Overview:
Sixteen years in the past, we learn that Mama Sulu was the host for The Catalyst and that Papa Sulu selected Claire as her successor. Claire changes her own diapers (!) while Hiro bonds with Mama Sulu, gets his memories back and persuades her to put The Catalyst in him. Having robbed Hiro of both his abilities and The Catalyst, Arthur combines The Catalyst with The Formula. He doesn’t get to see his superpowered army take shape, however, because Peter and the Haitian show up to shoot him. After establishing that Arthur definitely isn’t his father, Sylar helps the bullet along its trajectory.
Review:
These birds are pissed, Heroes! They want to know how you could go back to the Rooftop of Pigeonly Delight and not show either the ElderPigeons OR The Bearded One. And how, instead, you could tell a story that involves — of all things — a dove.
They might not have loved this episode, but I did. After half a season of secret formulas, catalysts, cocoons, amnesiac main characters and soap-opera plot twists, it’s a delight to finally get an episode that’s as poignant and thought-provoking as this one: an episode that deftly reverses several of the problems that plagued this volume, and one that — for the first time this season — truly showcases the brilliance of the show’s cast, writers and directors.
If you can get over Christopher Eccleston’s conspicuous absence after the last time this scene played out, the episode plunges into its story with astounding pace. Papa Sulu and Noah are talking in Japanese, Kid-Hiro’s playing his brick-sized GameBoy and BabyClaire’s peering up at her adoptive father. Papa Sulu hands BabyClaire over to Noah, and it might just be the way this was shot that makes it so much more obvious than it was in “Company Man,” but when Noah takes BabyClaire in his arms …
… he actually bends his legs. It’s a tiny detail, but it’s one of a million nuances Jack Coleman brings to his character. It shows how tentative and uneasy Noah was about this assignment being thrust onto him.
Claire realizes that the baby in Noah’s arms is herself, and I’m guessing it’s 10-year-old Hiro’s incomprehension that spares us any dialogue along the lines of, “Oh, me as a baby! Aren’t I pretty? Look how everyone loves me! Me me me me meeeeeeeee!” Remarkably, we’re this week spared any of Claire’s self-adoration or typical passive-aggressive whining. At first, I struggled to put my finger on why the Claire/Hiro scenes were so much more effective than any scenes Claire’s had with almost any character who’s not one of her parents this season.
Then the reason hit me:
Claire can’t bemoan what a lousy parent she thinks Noah’s been lately because it’d be like talking to a wall. Hiro probably wouldn’t even stop to listen.
Hiro: “‘Where is train station?’ ‘I must use toilet.’ ‘More waffles, please.’”
Very cute. It’s designed to be cute, but it flies because of the context and the delivery. It’s bookended by the adorableness of BabyClaire and Kid-Hiro, and its qualified by both 10-year-old Hiro’s proud smile when he recites the lines he remembers and by Claire’s “Yeah, that’s nice” look of disdain when she realizes who she’s stuck with. Well done, show: you’ve officially suckered me into liking these characters again.
Should 10-year-old Hiro remember living in a New York apartment? It was easier to explain in “Company Man” when the implication was that Papa Sulu had brought Kid-Hiro on a one-time business trip, but the revelation this week that the Nakamuras actually lived in the Deveaux Building — presumably even before Papa Deveaux did — makes it a tougher sell. Unless they’re repressed or Haitian-whammied memories, you’d think Kid-Hiro’s recollection of Mama Sulu dying here would spark off at least some associations when he ended up standing on the same rooftop in “The Hard Part.”
Too cute. There’s a comedic element which keeps you wondering if they’re going to trip and fall, but the other half of the appeal is that neither character really knows what they’re doing here until this scene; unlike the other instances when Hiro and Peter traveled through time, no one’s on a mission here. Even after Hiro and Claire realize what they need to do, the focus remains on the emotions rather than the objective. The pretext about The Catalyst takes a back seat to Hiro bonding with Mama Sulu and Claire meeting a hapless Sandra. The plot drives the episode in the end, but the emphasis throughout is more on what Hiro and Claire are feeling than what they’re working towards.
We meet Mama Sulu, who’s brilliantly played by Tamlyn Tomita and whose attachment to her son is so beautifully conveyed that you grasp how her death left Hiro emotionally stunted, and how it forced him even deeper into a fantasy life of comics and video games. Mama Sulu’s also so stunningly gorgeous that — between her and Sandra — I this week find myself torn between the show’s bountiful selection of hot moms.
Mama Sulu: “We must face the inevitable. I think it will happen tonight.”
A surprisingly crucial line, if only to establish that Mama Sulu was going to die whether she transferred The Catalyst or not, and that Hiro’s insistence on getting The Catalyst wasn’t the direct cause for his mom’s death.
“We must make arrangements for The Catalyst before it is lost forever.”
… Which would suck because …?
Seriously, why not let it die with Mama Sulu? The Nakamuras obviously knew enough to leave Arthur out of the loop; even if the ElderSuper photo was taken about now, it’s obvious the group was splitting off into separate factions and distrust was rife among them; Papa Sulu’s whole argument for nixing the decision to make his boy the next host is that he’s irresponsible and can’t carry the burden, so he obviously knew there were risks attached to keeping a part of The Formula active. So besides the potential for drama, what was the benefit of keeping The Catalyst? It’s not a plot hole, but definitely something left undeveloped. Papa Sulu’s rationale for keeping the project alive is never explained beyond the vague suggestion of scientific curiosity.
It looks like he’s ready to start bawling. Wonderfully played by George Takei. Solemn and affecting, and very consistent with the guy we’ll next see crying his eyes out at Mama Sulu’s funeral.
Papa Sulu growls contemplatively, then tells Mama Sulu that Noah’s baby is “the perfect candidate,” which has me cracking up at a moment that was meant to be earnest. I guess Papa Sulu might have known about the circumstances leading up to Claire’s birth, but the suggestion seems to be that he was mindful enough of his own son’s incompetence to choose some random baby he knew nothing about as the recipient of the family’s life-altering legacy.
Kid-Hiro sees the dove dying in its cage. The symbolism’s appropriately underplayed and Hiro’s cluelessness about what’s going on is nicely underscored, but get this, folks:
They used a Japanese newspaper in the cage. Now that’s attention to detail. Whoever came up with that — Ruth Ammon, Dena Allen, James Clark — they need a bouquet. The entire set for the Sulu Penthouse was beautifully made, the Manhattan skyline outside the window was so convincing you’d never realize it was CG, but details like this in the set production exemplify how much work went into this episode.
Mama Sulu: “This conversation isn’t over yet.”
Great dialogue, mostly because — even at this point — you trust that Armus and Foster are crafting their script with care. You know the dove isn’t just a diversion to a conversation that’ll never be mentioned again: you trust that they’re going to come back to it, and they do. This episode shines because there are ramifications, within the episode itself if not within the rest of the show. Conversations are interrupted, but they resume instead of ending up ignored or forgotten.
Kid-Hiro retrieves the bird from its cage and hands it to his mom. Looking back, it’s even more of an aww moment than it is at the time, because you realize Kid-Hiro had no idea his mom had a superpower. He was handing it to her because, like most kids, he believed his parents were infallible and omnipotent and could fix anything. In this case, Kid-Hiro’s parents pretty much are, but the point is he’s tapping into our own sense of childhood wonder and innocence.
