"Bet you're happy to see me now."

[adeline]

Heroes, 3x25: The Invisible Thread

(Fair warning: this is actually a lot more about ~*~How I Feel~*~ than about the episode itself. Feel free to skip)

Beware of the kri moar in here, because, oh yes, let's not beat around the bush: I fucking cried. When Angela lets out that scream and cradles his body, godsdamnit, I sobbed. Sobbing right now just thinking about it, actually.

I feel so silly, because I saw it coming. I fucking saw it coming. I said to Zarina as the last chapter of last volume showed a teaser for this one, I said they were going to make him an irredeemable jerk so we'd all want him dead, and then give ~the people~ what "they" want. I knew they'd kill Nathan. I read the theories based on spoilers, and they made sense to me, and they turned out to be exactly right. I prepared myself for this. And yet, I still feel deeply betrayed by my show. (My entitlement. Look how fucking lame.)

I honestly feel like, with this cheap meaningless exit, the writers are clearly telling me "You know what? Don't invest in our show. Don't invest in our characters, don't invest in our stories. Don't invest time, don't engage emotions. Just make some popcorn and watch shit burn. Also, drive a Nissan and join the Sprint network. That is all we care about." This is my feeling right now: why bother? It's biased and clouded and what-have-you, but I'm not very able to see beyond that just yet.

Yes, this ~twist will provide excellent acting opportunities for Pasdar. I'm thrilled about that, really. There's the promise of a realization sooner than later, of a struggle, and there's the human debate. What makes up our identities, and all that. If he looks like Nathan, walks like Nathan, thinks like Nathan, talks like Nathan, has all of Nathan's memories, believes he is Nathan, then is he not Nathan? And why? That all has potential to be fascinating, in capable hands. (I'm rather dubious whether these guys can pull it off.)

But how long until we all tire of it? And since when does Heroes make good on its promises, anyway? People want to see shit burn, man. This ~Nathan's days are clearly numbered. They're killing him three times over. Fucking brilliant.

I'm not even going to touch upon the myriad continuity blind spots and basic common sense failures at play in this whole thing. There are too many to count. My loyal support of three continuous and, frankly, often hazardous years has been flung back at my face with not the slightest bit of care or respect, and it stings.

I am bitter, I've been up all night, and I'm greatly disappointed. The result is this post. In truth, I'll probably keep watching the show and then post 4-line reviews, if even that. Polls are a thing of the past. They take me hours every week, and that is much more than I'm willing to give up for the show anymore. I'll try and post one for this (otherwise rather enjoyable, I thought) episode for completion's sake, and then that's it. My heart isn't in it any longer, and no, a transplant is not an option. ;(

I'm not taking my toys and leaving fandom, but wow! I need to take a step back and take care of myself. Anybody know where I can find a F.U.T.K. shirt to wear to Comic Con? Anyone? D:

p.s. I reserve the right to post again about everything else in this finale after my ~emoshuns~ have simmered down a bit. Could be a while.

Comments

[aratama.livejournal.com]

I honestly feel like, with this cheap meaningless exit, the writers are clearly telling me "You know what? Don't invest in our show. Don't invest in our characters, don't invest in our stories. Don't invest time, don't engage emotions. Just make some popcorn and watch shit burn. Also, drive a Nissan and join the Sprint network. That is all we care about." This is my feeling right now: why bother? It's biased and clouded and what-have-you, but I'm not very able to see beyond that just yet.

Yes. And they've been saying it for a while!

I do like to say "I told you so," why do you ask?

I'm sorry that you were betrayed and hurt. I understand how it feels. Take your time to emo, we all have the right to do that. :( *hug*

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

I know I know I know. I've condoned so much crap, only because I held onto the foolish hope that they would ultimately do right by my one favorite character. Ugh. That was idiotic of me, I'm too damn trusting for my own good.

