Overview:
Sylar regains consciousness, kills Candice, and discovers he's lost his abilities. Hiro places scrolls in the handle of Kensei's sword recounting his recent adventures, and Ando finds them in the present. Claire goes flying with West, forgives him for being a jerk, and learns that Noah bagged 'n' tagged him. Peter takes part in an armed robbery, gets his box, then decides not to open it. Alejandro gets arrested for stealing a car, and Maya breaks him out of jail by killing the police officers. Niki leaves Micah with Great Aunt Uhura, then heads over to The Company for "a cure." And Mohinder finds Painting #8, which depicts a dead Noah.
Review:
Oh, show. Two run-of-the-mill episodes to start the season, then this.
"What more do you want? We had murder, we had mystery, we had romance ..."
The story was slow and repetitive. Everyone acted out of character. The story devices were contrived. And the visual effects were just appall-
"Yes, but ... we had shirtless Peter! And The Boy Who Could Fly!"
You had shirtless Peter last week. And The Boy Who Could Fly acted like a total d*#k this week.
"Yes, but ... we had epic samurai battles! And armed robbery!"
We didn't even see the epic samurai battle. And the armed robbery didn't make any damn sense.
"Yes, but ... SENSE? Who wants SENSE on a fantasy TV show about superheroes?"
The fans watching this show. They also like well-written characters who learn and grow from their experiences. And storylines which don't stagnate and end up going in circles.
"Yes, but ... Look, a Nissan Rogue!"
Oh, show.
Pull on the surgical gloves and operating masks, people. This is going to get bloody.
The opening scene encapsulates everything wrong with this episode: weak story device, prolonged drama, and frustration for viewers. Peter sits at a table with Ricky & The Lackeys and asks them what he needs to do to get his life back. Ricky tells Peter that he needs The Box.
The one that's on the table right in front of him.
Maybe the reason he doesn't grab the box, TK the gangsters across the room and make a run for it is because he's afraid he won't be able to channel his abilities, but if that's it -- heck, why not give it a shot anyway? It's better than getting a criminal record for armed robbery and deciding to stick around to face the charges. Oh, WHOOPS! Spoiler!
Ricky explains what he wants Peter to do when they swipe the winnings from a soccer match. "All we're asking is that you get rid of the guards before they call for help." Humor me here -- make a mental note of this plan. It'll become relevant when the robbery takes place.
Was Dominic Keating's acting always this bad? I remember Malcolm Reed as one of the better-performed characters on Enterprise. Maybe the nervous eyes and shaky voice were supposed to convey that Will's a bad liar, or that he's freaking out when Peter discovers his plan to take the money. But the acting here was so wooden that I half-wondered whether the gangsters had agreed on one of them double-crossing the others to test Peter's loyalty.
"Somewhere in Mexico," Alejandro realizes that Maya needs to rest. He decides that the best way to facilitate his sister's rest is ... to steal a car. Because what's what's more restful than curling up in the passenger seat while Alejandro evades cops in a high-speed car chase? YEEEEE-HAW!
Alejandro's too cool to break into a car and hotwire the engine in an abandoned alley or a deserted car park: he's one of the pros who can pull the caper off on a busy street corner.
*PING!*
Alejandro's first Dumb As Award.
Hilariously, you'll note that before Alejandro smashes the car window he actually glances around him to check that no one's looking. How he misses the police officer across the street -- the one with a uniform and a badge and handcuffs and a gun -- is beyond me. Maya gets over a barbed-wire fence. Alejandro gets caught. And, as per last week when Maya found herself under the tunnel and facing the prospect of a journey without her brother, Alejandro's all stoic, like, "Run, Maya! Try not to kill people!" Which, again, is so noble and endearing that it makes me like Alejandro far more than Maya. It also makes me wonder why Dania's the cast regular and Shalim's the recurring guest star.
"Daniel Lawrence Hawkins. 1976-2007. Husband, Father, Hero."
Now that's sad. And genuinely moving. And kind of surprising when D.L. was one of the characters who drew the short straw and got virtually no screen-time or character arc or presence in the story. It says one of two things: either that the new characters this season are so bland and unmemorable that the death of the most minor character last season seems gut-wrenching; or that Leonard Roberts played his character -- and his character's bond with Niki and Micah -- well enough to evoke a sense of real regret about him being written out. I choose to believe it's the second of those, but that's mostly because I believe the actor deserved better after already getting killed off as Forrest and as Nam-Ek.
The Fake-Maui looked extremely fake, but you can just about forgive it when it's an illusion. Candice becoming Michelle? It feels like a cop-out after Missy Peregrym couldn't reprise the role, but again, you can forgive it when it's justified by the character escaping the authorities. You wonder why she'd need a different look when she's holed up in a shed with Sylar in the middle of a gargantuan forest, but OK.
Props to Rachel Kimsey for imitating Missy Peregrym so flawlessly. I couldn't tell if this dialogue had been written before the writers found out Missy wouldn't be back. Something about the way it's written -- and the way it's delivered -- makes it feel like Candice talking.
Michelle introduces herself to Sylar and offers a handshake -- to a serial killer. Cute detail. It's also kind of neat how the scenery serves as therapy and anesthetic, because it's the only thing keeping Sylar from realizing how much pain he's in. The fact that he's in pain at all -- as opposed to waking up totally healed after getting stabbed through the chest with a sword -- is a hopeful indication that the show isn't ignoring the incredulity which stems from the character surviving. Despite stretching our suspension of disbelief by having the character pull through, he's in excruciating pain and struggling to get back on his feet. Which, like Nathan turning into an aimless drunk, is at least a remotely believable way to bring the character back.
Canine Central. Claire revisits Activating Evolution. Does she hide the book from Noah when he walks into the room? It disappears from her lap very suddenly, and it's not clear whether she's worried that he'll frown on the idea; you'd think he'd be pleased that Claire was reading about dismemberment and decapitation and all those gruesome things she could do to herself instead of, you know, actually doing them.
Noah: "If there's anything you wanna ask me, as long as we're in the privacy of our own home, please -- ask away."
Ooh, this should be fun!
"What happens when I cut off my head?"
"Will I survive if I gulp down rat poison?"
"Have you tortured people like me?"
"How many people have you murdered?"
"What do you know about Mommy Firestarter?"
"Why aren't we using that Tracking System you mentioned at Superhero Square to find Uncle Peter?"
Or ... "If someone here found out about me, what would happen?"
Possible responses from Noah:
"I'd have the Haitian give him a brain tumor!"
"I'd kill the heck out of him!"
"I'd arrange to have him written out of the show and never, ever, ever mentioned ever, ever, ever again."
Noah instead scares Claire by describing how the family would relocate all over again, and how this time Claire wouldn't go to school and Noah wouldn't wear stupid shirts. Which, when you think about it, if he doesn't need the income, seems kind of pointless anyway. But I feel extremely sorry for Sandra and Lyle and Mr. Muggles, who now face the prospect of moving house again because Claire couldn't resist putting her hand over a Bunsen burner and clipping off her pinky toe.
At Sophistication High, Claire corners West and insists she was giving herself a pedicure. So, instead of threatening to call the cops to report a stalker who's creeping around her house at night and asking her all sorts of weird s**t during class about robots and aliens, she's begging him to believe that she spent her evening giving herself a pedicure. Laughable Point #1: Claire believes West might actually go to the principal and say, "Hey, I crept up to a girl's window last night and watched her cut off her toe -- and guess what, the toe's there again this morning! Wanna call her in here and check it's there? Shall we cut it off again and see what happens?" Laughable Point #2: the show couldn't even fix its rewrites. West talks about how the toe "came off and then came back on."