We learn that Mama Sulu’s ability is essentially the same as Linderman’s, only it seems like she needs to kiss her benefactors instead of just touching them. Hiro realizes his mom can help him get his memories back without stomping on too many butterflies. Claire, on the other hand, seems a lot more gung-ho about rewriting history and preventing herself from becoming The Catalyst. And this, right here, is the first of very few complaints I have with this episode. It’s a defensible decision: Claire probably figured that if she never became The Catalyst, it wouldn’t matter if Team Pinehearst ended up capturing and vivisecting her. The problem is the way that rationale never becomes clear. You don’t get the sense that Claire’s trying to throw a wrench into Arthur’s plans; it’s more as if she’s trying to undermine Papa Sulu’s plans because being a component in a superpowered formula is an inconvenience for her.
To be fair, it could be even more straightforward than that: Claire might simply be thinking about how she can alter history so that she doesn’t end up getting shot and Sylar never ends up choking her father to death in their home. But this is where the language barrier with Hiro poses a problem, because if Claire couldn’t explain her motives to Hiro — which would be dumb, because he’d have no idea what she was saying — the alternative would be to explain them to Young Noah, which would screw up the timeline even more. There’s no obvious solution, but the result is that Claire’s attempt to avert disaster in the future ends up unclear. You never really get a handle on why she’s so determined to prevent Papa Sulu from turning her into The Catalyst.
Papa Sulu discovers Hiro and mistakes him for the chef who was supposed to prepare breakfast. Should we be wondering what happened to the real chef? Probably not. But I wouldn’t want to be him if Hiro hadn’t gone back in time and been standing here right now to cover his ass. That glare in Papa Sulu’s eyes is paralyzing. I love how Takei can move from tearful-and-torn-up to madder-than-hell in less than a minute.
Costa Verde Beachfront. Hiro wins a retroactive *PING!* Dumb As Peter Award for keeping the psychotic supervillains within comfortable traveling distance. Would it have killed Hiro to teleport Sylar to a deserted island?
Sylar answers his cell phone, and the impatient “What!?” he gives Arthur captures the shift in his storyline. “Dad” and “Sir” have become “Arthur.” Sylar’s eagerness to please has become brazen defiance. Nicely played by Zach, and a sign of how much he seems to be enjoying his role now that the whole Petrelli-with-a-Hunger arc has come to an end.
Elle’s cell phone turns out to be a Sanyo. I’m pleasantly surprised that the show resisted turning this into a Sprint plug, but also appalled that a Company agent stored a list of supers AND THEIR ABILITIES on a cell phone. I guess anyone who found or stole the phone would assume that “strength” and “superspeed” and “pyrokinesis” were dirty euphemisms, but what kind of idiots at Primatech and Pinehearst came up with this policy? Can you imagine the security breaches they’re dealing with every time a Company agent loses their phone? Or, you know, gets murdered with their phone on them?
Sylar pours lighter fluid over the woman he scalped, but pauses for long enough …
… to rest a hand on her arm, and then long enough …
… to look like this murder actually affected him. Or confused him. I’m not sure. Again, it’s a part of a story I wish could have been better developed, and something that shouldn’t have been left to speculation. It’s still unclear why Sylar killed Elle, and whether it was the eclipse or Noah’s revelation about his parents that snapped Sylar back into his first-season self.
Visually stunning, but also a subtle nod to the passion both actors put into their scenes together. As confused as the storyline turned out, there was no part of it that Zach and Kristen didn’t act the hell out of.
Midas Study.
Angela: “One shot to the back of his head and it’s done.”
Angela: “Three teaspoonfuls of sugar and a dash of nutmeg.”
Peter: “You want me to kill him?”
Peter: “You want me to leave out the cinnamon?”
Angela: “Why do you think I sent your brother and you to find the Haitian?”
Angela: “Why do you never listen to me when I tell you to add the cinnamon with the flour?”
Peter: “You poisoned Dad with the soup. Plus, you didn’t really send me to find the Haitian. I had to hitch a ride on my brother’s back and nearly got shot to prove I was useful.”
Angela: “I don’t think this is our actual dialogue, but as you may know, the Haitian can block Arthur’s powers.”
Peter: “Wow. Thanks for letting me know. I’d never have guessed he could do that after the time he blocked my own powers, wiped my memory and sent me to Ireland in a cargo container with nothing except my pants and my passport.”
Angela: “It’s all up to you.”
Peter: “Why can’t you do it?”
Angela: “There’s no other way…”
Peter: “Look! There’s Zach Quinto’s name in the credits! I can’t believe that popped up the exact moment you said there was no other w-”
*HAITIAN DEATH GRIP!*
Peter’s hand pausing over the gun was a neat touch, as was Angela’s barely-audible whisper when she recounts how she tried to kill the man she loved. Milo does a solid job with the furrowed brow and Cristine Rose reveals a layer of inner turmoil beneath the controlled exterior. But this is a transitional scene, and it doesn’t seem like anyone — the writers or the actors — quite knows what to do with it. The last time Peter and Arthur met, Peter was furious with Arthur and spurring Sylar on to “kick his ass.” The last time Angela and Arthur met inside a nightmare, Arthur tacitly acknowledged that he still loved Angela, and Angela seemed to have swayed Arthur. The shift in Peter and Angela’s perspectives here was jarring: Peter’s gone from “I’ve seen the future! Kick his ass! He’s going to end the world!” to “Oh, but is he REALLY evil? Do I really have to KILL him? Angela’s gone from “We were in love — you’re a vicious b*****d but I know a part of you still cares…” to “You’re a monster! Die!”
Peter was angry at Arthur in “Eris Quod Sum,” and Angela’s feelings for Arthur were palpable in “It’s Coming,” and the way the resolution to this storyline was set up in this scene seemed to overlook parts of the arc that led up to it.
Nathan returns to the Helix Compound to tell Papa Petrelli he’s taking over the business. The brief appearance by Flint and Knox was a nice nod to continuity, if only to remind us that they’re still alive. As with Doyle and Danny in “The Eclipse, Part I,” it’s also a sad reminder that the show never did as much with these villains as we hoped it would, and that the actors’ roles are more or less limited to standing in the background and looking menacing.
Tracy: “Your father sees the problems in this world — war, terrorism. He wants to make it a better place.”
And that might just be the most informative line we’ve gotten about the Daddy Villain’s endgame since he was introduced. It might actually be the only informative line we’ve gotten. It sounds a lot like Candice telling Micah that Linderman wanted to “heal the world,” the difference being that Linderman had four or five episodes — and one phenomenal scene with Nathan at the Corinthian — in which to set out a rationale for his drastic measures. Arthur never got that. He never got a scene to make his motives clear, or a moment to explain why he was so determined to finish The Formula and build his superpowered army. Robert Forster’s performance as Arthur was exemplary, but you have to feel sorry for an actor whose insight into the character was limited by a chronic lack of workable material.
We cut to a pre-Canine-Central Casa Bennet, where Claire poses as a neighbor’s niece and volunteers to be Sandra’s new babysitter.
Too cute. I’ll leave it to you to decide how ironic it is that Claire gets to fuss over herself, but the irony in no way undermines the cuteness.
