Noah and Lauren plan a raid on the carnival. Claire tries to persuade Samuel to surrender, but Samuel uses the situation to his advantage by assigning Eli to gun down everyone at the carnival and making it look like Noah is the shooter. This gives Samuel an opportunity to take charge when chaos ensues, and after Lydia bleeds to death, Samuel fuels the carnival’s hatred towards the outside world and tells them it’s time to reveal what they’re capable of.
So, it seems the general trend each season is to make the seventeenth episode one of the season’s best.
Yes, I know people will contend that. For one thing, not everyone bought into what the show was trying to do with “Cold Wars” last season. For another, it’s hard to say whether the second season’s seventeenth episode would have been awesome. And for another, not everyone will be willing to look past the issues dragging this episode down and agree that this one is awesome.
I’m not blind to those issues. They’re there, and for the benefit of fans who thought those issues were critical, I am going to tear into those issues as mercilessly as ever. Certain details are glossed over, others are ignored, and then there are the usual plot devices we’ve grown accustomed to. And by that, I do mean the Magik Compasses and the Magik Blood and the Prophetic Dreams That Signpost Where The Plot Needs To Go.
But where it counts, just like the seventeenth episode in previous seasons — even the debatable and non-existent ones — this episode works. It explores the volume’s central themes, it develops the character arcs, it advances the plot, and it achieves all of these with an elegance and momentum that’s been rare this season.
Also, Lauren gets shot. Any episode with that immediately earns bonus points from me.
The episode opens with Samuel making his way through the carnival, an opening rendered remarkable by the fact that he trades his confident swagger for an enfeebled trudge. The nervous looks from the carnival folk and the discordant piano tell us this is Very Unusual, but it’s Samuel’s wary, hunched-over, head-lowered-in-shame posture that tell us how far the character has fallen. It tells us that Samuel is overcome with guilt after leveling a town… or at least that he wants to look like he’s overcome with guilt. That’s where the brilliance of the script already begins to shine through, but if nothing else, the opening sets the scene for the rest of the story thread, establishing that although the carnival is discerning enough to recognize when its leader is a maniac, it’s also pliable enough to be worshipping him again by the end of the episode.
Samuel’s observation that Lydia has become “the empath to replace Joseph” seemed like an odd line. You could argue that with Samuel dethroned, his plan to bring Peter to the carnival had collapsed. The problem is Samuel approached Peter as a replacement for Joseph 14 episodes ago. If he only gave up on Peter now, you have to wonder what kept him waiting the rest of that time.
Lydia: “Nobody respects you anymore.”
Samuel: “Then I’m gonna win it back. I love them. I need them. And I’ll do whatever I have to to prove my worth.”
In the mouth of a villain, it’s dialogue that’s already potent with maniacal implications.
What makes it memorable is Knepper’s ferocious conviction, which evokes precisely the cult leader who can manipulate a community when it serves his interests.
Doyle, it seems, will be Samuel’s most stalwart supporter up until the end — which, if you’re passionate enough to watch this episode frame-by-frame, is a detail that emerges during Peter’s precognitive nightmare.
The gist seems to be that Emma’s frantic cello performance will be driven by Doyle’s puppeteering, that it’ll involve lots and lots of blood…
… and that it’ll be committed to film with the kind of precision that exceeds even this show’s usual cinematic flair. This may or may not be the footage the show uses for the finale, but if it is, I’m not sure who to credit for the striking visual style. If it was shot for this episode, Goodman and SJ Clarkson get the nod. If it’s footage from the finale, I guess the DOP and director for that episode deserve it. Whoever came up with this morbidly beautiful shot of the blood trickling down the cello strings, it’s a testament to their brilliance that one needs to submit the episode to frame-by-frame scrutiny in order to appreciate its details.
The other key detail in this flash of images is whether Sylar really is there to save Emma.
The fact that Doyle is focusing at least part of his effort on someone other than Emma suggests he’s puppeteering Sylar. Sylar’s look of anxiety would seem to support this, although another clip shows Sylar with an outstretched arm, which suggests that he’s TK’ing someone or something in the scene. If Sylar does recover his abilities before the finale, however, it’s difficult to explain why Doyle can control him now when we’ve already seen Sylar break through Doyle’s ability before.
Matt returns home with an armful of groceries, gets a witty one-liner from Sylar about “making two trips,” and elicits a maniacal laugh when he wonders whether Sylar is back to his ghost state.
Sylar: “That’s so two-months-ago. Here, lemme give you a hand.”
Funny, if an unintentional self-parody. I guess, from the writers’ perspective, this is evidence of the enormous creative ground the character has covered since the first half of the volume. In reality, it seems more like an admission that Sylar arbitrarily trades one villainous scheme for another from week to week. Hilariously, Sylar looks like he has to think extremely hard when Matt asks him what he wants. If you’re willing to cut the show some slack, this is because Sylar’s a deeply contemplative villain. If you’re cynical, it’s because even Sylar is struggling to keep track of what his latest nefarious scheme is.
All of that said, I have to acknowledge right now that this episode largely redeems the character’s arc in my eyes. It by no means redeems the character, but that’s precisely the point: the dialogue, performances and direction steer clear of the muddled ambiguity that ruined portions of last week’s episode, and what we see this week isn’t so much a redemptive arc as it is a damning one. Which, in the context of Sylar’s extensive list of atrocities, is exactly the way it should be.
Janice shows up sans Baby Matt, who, it’s established, is at day care. The reason why Baby Matt remains absent well into the evening is never provided, although given the sinister turn the plot takes, it’s probably for the best that the show avoids complaints about psychokillers threatening babies. One has to wonder whether the kid’s absence is a convenient coincidence, but the really remarkable coincidence is Sylar getting a chance to react to Janice’s hair.
OK, so maybe what he’s really thinking is “Boy, I’d love to rip that scalp open.” But she doesn’t even have an ability! Was Sylar so desperate to get back to his TK-slicing that he couldn’t keep his eyes off Janice’s scalp? Or is it just that his attention wandered because Janice really is that dull? Whichever it is, focus, Sylar.
One of the many great things about this episode is the way the previously-dull-and-one-dimensional-to-the-point-of-being-a-cardboard-cutout characters are suddenly imbued with depth and personality. Gretchen is the best example of this, trading in the role of the Supportive Best (Girl)Friend and suddenly taking a stance on Sylar, the carnival and Noah’s hunt for Samuel.
The hand-holding is the key detail here, because the moment Claire mentions the carnival…
… Gretchen pulls away. It’s a moment that helps to define who Gretchen is. It’s evidence of a reflexive reaction to something she feels strongly about, and unless you count her crush on Claire or her abrupt departure (followed by her equally abrupt return) earlier this season, this is the first time Gretchen has felt strongly about anything. It’s a pleasure to watch because it provides plausible conflict between Gretchen and Claire, but also because Madeline Zima brings as much authenticity to Gretchen’s resentment as she does to her affection.
Claire walks away from the car, and the camera…
… lingers on Gretchen. And as insignificant as this might seem, the way the camera rests on Gretchen speaks volumes about her importance to the story. It goes without saying that Gretchen has gone from an annoying (and possibly demonic) roommate to a likeable companion for Claire, but what’s momentous about this one, lingering shot is the dignity it affords the character. It says that Gretchen is worth that shot; that she’s enough of a personality and feels strongly enough about the situation to deserve that focus when Claire walks away.
The gist is that Noah was collecting a sniper gun from his storage unit when Claire visited him. This is an example of the plot functioning with just a little speculation on our part. I wish, however, that some kind of explanation could have been provided to establish how Noah and Lauren reached the carnival. Mohinder reiterated last week that the Magik Compass “would only work in the hands of one of us.” In the absence of Hiro and Ando (at the hospital) and Mohinder (rescuing his passive-aggressive ex from shady agents in the graphic novels), it’s not clear how Noah and Lauren managed to plot a map to the carnival and to set up a lookout on a nearby hilltop. Presumably someone helped them to gain access to the carnival’s impenetrable force field, but whether that’s down to another super is surely one of the episode’s critical plot points. There are niggling details like whether Noah really has the components in his apartment to build a Magik Compass in the first place, but this is more than just a hazy logistical detail. It was a crucial part of the plot two weeks ago, and this week it’s deftly avoided.
In a moment of amusing self-awareness, the show addresses Lauren and Noah’s relationship when Claire directly asks her why she’s there.
Lauren: “Oh, um… Your father and I are…”
There’s something remarkable about this scene. Unlike the scene at Peter’s apartment in “Thanksgiving,” Sylar isn’t just eating for the sake of taunting his company. He’s actually sampling the experience and trying to prove to himself that he can be something besides a serial-killing freak. The neat part about this scene is it remains faithful to the character. It reinforces that a lunch-eating, conversation-making Sylar is very much out of place, and by that turn it’s a development that never seems out of place. As much as Sylar’s deranged whim might lead him to want a normal life, this episode never once tries to fudge the notion that he might actually get it — or, more relevantly, deserve it.
That said, it’s hard to deny the appeal of Quinto’s comic timing when Matt offers “Gabe” a mock-affectionate pinch on the shoulders…
… and Sylar looks like he’s about to collapse under the strain. Even more entertaining is the endearing look of uncertainty “Gabe” gives Matt as he’s heading towards the door to the basement, as if he’s not even sure he’s found the right door. Tiny nuances, but they help to convey that, if it weren’t for Sylar’s psychosis, he might very easily slip back into the quirky, neurotic nerd that Gabriel used to be.
Sylar: “I had to make sure I remembered it right. Husband, and father… You’ve really figured out a way to live with your ability.”
It’s the first of several instances this week that, well written as they are, seem like oversimplifications. Given that Matt very recently scrawled death threats on a napkin and reached for a weapon to resist arrest, it’s not as if Matt should even have this life anymore. That’s as much of an ongoing criticism as it is an episode-specific criticism, and although I’ve made it before, it’s as relevant now as it’s ever been. Significant portions of Matt’s backstory have been ignored, and when someone like Sylar shows up and marvels at how delightful Matt’s straightforward family life is, it rubs salt in the wound that is internal continuity. Even if Matt hasn’t become the center of a media circus after he tried to blow up Capitol Hill, the reason for Matt’s separation from Janice in the first place remains unaddressed, the issue of their son’s ability and what it will mean to him throughout childhood remains unaddressed, and the many reasons Matt has to hide at home all day — chief of these being a fear of rampantly using his ability — remains unaddressed.
Put simply, to say that Matt has figured out a way to live with his ability is untrue, and while no one can fault Sylar for seeing it that way, it seems like the show wants us to see it that way. Which we would, if we hadn’t seen three-and-a-half years of material telling us otherwise.
The flipside is the way the show this week handles Sylar’s attempt to redeem himself. Sylar claims that he doesn’t want to be That Person anymore, and Matt’s deadpan “Oh” is so unconvincing that he’s practically voicing our own skepticism. There’s a level of self-awareness underpinning the scene…
… not least when Sylar freely admits that he’s insane. And although that kind of self-awareness pulls us out of the narrative, it also feels like an attempt to streamline an often convoluted character arc. It goes back to the original character who discovered he could be the most special of all; a guy who was rotten at the core to begin with, but who now wants to believe that if the temptation to steal abilities is removed, the psychosis will vanish with it.
Which apparently isn’t a theory we’re expected to buy at all, because Matt gets the line of the night when he points out that Sylar’s Ship of Redemption “sailed about 50 murders ago.” While neither Matt nor the audience believe that Sylar can go back to being Gabriel, Sylar apparently does.
Is it inconsistent? Very much. It goes against what little logic accompanied The Hunger and implies that anyone with multiple abilities — even an individual as good-natured as Peter — will inevitably be corrupted by the abundance of power. But in the process, this simplification removes all of the botched ambiguity about whether Sylar might really be a good person in spite of his murderous tendencies. As extreme as Matt’s actions at the end of this episode are, we’re not especially tempted to argue that he’s wrong, and we’re not especially inclined to argue that Sylar was only acting out of ability-induced insanity.
All of which comes back to the original point — that Sylar believes he’s being driven insane by his abilities, and that removing them will restore his sanity and his humanity. It’s hard to see a motive when Sylar’s singular objective throughout the series has been enhancing his sense of worth by usurping other people’s abilities. But if you buy into the idea that Sylar believes he’ll feel even more special by forming lasting relationships, this development somehow seems in-character.
Peter visits Angela and learns that his mom can’t decide on the wording for Nathan’s headstone. It’s one of the most ephemeral scenes of the episode, and in a way one of the most poignant, particularly when Peter pries Angela’s pen from her fingers and holds her hand to reassure her.
Angela: “Maybe it was selfish of me, Peter, but I just needed to see you. I needed to be sure you were OK.”
Peter: “Because of your vision? I had the dream too, Mom. I saw all the people. And Sylar. I think he was trying to help Emma.”
It’s a moment that serves a dual purpose. It sets up Peter’s desperation to explore every avenue that might help him save Emma. At the same time, it establishes Angela’s emotional fragility after losing one son and facing the prospect of losing another. Angela’s honesty when she tells Peter she needed to see him seems rare and surprising for the character, and it suggests that grief lowers her ability to deceive. For once, Angela makes no attempt to misdirect Peter. The implication is that Angela is beyond the ability to manipulate Peter; or, if not unable, at least unwilling. In an episode punctuated by ubiquitous deception, Angela emerges as the most surprisingly forthright character.
Angela: “Whatever this vision is, Peter, remember this: one isolated act of kindness does not make Sylar your friend’s savior.”
Great dialogue, and the way she replaces Nathan’s picture on the table so tentatively, we know exactly why she feels that way.
Curiously, this suggests a change of heart, because we’ve seen Angela try to manipulate Sylar’s killer instinct. It could be that Angela stopped believing in the capacity to change someone’s nature — probably as a direct result of her experience with Sylar. Or you could argue that Nathan’s death made Sylar so monstrous in her eyes that, even if she does believe people are capable of change, Sylar’s just too far gone to be considered a person. Whichever it is, this scene goes some way to explaining why Angela was so hostile to Emma in “Close to You.” Part of it comes down to Emma’s association with a massacre, but you could equally argue that Angela resents the way Emma indirectly makes Sylar look like a hero. By saving Emma, Sylar effectively demonstrates that he’s capable of nobility. And even though we’ve seen that same nobility in bizarre alternate timelines, the fact that Emma is associated with Sylar’s nobility is enough to garner Angela’s resentment. It’s not fair to Emma because it’s not as if she asked to be saved by Sylar, but it’s understandable that Angela would hate anyone connected with an event that redeems her son’s murderer.
Peter’s reaction is almost the opposite, because where Angela refuses to believe that Sylar can be involved in rescuing Emma, Peter is now apparently convinced that it can’t happen any other way. Again, you could interpret this as consistent with the backstory. Given the way Peter dreamed he’d explode and then eventually did, it’s understandable that he’d assume his latest dream was equally immutable.