But thank you for understanding <3 I never anticipated I'd be having such a hard time with this. >_<  

[decadentdream.livejournal.com]

Aw hon *hugz* My heart broke for you. I couldn't believe it - I was all "It's come down to this - we have to choose between Nathan (for Ade) or Sylar (for Zarina)." HOW CRUEL IS THE WORLD?? And you know TBH I was actually quite pissed at Peter - I was all "WHY DIDN'T YOU STAY???" I really didn't believe it at first, my mind was so bent on the whole fact that we weren't shown what happened (so much for the big epic showdown we were supposed to see *rolls eyes*) that I was actually convincing myself this was some warped EVERYONE IS SOMEONE ELSE shapeshifting ideal (since, you know, Peter obviously touched Sylar). So I was all "Is Peter Sylar and Sylar is Nathan, and Peter just slaughtered him? or... wait." What I couldn't understand was HOW THE HELL was Sylar flying we hadn't killed Peter nor Nathan yet so he shouldn't have that power?!?!?!? Yet one of the many MANY continuity flaws in this (which I suppose makes it all the worse).

I completely understand where you're coming from, because it is as if they are saying "well he looks like Nathan and talks like Nathan and has all Nathan's memories, therefore he is Nathan" but, really, he's not Nathan and although that may be jolly dandy to the people on the show, us as fans know it's not him and it is like a slap in the face to the Nathan fans having to look at him and just accept that is how it is. There cannot be any true Petrelli brotherly love anymore, or father/daughter interaction between Nathan and Claire, because it's not really him (and I can only presume we conveniently exited Peter and Claire from those scenes so they would still think it was Nathan and not act all awkward around him as neither has a massive capability of self-deception as Angela & HRG do).

I'm really sad about this :( I'm glad Pasdar is still around but those things that we loved about Nathan are just not going to be real anymore... I can't help but think of the term "jump the shark" no matter how original the idea was, it was something that belonged strictly in imagination and not in cannon. I also can't help but get the sense that, like Isaac, they actually had potential to go somewhere with the character from all the recent drama created and to kill them so effortlessly and without purpose is just wrong. Ratings shocker only, no? (And you are right, killing Nathan every finale seems to be a recurrent theme - they should take a leaf out of Supernatural's book if they were going to stick with death cliffhangers and try to kill someone ELSE instead!!!)

This does make me wonder what's going to happen with ZQ though.... oh, and that drinking game - highly appropriate for the episode. Think plenty of ppl got drunk off that one!

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

You mean HOW CRUEL IS TIM F*CKING KRING??! I'm not proud of it, but I honestly carry very negative feelings towards him in my heart at this moment. Which is well insane, but I guess I always was insanely involved with this show and these characters. And I just see this as plain cruel and unnecessitated by story or outward circumstance. He wanted to mess with us, which is an incredibly lame reason to write something so tremendous and consequence-heavy.

Some people think Sylar was using his telekinesis to levitate, others think maybe he absorbed Nathan power through empathy (aided by the memory he stole from Nathan's objects, and I guess maybe Nathan himself, since he announced prior to their fight that that was something he could do), or maybe he got it from Peter if they 'swapped'... Who the hell knows. It's interesting though, because now hollow!Nathan (this is how I've chosen to call him) supposedly can still fly. I thought it could be interesting if he attempted it and fell from a fatal height, but then healed right away. He (and whoever may be with him at the moment) would then have to admit something wasn't quite right. But I guess he'll fly. Whatever.

There cannot be any true Petrelli brotherly love anymore, or father/daughter interaction between Nathan and Claire, because it's not really him
Exactly. That is a complete tragedy right there, and I don't know if the writing staff truly measured the full scope of it when they committed that story to paper and film. It's really atrocious. Whatever ultimate goal they intended to achieve with this move, whether short or long term, I'm absolutely certain this was WAY TOO HIGH A PRICE TO PAY. They're fools if they can't see that. (And sadly, I think they truly are.)

