Irony: Difference between revisions

Irony
	; Candice is killed with a Have a Nice Day mug.

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Throughout Heroes, irony is used to underline themes, as well as to highlight comedic tones.

Memorable Quotes

"You gotta love the irony , c'mon its like a Greek tragedy or something."

- Eric Doyle (to Claire, Meredith and Sandra) (Dying of the Light)

Episodic Recurrences

Season One Recurrences

Genesis

Peter begins to believe that he can fly and tries to convince his skeptical brother of it. When he attempts to prove his ability, Nathan himself is the one who takes flight.
Peter says that it "might be a little awkward if I ever wanted to ask [Simone] out" because they treat each other like brother and sister. They later become a pair of lovers.

Don't Look Back

Brody states that Claire is "dainty". Soon afterwards, she is accidentally tackled, has her neck broken and regenerates.

One Giant Leap

When Matt tries to explain that he can hear voices in his head, Audrey asks if the voices tell him to rob a store or kill the President. Matt later stops a man from robbing a store, and in a dark future, Matt works with the President who is actually a man he has been hunting hiding behind an illusion.
Paulette Hawkins tells Niki that her son, D.L., would never murder anyone. Later, he kills Linderman.

Better Halves

After long believing her husband guilty of murder, Niki discovers that she herself committed the crimes for which he was imprisoned.

Seven Minutes to Midnight

Charlie goes to the back of the Burnt Toast Diner. As she aggressively slices off the top of a can, Sylar aggressively slices off the top of her head.

Homecoming

Jackie is murdered by Sylar. She dies because she lied and took credit for Claire's heroism in Genesis.

Six Months Ago

When Chandra is testing Gabriel's brain activity to see if Gabriel has an ability, Gabriel asks him about the testing: "So... What? You're gonna cut me open?" Later, Gabriel Gray assumes the name "Sylar" and cuts open his victims skulls to examine their brains.
Hiro goes to the phone to try to call Ando. When the call is answered, it is not Ando, but the Hiro of six months ago who picks up the phone.
Niki says that her life is "too much for one person." She later acquired a split personality.

Fallout

Peter, who is trying to prevent the explosion, has a dream in which he himself is the cause of the explosion.
Eden McCain attempts to use her power to have Sylar commit suicide, however, her plan backfires and she kills herself in order to keep Sylar from obtaining her power.

Godsend

Peter is on his cell phone, trying to get get a flight out of New York so that he won't wipe out the city. He suggests going to Nevada. However, if he goes to Nevada, he would be in the same area as Ted, whose power is the source of Peter's exploding problem.

Run!

Hiro and Ando find a woman called Hope — immediately after Hiro tells Ando that they "need to find hope" — and because of her hopeful name, they decide to help her. She turns out to be a thief who attempts to kill the duo.

Unexpected

While in Bozeman, Mohinder discusses the murder of his father. He states, "What does it matter. Even if I did come face to face with him, justice could never be served." At that moment he is talking directly to Sylar who is masquerading as Zane Taylor.

Parasite

After holding Sylar captive, Mohinder draws spinal fluid from Sylar and tells him he "might actually do some good before [he] dies". Later, Sylar escapes, then tells Mohinder that he "might actually do some good before [he] dies" before he assaults him and pins him to the ceiling.

The Hard Part

Virginia Gray says that "if [Sylar] wanted, [he] could be president." Sylar, in the future, became the president under the disguise of Nathan Petrelli.

Landslide

Despite having been working on Sylar's case for months, Audrey exchanges words with the killer without realising who he actually is.

Season Two recurrences

Kindred

Will says "Sláinte!" when he pulls his gun on Ricky. This Gaelic greeting means "to your health".
Sylar kills Candice with a Have a Nice Day mug.
After Sylar kills Candice, he comments that Candice was being something that she wasn't. Sylar doesn't want to be -- and ignores that he is -- an "insignificant watchmaker". In the future, Sylar uses Candice's ability to pretend to be President Nathan Petrelli.
When West explains the mark on his neck to Claire, he mentions that the man in the horn-rimmed glasses, Claire's father, abducted him.