The problem is that’s not the way Peter has been portrayed since then. He’s not the guy who accepts that the future can’t be changed — he’s the guy who fights to make the future whatever anyone wants it to be. By accepting that Sylar saves Emma, Peter’s not just accepting that he needs to work with his brother’s killer; he’s adopting a fatalistic stance and assuming that whatever he’s seen — and as open to interpretation as it might be — it’s pointless to look for another solution. It seems inconsistent with the guy who was smashing cellos two weeks ago in an attempt to defy his dream, and if it’s simply a case of Peter giving up on other options — those options being to use his Magik Tattoo to visit the carnival and preventing the dream from occurring himself — there needed to be a smoother transition. As it stands, it feels like an about-turn.
All of that said, let’s come back to the pretty:
Gorgeously shot. I have no idea when Angela switched from Petrelli Mansion to Petrelli Apartment, but that one shot captures everything that’s both heartwarming and tragic about the Petrelli saga. The cold loneliness of Angela’s world, the memories from the pictures she surrounds herself with, and the one remaining family member she’s now terrified of losing.
Claire tells Gretchen about Noah’s impending attack on the carnival, and Gretchen once again surprises me by all but rolling her eyes and telling Claire to shut up.
Claire: “Well, what do you think I should do?”
Gretchen: “Um, I don’t know, you’ve got a Humanities lecture in 20 minutes. Here’s a crazy idea — maybe you should go to class for once?”
I think Gretchen just won the admiration of Claire-haters all over the world. Who is this character? She’s awesome! She’s b**chy and heartless and insensitive and unsupportive, and I love it! It adds depth to the scenes between Claire and Gretchen, but more importantly it adds depth to Gretchen.
Claire: “I need to borrow your car.”
Gretchen: “No.”
?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I’m absolutely certain that five episodes ago — or even two — Gretchen would not have said that.
Gretchen — marry me!
Gretchen: “You say you want a normal life, right? Just let your dad handle it.”
Claire can’t believe what she’s hearing. Frankly, neither can I.
By the look of it, neither can Gretchen.
I’m delighted, although I can’t decide whether this was meant to be funny, because “handle it” does seem like a convenient euphemism for “exterminate the lot of them to get to their maniacal leader.” But then, if that’s Gretchen’s way saying she’s basically OK with Noah inadvertently killing a bunch of people… Well, I’m twisted enough that I’ll gladly exchange the old, one-dimensional Gretchen for a clearly-defined (albeit morally reprehensible) Gretchen.
There’s something eerily similar to Matt’s decision two weeks ago, though, because Gretchen is more or less pleading with Claire to walk away, get on with her life and let the superpowered drama go on without her. What makes Gretchen’s rationale compelling, however, is that she’s in possession of as many facts as Claire and just interpreting them without the influence of Samuel’s persuasion. Where Claire sees the content superpowered community and the pretty valleys, Gretchen sees the calculated scheming and the moral laxity. The great thing is both characters are right, and hence the conflict feels plausible.
Noah returns to his apartment, discovers that Claire came and went and berates Lauren for letting her go.
Lauren: “What was I supposed to do, drag her back by her hair and lock her in your closet?”
Noah: [Priceless expression that says "YES! OF COURSE!"]
Apologies, folks. At this point I covered my eyes and tried to spare my eyeballs from permanent scarring.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Don’t look, folks! Avert your eyes! Save yourselves! RUUUUUUUN! Run, Noah! Run like Tim Kring’s chasing you with the script to a Sylaire spin-off!
Claire arrives at the carnival and warns Lydia that Noah’s on his way, Eli overhears… and apparently, within seconds, Samuel and Eli devise their entire plan to frame Noah for the murder of numerous carnival members in order to once again unite the community through a shared sense of grief and loathing for the outside wo-
No, that’s probably not it. Odds are Samuel told Eli to stand on a hilltop and shoot, and Eli’s enough of a lemming to do whatever he’s told. But even that strains belief because it requires at least some moderate planning. The impression we’re left with is that Samuel had been planning this for a while and was just waiting for the opportunity to present itself.
Samuel’s story about the trapeze performer is moving, especially when he gets to the part about his brother being like gravity…
… and Samuel’s look of nostalgic fondness leaves us wondering whether he really is sorry he slammed a rock into Joseph’s throat. But there’s a darker meaning in the subtext. The implication is that Samuel sees himself as the center of the carnival’s gravity, and there’s something both fateful and prophetic about the way he eventually proves this to be true.
Noah and Lauren set up a watch on a nearby hilltop, Noah gets a call from Claire, and Samuel agrees to turn himself in. There’s a lot to be said for the way the scene was shot…
… because it brings back the same voyeuristic vibe that made Volume Four so effective. There’s even more to be said about Samuel’s look of trepidation, though. Looking back, you have to wonder whether even his anxiety was a part of the pretense and whether he knew he was on the verge of winning back the carnival’s loyalty.
But then, looking back, you also have to wonder whether Samuel counted on Claire arranging a non-violent surrender, which is why Eli was assigned to sniper duty.
Samuel takes to the podium, and the way the moment is captured…
… it’s as if he’s competing with the legacy that’s hovering in the background. Again, such an amazing nuance, so gorgeously filmed, and such a beautiful way to weave the story thread into the exploration of whether an individual is more than their ability.
Samuel: “I know everyone will not agree with this decision, but it’s the only way. The safety of each and every one of you, and keeping this family together, is what matters most to me.”
Great dialogue, and delivered by Knepper with a suitably urgent and self-important tone. You can see Samuel trying to make himself out to be a martyr, and in retrospect, knowing he never had any intention of giving himself up, you’re left to wonder whether his family’s safety ever actually mattered to him, or whether their safety only ever mattered to him insofar as they ensure his own safety.
At this point, though, Samuel is so swept up in his performance that he’s practically singing. It’s disturbing to see how effortlessly he wins back the carnival’s loyalty, but there’s almost something humorous about the way he achieves it within minutes, and with little more than a smattering of rhetoric.
It’s worth noting that Lydia remains decidedly unimpressed, which speaks to her resistance to Samuel’s persuasive skills and largely explains why Samuel wanted her dead.
Samuel takes a bullet strategically aimed at the shoulder, the carnival panics, and in the midst of the chaos Claire takes a bullet to the neck. For the majority of the shoot-out, there are very few cuts to Noah. It helps to sustain our uncertainty over whether this really is Noah’s work, but also forces us to wonder whether Noah’s become such a sloppy shooter that he hits his own daughter.
Amid the carnage, there’s a morbidly amusing undercurrent:
For one thing, it’s hard to tell whether Eli was aiming for Doyle or the stuffed bunny.
For another, one has to wonder why Eli thought it was important to take out the Magik Popcorn machine. You can understand the attempt to vilify Noah beyond all hope for atonement, but the Magik Popcorn?
Samuel’s reaction to Claire removing her bullet and regenerating was a curious detail.
He doesn’t look shocked or awed so much as peeved. Which might be out of envy as much as pain, but perhaps it also explains why the Magik Blood is never once raised as a prospective way to save Lydia’s life; the implication is that Samuel saw the option coming a mile off and made sure there were no syringes anywhere in the carnival to make a transfusion possible.
As clear as it is that Samuel wanted Lydia dead all along, there’s something earnest about his reaction to seeing her bleeding out. It could be that it genuinely hurt him to remove a subversive element from his “family.” Or it could be that Samuel’s in so much pain from the gunshot wound that his performance becomes even more convincing than before.
In any case…
… this doesn’t seem like a final act of malice so much as a last-ditch effort to repent. Samuel knows she’ll die hating him, but by confessing that he staged the carnage, Samuel seems to be hoping he can earn her forgiveness.
Which, of course, was never really an option, because Lydia’s response conveys incredulity and contempt as much as pain and nausea.
Samuel: “I’m sorry. They needed a villain. Someone worse than me. You gave that to them. Thank you.”
Great dialogue. Partly because it implies that Samuel was delusional enough to consider Lydia’s death a noble sacrifice, partly because, the way Knepper plays the moment with a concealed smile…
… you know he isn’t grieving so much as secretly celebrating.
Farewell, Lydia! You were a compelling (albeit criminally undeveloped) member of the carnival. We wish your Magik Tattoos could have been explained with greater clarity, but you were blessed with one of the season’s most memorable moments when you described Sylar as “impotent.” We hope to see you in many flashbacks and dream sequences… and webisodes.
The Magik Tattoos dissolving when the owner dies? Neat detail.
This?
Even better. Not just because the prolonged moment allows the full impact of Samuel’s villainy to sink in, but also because it captures the poignancy of the episode. In one shot, the episode illustrates the extent of Samuel’s deception, Claire’s powerlessness to stop it, the tragedy it brought on the carnival, and the broader focus on the way abilities define the personality. Despite her limited screen time and some occasionally clunky dialogue, Dawn Olivieri portrayed a sympathetic character who desperately wanted to escape the carnival. The tragedy is in the fact that, as distinct a character as she was, Lydia was always going to be remembered as “the Tattoo Girl.”
Eli shows up with Noah in tow, and although Todd Stashwick consistently delivers a charismatic performance, in this case…
… he really looks like he’s trying to earn his screen time with fiery intensity.
The carnival collectively brands Noah a murderer and condemns Claire for her association. Samuel seizes the opportunity he crafted, reigning in the collective bloodlust and making a display of his boundless compassion. It’s a moment that underlines the full extent of Samuel’s scheming, but also one that echoes the twisted aspiration which Angela and Linderman clung to when they wanted to blow up a city: the idea that a community united by grief and paranoia is a group that will work together with a singular sense of purpose.
We return to Sylar’s attempt to lose his abilities, which affords him the opportunity to TK Janice to a wall. It’s a moment that reasserts Sylar as the irredeemable villain, and as annoying as Janice might be…
… there’s something heartbreaking about the way Matt resorts to pleading with Sylar to let her go.
At the same time, there’s something insightful about the way Matt opts for such an ineffectual approach. You could argue that he’s too distraught to Parkman-whammy Sylar into submission. But given that we’ve seen Matt overcome his distress and focus his mind control when She Who’s Been Wiped From All Established Canon got shot, the reason for this pitiful attempt to stop Sylar can only be explained by the assumption that, on some level, Matt wanted to see Janice suffer.
What!? Just saying, Matt pulled himself together enough to stop those agents on the hill when she was in mortal danger. What’s stopping him when Janice is in danger? I think it’s obvious, and if anyone ever wanted proof that Matt cared about Daphne more than he cares about Janice, this is the proof they’re looking for.
Sylar: “One cruel thought is all it takes — these powers make it so easy.”
Matt: “I understand that, believe me. But you don’t have to use them like this.”
Sylar: “Except I do. The powers are me now. You’ve been there, dealt with the abilities, the constant temptation. Tell me, how do you compartmentalize? How do you keep them from overwhelming the rest of your life?”
Matt: “You start by accepting the fact that you’re more than just your abilities.”
Remarkable dialogue, and in a volume that explored in detail what it means to have an ability, this is a defining moment. It still seems like an oversimplification to suggest that Matt has become the model super-citizen, but the idea behind it — the idea that Sylar has latched onto Matt as a symbol of hope — is as tragic as it is absurd. But then, that’s part of what makes this episode phenomenal. The underlying impression is that Sylar’s dream is a hopeless one; firstly because he’ll never be content with it if he gets it, secondly because the glimpse we’ve seen of Gabriel is one of a guy who actively wanted to escape the “normal” life he was living.
The neat part about that is the way it ties back to Matt, because as much as this episode paints him as a well-adjusted super with a family life beyond his ability, it’s hard to ignore the fact that, until he discovered his ability, Matt’s life was falling apart. His career in law enforcement consisted of directing traffic and his marriage was on the verge of collapse. It wasn’t until he discovered his ability that he managed to cheat his way through a detective exam, and it wasn’t until he climbed into Janice’s head that he had the slightest chance of salvaging his marriage. When Matt tells Sylar that he’s more than his ability, he’s leaving out the part that involves his ability making him “more” than anything in the first place.
Which comes back to the dialogue in the scene, which culminates in Matt telling Sylar, “We’re people first.” It’s an optimistic notion, but in the context of Matt’s story — the one that involves a lunatic father with the same ability, a child who’ll grow up with crippling identity issues because of his ability, and an ability that has in turns repaired and destroyed Matt’s life — it feels very much like a rosy, romanticized version of reality. Matt might be a person first, but his ability determined who that person is.
Sylar releases Janice, Janice tells Matt to “bury” him, and Matt immediately complies. I can’t decide whether that’s meant to be funny, but if you can buy that Matt was planning to trap Sylar inside his own mind anyway, I guess this is intended to look like a moment when Matt and Janice Make A Difficult Decision Together.
The extraordinary part is that, like Morally Reprehensible “exterminate-the-carnies” Gretchen, Janice is absolutely right. It’s convenient for her that she doesn’t have to be involved in the act of “burying” Sylar, but her reasoning — putting an end to Sylar’s tyranny — is exactly the kind of reasoning that defined Noah and Angela’s character arcs. By agreeing to bury Sylar, Matt’s effectively subscribing to the ends-justify-the-means ideology that he was fighting against at the end of Volume Four.
Matt works his Parkman Whammy and generates a montage of images in Sylar’s head. Among them…
Matt invites Sylar to “try something” on him, which, cavalier as it might be, leads to Sylar discovering that he’s powerless.
It’s difficult to judge whether that look conveys relief, shock, delight or disappointment. Mostly, the impression is that Sylar never considered that his Quest To Become Human would actually succeed, meaning he’s now faced with the prospect of returning to the life he trudged through before he got his shot at superpower stardom.
Matt, on the other hand, looks distinctly proud of himself. He should. As morally questionable as his actions might be, he just rid the world of a monster who wrought unspeakable havoc. It’s the reason why, when Matt reveals to Sylar that he’s going to spend eternity stuck inside his own immortal mind, Matt has every right to enjoy the moment and to savor it for all it’s worth. And although I doubt anyone would have guessed in the first volume that the donut-eating, leaky-pipe-fixing telepathic cop would be the one to defeat the show’s über-villain, it’s a testament to the distance the character has come that he now manages to channel his dark side and surprise us.
So, just to clarify: Matt realizes that his house is the perfect setting for eternal hell? I wonder what that says about the way he sees his life.
Beautifully shot, right down to the infernal light that reminds us how low Matt had to sink in order to beat Sylar. As muddled and aimless as the show’s moral stance has seemed in recent weeks, this is an instance of moral ambiguity at its finest. There’s no attempt to make Sylar a sympathetic victim — just a pitiful figure who’s been deservedly beaten. There’s no attempt to make Matt look like a villain, even though his actions are undeniably villainous. And although we know that Matt deserves to be plagued by the thought of what he’s done and what he was going to bury behind a wall in his basement, we’re hard-pressed to judge Matt for taking the kind of drastic measure that probably would have saved countless lives.
