Why doesn't HRG crush his glasses and get contacts? If he would do that then the painting wouldn't come true. If they can see a painting of a cheerleader in peril and change that then if he takes his glasses off he would alter the future. Everyone knows him as horn rim glasses man. Dye your hair and get contacts for crying out loud.

That's pretty funny

Well said, very well said.

To me, that's just another reason why the storylines should not have been changed to revolve around fan favorites, like HRG, who was not even intended to be a regular, much less the focus of Season 2's main storyline. Plot holes like this are bound to come up more often.

If they HAD to come up with a storyline reason, I'd suggest that HRG consider or try the idea but forgo it to avoid suspicion and questioning from his family. Perhaps he may attempt to leave the area after the seventh painting happens, but come back to save Claire if she is in danger.

Perhaps contacts bother his eyes too much. And I don't think Copy Kingdom has that great of an optical care plan so new glasses might be out of the question too.

He'd need to know under what circumstances he dies in order to change his fate.

nice thinking.

But I think that whatever is on the paintings WILL happen. That is how Isaac's gift works. We just don't know HOW it is going to happen.

Noah: >sees the painting< “Crap, I need new glasses.”

Sounds about right to me. I actually had the same thought, too. Then, destiny will have to yet another major rewrite like it did with the bomb last season and get some other guy with identical glasses to get shot through the eye and have a cheerleader and some shadowy dude stand nearby with one another...

...or he'll get rid of the glasses but through a series of vastly unforeseen fluke circumstances, he'll be forced into wearing an identical pair at some point in the future, and at that exact moment, he is shot in the eye.

In a world where Sylar drives Claire's stolen car, anything is possible.

Anyone saying that Mr. Bennet should get rid of his glasses obviously just wants him to die faster. If you want him to live, start a petition to get him a pair of bullet-proof lenses.

Yes. But it won't happen to him. It will happen to someone with horn rimmed glasses. Or, the second he crushes his glasses maybe the painting will change.

Isaac painted an explosion happening on the ground and a dead cheerleader and it didn't happen. Unless the painting was of the cheerleader that Sylar killed by mistake, in which case, nobody can tell who the blonde is in his current painting. He's not good with faces. I don't think Isaac has ever painted the future, just warnings of what may happen. His predictions are changeable. In this case, I say lose the glasses or give them to someone he doesn't like. Here Bob, try on these glasses, you'll look great in them.

Maybe Candice is still alive, and she was disguising as HRG? Forget it, that was just a crazy, wild and out-of-the-question guess.

Then again, about the explosion which 'didn't happen', I think it WILL happen, but much much MUCH later in the future.

But I guess Isaac's paintings are there so that when people see it, they can change the past so as to turn the bad future into good. Maybe THAT is the purpose of his gift.

If I were him, I'd stage the paintings scene. It only shows him laying on the ground, in a pool of dark liquid, with broken glasses, looking like he's dead. If he could fake the scene, the prophecy would come true.

Instead of trying to stop the picture from happening, he should figure out how to be alive, once it does.

PEOPLE the only way he can prevent the scene depicted in the painting is by finding out how it happens and who those other two people are in the painting.

I don't think the outcome of the paintings is set in stone, but the vast majority of them have come true, just not always the way we thought they were going to. Peter didn't die at homecoming, Hiro didn't fight a T-Rex, and the dead cheerleader was Jackie, not Claire.

There are a lot of different ways this could turn out. It could end up being his Halloween costume, or it may not be him at all.

One thing I am pretty sure about though, is that we won't find out until the end of the season. We've been shown 1/8 and 8/8. If they happen in order, that leaves 6 more paintings to go before Noah kicks it.

(1) Yes. If this is the case, then maybe HRG will indeed drop "dead" in a future episode as depicted in painting 8/8, but somehow someone will save him and he'll still be alive, just maybe with an eye patch.

(2) Yeah, same thought here. It will be like a countdown before HRG's "death".

If he did crush his glasses and get contacts, it's likely that when the time comes for his death he would be forced, somehow, to put on another pair of horn rimmed glasses as part of something he can't or won't avoid doing. That's how these things work. He'd have to save Claire or something, and the person who has to help him would be expecting somebody in HRGs and wouldn't trust somebody who isn't, for example.