You know, as much as it pains me to say as much, I think I agree with you in regards to the shark-jumping. I thought they'd hit their lowest possible point when they offed Adam Monroe on a whim (and I was tempted to quit the show then, just to protest against the sheer stupidity of it) but this has to take the cake and wow, that is NOT a cake anybody should ever even aim for.

And you know exactly how much I adore Adrian Pasdar, but in the context of the show, I value the character of Nathan much more. To be honest with you, at this very moment, I think I would've rather he never survived the Kirby Plaza save, than live to fight another day, mourn his brother, save the world a second time, bond with his daughter, AND MEET THIS LAME-ASS COMPLETELY UNJUSTIFIED AND UNDESERVED END. It would have meant a lot less Pasdar in my life, but the story and character would have been so much better off for it!

I don't even know if it did much for their ratings, really. If anything, I'm sure they will drop for the next new episode because now the Nathan fans, Sylar fans, and Zachary Quinto fans have all for the most part been alienated, and I'm guessing all together they represent a very sizeable part of the broad audience that watches the show on live American TV. I know if I were living in America when the season premiere airs next fall, I would make it a point not to watch it live and download it illegally instead.

I'm wondering about Zach's status with the show as well, now. He needs to interviews where he's asked about it ASAP!

The drinking game was a complete highlight for me, I had a lot of fun observing the rules (playing with Cherry Coke) and it helped a lot to take the episode less seriously than I otherwise would have. Very much fun, all in all. :D

[thefreshchuff.livejournal.com]

Even though I have hardly a finger-hold on the show anymore or its fandom, I completely feel your pain, and tonight's been nearly as heartbreaking for me as for all you betrayed by the finale, just because I keep going through reaction posts and reading my flist and understanding how much it hurt people, because I so remember feeling this way back when, and have felt it for any number of shows in the past. It sucks when shows go downhill, when they decide to completely disregard their canon, their mythos, their integrity and their fans. It's a disservice, and it's heartbreaking at the same day as it is frustrating.

You go ahead and post and emo it out and complain as much as you want, because we've all been there, and we all know how fucking rough it stings. I think shows, and Heroes in particular as always struck me as such, can take for granted how invested people get in these stories that come into their homes every week, and think they can throw anything against the wall and it'll stick as long as its flashy and will draw in new viewers - without taking into account the current viewers they're alienating. Ugh, this show. D:

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for understanding ♥ It really does mean a lot. I'm practically in shock here because, though the show's been falling apart for a while, I have a the hugest blind spot when it comes to it, and I never even realized that I cared this much. And yes, it's rather painful. Gah!

[mwmm23.livejournal.com]

That all has potential to be fascinating, in capable hands. (I'm rather dubious whether these guys can pull it off.)

I know what you mean... I'd been expecting this as well, but this was BRUTAL. The way they decided to kill Nathan, OMG, so suddenly and horribly - yeah, that moment made the expected result kind of unexpected, but in a horrible, cheated way. The actual Sylar-Nathan thing... once it's been many months and I'm more over the grief, I think it could be really interesting, but it depends on how they do it. They could go into intricate complicated identity issues, sure, but if the teaser for V5 was any indication, it looked kinda like could also just simply build him towards into turning back into Sylar. Which is EPIC FAIL. D:

This ~Nathan's days are clearly numbered. They're killing him three times over. Fucking brilliant.

I really don't know why they've always been so bent on killing him, it's ridiculous - he was dead/died in all the alternate futures and nearly at the end of each season, and then when they kill him for real they keep a copy around so that eventually they can kill him again! SRSLY, WTF.

At least my Nathan icon is back... when I tried to post earlier all there was was a little box with an X in. I was like "You're fucking kidding me right???"

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Nathan's death was the lamest ever. He got no proper goodbye, no proper send-off, and it was treated as just another minor incident in the chain of events that led to this horrible ending. It was the kind of death you give loathsome minor characters NOT A FUCKING ACTUAL HERO WHO SAVED THE WORLD TWICE AND IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF SO MANY OTHER CHARACTERS' LIVES!!!!!1! Ugh. As you can see, I'm still very pissed.

