Determined to stop Samuel, Noah persuades Matt to help him track down Vanessa. They prize information about Samuel out of her, then use her as bait to capture Samuel. Samuel of course outwits them and brings Vanessa to the carnival.Before we begin this week’s review, I’d like to briefly mention events in the real world. As you may be aware, a magnitude-7 earthquake this week struck Haiti. It’s estimated that the death toll has exceeded 100,000 and that millions of the nation’s residents have been affected.
As the scope of the disaster comes into focus, I hope everyone will consider what they can do to help. As supplies and medical aid begin to reach the nation, one of the best ways to offer support is through a non-profit organization founded by our own Jimmy Jean-Louis:
This is where to go to make a donation to Jimmy’s organization.
This is where to go to make a donation to the Red Cross.
Please take a moment to consider making a contribution, folks. Small donations will add up to big amounts. Five or ten dollars will make a huge difference. They’ll help to ensure that when emergency response teams land, they’ll have the medical aid and food supplies the nation desperately needs.
Onto the review…
“Close to You” is another episode that’s watchable but neither terrible nor outstanding. It’s a serviceable episode that advances the main arcs, and although its story threads are never especially flawed, they’re only occasionally remarkable. Like the episode’s title, many of the developments are open to interpretation. By the end of the episode, there’s a sense that the volume has reached a critical point and that several key developments for upcoming storylines have been set up. The downside is that, as with many of the show’s transitional episodes, we’re left with an episode that lacks any real emotional resonance. There are occasional moments of brilliance that are deeply affecting, like Peter smashing Emma’s cello and Noah trying to make amends with Claire. The problem is they’re few and far between, and the episode fails to cohere into a compelling installment, in the end feeling like it’s serving the story more than the characters.
We start out with V.O. HRG asking us to look at Claire and ponder her outlook on the world — one that’s “filled with promise and hope.” I feel obligated to point out that this hardly jives with a character whose default reaction is suspicion and indignation, but if this is really the way Noah sees Claire, it’s a worrying sign that they’ve grown even further apart than he realizes.
We learn that there’s no background information on Samuel, even with Lauren’s vast “resources.” I maintain that resources earns its sarcastic air quotes on account of her fake cover as a CIA agent and her ties to the carnival, but…
Lauren’s research finally yields a picture of Vanessa, who turns out to be the lovely Kate Vernon. Everyone’s more interested in finding out about Vanessa than acknowledging the six arduous hours Lauren spent helping Noah, and although I have very mixed feelings about where her story concludes this week, I have to grudgingly concede that Lauren earns praise for her loyalty. But then, you could equally argue that she’s supporting Noah’s insanity and facilitating his obsession the same way Matt supported Noah and Angela.
Noah gets a promising lead on Samuel and looks like he’s about to start dancing. This is disturbing, particularly when you realize that nothing in the show’s four seasons has ever elicited such visible joy from Noah, and that this joy comes from knowing he has hours of prospective torture and interrogation ahead of him. Just saying, it wouldn’t have hurt to know he was as thrilled when Claire got an ‘A’ for an assignment and when Mr. Muggles won a dog show.
The cut to the carnival was a neat transition, from the cold, analytical look of the database file…
… to the warm, loving tone of the sketch Samuel produces. And, yes, in addition to warm and loving, we can add creepy and obsessive. Nevertheless, it’s hard to despise a man who sketches pretty portraits of Vanessa…
… and who smiles thoughtfully when writing poems for her.
It’s suddenly occurring to me that if Sylar tried this approach with Claire — you know, sketches and poems and thoughtful smiles… Claire probably would still find it as creepy, BUT WOULD WE? It’s possible that the difference in our reaction comes down to that approach over puppeteering and scalping. Or it’s just that Knepper can make a creepy obsession seem charming. Whichever it is, I’d like to point out that I called the weird-poetry-writing last week when we got the flashback.
Samuel acknowledges that things have been “difficult,” what with Edgar, Hiro, Claire, Joseph and Sylar. When it comes to Hiro and Claire, I think it’s safe to say that “difficult” is a relative term. When it comes to Sylar, I’m wondering if it’s a dirty euphemism.
Samuel: “I’m asking for your patience. I need you on my side.”
The look of undisguised contempt Lydia gives Samuel in this scene speaks to her sense of entrapment. It underlines her stoicism, because you realize she’s suffering through this to protect her daughter, and it underlines her heroism, because you realize she’s just waiting for a chance to liberate the community.
Samuel: “We’re so close now… to realizing all our dreams.”
Lydia: “Our dreams, Samuel? Or are they yours?”
Samuel gives one of those adorable smiles that reminds us how completely Knepper owns his character, but I can’t help wondering whether that’s the show’s attempt at self-parody, like, “Yes, we know our principal villain’s dream is murky and that we haven’t quite established where this volume is going three-quarters of the way into it, but LOOK! Here are the ingredients to the Magik Ink! See — we are giving you answers!”
We cut to Lydia joining Amanda outside the trailer.
It’s terrifying, but somehow also delightful for the way Amanda looks so proud to be getting a handle on her ability. It’s a reminder that while Samuel’s character arc continues along an uncertain trajectory, he’s accomplished a lot of good along the way. For all of Samuel’s plotting and scheming and equivocating and manipulating and terrakinetic razing and brother-killing and Lydia-prostituting and…
I’ve lost track of where that sentence was going, but the point is Samuel achieved some good in the course of his villainy, and Amanda’s a prime example of that: a kid with an out-of-control ability who was given an environment where she could acknowledge it and harness it.
I found myself more interested than I think I was meant to be by the shot of Samuel bantering with the carnival folk. It illustrates his brilliance when it comes to manipulating loyalty and portraying himself as a “people person” instead of a despot. At the same time, it’s a hint that Samuel might genuinely get along with the members of his community. Depending on whose perspective you buy into, they might indeed just be lambs he’s ready to slaughter. If you buy into Samuel’s proclamations of “love” and “family,” however, this is a moment of rare camaraderie.
Lydia: “There is someone. A man of compassion. Samuel himself said that he may be the next Joseph. He’s just so far away.”
Amanda: “Maybe you can call him?”
Lydia: “Maybe I can.”
It’s intriguing for a number of reasons — most of them geography- and invisibility-related — but one question it raises is why Lydia is prompted to call the next Joseph instead of visiting him. I can’t imagine Lydia being allowed to pass up another Sprint-friendly opportunity, but it’s odd that while Samuel, Edgar and Eli come and go as they please, Lydia never seems to leave the carnival. If Samuel can visit Emma in New York, is it so much further for Lydia to make a detour from her supplies trip “into town” to visit Peter?
Not that we’re intended to ponder this any more than Samuel’s banter with the carnies, because the principal “WTF?” comes from Lydia’s Empathic Intercom to Peter, which, as near as I can tell, she uses to remote-activate his Magik Tattoo.
Humor me. Read that last part again. I’m enjoying this volume for the most part, but if it’s going to introduce absurd concepts like remote-activating Magik Tattoos that function as homing beacons, it would be great if it could actually, you know, explain them.
We go from Magik Tattoos to Matt making toast. The number of times ratatouille is mentioned becomes tiresome, but I’m beginning to suspect it’s a tactic designed to lessen our horror when we see Janice’s hair.
OH. MY. GOD.
What have those hair and make-up people done to her?
There must be some explanation. Like, an encounter with a TK-powered super who was bitter at the way Matt hopped back into bed with Janice and promptly forgot about you-know-who. Or something Sylar put into motion while impersonating Matt, just to make things that much more unbearable for him, like, “Honey, you’re SO hot, I just wish you’d cut off your hair so I could appreciate your slender neck and nibble your succulent earlobes.” If it’s the first of those, that anonymous super wins my unequivocal support. If it’s the second of those, it’s one more reason for us to hate Sylar.
Not that this is the focus of the scene, although frankly it’s hard to imagine how the show could come up with something as gruesome as this and not expect us to be distracted by it. But Matt’s cook book and vegetables? Aw. That’s a whole psychoanalytical field day in itself. Is he in denial after the Sylathan Debacle? Is he trying to live the family life he always wanted before the superpower drama took over? Is he just so bowled over by the thought of a normal life with his wife and son that little things like making dinner have become extraordinary for him?
It’s a touching moment for the character, but like many aspects of Matt’s storyline over the seasons, it feels disconnected. Certain key issues seem to have been ignored. For one thing, there’s that whole death-threat-scrawling and attempted suicide thing. Then there’s the miraculous-healing-from-mortal-wounds-and-escaping-police-custody thing. Then there’s that old chestnut, the standing-in-front-of-Capitol-Hill-with-explosives-strapped-to-his-chest thing.
And all of that’s just the stuff that should be raising the cops’ eyebrows. That doesn’t cover the part involving the psychokiller who inhabited Matt’s body, who had sex with his wife, who’s on the loose and who vowed to kill everyone involved in his out-of-body experience.
I mentioned that certain key issues seem to have been ignored. Re-reading these last few paragraphs, I’m thinking I should rephrase that. CERTAIN MAJOR ISSUES SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IGNORED. They are, and for that reason, these scenes lose a big part of their impact.
Which, in itself, is heartbreaking, because when Matt starts telling Janice about his plans for dinner that night…
… his look of enthusiasm is so endearing that you want to put aside the continuity issues. The problem is those issues are by now so vast and so numerous that they can’t be ignored. The characters can’t ignore them, but more importantly we can’t. There’s starting a new and excellent story with a blank slate, and then there’s pretending that significant chunks of a character’s backstory don’t exist.
Janice: “Since you got back, you hardly leave the house.”
Matt: “Well, I’m a stay-at-home dad guy. That’s what I do. What’s wrong with that?”
Janice: “Nothing. I just want you to be happy. There’s stay-at-home-because-you-want-to, and then there’s stay-at-home-because-you’re-scared-not-to, and I just don’t know which one you are.”
Matt: “I’m the one who’s REALLY excited about this ratatouille!”
The sad part about this tract of dialogue is it seemed like it was leading somewhere; that Matt was hiding from the authorities, that he was afraid to be around people for fear of lapsing into rampant Parkman-whammying, that perhaps Matt’s motivation for staying at home was to ensure he’d be there when Sylar showed up and that he’d be ready to protect his son.
Instead, we have ratatouille. It’s funny, but like Hiro’s tumor taking a back seat to Star Trek jokes, it’s also disappointing.
Noah shows up and seems genuinely hurt that Matt didn’t return his messages. It’s understandable that Matt wouldn’t want anything to do with the guy who pressured him into the Sylathan stupidity, but it’s also part of the reason why this scene fails to support any sense of continuity. The dialogue portrays Matt as a victim: “I got Sylar stuck in my head and I almost died.”
More importantly…
… Grunberg does his best to work with the material and plays Matt as a victim.
Did I see a different ending to the previous volume’s finale? Was I so appalled that I’m not remembering it correctly? Because I recall Noah and Angela propelling Matt to Parkman-whammy Sylar, and I have a vivid recollection of Matt applying that Parkman Whammy. Which is to say that although Noah and Angela were the ones who came up with the awful idea in the first place, Matt’s the one who made it happen. He’s the one who facilitated the collective stupidity. The way this scene plays out, you’d be forgiven for wondering if there’s an alternate ending to Volume Four in which Noah briefly gained his own mind-pushing whammy and placed Sylar into Matt’s head himself. Noah came up with the plan, but he didn’t directly cause the Ghost-Sylar drama or Matt’s suicide attempt — Matt did.
Noah: “I’m sorry about what you’ve been through. The Sylar thing was a terrible idea, we all admit that.”
At least there’s an element of self-parody in there. I’m not sure how much of that is Noah talking and how much of it’s an admission that the show screwed up.
ANDO
Kimiko, Hiro and I are going to Florida.
KIMIKO
Why?
HIRO
To save Dr. Watson from the swamp dragons!
KIMIKO
Oh, my poor, poor brother! You’re dying, and your tumor is making you talk like a crazy person!
ANDO
That’s it! A crazy person! I’ll have Hiro admitted to the same hospital he wants to visit!
KIMIKO
But… why does Hiro want to go there?
HIRO
Dr. Watson! Swamp dragons!
KIMIKO
And what will happen when he gets there?
ANDO
I don’t know.
KIMIKO
But that hospital will be able to make him better, right?
ANDO
Uh… I don’t know.
KIMIKO
But you know he’ll be safe there, and Hiro would want to do this if he was in his right mind, wouldn’t he?
AMDO
Um…
KIMIKO
Ando, I realize that a rewritten timeline means I adore you and that I’ll do anything you ask, but why on earth would I let you take my dying brother on some stupid adventure to Florida just because you’ve interpreted his idiotic ramblings to mean that’s what he wants to do?
ANDO
Because the script requires it! Dammit, woman! Contrived story devices override a character’s rational behavior!
KIMIKO
OK. But I’m giving you a *PING!* Dumb As Hiro Award for going along with this insane adventure.
ANDO
Oh yeah? Well, I’m giving you a *PING* Dumb As Hiro Award for letting me go along with it.
HIRO
Warp speed! Sancho! Dr. Watson! Swamp dragons!
ANDO
Greetings, Mr. Riverdale Psychiatric Hospital Orderly! I would like to have my friend admitted to your facility.
ORDERLY
Sure. Who is he?
ANDO
Oh. Do I have to give you his name and contact details?
ORDERLY
Yes.
ANDO
But it’s possible that if you have that kind of information, you might track us down once we’ve finished the crazy shenanigans we’re inevitably going to get into here.
ORDERLY
What?
ANDO
Never mind. Here are contact details I’ve faked to get him in.
ORDERLY
That’s great. What was your name again?
ANDO
You don’t need to know my name. If you do, there’ll be no logical reason for you to introduce yourself later on in the episode.
ORDERLY
OK, that’s great. So, I see here that the patient’s symptoms are… “Quoting Star Trek and Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica…”
ANDO.