Now, to be fair, that isn't West's fault -- or Nick D'Agosto's. It's the fault of a continuity supervisor WHO IS PAID TO MAKE SURE THAT MISTAKES LIKE THIS DON'T HAPPEN. I appreciate that this scene was probably shot and edited before the show switched from the toe reattaching to the toe regrowing, but come on. This is just sloppy.
Mohinder returns to Chandra's Crib. The first thing he does is go to the kitchen and make tea. Aww. Matt points out that, by working in New York, Mohinder's basically risking this whole undercover operation blowing up in his face and endangering Molly.
Mohinder's response: "Someone's grouchy when they don't get their sleep."
Funny. But also a not-so-subtle way of overlooking a very real issue, one which underlines how Matt's suddenly much more concerned about Molly's well-being than Mohinder seems to be, and much more than Matt seemed to be in the season premiere. Inconsistent with the guy who wouldn't even admit that Molly's nightmares were a problem, but it also changes Matt from an aloof douche who's in denial to a worried foster father who doesn't want his roomie's antics hurting the kid he's taking care of.
Whoever wrote this scene, though, managed to not only write a rather delightful sketch of Molly's two daddies bickering, but also add another point to the "How To Make Our Male Cast Hotter In Season Two" checklist with the 007 reference. Along with his newfound linguistic abilities, several million fangirls can now imagine Sendhil Ramamurthy doing this.
Back at Yamagato, Ando keeps Kensei's sword in a filing cabinet. And that's handy for the story, because
"Hey there, new viewers! Didn't tune in to Heroes last week or the week before? Well, don't worry, we're slipping in an extra-special recap just for you!"
But what about the millions of people who did watch the previous two episodes? Or who figured out what was going on in the recap at the start of the episode?
"Forget them! You're getting this mini-montage-recap whether you like it or not!"
ANDO, I WRITE TO YOU FROM THE GREATEST ADVENTURE OF MY LIFE ...
I'd transcribe the rest, but I'd be as guilty of patronizing you as the show was with this montage. Three episodes in, we do NOT need to be reminded that Hiro traveled to the past and met Kensei. Our memories aren't that bad, and the recap at the start of the episode covers the essentials just fine. It's cool that Hiro figures out a way to communicate with Ando in the present, but wouldn't it have been enough for Ando to read that line above and skip to the new scenes? Ando discovers what's going on. Fine, we got it. We didn't need an entire montage of events we'd just watched.
Anyway, the scene ends the way it did last week: Kensei gets several arrows in the chest, then dies, then comes back to life. David Anders plays the scene perfectly, capturing how the discovery of his ability -- and coming back from the dead -- takes him from shock and disbelief to fear and mistrust.
At McMemory Box Harbor, Peter figures the best way to channel his abilities is topless. I appreciate how appealing Milo is when he's semi-naked, but to do it three episodes in a row? Isn't that kind of like having an attractive female lead repeatedly stripping down to a bikini? Wouldn't people be writing it off as a cheap ratings gimmick if Hayden or Ali or Dania were in their underwear for three consecutive episodes?
Caitlin: "I have to admit, I'm pretty excited to see you open that box."
Ten million viewers: "Yeah, so are we!"
Apparently, the show wasn't so excited.
At Sophistication High, West does something so unspeakably cruel that, as far I'm concerned, the chances of the character becoming sympathetic are now zilch. I can't believe the intention was ever to make him a likable character, but if it was, this scene killed any chance of it happening.
West: "What if a lizard were to mate with a human?"
Props to Hayden; she brought a very nuanced reaction to the scene. There's one shot of her jaw dropping in horror, then another where she's sort of trying to force a smile and laugh it off, like, "What a joke! This guy's so weird, but he's still funny!", and then the moment where it looks like she's on the verge of tears and can't believe anyone would humiliate her like this.
Does Claire get a Dumb As Award for storming out of the class? She should, because freaking out over a discussion about lizards pretty much ends the Be Ordinary Mandate and makes her the Weird New Girl With Reptile Issues. But frankly, I think Claire deserves praise for not grabbing the nearest Bunsen burner and shoving it down West's throat and turning the damn thing on. Because the guy really did deserve to suffer for this.
Instead, well ... We'll get there.
The Land of Sark recap continues. It's like half the story thread this week consists of Hiro recapping the previous two episodes for Ando. It's great for Ando, but it's not much fun for viewers to sit through an extended trailer, especially when the events weren't particularly engaging the first time around.
Kensei slitting his arm and watching it heal was nicely done; decent effect, but also in keeping with how Kensei gradually adjusts to his ability; he gets past the initial shock and moves on to fascination and profiteering. Believable, and in character.
Kensei nominates Hiro to look after Destiny since he knows exactly what needs to be done. I'm not really sure why Hiro thinks this is a bad idea; he seemed to enjoy confronting The 12 Stupid Samurai, and he obviously likes wooing Yaeko. Instead, Hiro teleports Kensei to the foot of a castle where he's supposed to slaughter the 90 Angry Ronin and grab the Fire Scroll. Hiro knows about the Hidden Fortress, but Kensei doesn't, and chances are most of the audience doesn't. So it's more or less a case of, "Kill lots of samurai and get something called the Fire Scroll ... for no real reason except to demonstrate that you can survive." Which, OK, would at least manage to establish Kensei as a legendary swordsman who could achieve unimaginable feats of heroism -- EXCEPT WE DON'T EVEN SEE THAT.
I get that the show might be on a tight budget, or that it's saving its budget for something huge. But this scene? It felt fake.
The castle? Fake.
The soldiers? Fake.
The hills and the scenery around the castle? Fake.
It's all fake, except the fangs on the first samurai's helmet -- those were real, and those were cool.
I could get over the fakeness if only we'd seen something that supported why Kensei is remembered as such a master swordsman. At the moment, there's nothing that either he or Hiro have done to explain why history remembers him this way. Cutting away from the battle before it begins is dramatic, but it robs us of a scene that would show Kensei's skill as a swordsman, and consequently it robs us of everything this story thread is supposed to be about. We spend an inordinate amount of time getting heavy-handed reminders that Kensei is Hiro's childhood hero. And when Kensei actually got around to becoming a hero by embracing his destiny and saving Japan, the camera cut away.
Here's the really hilarious part, though: Hiro dumped Kensei in a situation where he probably got hacked to pieces and needed to regrow every single limb before he brought the Fire Scroll back. So the whole debate about whether or not Claire's head would grow back if someone chopped it off? It is relevant!
Back at Sophistication High, Claire's standing on a staircase in the middle of the school. You'll note that, from where she's standing, she's in plain sight of several buildings and about 50 classroom windows. Not a big deal now, but in about two minutes, that high-visibility's going to be a very big deal.
Claire's in tears. West walks onto the stairs and joins her. You figure he's going to make some lame apology for acting like such a *@#% in class and upsetting her.
West: "I take it you're annoyed?"
The show must WANT us to hate the guy. They can't seriously expect us to like him after this.
Claire gives this amazingly heartfelt monologue which boils down to, "I'm a freak, and if you tell everyone, I don't care -- they can put me in a lab or a zoo or whatever and do whatever they want with me, because I'm tired of hiding who I am!"
West's response: "Claire, shut up."
That's it. My TV is about five seconds from being on the receiving end of a baseball bat. DIE, WEST!
No, wait -- FLY, WEST! Fly with Claire! Smile, Claire! Be happy! Flying is cool! It makes everything all right! West isn't such a bad guy! So what if he snuck around your house and made fun of you and called your parent a lizard and made you feel like a fool in class and acted like an arrogant jerk? He's cute, and he can fly! Yay!