PROBABLY. WOULD. HAVE.
Oh, Peter.
Oh, Peter.
OH, PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETER.
Yes, yes, I know. “He did what he thought was right!” “He did it for Emma!” “He put his hatred aside for the greater good!” “He did what had to be done, and if he hadn’t, we all would have called him a dumbass for ignoring his vision!”
One word: WHATEVER!
This is stupidity on an unprecedented scale.
No, wait, it’s not unprecedented. We have seen this kind of immeasurable stupidity before. It was in an episode called “An Invisible Thread,” and it involved something called The Sylathan Debacle.
Peter going into Sylar’s mind to save him? I don’t care if he’s doing it for the greater good. He’s also risking countless lives by reviving the comatose psychokiller who murdered his brother, and he’s doing it on the off-chance that Sylar will do what he supposedly does in Peter’s dream instead of slaughtering another 50 people.
*PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!* *PING!*
For those who tuned in after the review for last season’s finale, this is referred to as the TURBO DUMB AS AWARD. It’s a cut above the stupidity that would earn a character a traditional Dumb As Hiro Award. It’s the kind of award that’s handed out once a season, and although the purpose behind it is self-explanatory, it sadly behooves me to point out that you really have to be stupid to win one of these.
Nice going, Peter.
The premise aside, there’s no denying that this is a surrreal turn of events. It has echoes of Peter’s dreams in “Fallout” and “Out of Time,” but there’s something even more sinister about it when you realize it’s the inside of a mind that’s been warped by its own psychosis. The most disturbing part is that the inside of Sylar’s mind… is kind of beautiful. I mean, it’s not a sunset beach or an idllyic cottage in a grassy valley, but it’s peaceful, it’s tidy and awe-inspiring, and it’s about as far as it’s possible to get from the mental instability that Sylar exudes in the real world.
The episode draws to a close.
Emma shows up at the carnival, and Samuel scares her by smiling maniacally and babbling about creating A New World. It’s not clear whether Vanessa and the cottage were Plan A and World Domination was Plan B, or whether Samuel intended to make both plans a reality. Suffice it to say, Emma looks like she’s regretting showing up at the carnival within minutes of arriving.
Edgar shows up to mourn for Lydia, and although it’s ironic that only the murderer in this picture became a three-dimensional character over the course of the volume, there’s something inescapably poignant about a brainwashed hitman mourning for his great love while the killer sits behind them and pretends to mourn with him. It’s screwed up, but in the best possible way.
But here’s the part that a portion of the audience spent the entire hour waiting for:
SHE LIVES!
“Bennet’s friend”? That’s what she’s listed as on Lauren’s cell phone? What, the jealousy precludes first names?
Well, it was brief, but it made an impact. And perhaps it’s just several weeks of the Lauroah that make me feel this way, but suddenly the Troah doesn’t seem quite so appalling. Welcome back, “Bennet’s friend”!
Samuel delivers another speech peppered with words like “family” and “love,” fueling the carnival’s hatred for the outside world…
… while at the same time restoring Samuel’s own role at the center of the community and reasserting his role as the source of gravity within the carnival. And for about the millionth time inside of an hour, it’s screwed up in the best possible way, and realized with the kind of sublime elegance that defines the show’s most memorable hours. No matter what the flaws in this episode, it’s visually stunning, it’s familiar yet innovative, and it’s a hopeful sign that the show has found the kind of creative momentum that eluded it in the final episodes of the previous volume.
At the end of this episode, you feel that you’ve learned something; about Samuel’s capacity for cruelty, about Gretchen’s integrity, about Angela’s emotional fragility, about Matt’s willingness to sacrifice his own heroism for the greater good, and about Peter’s misdirected nobility putting the world in danger. It’s an hour that digs deep into the character arcs and goes to the core of the show’s original premise of ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities. What takes it a step further is the way it explores the ramifications to possessing extraordinary abilities, and the way it explores who these ordinary people would be if they’d never discovered their extraordinary abilities. And although it delves into the inner workings of the characters with remarkable finesse, the episode balances its nuanced character focus with a broad, epic narrative that perfectly sets up the volume’s final two episodes.
More of this, please, show.
5 out of 5
Great review Otto!
Loved the Turbo Dumb as Award… Peter is cute, but stupid, really stupid… It’s not like he could go to the carnival and use Matt’s power to stop Samuel and rescue Emma WITHOUT saving Sylar… arrgghh
I’m not a Claire hater but I’d like to see her actually doing something, IDK…
I love bad ass Matt! Finally doing something cool with his power, damn!! he’s like the most powerful character!!
Is Hiro dead already? I wasn’t paying attention to his storyline in a long time… maybe since “Once upon a time in Texas”… anybody?? LOL
Whatever, it’s nice to see Tracy again, I know Ali is a little busy right now but I miss her! I know that next episode will be as good as this… It’s not imposible!!!!
To be fair, Samuel might be able to take out Peter before he gets close enough to take out Samuel. Besides, Samuel has a zillion followers. Matt can’t control that many minds.
Peter isn’t an idiot. At all. He’s selfless, prepared to put aside his issues with someone to save thousands. The guy knows that he can’t stop the dream from happening, rather that he can help make it so that the dream ends the way that he wants it to.
Hayley, Claire did do something: she warned Samuel that HRG was on his way and gave Samuel a chance to send Eli to the hilltop. So, in a way, the carnage at the carnival is all Claire’s fault.
Michael,
“… Samuel might be able to take out Peter before he gets close enough to take out Samuel.”
If Peter was taking Samuel out using Matt’s ability, perhaps this goes back to the debate we were having back in Volume Two. Maury was in Philadelphia, and he managed to mind-trap Molly in New York. The Parkman Whammy has long-range capabilities.
I think there’s grounds for speculation that a combined Peter/Matt effort would have a solid shot at whammying both Samuel and the entire carnival. If Matt was able to whammy a whole press conference in 2.11, a team effort could probably take care of the carnival folk — a group that’s been portrayed as not especially strong-minded.
Ian, re: Peter:
“He’s selfless, prepared to put aside his issues with someone to save thousands.”
Nathan’s murder? Sawn-off heads up and down the country? Serial-killing spree?
These are… issues?
That’s putting it mildly.
It’s Peter’s character - personal issues are one thing, but if there’s a chance to save someone he cares about (Emma) and many thousands of lives… he’ll invariably always sacrifice his own mentality to stop it. Even if it means making a deal with the devil.
See Adam in S2.
Great review.
Btw, did you read the Tracy GN for this ep. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I saw she had opened Xavier’s School for the Gifted, excuse me, the Half-Way House for Special People. It sort of makes sense, but the GN TPTB are really showing their comic roots here, and the fact that they can’t ultimately escape them.
I’m going to defend Peter. First, we have no idea how many people would have died if he hadn’t done what he did. Samuel is potentially powerful enough to kill millions. Second, we WOULD have called him a dumbass if he ignored his vision. More importantly, though, Peter wanted to keep Emma from being responsible for thousands of deaths. Peter wasn’t being an idiot, he was thinking with his heart, not his head.
Even though a lot of questions come up when Peter contemplates helping Sylar, I agree with you about his motives. Peter has always been about helping achieve the greater good. He wouldn’t let thousands of people die in order to avoid working with a serial killer. There are a lot of risks involved but he’s willing to take them to help Emma and save people.
Michael,
“Peter wanted to keep Emma from being responsible for thousands of deaths.”
OK, sure, but if Peter is suddenly buying into the whole fatalist stance, shouldn’t he realize that whatever he does only brings his vision closer to reality? He smashed the cello, and the next thing he knew Emma had gone AWOL. Someone called it in the discussion thread a few weeks ago: Peter’s attempt to derail his vision inadvertently put it into motion. So, by releasing Sylar, perhaps Peter’s giving him a chance to go save Emma. But perhaps he’s equally bringing the “blind panic and mass hysteria” part of his vision to fruition. Perhaps he needed to consider that undermining one part of his vision (Sylar showing up at the carnival) might have a knock-on effect and undermine another (lots of folks running around screaming).
Haushinka, re: Peter releasing Sylar:
“There are a lot of risks involved…”
Again, I think this is putting it mildly.
It’s possible that releasing Sylar is precisely how thousands of people end up dead.
The gist seems to be that Emma’s frantic cello performance will be driven by Doyle’s puppeteering, that it’ll involve lots and lots of blood…
May I say I called it. I told a friend she looked so upset, like she couldn’t control herself. I didn’t notice Sylar, but I wonder - why would Doyle control her to do bad and Sylar to “save her” but interesting observation.
In an episode punctuated by ubiquitous deception, Angela emerges as the most surprisingly forthright character.
Yes, and I must say when I heard the title she was the first person I thought of “She was trained in the art of deception. She had a glass of wine in her hand.” - Rolling Stones.
It could be that Angela stopped believing in the capacity to change someone’s nature — probably as a direct result of her experience with Sylar.
Or here is a question… did she ever, or was she just a slave to the dreams - a guru to what she see, that when she saw Sylar helping her in her dream she felt she had to do everything she could to make that happen, just like Peter seeing Sylar helping Emma.
Or you could argue that Nathan’s death made Sylar so monstrous in her eyes that, even if she does believe people are capable of change, Sylar’s just too far gone to be considered a person.
I’d say so. Not to mention, he killed her one son, he’ll have no reason to not kill Peter - heck he killed him once before and she had to cry over his body.
Whichever it is, this scene goes some way to explaining why Angela was so hostile to Emma in “Close to You.” Part of it comes down to Emma’s association with a massacre, but you could equally argue that Angela resents the way Emma indirectly makes Sylar look like a hero.
Or, also… mainly the idea of her son being involved anyway with this woman and her future - Angela has no tolerance for -she will not lose another son.
And even though we’ve seen that same nobility in bizarre alternate timelines, the fact that Emma is associated with Sylar’s nobility is enough to garner Angela’s resentment.
I never thought of this - I like it.
It’s not fair to Emma because it’s not as if she asked to be saved by Sylar, but it’s understandable that Angela would hate anyone connected with an event that redeems her son’s murderer.
Here is another idea - Angela Petrelli is the only woman who will judge you based on what you will do, not on what you HAVE DONE. She see’s the future in every person’s face, while others see their past.
Peter’s reaction is almost the opposite, because where Angela refuses to believe that Sylar can be involved in rescuing Emma, Peter is now apparently convinced that it can’t happen any other way
Or does Angela know he is, but doesn’t want Peter to know because she knows he will do the right thing and go after Sylar to save those people, but who will save Peter?
Gorgeously shot. I have no idea when Angela switched from Petrelli Mansion to Petrelli Apartment, but that one shot captures everything that’s both heartwarming and tragic about the Petrelli saga. The cold loneliness of Angela’s world, the memories from the pictures she surrounds herself with, and the one remaining family member she’s now terrified of losing.
Yes and the sadness that she is going to do the right thing and let Peter find Sylar, save Emma and all those people - and perhaps in the process lose the only she has left: Peter.
I always get flack for this, but the definition of a hero is one who puts their person feelings aside for the sake of others. And as cold as people feel it makes Angela, she has done that time and again - this is just another example - and what makes Angela compelling is that it is never a hard decision for her.
If a US President’s child is kidnapped and he/she gets on the phone with the terrorist he/she has to say “The US government does not negotiate with terrorist” for there is a greater whole at stake.
I also don’t know when Angela left the Plaza de Petrelli - odds are they didn’t have the money for on location and pay to rent out a house. You could say she still has the houses (NY and Westchester) but can’t bare to be alone in such a big house anymore. I also can’t get over that set is seems to be most of the hotel room where Nathan died, only redressed.
Also? Was this were the wake was?
Also… this and Angela’s primatech office had a lot of gold, red and black, and a Japanese flair to it - like perhaps a man in her life had great influence.
Save yourselves! RUUUUUUUN! Run, Noah! Run like Tim Kring’s chasing you with the script to a Sylaire spin-off!
LOLOLOLO!!
the implication is that Samuel saw the option coming a mile off and made sure there were no syringes anywhere in the carnival to make a transfusion possible.
Yeah, but being dead doesn’t mean it can’t be used. Nathan bleed out, Lydia was freshly dead and could have been revived - I would have been fine if she mentioned it to Sam in private and then he had her taken away, Claire I mean. I was screaming at my TV - it upset me SOO much.
Which, of course, was never really an option, because Lydia’s response conveys incredulity and contempt as much as pain and nausea.
Samuel: “I’m sorry. They needed a villain. Someone worse than me. You gave that to them. Thank you.”
Great dialogue. Partly because it implies that Samuel was delusional enough to consider Lydia’s death a noble sacrifice, partly because, the way Knepper plays the moment with a concealed smile…
Amazing evil moment Heroes is great at. This was fantastic!
Has for Peter. I know you disagree, but I think he has learned the visions can’t be stopped, so he’s a slave to the future and is gonna save those people. For me: Peter couldn’t save Nathan, if he loses another person, friend, loved one, it might be too much for the man - he has to save Emma.
“I didn’t notice Sylar, but I wonder - why would Doyle control her to do bad and Sylar to “save her” but interesting observation.”
My guess is that Samuel tells Doyle to use Emma’s siren ability to draw more Specials to the carnival so Samuel can become more powerful. Then, Doyle realizes that Samuel is trying to use the extra power for evil and tries to stop Samuel.
PandoraRose, well done for calling Doyle’s involvement, and for spotting the Stones allusion. With the exception of the titles with biblical connotations, I’m starting to wonder whether all the episode titles this season come from classic rock songs.
With the regenerative blood, I took Samuel’s expression as an indication that he was watching out for it like a hawk and would never have let Claire come close to saving Lydia. But you’re right, it needed a line or two in dialogue to placate the obsessive fanbase… meaning us.
Re: Angela’s apartment: yeah, it looks a lot like the 3.25 hotel suite. I actually wondered whether it might be the same set as Charles Deveaux’s apartment at the start of Volume One; and, indeed, whether Angela moved into the same apartment as a way to remember the guy who danced with her the night they escaped Coyote Sands (and whatever else happened between them after that…).
Otto, Thanks again for the consistently excellent reviews. ThepandoraRose…I’ll second the bravo for the Stones catch. Clearly, even with powers, the characters have not been able to ‘get what they want’ and only occasionally do they ‘get what they need’ ; except maybe the Magik Blood transfusions & Hiro’s shovel to the head.
Okay I have quite a few things to say, so I’ll get started…
1) Thank God Hiro wasn’t in this episode. However, I have to wonder what Hiro’s role in the rest of this volume is. Is his character done for now or is he somehow going to play a part in the final showdown?
