I recently had the thought that if Kimiko had been been a boy Hiro would have been the Peter of his family, I wonder if Nathan might, at least in part, be responding to that younger brotherness (but without the responsibilities and the adolescent disputes to complicate it).
Oh, absolutely. I think, among other things, Hiro is a younger brother without the intense co-dependency he has with Peter and the many many issues to him. Fun trivia: in their podcast commentary for Landslide, George Takei teases Masi Oka that Hiro pronounces Nathan's name like the Japanese word for "big sister". *g*
In a way I can see that it's a natural progression from trying to take out Linderman via pure lawyer-fu, to undercover entrapment, to assassination but guns and politicians don't feel right together. Maybe that's a European/American difference.
Could be, says a fellow European. I remember when I watched the episode for the first time I didn't think he'd go through with shooting Linderman, either, when he was on his way, not because Nathan is incapable of killing someone but because I don't think he'd do it this way. Though it was presented as a spontanous decision, when Niki told him the FBI guys (the only ones who knew he was supposed to be undercover, remember, as stated in his office earlier, as far as the rest of the organization is concerned, he's a corrupt politician) were dead and Linderman knew all. Note that Linderman was clever enough to have that meeting underground, not in his office, and in a place where Nathan if he HAD shot would not have been able to escape alive. Again, not that Nathan is incapable of sacrificing his life, but not for this particular cause (killing Linderman).
Re: Sylar another thought is that because his natural ability is to 'know' how things work he has little understanding of how it is for those who get there by more traditional application of reason.
I think it's more that he has, as you say, no empathy, not surprising since the show is setting him and Peter up as shadow doubles and contrasts to each other, complete with both having alliterating names and very similar reactions to the initial power reveal. Both at first when told/dreaming that they have a power jump immediately on the "yay! special! destiny!" train, both then get angry and frustrated when it appears that a) they might not have a power after all, and b) someone else has who doesn't seem to appreciate it. Which is of course where they part ways, with the murderous villain career and all. Anyway, it's also that Sylar is somewhat obsessed with the Sureshs, which he's not with other people (with other people, he just wants their powers, they don't exist as individuals to him).
Now, fanfic:
Lunch Break, which is a story set during "Godsend" and was my Hiro 'n Nathan tribute.
And the "Claire and the women in her life" story I mentioned earlier, assuming you've watched .07% by now (it also has a slight spoiler regarding Claire's fate at the end of the s1 finale, but then you said you watched the s2 opening episode, so you already know where she ends up).
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-11-08 06:07 pm (UTC)Oh, absolutely. I think, among other things, Hiro is a younger brother without the intense co-dependency he has with Peter and the many many issues to him. Fun trivia: in their podcast commentary for Landslide, George Takei teases Masi Oka that Hiro pronounces Nathan's name like the Japanese word for "big sister". *g*
In a way I can see that it's a natural progression from trying to take out Linderman via pure lawyer-fu, to undercover entrapment, to assassination but guns and politicians don't feel right together. Maybe that's a European/American difference.
Could be, says a fellow European. I remember when I watched the episode for the first time I didn't think he'd go through with shooting Linderman, either, when he was on his way, not because Nathan is incapable of killing someone but because I don't think he'd do it this way. Though it was presented as a spontanous decision, when Niki told him the FBI guys (the only ones who knew he was supposed to be undercover, remember, as stated in his office earlier, as far as the rest of the organization is concerned, he's a corrupt politician) were dead and Linderman knew all. Note that Linderman was clever enough to have that meeting underground, not in his office, and in a place where Nathan if he HAD shot would not have been able to escape alive. Again, not that Nathan is incapable of sacrificing his life, but not for this particular cause (killing Linderman).
Re: Sylar another thought is that because his natural ability is to 'know' how things work he has little understanding of how it is for those who get there by more traditional application of reason.
I think it's more that he has, as you say, no empathy, not surprising since the show is setting him and Peter up as shadow doubles and contrasts to each other, complete with both having alliterating names and very similar reactions to the initial power reveal. Both at first when told/dreaming that they have a power jump immediately on the "yay! special! destiny!" train, both then get angry and frustrated when it appears that a) they might not have a power after all, and b) someone else has who doesn't seem to appreciate it. Which is of course where they part ways, with the murderous villain career and all. Anyway, it's also that Sylar is somewhat obsessed with the Sureshs, which he's not with other people (with other people, he just wants their powers, they don't exist as individuals to him).
Now, fanfic:
Lunch Break, which is a story set during "Godsend" and was my Hiro 'n Nathan tribute.
And the "Claire and the women in her life" story I mentioned earlier, assuming you've watched .07% by now (it also has a slight spoiler regarding Claire's fate at the end of the s1 finale, but then you said you watched the s2 opening episode, so you already know where she ends up).
Trioditis
There is also Folly, which was my guess how the thing with Nathan and Meredith back in the day went down.