Excuse me while I throw up.
OK, I'm back.
At McMemory Box Harbor, the gangsters visit ... Pinky's Sportsbook.
Peter pretends he bet $200 (?) on Celtic and wants his money back. You'll recall that the plan was for Peter to "get rid of the guards before they call for help." Which seems to have morphed into "distract the guards so that Ricky & The Lackeys can grab The Other Box."
Do we speculate? Do we assume the gangsters changed the plan because Peter wasn't sure he could channel his powers? Or was this script so haphazardly written that there were two versions of the story being shot? I'm stunned that this show could be so inconsistent. Until this week, I didn't think it was possible.
Some poor schlub brings out The Other Box for the Safeline guards and ends up with rifles pointed to his head. Peter just sort of stands there; because he's too scared to carry out the original plan, or because he's providing moral support; I'm not sure, but it's really awkward. Still, it keeps us from wondering whether he and Ricky & The Lackeys aren't enjoying a CCTV moment right about now.
By an amazing feat of editing, the schlub with The Other Box gets a moment when Ricky & The Lackeys aren't pointing their rifles at his head, and activates an alarm. Ricky brings the rifle a few inches closer to the guy's head, and we're sure he's going to pull the trigger. Only he pwns the guard with the rifle -- hard enough to give him a bleeding lip but not so hard that he's knocked unconscious -- meaning the guard can now ID the robbers and start a search. Way to go, Ricky! You're still an incompetent thief, but you're also a merciful gangster!
Peter TK'ing the truck? It's cool, sure. But it's like the other cool moments in this episode: it's drowned in so many plotholes and inconsistencies that it's almost impossible to enjoy.
Mohinder visits his new lab, which just happens to be the Apartment of Clairvoyance -- where, as Midas Bob points out, Isaac got scalped. It seems kind of morbid to turn it into a work space, but then it's really no more morbid than raising an 8 year old in the apartment where you were pinned to the ceiling and watched someone you knew get killed from a shard of glass to the head. Also, great use of an old set. The familiarity makes it appealing.
Midas Bob reading the issue of "9th Wonders" in which Hiro teleported to New York was another subtle nod to continuity. Nicely done.
In the Land of Sark, Hiro sits with Yaeko in the forest and ogles her. And Yaeko? She just sits there and wonders if her hero's been killed or kidnapped. Or, you know, hacked to little pieces and forced to regrow every limb.
Anyway, Yaeko's monologue here conveys how dashing and mysterious she thinks Kensei is, and how she's confused and enchanted by the way he can be such a "brute"/gallant warrior and such a "gentle" soul/sensitive stud from one moment to the next.
The fact that hearing this stuff breaks Hiro's heart is sort of an "Aww" moment, but if all it takes to win Yaeko's heart is a disappearing trick and a walk under a cherry blossom and a few empty promises about rescuing her father (who's totally forgotten this week), I have to ask: is she really worth it? I mean, she's pretty and all, and Eriko Tamura plays Yaeko well, but the character herself comes across as a little shallow, and she's gone from denouncing Kensei as a coward and resolving to fight The 12 Stupid Samurai single-handedly to sitting in the forest and marveling over the intrigue of her Great Love. Which, call me crazy, seems like a step backwards for the character.
Kensei shows up, looking about as exhausted as anyone would after they'd been chopped apart by cannibal warriors. He gives Hiro this priceless look which says it all: "Thanks, buddy! That was a blast! Here's the Fire Scroll. Oh, yeah, and please explain to me why the *%@# I just went through with that."
New Orleans, Louisiana. Niki leaves Micah with Great Aunt Uhura. It's sad that Micah's saying goodbye to his one living parent and being dumped with relatives he doesn't know, but ... Great Aunt Uhura!
The camera hesitated on her for a little too long. It's great that Nichelle's on the show (and for those who aren't clued in to her significance as a science fiction icon, this is everything you need to know about her role on Heroes: crucially, that Angela wasn't the only one getting it on with Papa Sulu), but somehow this felt a little overplayed. The long shot that introduced Papa Sulu worked because it emphasized how mightily angry the guy was and how bats**t scared Hiro was. Here, it's less a case of establishing the character and more a case of, "Look! It's another Star Trek icon!" Which, if we're fans of that show, we already know. And which, if we're not fans of that show, won't mean anything to us. Either way, it didn't require this long, drawn-out shot of her gazing at Micah and Niki.
Alejandro gets thrown into jail. Maya decides to break her brother out by provoking the officers into arresting her, giving them the oozing eyes, and grabbing their keys.
Ye Gads. Did the show just give Maya a brain? And initiative? And resourcefulness? That's one plus in a sea of minuses.
Maya willingly murdering strangers to save her brother raises the issue of her being held accountable. The caveat is the way she -- and we -- already knew Alejandro could revive these victims, meaning we didn't ever really wonder whether Maya would willingly become a killer, and we didn't find any part of the scene suspenseful.
My guess is the solution would be scrapping last week's scene at the Mexican border so that we didn't know Alejandro had the ability to absorb Maya's ooze. Or this week's Maya/Alejandro thread could have been brought forward an episode and been combined with the trip across the border. The fact that the thread this week is essentially the same as last week kills the impact and makes it feel incredibly repetitive: Maya and Alejandro get into danger and get separated; Maya kills someone; Alejandro gets there in time to save the individual; Alejandro reassures Maya; they carry on going. How many episodes can the show repeat this formula?
American Dude gets out of his cell and, unlike Nidia, doesn't immediately think Maya and Alejandro are the Devil. Instead, he offers them a ride. I can't decide if that's because he didn't think he could walk a few feet out of the building and get into the car on his own, or if he's a Company plant who got himself thrown into jail with the intention of meeting Maya and Alejandro. Either way, the car's conveniently waiting for them outside the jail, and American Dude seems to have no need of keys because -- Lookee! -- it's Claire's [PRODUCT PLACEMENT] Nissan Rogue!
McMemory Box Harbor. Ricky cracks open The Other Box and admires the contents. It's worth noting that even Caitlin lets out a laugh, which sort of undermines the whole "virtuous and upstanding Irish lass" portrayal.
It also looks to me like Ricky & The Lackeys intended to keep this money for themselves, which doesn't make much sense when the whole reason behind the heist was to repay McSorley for the debt they owed after failing to bring him the iPods and beating the crap out of his son wh--
Oh, I give up. They're not even trying to write a consistent story in this thread anymore, are they?
Miraculously, the scene then goes from suck to awesome. Will pulls the gun on Ricky and Caitlin, and Keating's acting is still wooden (so we know it's not just the pressure of lying that was getting to him), but it leads to Peter taking two bullets to the chest, instahealing, and TK'ing his killer to a wall and choking the guy.
The bullet spitting itself out of Peter's chest? I don't care if it looked fake -- this scene pulled me back into the episode. The hero -- and as close to a protagonist as an ensemble show can get -- was about to take a life, AND HE WAS ENJOYING IT. What's great about this scene is the complexity Milo puts into his reaction to choking the guy. It's a mixture of anger and confusion and fear, but for a moment you can also totally buy the idea that this sensitive, good-natured, ordinary kid would choke the life out of someone who tried to kill him -- and feel a sense of satisfaction about it. It's not justifiable, but it's understandable, and it takes us back to the same place Peter was at when he was taunting and TK'ing his girlfriend's jilted ex.
And, as exasperating as it is that Peter doesn't open The Box at the end of this episode, I can buy into the idea that it's abject fear of going anywhere near that place which scares Peter out of wanting to know who he is.
Land of Sark.
Hiro: "Kensei proved himself a hero, soon I'll be able to come home."