Is that Sandra? She really does look like she’s 16 years younger. Part of it might be the tone of her scenes; we’ve never really seen her outside the golden glow of Odessa and Costa Verde, and the blue New York hue brings a fresh novelty to the character’s role this week. Part of it’s also that Ashley Crow plays Sandra the way she played her at the start of Season One — minus the dog obsession.
Sandra: “Noah’s very busy at work … Apparently, he’s very good at what he does.”
Brilliant dialogue, and brilliant delivery. You can hear a tinge of the pre-”Company Man” cluelessness, and her loneliness before Claire showed up.
Sylar visits one of the supers on Elle’s list. We learn that she has the ability to detect lies, which is accompanied by a whoosh, a shake of the camera and a pinging sound in the background. The execution’s a little cheap, but the ability itself is extremely cool. So cool, in fact, that you wonder how successfully the show will handle it. So much of the show’s storyline involves deception or manipulation, and now that Sylar has the ability to detect those, it’s going to be hard for any character to lie to him.
Not that you stop to think about that as this scene plays out, because it’s so morbidly amusing — from Sylar’s delivery uniform to the excited smile he gets when he asks if the ability “tingles” — that it’s hard to find fault with it or wonder how the show will get around it.
Sylar promises that stealing Sue’s ability won’t hurt a bit …
… then admits that he lied …
… and that it’s going to hurt a lot.
It’s as hilarious as it is scary, mostly because the horror’s undercut with humor, and because Zach — like David Anders earlier in the season — brings terrific comic timing to his scenes.
Sylar: “I almost forgot how good this feels.”
So did we. For all the complaints about how dull Sylar’s character arc will be if he’s limited to this, watching him fall back on a straightforward “want-power/take-power” impulse is oddly appealing. You know there are no ramifications: no guilt, and no attempts to rationalize the kill or foist the blame onto side-effects of a root ability. This is Sylar: a villain who taunts and terrorizes victims, and who enjoys inflicting pain while he gains an ability that makes him “special.”
“Cake?”
Line of the night. It’s funny for Zach’s “Oh, you shouldn’t have!” delivery, but also because it taps into the chasm between normality and fantasy.
Lair of the Nerds! We get an establishing shot of Daphne speedyzipping two people along with herself — one of whom (and I say this with the greatest respect for Grunberg) is Matt. I now have a renewed respect for both Daphne and her ability, because someone as petite as Daphne pulling a guy as big as Matt can’t be a small feat.
Matt actually apologizes to Nerdeo’s Boss for mind-reading him. Surprising and admirable. You’d expect Matt to Parkman-whammy people left and right as he became more adept at it, but the fact that he stops at mind-reading and even feels bad about it is a nice sign of the character’s growth and adjustment to his ability.
Helix Compound. Nathan pulls up a chair with Chad Faust. I’m not sure if this is an homage to The 4400 and a nod to both Kyle Baldwin and promicin, but the “similarities” are becoming alarmingly overt. Nathan warns Chad that this trial will “change [his] life in ways [he] can’t possibly imagine — forever.” Chad has his reasons and recounts how he lost 10 comrades while stationed in Iraq. It’s harrowing, but the appalling part is the way Nathan then plays on Chad’s guilt and decides he’s the guy to test the new version of The Formula on. By doing that, he’s effectively renouncing his role as a hero on the show. I’m willing to bet that Chad will be dead before the end of the next episode, but even if he doesn’t die, Nathan damns him by authorizing Mohinder to test the serum on him. Nathan condemns this guy to the same fate he suffered: the one where, if you’re not plagued with scales and bug-slime or dissected by a covert organization, you’re manipulated, exploited, pursued, isolated and left feeling like a freak. Nathan willingly inflicts this on an individual out of a sense of serving a greater good, and — at least where Nathan’s concerned — that’s what distinguishes this storyline from the bomb plot in Season One. Back then, Nathan was a tool. This time, he’s the one calling the shots. It’s sad to see the character become corrupt, but it makes for brilliant drama. It’s consistent with the character we’ve seen, it dovetails with the character we saw in “I Am Become Death,” and it’s a chance for the show to work with the kind of complex moral ambiguity it should have been playing with throughout the volume. Well played, writers.
Sulu Penthouse. Hiro tries to cook breakfast for his mom. Aww. Papa Sulu laments that his son is “irresponsible.” Mama Sulu tells him to “give him a chance.” I love the vigorous nod Hiro gives when he hears that, and I have to say, I’m going to miss this version of the character. Masi used this storyline to capture everything that was entertaining about his character at the start of the show, and the writers wrote him with more courage, heart and initiative than they ever wrote Adult-Hiro.
Papa Sulu concludes that Hiro “will never amount to anything.”
Aww.
Double aww. It’s nothing new, but it never gets old, and it never fails to be adorable.
Casa Bennet. Claire warns BabyClaire about the perils of fifth-grade romance. Aww.
Then:
Hiro — what have you done? You’ve brought Jack Coleman forward in time from his Dynasty days!
Noah interrogates Claire, and Claire’s pretty much, “I’m … uh … Damn, Dad, what is your secret?” Well done, Heroes Make-Up Department.
Props to Coleman for the Company-groomed glare of suspicion. Props also for the way Noah barely looks at his daughter, and for the near-total lack of empathy he shows either BabyClaire or Sandra. You get a sense of how little he wants to let BabyClaire mean to him, and how little he trusts Sandra with the truth about how the baby ended up with them.
Noah stares at Claire with so much ferocity that you wonder if it’s possible for his eyeballs to pop out of their sockets, sprout knives, slice their way down Claire’s throat and rip out her entrails. Sandra nervously asks if this has “something to do with how [they] got the baby.” Well done to the writers for at least addressing the issue: at least we know Sandra asked how a paper salesman ended up having a baby dropped in his lap; presumably, she didn’t push too hard because she bonded with BabyClaire so quickly.
Claire articulates Noah’s reluctance to care about an assignment that could be snatched away at any time.
Claire: “This little baby will be in your life for at least 16 more years, and many more — hopefully — after that.”
Was I the only one whose ears pricked up at the hopefully?
Even BabyClaire gets an alarmed look at that part. Or maybe it’s more, “Am I really going to become this melodramatic?”
Noah looks like the steely Company surface is cracking. Damn, even I’m kind of moved. Noah gets a call from Papa Sulu, Claire insists that his “ClaireBear” is fine the way she is, and then:
Aww.
Awwwww!
Claire will probably find she’s messed the timeline up irrevocably with this stunt, but, damn, that was a moving scene. A little theatrical on Hayden’s part, but very moving.
This would usually be the part where Ando grins over a bar of gold or Hiro gets a leg up to an air vent. In defiance of the trend this season, Hiro’s next scene trumps the previous one by not only being even more emotionally draining, but also advancing the story and opening a door for Hiro’s character arc that’s as promising as Claire’s.
Hiro prepares waffles, syrup and orange juice and tells his mom he doesn’t know how to make Tamagoyaki. Damn, even that gets an aww out of me. This episode really is trying to turn me into an emotional wuss. Stop it, show!
Beeman mentions on his blog that he took the reins on these scenes, and looking at Masi’s performance, you can tell. As with every Beeman-directed episode, there are nuances that the actor and director almost certainly came up with on the spot: Hiro’s nervous shuffle with the tray, the deferential nods and half-bows he gives his mom while he’s still pretending to be a chef, and the soothing voice he uses to greet his mom because he knows she’s sick.