Yes.
ORDERLY
… And naming you after a character in a Cervantes novel…
ANDO
Yes.
ORDERLY
Wow, I feel so intellectual. So, anyway, back to this “quoting sci-fi classics” thing. Do you think that’s a good reason to put someone in a psychiatric hospital? I mean, is it really so crazy?
ANDO
Well, it’s driving everyone who has to listen to it crazy. Could you help us out here?
ORDERLY
You betcha.
ANDO
Thanks. I’ll be sure not to electrocute you when we meet again later.
Meanwhile, at a location that resembles L.A.’s Music Center, Noah and Matt track down Vanessa. I’m sure Janice would be happy to know that Matt finally left the house, but unless there’s a new sitter, one has to wonder who’s looking after Baby Matt.
Vanessa: “Are you with the police?”
Noah: “No, it’s more complicated than that.”
Noah wins a Smart As Emma Award for realizing that he’s better off using a euphemism for “complicated.” It’s never clear whether Vanessa’s completely in the dark about the superpowered population. The gist seems to be that Samuel manifested his ability after the Sullivans upped and left Sinkhole Estate, but given his upbringing at Coyote Sands and his crush on Vanessa, you’d think he would have at least hinted at his ability before now.
Noah implores Matt to “share” his thoughts. There’s something ironic about a character tasked with sharing his thoughts when the actor gets to voice them out loud, but it’s telling that Matt works a Parkman Whammy on Vanessa without the slightest hint of compunction. He used to feel guilty about doing stuff like that!
It’s worth noting, though, that Matt again ends up indirectly causing a predicament through no fault of his own. If Matt hadn’t been there to whammy Vanessa, Noah never would have been able to persuade her to call Samuel, Samuel wouldn’t have kidnapped her, and no one would have been stuck contemplating a missing person’s report. This entire situation is facilitated by Matt getting roped into something he wants nothing to do with. The problem is that, like Papa Parkman, Matt’s docile enough to do what someone else tells him to do. Even though he can think “Go to hell!” and persuade anyone to do their best to literally go to hell, he somehow ends up being the tool for whoever’s shrewd enough to manipulate him. In Maury’s case, that was Adam and Arthur. In Matt’s case, it’s Noah and Angela.
Vanessa recounts how Samuel wrote her poems, how social distinctions faded into the background, how the Sullivans suddenly vanished and how Samuel then returned in the drunken rock’n'roll state we’ve already had a glimpse of and went on to visit her more and more often. And it’s only now that we can begin to grasp how frequently Samuel’s been visiting Vanessa, how Joseph’s death intensified his fixation on Vanessa and how pretty much EVERYTHING that motivates the volume’s chief villain revolves around Vanessa and has played out almost entirely off-screen.
It’s great that the villain’s backstory has emerged piece by piece, and it’s great that he’s complex enough that we’re still discovering layers to his character. But this is a crucial layer, and it’s been excluded from the narrative for the sake of shock value; the idea being that we’ll think, “Ooh, so THAT’S what really mattered to Samuel all this time!”, when in fact it’s more, “Wait, Samuel’s grand plan for the superpowered population comes down to… putting some grass in a valley and having a picnic with some chick he knew when he was a kid?”
The fact that Samuel’s so passionate about Vanessa is romantic in a creepy villainous kind of way, but the fact that this person wasn’t even mentioned until last week — and the fact that Samuel was paying frequent visits to her for the duration of the volume without these visits ever being alluded to — feels like an enormous cheat.
Peter: “Hey, Noah, it’s Peter. That tattoo on my arm showed up again. Give me a call, all right?”
^ ^ Actual dialogue!
^ ^ ^ Not a portion of faux-dialogue I came up with to illustrate how the characters’ lives would be so much easier if only they communicated.
^ ^ ^ ^ Absolutely hilarious when Noah reproaches Matt for ignoring messages and ends up saddled with an entire “HOW CAN WE FIND THE CARNIVAL WITHOUT A COMPASS?” storyline.
Oh, Noah. That’s one VERY well-earned *PING!* Dumb As Hiro Award for not checking your voicemail.
Let’s move the focus away from Noah and return to Peter…
… whose clothes have suddenly turned much darker than usual. It seems odd that Emma never mentions Nathan’s death, although you could figure that she’s being tactful and waiting for Peter to bring up the topic when he’s ready. But if this darker attire is the costume department’s way of emphasizing that Peter is still haunted by his brother’s death, it’s elegantly done.
Emma plays her cello and siren-lures Peter to her apartment. The remarkable part is Emma’s look of delight when Peter shows up, which seems to be delight over the siren-luring as much as the visit itself.
Peter makes a connection between Emma’s cello, her compass, his tattoo, the stranger he met in “Ink” and Noah’s sliced-open guts in “Jump, Push, Fall.” This demonstrates surprisingly quick thinking on Peter’s part and makes me wonder if this is the same guy who once walked down an alley and pondered how to hide from his enemies without remembering he could turn invisible.
Angela shows up for lunch.
Poor Emma tries to be polite, smiles and extends her hand.
Angela deploys the menacing stare that’s by now become her weapon of choice. Great acting by Cristine Rose. I love how one cold glance from her can make someone as sharp and strong-willed as Emma wilt.
Angela: “Peter, she’s gonna kill thousands of people. It will be a bloodbath.”
Ominous, shocking, and a reveal that captures everything that distinguishes this volume from the previous ones. Your initial reaction is to compare it to the millions who were at stake in the first volume and the billions in the second and third. What makes it comparable to the fourth is the fact that it puts a small community of people with abilities in jeopardy. What separates it is the fact that, unlike Volume Four, when Nathan and Željko were the clear figureheads, there was no way to guess that the person responsible for this latest crisis would be the most kind-hearted and likeable character to be introduced all season.
Angela: “The important thing is that you cannot save her.”
Peter: “But someone else can — is that it?”
Looking back, you have to wonder whether Angela held off telling Peter about Sylar because she didn’t want to upset him, or because she didn’t want Peter dithering over whether or not to avenge Nathan because of some cute girl he’d met. If Sylar really is going to somehow “save” Emma, chances are Peter will let him live instead of trying to kill him in the most agonizing way possible.
You’d think that Angela’s decision was borne of concern for her son’s recent self-destructive streak, especially when she reminds Peter that anyone who thinks her ability is a gift is “wrong.” But then, the little smile she gives when Peter grabs hold of her arm and absorbs her ability…
… is a smile that conveys something else. Familiarity with her son’s obstinacy, perhaps; pride over his determination to stop the course of events; admiration that he’s loyal enough to his “friend” to suffer through precognitive nightmares in order to help her.
Noah and Matt stake the lobby to Vanessa’s apartment and wait for Samuel. What was the plan if they’d actually managed to taser and duct-tape Samuel, anyway? Were they planning to take him back to Matt’s apartment and hope he wouldn’t raze the house while they tried to interrogate him?
I’m also still trying to figure out why this moment failed for me. Part of it’s that it’s so brief. Part of it’s that we don’t believe for a second that Noah will shoot, or that Samuel’s diversion will actually harm Noah. Part of it’s that we’ve pretty much seen this exact stand-off before: Noah points a gun at Samuel, Samuel takes advantage of a diversion and escapes, and Noah’s left thinking, “Drat! That Samuel! What a scamp!”
In this case, the diversion isn’t Rebecca or Claire, but instead Samuel ripping open the street and using a wave of dust to blind Noah. Which is cool, but it lacks the emotional resonance that the stand-off in “Shadowboxing” had. The problem is also that it’s a lot easier to sympathize with the guy who’s ripping open the street than the guy who’s pointing the gun; for the way the guy with the gun used an innocent woman to lure his nemesis into the open, and for the way he used another super to brainwash the innocent woman to win her cooperation. It’s hard to blame Samuel for telling Noah to “stay away.” Even without Matt, the perennial Bennet Curse of Pain and Death is enough to ward everyone away. It isn’t Samuel that everyone should be running away from — it’s Noah.
ORDERLY 1
Hey, do you think hospital orderlies got a bad rap from this?
ORDERLY 2
What do you mean?
ORDERLY 1
I mean, don’t we come across as idiots when visitors admit themselves into our facility, switch our meds, wander around our halls, help each other to break out, punch us and escape? Doesn’t that make us look kind of… I don’t know, dumb?
ORDERLY 2
Well, I guess, but no dumber than the visitors these scenes are about. I think that’s why we’re the ones talking instead of them.
ORDERLY 1
That’s a good point. But, look, I really think we should talk about this whole switching-the-meds business. I mean, for one thing, one of those Japanese guys put the Indian guy on a medication that’s probably strong enough to knock out a horse, and when the other Japanese guy accidentally swallows it, he gets high.
ORDERLY 2
Well, I guess, but it wouldn’t have been as funny if he was out cold for several days, would it?
ORDERLY 1
Was it funny the way it turned out? Putting a guy who’s doped up on a medication that wasn’t prescribed to him and making a getaway in a wheelchair?
Yeah, OK, that was funny. But that’s only because the guy in the wheelchair was funny.
ORDERLY 2
It wasn’t so funny when the other guy punched us. I think he hit Buck hard enough to break his jaw.
ORDERLY 1
He didn’t deserve that. And we didn’t deserve to be called stormtroopers. That’s why I say we came out of this looking pretty bad. We got screwed around by these guys, we got assaulted by them, and we were only doing our jobs.
ORDERLY 2
It’s not right.
ORDERLY 1
You know the worst part? No one will even think twice about that. They’ll be all, “Hey, that Japanese dude got high! And then one of those dumb orderlies got punched hard enough to fly across the hall. And then the patients escaped! Hahaha!”
ORDERLY 2
I don’t think we came across as very professional, either. I mean, they called our meds Jawa Juice and our dogs Ewoks. And what about that last part?
ORDERLY 1
What, the part where they joke about zapping each other’s heads with electricity?
I’m not really sure what happened there, but it looks like the dude who was high shot red electricity into the other guy’s head… and it made him stop quoting Star Trek. That’s… That’s a good thing, right?
ORDERLY 1
Well, yeah. That’s not the point… Well, actually it is because, really, THANK YOU. But isn’t there something objectionable about the way one of them said that’s “what they would have done” here? I mean, doesn’t that make us look like lunatics who aim electricity at people’s heads and just kinda hope it fixes their brains?
ORDERLY 2
I think we should also say something about what was wrong with the Japanese guy who needed electricity in the first place.
ORDERLY 1
Yeah, I don’t think we’re meant to know that, but what the heck: he got it from some guy with dreads at a carnival, didn’t he? But I mean, why did that happen? Did that Damien guy mean to kill him or wipe his memory or what? Was it something to do with the Japanese guy’s tumor? Was this whole Star Trek-quoting business just something that dreadlocks guy did for a lark?
ORDERLY 2
If he did, I don’t think it was very funny. Except for the part where the other Japanese guy thought he was swimming.
ORDERLY 1
It was a contrived plot device. That’s what it was. It was designed to string that poor Japanese guy’s story out a little longer and to stop him from finding that beautiful redhead he met at the diner. Well, now he can. That’s good news, isn’t it?
ORDERLY 2
I guess.
ORDERLY 1
And at least everyone got to see the sets where the Hartsdale Company facility used to be. Those still look pretty cool, don’t they?
ORDERLY 2
I don’t think there’s any way we could know that.
ORDERLY 1
To hell with that. To beloved sets! To doped-up Japanese guys in wheelchairs! To maligned hospital orderlies and incredibly proficient security personnel in the undergrowth outside the hospital!
ORDERLY 2
Wait, are we drinking? That’s not very professional.
ORDERLY 1
What the hell. We came across as idiots in the episode, why stop there?
Noah and Matt follow Vanessa’s tracking device to the outskirts of town and discover there’s no sign of Vanessa, Samuel or the carnival.
Gorgeously shot, and a beautiful way to visualize the man who’s hellbent on uncovering the carnival and the guy he dragged into his obsession. The “disappearing carnival” premise suggests that it’s not just a case of the carnival vanishing but somehow actually phasing out of reality. Which is both great and terrible, because on the one hand it makes the carnival seem even more mysterious, but on the other hand it feels like a departure from a story that was previously rooted in ideas which, far-fetched as they were, had some kind of pseudo-scientific evolutionary basis. We’ve gone from teleporting people to multiphasing communities, albeit communities which, based on Mohinder’s success in “Brother’s Keeper,” can still be visited if you hammer a few pieces of metal together and forge your own Magik Compass.
Matt returns home and, rather than furthering Noah’s obsession any further, begins preparing dinner.
Oh, screw that. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, PARKMAN?! My killer’s still out there! You were dumb enough to let him walk around with my face, and now that he’s past that you’re just going to LET him go back to killing more people?
I always knew you were a jackass. I just didn’t know you were THIS much of a jackass!
Sorry, folks. Had to get that off my chest. If you see that idiot Parkman, tell him to get his s**t together, ditch the brunette with the lousy haircut and go find the guy who slit my throat. And to tell Pete he’s sorry for making that ridiculous plan a reality.
Hope no one’s missing me! The Other Place has been a riot so far.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s the most admirable decision Matt’s ever made. He doesn’t win any points for making it after an innocent woman was brainwashed and kidnapped, or for walking away and just hoping Samuel won’t kill Vanessa. But he looks like less of a tool now than he did at the end of “An Invisible Thread,” because at least now he’s taking a stand and firmly refusing to take part in a plan that’s inevitably going to end with casualties.
Matt: “Look, I mean, admit it, this is bigger than us.”
Noah: “So what’re you gonna do, you’re just gonna lock your doors and crawl back into your shell? You’re one of the good guys, Matt. You have a responsibility.”
Great dialogue. It’s specific to the drama in this scene, but it speaks to the show’s broader premise, and the idea that, if you had an ability with the kind of applications that Matt’s does, you’d have to risk putting people in danger in the course of trying to help them. In Noah’s case, it’s not a question of putting people in danger so much as constantly attracting danger and having to get people out of it. In Matt’s case, there’s a moment when he has the choice to either contribute to the madness or walk away from it, and he makes the right call by walking away from it.