You can hear the applause across the nation. FINALLY!
Kensei tells Hiro that he's "done this grubby soul a great honor."
What?
WHAT?
WHAAAAAAAAAT?!?
Let me get this straight: Kensei was forced to slaughter 90 cannibals -- probably getting sliced and diced in the process -- to get some stupid scroll for some stupid reason that hasn't even been established on the show.
AND THIS MAKES HIM A GOOD MAN?!
Seriously? A massacre turns him from a lazy, profit-hungry drunkard to an upstanding member of society?
Did I miss a scene?
Kensei and Yaeko walk away, hand-in-hand. (Meanwhile, somewhere over the hill, Yaeko's father is gasping his last breath and hoping his daughter will come to his rescue.)
So Hiro's about to teleport back to the present ...
This is it ...
The moment we sat through three episodes for ...
"I'm sorry, Ando. I can't come home. Not yet."
You hear that sound? That's me screaming.
How much longer, show? How many episodes do we have to sit through before Hiro gets over his crush on Yaeko? How seriously is Hiro going to screw up history just because he liked hanging out with the reformed drunk and the hot swordsmith's daughter? And how much more contrived can this whole freakin' love triangle get?
"Have a nice day." And the smiley face. Very cute. I love how this scene even used the same Sylar theme that was used in the scenes with Mama Gray last season. It felt like a motif instead of a cheap rehash, and it brought an ominous undertone to the scene, because as soon as you hear that piano and the ticking clock, you know Candice is dead.
Zach Quinto nailed this scene. Every part of it. Sylar's devastation at losing his abilities, his frustration that all of the heads he scalped were for nothing, the prospect of being stuck with normality after months of evolutionary superstardom.
Sylar slices Candice's head open with the broken pieces of the teacup? Charming.
Obese Candice, as per Betty in the graphic novels, and in keeping with the implication last season when Candice was wolfing down French Fries. Nice continuity.
Would Candice be dumb enough to think that Sylar couldn't outsmart her, or that he wouldn't try to outsmart her and take her ability? If sticking Sylar in the middle of an expansive forest was The Company's idea, they're obviously shrewd enough to realize that Sylar will try to escape. But Candice? She seemed fairly shrewd as well, so I'm a little disappointed that she was killed off as easily as this. It's why I'm clinging to the theory that Candice's death was also an illusion, and that she's alive and masking her presence from Sylar.
McMemory Box Harbor.
Ricky: "You're one of us."
An incompetent thief? A violent thug? An incorrigible drunk?
Ricky deposits The Box on the table.
Caitlin: "Well?"
Peter: "Well what?"
10 million viewers: "WELL, OPEN THE DAMN BOX ALREADY AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS RIDICULOUS SITUATION AND GO BACK TO YOUR LIFE ALREADY!"
Peter: "What if it's a life I don't want?"
Oh, now I know it's not just me screaming.
Peter decides he'd rather not find out he's a serial killer or a mass-murderer or a genetically-engineered hitman. Instead, he's going to stick around at McMemory Box Harbor, make out with Caitlin, and bond with the gangsters. He's also going to ignore the letter inside The Box which reads,
"Dearest Peter,
Your mom's an emotional wreck, your brother's a hopeless drunk, and I'm cutting myself. I heal right away, but that's beside the point. The point is, SHUT THE *%@# UP, PETER! Open this damn box RIGHT NOW so that you can find out who you are and leave this stupid storyline behind and come home to the people who care about you.
Your darling niece,
Claire.
P.S. Buy a Nissan Rogue -- they're awesome! Or steal one. I don't care."
Cool detail: the family crest morphing into the S-helix, then fading away.
Costa Verde Beachfront. The little truants! No one at Sophistication High is wondering where they got to after watching West lift Claire into the sky?
Claire and West hold a "Whose Power Is Cooler?" contest. Claire wins by virtue of being able to skydive without a parachute and eat fire. Which, yeah, funny, but also kind of juvenile a week after Claire was talking about donating blood to help burn victims and regrowing organs for people who need a transplant. It's not like she was serious about any of that, but to go from that discussion with Noah to this? It's kind of like turning Yaeko from a strong-minded fighter to a naive princess.
What's so bizarre about this episode is that, as slow-paced as it feels, the story threads take these absurd leaps in logic that would have needed about three or four episodes of gradual progression for them to be plausible. We've suddenly reached a point where Kensei is a legendary hero without us ever witnessing him doing anything legendary or heroic; where Peter decides that life as a crook and a gangster, in love with a girl he's only just met, is preferable to knowing who he really is; where Claire has changed her opinion of the jerk who stalked her and treated her like garbage, and decided it's OK to skip school and make out with him on a beach. None of these developments were especially engaging, but, perhaps more importantly, none of them were even remotely convincing.
West's got the bag 'n' tag injection marks on his neck, and he recounts -- with appropriately visible trauma -- how he was captured by a guy with horn-rimmed glasses.
Like the guy who Claire was saying goodbye to a few days ago when you nearly ran her over?
Oh, never mind. The important thing is, Claire's Very Disturbed. And so she should be! Daddy capturing her boyfriend is A Very Big Deal! Unlike, say, giving her mom a brain tumor; or wiping her best friend's memory, or bagging 'n' tagging the cop from L.A. and the nuclear guy so that they take Claire and her family hostage.
Naw, who cares about that? Her new boyfriend was tested on! Now that makes Noah evil!
Uh, yeah. Check, please.
We had Peter working the Vader Death Choke, Sylar scalping Candice, and now we have this one, final, brilliant scene: the one that was so good that it almost does its job and makes you forget how awful the rest of this episode was.
Niki visits Midas Bob's office for a "cure." I don't know if that means she needs a cure for her superstrength, or that she's suffering from the supervirus and needs a cure before Micah gets infected. Either way, the mystery was compelling, and it made me want to tune in to find out how it unfolds.
Mohinder speed-dials Noah and pokes around the Apartment of Clairvoyance. It turns out that Painting #8 depicts Noah's blood-spattered body on the ground with a bullet through his left eye, his glasses smashed, and Claire locking lips with a dark-haired individual in the background.
Oh, you CANNOT be serious!
Poor Noah sees the picture and looks like he's just taken one of Peter's superpunches to the gut. I can't recall the guy ever showing such a blatant look of terror. Kudos to Coleman, because the character just exuded fear in that shot.
So, yeah, that's one great scene, another couple of great moments, and one or two neat touches along the way. Does that make for a solid episode? I'd say no, though you're welcome to write me and disagree. This wasn't just an average transitional episode that sets the show up for something better: this was filler.
Peter sticking around in Ireland? Hiro sticking around in Japan? Ando sitting around in his office? Maya and Alejandro going through exactly the same motions as the past two weeks?
That stuff's weak and repetitive, but forgivable.
Peter ignoring his identity and his life because he'd rather pretend to be someone else with a bunch of thieves and a new girlfriend? Hiro risking events in history because he's in love with Kensei's princess? Claire suddenly deciding that West might not be such a bad guy?
That stuff's bad. Unforgivably bad.
There are redeeming points if you look hard enough: Peter discovering his dark streak, Niki making a deal with The Company, Sylar trying to seize the first ability he gets his hands on, Noah discovering he's apparently going to die. But those moments are few and far between, and they don't raise this episode out of mediocrity.
If the goal is to pull in new viewers without needing to watch the previous season, I don't get how an episode like this accomplishes that. The newer characters aren't especially likable (with the exception of Kensei and Bob), and I'm not sure how viewers can be expected to sympathize with Peter, Claire, Hiro, or any of the supporting characters when the appeal of their story arcs depends on an emotional investment which developed in the previous season. I mean, if you didn't see Noah's character arc over the previous season, would you really care if this episode ended with a painting predicting his death?
