Heroes Meta
SPOILERS FOR TONIGHTS EP LIEK WHOA
Reasons Nathan Is Not, Cannot Be, or Will Not Remain Dead:
1) Nathan is “the most important thing in the world” to Peter, who knows about powerblood!resurrection. Which, thanks to Bennet, we know works even after full death, even given the supposedly all-fatal bullet to the head. a)Peter has that power. If Peter’s blood nevertheless doesn’t work, then b) Peter is working with Matt, and therefore has access to Molly, who can find either Adam or Claire. Claire would be willing to help Nathan because i) he’s her bio-dad, and not total scum, and with her on the whole ‘let’s tell everyone shtick, and ii)she likes Peter. Peter also has Hiro’s teleportation abilities, and is therefore the only other person who can get to Adam’s current location.
2) Nathan already has Adam’s blood in him from his radiation burn healing a month ago. In ‘Lizards,’ it was strongly indicated that Claire’s (and presumably, Adam’s) power works on the basis of immortal stem cells in differentiated, adult bodies. These cells can divide forever. Ergo, one shot should qualify as a lifetime supply. I can see it now: Nathan recovers from two bullet wounds on national TV. “Well, that wasn’t the power I intended to tell you about, but I’m very glad to discover it.” (Pause for laughter, applause.)
Admittedly, Heroes psuedoscience also says 'powers originate in the brain' whatever THAT means, so theoretically, Claire's blood could lose its potency after a long enough period of time without contact with her brain/body/source of power. But blood cells cycle through the body at the rate they die, and quite frankly, cells that make people immortal but AREN't immortal make less sense than most pseudoscience. Also, when Claire gets a branch through the head, and Peter, who does not posess her power intrinsically (esp as evidenced by his lack of immediate healing in Ireland), loses the glass from his skull, their immortal stem cells, blood or otherwise, successfully heal brain damage, which is supposed to be anathema to this power. HRG's head wound also wasn't a problem.
3) Angela mentions that Pandora’s box has been opened. While I have several theories as to different things this could mean, the most significant, and the most in keeping with the arc of the ep and the season is that she is referring to the release of their secret. But Nathan’s speech, in true politician style, didn’t actually say anything. Furthermore, even if he had, he’s a discredited Italian politician from New York, who has not been in office, whose life for the past few months has been shrouded in mystery, and whose family history of mental illness has been well circulated, first in conjunction with Peter’s attempted suicide’ and then his own incapacitation right after the election. NO ONE would take Nathan seriously if he, or anyone else on the screen immediately post-shot, actually told the truth. If, one the other hand, Nathan DID regenerate on TV, or Peter bled on him on TV, or Peter grabbed him and took off for somewhere he could get him healed, THAT would convince a few people. Not many, mind you, most would call it a faked stunt, but Nathan would have a circle of conspiracy nuts and schizophrenics with paranoid delusions who believed him. This idea will, perhaps, eventually gain credence as more corroborating evidence crops up.
4) Peter doing bad things (threatening Molly, going after Claire, possibly attemtping to revenge himself on Bennet) in order to get Nathan alive again would be a great way to keep his character from becoming too powerful, as his control issues did in S1 and his amnesia and manipulation by Adam did in S2.
5) Another meaning of the Pandora’s box line possibility: Nathan regenerates on national TV. We now know that the blood not only heals but confers full immortality as possessed by it’s original donators. (Which would mean Sylar is now also immortal, *squee*)Human’s with access to, or worse, only incomplete knowledge of, a substance that makes them immortal? That’s a Pandora’s box scenario if ever I heard one. People will tear the nation apart looking for specials to try and save themselves or loved ones, to try and escape death. A witch of massive proportions will ensue, the government will gets its fingers in it, people will remember the lectures from Mohinder’s WORLD TOUR at the beginning of this season, people will read and believe Chandra’s book, Mohinder will be effectively drafted, his list subpoenaed, and the special’s lives destroyed. And if anyone succeeds in finding Claire, or anyone else whose blood has the same effects…heaven help the human race and the planet earth, as well.
6) Nathan’s moral plot arc looks done, but it’s not. He never came clean about stealing an election; apparently he didn’t get caught. He didn’t fix things with his family. He hasn’t finished what he set out to do, namely, fix the mistakes of the past generation. He’s exasperated, but determined, and he isn’t done. It shouldn’t even be that hard, at this point. Aside from Angela, who I think he could, at this point, emotionally manipulate into letting him accomplish his goals, the only Twelver left is BOB. And, okay, Bob is more badass and dangerous than Mohinder was successfully lead to believe, but STILL. I think Matt, Peter, and Nathan can HANDLE BOB.
7) Nathan’s too useful as redeemed, heroic character who could very plausibly slip back into morally murky waters to kill off.
8) It makes a great cliffhanger. That’s why they’re doing it AGAIN. But they didn’t kill him after HTSAEM, they didn’t kill Bennet this season, and they haven’t killed him now.
9) By the way. Peter can fucking time travel.
10) They didn’t kill off MAYA. You think they’ll kill NATHAN?
11) Let me say this again. Stem cells. Last forever. Also, time travel.
12) Honestly, it will stretch credulity beyond the bounds of plausibility if he IS dead, rather than the other way around. And while they occasionally disappoint me, I believe the Heroes writers and creators are better than that.
I have only one question. Why did it take me less than an hour to write this, when I’ve spent all week eking out two and a half bloody paragraphs on my term paper? DX
Also, does anyone know a good news/meta/discussion comm I could/should post this on? I usually only follow fic comms.