Grunberg plays the moment with the conviction of a character whose previous mistakes put his family and friends at risk and drove him to despair. It’s easy to argue that Noah’s right to call Matt a coward, but you could argue that Matt’s brave for recognizing when he needs to step back and remember his family, and for recognizing that he’s now taking the opposite approach to the one he took at the end of the previous volume. As inconsistent as parts of Matt’s arc have been throughout this volume, this strikes me as a defining moment for the character, and a sign that he’s learned from his experiences.
Peter has a nightmare in which Emma frantically scratches her bow across her cello inside the carnival’s house of mirrors…
… and in which Sylar appears and claims, “Don’t worry, I’ve come to save you”…
… and in which Emma couldn’t be happier to see the psychokiller come to her rescue.
It’s a dream sequence that feels like both a moment of inspiration and a page that’s been lifted straight out of Volume One. On the one hand, you immediately begin to wonder how events will play out this way; how Emma will end up at the carnival, how anyone will force her to play the cello against her will, how an ability to lure people will end up causing thousands of deaths.
On the other hand, there’s Sylar claiming he’s going to save someone.
Which… pretty much says it all.
Apparently Peter feels the same way, because his first instinct is to visit Emma, pick up her cello…
… and ensure that what he saw can’t happen.
Which incurs the distress of the woman he cares about, but which also puts Peter in a position to compete with Matt for the smartest character of the episode. The difference is that Peter earns his credit through proactively preventing a catastrophe, whereas Matt’s approach is to withdraw and hope catastrophes won’t find him. Both characters appear to have learned from their mistakes, however, with Peter apparently deciding that sometimes quick and decisive action trumps lengthy contemplation or careful observation.
Emma kicks Peter out of her apartment, and although Peter looks apologetic, it’s hard not to blame Emma for being upset. This was the only thing we’d seen bring her joy. Not professional satisfaction or cute-kitty-purring joy, but a form of artistic expression and a sense of liberation.
And Peter probably knows that it’s the look of devastation which Deanne Bray brings to Emma right here that would have dissuaded him from smashing the cello if he’d hesitated a moment longer.
Noah visits Claire’s dorm, rambles about building bridges and connecting bridges and torching bridges and oh, Noah, please just try to make amends with her and let her shut the door on you after claiming that she’s late for “something.”
Claire channels her ruthlessness and makes me wonder if the Love-Hate-Forgive Noah merry-go-round has stuttered to a halt on Hate Noah.
Poor Noah doesn’t elicit so much as rapid blinking from Claire, but he breaks my heart by putting a smile on his face and offering to give Claire a lift to whatever’s so important it beats taking a few minutes to talk to her dad.
AND EVEN THEN SHE SHUTS THE DOOR ON HIM!
There must be some explanation. Besides Claire acting like an unforgiving brat who just broke her dad’s heart. She’s right to be angry, but to shut the door in her father’s face?
We return to the Parkman residence, where Matt has succeeded in preparing ratatouille, and where he’s now forced to endure Janice’s tedious office gossip.
Matt looks as tortured as the rest of us. I find myself sympathizing with Matt more than ever, partly because he has to listen to this, partly because he’s sitting with a kid with an amazing ability, and apparently nobody’s ever talked about what the men in the family can do. It could be that, as with Samuel’s visits to Vanessa, some of the most amazing scenes are the ones we aren’t privy to. The other option is that Janice doesn’t want to talk about what either of the Matts can do, which seems like an enormous elephant to leave in the room in favor of office gossip, particularly when Matt now acknowledges that he was possessed by a psychotic monster.
Matt: “I’ve let so many people down.”
Janice: “Who?”
Matt: “Friends. People that I care about.”
The fact that Matt omits names means they probably won’t mean anything to Janice. Meaning, in turn, that he and Janice haven’t talked about anything Matt’s been through since they split. I wouldn’t be surprised if Matt left out She-Who’s-Been-Wiped-From-All-Established-Canon, but I would have figured he’d mention the Petrellis or the Bennets, or at least Mohinder.
Matt: “I’m sitting here, eating ratatouille, instead of facing the world and doing something about the problems that I’ve caused.”
Great dialogue, and a hopeful sign that Matt realizes he was as much of a co-conspirator in the Sylathan Debacle as he was a victim, and that there were ramifications that he’s equally responsible for.
Janice placates Matt with reminders of his family and his life at home, and although that hug should convey solidarity and the toys should convey cheeriness, there’s something saddening about the scene. Part of it’s the wide shot that reinforces how lonely and distant Matt feels; part of it’s the fact that Matt clearly doesn’t buy into Janice’s hollow reassurances; part of it’s that Matt gave up the Parkman-whammying antics with Noah in favor of dinner with Janice’s new hair.
While Janice is trying to placate Matt, Samuel sets himself the challenge of placating Vanessa. This, after kidnapping her and taking her from her chamber orchestra rehearsals and dropping her outside a dingy carnival trailer.
Somehow, Samuel manages to make the moment when he grabs Vanessa not look like he’s physically restraining her, and traces a shape across her face that seems to hint at a shared memory. I can’t tell if Vanessa’s half-smile conveys nervousness or nostalgia, but the gist seems to be that Samuel’s charm and promise of a sight that’s “magical” and “beautiful” sway her into staying with him.
Boozy-HRG returns! It’s telling that it’s always the drama with his daughter that drives him to drink, but it’s also sad to note that there’s someone just like Samuel: who’ll pray on an individual’s weakness; who’ll find him when he’s reeling from a rejection from his estranged daughter, barely recovering from his dissolved marriage, wondering if he’ll ever see his son again and slowly coming to terms with the way he put a superpowered psychokiller on the loose with only the most moderate of restraints.
Well, at least Noah’s happy to see her. He knows where this scene is going as much as we do. And although Noah kisses her, and although it seems to be played as a romantic moment, I can’t help seeing it as Lauren taking advantage of Noah’s despair the moment he hit rock bottom. The implication is that she earned his love through loyalty, when in fact it’s really just that she hung around long enough to catch him when he was single, and that she was ready and waiting to usurp Sandra’s ex-husband — who, as we know, she’d been interested in all along, and who, as we know, is at this particular moment INTOXICATED.
What the heck. It’s romantic enough for Lauren. Brace yourself, folks.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! I can’t look! Avert your eyes! It’s… It’s too horrible to witness!
THANK YOU, HIRO! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Whatever criticism I may have heaped on you in the past — and I realize that that’s not an inconsiderable amount — I take it all back! You’ve rescued us from the horror of… the LAUROAH!
For the third week in a row, Heroes offers a mixed bag. The only real downside to this episode is the Hiro story thread, which, admittedly, wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been, but which was never nearly as brilliant as it might have been either.
Which, in effect, captures the essence of this episode — an episode that was watchable but never especially entertaining. It consists of a carefully crafted story that begins to weave all of its story threads into the central carnival storyline. It advances Samuel’s arc with the introduction of Vanessa, it brings several of the heroes together and sets up their final stand against Samuel, and it leaves Peter wondering how fate will bring Emma and Sylar to the carnival.
The Peter and Emma story threads made for thought-provoking and engrossing emotional drama. The Matt story thread felt disconnected from the character’s previous storylines, but it picked up steam as the episode went on and managed to vindicate the character before the hour was up. Vanessa suffered from serving as a supporting plot device to Samuel’s Grand Plan, but in the end she was admirably played by Kate Vernon and came across as a likeable character who’d demonstrate her capacity to carry her own storyline if she didn’t spend the entire episode under the influence of a Parkman Whammy.
And finally, there was ratatouille. Maybe it’s only because it’s in an episode that also features Ando getting high, but I’m going to put that in the plus column.
3 out of 5
Great review.
In BSG, Vernon proved she’s as capable as Knepper. I just hope she’s given the material to prove it. True, it may be too much to ask, considering we only have 4 more eps. of the volume, if not series, to go.
great review, although I have to say that this was my least, or second least favorite all season.
The moment when peter smashes Emma’s cello. I actually think that that was a very bad idea. It distressed her, and drove them apart. I think that this will ultimately contribute to Emma becoming distressed enough to kill people with her music. So although it was a nice thought on peter’s part, my prediction is that that will be the turning point. Emma will feel depressed, and samuel will come get her with his vision and take her away to the carnival while she is at her most vulnerable
Great review, as always. And thanks for your thoughts for Haiti.
As mixed as the episode was, I still enjoyed it more than last weeks 2 ones. It didn’t have any brillance last week had, but what made it for me is that all the storylines had a sense (at least a little) in the grand scheme. And, no ultra-stupidity - okay maybe Hiro/Ando/Mohinder, but they dug themselves a hole with the Damian-whammy so might as well get out of it
Great review as always, Otto. Just want to make sure I’m clear on something…when Emma left Peter’s apartment, Peter DID say, “I’ll call you later,” right? Explain to me how you call a deaf person? Did he plan to reverse-Cello her back over?
If there is some device or system that enables deaf people to receive phone calls, then excuse my ignorance…but, I definitely went, “…Peter? Really?” when I heard that.
AL1515,
There are Telecommunications Devices For the Deaf (TDD). Emma would see Peter’s end of the conversation as text and respond with text.
@ Raissa
Wow, that’s actually a pretty nifty device. Thanks for the info. I can live with myself assuming she has one of those.
Good way to start the review. By the way, Jimmy has heard from his parents.
Enjoyed the review, Otto. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed Hiro’s thread this week. It didn’t seem as bad as the last time. Mohinder got some really funny lines. I loved his “Was it in Florida” “No, Japan” “Then we’re good to go”. Sendhil is funny!
If Samuel can visit Emma in New York, is it so much further for Lydia to make a detour from her supplies trip “into town” to visit Peter?
Obviously speculation on my part, but what if she can’t really deal with large crowds of unknown people because of her ability?
The problem is those issues are by now so vast and so numerous that they can’t be ignored. The characters can’t ignore them, but more importantly we can’t. There’s starting a new and excellent story with a blank slate, and then there’s pretending that significant chunks of a character’s backstory don’t exist.
Yeah. Also, all I can think of, especially during the first part of Matt’s story is how he left Peter, whom by the way, SAVED HIS LIFE, to fend for himself against Sylar. And wasn’t it earlier in this season that Matt was telling head!Sylar what all he would do to stop him? Whatever, I’ve just wanted to slap him for turning tail and running … abandoning Peter to deal with the psychopath.
The fact that Samuel’s so passionate about Vanessa is romantic in a creepy villainous kind of way, but the fact that this person wasn’t even mentioned until last week — and the fact that Samuel was paying frequent visits to her for the duration of the volume without these visits ever being alluded to — feels like an enormous cheat.
Enormous cheat? Yeah, sounds like the Heroes writers.
… whose clothes have suddenly turned much darker than usual. It seems odd that Emma never mentions Nathan’s death, although you could figure that she’s being tactful and waiting for Peter to bring up the topic when he’s ready. But if this darker attire is the costume department’s way of emphasizing that Peter is still haunted by his brother’s death, it’s elegantly done.
Yes. Say all you want about the story and writers, but other parts of the production remain very well done.
Although it would be nice to see someone else in Peter’s life (Emma or even Hesam) offer their support and/or condolences. Maybe Emma will forgive him when she remembers he has just lost his brother. Maybe?
Oh, Otto, must say I love the “Fallen Heroes” bit this week. You tell him, Nathan!
… which also puts Peter in a position to compete with Matt for the smartest character of the episode.
Wait, what? Did I read that right? Never thought I’d see the day. lol
And Peter probably knows that it’s the look of devastation which Deanne Bray brings to Emma right here that would have dissuaded him from smashing the cello if he’d hesitated a moment longer.
Yes, it would have. I still love how he was signing a bit when he was talking to her. He definitely was signing dreams and sorry (twice).
Thanks for posting and, hmmm, what to say about next week? Aha! It’s looking like I will definitely be enjoying your review more than the episode … that is if I watch it. Either way, I will be reading your review.
Susan,
The other plot thread next week looks wonderful with Takei and Anders returning. You could always watch that and mute the rest, if it turns out to be as bad as we fear.
Let’s be optimistic. It may not be as bad as it seems. It may be that Takei and Anders get a solid script and knock their scenes out of the park, and perhaps we’ll be so blown away that nothing can drag the episode down — not even the Sylaire.
What!? It’s called denial, people!
1) It’s by Oliver G. Brit represent and great writer.
2) Takei and Anders have NEVER put in a bad performance on the show. Bad material - maybe, but they always show up and rock the house.
3) Takei. Anders. Same scene.
That ep starts with a borderline A+ from me.
Ah yes, Peter’s signing. I appreciated that little moment. It shows that, despite his personal troubles, he’s putting some work into this friendship/relationship/whatever. He’s taking the time to try and learn sign language for her. Although, one DOES have to question exactly *when* he’s been learning signing. Guess that’s another couple of potentially great scenes relegated to OffScreenVille. The very least they could have done was conspicuously place a guidebook on sign language somewhere in his apartment or in his messenger bag or something.
Wow, I just started reading these reviews a while back, and they are particularly interesting. The fact that some of these things are very accurate makes me proud to be a Heroes #1 fan because I know I’m not the only one. I love laughing at the Dumb Ass Hiro awards and I could not have lmao more with the fallen heroes section. Sometimes I agree completely, other times I disagree but an overall great experience. Congratulations to Otto for writing such amazing reviews. My favorite so far has been how you noticed that Noah saw Sylar with Elle in Villains before he told Isaac nobody knew what Sylar looked like in Once Upon a Time in Texas, but maybe that was a secondary shot they took while filming Seven Minutes to Midnight and they used it on here to vary, but still epic fail for them. Well another thing that interests me is how do you get those screen shots, I need to know and if you’re willing to tell me how, my email is mem369@live.com.!! Once again awesome reviews!!!!
