Overview:
Homeland Security send Moira Kelly to oversee Nathan’s operation. Moira nearly shuts the project down, but changes her mind after Tracy breaks loose and ices an agent. Sylar and Nuke’s roadtrip continues (only briefly delayed by another failed attempt to capture Sylar), and Hiro and Ando visit New Delhi to fulfill one of Matt’s drawings. Finally, after rescuing Noah’s latest target from capture, Claire reveals her father’s deception to Sandra. Sandra promptly kicks Noah out of the house, and it’s hard not to feel for the guy when he can’t even have a few drinks at a hotel bar before Peter, Matt and Mohinder show up to abduct him.
Review:
So, it suddenly occurred to me that it’s been a while since we last heard V.O. Mohinder preface an episode. Not that the absence of random blah has hurt the show all that much; the fact that we barely notice the voice-overs are gone is an indication of how little they added. But in the interests of prefacing a review with something equally random, I’m starting this one with two suggestions.
First, that you cast your mind back to an episode in the previous volume in which Hiro got hit on the head with a shovel. Here’s a visual aid:
I want you to imagine for a moment what it would feel like to hold that shovel and swing it at Hiro’s head. Trust me, I wouldn’t be inciting you to imaginary violence without good reason.
Second, that you keep a picture of this little guy minimized in a separate window. The cuteness of this will help to offset any violent tendencies you experience during the review for this episode.
Everyone ready? Onward.
This episode is a mixed bag. It starts out slowly, gets steadily better and ends in awesomeness. It has a few truly abysmal moments dragging it down, but also moments of character-driven excellence. The plot ambles along, and although several of the story threads feel like they’re treading water or merely positioning characters for upcoming dilemmas, they also involve compelling predicaments and developments that pose remarkably thought-provoking questions.
We start out with waffles at Canine Central. The scene feels like a throwback to the awkward family dinner in the second season premiere, the key difference — besides the mockumentary feel from the handheld camera and the fact that poor Randall Bentley seems to have aged another five years overnight — being that everyone seems a lot more clued in to the awkwardness. Claire gets a text message from Rebel and earns a suspicious glance from Noah, but there are also unusual bouts of suspicion from Lyle and Sandra. Lyle looks like he’s far from buying Noah’s new “consultant” position, and perhaps more importantly …
… Sandra looks like she’s far from buying Noah’s account of prospective colleges for Claire. Which is a vindication for Sandra, because it reinforces how wrong Noah’s been to deceive her for so long on the grounds that she couldn’t handle the truth. On some level, it’s also a vindication for Claire, because it strongly implies that Noah’s deceit was tearing the family apart before Claire opened her mouth about Noah’s latest project. With hindsight, knowing how it’s all about to fall apart, the way Sandra’s trying to maintain some semblance of a happy family breakfast seems even more heartbreaking.
Claire gets a message from Rebel: “NEED YOUR HELP. MUST WARN TARGET. — REBEL” Claire immediately replies to say she can’t help, resisting the temptation to add, “Must txt shrtr. No need 4 so mny vwls. ‘ND UR HLP. MST WRN TGT. — RBL.’ Much btr — Clr.”
Noah singles out Brown as his preferred college choice, and Claire’s so appalled that she leaves the table. This gives Noah a chance to go with his actual preferred plan for Claire to enroll at a community college. I feel bad for Angela after all the thought she put into giving Claire “an elite education,” but ironically, this alternative seems in line with Claire’s intention last week to stay local.
Noah: “What the hell was that?”
A bad pretense! A melodramatic exit! An inability to lie convincingly!
Noah: “We can’t risk her knowing anything. The last time she knew, she almost got herself killed. Your mom and Lyle are safer this way.”
Hollow words, as Claire immediately points out. It’s at least a semi-valid reason, but I’d give Sandra and Lyle a little more credit when we’ve seen them competently distract Doyle and pour a bucket of water over Elle.
Claire: “And now’s the part where you tell me how everything you do, you do to protect me.”
Great self-parody. It’s as if the show’s acknowledging that it’s written this exchange so many times we could practically write it ourselves. But it’s also priceless for the sing-song tone Hayden uses when she delivers it, and it’s hilarious for the look of indignation Noah gets when he realizes how predictable his argument has become.
Noah tosses a Costa Verde Community College brochure into Claire’s lap and tells her he’s signed her up to start classes on Monday. There are a bunch of exquisite details throughout this scene, from Claire’s petulant expression when she finds out which classes he enrolled her for (No media? No fashion? No acting classes?) to Coleman’s emphatic assertion that if Claire doesn’t go along with the plan, “there is going to be hell [dramatic pause] to [dramatic pause] pay.” But the most remarkable detail is the way Noah suddenly seems to have become about a million times more controlling. For all the times he insisted he was only trying to give Claire “a normal life,” the implication here is that if no one stands up to him, he’ll be making Claire’s decisions for her for the rest of her life.
We cut to Goon Squad Central, which we see a lot more of this week and which has been beautifully designed. The lack of natural light creates a straight-to-business, no-distractions-allowed atmosphere, but the cables hanging from the ceiling and the box files strewn around the room also bring a hurriedly-cobbled-together chop-shop vibe. It works in the context of this week’s storyline, but somehow also detracts from the slick precision we saw in the volume-opener. We got the impression that Nathan was working with larger resources and a larger team, and the implication here is that in fact it’s really just half a dozen analysts and a few commandos with special leotards and taser darts.
Nerds for detail are blessed:
Chances are most of these guys are production crew, but you can just about make out West and Monica in the bottom row, and you have to wonder whether the layout’s organized with any logic.
We cut to the Psycho Killer Roadtrip. “Born to be Wild”? Very funny. Great choice.
I have to ask:
The beach ball? Where did that come from? I can’t figure out if that’s some kind of oblique symbolism, or if Papa Gray’s leaving inflatable breadcrumbs for his boys to follow.
Nuke lies about Papa Gray’s cabin in Minnesota and an ex-wife with a sickly son. I was hoping for something involving a billionaire CEO and a farmboy, but DC would probably pitch a fit. The way Nuke toys with Sylar is telling, though; you get a sense of the younger brother testing how far he can push the older brother, and of the older brother losing his patience.
Nuke: “So, you’re like a serial killer.”
Sylar: “I’m not a serial killer.”
Straightforward dialogue, but the way Zach plays it …
… Sylar almost seems offended by the observation.
Nuke: “Well, you’ve got a pattern. You go after specific victims, you collect mementos …”
Sylar: “OK, technically I’m a serial killer.”
Funny. It shouldn’t be when you recall the gruesome horror attached to it, but it is, not least because Sylar apparently either never considered himself a serial killer or never wanted to admit it. It adds to the argument that Sylar never acted beyond instinctive impulse, and that he’s now beginning to grasp the horror he’s responsible for. It’s not like he’s demonstrating anything resembling a conscience — and rightly so, because it was one of the most confused by-products of the previous volume — but it shows the character developing something resembling self-awareness.
Another Sam’s Comics? I can’t decide if we’re supposed to simply suspend our disbelief and accept that this is an international chain, or if we’re supposed to ask how these stores keep popping up at strategic locations and consider whether the founder has an ability of some kind.
Claire: “Are you Alex?”
Alex: “You’re a girl!”
Funny, if a little adherent to stereotypes. It’s not clear whether it’s the show’s way of saying that it’s bizarre for girls to be into comic books, or that it’s lamentable that there aren’t enough girls who are into comic books. Either way, it elicits an indignant “Hey!” from half of the audience.
This scene says a lot about Claire, both in terms of her approach with the box cutter and her willingness to help a stranger. You could look at it within the context of the larger story and say it’s an ominous sign, because from defiance and independence it’s only a small step to the badass Future-Claire who “learned to take care of [her]self.” Alternatively, the show’s learning to write Claire as a resourceful and proactive character, and one who defies her father because she genuinely wants to do good rather than because she enjoys being obnoxious.
Plus points for Claire, because this showed a lot of initiative. Retro-minus points for Claire, because if she can fool her dad like this, you have to figure she can fool Sandra and Lyle about visiting a couple of colleges.
Alex definitely catches a glimpse of Claire making the call to Noah, and between this and the conversation he overhears from her closet later, you have to wonder why he isn’t asking any questions about Claire’s motives. Maybe that was answered off-screen, or maybe Alex is just a trusting guy with no one else to turn to, but it’s a part of the storyline that sticks out.
The show moves to New Delhi.
Amazing CG. Not quite as believable as it was in the pilot or “Seven Minutes to Midnight,” but still impressive. I need to say right now that although you’ll need to pull out Mr. Muggles and channel your aggression in a moment, the production in this story thread is phenomenal. The amount of detail that must have gone into the sets, the costumes, the casting and the authenticity of these scenes is beyond belief.
Too bad the writing had to go and screw it all up.
Let’s start with the set-up: Hiro and Ando are in India.
Humor me — read that last line again.