2) YES! We finally have Samuel in maximum villain mode! Although Lydia was never really a sympathetic character to me, killing her was the most evil thing he could do. He did it solely for his benefit, to prevent a Carnival coup that would overthrow him as leader. Kissing her, letting her know what he did, AND smiling about it was amazingly cruel. Two observations though - Where was Lydia’s daughter?? Hello? Mommy’s dead! And doesn’t the whole Vanessa thing seem pretty pointless now? I feel like they could’ve reached this same point in the story arc without throwing her into the mix so late.
3) The shooting sequence was pretty cool, and I was actually tricked for a moment there. I found myself going “No Noah! What are you doing?!,” until Claire was shot, then I thought this can’t be Noah.
4) Matt + Sylar this was AMAZING! So entertaining. We had a great mix of the witty/maniacal Sylar we came to love. Still not totally sold on Sylar wanting to purge himself of his powers, but whatever, gotta deal with it at this point. I feel bad for Matt though. Why is it that whenever someone has a problem they go to him? Sylar, Angela, Noah, Peter… Leave the guy alone already! I don’t think he’s living a normal life considering all these people who keep coming to him with their superpowered problems!
But seriously….. WHAT THE HECK is with Matt trapping Sylar IN MATT’S OWN HOUSE????? I’m sorry, but I don’t see how THAT doesn’t get the Turbo Dumb As Award. Peter wouldn’t be able to get in Sylar’s mind if Sylar was, oh, at the bottom of the ocean or in a woodchipper or something. To keep a serial killer alive is one thing. To keep him alive IN YOUR OWN HOUSE is another. I just can’t get over this. This was the dumbest moment of the show. (And I guess Matt’s basement projects entailed building an ugly brick wall… Janice is not gonna like this!)
High points : you captured them in the screencaps you used. The “Gabe” pinch, Matt’s “50 murders ago” line (which, thank you for saying what was on all our minds!). Sylar always seems to be eating and drinking. He’s really quite the gourmand. If he succeeds at overcoming this serial killer phase he could have his own show on Food Network or something.
5) I have to respectfully disagree with you when it comes to Gretchen’s importance in the show. I feel like the Claire/Gretchen pairing has been pretty pointless so far. Gretchen’s served as nothing more than a channel for Claire to complain in my opinion. Although I have to commend Gretchen for telling Claire to just GO TO CLASS!
6) Not really buying Peter’s intense motivation to help Sylar. The dude just killed your brother, who you just buried. Peter’s basing all of his actions on a dream he had where Sylar says “I’ll save you.” Hmmm… the same way Sylar told Ted Sprague “I”ll save you,” or the way he told Brian Davis “I can fix it”? Gosh Peter!
7) Not sure how I feel about seeing Tracy again. Heroes really loves Ali Larter… (wasn’t she set on joining the Carnival btw? Whatever happened to that?). I’m eager to see how the final showdown will play out though. It seems like it will be Sylar, Peter, Claire, HRG, Tracy, Lauren, and possibly Edgar (wow, what a strange team! But so awesome if that’s how it plays out) vs. Samuel and the carnies. I hope we get to actually SEE the fight this time and it better be superpowered to the max (there are no parking meters at carnivals, right? lol)
Last thing - will the carnies actually DO anything with their powers? So far they’ve only been about standing around ooing and ahhing at Samuel.
Long post, but I had a lot on my mind. Great review, I love reading your reviews every week. I liked this episode a lot as well. Minus points for the stupidity of Matt and Peter - 4.5/5 for me.
Tracy’s story line continued in the graphic novels.
Yeah that’s probably true, but a lot of people (myself included) don’t have the time to watch the show AND read the graphic novels, so we wouldn’t know… I’m a faithful viewer and I think important parts of the story should be on TV. I don’t know, these NBC execs are strange.
Budget cuts and Ali filming a movie led to her absence.
I don’t think there was enough money in the pot to pay her for more eps than she did, at any rate. Rohm isn’t a regular, so she likely costs less.
Yeah that’s true as well. Didn’t realize one little line about Ali Larter would be the focus of my entire post! lol
I agree. One of the problems with the show is that the graphic novels are often better than the main narrative. The flipside, of course, is that the GN writers don’t have budget constraints. That’s why books of various kinds will almost always be better than TV or film.
I agree in terms of the scale Raissa, but in a graphic novel version of Heroes you would never have had Noah or Angela come to such prominence. They were intended as side characters, but the portrayals were so rich that it inspired the writers to give them more material.
Sylar always seems to be eating and drinking. He’s really quite the gourmand. If he succeeds at overcoming this serial killer phase he could have his own show on Food Network or something.
Ha, ha! He does like to eat, doesn’t he? And it’s always sweet stuff; cake, pie, etc. I guess those “black and whites” were doughnuts?
I assume Matt kept Sylar in his house to keep a close eye on him. I agree that his own home was probably a bad choice especially with mini Matt around, but he didn’t have much time to deliberate it.
Hmmm… black and whites might be referring to black and white cookies. Anyone who is a fan of Seinfeld will remember Jerry’s theory about the black and white cookie…
Very true.
I think the respective merits of the on-screen story vs the GNs is something TPTBs nailed very quickly. The GNs are an ideal way to expand on the story and to realize scenes that aren’t viable on a TV budget, but as Ian says, there are nuances to the on-screen story that would never translate to the comics, and perhaps not even to prose. Matt pinching “Gabe,” Samuel smiling at Lydia in his arms, Claire giving Gretchen that ultimate look of betrayal before walking away… Those are the kinds of moments that bring the characters to life, and I don’t think they’re moments the GNs or novelizations could capture.
So, I’m glad matt trapped sylar and all, but bricking him up in the basement. Talk about creepy, haunted houses. VERY scary - I would not buy that house.
also, I though that would have been a great way to end sylar’s arc, but, we’ll see.
True, very creepy! I forgot to add that in my original post. It was Mohinder-esque, ala Season 3’s “The Fly” lol
Matt: I’m a cop. Not a bricklayer.
I wish there was more thought into Noah’s line to Sylar in Fallout.
“I think you’re insane. I think the infusion of so many alterations to your DNA has corrupted your mind. All this power is degrading you.”
They seem to only be following the last sentence, but the second really could work. Sylar has altered his brain a lot. He used his shapeshifting ability to shift the “soft spot” and if it wasn’t for his past experiences monkeying around with gray matter, I’d be wondering why he isn’t brain dead right now. No wonder he’s loopier than cuckoo bird in a “timepiece.” That’d make more sense than the powers themselves as the problem.
As for Claire, I honestly thought, watching the episode, she was going to search for a syringe. Even if she only went for a first aid kit, that’s where I’d think to look. If only they were in Isaac/Mohinder’s loft.
Peter has never been too bright. Him thinking before acting would’ve been the greatest inconsistency of the episode. Unlike Hiro, all he ever does when he goes to the past is mess things up. Future Peter should be the one on trial. All the way back to the precious Season 1, wasn’t he repeatedly trying to jump off of buildings? Season 2 he thought he could simply save Caitlin by changing the past. Maybe he did. Any reports of an Irish lass suddenly appearing in New York?
He just does what he thinks is right and hopefully it all works out. Jumping into Sylar’s head might just work out too, the writers have been taking some not so great ideas and making great stories with them. Three years should be enough time for Sylar to sort through his thoughts.
We’ll just have to wait and see next episode.
He would be close to being brain-dead, likely, except he got regeneration at the start of S3. It likely heals his mind.
Would Rapid Cell Regeneration fix that? Great, now I’m wondering just how much RCR can repair the body.
Peter repaired his memory in S2 simply by willing it to heal. Which shows that regenerators can heal certain parts of the brain. Sylar, after getting the regenerative properties, went STRAIGHT to a Company facility. He’d never done it before, so the impression given is that it gave him renewed confidence.
Because prior to that, he hunted one hero at a time.
I’d be surprised if TPTBs were thinking this far ahead (at least as far as this point is concerned), but I wonder whether they intentionally played up different sides to Sylar’s personality after he got Claire’s regeneration; in other words, whether they intentionally wrote him as a different character after 3.01.
I’m not sure. Most of Sylar’s family and identity drama — the Petrelli arc, bonding with Luke, going after Samson, bringing back memories of Virginia — seems to have come directly after he became a regen. Which is probably a coincidence. But if Ian’s theory is correct, I think we could speculate that acquiring regeneration affected the part of Sylar’s brain that’s in touch with his emotions and his self-awareness. Regen-Sylar was affected by these experiences in a different way than pre-Regen-Sylar would have been. As twisted as he continued to be throughout Volumes Three and Four, Regen-Sylar seems much closer to this volume’s Emo!Sylar than the Sylar in Volumes One and Two; more introspective; more in touch with what the people around him were thinking or fearing. In a way, that probably made him even more dangerous, because he knew exactly how to hurt people. For evidence of this, see #3.25…
If nothing else supports this theory, there’s the fact that the body count stopped mounting at such an alarming rate after 3.01.
I’d be surprised if TPTBs were thinking this far ahead (at least as far as this point is concerned), but I wonder whether they intentionally played up different sides to Sylar’s personality after he got Claire’s regeneration; in other words, whether they intentionally wrote him as a different character after 3.01.
The one thing that separates the regen power from the others he’s absorbed is that the regen power bought him a one way ticket to immortality. Now, Sylar has to actually live with himself and be himself, whoever that is, for a really, really long time. Add that to the fact that this immortal monster likely contemplated time as a watchmaker, and he would be more introspective. I would actually come to terms with Sylar if the writers made a true, no holds bard effort to forge those thematic connections. Unfortunately, I don’t trust them at this point.
“Now, Sylar has to actually live with himself and be himself, whoever that is, for a really, really long time.”
Not necessarily — that’s where the shapeshifting provides a way out. Unlike Adam, Sylar isn’t restricted to just travel, clothes and the people around him. He can change identities completely, and the way 3.24 protrayed it, the implication is that if he does it enough, his original identity will submerge beneath the others. Which terrified him at the time, but which might be exactly what he wants right now.
Excellent point.
HRG: “Don’t worry about me.”
Lauren: “That’s not an option.”
They lock glances and effectively seal Lauren’s fate. By the end(ish) of the episode, I wasn’t at all surprised by her getting a bullet. LOVED the phone call to Tracey.
More importantly I must say how thrilled I was to *again* see Matt step up to Sylar. I haven’t been this proud of him since he “resisted arrest” and SylarMatt. I know I shouldn’t have allowed myself to believe the show would really let Sylar go, but finally someone DID IT and it WOULD WORK.
Although I suppose if the works of Edgar Allan Poe have taught us anything it’s that burying people under your floorboards or behind your basement wall is pretty much a recipe for eventual insanity. So one day, Matt would’ve gone nuts and killed his family and the neighbour’s dog after which the neighbours would gather on the front lawn and tell the press what a quiet and polite man he had always been. But I digress…
Can we say that Matt has come closer to actually stopping Sylar permanently than any other hero? I think so.
Then Peter shows up. WTF. Peter, go back to smashing cellos. Peter, go kill Doyle. Peter, go jump off a bridge. But whatever you do, don’t wake up the sleeping psychopath who for ONCE is finally where he deserves to be. If I were Parkman I would give serious consideration to bopping Peter on the head with a handy lawnchair, breaking his concentration until you can talk some sense into him.
Loved the recap. Otto, until I read your reviews I don’t feel like the other shoes has dropped on my week. Thank you. I wish I could find this kind of intelligent, insightful, enterntaining writing to support all the TV shows I watch.
Matt stepping up to Sylar was a big plus of this episode for me too. I loved that shove he gave him after he suppressed his powers! I think I forgot to mention that in my original post too… Oh well, point is it was awesome!
Great review, Otto, as usual.
A quick thought before I begin: is Charlie going to become the next Caitlin? Only two episodes remain and she hasn’t been mentioned in a while. Plus, only Samuel knows where she is and it’s likely that he will die at the end of this volume.
My main thought for this post: Sylar has actually been defeated/capture on a number of occasions. And always, someone makes a really dumb decision to let him go and it always ends up biting that person really hard. Here’s all I can remember:
-In Volume 1, the Haitian and Eden subdue Sylar and take him to Noah. Eden wants to kill him, but Noah says he has “orders” to keep him alive. Sylar escapes, kills Eden, and immediately goes after Sandra and Claire. VERDICT: I bet Noah wishes he killed Sylar here, especially given what happens in future volumes.
-Also in Volume 1, Mohinder successfully subdues Sylar. Instead of immediately killing him, he decides to “study” him, giving Sylar time to escape. Mohinder ends up pinned to the ceiling and Sylar (temporarily) kills Peter. VERDICT: Mohinder (and everyone else) would have been better off if he killed Sylar immediately.
-At the end of Volume 1/beginning of Volume 2, Hiro runs his sword through Sylar, which should have killed him. Instead, the Company orders Candace to save him and inject him with the Shanti virus. Sylar kills Candace, steals the Shanti-cure from Mohinder/Company, kills two Company agents in Costa Verde, kills Bob (the Company leader), and (inadvertantly) lets out all of the inmates of Level 5. VERDICT: Bet the Company (especially Bob) regrets this decision.
-In Volume 3, Sylar is subdued by Elle’s ability. Instead of killing him, Angela decides to make him an agent and feeds supers to him. Sylar then ends up betraying Angela and joining Arthur, and at the end of Volume 3 tries to kill her and is almost successful. In the next volume, Sylar goes on to her kill son Nathan. VERDICT: I bet Angela regrets this, especially given the murder of Sylar by Nathan.
-In Volume 3, Arthur recruits Sylar. Sylar ends up killing Arthur’s agent Elle, and then kills Arthur. VERDICT: Arthur ends up killed by Sylar. In fairness, Arthur might have been killed by Peter anyways, but we’ll never know.
-In Volume 4, Danko decides to make a deal with Sylar. He helps Sylar get the shape-shifting ability. Sylar then uses the shape-shifting ability to frame Danko and get him arrested. VERDICT: Danko only escapes a lifetime imprisonment because other characters stop Sylar and inform the President what happened.
-At the end of Volume 4, Sylar is subdued, but instead of killing him, Angela, Noah, and Matt decide to create “Sylathan”. VERDICT: Nothing needs to be said about this one.
-In Volume 5, Matt Parkman commits suicide while Sylar is in head, effectively killing Sylar. Peter and Sylathan travel to Texas and save Matt from sure death. Sylar then takes over Sylathan’s body. If Peter and Sylathan had never went to Texas, and Matt died with Sylar in his head, the whole Sylathan thing might have actually worked out. VERDICT: Sylathan, if he counts as his own personality, is killed. Fully-powered, evil Sylar is released again to the world.