The Kindness of Strangers

Sylar, a man who is on a hunt to acquire new powers, meets Maya, a woman who is trying to get rid of hers.
When Sylar, who intends on killing Maya, tells her his name, she compares him to the Angel Gabriel, who is said to be the angel of death.

Fight or Flight

Peter and Caitlin talk about his past, and Peter says that anyone can try and find him - it will not affect him. Ricky dies as a result.

Four Months Ago...

A marvellous and joyful party is being celebrated for Alejandro and Gloria's wedding, until Maya got furious and killed everybody.

Cautionary Tales

Noah, who was so determined to get West out of Claire's life, ends up asking him for help.
Elle, who thought Noah had a deathwish for kidnapping her, gets outsmarted by him and ends up shocking herself with her own power.

Truth & Consequences

After killing Victoria Pratt, Adam marks her photograph with the symbol in his own regenerative blood.

Powerless

Adam Monroe is buried alive in the same cemetery with one of his victims, Kaito Nakamura.
When West tells Claire revealing her power won't bring her father back, she turns around to see him standing in the doorway.
Peter Petrelli almost helped Adam Monroe to cause the Shanti Virus outbreak that he was intending to prevent.
Sylar shoots Maya at the same location where he killed Isaac Mendez.

Season Three recurrences

Angels and Monsters

Nathan tells Tracy they can trust Mohinder to help them, and says he is completely harmless. Meanwhile, Mohinder has rendered Maya unconscious and seals her in a cocoon along with his other victims.

Dying of the Light

In a twisted game of Russian roulette, Claire is forced to pull the trigger on Meredith by Eric Doyle. However, the gun does not fire. Sandra's turn is next, and she is forced to shoot Claire. Eric even remarks about the irony, comparing the situation to a Greek tragedy.

Eris Quod Sum

Elle Bishop starts a war on the Bennet's by electrocuting Lyle. Lyle ends it by dumping a bucket of water on her, causing her to electrocute herself.

The Eclipse, Part 2

Sylar kills Elle, the person who saved his life.

Our Father

Sue Landers is killed by Sylar on her birthday.
Sylar ignites Elle's cremation with her own ability.
Sylar says "No place I'd rather be than with family." to Arthur and Peter,but soon he knows that Arthur lies to him.

Dual

Both Flint and Meredith blow up the Pinehearst and Primatech facilities, respectively, with fires they started and are engulfed in the flames themselves.
The night's events are similar to that of events that took place in How to Stop an Exploding Man, in that one Petrelli brother flies the other away from an explosive disaster.
Sylar is killed in the exact same way he killed Peter in .07%: a shard of glass to the back of the head.
Nathan, once on the path of giving everyone abilities, now wants everyone with abilities to be captured and locked away.

Building 26

Sylar is not happy when Luke thanks him for coming back to help him, he just turns the radio on, only to hear "Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?".
The way that Noah Bennet was abducted by Matt, Mohinder and Peter was the same way he and The Haitian abducted Matt in One Giant Leap (e.g. A drugged drink that knocked him unconscious).

Cold Wars

Noah gets kidnapped by Matt, the same way he kidnapped Matt in Season 1; made unconscious by a drugged drink.

Exposed

Peter uses the hug with Nathan to replicate his ability, just like his father used the hug to steal Peter's powers.

Cold Snap

Eric Doyle is tied up like a puppet in Danko's apartment.

1961

Angela's attempts at protecting her little sister instead cause her harm, much in the same way Nathan's causes harm to his little brother.
Angela tells Alice that she'll be safe if she stays in their cabin. Alice leaves the cabin for testing and uses her powers, which results in the camp being massacred by the soldiers.
Nathan states he's going to admit to his mistakes and speak to the president. Sylar then appears on the television as Nathan at a press conference, having done just that.

