Thoughts on the Heroes Season Finale
Hmm. My resolution to post less often is not going as well as it should, given that Heroes has eaten my brain. *sigh* The time may come when I am forced to post only once or twice a week: that time is not now. :-)

Let's talk Heroes meta! Rambling thoughts on Peter, and Peter vs. Sylar in the Season 1 finale, and probably of interest only to me, so feel free to skip if you're usually here for the picspams and HoYay goodness. I'll make up for the lack of goodies in this post next week. *G* Meanwhile, to tide you over until then, take at look at this Brokeback Petrellis trailer, which is both touching and very, very funny. The best part is that it's actually practically canon.


I remember reading a comment or post somewhere (unfortunately I can't remember where), which speculated that one of the reasons why some people may have felt let down by the finale is that Peter, who was set up as one of the central characters from the get-go, did not have the final say in the two most decisive acts of the finale: killing Sylar, and stopping the bomb.

I will freely admit that I was also a little puzzled by this choice: selenak posited in her pre-finale spec that the Return of the Jedi ending, with Nathan making the last-minute turnaround and stopping the bomb, was unlikely because "such a scenario would have him far too passive in finale heroics," and for a while I agreed with this both, both before and after the finale aired. But I slowly began to change my mind after rewatching the finale: more specifically, after rewatching the finale in a marathon of the entire season.

After watching all 23 episodes in quick succession, I'm increasingly inclined to revise my original opinion, because it seems to me that Peter's role in the finale

(a) makes more sense characterization-wise, and meshes better with his overall arc this season, than if he'd had a giant showdown with Sylar as in Five Years Gone, and

(b) leaves more possibilities open for future plotlines than if he'd already become competent enough to go up against Sylar.

Let's talk about point (a) first. IMO, Peter's arc in Season 1 wasn't about gaining precise control over his powers--that was Hiro's arc. Peter's journey was more about bringing others together, and about exploring his family and connections to all the other characters, about inspiring others to act, to change, to step up, and he did that. In short, his story was more about the emotional aspect of his powers than their physical manifestation: he was never meant to save the world using TK or super-strength, but rather, just by being who he is. There's a lovely irony in that, given that the season kicks off with him wanting to be "special."

As for Sylar: the thing that really convinced me, more than anything else, that the finale was NOT the ultimate Sylar vs. Peter showdown, and that the writers didn't intend it to be, was "Five Years Gone." Their fight in that episode was brief, and mostly took place behind closed doors, but it was epic, brutal, and personal in a way that the fight in "Exploding Man" was not.

An old friend. The guy they blamed for blowing up New York. But you and I know the real story, don't we, Pete?

The writers know how compelling a rivalry/enmity between these two could be--they've shown us a glimpse of it. And that glimpse makes me almost certain that we haven't seen the last of these two as antagonists. (or as certain as I can ever be, considering my track record with spec on a fannish matter which is near and dear to my heart *G*) The finale wasn't the climax of this relationship--it was only one step in the road.

(One reason why it may have looked like the climax from the first 22 episodes is because it was probably intended as such, before Zach Quinto signed as a regular. Then TPTB may have decided it was too good a storyline to waste, and decided to stretch it out over a longer period.)

And as for point (b)--well, I think it's safe to say that we will probably get the "Peter learns to control his powers" storyline in Season 2. And I am hoping that it will kick all kinds of ass. :D His conversation with Charles Deveaux in the finale likely wasn't the end of his journey--it was just the beginning.

Of course, this could all be wishful thinking from the brain of a fangirl driven crazy by the summer hiatus, but it's fun to think about, anyway. :-)