Overview:
While under the influence of Usutu's magic goop, Hiro witnesses events that led up to the pilot episode: Arthur ordered Nathan's death, Linderman betrayed Arthur, and Angela tried to kill Arthur to protect her family; Meredith was captured, recruited and released by The Company, inbetween helping her incarcerated idiot brother escape; and it turns out Chandra wasn't solely responsible for Sylar's killing spree, because apparently Noah and Elle were under Company orders to trigger and document an instance of Sylar's serial-killing rampage. In the present, Arthur shows up in the Desert of Clairvoyance, Usutu gets beheaded, and Hiro has reason to say AAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!
Review:
I want to make sure I've got this right:
Previously on Heroes: the show started. Then there was a flashback episode set before it started. Then it moved onto a season that fast-forwarded four months. Then there was another flashback episode that rewound four months. Between this, there were episodes set in the past and the future, myriad graphic novels depicting events before, during and after the on-screen story, and a tie-in novel embellishing the story we got a glimpse of in the original flashback.
With all of that in mind, it's hardly surprising that internal consistency is an issue. If the prospect of the show undoing what little continuity there was until now doesn't appeal to you, brace yourself, because this episode butchers several key parts of the backstory. If you're also not especially eager to watch characters rewritten and villains redeemed, chances are this episode will again fall flat on its face for you.
If that wasn't enough to put you off, this is possibly the strongest episode of the season so far. The show's essentially asking you to let the backstory and consistency go for the sake of the current story and characters. If you're willing to go along with that -- and that's a big "if" -- this is a defining episode for several characters, and one of the best the show has to offer.
V.O. Mohinder rambles about an individual's capacity for good and the fork in the road between heroism and villainy. It's lucid enough, and, for once, relevant to the episode. Chandra's appearance in the recap makes his absence in the episode all the more mystifying, but never mind. Claire's appearance at the moment the monologue hits the word "light" also seems like an ominous confirmation to what's hinted at in the episode, and in the preview for next week's episode -- that Claire's the Chosen One that Papa Sulu mentioned in his video for Hiro.
We cut to the Desert of Clairvoyance. Hiro nibbles at Usutu's paste and goes clairvoyant. This involves Hiro getting the glazed eyes and falling flat on his back -- duplicating what we saw in the previous episode -- and a questionable visual effect to convey that Hiro's mind is "floating" through space and time.
Did any of this need to be here? It's as if the show didn't dare make another flashback episode without a pretext. The three or four occasions when we cut to Hiro in the desert do nothing for the storylines the episode focuses on. If anything, they slow them down. Establishing that we're seeing the story through the eyes of a character creates more problems than it solves: what would Hiro make of scenes populated with characters he barely knows or never met? More importantly, if he's about to be whammied by Arthur and regress to the mental state of a 10 year old, does the fact that we see this story through Hiro's eyes even matter? "Six Months Ago" didn't justify its purpose with any kind of a narrative framework. It didn't need to. I can't help thinking this screen time could have been used to either expand on the ElderSuper backstory -- particularly Adam's role in it, which we'll get to -- or to incorporate the Matt/Knox thread which Beeman this week mentions in his blog.
We cut to Petrelli Castle, 18 months ago. The timeframe, we learn, is important, firstly because this predates everything in "Six Months Ago," and secondly because other parts of Hiro's flashback only date back a year. This is apparently a flashback with a mind of its own and which carefully selects the timeframes Hiro needs to see. Whatever, show.
Arthur stands on the gargantuan Petrelli staircase, thanks a bunch of unknown guests, praises Nathan and a once-again-floppy-haired Peter, and toasts to "the love of his life." And amazingly ...
... the way they look at one another, and the way Forster delivers that line, you can believe the sentiment went both ways.
Linderman: "My king, my queen, congratulations."
Angela: "Thank you, Daniel."
First time it's been established on-screen that Linderman deferred to Arthur beyond legal ties, and the first time Linderman's been called by his first name by anyone on-screen.
An attempt to shift the balance of power from Linderman to Arthur? An attempt to humanize the mobster mastermind behind the bomb plot in the first season? An attempt to emphasize Arthur as the Daddy Villain this season? You decide. For me, it's one of the few retcons in this episode that's difficult to get over.