I'm grading this episode on a gut reaction. It failed to engage its audience on almost every critical level, and it failed to cohere into a well-paced plot with likable characters or compelling drama.
Put simply, it was the weakest episode of the show so far.
I honestly hope the trend changes next week, because if this show doesn't turn itself around immediately, it's going to begin hemorrhaging viewers before this volume's over.
2 out of 5
Comments (20)
Posted by Raissa | October 11, 2007 9:27 PM:
Posted on October 11, 2007 21:27:
Otto,
They state in the on-line video commentary that Niki has the Supervirus
On to my comments re: the only storyline I cared about this week…
Claire – First, let me stipulate that I hate West, on principle, for the same reasons you do. Unfortunately, her response to West is more in character, imo, than Claire fans would like to admit. Putting Zach aside, Claire’s previous attempt at a BF was Brody Mitchum, who put her in the morgue. Compared to him, West is a vast improvement. I think our little Claire-Bear has become conditioned by and to scummy treatmeat from guys she’s attracted to. She doesn’t have any other behavior model to judge by, and the men she’s related to haven’t helped offset the problem. She had to leap to her death to get away from Nathan, who demonstrated conflicting behavior with ulterior motives. She almost had to shoot Peter, whom she adores, but felt betrayed by, because he saw her more as prophecy girl/savior, instead of just a niece.
Then, there’s Noah. Claire obviously adores him. However, she knows what he’s done and what he’s capable of, now. I’m sure that deep down she tries to ignore the fact that she’s flattered by the lengths Noah has gone to protect her. But, she’s also horrified by the toll those methods took on other people and horrified by the fact that she is the only reason Noah is not happily still bagging & tagging the Wests of this world. She’s responding to West and Noah through West with a mixture of shame, guilt, expected mixed signal conditioning, hormones, and loneliness. In short, as sad as it is to acknowledge, Claire is f***ed up.
That’s why I have hope for the Noah end of this plotline. Assuming his death is literal, and not an illusion, the only way he’ll survive is if he takes on her power to regenerate. Given that Claire wonders about helping others with her blood and Coleman’s comments about Noah’s capacity changing, I’m hopeful that’s the option the writers are going with. Sharing her power with Noah would offset a lot of Claire’s isolation, allow him to work off some karma by seeing things through “special” lenses for a bit, and allow her to put his actions in relation to her power in a healthier perspective. In other words, it would be therapy for both of them. Noah is f***ed up, too.
Also, since we know that Noah isn’t an Elder Super, we have to view the Series of Eight in a new light, now.
Posted by UB | October 12, 2007 2:28 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 02:28:
Just a note on the Parkman-Mohinder scene when Mohinder returns to the apt:
When Parkman is arguing about Mohinder's returning to NYC, I actually got it more as a jealousy thing - after losing his wife, Molly's kind of the only family he's got. If you look at the way he stares at Mohinder when Molly runs up to him, I think that could be read as jealousy.
This, too, would then keep a bit more with the 'aloof douche' portrayal - Parkman's one of the more selfish "heroes" in the show. He uses his ability for significant personal gain, and in the alternate future was shown running Not-Nathan's police force, so I don't think he's unwilling to act in immoral ways. And protesting that Mohinder's presence makes Molly unsafe simply because he enjoys his alone time with Molly would certainly be along those lines, if of lesser degree.
Posted by KellyH | October 12, 2007 3:34 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 03:34:
Geez, Otto, didn't like it, did you?
You know, I didn't even realize a few of the flaws until you pointed them out, but I'm glad you did--still, I don't know if I'd say it was the 'worst episode ever.' I wasn't bored through long stretches like I was in "Better Halves."
I do agree with a lot of you points, but in some cases, I think you're being too harsh.
1. Hiro. Yes, him not going home is very annoying, BUT it is consistent. I'm not sure whether it was conscious that he is staying or whether he "lost his ability." It seems that it's matters of the heart that rob Hiro of his ability. Ah, does anyone remember poor Charlie? (Side note--Jayma Mays is going to guest on "Pushing Daisies." Side note to side note--have you watched it, Otto? Great stuff! Friel, Pace, Chenoweth, and McBride are an awesome ensemble, and its creator worked on Heroes last year...anyway)
2. Ireland storyline. There is one redeeming quality to the story, and that is Caitlin, who I think is a great character. So she laughed a bit at the heist, I can forgive her. All we have to do is compare her to West to realize that she's a nice love interest for Peter. Katie Carr is effervescent and fresh. Most tellingly, Caitlin doesn't make me pine for Paire. West makes me pine for Paire. And yet D'Agosto goet all the preseason press and nobody heard anything about the lovely Ms. Carr. That tells me that she is doomed and West will stay. Sigh.
3. Sylar. I thought that it was a bad idea to keep him this season, and this episode confirms it for me. I'm sick of the character. The problem is that there is no potential for character development. He's still pure evil, apparently with no chance for development, no chance for redemption (the only way a villain can develop). And we know Gabriel Gray was mild-mannered, so redemption should be possible. But--same old ruthless Sylar. Sigh. Doesn't matter that he's de-powered. I'm still sick of the character. No knock on Quinto's amazing performance, but I don't want Sylar back. Let a new villain take over.
4. Maya is the regular and Alejandro is not. That tells me that Alejandro is probably doomed. Sigh.
5. I think the virus killed DL, not the gunshot. Matt's wounds were worse. He and Niki probably caught it from being in close proximity to Molly (doesn't explain why Matt hasn't got it, although Mohinder being there to "save" him might explain it).
A lot of this makes me wish that they didn't have to produce the episodes so far in advance before the audience sees the first ones. If they could get feedback, it might make it clear that Caitlin is more bearable than West, that Alejandro is more tolerable than Maya, etc. before the die with the characters is cast...
Posted by Raissa | October 12, 2007 3:38 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 03:38:
One more thing re: the Kensei storyline, I think they've been hoisted by their own petard. They responded to S1's pacing issues by creating smaller arcs this year. The downside of smaller arcs is they have to move through the storylines faster, creating the problem of where to put exposition. In the case of Kensei, I think they decided to cut corners by using the on-line mocumentary for exposition and extrapolation. This leads to two problems for the audience. First there are gaps, because not everyone has seen the mock doc. Second, those who have have higher expectations for the PC to TV narrative transition.
Posted by Raissa | October 12, 2007 3:48 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 03:48:
KellyH,
I like Caitlin, too, but not because of the show, because of the GN, "Petrified Lightning," that went with the ep. The use of mythology to build characterization and thematic development gave me hope for the Ireland storyline in a way that the storyline, itself, didn't. I recommend it, if you haven't read it already.
Posted by Susan | October 12, 2007 6:41 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 06:41:
Otto,
I've enjoyed your reviews and always look forward to them ... even this one.
You're right about this episode having many flaws. I was quite disappointed after watching it. The premiere was pretty good and "Lizards" got me excited that Heroes was back. Now this? It worries me.
(Although, having watched the EPK clips for "The Kindness of Strangers" and if the Petrelli clip is any indication, the show should be back on track next week ... I hope.)
RE: Hiro contacting Ando ... while I liked it in theory, I really did not appreciate revisiting the first two episodes. Episode three is not the time to give a somewhat lengthy re-cap. (Really, how much time did it take and couldn't it have been used for say ... I don't know, Nathan and Mama Petrelli or the whole murder mystery?) Revisit stories in episode 10? Maybe. Episode 23, definitely, but episode 3?!?!