THEY GOT TO INDIA WITH NO PASSPORTS AND NO MONEY AND NO CELL PHONES AND NO TELEPORTATION ABILITY — AND WITH SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS WATCHING THEIR EVERY MOVE. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
OK, folks, pull up your Mr. Muggles image. Just look at him for a moment. Isn’t he cute? Ahhh, much better. Now, can someone PLEASE explain to me how this is possible. And no, I’m not buying that Peter flew them to India.
Hiro: “Hello, destiny …”
Right, that’s it. Grab your shovels! Take aim, swing that shovel and hit him with everything you’ve got! Hit him! “Destiny,” “hero,” “fate of the world,” “adventure,” “hero’s path.” Enough! Conk him on the head until he’s out cold!
Now, Mr. Muggles! Sweet, adorable Mr. Muggles …
Hiro: “When destiny calls, you answer the phone!”
Grab the shovels again! Make him stop! Hit him harder this time! Make him shut up!
Mr. Muggles, Mr. Muggles …
Everyone sane again? I don’t remember Hiro ever being such a caricature, but the upshot is that Ando comes out looking even more of a hero. Hiro’s bumbling along, and Ando’s stopping to figure out what’s going on and what they’re trying to achieve. He’s the one who spots the bride, probably because he’s actually using his brain.
Ando introduces himself to Annapurna, observes that she’s sad, and listens to her as she reveals how unhappy she is on her wedding day. THIS IS A HERO. Someone who sees a stranger in distress, empathizes with their situation and does everything in his power to help them.
Ando produces supercharged sparks and convinces Anna he’s the sign she’s been waiting for. Using his ability to mislead her or create a false sense of hope? He’s doing his best to fulfill Matt’s drawing. The difference between Ando and Hiro is that Ando also cares about helping the person in the drawing.
Hiro discovers that Ando has given the bride hope …
… and is dismayed. Because if Hiro can’t fulfill the drawing and be the one who rescues the bride, no one should. What a hero.
Goon Squad Central. Homeland Security show up to assume control of the operation, and the face attached to the bureaucracy …
… is ToePick? Mama Scott? Back from Mandyville? Welcome, Moira Kelly!
Brilliant set work. Oppressive, soulless and claustrophobic, but when you think about how much worse it must be for someone who thrives in a cold climate, you realize it must really be torture for Tracy.
The detail about Tracy shattering through “insulated gloves” was intriguing. She seemed to have a hard time freezing the commando who approached her in the volume-opener, so wouldn’t gloves made from the same material do the job? Either prolonged exposure to the material eventually does freeze them, or Nathan’s lying.
Psycho Killer Roadtrip. Sylar and Nuke pull up at the Olympic Coffee Shop. Nuke is mightily enthused. “The worse food the better!” I recall how Mama Campbell and he were carrying fresh vegetables when they returned home last week. And yes, I know I’m the only one who sees it this way, but that tells you something. Mama Campbell was trying, and this is what she gets in return.
Sylar: “Luke, you’ve really gotta stop trying to be my friend or I’m gonna have to kill you.”
Funny. Mostly because you know he means it.
Papa Gray’s bird-hunting backstory was nicely done. It helps to build a scary impression of Papa Gray before we ever meet him, it brings Sylar and Nuke closer together by giving them a shared bond with Papa Gray, and above all …
… it gives us a rare glimpse of Sylar with his defenses down. When he remembers his dad pulling him along in the wagon, Zach plays Sylar as a human being. No witty quips, no morbid humor and no superpowered antics — just a guy recalling his earliest childhood memory and absorbing its meaning. The irony is that although we’re watching it through a glass windshield, it’s probably the closest we’ve ever gotten to the character.
Sylar: “What kind of man sells his own son?”
Superb delivery. No anger, no judgment, just sadness and incomprehension.
Costa Verde Beachfront. Alex brings his car to a screeching halt, expresses disbelief about what’s going on, and reveals he can breathe underwater. This week’s graphic novel depicts him as a sympathetic character, and the kind of “model superpowered citizen” who used his ability to help people without drawing attention to himself. It supports the show by helping viewers get behind the character, but also reinforces what a shoddy job Nathan’s organization is doing prioritizing its targets. You’d think they’d go after supers like RadioTed or Maya first — the ones with dangerously destructive abilities — instead of wasting their resources on a Poor Man’s Arthur Curry. I guess he could carry explosives underwater and attach them to bridges, but if anyone observed him before moving in to capture him, you’d think they’d realize he could wait until later.
All of that said, when you get to this scene …
… and Alex confides in Claire with those disarming puppy-dog eyes …
… and Claire’s completely taken in by Alex’s sincerity, probably because she remembers how she felt when she discovered an uncle who was just like her, it’s tough not to assume the worst. There’s something a little too charming about the guy.
We’re going back to the Hiro storyline. Everyone ready?
The bakery was a solid set. It looks a LOT like a redressed version of the Burnt Toast Diner … which rubs salt in the wound when you realize how endearing Hiro was and how infuriating he is now.
Ando wolfs down cakes while taking an active interest in Anna, Shayla and the story behind Anna’s forced marriage to Deepak. Hiro sits with his head propped up by his hands. I think the show might want you to feel for him. There’s nothing more sympathetic than a sulky hero whose destiny has been foiled by his sidekick inspiring optimism. And, really, when you think about it, isn’t Hiro absolutely right to be miserable? Isn’t his lack of interest in Anna understandable when it seems like he’s not the one who’ll save her?
The words “character” and “assassination” are coming to mind …
We learn that Deepak is “a powerful and dangerous man” who’s “above the law.” He sounds like one scary guy.
Anna leaves to get Ando more food. Ando’s grinning like an idiot, but it’s endearing because you know he’s also providing a sympathetic ear and helping Anna stand up for what she believes in. This part of the storyline — Ando empowering the people around him by giving them hope — is undoubtedly intentional. It’s the side of Hiro which it brings out that strikes me as unintentional.
Hiro: “You stole my chance to get my powers back!”
Ando helped a woman to realize she didn’t want to get married? It’s outrageous! Shame on him! But who cares about the bride — the important thing is that NOW HIRO MIGHT NOT GET HIS POWERS BACK!
Shovels! Now! Hit him! Hit him as hard as you possibly can!
THIS IS NOT A HERO. THIS IS NOT EVEN A HERO ACTING LIKE A D*%K BEFORE LEARNING A VALUABLE LESSON AND BECOMING A HERO. IT IS NOT AMUSING OR CHARMING OR COMICAL. IT IS SELF-CENTERED AND CHILDISH AND PATHETIC.
Mr. Muggles! Aww, he’s adorable. Doesn’t looking at that sweet, good-natured animal just make all the issues with this storyline seem a million miles away?
Then Deepak comes into the bakery, and you can tell right away that Yawar Charlie’s having fun with the role, because he plays the character with as much flamboyance as he possibly can. To wit, we see him barking at Shayla before storming into the back room, whereupon we hear a loud *SMACK!*, presumably conveying that Deepak’s one for domestic violence.
Ando immediately looks concerned. Hiro …
… is content to stay where he is and let Ando approach that “powerful and dangerous man” who’s “above the law.”
So, in effect, Hiro’s letting his friend walk into a situation where a “powerful and dangerous man” could stab him, shoot him, snap his neck, suffocate him, strangle him, or do any number of things that a “powerful and dangerous man” would do. Which makes Hiro a pretty bad friend, but more importantly also makes him the kind of guy who, if he can’t be the hero that rescues someone in danger, DOES NOT CARE WHETHER ANYONE RESCUES THEM.
Step out of the story for a moment and think about this. This is a guy who’s been powerless for a while and obviously wants to get his abilities back. It’s not hard to appreciate why he’d be disappointed about Ando disrupting events in Matt’s drawing; if Hiro believed — for reasons never elaborated — that this escapade would restore his abilities, it makes sense that he’d do everything he could to ensure events unfolded the way they were meant to. But Hiro would also do his best to help people who needed his help, powers or no powers.
HE WOULD NOT STAND IDLY BY WHEN A MAN WAS THREATENING A WOMAN WITH PHYSICAL VIOLENCE. HE WOULD NOT LET HIS FRIEND WALK INTO DANGER WHILE HE SAT AT A TABLE AND SULKED.
This storyline has killed the character for me. Hiro’s gone from exuberant and amusing to annoying and predictable to outright contemptible. We’ve seen a side of the character here that overshadows everything we thought we knew about him.
Ando walks in on Deepak and Anna.
Deepak is very angry. So angry, you’d think he could do anything.
Like, for example, pick up a pot and swing it at Ando.
Apparently inspired by Yawar Charlie’s decision to play the scene with as much bombast as he can, James Kyson Lee decides to be equally over-the-top.
Hiro hears the devastating sound of steel colliding with bone, and it finally lulls him into action. And when you’re surrounded with knives and cooking utensils and chairs, what better way to combat a violent thug than with …
… a stick of French bread?
Did I really just write that?
I’m not even going to dignify that with a Dumb As Award. That’s just … I can’t even begin to grasp the idiocy of this scene.