Mama Sulu immediately recognizes something familiar about Hiro. You could write that off as a necessity for the plot, but it also says something about Mama Sulu’s perception and the bond between her and Hiro. The way Masi delivers the line about not even being sure how his ability works, you also realize how scared and confused the 10-year-old Hiro must have been, and how much he must have wanted to fall into his mom’s arms from the moment he saw her.
Mama Sulu gushes about how proud she is to see her son grown up, then learns that he’s a tabula rasa from the age of 10 and restores his memories.
Dear HEROES,
Now that Hiro has his memories back, please don’t turn him into a d*%k again. He sucked as the guy who was so bored that he opened his dad’s safe and started this whole mess, but he turned out to be pretty cool when he was a 10 year old because he actually felt bad about Charlie and Kensei and his dad’s death, and he actually got stuff done by teleporting around really fast. Please don’t screw the character up because we kind of liked him better as the 10 year old.
Thanks!
P.S. Please don’t bring Maya back.
P.P.S. Guys: Mohinder, a bug? Seriously, what were you thinking?
Mama Sulu asks Hiro to tell her about his life. Where to begin? Became a dork, learned to travel through time and space, went on a mission to America, fell in love with a hot waitress, stabbed a guy, went back to the 1600s and pissed off another guy so much he became a lunatic and founded the group Papa works for, let Papa get pushed off a rooftop by the same lunatic, buried the lunatic alive, took over Papa’s business, lost a magical formula, went to an African desert, lost memories, played spitball in a bowling alley, read lots of comics, and teleported here.
Or he could tell Mama Sulu he “saved the world … twice.” Which sounds a lot more impressive, but isn’t really truthful, because the first time it was the frying man who saved New York from exploding, and the second time it was his little brother who incinerated the virus that was going to wipe out the population.
But look:
She’s so proud of him!
Mama Sulu: “I always knew you were meant for greatness.”
Aww. Who cares if he bent the truth a little?
Hiro volunteers to become the next host for The Catalyst. I want to praise Hiro for his determination, but given that he lost his father’s half of The Formula within seconds of unlocking it from the safe, I have to agree with Papa Sulu.
Mama Sulu disobeys Papa Sulu by agreeing to give Hiro The Catalyst. Between this, Sandra and Angela, I’m beginning to wonder if the show’s trying to make some kind of statement about overbearing husbands and the smart-and-capable wives who stand up to assert their authority.
At this point, I kid you not:
Hiro’s glasses are misting up. It’s about the millionth aww of the episode, but it’s so well deserved.
Cool effect. Nothing extravagant, but the warm glow’s a nice contrast to Chad convulsing after he gets The Formula.
Mama Sulu dies, and I find myself wishing the show would find some way to bring her back — Magik Blood, dream sequence, flashback, whatever — because Tamlyn Tomita and Masi knocked this scene out of the park.
We cut to present-day New York and catch a glimpse of another world-split-in-half painting splashed across a building. I suddenly realize we’ve nearly reached the end of this volume without those ever being explained. This painting’s so high up that it must have been painted by someone who can fly; and if it isn’t someone who’s clairvoyant, it’s got to be someone who traveled back in time with several tins of paint. Maybe I’m overthinking this.
The Haitian: “To kill one’s own father is a horrible thing.”
Indeed. So horrible that you wonder why Angela gave this sucky assignment to Peter instead of undertaking it herself. I get that she’s running Team Primatech and delegating field ops, and I get that this is probably a grim rite of passage for the wimpy son whose idea of rebellion was becoming a nurse. But we know Angela has no issues with killing Arthur. It would have made more sense for Angela to come along, and to supply the Haitian with his own gun as Plan B. Angela wins a *PING!* Dumb As Peter Award.
Sylar leaves the Office of Normality and steps into an elevator. There’s probably a lot to analyze about this scene …
… but the image says it all. That, and, “It does kind of tingle.”
Lair of the Nerds. Nerdeo’s Boss lets Matt, Daphne and Ando know that the sketchbook was found in a locker after Nerdeo was fired, and that “every fanboy in the city’s been trying to grab it.” Daphne opens the sketchbook, and the first page seems to be “Hiro Lost In Time.” If Hiro and Claire were hiding in the greenhouse in the first edition of 9th Wonders and this is the first sketch in Isaac’s sketchbook, the implication seems to be that Isaac painted events in near-chronological order, including events altered by people traveling back through time. Which is way too much of a continuity headache for me to contemplate, because it implies that Isaac’s clairvoyance includes events that take place in the past, and events that have been altered by people knowing what happens because of clues they’ve found in Isaac’s comics.
Rooftop of Pigeonly Delight. Hiro lets Claire know that he’s taken the burden from Claire and that The Light is in him now. Astonishingly, Claire’s not pleased to have gotten what she wanted:
^ ^ Furious!
Wasn’t she trying to stop herself from getting The Catalyst? Shouldn’t she be jumping for joy? IS THERE NO PLEASING HER?
Arthur shows up.
Wait, what?!
WHAT?!
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?
Did he just to decide to teleport to the day Claire was born and grab The Catalyst then and there? Did he sketch that he was going to meet Hiro and Claire on the Rooftop? Did he read a bunch of 9th Wonders comics and find the same clue that Breckin did last week? Did Peter absorb Molly’s ability at Superhero Square, did Arthur get Molly’s ability when he stole Peter’s abilities, and does Molly’s ability extend to finding people in different timeframes?
I’m going to go with the simplest one: he knew when Claire was adopted from her file, and he teleported to a couple of timeframes to establish where and when The Catalyst was transferred to her.
Arthur TK’s Claire across the terrace. Hiro … stands there and babbles about stopping Arthur and saving the cheerleader. OH. MY. GOD. It’s started already? You know the 10-year-old version would have grabbed Claire and teleported out of there immediately.
Arthur absorbs Hiro’s ability and The Catalyst, sadly proving Papa Sulu’s suspicions about Hiro’s inability to protect The Catalyst correct, and gets …
… the maniacal gaze before TK’ing Hiro over the rooftop. And doesn’t even check for a body. In theory, Hiro now has 16 years to climb from the flagpole to a window and plan how he’s going to overthrow Arthur. He also has detailed knowledge about events leading up to Angela’s first attempt to kill him, and who he needs to find to stop Arthur in the present. Arthur wins a *PING!* Dumb As Peter Award for failing to wipe Hiro’s memories, snap his neck and Ted-nuke the corpse.
Arthur teleports back to the Helix Compound and transfers The Catalyst from himself to The Formula. Peter and the Haitian stroll through the Pinehearst lobby, apparently only meeting one incompetent guard on the way to the top-secret about-to-change-the-world-with-a-scientific-breakthrough lab. You’d think Arthur would have recruited better security for this building.
Arthur predicts that Peter doesn’t have the nerve to kill him, and he’s pretty much proven correct, which leads me to wonder whether — on top of the statement about formidable wives defying their husbands — the show’s trying to make a deeper statement about sons inevitably disappointing their fathers. Looking back, I have to ask: shouldn’t this volume have been titled “Families”?
The Haitian looks like he’s about to barrel over from the exertion of blocking Arthur’s abilities. Interesting detail, because it suggests the power involves a level of focus, and that there are different degrees to blocking abilities.
Peter finally gets the courage to kill his father. And, sure, it wasn’t actually Peter who sent the bullet into Arthur’s head, but he shot with the intent to kill his father, so it’s close enough.