Graphic Novel Recurrences

Hana meets Mr. Bennet in a children's playground to discuss life and death situations. (The Death of Hana Gitelman, Part 1)
Betty, an obese female generally regarded as ugly, shares her name with a slang term for an attractive female. (Betty)
Betty calls the people at her high school "fakes", all the while creating fake illusions of her own. (Betty, Part 3)
Elle comments to herself that if she had to attend Homecoming, she'd have to shoot herself. Eden does just this after replacing Elle and capturing Sylar on Homecoming night. (Elle's First Assignment, Part 2)
Penny disagrees with her mom about using her appearance to get guys. But when her mom forces her to keep a beautiful appearance for a night, she has one drink too many and ends up using her looks to score a guy anyway. In addition, Penny's mom desires to show her daughter that an improved appearance can make her happy; but when Penny wakes up in bed having reverted to her normal self, Penny also realizes a different truth--that beauty doesn't last forever. (Faces, Part 1)
After sleeping with Thompson, Jr., Penny sneaks away, trying to hide from him that she used her mother's ability to alter her appearance to attract him. She is later forced to tell him that she did so and learns that he likes the idea of her going out with him as someone new every night. (Faces, Part 2)

Recurring Themes

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Character connections • Child vs. parent • Death • Faith and religion • Family • Fate vs. free will • Heroism • Irony • Logic vs. emotion • Loneliness • Loyalty vs. treachery • Moral ambiguity • One punch knockout • Pressure of responsibility • Revenge • Sacrifice • Secrets and deception • Special • Women in Refrigerators