Psycho Killer Roadtrip. Nuke blows bubbles into his milkshake and microwaves some poor sucker’s drink from across the diner. It’s funny for the same reason that Matt reading people’s minds in a bar and Eden coercion-whammying her way into a Ferrari were funny: they’re exactly what we’d do with that power.
Sylar: “Always have an objective. Know your endgame before you lift a hand. Keep a clear head. Emotions make you sloppy. The most important thing is that you understand your motivation. Always know what you want.”
As true to character as this dialogue is, I don’t think it’s just him talking. I wonder if these are maxims the writers apply when they’re writing the show. If they are, the show applies them to great effect in this scene, because when Nuke turns the last maxim back to Sylar and asks him what he wants …
… Sylar needs a really long pause to figure out an answer. As with the bird-hunting recollection, it’s a glimpse of the guy who isn’t driven by a compulsion to slice open heads and become the pinnacle of human evolution. It’s a glimpse of a guy who doesn’t know what he wants any more than he knows he’s a serial killer.
Sylar: “For me … it’s mostly been about acquiring abilities. But lately … Lately, all I want to find is my father. I wanna meet the man who made me. Look him in the eyes.”
Nuke: “What are you hoping to see in them?”
Sylar: “Where I came from, I guess. Why I turned out the way I did. I’m just thinking I’ll have some answers, that’s all.”
Zach Quinto nails this scene. There’s nothing elaborate about the dialogue and nothing remarkable about the steady piano key in the background the whole time he’s delivering the words; but there’s a sincerity in the character that we only ever saw when he was Gabriel, and even then it lacked the depth and introspection Quinto brought to this scene.
This scene blew me away. It justifies Nuke’s half-baked storyline by giving Sylar a character he opens up to. All the kid needed to do was sit there and ask a couple of open-ended questions, and off Sylar went. I’d be surprised if the show used this device too many times, but Quinto took it and ran with it for this scene.
Agents show up, Sylar gets a gun at the back of his head, Nuke creates a diversion, and Sylar TK’s the agents into submission while he and Nuke run. Good initiative, and underlining how well Sylar and Nuke already understand and anticipate what the other one’s thinking.
We return to New Delhi. Anna tells Hiro she’s going to go ahead with the wedding in order to save Ando. Hiro wonders what’ll happen to Ando if Anna doesn’t marry Deepak. I’m guessing it’ll involve giant pots in some way, but the ominous silence from Anna suggests it’ll be even worse … Which makes Hiro look like a douche for not being there to help Ando in the first place, but makes him look like even more of a douche for then charging to Anna’s wedding and insisting it can’t go ahead. Hiro earns a few plus points among about fifty billion minuses for trying to help Anna and standing up for Ando, but when you factor in Anna’s ominous silence, Hiro had no way of knowing that Deepak wouldn’t immediately make a call to have Ando killed.
The reckless gamble pays off. Anna tells her grandfather that a traditional marriage is not her destiny. Hiro becomes giddy at the mention of the word, but since it’s Anna’s dialogue and not Hiro’s, I think we can keep the shovels down.
Deepak insists that “the woman” and “the baby” belong to him. Hiro pwns Deepak and pulls out a knife, demands that his friend be released, and Deepak … agrees.
Wait, WHAT? So the “powerful and dangerous man” who’s “above the law” releases his hostage and decides that “the woman” is more trouble than she’s worth and that “the baby” isn’t important to him? And he just lets Hiro and Anna’s grandfather — the guy who was terrified of Deepak — walk away? I … He … They … But … WHAT?
Hiro: “This is it! This is the moment in the drawing! This is me being the hero!”
GAAAAAH! Quick, get the shovels! Hit him as hard as you can! Shut up, Hiro! SHUT UP!
Oh, Mr. Muggles. You’re the only thing getting me through these scenes.
Goon Squad Central. Željko lets Nathan know that Nuke was caught but that Sylar’s still on the loose. Željko and Nathan shake their heads with disappointment, like, “Aw, shucks, that little scamp, Sylar. Well, better luck next time.” Moira shows up with the AG’s order to shut down Nathan’s operation. Nathan runs through the same argument he’s probably rehearsed for everyone he needed to convince to get this project off the ground: people who scalp their victims, people who Parkman- and Haitian-whammy their victims into zombies. To Moira’s credit, she doesn’t buy it for a second. She comes across as one of the more steadfast characters, and it’s one of the few aspects of this scene that disappointed me a little, because her argument that constitutional rights trump any notions of the “greater good” was valid, and it seems to be forgotten the moment Moira witnesses a super using her ability.
Tracy wins a *PING!* Dumb As Award for icing the analyst in the hall. You could argue that she’d been fried in a furnace and could barely formulate a thought in the state she was in, but the way it’s edited …
… with Tracy pausing to take a good look at Nathan and Moira and weigh her options, it looks like she made a conscious decision to cryo-whammy the guy.
Cool effect, but a very Dumb move. Tracy knew Moira was trying to shut the project down, and she probably could have sweet-talked her way into attributing attempted escape to panic and duress.
Canine Central. Sandra tries to make amends for prying into Claire and Noah’s college tour, and asks if they had any fun amid the academia. For all the criticism Hayden gets for wooden acting, the way she delivers her lines in this scene was outstanding. When she tells Sandra that Noah “was a little busy…”, you see, hear and feel her hesitation about whether to drop this bomb on her mom.
Claire finishes the sentence — “… abducting innocent people.” Again, there’s a perfectly timed beat when Claire just stares at her mom, waiting for a reaction, second-guessing whether she made the right choice.
Ashley Crow has rarely (if ever) played Sandra with anything less than a stunning performance, but in this scene, she shines, conveying Sandra’s passage from disbelief to denial …
… and finally settling on something between shock and abject horror.
Sandra: “Oh my God … It’s starting all over again.”
Claire: “No, this is worse. They’re taking everyone. Not just dangerous people — anyone with an ability. Matt Parkman (you know, the one who shot me), Doctor Suresh (you know, the one who shot Dad), Peter (you know, the one who nearly blew up New York) …”
Thinking about it for a second, maybe those weren’t the best examples of “harmless” or “innocent” people with abilities.
Sandra purses her lips and looks like she’s holding back tears.
Claire also looks like she’s about to start bawling. It’s effective because you can see how hard it was for Claire to come clean with Sandra, but I can’t help thinking it also shows Claire up as incredibly selfish. By telling her mom the truth, Claire’s essentially obliging Sandra to confront Noah. Which would speak in Claire’s favor if the family was in immediate danger and Sandra needed to know the truth for the sake of the family’s safety, but what Claire’s last line reveals — “I’m sorry, I just can’t lie to you anymore” — is that this admission was more about her than Sandra or Lyle. She’s telling the truth for her own sake rather than her family’s.
She’s right to be angry with Noah; regardless of good intentions, he’s the one who involved himself in the situation and created the tension in the family in the first place. But Claire deserves a substantial portion of guilt in the aftermath of this episode, because by telling Sandra the truth, Claire’s creating a rift in the family and inflicting anxiety on her mom that could have been avoided. Claire doesn’t want to enable Noah’s deception and become an accessory to Nathan’s operation, but the real reason she’s caving and telling the truth is because she doesn’t want to wrestle with her conscience. Ultimately, she broke the family up and put them in danger because she didn’t feel comfortable lying.
So, here you are, thinking serious thoughts like this — moral dilemmas, agonizing decisions, selfish motives and selfless sacrifices — and then Noah shows up.
“Indian food?”
It’s no “Mr. Muggles’s doggie bath,” but it’s a much-needed moment of comic relief, and it plays out perfectly.
Sandra sends Claire upstairs, Claire fires a look of unequivocal disgust at her dad, and Sandra’s level stare at Noah …
… is so piercing that it brings him to a standstill.
Sandra: “Noah, I can’t take it anymore. I just can’t.”
If it had been delivered by almost any other actress, it would have sounded like a melodramatic line from a soap opera. The way Ashley delivers it, it’s momentous.
Noah tries to reassure Sandra, but you can tell right away that he can’t find his groove. Sandra tells him through gritted teeth not to lie to her, and at this point we see — for the first time — Noah raising his voice at his wife. The way Coleman delivers it, you can hear the distress and frustration he’s gone through keeping up the whole charade. Given that Sandra’s generally the one who defends Noah whenever Claire’s in Hate Noah Mode, you can imagine how hard this confrontation must be hitting him.
Heartbreaking, mainly because it’s so familiar. There’s a part of this scene which is unmistakably intrinsic to this show — the superpowered complication affecting a typical family — but there’s also a part which taps into something so many viewers can identify with: the kid who creeps into a corner and listens to parents shouting at each other, wondering how long it’ll last and how it’ll end.
Noah: “The government is putting together a list of people they are rounding up, and they have made it very clear to me that if I am not on-board that Claire will be on that list.”
This is the point where Sandra literally shrieks “Don’t make this about CLAIRE!” There’s a finality to it which signals that this won’t be undone or rewound, at least not through the standard Hate-Noah/Forgive-Noah/Love-Noah routine. The merry-go-round stopped here.