Incredibly well done. I love how you can still see the bullet spinning when it’s frozen, and how the camera lingers on that shot and allows you take in the one moment when Arthur looks genuinely afraid.
Let me get this straight: Peter pulled the trigger, Arthur TK-slashed Peter across the face, Sylar froze the bullet and TK’d Arthur and Peter to the spot, and the Haitian regained his mojo and re-blocked Arthur but not Sylar.
It’s elaborate, but not so much that it pulls you out of the intensity of the scene. Amazingly, the pause in the confrontation helps to make it even more intense, because at this point — after half a season of flitting back and forth between allegiances — you can’t predict how Sylar’s going to let it play out. You don’t know if Sylar’s going to let the bullet fall or ricochet it back to Peter.
The lie detector serves a purpose to the larger story arc. So the morbid humor contributed something to the main story as well as reestablishing Sylar’s role as the central villain of the show. With hindsight, it reaffirms how carefully structured this episode was, and how every scene counted.
And *BAM!*, away goes the bullet, and down goes Arthur.
Goodbye, Arthur! You were a formidable villain, you were expertly portrayed, and you scared the heck out of me. We wish your character arc had been better realized, and we wish we could have known what your real motives were. You were a pivotal part of several main characters’ lives, so we’re sure to see you in many flashbacks and dream sequences.
I can’t figure out if Peter’s also hoping to see Arthur in many flashbacks and dream sequences. It looks like a lot of his issues have been resolved, and honestly, I’m kind of getting used to pretending that this whole Sylar Petrelli arc was something in an alternate reality, so it might be for the best if every part of this volume’s story comes to an abrupt end.
Sylar tells Peter there’s nothing Peter has that he wants. Well, sure, but the quiet dude behind him? Blocking your opponent’s ability isn’t something you’d be interested in? No? OK then …
The Haitian pursues Sylar and leaves Peter to practice his furrowed brow. We cut to Nathan looking earnest in the lab. Chad’s been injected with The Formula, finished convulsing and ripped a chair from its hinges. All of which look a lot cooler than when Mohinder did pretty much the same stuff 11 episodes ago. It’s as if we’ve come full circle.
It’s also as if this episode belonged to a different show, and in the best possible way. There were plotholes, but none of them too critical. There was little to no Angela and Mohinder’s role was close to a non-speaking part, but everyone was here, everyone was in character, and — surprisingly so far this season — everything they did was consistent.
Will that last? Probably not. We’ve seen Claire experience something life-changing and grow up, only to turn bratty the following episode. We’ve seen Hiro experience loss and become wise beyond his years, only to end up sitting in his father’s office feeling bored.
I want to believe that won’t be the case this time, and that this is a starting point for the show to head in a new direction. With Arthur gone, all of the time-travelers either dead or powerless and the Pinehearst storyline looking like it’s drawing to a close, the show has a chance to change and to build on the character arcs it developed in this episode. Claire gained a deeper understanding of her father; Hiro had a chance to say goodbye to his mother and to see his life through his mother’s eyes; Sylar once again became a villain who delights in his own villainy and who’s free of soap-opera baggage; Nathan’s slowly becoming his father; and Peter managed to put the greater good ahead of his own feelings, even though he kind of biffed it.
How much of that will be relevant five episodes from now? If you’re optimistic, all of it. If you’re cynical, little to none of it.
Either way, does that undermine this episode? In no way. Even if it only works as a standalone episode or an alternative continuation of the show that created “Company Man” and “Cautionary Tales,” this was a defining moment. This was on the same level as the show’s previous highlights, and it’s proof that Heroes is far from unsalvageable. The writing was exquisite, the storyline was heartfelt and amusing, and Hayden and Masi each delivered some of their finest performances on the show.
More of this, please!
5 out of 5
Amen! This was the best episode of the season by far, although I was kinda hoping to see Arthur’s TK attack on Peter give him the future!Peter scar we’ve been looking for for a while. The 16 years of Hiro being stuck in the past also (hopefully) sets up for future Hiro.
Here’s to the future!
Good review. As always!
Mama Sulu asks Hiro to tell her about his life. Where to begin? Became a dork, learned to travel through time and space, went on a mission to America, fell in love with a hot waitress, stabbed a guy, went back to the 1700s and pissed off another guy so much he became a lunatic and founded the group Papa works for, let Papa get pushed off a rooftop by the same lunatic, buried the lunatic alive, took over Papa’s business, lost a magical formula, went to an African desert, lost memories, played spitball in a bowling alley, read lots of comics, and teleported here.
ROFLMAO! It’s so true.
The stuff in the present meant nothing to me. I’m just done with those story lines. Arthur-As-Deus-Ex-Machina with Hiro flat out pissed me off. But, the rest of the ep. in the past was cool.
I’m now wondering about Claude. I got the impression that Noah recognized Claire and really processed what she was saying. That lends credence to my alt-interpretation of the shooting, as Noah shoots Claude to protect Claire (exposure of partner exposes me and Claire-Bear), and he masks his feelings to hide from Company telepaths. Will the writers think of that theory or work with it? I doubt it. But, it’s nice even if its only a subtextual accident on their parts.
Wow. I honestly didn’t think we’d get a 5 out of 5 this volume (and I do think you’re being a bit too generous - this is no “5YG”,”CM”, or “CT”), but I was proven wrong. I really liked this ep, though, and Masi does indeed deserve mad props for the scene with Ishi.
What this episode does, essentially, is re-retcon so much stuff to nearly render the previous 11 episodes nonexistent. I’m especially referring to the Sylar storyline. It’s like the writers finally decided that the Sylar-as-a-Petrelli arc was a bad idea, so they did away with it. I’m glad, since I agree that it was a bad move, but as you said last week, a full 360 just confuses us more than the previous 180. I’m not sure whether to be happy that Sylar is back to his usual self, or pissed about the re-retconning. I think I’m going with the former. That said, it does seem like the writers are making it up as they go, which is disheartening to say the least.
Good review.
Otto, I’m not sure that Nathan crossed the line this episode. He DID get the guy’s consent to test the Formula on him, and the guy wanted power to protect his fellow troops. I’m witholding judgement to see if Nathan will cross the line. He definitely hasn’t become Mohinder yet.
There were several reasons to keep the formula around. It could be useful, as pointed out in this episode, if they needed a time-traceler and there were none around.
I think that Sylar didn’t go after the Haitian because he knew that the Haitian could block Sylar’s abilities now that he didn’t have to concentrate on blocking Arthur’s.
Pete,
That said, it does seem like the writers are making it up as they go, which is disheartening to say the least.
They are making it up, as they go along. Check out this article:
http://www.syfyportal.com/news425586.html
I loved this episode. Amazing, I am still amazed about everything, it almost made me forgot the screw ups this seasons.
Honestly I didn’t found that much of a plothole Sylar not going after the Haitian, he problably realized it wouldn’t be easy, so he left that hoping for another chance. Without having to block Arthur’s abillities it would be easy for him to block Sylar’s and I think he didn’t block the two of them at the same time because they’re both too powerfull.
I don’t know what is wrong with making it up as they go along. They always did this, I think that they got something wrong, but wasn’t because of that, and honestly, after an episode like this I don’t think that they are just saying things for no reason whatsoever.