Hi Otto, and thank you for your review. Thought-provoking as always.
First off, an html formatting note on your review: The yellow box for the 3rd reconstruction doesn’t go down far enough.
I had a reverse reaction to you regarding the Hiro and Matt storylines. I really liked the silliness and multiple golden lines (”I work in a cart factory”) of the three stooges, with Mohinder acting a bit like the viewer’s surrogate. The silliness helped to even out the dire drama elsewhere, and got us from A to B.
Matt and Noah’s outing in LA seemed to only serve to get Vanessa into Samuel’s hands before all reverted back to where it was at the beginning of the episode, save for Matt possibly having doubts about this whole non-participation thing. Oh, and I shouted a long Noooooo at the TV at the kiss. Bleeergh. I just can’t see any sparks there, and so it felt contrived.
On to Peter, Emma and Angela, which remain the best parts of this season imho (and how I dearly wish they would get more screentime!). The first few parts felt perfect, with Peter rather haggard looking in all black, Emma squeeeing (love her!), Angela’s stare of death (shiver) and then turning her back on Peter. Then came the cello-smashing scene which just really came out of left field. I don’t know if this is what you meant I by “serving the story more than the characters” at the beginning of the review, but that’s certainly what it felt like to me.
Everything there felt wrong. Peter’s always tried to explain things to Emma, why not now? Also, what’s gained by smashing A cello? There are more cellos in the world. Even Emma’s reaction was extreme. I mean, Peter’s a bit of an authority figure in her life, so why doesn’t she give him the time of day. Anyway, the scene still feels wrong when I watch it (although the actors are giving it their very best). All I can hope is that Peter’s out there in the hallway waiting for Emma to emerge so that he can explain his wacky ways… Oh, and how ironic it would be for him to have the same dream again while napping in said hallway.
Finally, the random appearance of Claire served what purpose again? If your hunch is correct that Sylar has something to do with it, then yes maybe it’s cool, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit creeped out by the old guy stalking the girls dorm, yet again.
All in all, it was the usual Heroes mixed bag. But I guess that’s why we love the show? What’s there to discuss if it’s perfect?
Right at the very end of Claire’s conversation with Noah she says “So I’ll, uh…see you later” Right there she has what I interpret to be a pleading look. As in Dad please look behind the door–the bogeyman is scaring me.
BTW I found Hiror’s storyline far less painful than I had anticipated. And thank heavens for Hiro and the boys stopping the Lauroah! I couldn’t watch it was so gruesome. HRG go back to Sandra. I don’t know how. C’mon. We made Hiro a ten year old in a bowling alley, surely we can find a way to get Noah back to his wife. Oh and his son. Does he still have the son?
The carnival is pi**ing me off. I have no stake in a tent town who greates dream is apparently to green a valley and set down roots. Love Keneppener, but I’m apathetic about the success or failure of Samuel, and that’s not a good place to be at this point in the serient.
Welcome back Parkman! I starting to think they’d Lyle’d him. I agree about the huge backstory hunks missing from his motivation but I enjoyed the chemistry between him and Noah so much that I can actually overlok it.
I don’t think Janice’s hair is that bad.
FInal note. I am really confused by this one…Emma lures Peter to her apartment by playing the cello. Then stuff happens in another story line and then we see ANgela come to Emma’s apartment to pick up Peter for lunch. No wait, that can’t be right. Did I fall alseep or something? THe background is an out-of-focus white things that might be a wall or some shelving. That doesn’t help. Where are we, anyways?
All the while, Otto, great review. Thanks for sticking with it.
I think Peter and Emma moved to Peter’s apartment to look at Peter’s picture of Samuel after Emma sirened Peter to her. Then mama Angela storms in, as is her habit, and things go from there.
I was getting serious Angela and Arthur vibes from Janice and Matt. Which doesn’t spell well for baby Matt.
It wasn’t made as clear as it should have been, but they were definitely in Peter’s apartment. That’s where he got the picture of Samuel in the newspaper. God, I’m such a geek that I recognize sets with no references! lol
Nice review, Otto. So tired, but here’s my two cents.
Count me in the party who thought Hiro’s plot was entertaining. I know, I’m shocked, too. I think it worked because it wasn’t just Hiro acting like a moron. For one thing, wasted (as in “I’m so high!”) Ando was funny. I really missed him and his awesome-ness. Although James slipped on his accent a few times. And Mohinder was wonderfully snarky. Please bring more of that, writers, instead of doofus Fly Mohinder.
Ando zapping Hiro with his red electricity was really pushing it, but I went with it because it meant the end of babbling BS Hiro.
Major props to Deanne Bray. Personally, I think her whole evil storyline looks ridiculous (she plays people to death? WTF?) but the scene when Peter showed up after she “summoned” him was so adorable, I had to rewind it twice. Emma was giddy and happy, and it’s so nice to see a character enjoying themselves. And she’s a fine enough actress to pull it off.
However, I had to give Peter a “Dumb As” award for just busting in and shattering Emma’s cello to pieces. It’s not the cello that’s powerful, it’s Emma. She could just go and get another cello (or a smaller instrument for her convenience) and cause the damage then. Emma and Peter were getting close; I doubt that she would have made him leave if he had taken the time to explain why he wanted it destroyed. But he went all Rambo on her; so I can’t blame Emma for getting mad.
Noah/Samuel/Matt… I didn’t care. I just didn’t care. So much of this plot is obviously temporary, and I couldn’t be bothered. This is where the “episode was watchable but not entertaining” part of your review rang true. For one thing, Noah seemed different. When he showed up at Matt’s house, I honestly thought it was Sylar. Since when does Noah break into people’s homes?
And Samuel just opens the freaking ground and summons a tornado in broad daylight? The police station was one thing, but what, are there no people around when this happens?!?
And the chase was boring. Ooh, the Carnival disappeared. Whatever; it’ll be back in a day or so.
Vanessa…don’t care. I doubt she’ll survive the final battle or whatever happens, so I’m not even getting attached. Plus you said it; she’s a plot device, and a generic one at that. Wasn’t impressed by Kate Vernon. She had some cute boots on, though.
Janice’s hair…not a good look. Made her look frumpy. Please grow that out, Lisa.
Claire’s closing the door on Noah was a really cold touch. It was the only time I genuinely felt for Noah during the episode.
Noah/Lauren…I knew that would hurt to watch, but geez, I don’t want to see it again. Good to know that Noah’s marriage with his awesome ex-wife is officially over.
I refuse to call them Laroah because
1. I hate shipper names
2. I don’t believe (aka, I’m in denial) that this pairing will last.
3. Laroah sounds like a sound you make when you puke. Which is what that coupling inspires, anyway.
Anyway, some great parts, but could have been better. 3/5.
Great review, and you know you look forward to my rather eloquent responses, wink-wink. Just kidding. Lets move on shall we?
I don’t agree with your take of your Hiro story line. I rather quite enjoyed the silliness of it all, because that was what it was, silly. It wasn’t annoying like some of the other ones, it was fun. I smiled the whole time and didn’t give a damn because we need moments amidst all the drama of Heroes to just giggle. I thought the waves at Noah and Lauren at the end were the best.
As for Laura and Noah… eh… don’t give a damn. I like Noah, but Lauren should just get pushed off a balcony by Sylar or Samuel, or some random angry special. Its not that I want Noah to feel emotional pain, its just that I don’t really care about her all that much. She seems to be clogging something up in the pipeline. Get me some Draino, I’ll get rid of her. Noah should continue to be bad ass, but unfortunately for us he’ll never be a good person. I remember reading once upon a time ago that Noah was Sylar, only with people he cares about and who care about him. Don’t know if that is entirely accurate, but HRG does have one wicked streak.
As for Peter, is it me or have him and Matt been known to occasionally raid Sylar’s closet? All they need Pete needs is a double breasted coat and they could be brothers. Oh wait… that happened twice, didn’t it? (I couldn’t resist. To be honest I’m kind of happy that Peter has had good enough sense to stay away from the sweater vests, cardigans and plaid.) Now for my opinion on Peter smashing the cello, Peter you (long stream of profanities not appropriate for the sensitive eyes of young children and those of a puritanical upbringing)!!! When you act in the wake of a clairvoyant vision it doesn’t necessarily alter the outcome. As I see it, he might have lead to it due to the obvious distress of Emma. He put a rift between them that might lead to her going to Samuel. He should have explained it to her, maybe even gone so far as to explain why he’s worried. She would have listened (in the figurative sense of course). I also question whether he was truly worried about what Emma was doing, or if his hate of Sylar is such that he just couldn’t bear the possibility that he would ever be involved, positive or otherwise. Either way I have seen Peter as having fallen from the sweet guy we knew before. Sure, he was determined to change futures, but I don’t think he would have destroyed the one thing that made a friend happy without some explanation before. Of course I could also be giving him too much credit since he never has been very smart. You don’t call it a Dumb As Peter award for nothing.
For some odd reason I can’t wait till next week. I do find the stalking thing creepy, but the older-younger thing doesn’t really bother me. That’s probably because my favorite book is Jane Eyre. Plus, for those crying “Pedophile!” with the newly adjusted story line she is legal. So he’s not a pedophile. Just creepy. Very creepy.
This episode was just BLAH for me. Didn’t hate it, certainly didn’t love it.
The Noah/Claire merry-go-round is beyond overdone at this point. There is no suspense, no emotion, nothing. We know that Claire will eventually talk to Noah again, and then eventually get mad at him again. When will it stop?? I’ve found myself not caring at all whether these two ever work things out or stop talking to each other.
Thank God Hiro is “back to normal.” I don’t even care that this was the most ridiculous way of reviving him and escaping from the mental hospital, etc etc because it’s finally over. We all know he’s probably going to be pointless anyways, but at least I wont have to hear the words “storm troopers” or “jawa juice” ever again (hopefully!).
I read a great review of Heroes from another site (don’t remember the site name though), and the writer made an excellent observation:
“Instead of having a plot arc Heroes has a plot fractal, where the longer you look at it the more arcs you see until basically your eyeballs are buried in a bunch of freaky curlicues.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I personally don’t find the Vanessa storyline very compelling because it was out of nowhere and felt contrived to me. Who knows what Heroes will introduce in the few episodes that are left at this point. Whatever it takes to “add interest” I guess.
Speaking of “add interest”………..
Sylar and Claire kissing??? 1) Cheap, gimmicky ploy to attract viewers (ala Claire lesbian kissing scene), 2) completely inappropriate in my opinion, even for a serial killer. Seriously, I’d rather he killed another 50 people than watch him make out with the cheerleader we’ve known since she was 15 or 16 years old and he was an adult timepiece restorer. It just seems SO UNNATURAL and WRONG. I’m not looking forward to this at all.
Sylar is in all likeliness using Lydia’s power on Claire, but I don’t understand when Lydia’s power suddenly turned into “making out with someone and empathizing with them.” She didn’t have to do that when she met Claire, and she didn’t even do that with Hiro (even though she semi-stripped for him). Like I said, a cheap ploy to get viewers. I’m embarrassed for the writers.
Forgot to add that I thought the cello smashing scene was one of the best of the entire episode. The way Emma was so devastated at losing it made me feel just as devastated as well. Deanne Bray is an amazing actress and really allows you to feel an emotional connection with Emma and all she’s been through. Seeing how happy that cello made her and then seeing it destroyed was really sad. Yeah, she’s supposedly going to slaughter thousands of people with it… but she loved that cello! lol
If there’s anything I “can’t wait to see” in this season (which hasn’t been much at this point), it’s where the Sylar “saving the world” thing comes into play. Is the future still going to play out the way it did in Peter’s dream even though Peter smashed the cello? Usually the future ends up happening one way or another, so I’m anxious to find out if it does happen. Sylar saving the world would be the best way to revive the character and kill him off at the same time.
Good review, Otto.
Ya know, except for the ‘STAY AWAY FROM NOAH, B***h’ allusions. I’m starting to think you’ll go crazy if Lauren isn’t revealed as a Lauren spy… and then any S5 reviews will consist of you copying Hiro’s pop culture referenced crazyness, and referring to Mohinder as ‘Dr. Watson.’
“…any S5 reviews will consist of you copying Hiro’s pop culture referenced crazyness, and referring to Mohinder as ‘Dr. Watson.’”
You promised you wouldn’t tell anyone!
Crap.
Dear Otto,
I just write you for thanking about the review, but it will be the last one I’ll read till they (I really hope not) kill/make dissapear Lauren. This place has become the crisis team of Sandra’s supporters and it’s hard to read a prejudiced review when you are in other side of the field. For those who see it the Lauroah as puke, other see it as good and beautiful.
I really like your reviews, but I just can’t read anymore for the moment.
Just one note, HRG stalked Lauren in the present line. HRG chose Lauren and it’s not weakness, it’s just grown up people choosing. In case it would be a bad romance, which it isn’t for me, we’ve been witnesses of worst things in Heroesverse!
I’m not saying I don’t like the romance, I just don’t think she brings much to the show as a character. I would like to see her go simply because of that reason. The romance is good for HRG, but I wish Lauren was thought out better, thats all.
I think Peter smashed the cello to advance the plot and cause tension and build up. Sheesh people. Give it a break. His character has been great this season. Also why did Emma throw him out without listening to his explanation. She’s the one confused with powers and yet he mentions evil and death and she doesn’t give him the time of day? She basically chooses the cello and Samuel over reality and maybe it shows how lost she is in life that a stupid cello means more to her than her friendship w Peter. Noah did almost get killed for a compass. Peter did do battle with Edgar. You guys forget that Peter knows little of Emma’s powers or the carnival and assumes she’s a good person. Of course he would think the cello was the evil source and not Emma herself. If you haven’t noticed Peter hasn’t been part of the carnie storyline at all. To assume he knows anything about Samuel and intentions and whatnot would be to assuming that Peter watches Heroes in his spare time. Quit w the stupid awards. It’s so nitpicky. We sit at home and get all the details and assume the characters know and see eveything that we forget that they don’t get an omniscient view. Then we call them stupid. Sometimes it’s true but I’m sure if someone watched over our lives then we too would get stupid awards.