If they really wanted to show how Hiro contacted Ando, it would have been less aggravating introduce it in the premiere or save it for later in the season ... er Volume. Speaking of Volumes, I wouldn't think they would have time for fillers with shorter story arcs.
Posted by Manila | October 12, 2007 9:50 AM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 09:50:
Hey there Otto!
After commenting nothing for some time, I just wanted to say that I agree with you on 90 percent of this recap. Definitely on "weakest episode of this show", because that's what it was: really weak and really disappointing for a huge Heroes-fan like me. The only storyline making this episode bearable was Sylar's plus some neat scenes as HRG finding out about his death or Peter showing is bad-ass side.
Gosh, I REALLY hope they give us something better next time because so far, the show has gone from super great (ep 1.23) to good (2.01) to okay (2.02) and to bad (2.03).
Keep up the good work, I like your reviews :)
Manila
Posted by Steve | October 12, 2007 3:35 PM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 15:35:
I'm absolutely shocked that any of you incredibly talented and intelligent people haven't figured this out:
It's not Noah in "Painting #8."
Sylar just offed Candice and has her power. The whole point of half of last season was to save Claire from Sylar, yet five years in the future...or at least in *a* future...Sylar-as-President Petrelli is still seeking her (and in fact finally gets her.)
That's not Noah laying there with his eye dotted. It's Sylar.
How's that for a happy scenario, KellyH?
Posted by Jack | October 12, 2007 4:27 PM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 16:27:
I hate whiny critics!
Posted by Otto | October 12, 2007 7:44 PM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 19:44:
Thanks for pointing out the clarification in the commentary, Raissa. Did you think it was obvious from the episode, though? I mean, of the 10m+ viewers who watch the show every week, how many of them check out the commentary? It's not like the show was relying on the commentary to explain the story, but in this case I don't think the ambiguity in the scene was intentional, and I don't know if the show should be counting on its audience watching the commentary for clarification on the plot. Maybe I'm the only one who found it unintentionally ambiguous. Glancing at message boards, it doesn't seem to me like anyone was sure one way or the other. But I think the question here is whether viewers should need to watch the commentary for the details in the plot to be clear.
I agree that Claire's bad at choosing her boyfriends, and I like the point you make about the example which the men in her life have set. West is definitely an improvement on Brody in the sense that he hasn't tried to rape her, but is that saying much? I mean, it's sort of like saying Ricky's a good person because he didn't shoot the security guard. The fact that West hasn't done anything unequivocally immoral doesn't put him into "good" territory. It just means he's not yet a villain.
Great point about Claire's feelings on Noah quitting The Company for her sake. There are so many conflicted feelings there ... I just wish an episode like this could be used to address those feelings.
UB, nice take on Matt's jealousy and selfishness; the look he gave Mohinder probably does boil down to that. I think it's also a reproachful look, like, "How can you pretend everything's all right when you know you're going to get yourself killed and crush this kid's heart?" I agree, selfishness is definitely a part of it. Would you say Matt sees himself as the better foster parent?
KellyH -- worst episode ever? Hah! I don't know, I thought "Better Halves" was a little better, but not by much. I think it helps that we're looking back on that episode with a little more perspective, whereas it's difficult to say how this one will resonate later on. With "Better Halves," we got a sense of the dynamic between D.L., Micah and Niki, and Eden working for The Company turned out to be pretty important, and Hiro watching the gamblers get ripped apart is part of what persuaded him to go back in time to save Charlie. So I don't know ... Maybe this episode will turn out to be the starting point for several story developments the way "Better Halves" did. I hope so.
It's cool if you think I was too harsh on this one; I mean, it'd get boring if we always had exactly the same reaction to the show, so I like that we respond to it differently.
Pushing Daisies -- I checked out the pilot and thought it was excellent. It's not one of the shows I'd watch every week, but it seemed very fresh and quirky and innovative, so it deserves all the success it achieves.
Do you think West will stick around? I don't know ... I think the way you reacted to Isaac's death last season is an example of why we shouldn't count on any of the cast surviving for too long. :)
I can't agree with you about Sylar. I think there's enormous potential for character development, it just depends on whether it's done convincingly and whether it leads to drama that's worth watching. I think the idea this week was to show that Sylar's become a guinea pig for The Company, and the way Quinto brought out the character's craziness and desperation was part of what made that fun to watch. It's a world away from the guy who was eating ice cream and making fireballs in his hands. The potential for development is how Sylar reacts to that distance between where he was and where he is now. It's working for me, but I think it's one of those "YMMV" things.
Susan: thanks for reading, and thank you for the kind words. I'm worried for the show too, particularly for the reason you mention about the season being broken into smaller volumes. You'd think, if the volume's half the length it was last season, they'd be telling the story at twice the speed. At the rate they're going, the volume's going to be over before they even finish setting it up. I have faith in the show's writers, but I'm also wondering if we're going to go through this exact same "slow set-up" phase when Volume Three starts.
I agree, next week's episode looks a lot better.
Manila -- word to everything you said. I thought the Sylar and Noah threads almost saved the episode, and the Dark Peter moment said a lot about the character. But for me, those were only a few upsides next to a lot of downsides, so the end result, like you say, was disappointing.
Steve, very cool theory about Sylar masquerading as Noah. It'd make sense that he'd go for Claire's ability now, especially after the injury from the sword. Can you imagine how much fun it would be for Coleman to play Sylar?
Here's a thought, though: if Sylar-as-Noah is dead in the painting, wouldn't he revert from his "Noah" illusion back to Sylar? That's what happened with Candice this week, so are we thinking that the moment which the painting captures is the moment right *before* Sylar's illusion vanishes? What do you think?
Jack: Thanks for the feedback. I hate whiny critics too.
Posted by Raissa | October 12, 2007 8:29 PM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 20:29:
Otto,
I didn't think it was ambiguous. But, I'm an English major, who reads context clues very easily -- 2.1 establishes the virus as a theme, 2.2 continues in that vein. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that a character in search of a cure in 2.3 is also dealing with the virus. In fact, I think Sylar is dealing with the virus, too, in a way. My theory is that the Company developed the virus originally as a power inhibitor to keep useful specials like Sylar on a leash when necessary. The virus then mutated over time and became fatal
Posted by Raissa | October 12, 2007 9:51 PM:
Posted on October 12, 2007 21:51:
Re: the painting -- http://heroeswiki.com/Image:Painting_eight_of_eight.jpg
I don't think Claire is kissing Mystery Guy. The shadow area of his form seems to extend above her head outside the frame. Plus, Claire isn't leaning up out of frame for a kiss, as the short HP would have to do when they recreated the scene on camera. She looks like she's actually leaning into or being held against his shoulder.
Posted by Raissa | October 13, 2007 12:09 AM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 00:09:
More on the painting: I could be wrong, but I think Claire is dying or dead in the arms of Mystery Guy. The shoulder of her cheerleading outfit appears to be torn, exposing skin (the same color as her arm) indicating an earlier struggle. Also, the sleeve is light blue, but the skirt is purplish, possibly indicating blood seaping downward from a wound that Mystery Guy's form is concealing. What if Noah dies trying trying to get Claire away from Mystery Guy, and Mystery Guy kills her before or after Noah's death to keep her quiet and facilitate transport? What if Mystery Guy is Superhoodie, linking the first and last paintings in the series?
Posted by Daniel P | October 13, 2007 12:44 AM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 00:44:
Otto, first off, I really enjoy your reviews. Very nice and entertaining style.
Okay, I really do believe you're going way too harshly on this episode, and you seemed to have missed some things.