Reasons Nathan Is Not, Cannot Be, or Will Not Remain Dead:
1) Nathan is “the most important thing in the world” to Peter, who knows about powerblood!resurrection. Which, thanks to Bennet, we know works even after full death, even given the supposedly all-fatal bullet to the head. a)Peter has that power. If Peter’s blood nevertheless doesn’t work, then b) Peter is working with Matt, and therefore has access to Molly, who can find either Adam or Claire. Claire would be willing to help Nathan because i) he’s her bio-dad, and not total scum, and with her on the whole ‘let’s tell everyone shtick, and ii)she likes Peter. Peter also has Hiro’s teleportation abilities, and is therefore the only other person who can get to Adam’s current location.
2) Nathan already has Adam’s blood in him from his radiation burn healing a month ago. In ‘Lizards,’ it was strongly indicated that Claire’s (and presumably, Adam’s) power works on the basis of immortal stem cells in differentiated, adult bodies. These cells can divide forever. Ergo, one shot should qualify as a lifetime supply. I can see it now: Nathan recovers from two bullet wounds on national TV. “Well, that wasn’t the power I intended to tell you about, but I’m very glad to discover it.” (Pause for laughter, applause.)
Admittedly, Heroes psuedoscience also says 'powers originate in the brain' whatever THAT means, so theoretically, Claire's blood could lose its potency after a long enough period of time without contact with her brain/body/source of power. But blood cells cycle through the body at the rate they die, and quite frankly, cells that make people immortal but AREN't immortal make less sense than most pseudoscience. Also, when Claire gets a branch through the head, and Peter, who does not posess her power intrinsically (esp as evidenced by his lack of immediate healing in Ireland), loses the glass from his skull, their immortal stem cells, blood or otherwise, successfully heal brain damage, which is supposed to be anathema to this power. HRG's head wound also wasn't a problem.
3) Angela mentions that Pandora’s box has been opened. While I have several theories as to different things this could mean, the most significant, and the most in keeping with the arc of the ep and the season is that she is referring to the release of their secret. But Nathan’s speech, in true politician style, didn’t actually say anything. Furthermore, even if he had, he’s a discredited Italian politician from New York, who has not been in office, whose life for the past few months has been shrouded in mystery, and whose family history of mental illness has been well circulated, first in conjunction with Peter’s attempted suicide’ and then his own incapacitation right after the election. NO ONE would take Nathan seriously if he, or anyone else on the screen immediately post-shot, actually told the truth. If, one the other hand, Nathan DID regenerate on TV, or Peter bled on him on TV, or Peter grabbed him and took off for somewhere he could get him healed, THAT would convince a few people. Not many, mind you, most would call it a faked stunt, but Nathan would have a circle of conspiracy nuts and schizophrenics with paranoid delusions who believed him. This idea will, perhaps, eventually gain credence as more corroborating evidence crops up.
4) Peter doing bad things (threatening Molly, going after Claire, possibly attemtping to revenge himself on Bennet) in order to get Nathan alive again would be a great way to keep his character from becoming too powerful, as his control issues did in S1 and his amnesia and manipulation by Adam did in S2.
5) Another meaning of the Pandora’s box line possibility: Nathan regenerates on national TV. We now know that the blood not only heals but confers full immortality as possessed by it’s original donators. (Which would mean Sylar is now also immortal, *squee*)Human’s with access to, or worse, only incomplete knowledge of, a substance that makes them immortal? That’s a Pandora’s box scenario if ever I heard one. People will tear the nation apart looking for specials to try and save themselves or loved ones, to try and escape death. A witch of massive proportions will ensue, the government will gets its fingers in it, people will remember the lectures from Mohinder’s WORLD TOUR at the beginning of this season, people will read and believe Chandra’s book, Mohinder will be effectively drafted, his list subpoenaed, and the special’s lives destroyed. And if anyone succeeds in finding Claire, or anyone else whose blood has the same effects…heaven help the human race and the planet earth, as well.
6) Nathan’s moral plot arc looks done, but it’s not. He never came clean about stealing an election; apparently he didn’t get caught. He didn’t fix things with his family. He hasn’t finished what he set out to do, namely, fix the mistakes of the past generation. He’s exasperated, but determined, and he isn’t done. It shouldn’t even be that hard, at this point. Aside from Angela, who I think he could, at this point, emotionally manipulate into letting him accomplish his goals, the only Twelver left is BOB. And, okay, Bob is more badass and dangerous than Mohinder was successfully lead to believe, but STILL. I think Matt, Peter, and Nathan can HANDLE BOB.
7) Nathan’s too useful as redeemed, heroic character who could very plausibly slip back into morally murky waters to kill off.
8) It makes a great cliffhanger. That’s why they’re doing it AGAIN. But they didn’t kill him after HTSAEM, they didn’t kill Bennet this season, and they haven’t killed him now.
9) By the way. Peter can fucking time travel.
10) They didn’t kill off MAYA. You think they’ll kill NATHAN?
11) Let me say this again. Stem cells. Last forever. Also, time travel.
12) Honestly, it will stretch credulity beyond the bounds of plausibility if he IS dead, rather than the other way around. And while they occasionally disappoint me, I believe the Heroes writers and creators are better than that.
I have only one question. Why did it take me less than an hour to write this, when I’ve spent all week eking out two and a half bloody paragraphs on my term paper? DX
Also, does anyone know a good news/meta/discussion comm I could/should post this on? I usually only follow fic comms.