Thank you, Peter. You make some pretty good points.
Back for a more elaborate comment (comment system somehow buged while I was writing yesterday so I just decided to go sleep).
Don’t specially care for Noah/Lauren (too complicated to pair that). The problem is that Noah/Sandra never occured to be to be a happy couple, mostly because as far as we know, Noah has always been lieing to her : Claire’s adoption (Our father) , when he started to work for the Company (Company Man), HRG not wanting to have a child while Sandra did… I’d love to see how things were for them before the whole super hunting started for HRG or even just know who HRG was before joining the Company (I’ve heard SPOILER - rumors of hippy HRG but don’t know if it’s true - SPOILER END) - If they’re ever going to go that path.
On a totally unrelated note : … 1977 episodes ? WHEN ???
I’m personnally taking Janice’s hair as a sign that she’ll meet a tragic end soon. That would be fair compared to what happened to equally-???-haired-person-whose-name-shall-not-be-mentionned in a now-seems-absurd alternate future where some-guy-I-hate-the-actual-haircut-too wasn’t evil anymore. Well, take it that way : bad haircut = death on Heroes. Sylar seems to be escaping this rule though.
I actually liked Hiro’s storyline this week. Silly, but entertaining. His babblings made sense. At least I didn’t have too watch Ando trying to figure out what he was saying while I had already understood about 10 sec after Hiro’s first scene last week.
ps : thanks for the ewoks. I wasn’t paying attention and I couldn’t get who they were (Aren’t ewoks opposed to stormtroopers in star wars by the way or I don’t remember correctly that either?).
So far I’m liking what they’ve done with Mohinder even though it’s easy since he’s been in only 2 episodes.
And, by the way, if red lightning = electricity, someone must really be rolling her eyes in her grave (even if she didn’t get one) since she once was tortured as a kid and didn’t get ability enhacing (that Ando never uses) in her ability’s package. Blue looked way cooler than red though (and no lame sound :)).
I don’t know how to feel about Peter smashing the cello. Maybe he reached a point were he’d rather not take the risk (as in letting Sylar giving a chance to redeem himself, which ended up badly for most of his family) and just try to explain afterwards.
Is it me or his “half of our family is dead” included Arthur ? Notice that he is still willing to make things right, even after everythings that happened to him.
About the vision, don’t know if it’s been mentionned, but something about it indeed felt very odd. Anyone else than be thinks it could be, I don’t know, Doyle “forcing” her to play ? Just something weird between the focuse on her face and the way the rest of her body acts.
Only few seconds of Sylar and Claire : good !
However, if it is really Claire (and not Sylar shapeshifting into Claire OR Sylar controlling Claire and her vocal cords to make her say what he wants her to say), it didn’t feel like another instance of the hate/love circle. It just seemed that for the first time, Claire was simply disappointed and didn’t have the strengh to argue, as opposed to mad at him for : abducting a super who happened to become her boyfriend later / abducting some guy who killed another guy by accident / abducting several people for the government. Evolution ! Yeah Baby !
Frankly, I really had no problem with Matt, so nothing to say there.
Random questions : Was that the same baby(ies) playing Matt Jr ? Where is Tracy ? How great is it that every character has been in contact with the Carnivale, but never at the same time than Sylar :D?.
Maybe I wrote a lot, but although it wasn’t spectular, I really enjoyed the episode, way more than last week’s 2, even though they had brilliant parts, oposed to none here. Just prooves how a stupid storyline (or 2) can ruin the rest of an episode, I guess. Looking forward to next week.
Hey Otto,
Great review. Especially the sgments on Peter, Emma, and Angela. Thought the episode deserved at least a 3.5/5, tho. I understand your frustration of Hiro’s storyline, but I agree with the majority of the posts on this one: His storyline this episode was one of sheer silliness and was not meant to be viewed as anything more than that. And in that context, his storyline exceeded in spades. Tho it was filled with glaring inconsistencies (the same pills that make superstrong Mohinder fall into drug induced comas only getting Ando high. etc.), it’s easy to overlook when the end result is Ando laying on the floor, tripping out to his own ability. lmfao!! And, as an added highlight, this story thread contained the line of the night! Ando: “Hiro once saw a future where I killed him with my red lightning.” Mohinder: “Was it in Florida?” Ando: “No. Japan.” Mohinder: “Then we’re good to go.” The only part that made me laugh harder was Hiro, Ando, and Mohinder popping in on Noah and Lauren, and Noah’s hilarious delivery of “Hello, boys”, followed by their awesomely awkward waves! Strangely, I find this one of the most compelling cliffhangers the show has ever delivered. Maybe it’s because it seems like everyone’s story threads are gonna finally come together in surprising, yet believable ways. Matt’s inconsistencies drove me up the wall, but Noah was nothing short of awesome this episode. After alienating his daughter, he knowingly avoids the easiest solution of getting the compass from Claire. Instead, he regresses into badass, manipulative HRG mode. He twists Parkman to his own designs while he’s in his suave, dangerous alter ego. But once he finds Vanessa, he becomes so focused on using her to stop Samuel, he loses focus on keeping her safe; trusting a distracted Matt Parkman to keep an eye on the situation, and completely forgetting to secure the building. On tilt after losing Vanessa, he desperately tries to follow them to the carnival, knowing that without the compass, it’s a mute point. One of the more interesting moments I saw in the scene where Matt and Noah stand in that deserted landscape is that Noah starts to lose his HRG mentallity the more he berates Matt for being a coward. Essentially, Noah’s dialogue starts with him honestly talking down to Parkman, and turns into a critique of himself. Subtly played by the writers and director.
On to Peter, Emma, Angela, and Sylar: a little segment of Heroes I affectionately call “I Had A Dream”. Easily the best storyline of the night! From the way that Peter finally came into his own when it came to putting pieces of this season’s intricate puzzle together, to Peter finally calling out his mom on all the half-truths and vague warnings she has a penchant for, to Sylar’s storyline finally getting interesting for the first time since “Shadowboxing”, when he vowed to get revenge on everyone even remotely involved in the Sylathan Debacle (what happened to that, by the way?). That’s a hat-trick of “finally’s” that I and the rest of Heroes’ fandom have eagerly been awaiting and is hopefully a promise to fans that the writers know what they’re doing and have one hell of an endgame planned. Most shocking development of the night had to be Sylar. I know I probably posted too late for you to get my rant on Sylar’s lack of direction last week, but I was honestly ready to fast-foward thru all Sylar scenes after “Let It Bleed”’s (complete lack of) direction they were seeming to set Sylar on, and would only retract my threat if they killed him off or his story got interesting again. His terrific performances are no longer enough to keep me interested in his shenannigans. Sorry. But after “Close To You”’s surprise reveal, I find myself sitting on the edge of my seat to see where his story ends up, and will sit thru any contrivances the writers can come up with to see it thru to it’s conclusion. Kudos to TPTB for throwing the perfect curveball at the audience. It’s almost as if they purposefully made his story middling last week to bring down expectations! (but I seriously doubt it. lol) I agree with a lot of the fanbase that Peter’s decision to break Emma’s cello was rash and bullheaded, but that doesn’t stop it from being the best moment of the episode. Bray and Ventimiglia sell the scene to the point where you’re not watching a show; you’re watching a moment unfold in the lives of people with deep affection for- and star-crossed destines from- one another. Tho Pete was incredibly stupid in not trying to explain himself first to some he cares so much about (and who obviously has the same amount of care for him), his rationale behind his decision, and his spectacular acting chops keep him perfectly within character to the point where you’re bemoaning Peter’s decision, not that of the writers. Peter’s premonition seems to be a glimpse into the end of the volume. If this is the case, give me front row seats for the last few chapters, because it’s gonna be a rollercoaster ride to get from where we’re at now to where everyone is gonna end up. Oh, and even tho Vanessa was a plot device, Kate Vernon brings such charisma to her role that it never felt contrived to me. But then again, I am a rabid fan of BSG, so maybe it’s bias. One of the best transitional episodes Heroes has ever made. The only things dragging it down were inconsistencies at Arkham, Matt’s character inconsistencies and almost complete uselessness this episode (which is just wrong for someone with as rich a character background as Matt), and Lydia’s sudden ability to “call” Peter; Whom I assume she’s never met. Also, she could have easily gone out to meet him when heading into town for “supplies” (Tho I like Susan’s point in her post about Lydia possibly not being able to handle large groups of people and feeling all their desires. It especially holds resonance when you recount that Samuel himself didn’t start making trips into the real world that often until Joseph died and he started putting his plan into motion). All in all, a 4/5. And a very promising start to this season’s climax. Keep up the good work!
Hey Otta! First time I replied but I’ve read all of your reviews from Season 1. I’ve always enjoyed them and I’ve gotten others to read them as well.
I agree on alot of what you said about this episode but disagree on a few things in general. Mostly about what all has happened to Matt and why him and Janice have not discussed it. In a 42(?) minute show, they cant spend time recapping or showing us everything that can be assumed happened off camera. People would complain even more about the show moving too slow. Since its been a while since we’ve seen Matt…we’re left to fill in the blanks that he and Sandra have talked about everything and working to get past it now. I dont think its necessary to show EVERY possible conversation onscreen that the characters may have had with one another recounting their experiences. The show is not long enough for that. We need to move forward! Cant be stuck recounting past events. Also, its a television show and it has to be entertaining. So we cant expect for everyone to react or act EXACTLY like a “real life” individual would. Because, most likely, the “real life” reaction would not entertain us though it would be more realistic.
But keep the reviews up! I enjoy them because you point out lots of interesting tid bits that I wouldn’t have noticed and have made me enjoy the production value of Heroes even more!
Great review, Otto. I only came across your blog this season, but I have to say I enjoy coming here each week to read your take on the episodes. A 3/5 is probably pretty fair for this one. I liked the Hiro/Ando stuff a lot more than anything else I’ve seen from them this season, but I still wasn’t too impressed with it. Nice to see Mohinder back again. I also came away from this episode even more confused about what Lauren’s presence adds to the story. If she isn’t some carnie spy (and I don’t think she is), then I assume she’s only around so that Noah doesn’t have to monologue for the story to progress. You know, I was so relieved when the Tracy/Noah thing came to an end - but then the writers replaced it with something worse. I find it hard to watch them interact without being distracted by the weird, inserted backstory between them.
The Peter/Emma scenes were the best part of this episode. Peter smashing the cello was one of my favorite scenes so far this season, probably in part because it isn’t the action you’d necessarily expect from Peter and also because it’s one of the few twists that hadn’t been spoiled by promos. I do think that such a completely irrational, violent outburst totally fits with the rather dark turn we’ve scene from Peter since he learned of Nathan’s death, though. Likely had a lot to do with his vision of Sylar in Emma’s future. No doubt his rash behavior just serves to push Emma away. Despite the creepy promos for the next episode, I’m curious to find out where this story is going.
Raissa, thank you.
Word on Vernon. I think TPTBs hired someone they knew would be able to stand on an equal footing with Knepper. Regardless of whether the character gains any depth, I don’t think there’s any doubt their scenes will sparkle.
Deanna, we’re pretty much on the same wavelength when it comes to this being one of the volume’s weaker installments. I’d still go with “Strange Attractors” as the weakest, but hey, that one had its merits, and so did this.
With the cello, I can definitely see why people thought it was a terrible move on Peter’s part. It did upset her, and I really like your theory that this distress is exactly what will drive Emma to join the carnival. But from Peter’s perspective, it was essential to undermine his nightmare, and he figured the cello was the best way to achieve that. I thought it showed a much more proactive side to the character.
Pas, I agree, everything here had a certain logic, which is why I was leaning towards words like “functional” and “serviceable” to describe the episode instead of “entertaining” or “captivating.” I’m not sure whether rational storylines necessarily add up to a great episode, but you’re right that there wasn’t anything especially bad about this one.
Susan, thank you. I’m both glad and STUNNED that you enjoyed the Hiro thread. If that’s working for you, I really can’t see why the Sylaire won’t.
The “Florida?”/”Japan” moment was funny, I agree. Am I the only one who’s going to nitpick this, though? That moment Ando’s talking about from 3.01 took place in a future where the Formula was commonplace and where everyone had an ability. We’ve seen that future be rewritten, so when Ando and Mohinder decide they’re good to go, they’re resting their hopes on a future that doesn’t even exist anymore. If we’re going to follow that logic, it surely also means that since we saw Hiro alive three years in the future, we know for certain that his tumor won’t kill him and that he can do whatever he wants in the present without any fear of death. I’d call that pretty reckless on Hiro AND Mohinder’s part, but it’s not without good reason that these guys both have Dumb As awards to their name.
Great idea with Lydia and the mass-empathic overload. I like it, and I’m going to assume it’s the case until we’re told something different.
Re: Matt “turning tail and running” — well, I’d say that level stare he gave HRG when he told him to go home was anything but cowardly. Matt took a stand and folded his cards and decided to get away from the madness before anyone had a chance to trick him into another Sylathan debacle. I thought that showed surprising wisdom from the character.
“… which also puts Peter in a position to compete with Matt for the smartest character of the episode.”
Wait, what? Did I read that right? Never thought I’d see the day. lol
It’s like some kind of Bizarro alternate universe, isn’t it?
Miguel, welcome, and thanks so much for reading.
“Sometimes I agree completely, other times I disagree but an overall great experience.”
That’s the way it should be. That’s where the best discussions start. If everyone agreed, I’d be worried.