I'd like to see that, or any of the proactive ideas listed. Or perhaps even a stray comment that changing his appearance wouldn't change his death. Even if his idea is defeated, it's silly to have him trying to figure out who Claire's boyfriend is as his main goal.

I don't think it's silly for that to be his main goal. I do think it's silly to think that taking off his glasses is going to save him from that fate, but you agreed with the other poster on that point. There's too little information in that painting for him to go by.

To everyone else: How can he possibly know that taking off his glasses is what's going to be the turning-point in history that will save him from that gruesome fate? What's to stop that scene from happening all over again even if he does take off the glasses, and he still winds up dead? What's to stop that scene from happening all over again if he stages one to look just like it?

You can't cheat at stuff like this. You have to figure out all the pieces of the puzzle before you can see the full picture.

He already knows 2 of the 3 people in that painting. Himself and Claire. But, he has no idea who that other person is in the painting. Wouldn't it be logical to think that if that person's ID were known, he would have a better chance at preventing that future-scene from occurring in the first place?

Seems a lot more credible to bank on than just taking off his glasses..

The blurry man, assumed by most to be papa Petrelli, seems to wear HRG in the picture of twelve.

I wish he would have just shown the painting to Claire. What better way to alter the future if both of them are in on it? But I suppose that would be too simple. Would totally kill the suspence of the viewers knowing current events are leading directly to his death.

Looking at it from Noah's point of view, his overprotective, paternal instincts are taking over. He wants to keep Claire in the dark for her own safety, and he believes he can solve this on his own. On the other hand, it seems like their relationship is de-evovling. What happened to the trust they built in season one? Noah is omitting information which is a form of lying, and Claire is outright lying to her father. I find it sad that both of their choices to lie are probably going to end up killing HRG.

But I guess that's the whole point of this storyline! Frustrating, but you just hope they figure it out before it's too late!

Note: Long time reader, first time poster!

HRG not wearing glasses won't stop him getting killed anymore than Hiro keeping the sword in the scabbard stopped him from encountering the "dinosaur".

And anyway, this is the 21st century, people. Laser eye surgery.

I agree with the above. Why couldn't he show her the painting, and talk about the possibility of her being angry at him... Not that bad story telling I would think. Then they would be side by side instead of against each other (again)

It is a fact that someone is depicted dead with horn rimmed glasses. As long as he is not wearing them then he is safe from what is depicted in the painting. If the glasses are crushed then he won't have them. I know it's dumb but that's how dumb the painting prophecy is. Peter and the exploding man knew that if they stayed out of New York the explosion wouldn't involve either of them. If Claire had not gone to homecoming it couldn't be her that died. The solutions to all the predictions were simple but were almost predestined to occur.

One of my points is that if HRG is hiding then why not grow a mustache and get contacts or a different kind of glasses.

So how would anyone know that by simply taking his glasses off would be the turning point in history? If they didn't look like anything in the painting then it couldn't be them. Also, why would any of them try to change anything if it is predestined to occur? If it is then HRG should be able to jump off the roof of a building and not die.

Then somehow you get a pair of glasses back. Or they are placed on you mockingly by the killer, etc..

So many ways for fate to bite you on the butt with that easy tactic.

It's a wiser plan to re-enact the scene in the painting with make-up and make it visually "true". Such that the event portrayed in the painting DOES happen. It just happens to be that the scene depicted in the painting is only visually true. Looks can be deceiving.

After you do that? THEN you ditch the glasses

You can't easily evade a prophecy of Isaac Mendez; but you might be able to cheat fate at its own game.

if does die and claire is close why cant she use her power to heal him. DL let Niki phase through walls by touching her. Why couldnt claire do the same thing for HRG

don't think her powers work like that...besides a blood transfusion is out of the question as Noah is not Claire's biological father...if Nathan was down then yeah it would be plausible for either Peter or Claire to give him blood

I agree..I mean, my god, "good thinking"? Are some of you people serious?

You think just because he wouldn't be wearing glasses at that moment, he wouldn't get shot?

Thats a very valid point, evidentally it's been established that this killer just really hated Horn Rim Glasses...nonthing else wrong with that scene at all.

Not to talk down to anyone but that is honestly oversimplifying of the tallest order, kind of like how Spider-Girl was dumb enough to think that if she wore a different colored costume, she wouldn't get shanked.