This scene was flatout phenomenal. This is what the show does best. In terms of writing, acting, direction and nuance, this is the kind of scene that propels an episode.
We cut away, and in an encouraging sign that the show has learned not to undermine intensely emotional scenes with slapstick comedy involving bars of gold, belt buckles or anything remotely connected to Hiro, we return to Goon Squad Central and establish that Tracy is once again shackled inside her tailored inferno.
Nathan: “Tracy, I don’t know how you did it, but you’d better get used to the heat because you’re never getting out of here again.”
^ ^ Delivered with an “I’m a politician who keeps my promises” face.
Damn, that’s cold. I struggle to see Noah patching things up with his family, but I can’t even begin to visualize Nathan making amends with the people who cared about him. After a scene like this, it’s hard to see the character arc being reversed. You get the odd look …
… that says, “I’ve had enough of this, I’m going to get out of here and make all of this right.” But, perhaps to the show’s credit, it’s digging a hole for Nathan that’ll be hard for the guy to climb out of. At this point, the way the story’s going, I’m willing to bet this season will be Pasdar’s last, at least playing himself as opposed to Sylar-as-Nathan.
Was the reveal that Željko staged the escape a letdown? I can’t help thinking it would have been more effective if Nathan really had been the one who orchestrated the attempt. It would have emphasized his devious side and made him all the more cold-hearted. The way it turns out, with Željko being the b*****d who was willing to sacrifice some random agent, it paints Nathan as an inept figurehead who won’t know what hit him when Željko steps up to take control of the operation.
Psycho Killer Roadtrip. Sylar masquerades as a commando, slaughters the rest of them and carries Nuke on his shoulder with a blood-spattered Dell in his hand. As with all of the recent Sylar scenes, it plays on our reactions: it’s morbidly memorable for the blood-footprint, it’s hilarious for the rockin’ van and our “Yeah, no kidding!” reaction when the analyst reports that “something’s wrong,” but it’s also bizarrely uplifting for the way Sylar rescues his companion. As much of a monster as Sylar is and as much of a creep as Nuke is, the slow-mo shot of Sylar walking away with Nuke slung over his shoulder …
… has something oddly heroic and honorable in it. You find yourself rooting for the character when he returns to retrieve the closest thing he has to a friend.
I know everyone’s shovels are blunted and the Mr. Muggles shot is faded, but there’s one last scene in New Delhi to get through. Be strong.
Ando: “Hiro, you were right. I should have never interrupted the course of destiny.”
Indeed! Why inspire anyone to find the courage to fight for what they want, and why demonstrate your own heroism when you can let someone else be a hero for you? What a valuable lesson to learn.
Hiro: “No apologies, my friend. I realize why I was sent to India, and it wasn’t to get my abilities back…”
Ooh, here’s a glimmer of hope! Did he realize that he was sent here to be a hero alongside his friend? That things aren’t always what they seem, but that he should know when to stand aside and let his friend’s heroism shine? That when he sees a menacing guy threatening a woman, he shouldn’t just sit at a table and sulk? That when his friend walks into danger, he can count on Hiro to be right there next to him? That it’s not always about “destiny” so much as helping people and making things right in the world any way you can? That anyone can be a hero if they know what’s right and pursue it, and that inspiring heroism in others with a positive influ-
I could go on, but you get the point.
Hiro: “It was to learn that I do not need powers to be a hero!”
But everything else was pretty much OK? Nothing you’d really do differently if you had to do it all over again? Yeah, thought so.
GRAB THOSE SHOVELS! KNOCK YOURSELVES OUT! AND DON’T STOP FOR MR. MUGGLES! KNOCK THIS IDIOT DOWN!
Rebel faxing the message to Hiro was a nice touch. If Hiro and Ando ditched their cell phones and Rebel’s resources extend to either accessing their GPS or following their movement on the ground, it makes sense. The alternative theory is that Rebel sent the same fax to every machine in New Delhi.
Noah packs a bag at Canine Central and says goodbye to Claire.
Noah: “Your mother wants me to move out of the house for a while. She’s right. We keep too many secrets in this family. So I’m gonna try to be a better person. A better husband. A better father. And not tell lies.”
Aww. It’s moving, on one level because you know he means it, and on another because you know he’s not just trying to make Claire feel bad for getting him kicked out, even though he warned her about the consequences of letting Sandra in on the truth. I might hold it against Claire. You might. Noah wouldn’t. He’s just that awesome. On another level, it’s also a moving scene because Coleman sells the heck out of it. When Noah gets to the part about not telling lies, you can hear the guy’s voice falter. When Noah tells Claire that maybe they can “heal these wounds,” you hear his voice crack. And when he tells Claire he loves her, his voice is bouncing around like a Jack Russell Terrier.
He’s holding back tears.
She’s doing that cry-on-demand thing.
Aaaaand we’re back to Forgive Noah Mode. Or at least Claire is. Sort of. I hope this won’t be resolved too neatly. Claire should be angry at Noah. Sandra should be furious with him. And Lyle really deserves more than a few lines of dialogue when it comes to this development in the story, because the show’s potentially putting him in a situation where he’ll have to grow up without a father figure.
Noah checks in at a hotel and heads straight for the bar. Who can blame him? The bartender can’t even recommend a place to stay, although it’s not clear whether that’s because she realizes how plastered he is or because she realizes what a hopeless case he is. Either way, she welcomes him to Costa Verde, and I wish I could pin down exactly what makes the sarcastic snort that comes out of Noah so priceless, but it’s indescribably brilliant.
Noah’s vision turns blurry, and I think there’s at least a little symbolism to the guy losing his glasses before toppling over. There’s also at least a small element of comeuppance when Matt — the guy Noah drugged in a bar all the way back in “One Giant Leap” — turns out to be part of the group drugging him now.
You don’t think they’ll hurt him, do you? Because he was pretty amazing in this episode, and I’d like to think he’ll get a chance to shine beyond the next episode.
I’m torn on how to score this one. There was some amazing stuff, from Sylar mentoring Nuke to Sandra shrieking at Noah, and there was some abysmal stuff, the majority of it in Hiro’s story thread. The Goon Squad Central story is a 3.5. Plus points for drama and ethical debate, and for Moira, but minus points for the sluggish pace, and the fact that it didn’t really achieve much between the place it started and the place it ended. All we learned is that Željko’s the guy in charge and Nathan’s the hapless face of the project, which we pretty much already knew. The Psycho Killer Roadtrip was a 4. Great dialogue, great performance from Quinto, solid pacing and a surprising twist when Sylar showed up to rescue Nuke. The Hiro story is a 1. Minus five points for character assassination, one point for some impressive set work and a moment for Ando to demonstrate he’s ready to step out of the sidekick role and carry his own storyline. The Canine Central storyline is a 5. Flawless in every aspect of execution, and even though we’ve seen some pretty emotional Bennet drama in the past, it never gets old and it never feels overplayed.
Overall, I’m settling somewhere in the middle and giving this a 3.5 out of 5.
Next week: it’s supposed to be one of the best episodes since “Company Man.” That’s a bold statement, show. I hope it’s accurate. See you then.
“Claire gets a message from Rebel: “NEED YOUR HELP. MUST WARN TARGET. — REBEL” Claire immediately replies to say she can’t help, resisting the temptation to add, “Must txt shrtr. No need 4 so mny vwls. ‘ND UR HLP. MST WRN TGT. — RBL.’ Much btr — Clr.”
Love it.
The india story line was pretty painful, considering it was a long way to go to get a fax, demanding they return to the States.
Over all, this ep. was a stronger outing relative to recent efforts. But, the show is still demonstrating seriously bi-polar tendancies.
Keep up the good work.
PS — I’ve sent another e-mail re: the Bennets.
First time to comment.
Otto, this was by far one of the best reviews I’ve read in this site. Just how you kept mentioning Mr. Muggles and the shovels made me me cry-laugh-out loud in the same way like I did when you called the BS on “Dual”
And I also breezed through this review. I knew it wasn’t me when I noted just how less stuff is happening within this volume’s episodes. And I prefer it that way. I don’t think we could have gotten the Sylar and Bennet Family scenes if this volume had applied the same style from the horrible Vol. 3 (6 storylines within episdode XD). I truly hope that next episode is just as good as “Company Man” with its focused storytelling, with my only fears being a “Being there-done that” type, or clunky dialogue. Because otherwise, it will be clear that the magic spice of “Company Man” was Bryan Fuller’s writing. I want to see who wrote “Cold Wars” and see his track record on the show so that I may get like and idea how it will be.
Otherwise, great review like always. Your reviews are some of the best I’ve ever read, better than those on http://tv.ign.com/. Always keep the blog as great as always ;).
P.S: I don’t know if you checked some of the last comments of your “Dual” review, but if you did, I was the Anonymous guy who asked if you could reset your Dumb as Awards. I don’t know if you read it, but if you did and you considered it or you were planning to do it all along, thank you. I can’t await to see who will win the one this volume. Specially with the 3 dumbest characters dealing with the smartest one next week. See you next week
Otto, I doubt that Hiro’s and Ando’s accounts are frozen. Their accounts are in Japan and the government can’t freeze them without the aid of the Japanese government. So that’s how they got the money to travel. As for how they got past airport security, two words- Parkman whammy.