Hrefna, thanks for the heads-up on the formatting, it’s much appreciated. When it comes to the Three Stooges, I certainly didn’t hate the story thread. I just couldn’t bring myself to review it in any seriousness. When the show decides to take those characters seriously, I will too.
On Matt’s arc coming full circle “save for Matt possibly having doubts about this whole non-participation thing” — well, that’s surely the crucial development, no? He started out fooling himself with notions of a happy mundane life, he briefly went back into the midst of the insanity he’d narrowly escaped, and when he drew the line and insisted that he didn’t want to be a part of that madness anymore, there was a part of him that knew he was kidding himself. That final shot of Matt hugging Janice breaks my heart. He wants that family life so badly, and he’s done everything he can to walk away from the craziness, but the tragedy is he KNOWS deep down that he’ll never really be able to walk away from it. Maybe I’m reading into it more than it deserves to be read into, but I saw a certain complexity in Matt’s storyline here that we hadn’t seen since much earlier in the volume.
With the cello-smashing: I’m going to stand by my initial reaction and say it was brilliantly written and executed. I know what you mean about it feeling like it came out of nowhere, but I got the impression that that’s how it was intended, purely for the shock factor. But I thought it was also very much in character after what Peter had been through and what he’d seen in his nightmare. Again, though, YMMV.
I’m very curious about your take on Peter as “an authority figure” for Emma. Do you mean professionally, at the hospital? Or in terms of his ability, and him knowing a lot more about people with abilities? I always saw Peter and Emma as very much on an equal footing; partly because her wit and perception more than make up for her naievety about special abilities, partly because their relationship seems to be built on mutual respect. I always got the sense that Peter looked up to Emma as much as she looked up to him. What do you think?
Gord, GREAT catch with the pleading look from Claire. I’m buying this Sylar-in-the-dorm theory more and more.
HRG and Sandra — oh, if only…
I know what you mean about the carnival. It’s working for me for the most part, but I wish certain aspects of it (particularly Samuel’s Grand Masterplan) could have been outlined much sooner and much more clearly. I think it’s a legitimate cause for concern when we’re four episodes away from the finale and still don’t know what Samuel’s endgame is. Is it really all just about Vanessa? Is it about amping himself up with super-magnetic energy just to impress her? Does he want to take over the world? Does he just want to make everyone with abilities happy? I’m all for ambiguity, but at this late stage in the season (and possibly the series), I don’t know if ambiguity’s necessarily what the storyline should be shooting for.
B., join the club when it comes to liking Hiro’s story thread. Apparently I’m the only one who wasn’t feeling it. I’d call it “tolerable” or perhaps “mildly amusing,” but “entertaining”?
“I think it worked because it wasn’t just Hiro acting like a moron.”
This is very true. He didn’t screw anything up and he didn’t say or do anything ridiculously objectionable. It’s progress!
Re: Emma and the smashed cello: “She could just go and get another cello (or a smaller instrument for her convenience) and cause the damage then.”
I don’t know, I got the impression that Peter felt pretty strongly about this. I can see him smashing all of the instruments Emma tries to play.
I still have to side with Peter for acting before speaking, because in this instance, I think he knew that if he waited, something would happen and he’d lose his window of opportunity. I saw a kind of parallel here to the way Peter handled the Sylathan saga; the way Peter is probably angry at himself for not killing Sylar when he had the chance. So, in this instance, I think Peter was applying what he’d taken from his experience with Sylathan: that he needed to act before his emotions clouded his judgment and made it impossible to do what was necessary. Like I said in the review, I think Peter knew that if he looked into Emma’s eyes and saw the hurt he’d inflict on her by destroying the instrument, he’d never be able to go through with it.
“Since when does Noah break into people’s homes?”
I don’t know, we saw HRG break into his mentor’s home (in 2.06), we saw him bust down the door to Rebecca’s home (in 4.09), we’ve seen him and Claude break into Meredith’s home to bag and tag her in the GNs… It seems to be a key part of the skill set if you work for The Company.
With Samuel brazenly ripping up the streets without worrying about people seeing: I had the same thought, but then you have to figure Samuel’s response is “Who cares?” It’s not like anyone’s going to put a name to his face — even Lauren’s ~*vast resources*~ (*snort*) couldn’t come up with much. And even if someone sees Samuel rip open a street and identifies him, it’s not as if they’ll ever have a shot at finding him. Even with the most advanced tracking devices and someone as crafty as HRG hunting him, it’s very hard work. So, my interpretation to Samuel flaunting his ability in the real world is that he’s convinced he’ll never have to face the consequences for it.
LeeAnna, thank you, and you know that I always look forward to your response. Don’t kid about that.
Even you enjoyed the Hiro scenes? Come on, people, someone has to agree with me here. I can’t be the only one who hasn’t been worn down by a few well-placed jokes… can I? I mean, sure, the wave from the Three Stooges was funny, but it was CALCULATED to be funny. And why would Mohinder wave at HRG like a total clown anyway? He hates HRG! HRG’s the one who helped to put the whole Building 26 operation into motion last volume.
Noah is Sylar? Commence head-exploding!
Re: Peter and Emma:
“I also question whether he was truly worried about what Emma was doing, or if his hate of Sylar is such that he just couldn’t bear the possibility that he would ever be involved, positive or otherwise.”
This never occurred to be, but I love it. It means that Peter wasn’t just trying to stop his nightmare from happening — he was trying to stop the monster who killed Nathan from getting a chance to be a “hero” and to save the woman Peter cares about. He doesn’t want Sylar to have that opportunity.
“For some odd reason I can’t wait till next week. I do find the stalking thing creepy, but the older-younger thing doesn’t really bother me.”
It’s not the age difference that’s bothering me. Or if it is, that’s only part of it, because if they’re immortal, a few years hardly even counts. My beef is with the whole TK-her-to-the-spot-and-force-himself-onto-her approach. That, I fear, will lead to some serious, legitimate complaints. That’s the kind of thing that viewers will rightly be disgusted by and rightly tune out of.
Haushinka,
“This episode was just BLAH for me. Didn’t hate it, certainly didn’t love it.”
My feeling exactly. The only part of your post I’m tempted to disagree with is the Claire/HRG repetition: you’re right that it’s been done to death (no pun intended), but I’m still impressed by the way the context has shifted. I mean, the first three seasons, it was a case of HRG wanting what was best for Claire and Claire being too whiny and bratty and immature to see it. She’s still on the love-hate-forgive merry-go-round now, but when she hates HRG, she has very good reason to hate him. It’s not just a case of her hating him because she’s too narrow-minded to realize that he’s trying to protect her; she has valid ethical objections to what he’s done and she’s condemning his actions because she realizes how reprehensible they are. So, yeah, the merry-go-round is as repetitive as ever, but at least the hate HRG part has a solid rationale these days. I think that’s a sign that Claire’s character arc is being written infinitely better, and it makes the repetition much less grating, at least for me.
Peter, great post, and very persuasively argued. I like the point you make about Peter refusing to believe that Emma’s capable of malevolence and assuming it’s caused by the cello. Very true.
Pas, sorry to hear the comments thread has been giving you grief. If anyone’s encountering persistent issues, please let me know and I’ll look into it immediately. (… He says, four weeks before the blog might go dark…)
I like the point you brought up about HRG and Sandra never really being happy. I wonder whether anyone would really make HRG happy. I’d imagine it would have to be someone who was clued in to his background and his line of work, which I guess was TPTBs’ reasoning when they concocted Lauren. But I think it’s also part of the tragedy that any human attachments HRG tries to make seem doomed to fail.
I heard the same spoiler about HRG’s hippy days. Perhaps that’s the history he shares with Samuel, and perhaps they were just too stoned at the time to remember meeting?
Bad hair = death? Works in theory. How do we explain Claire surviving the wig?
Re: Peter referring to Arthur when he mentions “half” the family having died: yeah, that’s how I took it as well. It struck me as a generalization. I mean, it’s not as if Arthur’s death was down to lies or secrecy so much as the man’s megalomania, but Peter does seem to feel a sense of sadness about losing Arthur. Which I guess is understandable, and it’s not like I was expecting Peter to dance on his father’s grave. But it does seem strange that Peter can mention Arthur and Nathan in the same sentence so casually.
With Emma and the cello in Peter’s nightmare, my guess is Samuel will manipulate Emma into thinking that she’s saving lives instead of endangering them; or that he’ll tell her she needs to siren-lure one particular person, and Emma will be so upset that she ends up siren-luring lots more people than she intended to.
Renaldsrap, AMAZING post. That’s a counter-review if ever I read one. I’m very impressed.
You liked Hiro’s story thread too? OK, am I being punk’d? Seriously, I need to know I’m not alone here. It wasn’t that good. The cliffhanger bodes well for the super team-up, but was the nerdspeak any less grating now than it was last week?
Sylar’s maybe-redemption: I applaud your optimism, renaldsrap. I hope it turns out OK. I have to say that I’m very skeptical. It was already a very tough sell at the start of Volume Three, and at least then Sylar was blaming the Claire-scalping on The Hunger. Now, after killing Nathan, I think it will be a very, VERY steep climb for the show just to make it watchable, let alone believable. If they can pull it off, good for them. But I think that’s a very tall order.
DoSS, welcome! Thanks so much for reading. I agree, the show can’t show us everything. But some stuff is important. Some stuff needs to be shown. Matt preparing ratatouille isn’t so important that we need to see it, but a conversation between Matt and Janice about what he can do, what their son can do and what it means for their family? I think that’s an important conversation. I think that’s the kind of thing we need to see.
Jenifer, thank you, and word to your whole post. Peter smashing the cello was OOC but at the same in-character in the best possible way.
I miss the Troah. There, I’ve said it. After a glimpse of the Lauroah, the Troah doesn’t seem so bad.
Otto,
I didn’t care for Hiro’s story line so much as find it less objectionable.
Re: HRG and relationships — We’ve discussed this extensively, of course. The problem remains the same. Most modern writers and viewers don’t have courtly love in their frames of reference. They can’t process the notion that Claire is the love of Noah’s life and that sex doesn’t enter into it. So, placebo relationships like Lauren are put in place, and everyone can avoid the topic altogether.
Re: Carnival. I’m reading Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes right now. Suffice to say, Volume V owes a huge debt to that book, and they’ve done a far less thought out job of cribbing off it than they did off Alan Moore’s work in S1.
Matt : I couldn’t agree more. Maybe the problem with the multiple things he’s done (dynamite-Matt; apparently suicidal-Matt, dead-guy-in-his-rental-car) is that it doesn’t really gets alongs with the main storyline including the carnivale, and it’s not like we are learning about Samuel’s grand plan fast at the moment. However, that seems to be a perfect storyline invovling the consequences of having an ability, an the responsabilities it triggers, for normal people. Maybe at some point if there is a next season, Matt will go psycho and we’ll see in the background a fake tv report mentioning all these events, just for the kicks.
Sylar’s redemption… If they go that way, I’m either walking out, either reserving him the Maya treatment - which is to skip all the scenes she is in when watching episodes. The rest of the storylines which determine my choice lol.
Okay… Hippy HRG vs Punk Samuel at hoolapalooza (writing ? ^^) ? Bring it on. Maybe more bad hair ?
I’ll add that “Bad Hair” Theory to the “Peter’s kiss of Death” Theory. Maybe if Peter kisses Sylar (one of them morphed into Claire or something), combined to his hair (by the way are they forcing Quinto to let it grow or something ? I don’t think I’m the only one to find his hairstyle distracting) will lead to his desmise, who knows.
I guess maybe immortality > bad hair, which would explain why Claire is still alive after the wig incident.
RIP Daphne…
I see your point with the Claire/HRG merry-go-round thing. But I just feel that BECAUSE it’s been done so many times, it loses its effect even when Claire’s anger is more legitimate. In a way (even though this example isn’t exactly the same) it’s like the Boy Who Cried Wolf - after a while you just stop believing it. And when you know that Claire will eventually move on and talk to Noah again, the anticipation of where the relationship is heading is just not there.
Well, Otto, we’re 2. I didn’t like the Hiro thread. Last week it was “so bad it’s enjoyable”, this week, it was simply not good. I thought last week that Hiro’s slapstick hit rock bottom, and this time it felt the same. And “The 3 Stooges” motif was cringe inducing. In fact, I understand why you left the entire scene in a deconstruction.
As for the episode, It’s Friday and I still can’t find myself with a clear idea of what I thought about it. Seriously, I have no comments about it. Maybe the fact that at least they are cooking something intriguing with Emma. I’ve come to the realization that, as much as I hate the fact, the show always becomes intriguing with a future vision (and I’M SAYING THAT WITH A GUT PUNCH). At least it wasn’t a future painting (FINALLY). After complaining the lack of momentum in the last several episodes (and continue…), it was a little bit of a sign of relief. At least I have something to look forward going into the non momentous last 4 episodes of the season. At least there’s Adam and Papa Sulu next week. That looks interesting.
But I know that this is a Heroes thread, but this past 2 weeks I’ve been enjoying Chuck more than Heroes this days. Heroes has to up its game a lot now, because sadly, I’m losing interest towards it after watching Chuck, which BTW, I watch it and always get a big GRIN after wards, which is something I miss Heroes to do. And when I don’t have that much (if anything) to say about an episode, it’s doing something wrong. Last year, despite being put off by quite a lot of things, I was very excited to how it would reach a conclusion. That’s why I enjoyed the Sylathan debacle. This year, if there’s not something big occurring next week, I will go to the end of the season with no excitement at all. Which its sad. I always liked the excitement of reaching its conclusion.
And I don’t anything else to say :(. 3 out of 5 for this episode is perfect.
“It’s not the age difference that’s bothering me. Or if it is, that’s only part of it, because if they’re immortal, a few years hardly even counts. My beef is with the whole TK-her-to-the-spot-and-force-himself-onto-her approach. That, I fear, will lead to some serious, legitimate complaints. That’s the kind of thing that viewers will rightly be disgusted by and rightly tune out of.”
