Maybe I am a monster."

[adeline]

Heroes, 3x05: Angels And Monsters

I need to preface this. I always try to lay emphasis on the positive things I subjectively take away from each episode, but I had stupidly high expectations for this one and alas, they were not met. If you're in full-on squee mode, you might want to skip the following until a few days have passed. As a reference - and this may be a heresy in some parts of fandom - I can honestly say I feel at this point last year, I was enjoying season 2 more.

Or maybe Adam Armus and Kay Foster just aren't catering to my tastes. Their episodes never were favorites of mine.

My main beef is, I feel a lot of potential was wasted on this one. The title of this episode led me to hope we might see an exploration of the distance or lack thereof between heroes and villains, the light and the dark, etc. The names Nathan, Peter, Gabriel, all come with religious connotations and I foolishly thought, maybe, it would have been appropriate at this point to start showing us how the brothers differ in their nature, and/or approaches to their powers and/or status. As for other characters, this might have been an opportunity to draw lines and lay stakes a little more clearly. Maya herself has felt like a monster and sought God's guidance, then her "angel" turned out to be a monster, and now she is facing another. I'm sure there's an existential crisis somewhere in there. Adam and Angela made their choice eons ago - in hindsight, was it the right one for them? Better writers than I could certainly find a thematic link with pretty much every other character. My expectations were very high, indeed, and I was disappointed. (Maybe I should not be looking at future episode titles anymore? Or just get a goddamn life?)

And I wouldn't have minded too much if the end result we got, instead of the above, had been fulfilling for me. It wasn't. Now, let's get more specific about the things I disliked:

- The faster-than-light Nathan/Tracy hook-up. Sheesh, they do have FOUR YEARS to get married, it's not like time is running out. As I said, I don't have anything against the pairing itself, but I do have a problem with sloppy characterization. Wasn't Tracy involved with the Governor of New York, like, two episodes ago? And I need to check my S2 DVDs for the last time Nathan was seen wearing his wedding band, but I do know he made a promise to his sons, which the guy who got shot down at the end of "Powerless" wouldn't have just forgotten about overnight. :/ It's a quite big problem, this one, seeing as he's all righteous and god-fearing at the moment. WTF, writers?

- I desperately want to believe Sylar is still intrinsically deranged, because if he's suddenly absolved of all his mental conditions, that will just not fly (heh) with me. D:

- HIRO KILLING ANDO. WAIT, WHAT??! This one makes me saddest of all. I realize he probably has a plan, and Ando won't actually die so soon, but it couldn't have hurt him to stop time just long enough to forewarn his BFF. Poor Ando-kun. :(

- Needs moar Parkman, Jr!

- Also, Nathan's power being synthetic. :o DO NOT WANT! For a minute there, I thought Angela was going to tag on a reveal that he was not her biological son, which would probably mark the bitter end of me & the show. Thankfully, they did not go that route yet. (Knock on wood!)

+ However, this could pave the way for some interesting Petrelli family dynamics, if, say, Angela could be swayed to let Arthur and his buddies mess with Nathan's DNA, but (maybe subsequently) not Gabriel's, hence the reason he was given up for adoption. Of course, this is me getting carried away again, and now we know that way lies disappointment.

See, I did still enjoy some aspects of this episode, so let's carry on with them:

+ Maury was messing with Nathan's brain all this time. LOL, I hope that's not an offensive reaction; I'm just not sure I could have dealt with Bible-toting Nathan in the long term. It would make sense for the knowledge that he wasn't born with his ability to shake his newfound faith, and when he finds out he's been manipulated again, hopefully he'll come back to the skeptic side.

+ I'm still loving Peter. Clearly, he's out of control, but his distrust of his mother has been a long time coming and I'm glad he's reached that point where the camel's back is basically FUBAR. I'm not loving that Angela put him in a coma, but then again, it just speaks to her sheer fear of him, and that's kind of mighty.

+ The moral grayness of HRG. Shit, son, it's crazy. Certainly a dark, dark shade of gray at the moment.

+ Daphne, in general. I think she's awesome.

+ Adam "-azing Aweso-" Monroe! Any scene he's in is basically brilliant! ASDKHLJA;'DSHL; I ♥ HIM!

+ Mohinder was really, really, really pretty in the park, omg. *_* <3

+ Angela's new nightmare of doom! o_O

+ Talking of Angela, I liked that Nathan once more told her to go to hell, and how vulnerable and desperate she looked right then and there. I almost felt sympathy! Damn you, Cristine Rose. :p

Things I'm looking forward to:

× The resolution of Mohinder's storyline, because, honestly... lolz.

× Oddly enough, Daphne's and Matt's first encounter.

So. All in all, not my favorite episode. Aside from the thing about Nathan's marriage, which I've mentioned before, I really think it might be a writers thing, though. If not for that, I might ruthlessly mention the possibility that sharks may be looming in nearby waters. We'll see next week. I must stress that this would truly sadden me, as I love the show very dearly. I do feel maybe they've bitten off more than they can chew with this volume, but I guess it's a bit soon to tell. And in any case, I'm definitely sticking with it for the rest of the season.