You’re being way too hard on Tracy. If you were tortured for hours, you’d probably make some stupid decisions right after escaping.
There’s another way that Rebel could have known Hiro and Ando were going to that restaurant. Rebel could be a precognitive or a clairvoyant or have access to a precognitive or a clairvoyant. That’s the only that makes sense to me, since it seemed that fax came in before Ando showed the bride his sparks.
Hey Otto. Good review.
I actually liked this ep better than last week’s, although I agree that the first half was not as good as the second. I disliked that last week’s for pretty much the same reasons as you did, but they grated more on me. The thing that made this week better for me was how a bit of the stuff from “Trust and Blood” was resolved, like Sandra’s return to Season One naivete, which really irked me. And despite Hiro’s story being abysmal as of late, I liked that he won’t pursue the sickening “sword search” subplot again, which they alluded to last week. So I’m glad they fixed some things, especially with the Bennets - that confrontation was indeed awesome. But yeah, I agree that Hiro’s storyline was by far the worst part of the ep, and it really does need a HUGE facelift. (On the other hand, it really is a step up for Ando.)
I liked that The Hunter was the one who let Tracy out. I think it’s very much in character, and the reveal made for one of my favorite scenes in the volume thus far. I don’t view Nathan as incompetent, just not as antagonistic as we once thought, and Danko’s shown to be the win-at-all-costs guy that he was alluded to be last week. I really do think Nathan cares, just that it doesn’t override his desire for “security” (if that even makes sense, given his flip-flopping each volume).
Did you pick up on lesbian subtext in the India subplot? A lot of people didn’t, so I don’t blame you. It was so subtle (probably intentionally so), that it could be interpreted a bunch of ways. She says something like, “perhaps a traditional marriage is not for me,” and shares a look with her business partner. I thought the subtlety was pretty cool.
Also, any votes for “Psycho Killer” to be the new Sylar theme song? How perfect was that?
“Did you pick up on lesbian subtext in the India subplot? A lot of people didn’t, so I don’t blame you. It was so subtle (probably intentionally so), that it could be interpreted a bunch of ways. She says something like, “perhaps a traditional marriage is not for me,” and shares a look with her business partner. I thought the subtlety was pretty cool.”
I noticed it too, wasn’t sure if I was meant to though. Glad someone else noticed it.
Another great review Otto.
About Claire–I think lying to her mom and Lyle and lying to her father are really pretty different. Besides, Claire was just tricking Noah, not deceiving him about something big. Still, I feel like Claire and Noah need a really big separation. While I think they’re integral to each other’s character, it’d be nice to see Claire and Noah face different things without coming into contact with each other and going through the love-hate routine. But there’s a definite sense of escalation to this time around. It feels far more potent and final. But Lyle really does need something to do.
I hadn’t really thought about Hiro that way until the end of the episode, but you’re right. He’s being insufferable. Far too often he comes across as wanting to be a hero for a hero’s sake. This is not the Hiro we know and should know, not after all his experiences. By now we should SEE him doing heroic acts instead of talking about them endlessly. And I’m surprised you didn’t mention the fax where Hiro showed actual exuberance at receiving a message about how Parkman was in danger. It came off as incredibly selfish and idiotic. Hiro, more than anyone, needs a revival of his character, it’s horrendous, and it’s obvious now that the writers have not fully fixed their wrongs. Of course, they’ve made great headway in all other storylines, so kudos still.
I wasn’t really sure about Luke and Sylar’s storyline before, but your interpretations on it make a lot of sense to me, but I need to rewatch the episode.
Hey Otto,
Well you nailed this one. I thought it was a weaker episode than the first two, though it had it’s moments. Most of those moments involved Ashley; she really stole the show this week. You could just feel how fed-up and disappointed she was. I don’t believe I ever seen Noah that scared before. He knew he done stepped in it, that time.
I have NO idea what they’re doing with Hiro, but it is much suckage (though I did enjoy seeing Amrapali Ambegaokar). All your points about that storyline were spot on. Hiro was behaving like a selfish, childish ass. How DID they get to India? Why, exactly, did they go to India, anyway? To stop a wedding? Um, ooookay. But why? Why would Parkman draw this? What relevance does it have? That’s a loooong way to go to get a fax telling them to go back to CA to save the guy that sent them there in the first place. It makes no sense at all, and I’m dubious as to whether there is some legitimate meta-plot point going on. Bad subplot. Bad Hiro.
I liked Alex. Even without the graphic novel backstory, he is such a nice guy, with such an innocuous power, that the goon squad comes across more like stormtroopers than ever. Poor kid goes to school, works in a comics store and breathes underwater. What a threat to homeland security. But I, too, was expecting a little more West-esque questions about Clairebear’s daddy.
Nathan’s storyline was a little surprising. They sure did seem to be operating on a shoe-string didn’t they? And he is only just barely in control…And, of course poor, stupid Tracy.
I’m withholding judgement on the Sylar storyline. It seems unconnected, but it’s amusing and I’m looking forward to John Glover. So, we’ll see.
If the show is renewed for another season, and I still hope that it is, I think we’re looking at some major cast shake-ups. Hiro has become pointless and offensive, Tracy is clearly heading for a fall, and I think you’re right about evil Nathan going too far to function as a viable character after this storyline.
I’m also pretty happy because this week’s BTE suggested that Micah will definitely be making an appearance this storyline, though I’ve capitulated on the Micah-as-Rebel idea.
Thanks for the review.
K
Nobody reviews the technical aspects of the show better than you, Otto! I appreciate it very much.
THIS IS A HERO. Someone who sees a stranger in distress, empathizes with their situation and does everything in his power to help them.
This sounds a lot like how Peter has been and should be.
The scene with HRG at the end with Sandra and Claire was absolutely amazing. The tension between them was palpable, his frustration with the situation was very believable. The whole thing brought the drama in the best way.
Overall, I enjoyed the episode probably more than you since I really liked the scenes with Nathan and the Hunter. Also Hiro’s scenes, while I did find them pretty pointless, didn’t bother me as much as they did you. Although, now that you mention it, yeah Hiro was being very selfish throughout. If anything, I did hate how he was just sitting there sulking. I hated that when I first saw it in the Sprint clip.
As for Sylar’s story, I liked it too, but having read your review makes me want to go back and watch it again.
Lastly, you’re right about this - “Next week: it’s supposed to be one of the best episodes since “Company Man.” That’s a bold statement, show. I hope it’s accurate.” Right now, it has one thing going for it (for me anyways) that “Company Man” didn’t have … Peter is in this one.
By the way, “Company Man” is one of, if not my favorite Heroes episode ever. So, yeah, it better be good. Of course it features the awesome Jack Coleman, so how could it not be good? Maybe I shouldn’t say that.
Great review as always Otto!
I really enjoyed this episode apart from Hiro’s blahh storyline. Jack Coleman and Ashley Crowe sold the hell out of their performances. When they are fighting I could throw all of the super-powered plot lines out the window and it just sounds like a normal, suburban family on the verge of complete distruction.
The revelation of Zeljko being the man who undid Tracy’s chains WAS actually a shock for me. I really thought Nathan was cold enough to do what he did, but in the revelation that it was Danko, I feel like the show is telling you he is an even more ruthless threat than we originally concieved. Seeing his ‘file’ on Angela’s lap proves he is already alot worse than we’d imagine, but THIS takes him to even greater (or lower) heights. I think it is a set up for Nathan’s possible redemption or at least acknowledgment that, even though super-powered beings CAN be dangerous, men like Danko can lead to catastrophic MAN-MADE atrocities like the Holocaust.
Sylar’s story is intriguing me, but Im mostly interested in what his motivation will become once he meets Lionel… ughh… I mean Samsen Gray (lol)… the writers have stated that Sylar’s confrontation w/ his real father will lead him down the path to become ‘another kind of villain’, this makes me believe he may become the ‘Magneto’ of the show, and will gain followers in trying to stop ‘the man’ from turning them into experiments.
We’ll just have to wait and see!
Otto
Great review
couple of points
i miss the VO as they give me a sense that the show is about to start and that for the next hour i will be ingrossed with it however good or bad the epsiode is
My guess on the whole Hiro and Ando gettin to India would be peter as i believe that he last aquisition was flight he could have got them over there without detection just a theory however shame not explian
Thirdly i was thinking what would happen to peter if he aquired sylars ability would he just take the hungar or would he take all of the powers sylar has aquired? the reason i bring it up is that peter can now only hold onto one power at a timewould his body overload if he took all of sylars powers? if i were peter and just realised o could only have one power then sylar would be the first person i would track down then make my assult against nathan thats would just be me lol
great review as always
dean
Awesome review.
Had you forgotten about the
PING!
Selfish As Claire Award?