-In Volume 5, Samuel recruits Sylar. He’s lucky that he’s amnesiac-Sylathan at this point, otherwise Sylar might have feasted on the carnival. Even amnesiac-Sylathan escapes the carnival easily. Sylar then returns, and Samuel successfully subdues him. Instead of killing him, Samuel has Lydia try to figure him out. Sylar again escapes easily. We don’t know what happens next, but from Peter’s vision it looks like Sylar will return to the carnival. VERDICT: Not sure yet, but I have a feeling this won’t end well for Samuel.
-In Volume 5, Matt Parkman traps Sylar in his mind. Instead of dropping him at the bottom of the ocean, the bottom of a landfill, or some other obscure place, he buries him in his house. If Sylar ever escaped the mind-trap of his own accord, he’d awaken in Matt’s house. Peter comes to save Sylar so he can save Emma. VERDIDT: Will this be the one time where saving/releasing Sylar will work out for the benefit of the person that did it?
In Volume 3, Arthur recruits Sylar. Sylar ends up killing Arthur’s agent Elle, and then kills Arthur. VERDICT: Arthur ends up killed by Sylar. In fairness, Arthur might have been killed by Peter anyways, but we’ll never know.
Though Sylar stopped the bullets and then projected them, in my mind Peter was the one who fired the gun, so he was the one who really killed Arthur.
It is no surprise to me that Peter saved Sylar. After all this is the Sylar show. He can’t die, he’s too important. Even if it means “dumbing down” other characters to fit him into the story and make it all about him.
I agree, Sarah, it was Peter who pulled the trigger, and that effectively makes him responsible for Arthur’s death.
That moment when Peter hesitated over whether to shoot is the kind of moment I wish we could have seen in this episode; a moment that showed he was agonizing over the decision and that it wasn’t just a case of, “Hey, if my dream says Sylar’s good, he must be.”
Perhaps 4.18 will develop this aspect of Peter’s decision to free Sylar. I hope it does, because that moment in 3.12 illustrates how much Peter wrestles with difficult decisions. He does consider the repercussions to what he’s doing, but for whatever reason we didn’t get to see it here, which is why it ended up looking like an irresponsible decision instead of an impossible one.
Otto, I don’t think it’s a matter of Peter’s dream telling him that Sylar is good. There’s no way that can be true. It seems to me that the dream indicates that Sylar is the only one that can save Emma.
Hi Otto and thank you for yet another superb review!
After watching this episode I was, like you, blown away and amazed by just how good Samuel’s thread was. It was tense, emotional, and really moved the story forward. The creepiest moment for me was when Samuel kissed Lydia, forcing the sheer horror of what he had done onto her. The smiiiile afterwards was evil icing on the evil cake. I thought Knepper was absolutely fantastic, the shooting took me by some surprise, and we now have a fully blossomed villain on our hands. (I’m sooo tempted to point out that it’s taken us 17 episodes to get there, but, ah well…).
In comparison to the carnival, Matt and Sylar’s thread paled in my view. Even though I tried to just accept emoSylar for what he was, I had a hard time believing this was where Sylar was at. The “I’m INSANE!” helped a bit, but it felt so much less sparkly than mindSylar vs. Matt. And I also have issues with Sylar’s pants…(?!?!) When did he become so fashion forward? Is it just me or do they make him look cartoonish? Like the detective in the animated Pink Panther in a black coat? Anyway, I digress…
… because then there was Peter.
Oh Peter. It started so well. Sweaty dreams. Conversation with mother, conducted in part, as usual, with her back against you. Well thought out entrance to Matt’s place with a swift acquisition of Matt’s power. And then, WHAAAAA? Not even a bit of hesitation before “saving” Sylar? How about discussing it with Matt? Or probing Matt for what he did? Or pausing to view your brother’s killer? Cursing under your breath for what you’re about to to? Any hint of a thought process? Something? Anything?
Ok, so to be fair, this is the same Peter that charged forward to smash Emma’s cello. So at least he’s consistent, for these two episodes. Shall we call this one directPeter? I just wished we weren’t _again_ reduced to speculating about Peter’s motivations and thoughts. Maybe he could use a cardboardGretchen to talk to? Since we’re not given any indication about what’s really going on in his head (maybe the dreams comes with feelings, or specific information), I can’t really support the Turbo Dumb As Award, although I believe I shouted IDIOT at the screen at the time.
Actually, the more I think about it, it feels like Sylar’s whole arc into emoSylar has been specifically constructed so that Peter and Sylar can meet up without abilities and have a, erm, chat that’s not under the influence of a nailgun. Because really, the only chance the “good guys” have at taking down Samuel at this point seems to require Sylar on the “good” side, at least temporarily. Maneuvering Peter and Sylar into “neutral space” where they have to “help each other” or at least “talk” must have taken a lot of writer-angst…
So overall, I felt this was a strong episode just because of Samuel’s thread. The rest was more meh, but sets up the potential for good stuff, again.
I think we’ll get that contemplation in this episode, as you said. The two have never actually spoken at depth about all of
the insanity they’ve been through, so doing it here at least allows for some perspective - as you said - without their abilities
holding them back.
How can Doyle control Sylar?
Well, who says that’s Sylar? What if it Pete poses as Sylar, and Sylar poses as Pete? Best way to kill Samuel is to lure him into a false sense of security, and have him face someone more powerful… best way to take down Doyle is to focus his attention away from Emma.
And this is where I can both agree with Claire when she gripes about her power, and feel very sorry for her–she might be able to heal, but she had no way to fight off the Eli’s when they dragged her off. It’s a defensive power, something that is very difficult to do anything proactive with; unless it involves something like knocking someone out a window, she can’t use it to save anyone (or herself, for that matter). Hayden’s small size makes this all the more obvious; she’s just not physically built to be a fighter. She can’t do a damn thing to save her father, however much she tries and wants to.
A note on the Magik Blood: If I recall correctly (and I might not), Claire doesn’t actually KNOW it can do that. Bob did, and Noah found it out, but I’m not sure anyone actually told her.
Samuel was such a magnificent bastard in this–I can’t help but admire him even while deploring both what he did and what he is as a person. He’s growing more and more overtly villainous, though he still retains a sense that he’s really doing what he thinks is best for his family–even if he’s willing to kill one of them to do it. He’s so deluded he still genuinely thinks he’s a good guy, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He’s almost the epitome of “the ends justify the means.” What I hope we see next episode is Amanda’s reaction to her mother’s very sudden and bloody death–I wonder if that will unhinge the control she’s gained over her ability.
As for Matt–good grief, that really rammed home the ruthless streak he developed while Sylar was haunting his brain, for me even more so than letting himself get shot. Not just trapping Sylar in his own mind, but being fully willing to BRICK HIM UP FOREVER IN HIS BASEMENT. (Though I have no idea how he could possibly sleep at night knowing that guy was in his basement, even if he was trapped behind a wall, and effectively comatose. If ever anything could induce insomnia…my husband said the best move then would be to sell the house, and hope whoever the hell bought it wouldn’t decide to do any major renovating in the cellar, or that would raise some pretty sticky questions.)
And Lydia…poor Lydia. I really liked her, even if her ability was never properly explained, and Samuel’s reaction to her death really made me mad–not because it wasn’t well done, but because it was. It really speaks volumes for his own ruthlessness, deluded though it is. Especially since at the beginning of the season he seemed genuinely attached to her, as he was to all his “family”, even though he had demonstrated his willingness to sacrifice them earlier when he blamed Edgar for Joseph’s death. He loves them as a whole, but ultimately individuals can be expendable, and that’s…really terrible, yet perfectly in character for him.
Oddly, I can’t help but feel sorry for Doyle. As many horrible things as he’s doing to protect the carnival, there’s such a sense of desperation in them, a complete and half-mad desire to hang onto this thing that forces him to be the person he clearly wants to be but can’t achieve without outside intervention. He strikes me as being so very insecure that he literally can’t be a good guy without someone actively telling him he can. Given how much I hated him in Volume Three, he’s come a long way despite having very little screen time.
Peter…oh Peter. His massive Dumb As award is so incredibly appropriate. I think if he didn’t care so much for Emma he wouldn’t have considered dragging Sylar back into consciousness. How he can possibly think that could end well, I don’t know; the only explanation I can come up with is that he’s so preoccupied with the idea of saving Emma that he’s not thinking about anything else. And I felt sorry for Angela in a way I haven’t yet done up to now–while I could understand, in a way, why she was willing to do something as dumb as Sylathan, the fact that it WAS so dumb mitigated that sympathy. Because seriously, Angela, WTF. Now, though, she’s saddled with the guilt and regret over that as well as her belated grief for Nathan, as well as her fears for Peter–you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor woman. The fact that she’s the one who’s made such a disaster out of her life doesn’t really make her any less pitiable.
As for Eli…God do I hope he dies a very horrible death. He’s such a tool, and a malicious bastard to boot–he seems to enjoy the nasty things he does for Samuel a little too much. Lauren could fully redeem herself in my eyes if she managed to shoot him in the head.
All in all, very good review, and I’m really looking forward to next week’s episode.
Also, am I the only one who thought Claire’s putting her hair in a ponytail somehow made her seem younger and more vulnerable? Maybe I’m just reading way too much into it because she wore her hair in ponytails so much in the first season, but it made her look much more like a young teenager than someone striving to be an adult. It just really seemed to emphasize to me that however much she wants to be an adult, the depressing limits of her power mean she’s still as much at the mercy of people with other abilities as she ever was as a teenager. (I have a teenage daughter, which might be why I’m such a Claire fan. As many stupid and aggravating turns as her character took in Volumes Three and Four, they’ve gone a long way to making her grow up this season.)
That was likely an intentional choice. But she did show a bad-ass upgrade in S3. So there’s potential for Claire to kick ass.
Noah told Claire about her blood bringing him back in 2.11.
I want a horrible death to Eli too! and to each and one of his clones! ;)…If Lauren can start to killing him, go ahead!
And yes Anathema, I thought Claire seemed younger but badass too. She wanted to be part, not apart, that’s a good movement from her side, but with wrong consecuences…
The obvious argument to ‘why didn’t they use it to bring Lydia back’ was that none of the Carnies know it could. Samuel likely does, but it doesn’t fit his plan to have Lydia alive. And even if Claire wanted to save Lydia, no-one was going to give her the chance to set the sufficient equipment (which wasn’t there) up.
As for the magic blood itself… they got Noah straight to a Company facility. He was likely dead mere minutes. The S3 finale saw Nathan dead for a while, from the neck, so he would’ve bled out. Every case we’ve seen from ‘the magic blood’ has seen it mixed with existing blood. We have no context for how it would work if the person had lost most of their blood.
Anathema, great post.
“He’s growing more and more overtly villainous, though he still retains a sense that he’s really doing what he thinks is best for his family–even if he’s willing to kill one of them to do it.”
I’m still on the fence about this. He says he loves them, but that might just be part of his spiel so he can keep them around and soak up their supermagnetism.
Re: Angela: “Now, though, she’s saddled with the guilt and regret over that as well as her belated grief for Nathan, as well as her fears for Peter–you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor woman.”
One more reason for us to condemn Peter’s decision: even if he saves Emma and thousands of anonymous folks at the carnival, he’s breaking his poor mother’s heart in the process. Shame on him!
That is, if you can break a heart made of stone. Or isn’t it ^^
I’m still on the fence about this. He says he loves them, but that might just be part of his spiel so he can keep them around and soak up their supermagnetism.
True. That’s one of the things Knepper does so brilliantly, IMO–there’s a genuine ambiguity about Samuel that could go either way. Hell, it might be a little of both–hopefully we’ll find out before the season’s over.
That was likely an intentional choice. But she did show a bad-ass upgrade in S3. So there’s potential for Claire to kick ass.
Also true. Under the right circumstances Claire’s quite capable of kicking ass, but she’s pretty physically limited in comparison to pretty much everyone else, poor kid. It’s really too bad Noah or someone didn’t teach her a viable method of self-defense that would work in spite of her size.
Noah told Claire about her blood bringing him back in 2.11.
Ah, okay–it’s been a while since I’ve seen Season Two. In that case I wonder why she didn’t think of it–though she was sort of in shock. Either way, poor Lydia, dying knowing just what a manipulative bastard Samuel’s still being, and knowing her daughter will be stuck in a place where he’s leader and there’s nothing she can do about it, no warning she can give. As underdeveloped as she was, I’m really going to miss her.
That is, if you can break a heart made of stone. Or isn’t it ^^
I think Angela’s problem is that she’s actually a lot more human than she would ever let on. She made the choice to make Sylathan out of what had to be close to insane grief–no rational person would do something that dumb (though why the hell Noah and Matt went along with it…yeah. Dumb As Awards all around on that one). I think the thought of losing Nathan broke her heart so much she was willing to do something as epically stupid as Sylathan to try to stave it off, and now I think she’s deeply terrified of losing Peter, too–which as you say, Otto, Peter really ought to take into consideration. Granted he’s got every right to be pissed as hell at her for the Sylathan thing, but still–she’s his mother, and she’s all the immediate family he’s got left, manipulative or not.
Oops, html fail.
Just a thought on Claire knowing about the applications of regenerative blood: valid point from Raissa about HRG mentioning it in 2.11, but I’m not even sure we need to go that far back.
4.06, when Peter visited HRG’s apartment and asked him to help save Hiro:
Claire: “What about my blood? Can’t you take me back with you? We can give him a blood transfusion.”
That’s right. Good catch.
Oooh, okay. In that case, WTF, Claire? A syringe would be ideal, but jeeze, Lydia had a gunshot wound to the chest–it wouldn’t be hard to do a direct transfer, even if it wasn’t optimally effective. Then again, I’m not sure how much of her blood it takes to heal someone–how much did Noah need? Didn’t he have a decent-sized bag of the stuff, or am I totally remembering wrong?
You’re not remembering wrong Noah was hooked up to a full IV drip.
I just remembered. Noah was hooked up to a full IV, but Mohinder took it away after only some had gone his veins. The test on Noah proved it would be useful for others. So, it wouldn’t have taken much to bring Lydia back. But, it’s too late, now.
I wonder how it would have looked to the rest of the carnival folk, though, or at least how Samuel would have made it look: ruthless agent guns down one of their own, and moments later his daughter conveniently shows up with a miracle cure and doesn’t want anything in return?
Samuel probably would have vilified Claire by making it look like she only saved Lydia as a bargaining chip. Doesn’t explain why Claire didn’t even seem to consider her blood as an option, but there are ways that Samuel could have manipulated that to his advantage.
That’s true. Knowing Samuel he’d have found a way to spin it.
Here’s my two cents:
“Your father and I are having sex, because I’m hot and because your dad will send the ratings skyrocketing when he gets naked.”
Uh-huh. See, that’s why some of us love Lauren. Because naked!Noah is a joy to watch.
Great episode.
Very nice review, Otto!