Polls to come some time this evening. :)

Comments

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

I'm still loving Peter. Clearly, he's out of control, but his distrust of his mother has been a long-time coming and I'm glad he's reached that point where the camel's back is basically FUBAR.

This made me giggle like mad, because, oh so true. I was expecting to hate that scene (I saw the promo pics), but actually I left it thinking, "Angela, you had it COMING."

+ The moral grayness of HRG. Shit, son, it's crazy. Certainly a dark, dark shade of gray at the moment.

I know. Poor Claire.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Hee, seriously! The way he literally spat out "Mother" at her rather than a more affective term felt so symbolic. Go, Peter! You show her who's the boss of you! XD

Claire has seen so much ugliness... It's no wonder she turns out so cynical in the future.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Hee, seriously! The way he literally spat out "Mother" at her rather than a more affective term felt so symbolic. Go, Peter! You show her who's the boss of you! XD

Like I said to selenak, it's not so much that the straw has broken the camel's back as that the camel has been beaten, flogged, stripped, starved, cripped, and skinned, before having its bones ground into dust. Poor Peter.

Claire has seen so much ugliness... It's no wonder she turns out so cynical in the future.

Peter and Claire both need a hug. Then they need to say "screw you" to their horrible parental figures and go and be badass together.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Agreed on both points! If/when they are forced to choose sides, I will be heartbroken if they end up divided. D:

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

And I need to check my S2 DVDs for the last time Nathan was seen wearing his wedding band, but I do know he made a promise to his sons, which the guy who got shot down at the end of "Powerless" wouldn't have just forgotten about overnight. :/ It's a quite big problem, this one, seeing as he's all righteous and god-fearing at the moment. WTF, writers?

Forgot to add: I thought I was the only one bothered by this--it's actually quite comforting to know I'm not going crazy. xD

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're crazy, you're in good(?) company! Argh, this is honestly one of the things that frustrates me the most so far this season. :/

It's like someone in the writers' room raised the issue, and was only met with "meh, no one'll remember"s, which I'd just find appalling.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

It's like someone in the writers' room raised the issue, and was only met with "meh, no one'll remember"s, which I'd just find appalling.

Well, judging from my friends list, nobody seems to remember, except for us...xD

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

LOL, aww! But going by my poll on 3x04, there's at least a dozen of us. ^^

[abrynne.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with the loss of potential in this episode. There is SO MUCH they can explore with this show and it's like the writers themselves don't see it. For the second season and so far this season I've been wishing I could write for them. lol

I am happy that we've finally got a plotline going and a sort of goal now. It's about freaking time.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

LOL, you and I both! I think sometimes (okay, a LOT of the times) they get carried away with certain storylines and by the time they try to step back and see the big picture, they just remain too focused on one or two scintillating (in their eyes) areas. It's a real shame. They should totally have, like, fan consultants! A new one every couple of weeks if they must, make a contest out of it! XD

And yes, a clearly identified goal always helps! Definitely.

[abrynne.livejournal.com]

Oooo, fan consultants! They should be careful with that because we could get into some questionable areas as far as fan fic goes. lol

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

They'd just have to retain things that make sense, like how we can be rightly meticulous about continuity, and leave out all the junk like OMG SO-AND-SO ARE TTLY MY OTP, MAKE IT HAPPEN! lol. I still think it would benefit the show. Of course, spoilers would probably fly around the web like CRAZY, way ahead of time, but... I think I could live with that, as I don't read them and usually trust my fellow fans. XD

[defybrevity.livejournal.com]

I think I definitely need to rewatch S1 and S2. You've made a lot of really great points, but I can't respond to a lot of them because I feel like I just don't remember enough about past episodes.

However, I don't believe Sylar has suddenly become "good." I see where the writers are going with this, but how about some development in that area, yeah? He did kill Weevil Voice Guy, and said that rehabilitation doesn't come overnight, but I feel like in comparison to what he was S1 to now, rehabilitation seems to come very easily for him. Seems all he needed was to learn that Mama Petrelli was his mama, too, to be a good boy. (However, he still seems to be pretty manipulative -- he did smile when he got Claire to become upset with her father.)

Hiro killing Ando just had me going, "Um, did that just happen?" I'm sure there's a bigger plan. If not, let me just say Hiro showed no emotion when stabbing his best friend through his heart. Even with a plan, he could have seemed a little sad, no?

I pretty much agree with all of your positive points. And so much love for David Anders. <3 As for the show itself, I don't think there are any nearby sharks (personally). I'm expecting a very nice conclusion to this chapter. Then again, that can just be me being an optimist.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Hey, that's okay. I've obsessed about the show for so long now, it's all just kind of always at the forefront of my mind. Sad but true story. XD

I hope you're right and we aren't supposed to accept Angela's reveal as Sylar's mom was all the epiphany he needed to want to be good. Because, wtf, the man has serious psychopathological issues.

I knooow! I was just like, "o_O ... WAIT, WHAT??!" over the whole Hiro and Ando thing. No way! I definitely also had a moment of "HIRO NAKAMURA? YOU ARE DEAD TO ME. DEAD. TO ME." Because you don't just murder your best friend in the whole world in cold blood. Just... no.