I really don't know why they've always been so bent on killing him, it's ridiculous - he was dead/died in all the alternate futures and nearly at the end of each season, and then when they kill him for real they keep a copy around so that eventually they can kill him again! SRSLY, WTF.

It's really quite mind-boggling, isn't it? It begs me to wonder if Kring is really using the show as some kind of cathartic exercise. He must've really, really hated the inspiration for Nathan's character. WHATEVER, CHECK YOUR BAGGAGE AT THE DOOR OR STAY HOME AND DON'T WRITE.

I loathe him very much right now. In fact, if I were to write a teleplay for a series pilot right now, I'd probably model a sizeable character after him just so I can put him through all kinds of ordeals and then die a lame brutal death. Hmm. I wonder why.

[thisissirius.livejournal.com]

I've only watched it this morning but I am still so annoyed about it. I can't even convey my emotions as well as you have here because I'm still so UNcalm and UNcollected because it SUCKS. I don't think they have a clue what they're doing anymore and if it wasn't for the fact that I till love Heroes to DEATH and want to watch it just to see where they take it, I would leave Heroes behind.

I'm feeling so let down by all of this D:

I want one of those t-shirts, too. Not for anything in particular, I just do.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

I know, bb. I know. *cuddens*

I JUST WANT TO FALL IN A HEAP ON THE FLOOR IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND YELL TO THE HEAVENS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

Okay maybe not, but did that make you smile at all?

SIGH. This sucks so much because it retroactively poisons tons of stuff, and so much of the Nathan character. O HEY YOU GUISE GUESS WHAT? HE'S BEEN LYING ABOUT HIS EDUCATION! AND WHEN HE TOLD CLAIRE HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS IN D.C.? CLEARLY A LIIIIE! Aaaaaaaaaah, fuck y'all to hell, stupid asshat ~writers! GO SWALLOW A KNIFE, I H8 U! D:

I've lost my Heroes squee and dammit, I needed it. It was sort of part of my personality. :/

I'm gonna be like Adrian now. A fan of the cast rather than a fan of the show. *nods*

[chrryblssmninja.livejournal.com]

-sends tissues-

That all has potential to be fascinating, in capable hands
WORD

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Thank you ♥

[afrocurl.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sorry, hon. We had fun capslocking about it, however.

You can always make a FUTK shirt to wear in the panel (which I assume is there.)

Also, I want Sylar to still be around. This fact (more than Nathan, because I wasn't invested in him) makes me :( all day long.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

That was fun indeed! I've just been wallowing in emoness all day, haven't even slept... I think that's partly why I'm in such a funk. Ugh.

See, that right there is my last beacon of hope. Nathan fans are pissed off, Sylar fans are pissed off, and most ZQ fans are pissed off. If I had to guess, I'd say these contingents alone make up about at least 40% of the show's fanbase at the moment. This shit will NOT go over well with the broad audience, and I would bet money that it will be sanctioned by lower-than-ever season premiere ratings. So I hope NBC lays the smackdown on the writers good and hard, and MAKE them return real!Nathan (and original!Sylar if they must) to us.

I'm usually very against network meddling, but seriously. Heroes needs it and needs it BAD.

[caffeinified.livejournal.com]

I hated it. They completely didn't do Nathan justice. They completely forgot that Claire was right downstairs. And now we have to watch not!nathan implode and gradually turn back into Sylar.

I won't be investing in anymore characters on the show. Nathan was my favorite from day one. And now it's just another TV show which I'll watch fall down like a house of cards.

I can't believe they killed Nathan and we still have Nikessiracy.

It happened last night and I'm still emo about it today.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Oh you're not alone, honey! I'm exactly the same :( *hugs*

Those bastards killed Nathan, and found a way to ~sort of~ keep him around JUST SO THEY CAN KILL HIM AGAIN SLOWLY. Uuugh. No thanks, show. DO NOT WANT.