See Also: References

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Episodic Recurrences==
-===[[Genesis]]===
+===[[Season One]] Recurrences===
+====[[Episode:Genesis|Genesis]]====
 *[[Peter]] begins to believe that he can fly and tries to convince his [[Nathan|skeptical brother]] of it.  When he attempts to prove his ability, Nathan himself is the one who takes flight.
 *[[Peter]] says that it "might be a little awkward if I ever wanted to ask [Simone] out" because they treat each other like brother and sister. They later become a pair of lovers.
-===[[Don't Look Back]]===
+====[[Episode:Don't Look Back|Don't Look Back]]====
 *[[Brody]] states that [[Claire]] is "dainty".  Soon afterwards, she is accidentally tackled, has her neck broken and [[Rapid Cell Regeneration|regenerates]].
-===[[One Giant Leap]]===
+====[[Episode:One Giant Leap|One Giant Leap]]====
-*When [[Matt]] tries to explain that he can [[telepathy|hear voices]] in his head, [[Audrey]] asks if the voices tell him to rob a store or kill the President. Matt later stops a [[Convenience store robber|man]] from robbing a store, and in a [[Explosion future|dark future]], [[Future Matt|Matt]] works with the President who is actually a man he has been hunting hiding behind an illusion.
+*When [[Matt]] tries to explain that he can [[telepathy|hear voices]] in his head, [[Audrey]] asks if the voices tell him to rob a store or kill the President. Matt later stops a [[Convenience store robber|man]] from robbing a store, and in a [[Explosion future|dark future]], [[Matt Parkman (explosion future)|Matt]] works with the President who is actually a man he has been hunting hiding behind an illusion.
 *[[Paulette Hawkins]] tells [[Niki]] that her son, [[D.L.]], would never murder anyone. Later, he kills [[Linderman]].
-===[[Better Halves]]===
+====[[Episode:Better Halves|Better Halves]]====
 *After long believing [[D.L.|her husband]] guilty of murder, [[Niki]] discovers that she herself committed the crimes for which he was imprisoned.
-===[[Seven Minutes to Midnight]]===
+====[[Episode:Seven Minutes to Midnight|Seven Minutes to Midnight]]====
 * [[Charlie]] goes to the back of the [[Burnt Toast Diner]]. As she aggressively slices off the top of a can, [[Sylar]] aggressively [[brain removal|slices off the top of her head]].
-===[[Homecoming]]===
+====[[Episode:Homecoming|Homecoming]]====
 *[[Jackie]] is murdered by [[Sylar]].  She dies because she lied and took credit for Claire's [[heroism]] in ''[[Genesis]]''.
-===[[Six Months Ago]]===
+====[[Episode:Six Months Ago|Six Months Ago]]====
-* When Chandra is testing Gabriel's brain activity to see if Gabriel has an ability, Gabriel asks him about the testing: "So... What? You're gonna cut me open?" Later, Gabriel Gray assumes the name "Sylar" and cuts open his victims' -- those he believes to be evolved humans -- skulls to examine their brains.
+* When [[Chandra]] is testing [[Gabriel]]'s brain activity to see if Gabriel has an [[abilities|ability]], Gabriel asks him about the testing: "So... What? You're gonna cut me open?" Later, Gabriel Gray assumes the name "Sylar" and [[brain removal|cuts open]] his [[evolved humans|victims]] skulls to [[intuitive aptitude|examine]] their brains.
 *[[Hiro]] goes to the phone to try to call [[Ando]].  When the call is answered, it is not Ando, but the Hiro of six months ago who picks up the phone.
 *[[Niki]] says that her life is "too much for one person." She later acquired a split personality.
-===[[Fallout]]===
+====[[Episode:Fallout|Fallout]]====
 *[[Peter]], who is trying to prevent the explosion, has a dream in which he himself is the cause of the explosion.
 *[[Eden McCain]] attempts to use her power to have [[Sylar]] commit suicide, however, her plan backfires and she kills herself in order to keep [[Sylar]] from obtaining her power.
-===[[Godsend]]===
+====[[Episode:Godsend|Godsend]]====
 *[[Peter]] is on his cell phone, trying to get get a flight out of [[New York, NY|New York]] so that he won't wipe out the city. He suggests going to [[Nevada]]. However, if he goes to Nevada, he would be in the same area as [[Ted]], whose power is the source of Peter's exploding problem.
-===[[Run!]]===
+====[[Episode:Run!|Run!]]====
 *[[Hiro]] and [[Ando]] find a woman called [[Hope]] &mdash; immediately after Hiro tells Ando that they "need to find hope" &mdash; and because of her hopeful name, they decide to help her. She turns out to be a thief who attempts to kill the duo.
-===[[Unexpected]]===
+====[[Episode:Unexpected|Unexpected]]====