Peter obviously isn't very confident in his abilities, indicated by his (fan-servicey) attempts at shooting lightning. What other choice would he have but to go along with the plan? And as for the plan, Peter did get rid of the guards before they could do anything, and they (excluding Caitlin) certainly didn't know about what Peter could do. The dialogue definitely could've been fixed to make it more obvious, but I think the intent was clear. But is how the robbery played out really that important? As for the robbery itself, the whole editing thing? Will and Tuko were busy with the box, and perhaps Ricky was distracted as well, though I doubt it. Still, him sparing the guy was a nice way to go. And would it really have mattered if the guy was knocked out or not? He already saw them.
The gang was just amazed at the amount of money they managed to take,and made a toast to it. There was no implication that they were going to take it for themselves (save for Will).
None of the questions you supposed Claire would ask could actually work. Bennet knows nothing beyond Meredith simply being her mother, and that she's pyrokinetic. They probably discussed this, but how far could they possible go? As for the healing limits, it's obvious Bennet doesn't know either, especially since he keeps warning her of how her limits would be pushed beyond. Peter? Everyone thinks he's dead. Why bother trying? I'm also pretty sure that Bennet has learned his lesson about abusing the Haitian's ability. At least, he would take it in moderation. Just because someone loses their memory, doesn't mean they've saved themselves. Full precautions, I'd imagine.
As for West, wouldn't Claire's first concern HAVE to be convincing a guy who saw her toe grow back? Especially when bringing police into the equation would make things even more complicated? Besides, it's not as if the creeping thing wasn't addressed.
West wasn't insulting Claire's parents or her. After all, lizards were a subject of importance to Claire, and served as a parallel, so why not bring it up as such?
I thought at first that Claire was crying after school, though it'd be a stretch. Nonetheless, West telling her to shut up wasn't in a jackass-ish way, even if the whole "I take it..." thing wasn't the most kind thing to say. It's just that he was putting to rest any notion of Claire's that he would turn her in. And the flying was West's own way of showing that he was confiding in her. All Claire's ideas of being turned in and not being herself were smashed to pieces when West made that gesture. I think it was a very natural way for the plot to progress.
The better power conversation doesn't mean that her desire to help people isn't negated. It's just some innocent teenager talk, except about superpowers. Also, just because Claire had seen her dad do worse things, it doesn't mean that West's dilemma isn't important.
I really don't see how the recounting of Hiro's adventures is so bad. I mean, skipping it would kind of just make things confusing, and they certainly didn't abuse it. Besides, who knows what could be in the rest of those scrolls?
As for Yaeko's father--he isn't forgotten. Hiro and Yaeko NEED Kensei to help rescue her father, so of course they have to spend their time getting him to come around. I also disagree on Yaeko's character taking a step back. She obviously wants to trust Kensei, from the very beginning. When he didn't do anything, of course she'd be pissed and try to take matters into her own hands. "Kensei" proving his heroism by rescuing her from Whitebeard would obviously regain her affections.
Kensei's development from the battle feels natural, even as the problem of skipping it all persists. I mean, fighting through all those men for the scroll (which contains the secrets of Whitebeard) must make a man stronger--especially for one who's always fought dirty.
Maya did something greatly different from previous episodes. She used her powers on purpose. A major step up from Niki, who didn't even use her power until episode 12. What's more, she was actually willing to harm, and possibly kill, others for personal gain. Alejandro may have been there to fix things, but just because a solution was found, doesn't make Maya's willingness to risk other's lives any less dark.
Posted by Raissa | October 13, 2007 3:35 AM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 03:35:
Looking at the painting again, it could either be a tear or her hair; the coloring of the two is very close. We'll have to see.
Posted by Otto | October 13, 2007 10:58 AM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 10:58:
Raissa, I'm glad if most people didn't find the reference to a "cure" unclear. If that's the case, I retract the point. But in an episode in which Niki had that "NO powers!" conversation with Micah and was talking about starting a new life, it seemed to me like being cured of her ability was equally an option.
With the painting, you may not be looking at the best image. Try THIS one. I could be wrong, but it definitely looks to me like Claire's kissing Mystery Guy.
Daniel P, thank you for your feedback. I really appreciate the care that went into your post.
I think it's inevitable that some people will think I'm too harsh and some people will think I'm too lenient. Everyone responds to the show differently, and I can't write a review that caters to every response. All I can do is give my honest reaction and hope it isn't unfairly harsh or lenient.
You make some great points, and I'm going to tackle them in order.
What other choice did Peter have but to go along with the plan? I'd say he could run, he could ask Caitlin to help him get the box (probably wouldn't happen, but it's worth a shot), or he could grab the box and either make it out of the pub and get to freedom or get pinned down by the gangsters and become agitated enough to channel his abilities. Either way, it's preferable to taking part in an armed robbery; Peter's lost his memory, not his sense of right and wrong.
You're right, Peter got rid of the guards by TK'ing the car. But was that part of the original plan? It's not like Ricky & Co. were expecting the first guard with the box to activate the alarm. So was Peter along for the heist in case something like this happened? I think if we need to speculate and make assumptions like that, it's a sign that the scene wasn't especially well thought through.
Were Ricky & Co. going to hand the money over to McSorley? I didn't take those laughs to be "Now we can pay off our debts!" laughs. They're more "We're filthy rich! Cheers!" laughs.
You're right, Noah knows nothing about Meredith -- but Claire doesn't know that Noah knows nothing. Without it devolving into a "Company Man" recap, I would have imagined that Claire would want to know how she was found and how she was adopted.
Is it obvious that Noah knows nothing about regeneration? You could have argued that he knew nothing about Ted's radioactivity, but he seemed to understand it much better than Ted did in ".07%." The Company clearly has extensive research on a number of abilities, and Noah was offering Claire the opportunity to ask him questions about how her ability works. I'd still say the questions I posed, while intended to be humorous, were all valid.
Why bother trying to locate Peter with the tracking system? Well, why NOT bother? Nathan doesn't believe he's dead, and Claire is in contact with Nathan, and since Angela was convinced that Peter would regenerate after the explosion, why not try to make sure he isn't dead? Probably something that will be explained later, but I thought it was a point worth making.
The Haitian wiping West's memory was intended as a joke, but even if you look at it seriously, the implication is that it takes a LOT of memory wipes to damage someone. Sandra repeatedly had her memory erased. I think West would be safe after two memory wipes.
Claire's response to West: it strikes me as odd that she goes with the defensive "But, but, but...it was a pedicure!" approach. She could equally have gone with "Stay away from me or I press charges for attempted B&E." Probably wouldn't work with West, but it might scare him enough to keep quiet.
The hypothetical question about a lizard mating with a human and producing a lizard-girl offspring seemed about as direct an insinuation as you can get. I'm not sure how Claire could hear that and NOT find it offensive.
The "Shut up" thing was intended to reassure Claire, I agree. But don't you think it was a jackass-ish way to reassure her? And don't you think the flight was just a dramatic way to overlook the way West treated her up until that point? It seemed to brush aside a lot of West's behavior, and that struck me as a little false.
I agree, Claire's conversation with Noah about helping people isn't negated by the skydiving jokes. But it seemed like a step back, especially when Claire would remember the Haitian warning her to use her gift accordingly. This was supposed to be light-hearted, but it came across as irresponsible, at least to me.
As you say, it's not like West's dilemma is unimportant. I think that if Noah's going to get the kind of glare he got from Claire at the end of this episode, though, it should be for something he really deserves to be hated for. On the totem pole of crimes which Noah deserves to be held accountable for, traumatizing a guy who acts like a jerk doesn't strike me as especially innocuous.