I think Hiro deserves it almost as much as Peter trying to TK the door open in Powerless when he could have just walked through deserving a Dumb As.
Otto
forget my statement about peter as i forgot you already answered it lol
Hey Otto,
This review is spot-on, and reflects pretty much everything I feel about this episode. I’d score each of the arcs very similarly: 4 out of 5 for Tracy/Nathan/Abby, 5 out of 5 for Claire/Noah/Alex, 4 out of 5 for Sylar/Luke, and a resounding 0 out of for Hiro/Ando.
The zero may seem a little harsh, but I [i]hated[/i] this storyline. It was pointless, contrived, weird, and pushed Hiro into the transition from ‘adding nothing to the show’ to ‘detracting from the show’. What place does an odd story about rescuing an Indian bride from an oppressive groom have alongside scenes of a woman being imprisoned in her own personal hell, or a family falling apart under pressure? How can the writers possibly expect us to become engaged with Hiro when his arc constantly feels like nothing more than a barrier between the viewer and the next good scene? I could even forgive it a point or two if it transcended its bad premise, but it didn’t. There were so many flaws throughout, it was hard to care:
*It contained some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever heard on this show. Seriously, the groom’s last line says it all: “And you can have your lousy friend back!”
*None of the actors were particularly impressive. It was all played very comically and over-the-top, which is totally out of place in a darker volume.
*Hiro is an ass. I believe you covered this ably in your review. ;D
*Ando is a complete idiot for never calling Hiro on being an ass.
*Everything about it was unrealistic - from the point you mentioned about actually getting to India, to the fact that every person they talked to was fluent in English.
However, the rest of the episode was solid. I particularly enjoyed Claire’s arc - the way she bumbles from solution to solution as she struggles to get Alex away from the soldiers and ends up hiding him in her closet. As for “Cold Wars”, it looks promising. But another “Family Man”? The show could use that, but I’m going to wait until it airs before I start hoping for that.
Thanks for another great review,
–Matt
Great review - again.
Mixed feelings about the episode. My thoughts were awesomeness and some crapyness (India?).
The India storyline seemed to last FOREVER. I’m kinda sad that the only scenes when I liked Hiro this season were in “The Eclipse 2.0″ (which consisted in teleporting people out of Bennet house) and “Our Father” (with MamaSulu), both scene in which he was 10 years old … (partly for the second one). That can’t be good, can it?
The Bennet storyline was great. Jack Coleman and Ashley Crow’s performences were awesome, as always. Claire was less annoying. I prefer her helping people than “me, me ! special !”. Too bad, as you pointed out that she said “Me cannot lie anymore” which makes it look kinda selfish. It will be nice to see what Claire and HRG will do separated now. The last times it happened, Claire wanted to expose the Company (dumb?) then tried to hunt down superpowered villains by herself (dumber?). Let’s hope chaos and dumbness doesn’t ensue this time.
Dumb move from Tracy, I’ll agree with that.
Sylar/Luke storyline felt mixed to me : I’ll admit how funny the “serial killer” was. I don’t really like Luke, but it’s just personnal opinion. The character annoys me. Road tripping with a serial killer seems stupid, but trying to see his limits seems even more stupid.
Sylar’s self-analyse got me confused though. I like how you pointed out that it’s the first time we see sincerity, not as Gabriel. By the last 2 episodes of volume 3, I was seeing him more as a “Gabriel who is evil even without the hunger” than as “Sylar who choses who he kills”. Any idea what was up with the “Sometimes I dissapoint myself”?
Didn’t think it was a bad idea to leave Peter/Not-Flying-Mo/Parkman out of most of the episode. Less stories in an episode is good, and the last scene was awesome enough to launch Cold Wars. They hardly messed up HRG-centric episodes or HRG himself (Company Man and Cautionary Tales, being the ones Coleman quoted, were quite awesome) so I’m getting my hopes up for next week.
Episode 3.14 still hasn’t aired down here, so this blog has become my main way of keeping up with the show. Out of a circle of friends who loved season 1, I’m now the only one still following Heroes - although I have recently converted another friend to the wonders of season 1. The way things are going, I am willing to put money on Channel 7 dumping this show in the 11:30pm second-half-of-year schedule normally reserved for Stargate SG1/Atlantis. Which likely means I’ll get my hands on the season 3 DVD set before the rest of the season airs here…
Sandra kicking Noah out seems like a reference to Claire saying “mum left” in Five Years Gone.
For volume 3, my default LJ icon for talking about Heroes was one of Flint saying “I’m Claire’s uncle too? WTF?” For volume 4, I can see I’m going to have to start using my painting-of-Usutu-whacking-Hiro-one-minute-earlier “Ouch!” icon: http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=myrystyr (scroll down to bottom or hit CTRL+END)
Oh, Mister Muggles, where art thou? Thanks for the review!
Another thing, as to how Hiro and Ando got to India, I also thought maybe Peter could have taken them. Which lead me to wonder would Ando’s ability supercharge Peter’s ability to take powers or amplify the one he currently has?
I wonder if the writers will have a way to make it relevant down the line or was it just another pointless side trip for Hiro and Ando.
Hey, Otto, sorry I’ve been so reticent making comments this volume. Real life gets in the way, I guess. I do have a few things to say here.
First off, what must Masi Oka be feeling about this? They’ve assassinated his character and he really looks like he’s phoning it in. Poor guy. OTOH, Kyson Lee is awesome! Way to take rotten material and make the most of it. Incidentally, if Peter touched Ando, does he absorb Ando’s amplifying power and lose the other ones he has? In that case, do they keep amplifying each other until they are both omnipotent (when touching another super, that is)? Or does Ando simply amplify Peter’s current ability? Or does he amplify the ability to acquire abilities? The sheer number of variables in plausible outcomes of these two characters touching each other at this point is mind-boggling, which is why the writers will surely never address it.
The theory of Micah-as-Rebel is floating around the internet in a viral manner, and the revelation that Grey-Cabey will indeed return is welcome and fuels those rumors. But I can’t help but believe that the writers would have never hit upon such a great idea on their own, although had they seen the internet rumors before the fact they might have decided it was in fact a great idea. It’s something I think Fuller would pull off. We’ll see.
I really couldn’t forgive Tracy here. I called her *Ping* days ago, Otto. She needed Moira as an ally. Why would she do such a stupid thing? And the more people she kills, the less sympathetic she becomes. That was a case of a character doing a moronic thing because the plot required it, and I really hate that. One other thing–how does somebody who broke into ice cubes leave a “warm blood stain,” Nathan? When the ice melts, does it melt into blood? Why was I wondering about that since Monday? I have no idea.
About English in India. Please don’t criticize this. Pretty much everyone in India speaks English very fluently. Notice how they used Hindi when the Indian characters spoke to each other. That was very realistic. Hindi is, in fact, the language used in New Delhi on a primary basis. English is used when the various ethnic groups communicate with each other, which is very necessary. This goes back to something that bugged me in Seven Minutes to Midnight. They were so careful to have Hiro and Ando talk in Japanese, and later, for Maya and Alejandro to talk in Spanish–Mohinder really should have been speaking to his mother in Tamil (the language of Chennai/Madras). I thought that was very sloppy, and I’m glad they rectified that with a little bit of Hindi here. Still, all of that meticulous detail in that scene does not atone for Hiro’s character assasination. The “lesson” and the “punch line” were not worth it at all. Didn’t Ando himself already prove that very mantra when he went after Sylar without powers and actually held him off until Hiro decided to get a brain and finally get there? All of that detail, all of that set design, all of that casting, and all of that Hindi were there to make a point that was ultimately pointless. And for me, that’s a greater tragedy than even Hiro’s decline.
I don’t agree with you that Nathan has no chance for redemption yet. He is not yet as far gone as Gabriel Grey, and we were supposed to buy it with him last volume. I really believe that they’re setting up an epic confrontation between him and Željko, and don’t be surprised when Željko ends up having an ability (and probably a fearsome one).
And one thing that bugs about Sylar and Nuke, as promising as this arc has become (after a rather dire and disconnected beginning). Why would Sylar have this connection to Nuke and not kill him when he killed Elle, who had all that and gave him sex besides? After all, he already had Elle’s ability. I know, I know, actor contract dictating plot, but in the light of Elle’s murder, the storyline with Nuke just doesn’t ring true. Unless the show really wants to get squicky, Elle gave Sylar something that Nuke never can. And for some reason, that just bugs.
Oh, and Peter absorbing Ando’s amplification would ultimately be useless since the moment he tried to amplify somebody, he’d lose the amplification and gain the new ability. Seriously, the implications of those two touching each other make my head literally hurt. I wonder if all that has even occurred to the writers. I’d like to give them credit in thinking that it’s just too messy to deal with, but my guess is that they just haven’t thought of the implications. Sometimes I like to give them credit (like the elegant connection of Volume 3’s closing scene to its opening scene). Other times, I just think I’m smarter than them. Hee hee.
Kelly, Nuke sees him as someone *SPECIAL*. Not even Elle saw him as that. That’s why Sylar is keeping him alive.