I though about that too, and yes that would be a problem, but I highly doubt it will go very far. For some reason I get this vision of Claire stabbing him with a pen, or of him kissing her, pulling away, and being like “Thats not it! What the heck is going on with me!” (I would probably laugh at both, but I’m twisted like that.) I don’t know what it is, but I don’t see it becoming something that could be considered offensive.
As for HRG is Sylar, I remember where I read that! I read in Behind the Eclipse last season that “Cold Wars” was actually supposed to explore HRG’s psyche in some trippy way that included the whole dark forest metaphore and it would reveal that Sylar was his “counterpart” in a way. Basically, they have the same personality traits, its just HRG has people who love him. That smile that worried you, maybe its his inner serial killer.
Good to know you look for my replies. It makes me feel special…
Hi Otto, and thanks for uber-replying. Always a such pleasure to read.
Re: Matt and “that’s surely the crucial development, no?”
Well, then I must ask why he started out in the kitchen to begin with? Wouldn’t they have gotten further along in the story if Matt was already thinking of ways to avenge for Sylar abusing him (and Janice)? Anyway, I guess I was just disappointed in Matt, the character, and his wimpy ways. Maybe they should rename the show “Reluctant Heroes”?…
The cello-smashing scene remains a weird one for me, because it mixes up what I hoped would happen (Peter and Emma have a nice meaningful chat and each comes out of their shell a bit more, which by the way, seems like will never happen now, #sigh#, they had such promise), with something I found distasteful and out of character (barging into someones apartment, and causing damage). I can rationalize the scene in my head in a number of ways, but I have trouble convincing my emotional self that this was a valid development. Maybe if the writers had given us a clue, like the cello having the compass emblem in the dream, or Peter exclaiming “Sylar!” when he woke up, then it would have made more emotional sense?
Regarding my comment on Peter being an “authority figure” to Emma. I meant that strictly in an “he knows a lot more about powers then she does”-way, meaning that I think she would tend to listen/believe what he has to say. I agree that the beauty of Peter and Emma’s interactions has been the mutual respect, obvious care, and how each has been impressed by the other. Oh heck, maybe I’m just bummed because they might no longer be friends after this, and with that goes our last chance of Peter ever smiling again? Perhaps they should rename the show “Unhappy Heroes”?…
Another great review, Otto! I’d have given it a 3.5 out of 5, but that’s just the fangirl side of me talking.
Personally, I’m inclined to think that Hiro’s storyline was not as poor as it could have been. It’s certainly better than it has been in the past, and although there are major plotholes that really need to be dealt with, it could have been much worse. And despite the poor material, I thought all the actors carried it off well. Welcome back, Sendhil!
And as a mostly unrelated comment (unrelated except for the fact that you brought it up in passing, which is more than the show has done!), DAPHNE LIVES!!!! I am continuing to stubbornly admit she is gone. She was killed off as a plot device- a PLOT DEVICE!! I understand that Brea Grant’s contract was up, but there ARE other ways of writing a character off a show, and she could still have returned to do a story arc in future without angering Daphne fans everywhere.
Moving on to my personal favorite scenes of the episode- Peter and Emma. I’ve been a fan of these two from the beginning, whether their relationship stays platonic or develops into something more (as was hinted over the summer), and this episode did nothing but enhance the affection I maintain for Emma and my desire to shriek about Peter’s idiocy at the top of his lungs.
Perhaps it’s just that I’m a musician myself and I understand how deep a connection there is between a musician and her instrument (particularly string players, I understand), but I’m rather furious with him. Way to go for taking action! How dare you for taking such rash, idiotic action!?!?
On the other hand, I have a feeling that Peter’s instinctual reaction to his dream (and let’s face it, who wouldn’t be a little unnerved if they dreamed that their new friend was going to have a run-in with a creepily smiling Sylar?) is going to be a contributing factor in whatever it is that pushes Emma into Samuel’s reach in the first place.
Whatever it is, it’s an interesting reversal of roles. From my interpretation of Peter and Angela’s dreams, it looks like Emma is going to be the helpless victim of Samuel’s manipulation and a power she doesn’t yet fully understand. Is anyone else flashing back to Season One, with Emma as a stand in for Kirby Plaza Peter? And it would appear that SYLAR is now filling the role that NATHAN took on in How To Stop an Exploding Man, which is a nice touch given how his body spent the first half of the season.
One trivial thing I’m interested in, though, is Emma’s reaction to coming to Peter’s apartment. The man has no furniture beyond a bed, a couple of mismatched chairs, and a folding table! What was going through her head upon entering this dismal excuse for living quarters? Thank goodness the Wall Of Clippings had been stashed away in a box!
Thanks again for your insightful comments that always make me think so much more deeply about this show!
I think Daphne HAS been cheapened since ‘Cold Snap’, but that ending was still perfect. Her characters send-off was good enough that I can ignore how little future context it had.
I agree. I’d say Kaito’s death in 2.09 remains the most beautifully realized send-off, but this would be a close second.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt for Daphne to be mentioned every once in a while, by Hiro, by Ando OR by Matt. I think this is an example of the show’s ethos when it comes to referencing its backstory: if it’s not directly relevant to the story, irrespective of whether it supports the characters, it doesn’t belong in the script.
That’s the problem, really.
The narrative has to move forward, so a lot of these scenes can’t happen unless the episode is centred around character confrontation. But even as we saw with Nathan and Claire in S3, emotions aren’t going to go down ‘why didn’t you talk to me in 201?’ style continuity references, but in deeper felt emotion.
What Heroes needs to do, really, is make some of the beats a tad more obvious. As you mentioned Otto, Peter’s story has extra-depth because the clothes symbolize he’s still grieving. He’s not to mention Nathan every episode, but we’re clearly getting what he’s feeling coming across. It’s the same way that Hiro’s anger towards Monroe was explored in 210/211 - we didn’t need to be told he killed Kaito over and over again, Hiro’s anger (not a usual part of his character, at the time) told us everything we needed to know.
That stuff could be placed in if they want to carry through the emotions, but a direct reference? Chances are it’d baffle people who started watching with S4. Ánd I know that may not be a sizeable audience, but Heroes - to achieve future success - has to appeal to the mainstream. Because us hardcore fans? Are dwindling.
Ian, I agree, character confrontation is the defining way to move the narrative forward. But internal continuity is a crucial part of that, and I think the way the show often ignores parts of its backstory pulls us out of the narrative. And, yes, there are aspects of the backstory that are communicated without dialogue: Peter’s darker clothing (conveys his grief over Nathan’s death); Lydia’s hatred towards Samuel (because of Joseph, and because she’s afraid of what he’ll turn Amanda into); Kimiko’s distress over Hiro ((a) because he’s her brother, but more importantly (b) because he’s the only family she has left now that Kaito and Ishi are dead).
But I think the occasional reference would go a long way — to advancing the character arcs AND to bridging the backstory with the current story. Matt has good reason to bring up You-Know-Who, especially when Janice is (from what we’ve seen) either unable or unwilling to talk about what Matt and Matt Jr. are capable of. Matt’s relationship with Daphne in the 3.04 future made zero sense, but at least it hinted at an honest and open relationship, which I’m not sure Matt’s life with Janice is. Matt Jr. is going to grow up with the impression that he has to conceal his ability, or that it’s something he should be ashamed of. That’s unhealthy for the kid, and it’s something that Danielle wouldn’t have had to deal with if she’d grown up with Matt and Daphne.
So, I agree that the show shouldn’t incorporate random references just for the sake of earning a thumbs-up from continuity nerds, and I agee that referencing certain parts of the backstory risks alienating new viewers. But certain parts of the backstory are VERY relevant to the current story, and I think sometimes a direct reference is exactly what the scenes need, to advance the characters’ stories AND to placate fans who want to see some kind of consistency from volume to volume. Bringing back Charlie achieved that, in my view. Even an oblique reference to West achieves that. But there’s so much more the show could draw on, even with a casual line to tell us that the characters remember what’s happened to them. Does Peter even remember Simone and Caitlin? Was Matt in any way affected by meeting the dad he hadn’t seen in years, discovering he was a villain and then learning that he was killed by Peter’s father? Does Sylar even remember that he wanted to be president, or has he just decided it wasn’t a good idea? That’s stuff that fans would respond to, and I think it’s part of a rich backstory that would ATTRACT NEW FANS because it would help to define who these characters are and how their experiences have affected them. When stuff like that is ignored, the disconnect pulls us out of the narrative and shatters our suspension of disbelief.
Re: Matt “turning tail and running” — well, I’d say that level stare he gave HRG when he told him to go home was anything but cowardly. Matt took a stand and folded his cards and decided to get away from the madness before anyone had a chance to trick him into another Sylathan debacle. I thought that showed surprising wisdom from the character.
True, but the turning tail part I was referring to was running home to Janice after Sylar got his body back.
If that’s working for you, I really can’t see why the Sylaire won’t.
Uhm, I’m not really following you here? Hiro, as usual, is goofy, the Sylaire sick and disgusting. Or are you just teasing me here?
I wouldn’t say I LOVED Hiro’s storyline it was just more watchable this week. It didn’t make me want to scream. Maybe some of it was the Star Wars quotes? Those I understood better. Although another part was the Sendhil factor. He’s so very pretty and has a lovely voice. Or maybe the previous “adventure” just set it up in such a way that this was just miles better? OR it’s the fact that it wasn’t everybody constantly trying to figure out what Hiro was saying. OORRR, Otto, maybe you just have to give yourself over to the goofiness? lol
“Uhm, I’m not really following you here? Hiro, as usual, is goofy, the Sylaire sick and disgusting. Or are you just teasing me here?”
Very much the second of those.
Otto, Thanks once again for the thoughtful review. Like several others, my Heroes watching experience is not complete until I read your post and all the insightful comments by your readers. This site is so informative and enjoyable, and I think it is because of the tone you set Otto. The intelligence and dignity and respect of your comments brings out the best in all your posters. None of the raving and drooling and bashing and flaming usually found on TV discussion sites. THANK YOU!
I have really enjoyed the ‘classic rock’ references the show has been including lately; from the Me And Bobby McGee line about freedom, to Noah’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (THE WHO), to young Samuel listening to ELP’s Karn Evil 9 First Impression Part 2 (get it, Karn Evil == Carn ival) about a futuristic sideshow/carnival [ Part 1 can be heard here: http://www.progarchives.com/mp3.asp?id=63 ]. And I can’t help but think that “Let It Bleed” is a shout out to the Rolling Stones album & song with the same title; “Well we all need someone we can bleed on, and if you want it, you can bleed on me”. Not quite as clear if “Close To You” is referencing The Carpenters song….
“Lauren taking advantage of Noah’s despair the moment he hit rock bottom. The implication is that she earned his love through loyalty, when in fact it’s really just that she hung around long enough to catch him when he was single, and that she was ready and waiting to usurp Sandra’s ex-husband — who, as we know, she’d been interested in all along”
That´s exactly how I felt about Lauren from the very beginning, from the very first time she showed up. I always thought Noah deserved something better for a romance. Even if Lauren has been depicted as a more likeable character in this episode, it´s too late now. It´s hard to forget how she tried to take advantage of Noah when we first saw her. 4×8: he was desperately trying to stop his daughter’s future murderer, and all Lauren could think of was renting a motel room. That was her idea of “helping” him. Very nice from her. (End of sarcasm)
Thanks for the link.
Otto, I’m not sure that I agree with you about Matt. Yes, HRG’s plans are dangerous, but Matt knows that Samuel is a crazy stalker, that a woman was kidnapped in part because of Matt’s actions, and Matt’s doing nothing to rescue her- that is cowardly.
Raissa,
“… placebo relationships like Lauren are put in place, and everyone can avoid the topic altogether.”
I wonder whether everyone includes HRG? As objectionable as parts of Lauren’s arc have been, she has helped him through a rough period in his life, and she’s done it by helping him to ~*redirect*~ his affections. I wonder how much drunker HRG would be — and how much more of a mess — if Lauren hadn’t been around to act as the Loyal & Supportive Friend.
I think the key point is that we immediately attribute Lauren’s support to HRG’s relationship with Claire. We don’t really think about how guilty HRG feels for the Sylathan debacle, or how he might be suffering after watching his marriage fall apart. It’s all about Lauren supporting HRG now that his daughter hates him. Which does nothing to add to the depth of Lauren’s still very one-dimensional character arc, but it says a lot about HRG and his perspective on both the Sylathan debacle and his failed marriage: it says that neither of those really bother him, and that the only consequence which really upsets him is the impact it’s had on his relationship with Claire.
If you’re cynical (which, in this case, both of us are
), this is all part of Lauren’s opportunistic spiel to win HRG over. If you’re willing to look at it differently, I guess it’s evidence of the way Lauren slipped into HRG’s life and just happened to be there when he needed someone the most. Either case supports the placebo angle, though, because the end result is that someone was there to distract HRG from the fact that Claire’s no longer the center of his world. HRG’s now having to manufacture reasons to keep Claire at the center of his world: he’s having to chase suspicions about Samuel’s influence on Claire in order to remain relevant in her life. If he wasn’t hunting down Samuel and if he didn’t have Lauren around to distract him, he’d have to admit that he was alone.
Pas, I really like the point you make about Matt’s story thread being the most distant from the carnival storyline. I hadn’t really thought about it until now, but you’re right: his is the feudal Japan story thread this season; the road trip to find Samson; the part that feels like it has no bearing on anything else. In its defense, I think it’s felt more cohesive and better integrated than those did; the Ghost-Sylar storyline and the way Matt has crossed paths with Peter and HRG along the way helped it to feel more in-the-loop. But it seems like almost every volume has a character who ends up on the periphery, and Matt seems to be the one this season. I’m not sure Tracy or Mohinder even count because they’ve practically been non-existent.
