If the goal of this episoe of Heroes was to make Sylar seem more sympathetic, we don't know if it accomplished it.
While it was cool to see the show's ultimate bad guy constantly shifting into new people, it didn't make a lot of sense for him to actually take on the personality of his mother at times. That's never happened before. It appeared to be yet another example of the writers taking liberities just to make a storyline work.
Do you agree? Disagree? Read a detailed recap of "I Am Sylar" right now.
Discuss Sylar saving Michah, and other developments, in our
Share
21 Comments
April 21st, 2009 9:12 AM
I disagree with your assessment of the episode.
I don't think the episode was about sympathy for Sylar at allm I think it was about him having a revelation. While, its a little far fetched to say Sylar's been lost since killing his mother it makes sense as to why he's so desperate to search out parental figures--Samson Gray, Arthur, Angela, even to some extent HRG--he wants their validation, in a way he needs them to confirm he's special. That's why, he doesn't kill Micah. Micah fed his ego, by saying that Danko and his men don't see how special he is.
Furthermore, by having a conversation with his mom, he was able to overcome in part this handy cap. This was a way for Sylar to relate to people, without really relating to people because Sylar isn't going to try and reach out to someone else--he has no one--a fact which he realizes when he admits to killing the only person who's ever loved him, Virginia. Sylar becomes Virginia, then, because he needs her to forgive him because out of all the people he's killed, she's the only one who truly loved him--no matter how misguided that love might have been. Yes, its certainly creepy (and a bit Norman Batesy) but it fits his character profile--he is a psychopath and this is clearly a break with reality, but a fitting one. Virginia isn't alive to forgive him, so he becomes her to get her forgiveness.
If the next volume is titled "Redemption" then I can't think of a better way to transition into that arc, which in and of itself is a refreshing change from the immediate breaking up of Volumes and little cohesion between them.
April 21st, 2009 9:29 AM
Спасибо за статью.. Актуально мне сейчас.. Взяла себе еще перечитать.
April 21st, 2009 9:35 AM
Sylar touched the scissors which killed his mother. He learned the history of that object and of the object's owner (mum). Thus, he was able to learn her motivations, and have a "conversation" with her. Same reason he understood Nathan so well at the end of the episode.
April 21st, 2009 10:07 AM
Make Sylar seem sympathetic???? Seriously?
When you take a serial killer and give him an entire episode where he pulls some serious Norman Bates Psycho shit and you think they are trying to make you feel sympathy for him? I’m really starting to lose faith in your ability to properly critique a show…
This episode took the time to show that Sylars convoluted motivations for the past 4 volumes have all revolved around the need to feel special and the fact that need comes from the fact he’s never felt truly appreciated by the parental figures in his life. They never tried to make you feel sorry for him, they simply tried to make you understand, clearly, why Sylars walked such a zig-zagged path… And they did a damn good job at it by presenting it threw Sylar’s unstable mental state.
Damn good episode… you obviously just didn’t get it… since you said “it didn't make a lot of sense for him to actually take on the personality of his mother at times” It was VERY CLEARLY showing the fact Sylar IS CRAZY. But hey cut down the writers because your too stupid to follow the bouncing ball.
April 21st, 2009 11:35 AM
I agree with Jason. They were just showing us how crazy Sylar really is and as for not killing Micah, maybe for a few moments Sylar was considering "saving them all"
April 21st, 2009 11:36 AM
Pretty much +1 to everything jason said.
The only thing that was f'd up was Sylar getting up after Danko stabbed him. Sylar playing Norman Bates just showed us how psycho he was turning.
Dude, the show's very DESCRIPTION obviously illustrates how shapeshifting triggered a huge identity crisis. This episode was to show us Sylar struggling to find himself, not to make him more friendly.
Sylar wanting to be loved, and be someone has been a continuity since season 1. It was clear in season one too that Virginia didn't have all her brain. He actually mimicked her to perfection. He asked for his mom's belongings on Danko's recommendation to find an anchor to remember who he is. After touching them, he managed to know exactly how she felt about him. She seemed quite neurotic to me in season one, and feeling it with his clearsentience ability probably affected him really hard, considering he was in an already weak psychological state.
All of this made perfect sense to me.
April 21st, 2009 12:11 PM
Great show. Sylar has obviously lost it. They say that if you have a conversation with yourself you are nutz he takes it to a new level.
I cannot believe I didnt think of this before. Peter will get his powers back from SYLAR not baby power up. Remember that Future peter shapeshifts, he turned into present Peter. Has to be that way anyway. to get his abilities back the way they were. Hiro still isnt right even after baby on off or whatever we are calling him.
April 21st, 2009 1:59 PM
Wow so worst episode ever. There's one episode before the season finale, and everyone has an identity crises? Seriously? It's bad enough that Peter started out badass and is now a little bitch, but Sylar too? Was that Sylar crying? and what about Parkman. He's obnoxiously obsessed the whole season for Daphne, and now he drops everything for his ex? Is Daphne even still alive? Do we even care?
Of course Hiro and Ando cant be left out of the soap-opera type drama of this waste of an episode. One episode left? Maybe create some sort of plot? Nope, lets just have them argue over who should fight alone.
The writers of this show are talentless. They cant keep a steady plot throughout a season for the life of them. I dont care who dies next episode. I say kill them all and start over, you've ruined a great premise for a tv show. The writers should move to Somalia and try their luck at hijacking ships. Any attempt will be more successful than this last episode
April 21st, 2009 2:01 PM
I agree with everyone. wonderful episode. sylar is crazy. zachary is a great actor, beautifuly played. iam worried about hiro though. i dont know whos gonna die. its between nathan and ando for me and i love both but we all think nathan will die but in the previews for next week hiro and ando and mohinder are together and hiros hurt so maybe ando does something to save his friend and dies. and since mohinder was captured then they have to have gotten into building 26.
April 21st, 2009 2:23 PM
Dr. Rob, take some anger managment classes and know when a joke is tasteless or not (Somali pirates, REALLY?!) Agree with everyone else. Now two awesome episode to volume four, IMO more than Volume three and the same as Volume two