 * While in [[Bozeman]], [[Mohinder]] discusses the murder of his [[Chandra|father]].  He states, "What does it matter.  ''Even if I did come face to face with [[Sylar|him]]'', justice could never be served."  At that moment he is talking directly to Sylar who is masquerading as [[Zane Taylor]].
-===[[Parasite]]===
+====[[Episode:Parasite|Parasite]]====
 *After holding [[Sylar]] captive, [[Mohinder]] draws spinal fluid from Sylar and tells him he "might actually do some good before <nowiki>[he]</nowiki> dies". Later, Sylar escapes, then tells Mohinder that he "might actually do some good before <nowiki>[he]</nowiki> dies" before he assaults him and [[telekinesis|pins him]] to the ceiling.
-===[[The Hard Part]]===
+====[[Episode:The Hard Part|The Hard Part]]====
 *[[Virginia Gray]] says that "if [Sylar] wanted, [he] could be president." [[Sylar]], in the [[Explosion future|future]], became the president under the disguise of [[Nathan Petrelli]].
-===[[Landslide]]===
+====[[Episode:Landslide|Landslide]]====
 *Despite having been working on Sylar's case for months, [[Audrey]] exchanges words with the killer without realising who he actually is.
-===[[Kindred]]===
+===[[Season Two]] recurrences===
+====[[Episode:Kindred|Kindred]]====
 *[[Will]] says "Sláinte!" when he pulls his gun on [[Ricky]].  This Gaelic greeting means "to your health".
-*Sylar kills [[Candice]] with a [[Have a Nice Day mug]].
+*[[Sylar]] kills [[Candice]] with a [[Have a Nice Day mug]].
 *After Sylar kills Candice, he comments that Candice was being something that she wasn't.  Sylar doesn't want to be -- and ignores that he is -- an "insignificant watchmaker".  In the future, Sylar uses Candice's ability to pretend to be President Nathan Petrelli.
-*When West explains the [[mark]] on his neck to Claire, he mentions that the man in the [[horn-rimmed glasses]], Claire's father, [[bag and tag|abducted]] him.
+*When [[West]] explains the [[mark]] on his neck to Claire, he mentions that the man in the [[horn-rimmed glasses]], Claire's father, [[bag and tag|abducted]] him.
-===[[The Kindness of Strangers]]===
+====[[Episode:The Kindness of Strangers|The Kindness of Strangers]]====
 *[[Sylar]], a man who is on a hunt to acquire new powers, meets [[Maya]], a woman who is trying to get rid of hers.
 *When [[Sylar]], who intends on killing [[Maya]], tells her his name, she compares him to the Angel Gabriel, who is said to be the angel of death.
-=== [[Fight or Flight]] ===
+====[[Episode:Fight or Flight|Fight or Flight]]====
+*[[Peter]] and [[Caitlin]] talk about his past, and Peter says that anyone can try and find him - it will not affect him. [[Ricky]] dies as a result.
+====[[Episode:Four Months Ago...|Four Months Ago...]]====
-* [[Peter]] and [[Caitlin]] talk about his past, and Peter says that anyone can try and find him - it will not affect him. [[Ricky]] dies as a result.
+*A marvellous and joyful party is being celebrated for [[Alejandro]] and [[Gloria]]'s [[Alejandro's wedding|wedding]], until [[Maya]] got [[Poison emission|furious]] and [[:Image:Powers maya whoops.jpg|killed everybody]].
-=== [[Four Months Ago...]] ===
+====[[Episode:Cautionary Tales|Cautionary Tales]]====
+*[[Noah]], who was so determined to get West out of Claire's life, ends up asking him for help.
+*[[Elle]], who thought Noah had a deathwish for kidnapping her, gets outsmarted by him and ends up shocking herself with her own power.
+====[[Episode:Truth & Consequences|Truth & Consequences]]====
-* A marvellous and joyful party is being celebrated for [[Alejandro]] and [[Gloria]]'s [[Alejandro's wedding|wedding]], until [[Maya]] got [[Poison emission|furious]] and [[:Image:Powers maya whoops.jpg|killed everybody]].
+*After killing [[Victoria Pratt]], [[Adam]] marks her photograph with the symbol in his own [[rapid cell regeneration|regenerative blood]].
-===[[Cautionary Tales]]===
+====[[Powerless]]====
+*[[Adam Monroe]] is buried alive in the same [[cemetery]] with one of his victims, [[Kaito Nakamura]].
-* Noah, who was so determined to get West out of Claire's life, ends up asking him for help.
+*When [[West]] tells [[Claire]] revealing [[regeneration|her power]] won't bring [[Noah|her father]] back, she turns around to see him standing in the doorway.
-* [[Elle]], who thought Noah had a deathwish for kidnapping her, gets outsmarted by him and ends up shocking herself with her own power.
+*[[Peter Petrelli]] almost helped [[Adam Monroe]] to cause the Shanti Virus outbreak that he was intending to prevent.