When I saw the episode, I thought the Sylar thing was a complete mess, and so and so…you know, Sylar wants to be good, AGAIN! but then, I remembered the famous quote about ‘your powers are corrupting you’, and yes, Sylar is insane. I suppose he was not ok in the beginning, and that’s why Peter won’t finish like him (but being dumbest guy in the world is enough!). Also, if Mr Quinto would not be playing Sylar, the character would be totally different. Quinto is awesome playing this insane character. Also, when Sylar told about ‘husband, father’, I remembered when he did the same during The Eclipse, when he confessed he wanted the same things Noah had…before he turned a total villain again. Considering all those facts, I can buy this new turn.
Matt was great! but creepy, keeping Sylar in his own home. About Janice, as Gretchen, they made a sharp movement, towards a ambigous morality for the best reason.
Claire, well…if she would have gone to class, we would have finished this volume…but you know, that’s how Claire works. If we ever get a Volume 6, I just hope, she doesn’t sing ‘I want to be normal’ anymore. Gretchen really changed and had more depth, really, she’s not the crushgirl anymore, she has her own brains. In any case, I wanted to see a proactive Claire, and I liked she chose to go to the Carnival…another thing is that she acted too innocent.
To finish, I really think Samuel was being cruel with the kiss to Lydia. Maybe he wanted to redeem himself to her eyes, or just take revenge. One question, where was Lydia’s daughter??
PS: yes, let’s forget your comments about Lauren ;), but I confess I laughed a lot! and hey! Lauren calls Tracy, I never expected that! and all the blondes will go to save Noah! XD
Great review. I loved the carnival stuff, but unfortunately I knew what was going on before the first shots were fired. The moment Samuel stood up to make his speech I knew something was going down. I could never buy into all the moments where Samuel tried to be genuinely guilty about something. He is a truly magnificent bastard and makes up for the failure of Arthur Petrelli in “Villains”. I hope his sticks around even after his fall. I wonder what he would do without a carnival to manipulate. He most likely would start a new one, or maybe a smaller group with people who are easier to manipulate.
I admit that I hated when Lydia died. I wasn’t the biggest fan of hers, but she had potential. I kept wishing that Samuel would be removed from the head of the carnival and that her and Edgar would get married and take his place. Alas that was not meant to be. The look on her face when Samuel ‘confessed’ to her what he had done was heart breaking because you knew that she wasn’t going to survive to tell everyone else. She just passed away with her red stain on her white dress that (is it me?) made her look just a little angelic. I had hope that her Samuel’s slut days were over. The were really over, just not what I expected. Where the heck was her daughter by the way? (Fail show.)
I do have a theory about Lydia’s power when it comes to touching people to find out their desires. The lips have more sensory receptors than the finger tips (which is why babies put things in their mouths) which would explain why kissing someone would get a better reading than holding their hand. This also goes with the idea that sleeping with someone would get a stronger reading since the groin has even more receptors. The more sensitive the region the better the reading. I could be wrong, but it makes sense in my head.
As for Sylar and Matt, good to know that I wasn’t the only one who noticed Sylar’s pants. (Zach, you have really, really skinny, long legs. Not saying anything bad, just saying that most women would kill for those.) Now for the serious bit, I enjoyed it, not as much as the carnival, but enjoyed it none the less. Matt’s incredulity at Sylar’s “Please take my powers away so I can be normal. Please,” made me chuckle. I would have the same reaction and then shoot him out of terrified reflex. I agree that in a way it showed that to everyone but Sylar himself he will always be the psychotic serial killer who deserves a padded room and a straight jacked instead of a normal life. The fact that his powers have corrupted him has been stated, but I don’t actually see his wanting to be normal as a sudden out of character thing. He wanted to be special so that he would be noticed, loved by others except his ‘mother’. He gets the opportunity to be special, makes many, many wrong decisions, and finds out that people aren’t going to love him for those wrong, messed up, twisted, maniacal, (I really could just keep going) things that he has done. He needs to start over, and for him that means truly going back to square one. This means no powers. Its unfortunate though that the guy has lost it so he will never by sweet, shy (quiet!) Gabriel ever again. It would take lost of therapy and heavy medication just to level out that mess.
As for Matt, I really hate Janice and my boyfriend and I thought that if Matt sat him down and tried to stay on the roll that he started when he threatened Janice’s life, then maybe things might turn out better. Matt realized the power that he had over Sylar, but in the wrong way. Since Sylar was almost idolizing Matt’s ‘normal’ life, Matt could have used that to an advantage to maybe talk him down and find out what was really wrong with the guy. It could help clear up some of the ambiguity if done properly. I do have to give Matt props for one-uping Sylar even though it was terrible because it was done whey Sylar was showing him trust. I hope he planned to sell that house, but considering how Matt has a little of that hero streak that Peter has a lot of, he would stay in it, just not tell Janice.
I have to disagree with you on Peter, I find him being quite admirable, but agree on the fact that he is never very smart. I called it on him being the one to step up and get Sylar to help out despite killing Nathan before the Emma vision. (my boyfriend and I have long, intricate conversations on the inverted nature of Sylar and Peter. I don’t know if thats sad, or that we’re just too smart to just watch anything.) I really can’t wait for next week.
Yay, they shot Lauren! Next I hope Eli is on the list. Don’t know how I feel about Tracy.
Two Episodes Left!!!
Excellent review, Otto. You really hit some of the points that I thought made the episode great.
Sylar/Matt/Janice: Wow, where to start? This just worked on so many levels. Loved the interaction at the table (Matt’s “friendly” gripping of Gabriel’s shoulders…priceless!)
However, Peter’s interference in the end didn’t help. It made the whole brick situation feel temporary, and therefore, pointless. But Matt was really on his game this week. I actually thought Janice was an excellent catalyst for Matt’s actions. I didn’t think she had it in her to be so ruthless, but can you blame her?
Sylar’s actions are still murky because his main purposes are not the same: be special by stealing powers, or have human interaction by giving them away. But at least the latter intention makes more sense than the former.
I have to give props to the set designer who did Janice & Matt’s home. Did you notice all the cheery colors and funky little settings? Very open, happy and welcoming. Fits the Parkmans to a T.
Despite LOVING how Matt mentally kicked Sylar’s a**, I have to think twice about his putting Sylar in a wall. Did Matt have those supplies just lying around his house? And why was he locking up Sylar in his own home? I guess because it’s where he can always keep an eye on him. And it’s not like Sylar is going anywhere.
Getting back to the set design:
The most disturbing part is that the inside of Sylar’s mind… is kind of beautiful. I mean, it’s not a sunset beach or an idllyic cottage in a grassy valley, but it’s peaceful, it’s tidy and awe-inspiring, and it’s about as far as it’s possible to get from the mental instability that Sylar exudes in the real world.
Sylar’s mental landscape may have been disturbing, but I think the setting fits perfectly. A sunny beach or a field wouldn’t have worked. Even with no one around, there’s still a feeling of vitality and life there. Birds, flowers, seagulls, what have you.
But a barren city, with nothing but empty steel buildings, cold imposing shadows and absolutely no one to keep you company…how can one not feel lonely there? Especially since metropolitan areas are always filled with people. Not this time. Very post-apocalyptic. Which is exactly what Sylar was supposed to see.
What would have made it perfect for me was to see some clocks or watches around, since it’s Sylar’s brain and all. Instead, we get another Sprint advert. I guess Sylar needs a cell phone. (rolls eyes)
Gretchen/Claire: Gretchen finally said what everyone was thinking, and you’re absolutely right that both girls made good points. Gretchen is telling Claire to just ignore the “specials” and go for the normal life she wants so badly. That’s fair. But in Claire’s defense, there is a legitimate danger here and thousands of lives are at stake. She feels morally obligated to help them. This is a real conflict that Heroes lacks a lot of the time.
Samuel/Lydia/Noah: Ok, I did not see that coming. I know I’ve complained about Lydia, but her death really was sad. But I have to disagree with her wanting to leave the Carnival. When did she ever say that? If anything, before she found out about Samuel’s true intentions, she wanted to stay. She was happy there and was surrounded by people like her.
Samuel has finally come into his own as an evil villain. It’s about time. Knepper totally owns it. I want him and Eli to get their comeuppance.
Peter: I would give him the Turbo Dumb As award if there weren’t other people involved. While his actions are selfish, there is a great danger here and others will die. But like I said, his going into Sylar’s head (which means he’ll pull Sylar out of his mental funk) makes Matt’s actions kinda pointless.
But a great episode overall. 4.5/5
Great point about why Sylar would be in a city rather than a beach. I think throwing clocks into the mix would be overkill at this point - it’s been pretty well established that Gabriel Gray was a “restorer of timepieces” (lol). The music adds to that remembrance of the clocks anyways. And hey, in a deserted city you need great reception, why is why “Spring is always there for you!” *shiny smile* (I hate the shameless Spring adverts too)
I agree with you about Lydia. I never really found her character that sympathetic but it was sad to see her die like that. I think she stuck around the carnival, even after finding out about Samuel, to protect her daughter and the rest of her “family.”
Matt having those supplies lying around his house… Man, like I said, Janice’s not gonna be too happy with that ugly brick wall in the basement. And she’s gonna be furious when she finds out there’s a serial killer slumbering behind it! Oh, Matt.
I think we should thank Peter for letting us know in this week’s promo that it took Matt 3 hours to build that wall (the part when Sylar say’s he’s been trapped for 3 years and Peter says 3 hours… lol)
And she’s gonna be furious when she finds out there’s a serial killer slumbering behind it! Oh, Matt.
LOL, I know–I don’t think that’s quite what she meant when she told Matt they needed to “bury him”. He took her a little too literally there.
Okay that was supposed to say SPRINT but I typed Spring twice. Their advertising is scarring me!
Great review, as always. A bit late for the party but what the hell.
First of all, thanks for that creepy Doyle screenshot. I mean we all saw that coming, but I can’t beleive I missed it when I watched the episode… At least we’re sure Emma won’t dumbly help Samuel (because that happens a lot in Heroes after all).
A bravo, and some sympathy for Matt, who unfortunately sees his work in taking down Sylar wasted by Peter. Which is sadly hilarious, considering the same thing happened to him quite a few times.
For the first time, I’m not sure I’ll agree with the Turbo Dumb As Award. Under normal circumstances, I would, but there are facts around to take in account. He’s not trying to help *only* Emma, but to save - as per MamaPetrelli words - thousands of people she would potentially kill. It’s, while a self-sacrifice vis-a-vis of Sylar, also something you know he’ll probably never forgive himself. At least that gives some background to work on for Peter, shall there be a next season. I’m thinking that, if he can’t kill him, he might as well get the less-worst option, and if Sylar can save people instead of killing them, why not…
Okay for what you said about Sylar. Some redemption to his storyline. Or the character, I don’t know, it’s a bit confusing at the moment but you get what I mean.
Some applaud for Samuel. Now, there’s nothing new, he’s still morally grey but he’s finally being the villain, and noone can disagree with that anymore. Apparently, killing several people wan’t enough for some, he had to destroy a town, and kill Lydia to be recognized as a villain, but whatever. And a huge nod for Knepper, for his work throughout the season.
*That last tatoo on Lydia, I might be mistaking, but is that Siren ? (would be a nice nod to Samuel’s plan).
Eli, should get a Dumb As Award for shooting 1) Claire 2) The Bunny 3) The popcorn. If the carnivale’s folks weren’t dumb, shooting Claire would have blown the mascarade, right away. I’m sorry but being on the wrong side is one thing, showing your stupidity every week is another. If he survives this season, this is an insult to people with brains.
Same for the Carnivale folks. I don’t know who is stupid enough to think Bennet would blow his own daughter’s head (and why if he wanted to kill Samuel he would shoot random stuffs either), but I don’t get it. However, it is also something that makes me accept the “Cult” theory, because apparently none of them seem to be able to think for themselves. The only one who has an excuse is Edgar, because, well, at least he tried to do something, and he wasn’t around to see Claire getting shot.
HRG :
- I don’t specially mind that they did a map and all but I would have thought bringing Hiro/Ando and the compass would have been , you know, a non-stupid idea. 1) Backup please ? 2) Isn’t the carnivale, like, moving around ? Didn’t it just disappear like in front of HRG a few weeks ago?
- Now that I think of it, maybe he thought Mohinder/Hiro/Ando weren’t needed around for the Samuel situation, but wouldn’t it have been nice to tell them that… Sylar is still around ? It’s gonna be really fun if the three come give a hand against Samuel and realize that, for some reason, he’s still alive. It’s bit sad that 2 episodes untill the end of the season, those 3 still think he’s dead (not counting Tracy because she barely even know who he is).
Now, for some global opinion on the season, I don’t know if you will share my thoughts, but I feel that the volume spread on to too many episodes (19). A V2 (11 eps) or V3 (13 I think) should have been more than enough, considering the episodes they delivred us. Don’t get me wrong, except 4 or 5 episodes, I liked all of them, which were good, and some of them great. However, *good* isn’t enough for a show like Heroes to survive. From where I stand, we had no *decent* material. There was either brillance, either downright stupidity and well, I guess that with less episodes, they wouldn’t have all those holes to fill with idiotic plotlines : Hiro wouldn’t have been stupid, Samuel wouldn’t have been overdevelopped to the point were he’s dancing in the middle of flowers, at a point were his character is *a bit* wasted, Hiro wouldn’t have been stupid, etc. We can sit through the whole episode, but I understand while some people just can’t stand watching Hiro talking about ewoks while waiting for the good stuff. No need to look around to know why the audience left.
They had what they needed to make it a great season, and I think we ended up with one only in part great. Less episodes, better pacing (if done correctly of course), no dumb storyline (as in keeping mostly the essential).
2 episodes to go, and if it someone is renewed, I’ll be curious to see in what format next year will be it. If it’s the swan song, then I will have enjoyed the ride, and thanks for that :).
Wonderful review, Otto
This was the episode I was hoping for since the show’s return in January 4. An episode that felt exciting, that builds momentum towards the ending, and best of all, does not sacrifice the character arcs in favor of plot advancements. Oh, if only this second half could have been like this the whole time, we wouldn’t have to survive the rut of “3 out of 5″ episodes we got three weeks in a row. With this episode, I am now excited for the last 2 episodes, despite building the momentum a bit too little, too late.
But still, I agree this wasn’t a flawless episode. There were various issues I also had with this one. For one, I hate the fact that they killed off Lydia, as it showed one of the gigantic flaws this show has had for like forever: Lydia is gone
and I think I barely knew her, all thanks to being horribly underdeveloped… AGAIN. And please don’t even mention graphic novels or webisodes. I CARE about the developments they show ON-SCREEN, not what they cover OFF-SCREEN. I am one of those people that don’t give a damn about stories in other media as I don’t like them to resort to that just to cover missed developments on -screen, so I feel another missed opportunity here. Adding to that, where will it leave Amanda? Worse yet, where was Amanda in this episode? If she doesn’t get at least mentioned or has an appearance in this final episodes to at least show some effect about her mother’s death, I’ll be P—-D, and I’ll feel sorry to all of those people who followed the webisodes to see they were for nothing. The silver lining of this death: the evilness showed by Samuel, which once again adds to my list of pros as to why he is still the best thing to happen this season.