Yes…but Elle gave him SEX! Even with serial killers, that’s gotta count for something.
On the Bennet storyline (which I neglected)–Hayden should submit this episode for Emmy consideration. Not that the show will ever get nominated for an Emmy ever again, but when Hayden is good, she is very, very good. And in this ep, she was phenomenal. I really do think that Alex is meant to be a response to all the negative feedback about West–they’re giving Claire a more sympathetic love interest. Despite all of Kring’s protestations that the show won’t delve into romance anymore, you just don’t have somebody like Hayden in your cast and abandon romance entirely.
Hi Otto, you really kick ass in this review, i totally agree with you. The Bennet Thread was AWESOME, i think the Nathan/Danko story was really good, Sylar/Nuke roadtrip was kick-ass. Hiro……. well, except “Our Father” (who was TOTALLY AWESOME), review the Hiro Storyline has become a no-brainer. WTF HAPPENED TO HIRO??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, he has become this selfish hero, the comes as annoying, offensive and insulting, we all have the right to attack this story, we have been virtuallly spitted in the face this week, the characters were nice and all, but they were completely useless. Poor Masi Oka. Poor James Kyson Lee. Poor Amrapali Ambegaokar. Poor set workers, whose genius was wasted in this lame story. Poor everyone involved in it.
Well, time to calm down, I´m REALLY looking forward to next week, it´s the episode i´ve been anticipating the most, according to press lately, and pretty godd cast/crew comments, it´s looking kick-ass. I Hope everyone shines here.
Excellent review, as always. Peace Out.
P.S. I don´t know if you read spoilers, but i want to know what do you feel about the fact that we are getting a ELDERSUPER-centric episode coming soon. I´m Thrilled. What about you??.
Another great review as usual.
Onto my two cents. I liked how this episode both justified and brought down Nathan’s plan. After what Tracy did there’s little doubt in your mind that these people do pose a danger to the outside world. However we also see Nathan’s team hunting Alex, whose power of breathing under water and charming disposition, are really no cause for alarm at all.
“I’m willing to bet this season will be Pasdar’s last, at least playing himself as opposed to Sylar-as-Nathan.”
-This is popular theory at the moment, but I must say that if it does happen they’re going to have a very difficult time selling it to me. In order to impersonate someone convincingly you have to know that person very intimately and know their mannerisms, facial expressions, etc. I don’t think Nathan and Sylar have ever actually talked to each other before to honest. Besides, Sylar doesn’t have Candice’s illusion power anymore which makes out-right slicing his head open a weak option. Even though FuturePeter used that body switching power on Peter and Jesse, Jesse was still kept alive. I also have issues of how that would translate into a long term storyline. Sure it was cool for 5YG, but wouldn’t it get old to see people talk to “Nathan” and think in your head “That’s Sylar moron!”?
Moving on…you mentioned something about FutureClaire happening. I can only hope desperately that’s not the case. I’m not that critical of Hayden’s acting - she’s not the best but she’s not awful either - but I don’t think she pulled off “tough” convincingly at all. Actually “I Am Become Death” made me cringe the entire episode, “bad” Claire being one of the key cringe-inducers. As for this week I actually kind of liked Claire. Ratting HRG out to Sandra didn’t feel all that selfish to me suprisingly. I think HRG totally deserved to get put in the doghouse. I’d be pretty peeved if HRG was my husband to be honest.
Liked Ando a bunch this episode, as for Hiro…well you said most of it for me so I’ll refrain from ranting.
This episode also went without the presence of Peter, Mohinder, or Matt (well, almost) and gave more time to each story. One of my big issues with volume 3 was that it was too diluted with too many people in each episode.
Thank God someone else noticed how crappy Hiro’s storyline was! Discussing the episode later with my boyfriend, he couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It felt like a waste of effort. It didn’t further the Ando/Hiro plot in any way at all. What have they learned? To waste time stopping a woman’s wedding in India when they could have been helping Mohinder/Matt/Peter take down Nathan and Co. Pathetic. The rest of the show was enjoyable, but congrats to the show for turning Hiro (once a favorite in my book) into the most pathetic whiner in the history of the show (except for Claire). So what if you don’t have your powers? Man up and save the world without them.
Raissa, thanks as always.
Alfredo, welcome!
“… this was by far one of the best reviews I’ve read in this site.”
Thanks, man. I’m glad you liked it. Good point about the way that less stuff is happening in each episode. I agree, it really frees the show up to focus on each character and dig into the drama.
With the Dumb As “reset” — I remember the post, and thank you for the suggestion. I’m starting to wonder if anyone will get the award named after them this volume. I don’t think it’s that I’m being too lenient, I think it’s that everyone’s motives and behavior have been well thought through.
Michael, great point about the Japanese accounts being out of Nathan and Danko’s jurisdiction, and about Matt helping Hiro and Ando onto a plane. They’re the best explanations I’ve heard, so I’ll go along with them.
“You’re being way too hard on Tracy. If you were tortured for hours, you’d probably make some stupid decisions right after escaping.”
I know, and I was thinking the same thing until we got to that moment when Tracy stares at Nathan and Moira and really looks like she’s gauging the situation rationally. I see your point, but Tracy strikes me as pretty resilient, and I think she was very much in her right mind when she killed Leggett.
Pete, thank you.
“… despite Hiro’s story being abysmal as of late, I liked that he won’t pursue the sickening “sword search” subplot again, which they alluded to last week.”
I don’t know, there’s still time…
I like your point about Danko’s deviousness coming out when we know he’s the one who let Tracy escape. It’s consistent with his whole ends-justify-the-means mindset, but I also wondered if he’d really be willing to sacrifice one of his own men. That moment last week when he was furious about the dead agents on the hillside seemed like an indication that he values human life more than anything else. He only shot the Parkman-whammied agent when he had no other choice. With that in mind, I wondered whether Danko would really be willing to put his whole team at risk here. “One man falling on the grenade,” “the greater good,” “the needs of the many,” etc. etc., I guess. It was an interesting detail.
With the Anna/Shayla romance, yes, I did pick up on it. I liked how subtly it was conveyed, and how it wasn’t pushed as an overt reason for Anna wanting out of her marriage.
Daniel P, thank you. Great point about Claire and Noah getting separate storylines. I’d be curious to see how that would affect the whole emotional impact of their scenes, because the dynamic between the characters is what makes their scenes so effective, in my opinion. If you separate them, do you take away that emotional impact, and if that happens, do their scenes lose a part of what makes them so great?
“I’m surprised you didn’t mention the fax where Hiro showed actual exuberance at receiving a message about how Parkman was in danger.”
Get the shovels out again, people…
Kevin, this:
“Why, exactly, did they go to India, anyway? To stop a wedding? Um, ooookay. But why? Why would Parkman draw this? What relevance does it have?”
… says it all. I can sorta see how the show was shooting for a “global” vibe, but I agree, it ended up feeling like a bizarre detour. I’m going to go with Susan’s point that the whole thing must have some kind of relevance that’ll become clear. If Hiro and Ando stick around in India for longer and it turns out there was actually a reason to be there besides crashing a wedding, the whole storyline might claw back a little credibility. We’ll see.
Susan, thank you as always. Neat point about the Ando/Peter parallel. I hadn’t ever thought about it, but yeah, Ando’s developing a lot of the same traits.
“‘Company Man’ is one of, if not my favorite Heroes episode ever. So, yeah, it better be good. Of course it features the awesome Jack Coleman, so how could it not be good? Maybe I shouldn’t say that.”
I think it’s safe to say that regardless of whether or not the episode is great, Coleman’s portion of it will be great.
John, thanks. Very interesting point about Danko turning out to be the monster and Nathan seeing the light at the last moment. I’m not sure if it’ll go down that way, but I wouldn’t be completely surprised. If they can redeem Sylar (sort of), I guess they can redeem Nathan. My gut tells me that won’t be the case this time, though.
Dean Gibb, I sometimes miss the V.O.’s too. I wonder if using different characters to deliver them would work. What do you think? Linderman’s V.O. in 1.19 and Sylar’s in 3.13 worked really well, and even some of Mohinder’s have been quite profound from time to time. I hope the show hasn’t ditched the concept altogether.
My take on Peter absorbing Sylar’s ability: he’d probably get the intuitive aptitude and the hunger, and he’d probably be able to acquire abilities by slicing heads open, but I’m guessing Peter’s system would overload if he tried. His original empathic mimicry could handle multiple abilities, but I think the cheap knock-off version that Peter’s working with now would go into meltdown if it had to handle multiple abilities via intuitive aptitude.
Will, thank you. I haven’t forgotten the Selfish As Claire Award. I figured one derisive award was enough, but if you want to dish out Selfish As Claire Awards and Gullible As Ando Awards, knock yourself out.
Matt, word to your whole post. I’m right there with you, buddy.
“None of the actors were particularly impressive. It was all played very comically and over-the-top, which is totally out of place in a darker volume.”