I'm glad to hear the optimism! I'm usually one of the optimist ones, so something really has to bug me about a show for me to clearly express dissatisfaction. But it totally has to do with expectations, I shouldn't have let myself get carried away. Still, I expect respect from the writers in any event, and IMO, they failed to deliver it in some areas. I'm looking forward to next week for improvements there. :)

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

HI! I'm watching Heroes again after being away from it for a long, long time. I haven't figured out wtf is going on yet, but reviews like this help me sort everything out. Thank you!!! :D

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Ooh, excellent! What do you remember from the last bunch of episodes you saw? Maybe I can try to explain a few things. It'll be good brain-gym. ^^

[kalikahuntress.livejournal.com]

' I do feel maybe they've bitten off more than they can chew with this volume, but I guess it's a bit soon to tell'

See, this is what is killing me here. The show is so uneven, it brings its highs and its lows far too often. I see parts and pieces of the show I love but there is so much going on that needs an explaination that I can't fully enjoy the show. I am sticking to waiting until the last ep for this arc , I want to see if by then I can make sense of what is going on.

The writers really need to work on emotional continuity and developing the relationships that made this show popular while forging new one's in a realistic way. Plot hole inconsistencies are one thing, but messing with character integrity and stunting development is a huge no-no in my book. What can I say, I miss what they promised and I know it's early but I went to long without it last year. I miss Nathan/Peter, sure we got them but not in any significant way this year at all, and the same goes for HRG and Claire.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

The show is so uneven, it brings its highs and its lows far too often.

Yes, I have to agree with this. In fact, I agree with your entire comment. I definitely think there's the notion in their writers' room that they can take all these liberties with continuity and no one in the audience will care enough to be bothered by it. Well, I certainly am majorly bothered, and I'm not alone. They need to start giving us more credit, more respect.

[kalikahuntress.livejournal.com]

'They need to start giving us more credit, more respect.'
I completely agree, here is hoping that volume 4 has a much better start than this volume.

[promiseoftin.livejournal.com]

I think the only thing I might argue with is Tracy/Nathan. 1) Nathan is a politician. Even though he has a family and apparently found God for about five minutes, there is that horrible, intrinsic trait of so many male politicos to cheat and fuck whomever they choose. If anything, I think Nathan's characterization is MORE realistic than ever, when compared to RL politicians.

As for Tracy, her world has been turned upside down in a matter of days. Learning you were a triplet injected with powers that can kill people can do a number on a person, haha. And people deal with trauma in varying ways - I think she's escaping hers by sleeping around. She needs to be protected, and so she finds that solace in the beds of powerful men.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

You make a good point about Tracy, and I'm now more inclined to accept her actions as concurrent with her situation, but I'm still not sold on Nathan's.

Back in the first season, I would have agreed with you. But since, we've been shown several times how family plays a key role in determining how he behaves. Granted, that's mainly Peter, as far as we've seen, but even still, Peter clearly didn't approve of Nathan's infidelity and Nathan wasn't exactly proud, either. It seemed to me that Volume 2 redeemed him somewhat, from a ~self-centered uppity jerk~ to a ~broken selfless hero~ (in broad strokes, obvs.) And at the core of this change were his ties to family: the ~sins of the parents~ as the writers put it, his drive to do right by Peter, followed by his search for Peter (lol he fucking flew to fucking Ireland), and a promise he made to his sons that he'll be coming home.

"And what do Petrellis do when they make promises?"
"KEEP THEM!"

I'm not saying Nathan is the ~speshul snowflake~ of politicos (though he actually is, lolz, but that's way besides my point), nor can I blame you or anyone for holding that opinion of them to start with, but though what you say may well be true and apply in the real world to a certain extent (and what a world, eh?), I just personally don't see that that's how Nathan has been written, as an individual character, up to this point. And, again personally, I can't rely on generalities to justify the choices of one character. Real-world social trends should be entirely irrelevant. I feel that, for writers to rely on supposed "rules" in characterization is sloppy writing, and to be frank, unjustifiable, especially when they go against the target character's history as I feel is the case here.

Now, add his heightened religious faith into the mix, and what do you got? Insult to injury.

Ha, I'm sorry for the rant. Nathan is (was?) my favorite character, so this is naturally something that upsets me beyond the might of a "lol, Heroes" rationale. XD Honestly, at this point, I'd be willing to believe the Haitian removed all memories of his (ex-?)spouse and younger children, but if that's what the writers would like us to believe and accept, I wish they would at least allude to it on the show.

[chrryblssmninja.livejournal.com]

agree with all your pluses. and the fact that the storylines had so much potential for exploration, even with Maya, and they just dropped it. Although the "I created you" storyline seemed to start really bad in my view, but now it's interesting. PETRELLI DYNAMICS WHOO

I desperately want to believe Sylar is still intrinsically deranged, because if he's suddenly absolved of all his mental conditions, that will just not fly (heh) with me
I'm going to wait a few episodes, see where they're going with this, before I pass judgement.