Also I really wanted he and Hiro to meet up again for some more "FLYING MAN!!!" good times. :3

[moosewizard.livejournal.com]

lol i agree with your mood. You knew how I would feel about this. ♥

And yet, I still feel deeply betrayed by my show. (My entitlement. Look how fucking lame.)

No. I feel you there. I've been a fan for three years and now this is how it repays me. OH WONDERFUL. Way to pay the fans, Kring. Have Nathan bleed to death in an armchair while his brother - the person who loves him most in the world - is none the wiser. Fuck this shit.

Yeah, the only plus side is that Pasdar gets to act the villain now. He plays a great villain (mmm Profit). But... I won't have the heart to watch. Maybe occasionally, but nah. I could care less at this point. Nathan was my investment in this show, and now that he's dead (POINTLESSLY I MIGHT ADD. THERE WAS MAGIC!BLOOD. AND WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO HIS BODY!? So much bullshit) I have no more stock in staying emotionally invested.

*hugs* I am so with you in this post though. You're definitely not alone.

[leggyslove.livejournal.com]

Peter of all people deserves the truth, but of course they're not going to tell him. Nathan deserved to die in his brothers arms and while it would be sad, at least it would be the right thing to do by them.

Also, what happens when Nathan tries to fly and can't? I'm assuming that since Sylar didn't 'take' Nathan's powers (that we know of) he can't fly. Or since he now thinks he's Nathan he can now fly because he... something.

MY HEAD! IT HURTS!

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *hugs*

If there is one small silver lining to all this nightmareish nonsense, it has to be the solidarity I'm seeing between fans here and everywhere else. I'm so glad to be in such great company. <3

[leggyslove.livejournal.com]

I am heartbroken there will be no more Peter/Nathan moments. I mean there probably will be but it's definitely not the same, because it's just a shell of Nathan. If it walks like a Nathan, quacks like a Nathan, must be a Nathan, right? NOT.

*sits down and sucks thumb while clutching her S1 DVD's*

[caffeinified.livejournal.com]

*sits down and sucks thumb while clutching her S1 DVD's*

LOL Oh I almost spit coffee. I needed that giggle.

This is such an emo day after last nights Heroes debacle.

Sylar playing like he's Nathan will never be our Nathan. I so agree.

[malicat.livejournal.com]

You know what? This is EXACTLY how I'm feeling about this!!!
I could have lived with Nathan dying as in 'real death'.I would have been sad and all but everything would have been better than THIS :/

Heroes was always MY show,I loved it no matter what happened but now it doesn't feel like my show anymore and I'm so sad about that...

And you are not alone with the crying,I bawled like a baby :/

[caffeinified.livejournal.com]

I'm so with you. I've been a fan from day one. Stuck with it. Defended it. And made other people watch it. Now it doesn't seem like it's my most awesome show anymore.

You can get an emotional divorce from Heroes with me. *hugs*

[brandinsbabe.livejournal.com]

YES. THIS. exactly.

and i dont even have more words beyond that right now cause im just laying in bed just trying not to cry anymore.

*clings*

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

*cuddens* Ohbabe. That was pretty much me all day, minus the lying in bed.

WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU, TIM KRING? *shakes fist*

[heathabear.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry they killed your BB, BB. *hugs*

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Thank you ♥

[promiseoftin.livejournal.com]

Polls are a thing of the past.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!111111 I looked forward to those each week! If I have your permission, I'll carry the torch! Though, admittedly, I'm not half as humorous as you are.

[gossy16.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks. Of course you may carry the torch! I'll be posting a poll for the finale soon (probably tonight) but come next season, I want to try to be less involved with the show and to achieve that I really feel I must drop the poll-posting. But I'll gladly vote in yours if you post them! :D

[cybeleadam.livejournal.com]

J'ai regardé cet épisode dimanche et je suis toujours sous le choc. (En plus d'être horrifiée moi-même, j'ai pensé à toi, en plus.)