And I still think that Sylar can be Peter’s brother, just not Arthur’s son. Angela had proven to not be the most faithfull. And I hope that’s true, because Sylar being so fooled and NOTHING being true? It just my opinion.
Wonderful review, Otto. It’s good to see you really enjoying the show again.
The scene with Hiro and his mother was absolutely one of the best, if not the best, moment on TV. It was so well done by everyone involved - the actors, directors and everybody else including the music - it was perfect.
It makes me hate the fact that Arthur ended up getting the Catalyst so quickly because of how earnest Hiro with his Mom, I really didn’t want him to fail this time … at least not so quick and easily.
Thanks again for taking the time to write this up.
Nathan wise - I don’t think he’s evil by giving the marine the injection. From his POV, he’s helping the guy. And Nathan knows what it’s like to feel powerless (see 301) and in the services, so he probably rationalises that this guy NEEDS a power.
Hiro’s scenes - An Emmy each. for Masi and Tamlyn. End of.
Otto - in terms of Isaac’s paintings, technically he’s painting Hiro and Claire’s future. They hadn’t gone back in time when he did the issue, it was a fair while after. And while it is set in the past, it’s something they chose to do in the future.
re: making it up as they go along… and? This isn’t Lost.
Raissa -
Yeah, I guess my previous commentary was worded pretty badly - I have previously read articles like the one you posted, so I already know for a fact that they’re making it up as they go. I guess what I meant to say was that the constant retconning in Volume 3, especially Sylar’s arc, is just more sad proof of this fact.
Here’s hoping that Volume 4 brings some more consistent characters.
Pete,
I’m with you. I just want them to be consistent, less bi-polar and plot driven.
Brynna, thank you. I agree, it would have made a lot of sense if Peter got his scar while powerless, and it would have been weirdly fitting if he got it from his dad.
Do you think we’ll ever see how Peter gets his scar? I think it was such a strong visual clue to identify Future-Peter, and now that he’s dead, I wonder if we’ll only see how he got it much closer to the end of the show’s run, if at all. I’m with you, though: it’d be really cool to see how it happened.
Raissa, I’m curious about the “Arthur-as-deus-ex-machina” angle. Did you think him showing up in the past was a total cop-out? I thought it came out of leftfield and could’ve been better explained, but when you think about it, it’s not like it’s impossible. Arthur realized Sylar wasn’t going to bring him The Catalyst, so — as per going after Hiro in the desert — he decided to get the job done himself. I like that he made the most of Peter’s abilities by using time-travel to help him.
I think HRG must have known he was looking at an older version of his daughter. The way the camera cut between all three pairs of eyes, it seemed like the show wanted us to know that HRG knew what we knew.
I like the theory on HRG’s motives for shooting Claude. How differently do you think the timeline would have played out after this? If HRG knew The Company wasn’t going to take Claire away from him, do you think he would have bonded with her earlier? HRG probably would have stopped thinking of Claire as an assignment much sooner if knew he could afford to. It makes me wonder how stuff like the deleted bears-from-around-the-world scene in “Company Man” would have turned out if Noah had let his attachment to Claire develop sooner.
Pete, cool beans if we disagree on whether this was one of the show’s gems. It’s only my opinion, as always. This one spoke to me the same way those did, so I didn’t think it was too generous to compare it to “Company Man” and “Cautionary Tales.” Hopefully that didn’t come across as too sacrilegious. I’d like to think the show’s best moments aren’t all behind it.
“I’m not sure whether to be happy that Sylar is back to his usual self, or pissed about the re-retconning.”
You and me both. I’m leaning towards “happy” as well, mostly because a lot of the “hungry Sylar Petrelli” arc didn’t work for me, and I’d rather the show threw continuity out the window here instead of trying to salvage it. But I agree, it is a pickle for the show. They got themselves into this mess, and they should have stuck with it so that we didn’t end up feeling like we watched a big part of this volume for nothing.
Michael, Ian, I hear what you’re saying about Nathan, but I’m going to have to stick with my original take. Nathan got Scott’s consent, but the whole point is surely that Scott had no idea what he was consenting to, and he was plagued with remorse over what happened in Iraq — and Nathan took advantage of *both* of those things.
That’s the first part that screamed villain to me. The second is that Nathan knows what he’s inflicting on Scott: either an agonizing deterioration — scales, slime, insanity — OR the rest of his life with an ability that’ll alienate him from everyone he cares about. Nathan knows this because — as much as he might enjoy the perks of flying — he knows why he had to keep his ability to himself. I think you could point to Nathan’s dialogue to Simone in “Unexpected” — about rounding the supers up and dumping them on an island — and argue that Nathan knows exactly what he’s dragging Scott into. That’s why I argued that he’s even more represensible as a self-aware villain than he is as a delusional or inadvertent one.
Nina, I’m with you on Sylar still having a family tie to Angela. Their scenes came across as far too sincere to be a pretense, so, like you, I’m hoping it doesn’t all turn out to be a hoax. A family reunion between Cristine Rose, John Glover and Zach? That scene is going to rock my world.
Susan, thank you. I agree about Hiro undermining Ishi’s confidence in him. I really felt bad for Hiro because he basically proved Kaito right: he does screw everything up. Do you think that makes Ishi’s faith in Hiro more tragic, though, or does it just make it misplaced?
Otto - John Glover is going to rule on this show… and apparently there’s a BIGGER casting coup not yet unveiled.
Otto, that would be amazing. Cristine Rose, John Glover and Zach. I’m so excited with him on this show. a BIGGER casting than him? Oh dear God, who? I’m loving this. The next episodes sound so exciting, I’m really hoping that Heroes go back to the 1st season awesoness (I’m not sure if this is a word, but I don’t care)
Am I the only one wo is this excited? Cause I’m going crazy!
Otto, I do agree with you in your Nathan’s vision, and with what I saw about the next episode it will confirm it. Honestly? I am loving it. Nathan as a bad guy sounds good, and is what every possible future seems to point. A villain who thinks he’s doing good with the world, the same way as his father and Linderman did.
Altough it felt confusing and too sudden I liked the Sylar’s redempction arc, and don’t think is something wrong with the show with showing us that. They should’ve done that slower and better, but if you think about it does fit with the carachter. He always wanted to feel special in somebody’s eyes, and never felt like his original family was his family after all. It was a smart move on the Petrelli to try to work on the momma issues, but at the same time really stupid.
They now provided the world with a even worst Sylar, and that couldn’t happen if the good Sylar arc hasn’t. I know that arc was confusing, but somehow that led to the Sylar in this episode. Meaner and Cooler than ever. (sorry, I’m a big Sylar fan) The cake scene will be remenber forever, and I’ll never hear the world ‘cake’ as the same ever again.
So in conclusion, I think that the entire arc, even being as messed up and confusing as it was, drove Sylar to be worst than he was, and after all that is a good thing. At least for me.
Raissa, I’m curious about the “Arthur-as-deus-ex-machina” angle. Did you think him showing up in the past was a total cop-out?
It isn’t a cop out in relation to Arthur. But, it is a cop out in relation to everyone else. The fun in a really good villain is watching that villain twist other people into knots. Arthur doesn’t twist. He just stops them cold. The fun is watching dynamic protagonists grow in reaction to relatively static evil, as a contrast to that more static evil. Hiro’s growth was stunted. Add to that the pacing, which screamed “We need to wrap this up in ep. 12,” and it’s a cop out. Arthur is a deus ex machina in the worst modern sense in that he comes in at the last minute, because the plot demands it, negating the hero.