Another issue: Peter ONCE AGAIN making a decision made with his heart instead of his brain. After being the winner of the first half of last year’s Dumb as Awards, I didn’t think that he would actually resort to this kind of IMMENSE STUPIDITY in the context of this season, considering I had better respect to him for acting a bit smarter this year. Well, he’s back at square one. The TURBO Dumb as Hiro Award was perfect. Another silver lining here: that scene all alone with such awesome atmosphere and brilliant shots. I have hopes that that’s how the last few episodes will be in its visual style.
Talking about visual style, this week I was in Heroes Wiki and had the curiosity to see who was going to direct the last few episodes, and I found that next week’s episode was directed by Allan Arkush and the finale was directed by Adam Kane. Considering I’m a big fan of the visual style found in “SMA”, “Company Man”, “HTSAEM”, “Powerless”, “The Second Coming”, “Villains (despite my loath towards it)”, “Trust in Blood” & “I am Sylar”, I’m ultra happy that TPTB managed to get Arkush back, as I had quite missed his technical wizardry for the majority of this season, despite many guest directors trying to do their best to mimmick his style (bravo, SJ Clarkson). And to add that, Peter’s scene in the empty city had definitely trademark Arkush written all over it. I can’t wait for “The Wall”.
I also find interesting that Adam Kane was chosen to direct the season finale. Despite the story issues many had with “1961″, there was no denying that Adam nailed the visual side of the episode. And considering his last episode was in an open environment similar to the carnival one, which seems like the point of where much of the focus will be in the finale, I have no doubt that he will pull it off. But still, if TPTB got Arkush, how lovely would it have been if Beeman had come back? “Melrose Place” is tanking lately, and I don’t think it would have hurt a guest shot at directing for him. Particularly, Arkush has been directing “Melrose Place”, too, so how lovely it could have been that chance.
So going back to the episode, I agreed pretty much with everything again, with only Gretchen and Tracy getting partial exceptions. I don’t care about the Glaire relationship at all, it just doesn’t feel earned. But about talking senses, I totally agree. And Tracy coming back… again, her character for me has been a gigantic disappointment this season and don’t find myself exactly thrilled she is the “cavalry” for the “showdown” in 2 weeks. But the opinion of the Troah being a tad better and not as creepy horrible as the Lauroah, again, I agree.
The rest of it, Lauren getting shot, Matt getting the upper hand at Sylar, Sylar not as terrible as last week, Samuel’s villainy, etc. Agree with all of it.
And to conclude, you mentioned the shows ability of crafting stellar 17th episodes. I agree with that… only for this episode and “Company Man”. Remember, I’m in the group that didn’t bought what the show was trying to do with “Cold Wars” last season, although I thank you for at least bringing some positive points there that make me see appreciations to an episode I felt failed big time on me. I also am curious how Season 2’s 17th episode could have been. Would it had been ANOTHER HRG flashback? The supposed rescue of Kaitlin if it hadn’t been dropped? The “1977″ episode that was promised for that season, an episode I read on Heroes Wiki that was supposed to appear somewhere this season thanks to the success of “1961″, which would parallel the new beginning of the new Company that was promised since the end of last season? Talking about that, its clear there was no new Company this season, which again, is another missed opportunity.
So concluding, thanks for the review, although I would leave the score at a 4.5 out of 5 to save better praises for the next episodes. And still, a 4.5 out of 5 for this one is miles better than the last 3 episodes. But if the next episodes are less stellar than this one, I think I’ll leave it at 5. So see you next week.
Hey, Otto! Another spot on- and hilarious- review, and for once I have to say that I agree with you about pretty much everything.
I’ve been saying for weeks that Emma would not willingly turn into a murderess willingly, and I had already been speculating about Doyle’s involvement, but it’s nice to have some confirmation.
On the subject of the Matt-Sylar storylines, I have only this to say: Go Grunny! Fabulous work on both Grundberg and Quinto’s parts, and despite the obvious plotholes you pointed out, the scenes in the Parkman residence were absolutely fantastic. I think it’s appropriate, though, for Sylar to have latched onto Matt as an ideal of a nice, quiet family life, because to someone such as Sylar, who didn’t know any better, and who weren’t privvy of *all* the gory details of Matt’s somewhat explosive past, Matt’s life seems pretty much perfect. ESPECIALLY to a confused serial killer who isn’t sure what he wants but notices that Matt seems to be pretty content lately.
With regards to Gretchen, I have this to say- I TOLD YOU SO!!!!! I’ve been rooting for Gretchen all along, and it’s great to see them finally writing her the way I’ve been SEEING her: as a quirky, opinionated girl with a head on her shoulders to keep Claire’s “gut reactions” in check. She failed horribly at doing so, but the attempt gave her so much of the flair I’ve expected from her, that how can you possibly complain?
R.I.P. Lydia. We love you, we miss you, and we hope you and Daphne and Meredith have wonderful fun together in whatever afterlife you find yourself in. You were one of the most interesting and (sadly) enigmatic characters of this season, and I’m sure the fanfic writers will have a field day with you now.
WELCOME BACK TO THE SHOW, ALI LARTER!!! It’s good to see her again… and if the graphic novels are to be understood, it would seem that she’s playing Professor X quite nicely. I wonder where they’ll be going with that…
About Peter… Oh Peter. Peter Peter Peter. We love you, but… well… I’m just going to say the thing I say most often with regards to him: PETER, YOU’RE AN IDIOT!!!!! Wonderful character. Wonderful storylines (with the exception of that atrocity that was his Villains character arc). But he really is an idiot.
It is telling, however, to note what he’s willing to do for this girl. Even if their relationship never becomes more than platonic, I can tell you right now that I- and most other viewers- will know that he has a huge soft spot for Emma.
So, then, Otto, what’s your take on the rampant speculation (which, as far as I can tell, has no real basis except that it would be… interesting…) that Peter and Sylar will be switching bodies? I hope you find it as atrocious a concept as I do!
Until next week, then.
Yes, yes, I know. “He did what he thought was right!” “He did it for Emma!” “He put his hatred aside for the greater good!” “He did what had to be done, and if he hadn’t, we all would have called him a dumbass for ignoring his vision!”
One word: WHATEVER!
This is stupidity on an unprecedented scale.
I really enjoyed the episode right up until they sabotaged Peter’s awesome characterization. I get that Peter’s trying to save Emma but the show is in no position to attempt to sell me on the idea that helping Sylar is the only way to do that. As you said the only response it inspires is: WHATEVER!!!!
It’s not a show of Peter showing his truly selfless nature, it’s a illustration of the the showrunners need to keep Sylar around at the cost of any intellegence the other characters have. It screams of the great SylNathan debacle and we all know how that worked out for the show.
It’s a flaw in a pretty much brilliant episode. Also Matt is my new hero since he seems to be the only one with any follow through when it comes to actually taking down Sylar. And he not even at the top of the list of people who should really hate Sylar. I agree that when it came down to it his action never seem evil or over the top. I know what he sis is evil but since he did it to Sylar I don;t see it as evil because the suffering party deserved it.
Ian,
“It’s Peter’s character - personal issues are one thing, but if there’s a chance to save someone he cares about (Emma) and many thousands of lives… he’ll invariably always sacrifice his own mentality to stop it. Even if it means making a deal with the devil.”
But, see, this is exactly why he’s NOT being selfless and noble. He’s ostensibly releasing Sylar under the pretext of, “Oh, I’m doing it to save THOUSANDS OF LIVES,” but I think, in the end, he’s only really willing to free his brother’s murderer because of Emma. Which most definitely earns him an “aw” because it’s so endearingly stupid, but it’s also absolutely appalling because it’s so staggeringly narrow-minded. What does Peter think Sylar’s going to do once this vision has run its course? Walk away a changed man and become the kind of workaholic-savior that Peter was at the start of this volume? Even if you buy into Peter’s conviction that he has to save Sylar in order to save Emma (and I don’t, because we’ve seen that Angela’s precognitive dreams are open to drastically different interpretations), my criticism here is that Peter is thinking in the short term; as in, “I’ve had a dream where Sylar shows up and says he’s going to save Emma — SO HE MUST BE GOOD NOW! Let’s wake him up!”
The way I see it, that Turbo Dumb As Award can be justified for two reasons: firstly, Peter’s relying heavily on a very hazy vision that’s open to interpretation and in no way proves Sylar is good or that he’ll actually save Emma; and secondly, even if thousands of lives are saved in this instance, Peter’s apparently not even pausing to consider what will happen after the carnival drama is over. Matt’s never going to get a chance like this again, and Sylar will have the opportunity to change his mind about the meaning of life yet again, to rediscover his psychokiller streak and to go on another power-hungry killing spree that ends with a lot more people dead.
Hrefna mentioned upthread that we would have seen this moment completely differently if only there’d been some evidence of reluctance on Peter’s part; a line of dialogue to establish that Peter at least had some kind of moral qualm or compunction about what he was doing. There’s no evidence of this whatsoever, and that’s why it makes Peter look like a total fool. It’s also why Sylar again ends up with the Contrived Narrative Escape Route that Jason covered upthread: someone in the story is always inadvertently dumb enough to give him a way out.
I’d like to think it’ll be different this time around. As abhorrent as the thought of a redemption arc for Sylar might be, this would be a great segue-way into the Li’l Noah 3.04 storyline, the idea being that family and love eventually inspire Sylar to change. It might also explain why Li’l Noah was named after Claire’s father, because it’s apparently Claire who helped Sylar to see that he needed to sacrifice his abilities to rediscover his humanity. I agree with Deanna that this was a perfect place to end his character arc, but if TPTBs are determined to keep the character around until the bitter end, there’s at least an opportunity here to tie all of his various storylines together.
Haushinka, amazing post at the start of the thread. I wanted to come back to several points you raised:
Re: Hiro’s arc for the final two episodes: your guess is as good as mine, but I’ll be curious to see if he’s even able to use his ability after the tumor was removed. If the tumor was caused by his ability, and if Hiro has in any way considered the significance of his hallucination, one would think he’d be wise enough to forbid himself to use it. But then, “Hiro” and “wise” don’t often find themselves in the same sentence.
Word on the importance of us seeing Amanda’s reaction to Lydia’s death. I’m guessing it was a scheduling issue for the actress, but perhaps it’s also that TPTBs felt the focus needed to be on the characters we were more familiar with (and more emotionally invested in); i.e. our own reaction to Lydia’s death was affected by Claire’s, Samuel’s and Edgar’s. But then, surely the reaction from Lydia’s daughter would have been more affecting than Claire’s (because Claire barely knew Lydia), or even Samuel’s (because ultimately his grief was fake). I’d say Amanda and Edgar’s reactions would be the most emotive.
The counter-argument is perhaps that most of Amanda’s depth of character owes itself to the webisodes and GNs, and if half the audience haven’t seen or read those, Amanda’s not much more than a sweet-natured extra with the label “Lydia’s daughter.”
One possible theory to explain Amanda’s absence: Samuel assigned one of the Eli’s to remove her. Possibly out of fear (because, as Anathema pointed out, a mightily pissed-off Amanda is a dangerous loose canon), or possibly out of twisted compassion, because whatever Samuel’s relationship to Mama and Papa Sullivan might have been, it seems he has some notion of the meaning of family. Perhaps he wanted to spare Amanda the psychological scars from watching her mom die.
Re: Matt keeping Sylar in the basement instead of dumping the body: I’m going to go with B.’s theory that Matt wanted to keep him under close guard.
Great point about Matt being the go-to guy when anyone needs help. I think one recurring issue for several characters is that they attract crises; you look at Matt’s story, or Claire’s, and it’s mostly a case of them being the victim of circumstances. Bad stuff happens to them and they’re forced to react to it. With HRG and Mohinder, it’s more a case of them manufacturing the crises through their own actions. Not always the case, but it seems to be the recurring pattern over the volumes.
LeeAnna, I really liked the point you made here about Samuel:
“I wonder what he would do without a carnival to manipulate. He most likely would start a new one, or maybe a smaller group with people who are easier to manipulate.”
I think this ties in with the whole gravity/astral analogy in this episode; that Samuel is basically the center of his universe and everyone at the carnival is orbiting around him; what’s interesting, as you point out, is what happens when you take away the carnival. It’s like taking away the planets that orbit a sun. What is the sun without the planets? I’m not sure how Samuel would be defined if you took away the carnival, the supermagnetic energy, the machinations and the plotting… I think that’s why I’m tempted to disagree with Haushinka’s point about Vanessa serving no purpose, because I saw her as a symbol of what Samuel could be instead of the sun to the carnival’s planets. She represents the life Samuel could have chosen instead of the life of subterfuge that we saw in this episode.
Re: Sylar:
“He needs to start over, and for him that means truly going back to square one.”
But as you say next, he’ll never be Gabriel (whoever Gabriel was) again. Unless he’s Parkman-whammied into forgetting what he’s done, he’ll always live with the memory of (1) his abilities and (2) his atrocities. I’d say that one of Sylar’s defining traits is his aggression: he’s used to taking what he wants without regard for the consequences. Given that impression, I can’t see how Sylar could possibly stand to go back to being powerless. The moment someone pissed him off, he’d want to TK-choke them or puppeteer them into silence or slit their throat. If he couldn’t, he’d need to resort to either fisticuffs (which we know he sucks at, because without his powers he’s a wimp), or he’d be stuck bottling it up, which I think is where his non-superpowered insanity would begin. Sylar would constantly be wishing he could channel his abilities, and if he couldn’t because they’d been removed or buried, I can see him turning into the same psycho he is now, only without the abilities. Living without abilities would drive him as insane as living with them.
B., I loved the point you made here about Janice:
“I didn’t think she had it in her to be so ruthless, but can you blame her?”
Good point, although to me it’s a sad reminder of how much has been ignored in Matt’s story thread. OF COURSE we can’t blame her. She should hate Sylar with a passion. He was around Baby Matt for weeks without her knowing about it, and depending on how you look at it, Sylar took control of Matt’s body and essentially violated Janice (in the sense that he duped her into having sex with a guy who wasn’t really Matt). Which is probably too dark an angle for the show to want to explore, but that’s a part of the Matt/Sylar arc that I think really drives home how morally depraved Sylar is, how right Matt was to bury him behind a brick wall and how justified Janice is for hating him.
Great point about the deserted streets and buildings representing Sylar’s emotional emptiness.