Valid point about the jarring tone. I’m guessing the cast realized the material they were saddled with wasn’t first-rate and decided just to have fun with it. I can’t really blame them for that.
“Ando is a complete idiot for never calling Hiro on being an ass.”
Yes, although I wonder if that was intentional, and if we were meant to applaud Ando for taking the high ground.
Pas, thanks so much. I’m with you on Hiro being more likable as a 10 year old. He seemed much more mature and self-aware, which is kind of weird.
Agreed on Luke. For me, he’s not so much annoying as he is unsettling. I think both reactions are definitely intentional, though.
With Sylar’s “sometimes I disappoint myself” line, I took it to mean the times he’s used his abilities for something that didn’t clearly serve his purpose. There were abilities he didn’t really need to acquire because they were either (a) useless to his immediate goals or (b) useless altogether. There were also people he killed purely for the murderous thrill, like the coworkers at Sue’s office in 3.12. That’s just my take on it, though.
Myrystyr, I love the icon! Very cute. I agree about Claire’s “Mom left” line in “FYG” still coming to pass. Sadly, absolutely, yes.
KellyH, great post. I admire your optimism about JKL making the most of what he was given this week.
Agreed on Peter absorbing Ando’s supersparks. I can’t imagine what would happen if he and Ando supercharged each other into omnipotence, but that image is so hilarious that I hope the show considers it.
With the ice cubes — dude, morbid much? They’re chunks of frozen flesh, so once they thaw out, I can definitely buy the blood trickling down the hall. My question is why the janitor didn’t make his life a whole lot easier by getting to the frozen chunks and sweeping them up sooner.
With Sylar, Elle and Luke, I see it a little differently to you and Michael. I think part of it’s that Luke panders to Sylar’s ego, but mostly I think it’s evidence of Sylar’s “emotions make you sloppy” maxim. He cared about Elle, and Elle was a distraction to him: she brought out feelings in him and reached a part of his humanity that scared him. Luke can’t do that; he’s a like-minded individual who reminds Sylar of himself, but I don’t see Luke bringing out the part of Sylar that Elle did. He gets Sylar thinking, but he doesn’t cloud his judgment.
Well after reading the review and comment, I’m realizing I missed lots of thing is the Sylar’s scenes. Nead to watch them again. Unfortunately I remember nearly every cheesy line of that India’s storyline, but that’s not the point -_-
The “emotions make you sloppy” slipped of my mind. I’d say that Elle would probably be the one who would understand more than anyone. She would probably agree with him searching searching his Papa, but as messed up as she could be, she probably wouldn’t want him to kill random people (like you said the “cake” scene) along the way. As you say, she could have dragged him down in many ways, feelings being one of them. Or maybe he tought she wouldn’t let him use her phone. We’ll probably never know ^^.
He doesn’t have such problem with Luke, who seems fascinated and (like you said) doesn’t judge him. Does Luke know his non-serial-killer name or does he just calls him Sylar for the heck of it (and not Gabriel like Elle used to)? I’m also wondering how twisted Luke can be if he doesn’t mind following someone who leaves blood wherever he goes… Maybe the mentoring is really gonna make him the next Sylar.
Oh and I’m seriously begining to think Sylar and Gabriel are different characters, somehow lol.
I love how lots of elements seems to point out (again) towards the alternatives futures. We can notice Sandra kicking Noah out, how Matt (Claire maybe too?) could go a darker path, and even how Peter would end up tagged as a terrorist (actually at this point Danko considers them all as terrorists…). The difference here is Hiro. I have no idea how he could turn into the bad-ass-samourai 5YG-Future Hiro, who seems like light years away from the direction he is going now. Actually if I recall right, he worked for few years on his string theory, which points out using his brain, which he doesn’t seem to be his priority now. Too bad for a great actor, and a character who used to be great also
While checking out screencaps from the episode, it looks like Knox is to the right of Hiro on the wall of Targets. How can that be? Of all people, Nathan should know that Knox is dead.
Great review, Otto. On some key points:
I also wondered why that beach ball was just sitting there. I’m all for random props, but a beach ball just felt out of place. Maybe an old kite, or a shoe would have been better?
Yes, Hiro’s storyline was a major downer. He’s being a tool and needs to just shut up. What really bothered me was that there was no point to them going to India. The exact same thing could have happened at a wedding in the states. I was expecting Shanti or Chandra’s ghost to show up or something. All to get his powers back. Really? What a tremendous waste of time. And yes, what the hell was with Deepak just giving up on the fight and letting the bride go?
Major props to Ashley Crow for her scenes. She doesn’t get a lot to do, but when she does, she nails it out of the park every time. She never comes across as an idiot housewife, but a naive one, who’s finally putting her foot down when it comes to her husband. When she told her daughter to go upstairs while staring daggers at her husband, you knew something was about to go down.
Speaking of which, damn it if I wasn’t prepared to hate Noah, but the final scene did me in. Even though his behavior is warped, his intentions are always pure when it comes to his family, and now it’s unraveling at the seams because of his actions. Well played, Jack.
I’ll admit, I’m only lukewarm to Zeljko right now. Nathan is villainous enough, the other guy isn’t doing anything for me. He just seems kind of generic.
I prefer Alex to West. Just putting that out there.
Unfortunately, you didn’t elaborate on my fave scene: Sylar & Luke’s little chat at the end. Luke’s little “Uh-huh” to Sylar’s denial of saving him was priceless, and poor Sylar had to turn on the radio just so they wouldn’t have conversation. Brilliant.
I thought Deepak said “the woman and the BAKERY are mine” no mention of babies! Makes more sense too.
Re: Ando and Hiro’s Lamentable Adventure…
…to be honest, at this point, I’m half-inclined to think that it was some higher power trying to put Hiro somewhere out of the way where he can’t screw anything up. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the camera crew this, so they followed along, and Rebel seems to be out of the loop as well, having given them a reason to go back to the US.
Otto
Read your points I agree with you with your thought on peters ability absorbtion in answering your question about different characters vo I think it would work maybe use a character who is mainly in the episode or who’s arc is being focussed on like next week hrg ?
But they might loose there intensity if claire did them ? What do you think otto?
Leigh, I really like your point about this episode justifying and undermining Nathan’s goals at the same time. I think it leaned further towards undermining the project, partly because we know and (sort of) care about Tracy, partly because we know she isn’t a nutjob who’d rampantly freeze people without provocation if she were loose. I think Nathan’s goals will only really become justifiable when we see his team capture someone who’s blatantly out of control and about to do something catastrophic.
With the Sylar-as-Nathan point, I see it pretty much the same way. The show could easily introduce another illusionist besides Candice, but your point about the impersonation plot getting tired really quickly is valid. That said, we’ve seen Sylar pull off the impersonation very convincingly in “FYG,” and we’ve seen Pasdar realize the impersonation very convincingly, so it might be a fun storyline to play around with for a few episodes. I’m with you on this point, though. I’m not sure the show will go down that road.
Melanie, word to your post. Hiro was one of my favorite characters too. For me, that’s why it really sucks to see him saddled with storylines like this.
Pas, great point about Hiro showing no sign of becoming Future-Hiro. With New York still standing and Ando still alive, maybe he’s now more likely to become the Hiro we saw in 3.01? It seems like certain story elements are going to happen no matter what — the Bennets breaking apart, people with abilities being rounded up, Peter turning into a renegade, etc. — but stuff like Ando dying and Peter hooking up with Niki doesn’t seem so immutable. Then again, who’s to say Ando won’t still die and Hiro won’t still be crushed by the loss of his friend? I hope not, but it’s always a possibility.
Susan, good catch with Knox on the wall. Random spec: a clone or a twin, à la Tracy? Or the show came up with that wall of fugitives before they actually shot 3.13 and killed him off.
B., I’m really sorry I didn’t mention your favorite scene. I liked the “uh-huh” from Luke too.
Sezza80, I agree, “bakery” would make a little more sense, although I’d still wonder why such a “powerful and dangerous” man would want to usurp his wife’s business. It couldn’t be that profitable, could it? I could be wrong, but it definitely sounds to me like he says “baby,” so I’m guessing either dialogue which explained that line was cut, or we were meant to take some kind of implied meaning from it.
Dean Gibb, neat idea with the voice-overs. I saw it pretty much the same way: a focal character in the episode getting V.O. duty. It might not make the words themselves any more lucid, but it might give the V.O. more of a context in the episode, in the sense that we’d know it related directly to character X/Y/Z at the same time as having a broader relevance to the episode’s themes. After two-and-a-half seasons of mostly Mohinder V.O.’s, though, maybe it’d be too much of a departure.
He DID say ‘bakery’, Anna owns a bakery. Whether above the law, dangerous, powerful or whatever he just wanted more ownership of things, he obviously gets off being the boss of people and Anna said their business had been successful so why wouldn’t he want a piece of it (or the whole of it)? The ‘baby’ suggestion is incorrect, what could they have cut that he would have said that? I’m sorry but it isn’t said. The subtitles say ‘bakery’.
“the women from the backery” sub titles
Well done, Ground.