Deus ex machinas worked for Homer and other ancient writers, because ancient peoples accepted that the universe was larger than they were with more powerful forces in it. So of course the gods would intervene. But, when the gods intervened the heroes learned valuable lessons about hubris, loyalty, whatever. The problem is that Hiro learned his lessons from his Mom. These lessons were then mechanically negated by deus ex machina Arthur, and the pacing doesn’t allow him to provide Hiro with new ones. In terms of narrative structure and characterization, it’s an abysmal failure. Yes, I’m an English major. It’s a blessing and a curse.
I like the theory on HRG’s motives for shooting Claude. How differently do you think the timeline would have played out after this? If HRG knew The Company wasn’t going to take Claire away from him, do you think he would have bonded with her earlier?
Yes, I do. But, I’m biased. I always thought he bonded with her earlier than people thought and just hid it for protection. The Claire-In-Time scenario just provided a possible how, a catalyst, if you will.
So, the whole point of the Gabriel Petrelli arc was to give Sylar a new list of victims? Couldn’t he have worked from the files he stole from the Bennett House? Even a short scene of him turning over the Midas Office would have been preferable to Elle’s phone. (This episode has aired down here yet, but you get what I’m saying.)
On a side note: If Nathan marries Tracy, Claire and Micah will be cousins. That brings Monica into the Bennett-Petrelli-Gordon extended family. Is there anyone on this show not related to the cheerleader? *headache*
Thank you for your reviews, reading them has helped me regain my love of Heroes.
Good ep summary. There’s two things I’d like to add. Hiro is left in the past with his younger version so he will have a path back to the future is he just opens up to himself. And the biggest point is that Angela specifically said the back of the head, not the front of the head. I think Arthur is not dead yet. And as for HRG recognizing an 18 year old vesion of a newly acquired daughter that isn’t of his own blood - no. He see’s Claire as one of “them with powers” but she isn’t on anyone’s hit list since she came from the future. Hiro’s mom recognizing Hiro makes sense as she’s known the little Hiro for 10 years (is that how old he is?).
HRG’s always been shown as intuitive and perceptive, so I can buy either:
a) He recognises that the woman in front of him is Claire,
b) She’s someone whose time-travelled.
I think at the very least, he realises that Claire’s going to be alive for sixteen years… if he protects her.
Otto,
I agreed with nearly everything you said and loved the episode. This is kind of out of the blue, but I was thinking about some of the bigger plotholes and unresolved stories we’ve had so far and one in particular jumped out at me. At the end of Season 2 we see Angela on the phone talking about Pandora’s Box with heavy implications that she had a role in Nathan getting shot. In hindsight, what on earth was going on? That was a major cliffhanger…and they never resolved it. Who was she talking to? Did she call up Future Peter and tell him to come back in time to shoot his brother? Given the ridiculousness of that idea, and the disdain with which she treats her future son, I think not. So then what was she talking about? This really bothered me and I wonder if you have any ideas. Maybe this was solved and I missed it…
Ian,
“John Glover is going to rule on this show…”
… is my feeling exactly, and I can’t wait to see what he brings to the story. I feel like a hypocrite for saying that because I scoffed when people made a big deal about Kristen Bell joining Heroes, but this casting coup is a huge deal to me. The way Glover played Lionel on Smallville and the presence the guy brings to every other part he plays, you know he’s going to light up every scene his character gets on this show.
Nina, I’m looking forward to watching Nathan turn dark as well, but I’m not even sure that’s where this storyline’s going. I think Nathan has a villainous streak, but I’m not sure the show will ever try to spin him into a clearcut villain. Nathan strikes me as a lot like HRG in that respect: he’s ideal material for storylines that focus on moral ambiguity. I’m a little disappointed Nathan wasn’t used more for “Villains”: his whole deal with being the favorite son/condescending big brother/power-hungry politician seemed like a great starting point for a corrupt and conflicted character. Hopefully that’s going somewhere with these final episodes of the volume, and hopefully it’ll develop in the next volume.
Raissa, very interesting point about the show wrapping up Arthur’s storyline in the penultimate episode of the volume. It didn’t occur to me until now, but I wonder if Linderman’s death in 1.22 and now this suggests a pattern in the storytelling. Maybe the villain of the volume will always be killed off ahead of the finale to shift the focus back to the mains?
I have to disagree about Arthur never twisting the other characters: I think you could point to Sylar in 3.07, Angela in 3.08 and Nathan in 3.09 and argue that he’s had a considerable influence on all of those characters. Perhaps too much of it was only implied and more could have been shown on-screen, but as far as twisting the mains goes, I think he definitely chewed up Nathan, and he’s a pivotal part of what turned Angela into such an externally cold-hearted Company Woman.
Do you think Arthur removing the catalyst from Hiro negates Ishi’s faith in him, or do you think it somehow makes that faith more tragic? It’s not like it was Hiro’s fault that Arthur showed up (even though Hiro could have reacted faster); it seemed (at least to me) that the message was about evil overshadowing a guy with a heart of gold who wasn’t smart or capable enough to get away.
Myrystyr, thanks so much for your kind words. I’m definitely with you on the whole idea of Sylar getting another list. I didn’t think we needed that particular story device on the show again.
Claire and Micah cousins? Hah! Great point. I never would have thought of it. I wonder if the show will eventually reach a point where all of the characters are related.
Strawbot, I love your theory about Kid-Hiro being Hiro’s ticket back to the present. Do you think Kid-Hiro’s abilities would manifest sooner if Hiro explained how it worked and trained him, or did Hiro’s abilities really only become accessible after the eclipse in 1.01? I guess this is where the whole abilities/eclipse storyline needed more of an explanation.
Drew7490, your guess is as good as anyone’s. As far as I know, the Pandora’s Box conversation is a relic of a Season Two storyline that never got a chance to be shown, so it’s unlikely to ever be explained. But, to answer your question, no, it hasn’t been explained on the show, and I agree, it sadly doesn’t make any sense the way it was left unresolved. Any theories on where that storyline was going and who Angela was talking to, if not Future-Peter?
I think the thing with a Glover and a Takei is that they have roots in the genre. Bell’s a great actress, but it was hit and miss at first with her in the show… whereas Takei seemed to be on board with it immediately.
You just know when Glover shows up, there’ll be little adjusting. He spent years on Smallville, so I imagine he’ll just ‘pop’ from the first moment.
Re: Angela wise…
I like the theory that she was having a Precognitive Dream. That perhaps that’s when she discovered about FuturePeter. But it’s a little too vague.
Otto,
It’s good to know I didn’t miss something important. As for my theories. Maybe Ian is right and she had a dream about Future Peter and Pandora’s Box was referring to all the butterflies he’s stomped on. Although I don’t know how a phone could communicate through timelines. At the time that episode aired, my money was on HRG being the shooter. I assumed that his deal with Bob meant he had to take out Nathan to keep the secret, shall we say. And Angela was aware of this and supported Bob’s plans. As for Pandora’s Box, my guess was it was a very p*ssed off Peter with lots of powers going after the Company. But oh well, I actually liked the Future Peter plot, despite some of its holes.
