In the comments over at this post on Cinematical, someone had this to say:

you see, in my mind making him gay is an easy literary device. The relationship between Dumbledore and that other guy (I can’t remember his name) was a very complex one. Dumbledore obviously respected him and was in awe of his abilities. However, later he had to come after him and take him out because the guy had gone bad. That’s like Luke having to go after bad Yoda or something. Its a complex relationship, since D obviously had much respect and deference to this guy. Its kinda like ‘you can’t go home’

However to relegate this complex relationship to a simple love story makes, in my opinion, the story much weaker overall. It makes Dumbledore much less of the wizard who could always think coolly and find the most logical and best solution to a matter and makes him a scorned lover… totally different dynamic.

Not having read the books, I have absolutely no opinion about this.  So I ask you, the folks who read it...is it possible that this guy has a point, or is he full of it.

Also, lolcats:

Less

- I am so so SO sick of Mohinder’s simpering little voice.  I can’t believe he’s the freaking narrator/voiceover/whatever.  It makes me insane to listen to his sad little voice.  I want to punch him.  Also, he;s clearly the woman in the Suresh/Parkman marriage.

- So.  Poppa Parkman is a real dickhead.  I would say that the power is different from the girl who makes illusions in that you must be asleep for Poppa Parkman’s power to work.  But he seems to have the ability to put you to sleep, so bonus for him.

Am I nuts or has each of the O.G. Twelve (that we’ve met) at one point claimed that they tried to stop the others who were abusing their power?

Anyway, Poppa’s interesting.  He’s one of the new additions I don’t mind.  I also appreciate Matt’s growing mastery of his power.  Now he can put a thought into someone’s head.  It implies that he could be as powerful as his father...and maybe not need to put someone to sleep first?  Or maybe Poppa doesn’t *need* to put a person to sleep, it;s just easier to get their mind to accept his projection that way?  Anyway it works out this storyline is keeping my interest.  Apart from Mohinder’s part in it, of course.  He Mo-hinders my ability to enjoy anything he’s involved in.

- What the frigging fuck is Mohinder thinking, bringing Molly back to the Company?  He’s such a god-damned little bitch-boy, I just want to smash his face in.  And now he’s messing with Monica.

- Monica.  Awesome power. As soon as they started discussing what she could do, I said to my wife “I would totally become Batman.” Think about it.  You could train in every fighting style known to man.  Master every weapon.  Learn to do acrobatics.  Rock climb.  Defensive, offensive and race-car-quality driving.  Everything!  You could totally become the best damned vigilante crime fighter in the history of vigilante crime fighters!  Obviously she’s going to do exactly that, as St. Joan in the comic must be her as seen by Isaac.

By the way, St. Joan, in case you were wondering, comes from the fact that Joan of Arc was adopted as the patron saint of New Orleans.  She’s also the patron saint of military women (and others).

Micah can totally be her tech guy, making all sorts of fancy gizmos and whatnot.  “Where does she get those wonderful toys?” From the kid that communes with electronics and machines, derr.  ;) Another new character and storyline that I am enjoying.

- Nikki.  Man, Nikki is pissed at someone.  Jessica clearly wants Mikki put to rest, but how?  Will the company infect her with a modified virus?  Would trying to kill off her power kill Jessica as well?  And how frigging hot is Ali Larter when she’s beating the crap out of people?

- Peter.  BORING.  Not him...the whole Ireland story.  I don’t give a frig about cross-eyed Veronica Mars and I’m getting sick of all the freaking new people.  Too many, not enough time to tell any one story fully.  STOP ADDING CHARACTERS NOW.  At least we now know where Peter got his lightning from.  She must have been with.near him at some point pre-Ireland.  But how frigging stupid and Deus Ex Machina was it to have her kill the older Irish brother, track Peter to his exact location and then get mysteriously called home?  That’s just shitty, Lost-quality, extend-the-storyline writing right there.  Plus, sorry, but if I have to look at a blonde on this show, how about you let me look at Ali Larter for awhile?  Kristem Bell ain’t doin’ it, no matter how awesome it is to be able to shoot Force lightning like a Sith Lord.  Also, I don’t think Peter needed the additional motivation of avenging the murder of his new ugly girlfriend’s brother.  Totally unnecessary, the entire freaking thing.

- Ando/Hiro/Kensei.  Not nearly enough of them.  I am getting frustrated at all the new storylines, and here we have this amazing tale that is happening off screen.  What the eff?  Why am I watching Peter kiss an ugly fake Irish girl?  Why am I watching Superboy woo the cheerleader?  Why am I not watching Hiro and Kensei kick Edo period ass and co-wooing the most beautiful girl in all of Japan?  Who the hell is in charge of this show, the people from All My Children?  Come on.  The Japan storyline deserves top billing next to the “original twelve” storyline.  For frig’s sake, Kensei was the motivation for Hiro’s whole first-season journey!  It drove the entire freaking show, and now it’s kind of being treated like an afterthought.

Tim Kring, you can do better.  Stop dragging it out and start telling a better tale.

Did I forget anything important?

