Heroes 1x20 Five Years Gone

[oyceter]

Every single time I think this show can't get any more awesome, it goes and does it.

Here is your warning for a total excess of exclamation points and capital letters and utter incoherence.

To get the somewhat rational out of the way first: am somewhat annoyed that more CoC ended up being killed off in the past five years (Ando sort of, DL, Micah) and am irritated that still only two women in play.

I probably could have analyzed stuff more, but really I was too busy concentrating on all the AWESOMENESS!

Possibly the neighbors and anyone outside could have heard me screaming at the TV the entire hour.

ZOMG SYLAR! Sylar is Nathan! Sylar orchestrated this entire thing OMG! Does he want to get rid of all the mutants so he alone will be the special one? OMG!

Also: OMG ANDO AND HIRO EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! Um, so, why isn't there lots and lots and lots and lots of Hiro/Ando slash? OMG! Hiro is all gruff and bearded and obsessed because he wants to save Ando! *dies* OMG! *flails* *dies* *is still incoherent*

I wonder why future!Hiro speaks mostly English though? Maybe Masi Oka was sick of memorizing so much Japanese? Or maybe it's because he's had five years without anyone to speak Japanese with and can't quite revert back to speaking it with Ando because then he will be totally heartbroken?

Um yes, that was total and complete fanwank.

Just... EEEEEE! Also, I am wondering if Hiro is going to kill Sylar; it really seems to be against all that he is for. And poor cute Hiro is completely shocked by future Hiro! I love the exchange in the beginning: "I think I'm scared of me. You go talk to me." And I do think the show is positing that this dark grim Hiro isn't good, that Hiro should still be happy and optimistic. But how much do I love that he's still the one trying to save the world? Even if it's to bring Ando back! I love that out of all of them, he's the one still trying.

OMG! Sexy Peter with scar! I wonder how he got it -- maybe he got slashed while the Haitian was there so he couldn't regenerate? Except... huh. Dunno. Peter and Niki! Niki as Jessica to make up for her loss and she has lost her evil sister/twin! *flails at coffeeandink* She is Sekrit Project Heroine Ba!

Mr. Bennet! He doesn't have his glasses anymore, maybe because he sort of lost Claire? Wah! And he's trying to help out, and he's got a deal with Matt! And Matt! Matt being not stupid and really very competent except for the whole not knowing Hiro time travels thing which would really put a glitch in anyone's plan. Also, Matt is really freaking scary, particularly when he betrayed and killed Mr. Bennet. Dude. Also, Hana! I am sad she was only there for three seconds before dying. And Mohinder! Mohinder actually being smart and stabbing the poor Haitian! Too bad we didn't get to see Mama Petrelli, although really, this episode was so packed that I can't imagine fitting her in.

And Claire! Ok, I wasn't quite as squeeful about the Claire moments, because she was more an object that was moved upon than a subject. She was working at the same place Charlie was!

Also! Peter is Neo! And Hiro is... uh... tough martial arts Asian guy! But that moment, when they storm the building? Awesome.

It's too bad the Haitian still doesn't get a name or a voice even five years later.

Also also, even though I know Tim Kring doesn't read comics, the writers totally do, as this is entirely X-Men and the X-Men Movieverse but quite honestly I do not care! It is too pretty! And I love that we can have the dark alternate futures with Hiro's powers and not have the world come to an end in the current timeline.

And I read someone's comment somewhere that it didn't make sense to have this episode right at the end of the season, as it wouldn't contribute to the current plotline, except it does, because it now gives Hiro and Ando a more specific sense of what they're supposed to do now.

vonnie_k has a much more coherent explanation of the Sylar/Nathan timeline than I do -- I totally didn't catch that Mr. Bennet handed Candace off as well as DL and that that was the point Sylar must have taken over. Though... where was he to begin with?