I do miss Bob though. I’m wondering the if the Company misses him too. I’m not so sure of Angela’s management philosophy. It has felt like the Company is slowly coming apart for the past couple seasons. You have Linderman and Thompson dying, deadly viruses and immortal maniacs who want to release them, old agents trying to bring the Company down, rampaging serial killers tearing their way through Company HQ, lots of superpowered criminals on the loose, a rival company who hires those criminals, etc. Angela’s response is to either fire all her agents, or feed them to the seriel killer who rampaged his way through their HQ just hours before she takes over…Sadly, i think the Company may be doomed.
Otto,
Re: Arthur, points taken. But, that just highlights how desperate the writers are to move plot. Both times Arthur stopped Hiro for plot reasons, leaving other characters to stop Arthur. Apart from great performances, none of Hiro’s stuff was actually necessary this year, unless all this leads to Hiro popping in at the last minute during an already overstuffed finale. You could argue that Hiro affects Ando’s development, but in such a convoluted way, that I wish they’d taken another route.
As for Ishi, it would be tragic if she had lived to see Arthur pounce on Hiro. Because Hiro had no audience within the show to process the impact, it’s a moot point.
Honestly, okay it was. Arthur’s arc though felt under developed, unless of course they’re bringing him back since, Pete’s mom did say two in the back of the head should do it. Arthur got hit once in the head, so he may not be dead, at least not for good.
What makes Sylar perfect is that he’s learn’t empathy duplication, yet chooses to rip away powers the old fashioned way. He’s a monster and should stay this. I think they should have a kill Kenny every episode where Sylar just kills and kills and kills and kills. When I think of Sylar I think of sharks. Keep him thus.
Hiro losing his power was and is a good thing, now he’ll probably start thinking instead of using abilities every five seconds.
Peter powerless is far stronger than Peter with powers. Keep Pete powerless.
The Haitian is brilliant, noticeable the strain Arthur Petrelli incured, believable it was.
Nathan could be more dangerous than his old man. Tonight’s the night….
Otto, terrific review, but first things first: He’s DEAD! He’s DEAD! He’s Dead! Not just merely dead but really most sincerely dead! I feel happy!! Happydance! Happydance! Happydance!
Okay. I was with you on just about everything. I too was blown away by the emotion of the episode. The family-in-the-past interactions definitely touched me, but I never felt they were schmaltzy at all. (I actually thought of you during the scene were bigClaire fussed over littleClaire! lol) I did find it just a skotch unbelievable that the Company Man would give in that easily, but the Clairebear line (a name I’ve never muched like, btw) made up for it.
The scene between Hiro and his mom was a real emotional gut-punch for me. Anybody who’s lost their mom would give various body parts to get the chance Hiro had. I thought that scene was perfect. And the cute parallel between young/young Hiro and old/young Hiro was hilarious.
Nathan is still a dumbass. Standing next to the Ice Queen looking at all those gung-ho Marines stand up and volunteer for the Super-Soldier Serum and the words “military dictatorship” never crossed his mind? Please.
I’m a little frustrated by the “Hiro lost in time” bit, but reassured by news that the writers are going to move away from time-travel as a plot device. Still, after Hiro’s incredible effectiveness as a juvenile hero, it was discouraging to see him so easily whammied pretty much as soon as he got his memories back. I don’t think that Ishi’s faith in Hiro was tragic; this is isn’t the end of the story. And, in any event, dying mom had a chance to meet her grown-up son and learn that he and his father had reconciled. I’m thinking there’s not much that would’ve spoiled that moment for her.
I, to wondered why Sylar didn’t go for the Hatian. (Are we EVER gonna learn his name; doesn’t he mind being referred to as “the Hatian” all the time? it is just a little rude.) But I agree with Nina that, Sylar not being nearly as powerful as Arthur yet, he just couldn’t pull it off. With Papa Petrelli dead and gone (happydance!) The Hatian would probably have no problem blocking Sylar.
Anyway, I too hope that this signals a new direction for the show. I’ve been encouraged by the last few episodes and this one put it over the top. I look forward to the brothers Petrelli duking it out. Also, I’m curious to find out if Sylar is Angela’s son, even if he wasn’t Arthur’s. Looks like their gonna break for the holidays in an exciting way.
As a footnote, I should mention that my antipathy for Arthur had nothing to do with the actor; I thought he did a great job. I just hated the way the writers handled the character. Until they killed him, that is.
This was definitley one of my favorite episodes. I haven’t felt this much emotion for the characters since ‘Cautionary Tales’ back in season 2.
The scene with Hiro and Mamma Sulu was heartbreaking, and very well played.
Arthur’s death was fitting… how ironic that both Linderman and Arthur got part of their heads blown off in their own offices, lol. I assume Arthur will have some sort of return in following Volumes… a villain THIS powerful doesn’t remain buried for long. I applaud Forster for doing such a comendable job with the material he was given… he seemed to enjoy himself with the part. And, from now on, Forster won’t be Max Cherry for me, he’ll ALWAYS be Arthur Petrelli.
I hope that Claire seeing young Noah will just hit the re-set button (err rather back to the early post-’Company Man’ episodes) and she will just accept the relationship between her and her father, and STOP THE GODDAMN WHINING! lol.
Nathan as a villain is a promising premise… I hope if they go this route, they don’t #@*% it up and have he and Peter beat the unholy hell out of each other only to have Nathan ’see the errors of his ways’, and five episodes from now he and Pete are out clubbin’ like nothing happened. If he’s evil, keep him evil for a while. Let him run for Pres’ in Volume 5, entitled ‘Mr. Petrelli Goes to Wachington’… and You thought Nixon was #@*%ing scary??
Welcome back Sylar… now Mohinder needs to follow your example and re-watch season 1 and DO THAT AGAIN!
Great review Otto!
As Baron Samedi said, a name gives someone power over you. The Haitian is essentially as close to a real life superhero as Heroes gets… the only person who really knows him is Angela. He’s content to quietly step to the side and leave the life behind should he need to, and if people know his name that makes it very difficult.
Here’s an interesting exercise to try sometime: watch the last part of The Day Without Magic - I mean, The Eclipse Part 2 - and then watch the Doctor Who episode Father’s Day before watching Our Father. Now compare/contrast the way the two shows handle time-travel in general, and the effect time-travel can have on parent/child relationships in particular. Or, play the Claude Drinking Game:
Every time Claire or Hiro does something that would give The Doctor cause to yell “Don’t touch the baby!” at Rose, take a drink
As a lifelong Doctor Who fan, one of the first things I noticed about Heroes was the lack of inbuilt or implied rules as to how time travel works. Without some equivalent of the Laws Of Time and the Blinovitch Limitation Effect, time travel in Heroes is… headache-inducing, to put it politely. It can be a fun, useful story tool if used well, so I will be disappointed if Hiro doesn’t get his powers back eventually.
However, if it is too much to ask that the writers get a better handle on time travel, there’s still plenty to enjoy in Heroes. Although… I still think this would have been a better way of handling the Mad Scientist part of the Formula storyline:
“I’m sorry, Maya, I can’t help you; we’re leaving for India. However, I have shared some of my research with Doctor Frank N Stein over at Pinehearst, and can write a referral letter for you. Molly, are your bags packed? Our plane leaves in an hour.”
MayaBug, anyone?
Just a warning.
Arthur is coming back despite a bullet in his head.