(no subject)

[skygiants]

Briefly, Heroes 1x21: my take on the Sylar thing -

I, uh, didn't think what his mom did was that bad?

I mean, yes, she pushed him, but I have seen so many parents who expected far more of their children. To tell your kid "you're special, you can achieve great things" may not be the best parenting ever, especially when it contradicts with the child's stated goals, but it's not exactly unusual either. It's certainly not enough to serial-killer-ize (new verb!) someone all on its own, I would think. And if it is, I am probably in trouble. *eyes several friends*

Her reaction to Powered Gabriel was also extreme - but considering he'd just attacked her with snowglobes (uber-creepy! I used to collect snowglobes! I know!) in a way that's completely outside of her experience, I couldn't really find it surprising/completely horrifying. So, while I felt sorry for Sylar in this episode (in the way where the whole time I was going 'wait wait no, Hiro and Ando don't need to feel sorry for him! LOOK AWAY BOYS!), I certainly didn't read it as Mama Sylar being the root of all Sylar's problems, and I kind of wish that the show didn't apparently expect me to.


. . . but HA on wannabe vigilante Mohinder.

Comments

[agonistes]

Word on aaaaaaaall of this.

[vivien]

His mom, in her brief appearance, didn't seem bad. However, she did seem off kilter like a lot. So we don't know what life with Mrs. Gray was like, really. She could have been horrible, or unstable or abusive or all or none of the above.

She wasn't the root, but she was a reason, I think.

[skygiants]

Hmm. She did seem off-kilter/twitchy, but I read that very much as 'frightened' more than 'frightening' - I actually was completely convinced for the first half of the episode that they were going to go for a Secretly Abusive Papa Watchmaker thing, from Mama Sylar's over-twitchy reactions.

(Alternately, perhaps she was simply suffering from PTSD from being eaten by a giant plant. I hadn't known she was the original Little Shop Audrey! And how much does it explain if Sylar's parents were Audrey and Audrey II?)

[jezrana.livejournal.com]

My thoughts on the whole Sylar and his mom thing are rambly and expansive enough that I should probably try to make them into their own somewhat coherent post.

But--I can accept her as a contributing factor to his problems without being the sole source of them, and I didn't really get a "It's ALL his mom's fault" vibe from the show itself. They could still take it that way in future episodes, I guess, but I hope they don't.

[skygiants]

*votes always for more ramply posts on Heroes!*

I am hoping if we get any more Poor Sylar backstory, it will be something to do with his dad. Because Dad was clearly a major influence and I would buy the whole 'Sylar under family pressure turned to EVIL!' thing a lot more if there was a serious issue there as well, as opposed to just the mom thing.

. . . alternately, I'd be more than perfectly happy if Sylar just went back to being brain-eating-evil/Mohinder's best bud.

[batyatoon]

I didn't get the "it's all Mama Gray's fault" vibe either. I don't think the show meant us to.