Sure enough, it happened just like in the vision except in spanking new colors.

Pretty much same exact science here for this theory.

I think the point here is that Isaac's paintings are very accurate. He will die while he's wearing his Horn Rimmed Glasses. If he stops wearing them, the image can never come true. It is a valid point, no matter how much you want it not to be.

Wait, are you talking to me or the thread starter?

The only way to resolve this is suspension of dis-belief, otherwise it just wouldn't make sense really. Oh and HRG is visually and maybe personality wise retconned by the main character from the movie Falling Down. He's Michael Dougla's character but since it was like over 10 years ago they dn't think too many people will notice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Falling_down.jpg

Oh dear lord..Where do you people come out of the woodwork?

Hilarious.

As for the glasses, you're right about the suspension of disbelief there.

No matter how accurate Isaac paintings can be, the scenarios they represent can also be altered.

Unless someone forces him to wear them, he doesn't have to wear the HRGS ever again, it's that simple. People can go on all they want about how Isaac's visions can't be altered but no one has challenged them on such a trivial front yet.

Noah knows he can avoid getting shot with his corrective lens on, the bottomline is it just doesn't matter.

I was talking to you, yeah.


I believe they can be altered, and agree that not wearing glasses probably wouldn't make a difference, but I also understand the point the thread starter was making. Who are you to belittle peoples opinions?

Isaac painted a big mushroom cloud blowing up New York and it didn't happen. Why didn't it happen? Because Nathan made a choice to fly his brother away. Surely he couldn't do something so simple to change history. I don't know why you think it's so rediculous that deciding to disguise himself and not where glasses wouldn't change his fate. Maybe he will still die but not the way depicted in the painting. That is all I was saying. And don't tell me that New York may still blow up or it did in an alternate timeline.

I know there is a lot of suspension of belief in this show and all superhero shows. I was just making a semi-joking comment when I started the thread. After all when Superman puts on glasses he is unrecognizable, even to his girlfriend, so nobody would recognize HRG if he took his glasses off.

As for the guy saying that Claire could save HRG by using her power similar to DL holding Jessica's hand and walking through the wall.. If they are both walking through wall how the heck can he hold her hand. He should have phased through her hand too. Another suspension of belief.

Furthermore, does anybody know just by looking at that painting the people are HRG, Claire and some guy or just a manbwith horned rim glasses, a blonde and a some guy. After all the painting of the dead cheerleader turned out to be just another blonde cheerleader. All I said was that particular painting couldn't occur without glasses because the man in the painting is wearing them.

After, I started the thread, I like the suggestion of staging the accident exactly like the painting so it would happen like the painting with no death. Hiro and the Dinosour turned out to be a waste of paint too.

The whole HRG being shot dead painting should have been brought to HRG's notice by Isaac himself in the 1st season!
Isaac paints the HRG painting[surely before the start of season 1 or so],it has the cheerleader in it and
....then in one of the episodes of season 1,HRG asks Isaac specifically to save his daughter,claire the cheerleader!
Isaac could atleast have made a reference to the fact that he had already painted something which had both HRG and claire together,especially since he viewed HRG as some kind of saviour and was helping him !

Possible plot hole?

Well, he was high when he painted those, and couldn't remember even painting them! That's probably why. Besides, addicts usually are preoccupied with the addiction all the time..

Sorry but all I'm asking for is a lil more common sense, Mr. Oversensitive.

Most people will get that and yes, the original theory and some of the supporting replies that started this thread are still hilarious because it doesn't make any sense at all.

I can respect somebody's opinion and I defend people on here that are skeptical of the show from time to time but when they posit no thinking behind it at all and just blurt it out, it's just a waste of time, so excuse me for questioning his flimsy logic.

I'm just not getting your point. You say Noah knows he can avoid getting shot by not wearing glasses. and that bottom line that doesn't matter. Why not? He also seems to think he is safe from getting killed as long as Claire doesn't have a boyfriend. He thinks that just by telling her it's okay to be a cheerleader as long as she promises no boys. So Noah knows that if Claire is honest and doesn't see boys he has nothing to worry about? Did I understand the scene correctly? How is that any different by altering the outcome shown in the painting by never putting on the glasses? I know the idea I posted was dumb to you but so is the writers saying that a painting can predict the future yet allowing the future to be changed. Noah believes he can alter it by keeping Claire away from boys. I say don't wear glasses. Anything he does, like move away from Claire, keep her away from boys, never wear his horn rim glasses will alter the painting's prediction.