This point got me thinking about whether Samuel would even want Matt at the carnival, though. Mind-pushing would probably be a great asset to stamping out dissent and ~*persuading*~ doubters like Lydia and Edgar, but imagine the paranoia Samuel would suffer knowing that one of his “family” could brainwash him at any moment and coerce the “lambs” into doing whatever he wanted instead of what Samuel wanted. I imagine that thought would scare the hell out of Samuel.
Hippy HRG vs Punk Samuel — oh, boy, what I wouldn’t give to see JC and RK enacting that. If that’s really the truth behind their backstory, the show *needs* to use the actors instead of “young” equivalents.
Haushinka, valid point about the HRG/Claire merry-go-round. What do you think the solution would be to break out of the rut? Only ones I can come up with:
)
(1) Claire forgives HRG and never gets angry at him again (implausible, and for someone who’s as frequently indignant as Claire, IMPOSSIBLE)
(2) Claire doesn’t forgive HRG and never stops hating him (possible, but kind of depressing. Poor HRG!
(3) One of them leaves (which would tie in with the “FYG” scenario)
(4) One of them dies (which would be very sad…)
Alfredo, THANK YOU! Now I know I’m not alone in finding the Hiro thread “simply not good” — you’ve summed up my reaction perfectly!
Great point about the show always needing an Impending Disaster Which Must Be Averted as a focal point to guide the story. I think the downside is that if it’s used all the time it starts to feel like a very predictable device. I liked that Volume Four steered clear of it. In this case, I wonder if we’re meant to see the earth-splitting in 3.01 as the outcome to Samuel’s grand plan. if we are, that’s a glimpse of the future that’s been very well hidden in the show’s backstory.
LeeAnna, I remember reading the original pitch for 3.17 in a BTE, but not the HRG/Sylar comparison. It’s an intriguing point — I guess they share intelligence, a killer instinct, family issues and an inability to be honest with themselves. But then, HRG’s arc has been defined by his altruism, whereas Sylar’s (in my view) is defined by his vanity. You could argue that HRG’s altruism is misguided and that Sylar’s selfishness is down to a screwed-up childhood and repressed trauma. But HRG acts in the best interest of others, whereas Sylar only acts for himself.
Hrefna,
“… I must ask why he started out in the kitchen to begin with?”
Because it set the scene that Matt was so desperate to hold onto, and because it was adorable! I think it was there to establish that Matt wasn’t asking for much in his life: just little things like family meals and a sense of belonging. In that respect, I think his character arc is on an almost opposite trajectory to Peter’s and Sylar’s: all they wanted was to be special (and even now, Peter seems happy to absorb whatever ability he comes across if it helps him do his job or gets him what he wants), whereas all Matt wants is to bury his ability, to have a normal life and to be part of a family that loves him.
Re: Peter:
“… something I found distasteful and out of character (barging into someones apartment, and causing damage)”
See, I think the reason the cello-smashing was so shocking is because there was no indication that it was coming. I got the impression that Peter walked into Emma’s apartment with astonishing calmness given what he was planning. That’s what makes it hurt even more: that Emma invited him in with a sense of trust, and that Peter abused that trust by destroying what she loved more than anything. So, causing damage? Yes. Barging? I’m not so sure. I think the lack of barging was part of what made the moment effective.
I’d still say the cello-smashing is in character, but perhaps it’s evidence of the way Peter has changed as a character? It signals that his experiences have changed him, and that instead of daydreaming and wandering aimlessly, he’s now prone to the kind of targeted, ends-justify-the-means extremities that Angela and HRG are known for. Like them, he’s now willing to hurt the people he cares about because he believes he’s doing The Right Thing.
Microz, thank you so much for your kind words. If HeroSite has distinguished itself from other sites and if its reviews have become a part of your viewing experience, I’m honored to have had a part in that.
“None of the raving and drooling and bashing and flaming usually found on TV discussion sites.”
Well, let’s not get carried away. There’s still plenty of bashing. We just direct it at the show instead of each other.
With the music and the episode titles: isn’t it awesome? I agree, 4.14 was definitely a throw to the Stones, and 4.15 was almost certainly a throw to the Carpenters. I wonder if TPTBs actively look for biblical and historical references, and if the literary and musical ones just pop into their heads. That would make a great extra on the DVD: how TPTBs come up with their episode titles.
(3) One of them leaves (which would tie in with the “FYG” scenario)
(4) One of them dies (which would be very sad…)
The fact that Claire’s immortal should impact the context of the Merry-Go-Round, because Noah WILL die. Claire’s going to lose him soon enough anyway. Logically, for the sake of her emotional stability in the face of an uncertain eternity, Claire would find some way to come to terms with her dark, fallible, arguably clinical, but adoring Dad, because she simply NEEDS him and will need to recall everything about him centuries from now as she applies his life experiences to the situations she will find herself in and remembers his love during those times when she has no love to tide her over.
“But then, HRG’s arc has been defined by his altruism, whereas Sylar’s (in my view) is defined by his vanity. You could argue that HRG’s altruism is misguided and that Sylar’s selfishness is down to a screwed-up childhood and repressed trauma. But HRG acts in the best interest of others, whereas Sylar only acts for himself.”
I agree on the aspects that HRG tries to make the world a better place, and Sylar is just a super selfish bastard, but that goes back to my behavioristic argument I made back before the break. Remember that one? I think we kept going back and forth for a couple of episodes on that one. Its the idea that the people involved with their lives influence their actions. Sylar not only has the lack of people who care for him, but he seems to have given into his nature as well. Now, with the aimlessness he’s exhibiting, I think he’s beginning to show what his father alluded to. He became more powerful, but had no purpose.
I will point out that you forgot another similarity between the two, self destruction. Even you have to admit that Noah’s actions, as good intentioned as some of them might have been, erode away at his relationships because of how he approaches them. Sylar, when he could have maintained his progress to be a better person, gave up because he couldn’t sort through the lies. They both really just need to admit the fact that they both have hit rock bottom, (Sorry Noah, but you messed up big time with your daughter.) and quit moping around and making out with blondes. They need to both go back to being the bad asses we knew from season one. You know, the ones that gave us chills. What happened to the Man in the Horn Rimmed Glasses (what an awesome episode title that would be) and the Boogieman? Pussies…. Don’t get me wrong, I still love them dearly, but I miss them as they were. Now they must join Peter and Matt at the local bar to whine about their lives made of suck as they listen to bad country music. (Wow, I just realized how pitiful some of these characters can be. Eh… oh well. I love ‘em.)
LeeAnna,
I agree with you about Noah. He’s reached the point where he needs to acknowledge himself and his life and just get on with being a somewhat wiser badass. There’s a very fine line between character growth and self-indulgence. The structure of the show is part of the problem. The writers have to fill 19 eps this season, and all the story lines have been padded with mixed results.
Yeah, I guess there really aren’t any other solutions than that. #1 would in fact be impossible, #2 would only mean more “INDIGNANT!” Claire… #3 would work in the context of the show, if in fact the writers don’t want Claire and Noah to reconcile. #4 would be too sad, especially if was Noah. GAH! I don’t know! I guess I’ll just deal with it. Okay, Heroes, you win again!
But I think Raissa brings up an excellent point about Claire needing to realize that Noah will in fact die one day and she’s going to have to deal with all the regrets she might have about their rocky relationship. I don’t think Claire necessarily thinks about it (at least we haven’t seen her directly contemplate it), but it would be interesting character development to have her let go for letting go’s sake and accept everything - good and bad - that Noah’s done.
Noah is a wussy? Last episode, he was prepared to kill Edgar in cold-blood if he had to.
With Noah, we’ve seen he has depth. But he’s one of the few characters who we fully believe will kill and torture if he has to. Which is interesting and good for Coleman - be a shame for him to be given one dimensional ‘bad-ass’ moments again.
I think HRG is still as much of a badass as he ever was, but he’s facing an adversary who can outmaneuver and outwit him no matter how much of a badass he is. And on top of that, it’s an adversary who’s now ostensibly competing with him for Claire’s loyalty.
Hence the self-indulgence, the drinking and the Lauroah.
About Janice’s hair…. I think it’s supposed to be a “metaphor” for her wearing the pants in the house now. She’s the working woman… and he’s the stay-at-home dad. I dunno. I’m grasping as straws to recover from the ugliness of that hair.
Raissa,
“… during those times when she has no love to tide her over.”
I think this is why we need that “500 Years Later” episode. It’s hard to imagine anyone taking HRG’s place, but I find it even harder to imagine that there’ll never be anyone else who takes his place as a surrogate father to Claire. Looking at the scenes between Claire and Samuel in 4.13, I could even see them bonding. It wouldn’t be the same father/daughter bond, obviously, and it’s a limited bond if Samuel turns out to be a tyrant with world domination as his endgame. But the point is I think there’ll always be someone in Claire’s life she can turn to. They’ll always be transitory bonds and relationships because, as you say, everyone around her will die, but I can’t see Claire ever having no love to tide her over.
As influential as HRG is, though, I also wonder how much of an impact he’ll have on Claire’s immortal existence. I think you could draw a comparison to Adam and say that his experiences during his first 30-40 years as Kensei are only a very minor part to the person he became. It’s a different situation, of course, because the HRG/Claire relationship is completely different to the Adam/Hiro conflict. The point is, I can’t see Adam often reflecting on his experiences 400 years earlier and drawing on them to guide him today (or just before he was killed). Hiro’s betrayal and the Yaeko situation influenced the maniac he became, but I wonder whether Claire’s experiences in her first 30 years will be any more formative than Kensei’s were. Experiences shape who people are, but if Claire lived for another 400 years, would the lessons she learned from HRG in her first 20 years be any more formative than the lessons Kensei learned from Hiro? It’s everything that happens throughout her life that will affect her — all of the people she’ll care about, all of the relationships she’ll be in, all of the crises she’ll face, all of the hardship she’ll endure. I see it as an ongoing thing rather than a static thing, which is why I’m not sure I see Claire miserable and alone and wishing HRG could be with her 400 years from now.
LeeAnna, I’m curious about this:
“Sylar, when he could have maintained his progress to be a better person, gave up because he couldn’t sort through the lies.”
I’m not disagreeing, but which instance of “becoming a better person” are we thinking of? Returning home in 1.21, the Petrelli/overcoming-The-Hunger arc, or another instance? My impression in both of those instances was that it wasn’t so much the lies that forced Sylar to give in as it was his own nature. With painting the Floorpocalypse in Virginia’s blood, I took it to be the show’s way of saying that Sylar had accepted what he was and what he needed to do; that he cared more about power than family or a mundane existence; that he’d severed himself from human connections and that becoming the greatest super of all in a fiery blaze was more enticing than a life as a bank clerk. With the whole Petrelli/Hunger arc, I think the convoluted message at the end of 3.11 was that Sylar knew he was never going to change and that he was rotten at the core. I didn’t see it as him not being able to sort through the lies, but almost the opposite: he was realizing the fundamental truth that no one was going to make him a better person. Which ties in with the point you’ve made about Sylar being a victim of what’s been done to him, but perhaps the message in these two instances was that he reached an epiphany in spite of the lies?
I think one reason why the Magik Tattoo device is disappointing (at least for me) is because it robs Sylar of the chance to even have that kind of epiphany anymore. He’s basically turning to the Magik Ink voodoo to tell him what he needs to do instead of realizing it himself.
Experiences shape who people are, but if Claire lived for another 400 years, would the lessons she learned from HRG in her first 20 years be any more formative than the lessons Kensei learned from Hiro? It’s everything that happens throughout her life that will affect her — all of the people she’ll care about, all of the relationships she’ll be in, all of the crises she’ll face, all of the hardship she’ll endure. I see it as an ongoing thing rather than a static thing, which is why I’m not sure I see Claire miserable and alone and wishing HRG could be with her 400 years from now.
What you’re describing is the optimum scenario. I’ve encountered stories with static immortals, who are still affected by events in their formative years, though, so I can’t help contemplating the possibility. It’s not pretty. That’s why I’m angry the show isn’t letting Claire deal with her immortality. If she isn’t allowed to face up to it and her relationships in relation to it, she’ll have a greater chance of becoming a static, neurotic, if not psychotic character with her head really in the sand. It’s obvious she’s going to spend eternity collecting morally gray badasses who give her pet names. The question will be does she collect those people as a coping mechanism to go forward or as a coping mechanism, because she’ll be going in circles. Given how the Merry-Go-Round has been written, circles are an unfortunate possibility.
“I think one reason why the Magik Tattoo device is disappointing (at least for me) is because it robs Sylar of the chance to even have that kind of epiphany anymore. He’s basically turning to the Magik Ink voodoo to tell him what he needs to do instead of realizing it himself.”
I agree, I think I mentioned I wanted to put my head through a wall. I hate that tattoo thing. Bleh! I spit on it in disgust. It was a novelty, now… so tired of it.
As for what I said. I don’t think I explained myself clearly because I was way tired and slightly irritated from dealing with the human race. (Yes, I am antisocial. I think we covered that.) I was mentioning that his “better person thing” (which was poorly worded on my side to begin with) was from season 3. I got what they were trying to do with him, but it still ended up being a convoluted mess. The bloody painting in Virginia’s blood, that was his nature, no doubt about it. I think at that moment I had forgotten all about that. I also know that I mentioned Sylar’s state as being influenced by his indulgence into his nature. He’s given up trying to do something about it and expects others to fix it and fill the giant rotted out hole in the middle of his heart. He needs conviction. If the writers really want to fix his character he needs to make the decision to try and make up for what he’s done and stick with it, good or bad. He relies too much on what others think of him. As selfish and self loving as he is, he still has a strong compulsion to please others or to make them drawn to him. That’s why he had the watch shop, that’s why he wanted to be “special”, that’s why he did everything Angela and Arthur asked of him. He wants acceptance, too bad he doesn’t know how to really earn it. Lots and lots of hard work.
Never mind the Troah, i miss Tracy!