With Yaeko wanting to save her father: she needed Kensei on board, sure. But a reference to her father would have been nice while she was sitting in the forest and contemplating the mystery behind her great love and enjoying the cherry blossoms. One line of dialogue wouldn't make for heavy-handed exposition; it would be good continuity.
Kensei retrieving the Fire Scroll would definitely make him stronger, I agree. He'll be more determined to embrace his destiny, and he'll probably be a better swordsman after this. The problem for me is that Kensei had absolutely no motivation to go through the ordeal. He didn't know why he needed to get the scroll. Because of that, I have a hard time buying into the idea that he's now embraced his destiny to save Japan. He needs to understand why he's being hacked to pieces or he won't have a reason to fight.
With Maya, I agree that the thread's moving faster than Niki's. I think that's to be expected given the shorter length of the volume and TPTBs emphasis on not repeating their mistakes in the previous season, but I think the "murder" scene lost a lot of its impact because we knew Alejandro would come to the rescue.
Posted by Raissa | October 13, 2007 5:42 PM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 17:42:
You're right. It does look like she's kissing him, which just doesn't make sense. I don't care what kind of problems Noah and Claire are having, she wouldn't kiss a guy feet from Noah's corpse. That's not consistent with how she's been written up to now, so we're obviously missing something.
Posted by Daniel P | October 13, 2007 7:07 PM:
Posted on October 13, 2007 19:07:
No problem. I'm always up to discuss.
I really don't think Peter would run--it'd betray his entire need for the box. Asking Caitlin just wouldn't seem right--she's Ricky's sister; Peter couldn't ask her to do that. I doubt Peter would even make it to the door, and it'd take only a couple of seconds for Ricky to destroy the box. Besides, that'd be really risking it. On the matter of his feelings of right or wrong, with Peter almost killing a person, and Peter doubting himself, I'd say his sense of right and wrong is really skewed. Besides, he's desperate.
Actually, I was talking about distracting the guards initially. Sorry for the flawed language. He did, in a sense, get rid of the guards with his distraction, before they could do anything about the theft. Perhaps I'm stretching the language here, but...
I dunno, I'd think any thief would be pretty happy about gaining that kind of money. Regardless of how they laughed though, there wasn't an actual mention of taking it for themselves. I know the writers have made their mistakes, but I seriously doubt they'd forget about McSorley (and I believe McSorley may be one of the original 12).
Well, who's to say they didn't discuss this in the four month period we missed? It's not like their combined knowledge would have any profound effects on either character. So Claire figured out how and why she was adopted? I think who she came from was a bigger issue.
True, true, Bennet knows about Ted's radioactivity (either that, or he figured that Ted's ability over radiation would logically extend to EMPs). Still, Claire herself supposed to her father what she could do, but Bennet only warned her that the Company would try and test her limits.
I don't think we should pass judgment on this until we've seen exactly what's going on with Peter.
Just because it doesn't so long lasting damage, it doesn't mean that memory wiping is something Claire or the family would be gung-ho for. Besides, I'd think the Haitian would really have to lay low, or he may be off doing things involving taking down the Company. And even if West's memory was wiped, they'd probably still have to run.
For one thing, West only saw something through her window, and he himself said he was intending to give her the book. Not breaking and entering, and barely creeping. Besides, pressing charges would involve lots of people and officials. That'd be the exact opposite of laying low.
Annoying Claire was the whole point, so I suppose you're right, but West's intent wasn't to directly insult, just force her to come clean.
West really only antagonized her during that single science lesson, and she only completely viewed him negatively during that one episode. Earlier on, I do feel I saw some attraction. Anyways, I don't think it was jackass-ish. It's attitude-ish, sure, but the intent was still kind. As for the flying and Claire's forgiveness, let's break it down. West, aware of Claire's specialness to some extent since first meeting her, has been trying to coax her into being who she is. Claire, while wanting the same, also is forced to hide it from everyone. She's even forced to do so when West sees her pedicuring her toe off. When West has to take harsher methods, Claire finally admits it, but cannot partake in the joy of being herself for once, as she thinks she's confessing to someone who'll turn her in. However, West's gesture of flying shows that he is not going to do anything to her, that he trusts her enough to show his own secret, and that Claire has found someone who she can completely be herself. She doesn't have to pretend to be stupid, or incapable of doing a backflip, or that she doesn't have a power. As such, she forgives West, because he wanted all this time was for her to be herself, something she's wanted ever since she went into hiding.
Well, just because you have a gift that you want to help others with, doesn't mean you can't just relax and talk about it every once in a while.
Glare? Claire just looked a little conflicted. No way she's going to hate him or anything. Just, now, she has conflicting loyalties. Two people she really cares about, and them meeting face to face (speaking of, West and Bennet never got a good look at each other--not sure if you already know this, just saying) would make things really, really, bad.
Actually, Hiro mentioned to Kensei after he discovered his father that they needed to rescue Yaeko's father. I know Hiro's not Yaeko, but the issue is definitely not forgotten.
Well, he does have motivation. The Fire Scroll contains information about Whitebeard, who's holding Yaeko's father. Naturally, the Fire Scroll would help Kensei defeat Whitebeard. Besides, Hiro forced it upon Kensei, so what choice would he have? Still, I'm not sure or not if the Fire Scroll's purpose was already mentioned in the show or just in Heroes 360--I suppose that's a problem.
True, Alejandro saving those men those kind of save Maya from committing a dark deed, the fact remains that Maya was willing to risk their lives for her own gain.
Posted by tree1138 | October 14, 2007 9:28 PM:
Posted on October 14, 2007 21:28:
Otto, I just have to say that your reviews and the comments people post are make this my favorite Heroes review.
About DL I haven't given up hope that he is alive. Based on the fact that Super Hoodie has attacked people and not had a problem with encountering hard objects like walls and the ground, Super Hoodie could be DL at one attack. And since I think after Peter exploded he was picked up by Kensei, or Kensei's group, and brain wiped at some facility. In this hypothetical situation he could have met DL and absorbed his power there.
Posted by The Universal Guardian | October 15, 2007 4:31 AM:
Posted on October 15, 2007 04:31:
Thanks for these blogs, Mr. Otto. Good stuff all around. After i read this review, i went back to the season finale and was very shocked and glad to hear exactly what i've been saying about it all along: Sylar versus Peter. I expected much more from such a buildup between these two powerhouses, but the final bout between the two was nothing more than a whimper. I was reminded of the Brock Lesner/Goldberg fight from Wrestlemania 20, which had wonderful, edge of your seat buildup...then...sputter.
As for your reviews of the new season...i like them. I was p_____ when we had yet another episode of Hiro stuck in the past, and the Wonder Twins still stuck in Mexico(yeah, i know it is a large country, but i'm reminded of the annoying decompression in Season 1, where Ando and Hiro took what? 4 or five episodes to get to Las Vegas or New York). Anyway, Sylar's subplot is very interesting indeed...and it seems to be confirmed that Candience was killed by him. Talk about deserving a "Dumb As Award"...wouldn't the Company warned her about Sylar's behavior and abilities?
The Peter subplot was equally frustrating;Open the d@@# box already and get this show on the road! I think the writers of the show should give Peter some type of limit to his abilities. I mean, after all, The Legion of Superheroes had Ultra Boy, who had all the abilities of Superman, but could only use one at a time; X-men had the Mimic, who i think had a limit on how many powers he could copy.
I eagerly wait to get the "Golden Age of Heroes" story, i.e. the backstory of the Heroes who formed the Company. Also wouldn't mind more nods to comic conventions. We have seen a time-travel story last season...maybe we'll get an Earth-2-esque story arc, or maybe even Earth-3? I know it sends a chill down many a fans' spine, but what can i say...i'm a fan of superhero comics:).