With Lydia wanting to leave the carnival, I was mostly thinking of the impression we got from the webisodes and GNs; the idea that Samuel wanted to extend his brainwashing to Amanda and that Lydia wanted to keep her as far away from Samuel as possible. If Samuel was taken out of the picture, I agree that Lydia almost certainly would have stayed. But I think the whole point of that first scene in 3.12 (when Lydia confronted Samuel about Joseph’s death and basically said, “I’m keeping my mouth shut for the sake of my daughter”) was to convey that Samuel had trapped Lydia.
Pas, great points about the pros and cons of the volume. I’m holding off judging until we’re at the end of the finale, mostly because Volume Four demonstrated (at least to me) how the final episodes can vastly change our perception of the volume. My impression of Volume Five *so far* is that it’s been much more character-focused, and that’s allowed us to dig a lot deeper into discussion about who the characters are and where their arcs are headed. I can only speak for myself, but that’s been one part of the review gig that’s been more rewarding this season than in any of the previous three.
Like I say, I’m reluctant to make any broad judgments at this point. I’d say this volume has been consistently good, with one or two outstanding moments and one or two weak moments. On the whole, I look back on Volume Four with a little more fondness. On a week-by-week basis, that volume was consistently outstanding and didn’t derail until the final three episodes, and for me, this volume never quite achieved the same extended winning streak. The first half of this volume was consistently good but never consistently outstanding, and I thought the back half of this volume, while great in places, was only so-so until this week. I’m very hopeful the show will remain at this level for the next two weeks, though, so this volume may yet prove itself to be the stronger volume. Let’s be optimistic.
Well Matt wanting to keep Sylar under close guard is one thing, but doing so in his own house - where his wife and BABY live - is not a very smart way to do that. You’d think after all the trouble Matt’s been through to protect his child (i.e., agreeing to participate in the Sylathan debacle, having himself shot outside the diner, etc.) he’d be a little more careful stashing an unconscious serial killer. The Parkman Whammy has worn off on Sylar before - Sylar didn’t stay as Nathan forever, and once he made contact with his body he was able to repossess it. What makes Matt think Sylar won’t eventually come out of his coma, break through that brick wall and KILL (he’s pretty ticked off at this point) Janice and Matty?
At least go the Angela route and rent out a locked storage compartment, or even contact HRG and ask if he has any tips, something! I don’t know, I’m still not sold on Matt’s decision as being the wisest thing he could’ve done. It just seems to me that if he really wanted Sylar out of his life and away from his family forever, putting him in the basement wouldn’t be the solution.
(BTW - does Sylar’s regeneration ability allow him to live without food, water and a steady air supply? Why would he ever feel the need to eat and drink if he never gets hungry or thirsty [same thing goes for Claire]? So if Sylar’s stuck behind that wall past the point of being able to survive without eating or drinking, and he dies, wouldn’t that mean that Matt practically killed him? So if Matt’s okay with a decision like that where Sylar may or may not live, why not just tie a concrete block around Sylar’s feet and throw him into the bottom of the ocean? Maybe we’re not supposed to delve THAT deeply into the story or think about it that much, but I can’t help but wonder…)
“Living without abilities would drive him as insane as living with them.”
Basically what I was trying to say, but I was in a hurry because I’m a regular working stiff… which I hate because most people suck. (That is me being anti-social again.) I totally agree in other terms. Sylar is screwed (to use the family friendly term) and what he really needs to do is just suck it up, grow a pair, and try to gain some true responsibility for his f-ed up actions. Maybe then he can accept that nobody that he knows now is going to love him and he can just disappear to start a new life. He needs to take true responsibility for it, even if that means anger management exercises. Dude needs to get OVER his issues (and himself), not just bury them. Everyone, including the characters in the show, knows this. He’s just too far in justification mode to know this. I’m hoping that is what him and Peter attempt to do next episode, because sweeping the perceived issue under the rug is not the answer. Sylar needs to face it like a man, not the weepy drama queen we know he is. (I really do honestly love him, I swear!)
Oh yes… no response to my Lydia’s power theory? I thought you would have at least something to say.
Haushinka,
“So if Sylar’s stuck behind that wall past the point of being able to survive without eating or drinking, and he dies, wouldn’t that mean that Matt practically killed him?”
I don’t think Sylar was in any danger: we saw Adam survive in his coffin for months without food, water or oxygen, and when Hiro unearthed him in 3.04 there was no sign of malnutrition, dehydration or asphyxiation. From the look of it, Adam had gone into some kind of hibernation.
The gist seems to be that regens can survive in a vacuum.
As the volume as a whole, I agree that it’s been much more character-focused. I’m all for it, as long as it’s well done. It’s also kind of the problem. We appreciate this aspect of the show, but most of people don’t. It’s just like the allusion to past seasons, set details, the music in the background, etc. that are amazing, but that most of the viewers don’t give a crap about. It’s sad but true.
Agreed that the show was so-so since January (untill this 17th episode), and it’s kind of the problem. The show hasn’t been on it’s best in the key moments (viewers-wise) of the season : ie in the 2 hour-winter-premiere, I retain Peter’s storyline. 95% of people will remember Hiro going star wars and zap. Not that hard to drive viewers away…
Overall, I’d rather have a volume that starts slowly, and ends with a bang (V2) than one who is consistant, and goes downhill on its 3 final episodes (V4). Hopefully the remaining episodes will be unanimious.
Maybe this is coming late, but I’ll give my take on this season’s characters’ developments. Maybe next week or by the end of season you’ll give yours.
- Peter and Matt : Turbo Dumb As Award which seems a bit out of character (a single sentence showing reluctance could have helped) and maybe Sylar stuck too long in Parkman’s head. Otherwise not much to reproach.
- HRG/Claire : a bit repetitive regarding past seasons. A point on Lauren : while I have nothing against her, but she’s useless in the storyline, which coud have gone the same way considering HRG/Angela supposedly have the government support for founding Company 2.0. Company 2.0, which by the way, was only alluded once during the season. Hopefully when the super population will be outed, it will be the regulation institution (a la Pinehearst in IABD).
- Angela/Mohinder/Tracy/Ando : Barely used, but I’d rather see them underused than used too much and misused.
- Sylar : …
- Hiro is probably the one who inherted dumb storylines. Butt jokes could have been avoided, as much as Damian brain-washing and Asylium detour (ie warping Mohinder 8 weeks into the future and not into said Asylium).
- Finally, hasn’t Samuel been in every single episodes ? I won’t repeat why, but I think he’s been overdevelopped, and not always in a good way, specially, if he’s only deciding to execute his plan in the last 2 episodes. I know he has to be the glue tieing everybody else’s storyline, but too much for me.
Cutting things there and there, I don’t think it would have been difficult to tell the whole storyline in only 13 episodes or something. Of course, we never know, they could have cutted the genius and kept the dumbness, but I guess we’ll never know :).
In the GN “The Ten Brides of Takezo Kensei,” Adam stated that he’d revived and suffocated in a cycle countless times, but that doesn’t preclude hibernation over the very long term.
Pas, great post, and please feel free to dig into the volume-wide discussion. The only reason I’m holding back is because, as I say, I think the final two episodes will determine how I see the whole thing as much as the final three episodes did last volume. I can’t see my opinion changing drastically, but the final three last volume were what stopped me from rating Volume Four as highly as Volume One. I know the majority will fiercely disagree with that, but I still think the 3.17-3.20 winning streak was on the same level as 1.08-1.11; that same creative drive and consistent brilliance that made it must-see television. We didn’t get that same extended run this season; 4.05, 4.06 and 4.08, perhaps, but even then there was that awful slaughterhouse episode inbetween.
Re: the nuances in every episode:
“We appreciate this aspect of the show, but most of people don’t.”
Yes, but many of us also like the Petrellicest and the Paire. And some of us like the Claitchen and the Lauroah. We all have our superficial moments.
I think the reasons why the show lost viewers over the course of the volume go deeper than involved character-based storytelling; perhaps that’s part of it, but I think the majority of viewers will tune in for a great story before big explosions and impressively choreographed super-fights. In a way, though, I think the character-based material was part of the problem. By exploring some character arcs in greater detail, others looked like they were getting shafted, the overall pace felt much less frenetic, and certain weaknesses in the show became more apparent: chunks of the characters’ backstories were ignored (Matt), certain characters’ absence looked even more conspicuous (meaning when Peter and Claire get these enormous, involved character arcs, Mohinder and Tracy look even more cheated); and the fact that certain storylines took too long to develop, and in some cases were never developed at all (Samuel’s backstory and motives, Lydia, Edgar, Gretchen, Lauren…). I’d say some parts of this volume were executed flawlessly, but in a way they made the weaknesses even more obvious.
Valid point about the sluggish pace after Christmas. I’d still argue that there was a distinct volume-opener vibe to 3.13 and 3.14, and I think that’s what gave this batch of episodes a slower feel. It seemed like so many new story arcs were being introduced (Samuel/Emma, Samuel/Vanessa, Peter’s reaction to losing Sylathan, Sylar’s latest identity crisis, etc.). I wonder whether TPTBs planned it that way — to give the post-Christmas batch of episodes a distinct tone and creative focus to set it apart from the first half — or whether it was a coincidence of scheduling.
On Peter and Matt’s character arcs being outstanding: word.
“… maybe Sylar stuck too long in Parkman’s head.”
This felt about right to me, but I do wish we could have seen more of Amnesiac-Sylar. I still think that could have tied into the whole redemption motif even more effectively than it did. That scene between Samuel and Amnesiac-Sylar at the end of 4.06? Magic. That one stands out for me as one of the most memorable of the volume.
“HRG/Claire : a bit repetitive regarding past seasons.”
Yes, although my feeling about Claire’s arc this season still stands: she’s been written as smarter, more discerning and more mature throughout the volume, and I think that’s helped to distinguish her scenes with HRG from the ones in previous volumes.
With Angela, I wonder whether it’s the same creative crutch as taking the carnival away from Samuel: if you take away The Company, Arthur and Nathan, the only real ties Angela has to the story are through her other interpersonal relationships (Peter, Claire and Sylar… sort of). The problem is she had no real stake in the carnival storyline, which is where everyone else’s character arcs were always headed. Which sucks, because you’d think Angela would have as much to atone for as anyone, if not more. That’s one thing that disappointed me — that we never got more of a backstory between Angela, HRG, Samuel, The Company and the carnival.
“- Sylar : …”
^ ^ Love that.
No thoughts on Sylathan?
Re: Hiro: the 4.13 nerdspeak aside, he never drove me up the wall quite as much as he did in Volumes Three and Four. I’m still waiting for some kind of development to Kimiko discovering that her brother has a spectacular gift which he inherited from a line of Nakamuras who had spectacular gifts. That’s an untouched goldmine, as far as I’m concerned.
Yup. We’ll have to see the end of the volume before rating it among other volumes. And as I’ve already said, I’d rather see them go out on a bang (specially if it IS the final season) than raising my hopes up and go downhill. Let’s be optimistic and say this episode was just a start
(and it’s not like they had much choice, since the volume HAS to end soon ^^).
As for what drove people away, I agree at some degree, that character exploring arcs was only a part of the problem. Maybe it is that character exploring was done at the expense of a better pacing, because as much as I’ve enjoyed it, some parts of the volume felt really slow. I’ve only felt this since the post christmas come back, but some people have been complaining that “nothing has happened” since the 4th of 5th, and those people are unfortunately a majority.
“but I think the majority of viewers will tune in for a great story before big explosions and impressively choreographed super-fights”
I’d love to agree but I’m not sure I do. It’s a fact that LOTS of people like shows they can watch with their brain turned off, if you consider what shows are the most successful nowadays. I don’t mind procedurals being around (even though I hate watching most of them), but I like to have the choice, and I can hardly find a good serialized show to watch (if you have one to advise me, I’m all ears).
It’s one thing to say Heroes’ quality went down, but to say it’s too confusing/too hard to follow ? I’m sorry but those people can’t be serious :/.
“Yes, but many of us also like the Petrellicest and the Paire. And some of us like the Claitchen and the Lauroah. We all have our superficial moments. “.
For the “What people don’t care about”, I was more thinking about the visual aspect of Heroes, which has always been one of Heroes’ strenghts, even when the storyline was, let’s say *fuzzy*.
Wait… I thought everybody hated Lauroah :).
And so many people are connected in the show that I pretty much consider any relationship incest now. Though it’s a shame that Nathan won’t be around to sleep with the 3rd triplet :(.
Maybe some people feel cheated because we didn’t get much of Mohinder and Tracy, but I’d rather see anyone being less used than having dumb storylines just to keep the actor on screen.
- We’ve had a lot of Peter but I don’t feel it was too much. Same for Matt.
- Agreed on Claire. What felt repetitive was her relation with HRG (and I know you’ll agree there).
- The counterpart here is probably Hiro (don’t ask why :)) and maybe a bit Samuel (and Emma - as much as I love her - who happens to play a lot of music on screen ^^).
That is why I feel that a few less episodes could have been explored the characters the same way and would have made everyone happy :). Maybe I’m wrong though.
Thoughts on Sylathan ? Of course
I think I kinda forgot about him because he’s dead. I’ll just say that I was genuinely surprised of how they played it out, considering how stupid it was to *turn* Sylar into Nathan. - Thumbs up for giving us (and Peter - and maybe Claire since she’s having a MUCH harder time getting over it than getting over Meredith’s murder by the same guy) some closure with the real Nathan.
Agreed on Amnesiac-Sylar, which would have been interesting since we see that they seem to be going the not-redemption-but-at-least-something-that-might-be-new road (probably a way to keep him in the show, but whatever :)). Maybe they could have used the opportunity to show that he wasn’t totally rotten at the core.
Who knows, maybe he’ll still mini-Matt (after all, I think he CAN turn his powers off), rename him Noah, chase Lyle (who?) and Sandra from Costa Verde and keep Mr.Muggles to make Sandra mad at HRG. And that will make Matt next volume’s villain :). That way they don’t have to find a new actor/actress ^^.
I’d say some parts of this volume were executed flawlessly, but in a way they made the weaknesses even more obvious.
In short, the show is bi-polar and always has been to varying degrees. I think it would have been easier if the show sucked outright. That way, we could have walked away without feeling cheated or classified the story as “so bad it’s good” and enjoyed it on those terms. The fact that the show works some of the time makes the stuff that doesn’t work that much more frustrating, because apart from the Sylar fixation, we can’t work out where the inconsistencies are coming from.
Wow Otto - Astounding review. Absolutley nothing I could posibly add. And that’s saying something. Hopefully a sign that the last two episodes are going to be an incredible combo of character and spectacle. Bring on “The Wall” and “Brave New World”!
I only just found this site, shortly after the season wrapped up. I don’t agree with all you say, but do agree with some of it. I do like how you can pinpoint certain moments when an actor makes a loud point with a subtle movement. or action. ZQ is wonderfully talented in that regard. I mention it to other co-fans who, as much as they like the show and Sylar, will go “huh?”. Thank you!