Less

Natalia (From Russia with love)
Bianca Beauchamp (Oh, Canada indeed)
Ariel (Wow.  Just...every time.)
Uyla (Run Uyla Run.  See, she looks a little like Franka Potenta, so...oh shut up. ;) )

Less

SPOILERS BEGIN NOW.

This is being written the next day, so if I skip something vital, feel free to mention it!

- I guessed Parkman’s dad was the Nightmare Man as soon as he said he needed Molly to find him.  I’m sure a lot of you did as well.  This led me to a theory:

The “hero” gene can still be a random mutation and/or a gift from God.  Kensei might be the first.  It is passed, family to family, slowly, mutating through the years until the generation made up of the twelve in the photo.  They have enough wealth and knowledge to set up gene splicing/research experiments, as the technology has finally caught up enough to start tinkering.

The twelve are, as far as they knew, the only twelve with powers, and are all descendants of Kensei through various bloodlines.  They, in turn, tinkered and CREATED the power in their children, although they had no way of knowing what power would manifest as genetic slicing and so forth was not that exact a science in their time.

So, Nathan, Matt, all the ones that age or thereabouts are second-generation from the twelve, and Claire, Flyboy, etc. are third gen born by further tinkering.  Their parents probably (and in some cases we’ve seen this to be true) didn’t know.

Sylar?  Matt Parkman’s brother, fathered by scoundrel Dad when he was out and about for all these years doing whatever it is that he does.  Why?  My next theory:

- Parkman and Sylar actually have similar abilities.  Hear me out.  Sylar is NOT supposed to do what he does.  He’s supposed to see how a thing works, especially a brain.  He’s supposed to FIX things, not cut them open and steal the part he wants.  He was never “designed” to have the ability to take powers into himself: his ability gave him the knowledge to come up with that little plan all on his own.  Matt reads minds...Sylar reads brains.  If Greg Grunberg (the guy playing Parkman) dropped 70 pounds, tell me he couldn’t pass as related to Zachary Quinto.  Plus, Dad’s (Nightmare Man) ability is mental as well...hence what happened to Molly.  I really think I’m on to something here.

Or I’m insane and over-thinking this.

- Sylar is gonna get the plague/cure combo somehow.  Jesus Lord no.  The guy really is rotten and evil to his core.  He had no reason to kill Hippie Car Thief Guy.  he totally could have punched him out and taken the keys.  What’s Hippie Car Thief gonna do, call the cops and say “Hey, some guy just stole my stolen car and by the way, I’m wanted as well?” Killing him just for the keys tells me something about Sylar.  He’s bad, through and through.  Given two choices, Sylar will always pick the one that is quickest, easiest for him and causes the most pain or death for others.  He’s pure comic-book bad.  You can’t reason with that kind of evil - it simply must be stopped

One other weird thing about Sylar: Why is there always a cockroach around him?  A giant cockroach is always crawling on or around or away from him when he;s passed out somewhere.

- Claire and Superboy are pissing me off on one level.  On the other level, of course two kids like that growing up in a world where Superman was mythology would do cornball shit like that.  What the hell else would they do?  So it’s not so bad in hindsight, but it annoys me endlessly to actually watch it.  P.S. what the frig is Claire going to do, steal a cheerleader uniform?  If she joins the squad, how will she hide the fact that she doesn’t practice at all (because she’s with Superboy, remember the cheerleading is supposed to be a cover story)?  How will she know the moves for game day?  This isn’t a very well-thought out plan of hers.  Pops is way, way too smart for that.

- Monica - Love that power for some reason.  I’d love to be able to casually see something on TV, even in passing, and absorb the exact way to physically re-create it.  I do think that particular power smells a little derivative of the way Chuck got his knowledge...methinks a writer for Heroes got wind of the Chuck script during the writing period.  It’s also a lot like Echo/Ronin from the Daredevil comics.  Still, I like the actress playing her and I can’t wait to see what weird skill she’ll pick up next.  Imagine her watching the UFC.  She’d learn seven fighting styles in an hour.  Could be useful.

Given her personality (as described by her childhood friend) I’m also curious how she will scheme to use it to lift her family out of poverty.

Also, I thought the Katrina/NOLA stuff was handled very deftly.  Enough to make you remember the storm, to think about those who are still suffering the effects, but not one drop of politics came across at all.  No one need feel slighted one way or the other by the presentation of real life events.  No one was insulted or blamed...it just was.  It’s a thing that happened and this is one family’s struggle.  I appreciate that, and I hope the writers aren’t going to screw it up in the future.

And I still love Micah’s ability.  That would come in so handy.  :)

- Nice to see Nathan getting back on his feet.  Am I crazy or did Adrian Pasdar lose a bunch of weight to pull off the haggard, been-drinkin-mah-dinner street bum look?  He looks wore the hell out and gaunt.

- Oh!  Hell, I forgot - Molly.  So is it some kind of coma?  Is she in shock, or is Poppa Parkman controlling her?  And am I crazy or did Poppa Parkman see Matt through her eyes, and that’s why she said “Matt” right before she passed out?  Is she trapped in her brain with NightMare Man screwing with her and that’s why she’s crying out to Matt?

Less