HRG is afraid that if Claire gets close to a boy, she will spill her secret and put the family in danger.
As far as glasses or no glasses..Isaac's paintings can have different outcomes, so you may have a point, there ... there are no dumb theories ...

At the beginning of the episode he is looking at the painting on his laptop. It depicts him dead and a young blonde girl kissing a young dark haired guy. He immediately asks his wife if Claire's seeing a boy. He follows Claire to find this out. When she says she tried out for cheerleader he says fine just promise me no boys. He's talking about the painting, not their secret. At least that is my interpretation. If it were only the secret he wouldn't have caved on the cheerleader thing. He believes he is safe as long as there is no boy.

While I'm at it, he shouldn't where the checkered shirt either.

He was definitely "high" when painting them,but after that he atleast sees what he has painted ,right?[as seen in all epiosdes]
So,even by a glimpse of his painting;he could have talked about them to HRG as soon as HRG said that the cheerleader is my daughter!

Someone already said it, but it seems someone needs to say it again: That is not how it works. Re-enacting the scene will not help, taking of the glasses will not help. Matt Parkman is not stupid because he made Molly look for his father, HRG is not stupid because he keeps his glasses on.
HRG knows that taking off the glasses will not help, I know it won't and - sadly - only half the people on this forum know it as well.

Of course it wont work. The interesting thing to wonder about is if any of this would have happened if Isaac hadn't painted it.

Let's try to be rational. Do you imagine that had Claire changed her hair color and started wearing corrective lenses that Sylar would have somehow been deceived by this and not still targeted her?

Now, do you also imagine that the hunter of Noah Bennet would somehow not recognize his intended target because he, Noah, changed his hair and started wearing contacts?

The answers to these questions should be obvious, yes?

The ultimate predicted event, in order to be averted, must have the events leading up to it's occurance altered, nudging the resultant timeline off its present path. Knowing the other predicted outcomes leading up to this ultimate event gives Noah the greastest opportunity for preventing his own demise.

Alter, significantly, one of those earlier outcomes (depicted as leading up to painting "8/8") and send the resulting timeline on an alternate path, thus an alternate ultimate outcome. This is his best chance for self-preservation. Wouldn't you agree? Isn't this how it was demonstrated to work in season one?

As a precog, Isaac foretold the future. He did not create the future. This would not allow for free will and would make all predicted outcomes fated (fixed/unalterable).

The opportunity represented by the precog's power is the opportunity to change the predicted future, exchanging it for a more beneficial one (as demonstrated in season one).

That's Sir Oversensitive to you.

They are not the words of somebody who respects other peoples opinions. You're griping about others opinions.

I have already said I was half kidding when I started the thread. You say to be rational and we are talking about a comic book show. You make the funny comment like "Do you imagine that had Claire changed her hair color and started wearing corrective lenses that Sylar would have somehow been deceived" and yet Sylar killed the wrong girl simply because she was blonde and wearing a cheerleader costume.

I also said that in another comic book Superman takes off his glasses and is also unrecognizeable (also kidding). I said the painting shows a guy with horn rim glasses on the floor dead. Even if the killer recognizes him anyway, the painting can't come true without the glasses in it. It is unlikely that the killer would bring a spare pair. I'm not saying I'm a genius. I just love how people come to a discussion that is obviously not serious and tell us to be serious, use common sense and be rational. The explosion in New York didn't happen and was diverted by the simple decision made by Nathan. By your line of reasoning HRG can jump off a building and survive because he can't stop what Isaac painted because he has free will after all.

Hehehe, HRG in an eyepatch would rock my world !

EPM - Eye Patch Man

He'd have to be HRM after switching to a Horn-Rimmed Monacle!

Yeah, I'm sure he took a look at it before Simone sold it, but back then he didn't know he was actually painting the future, so he wouldn't have much emphasis in memorizing them and the next high would have been more important. Is what I meant.

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Dear Renrut,

Obviously, you were offended by my logical use of rational inquiry per your request to share an opinion. I trust you will forgive my offense and know that I will be certain to avoid your offers in the future. Be well.

Creator