+*[[Sylar]] shoots [[Maya]] at the same location where he killed [[Isaac Mendez]].
-===[[Truth & Consequences]]===
-* After killing [[Victoria Pratt]], [[Adam]] marks her photograph with the symbol in his own [[rapid cell regeneration|regenerative blood]].
-===[[Powerless]]===
-* [[Adam Monroe]] is buried alive in the same [[cemetery]] with one of his victims, [[Kaito Nakamura]].
-* When [[West]] tells [[Claire]] revealing [[regeneration|her power]] won't bring [[Noah|her father]] back, she turns around to see him standing in the doorway.
-* [[Peter Petrelli]] almost helped [[Adam Monroe]] to cause the Shanti Virus outbreak that he was intending to prevent.
-* [[Sylar]] shoots [[Maya]] at the same location where he killed [[Isaac Mendez]].
-===[[Episode:Angels and Monsters|Angels and Monsters]]===
+===[[Season Three]] recurrences===
+====[[Episode:Angels and Monsters|Angels and Monsters]]====
 *[[Nathan]] tells [[Tracy]] they can trust [[Mohinder]] to help them, and says he is completely harmless. Meanwhile, Mohinder has rendered [[Maya]] unconscious and seals her in a cocoon along with his other victims.
-===[[Episode:Dying of the Light|Dying of the Light]]===
+====[[Episode:Dying of the Light|Dying of the Light]]====
 *In a twisted game of Russian roulette, [[Claire]] is [[Puppet master|forced]] to pull the trigger on [[Meredith]] by [[Eric Doyle]]. However, the gun does not fire. [[Sandra Bennet|Sandra's]] turn is next, and she is forced to shoot Claire. Eric even remarks about the irony, comparing the situation to a Greek tragedy.
-===[[Episode:Eris Quod Sum|Eris Quod Sum]]===
+====[[Episode:Eris Quod Sum|Eris Quod Sum]]====
 *[[Elle Bishop]] starts a war on the Bennet's by [[electric manipulation|electrocuting]] [[Lyle]]. Lyle ends it by dumping a bucket of water on her, causing her to electrocute herself.
-===[[Episode:The Eclipse, Part 2|The Eclipse, Part 2]]===
+====[[Episode:The Eclipse, Part 2|The Eclipse, Part 2]]====
 *Sylar kills Elle, the person who saved [[suicide|his life]].
-===[[Episode:Our Father|Our Father]]===
+====[[Episode:Our Father|Our Father]]====
 *[[Sue Landers]] is [[Sylar's victims|killed]] by Sylar on her birthday.
 *[[Sylar]] ignites [[Elle|Elle's]] cremation with [[Electric manipulation|her own ability]].
 *[[Sylar]] says "No place I'd rather be than with family." to [[Arthur]] and [[Peter]],but soon he [[Lie detection|knows]] that Arthur lies to him.
-===[[Episode:Dual|Dual]]===
+====[[Episode:Dual|Dual]]====
 *Both [[Flint]] and [[Meredith]] blow up the [[Pinehearst]] and [[Primatech]] facilities, respectively, with [[pyrokinesis|fires they started]] and are engulfed in the flames themselves.
 *The night's events are similar to that of events that took place in ''[[How to Stop an Exploding Man]]'', in that one Petrelli brother [[flight|flies]] the other away from an explosive disaster.
@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
-===[[Episode:Building 26|Building 26]]===
+====[[Episode:Building 26|Building 26]]====
 *[[Sylar]] is not happy when [[Luke]] thanks him for coming back to help him, he just turns the radio on, only to hear ''"Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?"''.
 * The way that Noah Bennet was abducted by [[Matt Parkman | Matt]], [[Mohinder Suresh | Mohinder]] and [[Peter Petrelli | Peter]] was the same way he and [[The Haitian]] abducted [[Matt Parkman | Matt]] in [[One Giant Leap]] (e.g. A drugged drink that knocked him unconscious).
-===[[Episode:Cold Wars|Cold Wars]]===
+====[[Episode:Cold Wars|Cold Wars]]====
 * [[Noah]] gets kidnapped by [[Matt]], the same way he [[Bag and tag|kidnapped]] Matt in Season 1; made unconscious by a drugged drink.
-===[[Episode:Exposed|Exposed]]===
+====[[Episode:Exposed|Exposed]]====
 * [[Peter]] uses the hug with [[Nathan]] to [[Ability replication|replicate]] [[Flight|his ability]], just like [[Arthur Petrelli|his father]] used the hug to [[Power absorption|steal]] [[Empathic mimicry|Peter's powers]].
-===[[Episode:Cold Snap|Cold Snap]]===
+====[[Episode:Cold Snap|Cold Snap]]====
 * [[Eric Doyle]] is tied up like a puppet in Danko's apartment.
-===[[Episode:1961|1961]]===
+====[[Episode:1961|1961]]====
 * [[Angela]]'s attempts at protecting [[Alice Shaw|her little sister]] instead cause her harm, much in the same way [[Nathan]]'s causes harm to [[Peter Petrelli|his little brother]].
 * [[Angela]] tells [[Alice Shaw|Alice]] that she'll be safe if she stays in their cabin. Alice leaves the cabin for testing and uses her powers, which results in the camp being massacred by the soldiers.