Molly Walker in the promo! Molly Walker whom Mr. Bennet saved? Turned over? At least, Molly Walker whom Hiro found! Also, checking comments in vonnie_k's LJ and 12_12_12 says that Molly is the girl that Matt saved in ep. 2 wow! Ditto with her catching Peter's dream of Nathan turning into Sylar way back during the aftermath of "Homecoming."

Honestly though, I walk off from this episode utterly convinced that there must be angsty tragic future!Hiro fic in which he mourns Ando and Ando/Hiro slash like whoa (despite Ando's very obvious straightness, but really, when has that stopped any slashers ever?) and oh, poor future!Hiro dies, and seeing our Hiro and Ando hug and jump up and down and exclaim over each other was so cute and so bittersweet at the same time. Oh man. That killed me.

Also, the best part about watching Heroes promos is that I always think they're spoiling the best parts in the promo, but really, they are not at all and the promos don't even help me figure out what's going to happen because of all the crazy plot twists and reveals!

Comments

[oyceter]

I am very with you on the crankiness. And at the Haitian being killed off in the end, and at him still (STILL!) apparently being a pawn/order-taking guy of the Petrellis. I want him to have his own agenda, damnit!

Also, a voice would be of the good.

I am tempted to write Hiro/Ando fic as well! Oh, also, I was watching and was curious as to what you thought re: the portrayal of future!Hiro and the manly man-ness of him. It's also interesting that they did the same thing to future!Peter as well.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

He did speak a while ago -- he talked to Claire. But it was really all about her.

I hold out hope that we will learn more of him soon, if not this season.

And yes, of course, the heroes in a dark time must be all butched up. Argh. Though in Peter's case, I find him much less annoying in this version than when he's all whiny and self-absorbed.

I appreciated that, at least, the reason for future!Hiro speaking English seemed to come from a practical place, but it still bothers me a little. I'm guessing most viewers feel as I do, though, that the loss of Ando being the reason for his hardness is a much less typically macho choice, and we can forgive a lot in the face of that.

[oyceter]

I was really hoping that the Haitian (I feel like we should all give him a name just because. Bob, or something) would be more active after he started speaking to Claire and really arranging things. But then it turned out he was only working for someone else, not acting on his own.

Though in Peter's case, I find him much less annoying in this version than when he's all whiny and self-absorbed.

Hee. Um, yes, me too. Although most of the time, I was snickering a bit at how very Neo he was.

I was also rather weirded out by Hiro speaking English all the time; it seems practical when he's speaking to the other characters, but it was very odd hearing him and Ando speak English together. I have completely fanwanked it in my mind as some horrifically sentimental slashy subtext thing; otherwise, it makes no sense.

I really liked that the grimness of future!Hiro seemed to be portrayed as something that wasn't good and as a reaction to the loss of Ando; I couldn't see any other way our Hiro would end up being entire macho and gruff. And I love that despite his macho gruffness, he's still got enough optimism or hope left to keep trying and keep fighting, as opposed to everyone else.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I like Bob. Let's call him Bob. We can be a club or something.

And I still think/hope he's going to turn out to have something up his sleeve. He's too interesting for them not to do something with him. Even if he does wind up working for someone else, he could be a double agent or something like that. Hell, I'd settle for Krycek levels of character development -- I'm not asking for the moon here.

I like your slashy fanwank. :p

And I love that despite his macho gruffness, he's still got enough optimism or hope left to keep trying and keep fighting, as opposed to everyone else.

Especially when Ando says "I believe in you!" ::swoon::

[oyceter]

Yes! He will be Bob. We should start a comm or something.

There really should be boatloads of angsty Bob backstory fic. I mean, really! He grows up in Haiti and is brought over here and decides to never speak for some reason. He clearly has Tragic Backstory like mad.

Especially when Ando says "I believe in you!" ::swoon::

Yes! I think that might have been my favorite part in the entire episode. Well, that or the Hiro-Ando conversation after Ando finds out he has been dead.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I would totally join that comm.