It just about fits with the graphic novels if this is the kid who took orders from Sergeant Petrelli in Vietnam; but even then, it doesn't fit with the way Linderman later showed up to offer Arthur a role within The Company. The balance of power from that point was always in Linderman's favor, and even if you discard the graphic novels and stick with the show's canon, it never seemed like Linderman was anyone's lackey -- which is essentially how he's written here. By the time Nathan confronted him in "Parasite," Linderman was the guy pulling all the strings.
To be fair, we don't know if Nathan and Linderman met again before the confrontation at the Corinthian. But we go from Nathan threatening the chafe of handcuffs and Linderman's palpable concern here ...
... to the pot pie scene in "Parasite," when Linderman's close to untouchable and Nathan's trembling under the guy's menace. Like Meredith and Elle, Linderman was rewritten for this episode to work. Does that drag his scenes down? In no way. But it underlines one of this season's biggest flaws: that character behavior's being tailored to fit the requirements of the story.
Arthur mind-reads Nathan and realizes he'll go down with Linderman if Nathan goes ahead with the prosecution. Neat effect: I love how it's so much smoother and less choppy a cut-cut-cut than it is with Maury or Matt. It's consistent with the guy who sucked up Sylar's intuitive aptitude without worrying about The Hunger, and who took on the Tears of Death without wondering if he'd be able to control them. I was hoping this episode would establish if Arthur absorbs abilities without leaving the original host dry, but we're left to speculate about whether Arthur really does "take it all and leave nothing behind": if he didn't get the mind-reading and mind-control from Maury, it seems like he sucked the whammy out of some other poor sucker over the past couple of decades, and Maury coming along with the same power was a coincidence.
Arthur assures Linderman that dissuading someone as single-minded as Nathan is a lost cause, and Linderman asks, "What do we do?" Again, it fits with the directionless miracle-healer kid who looked up to his confident commanding officer. But Linderman? The guy with unfathomable resources and enormous finances and clairvoyant paintings spanning centuries? Linderman is asking what he needs to do? I don't buy it.
Arthur calmly decides to kill his son.
^ ^ Appalled!
And this is the guy who later rationally explains to Nathan that killing off .07% of the population is an acceptable loss. You could argue that Linderman distinguishes genocide from killing one's own child; or simply that his perspective changed. But this character has a conscience. He's not the character who later lets Nathan in on the plan to nuke New York.
Memphis, Tennessee. If you didn't catch the license plate on the truck, a helpful chyron establishes the location. I find it amusing that the show expects us to follow elaborate time-jumping storylines but doesn't think we'll catch a location on a license plate. And, thinking about it for a second, I wonder if Hiro can see these chyrons. If he can't, does he know this is only set one year ago instead of 18 months ago? There's another reason why the framework around the episode doesn't work.
Meredith and Flint hold up a convenience store. Meredith goes straight for the cash register. Flint goes for the microwavable popcorn. I'm still trying to figure out if we were supposed to find Flint this entertaining from the moment he was introduced. Judging from the way his blue-pyro reign of terror was included in the recap -- accompanied by a monologue about people going "horribly wrong" -- I'm guessing not. It's not exactly objectionable if the show uses a Level 5 villain for comic relief; I recall a moment at the bank when Blake Shields came across as too eminently likable to ever play a convincing villain. But the Level 5 inmates were conceived as the most vicious villains alive. Call me crazy, but doesn't microwavable popcorn undermine that?
Welcome back, Eric Roberts!
Thompson shows up to hose Flint.
Roberts looks like he can barely conceal how much he's enjoying playing the action hero ...
... and Blake Shields definitely looks like he prefers playing a big dumb kid to a ruthless psychokiller.
Meredith diverts Thompson's attention and tells Flint to run. Flint, spectacularly obedient to his sister, complies.
"Brooklyn, New York, one year ago." The way the shots move between mirrors and magnifying glasses is perfect. The ticking clock and the broken piano theme in the background are superb. And Zach's ability to slip into the neurotic, nerdy watchmaker's son is as flawless as ever.
The show's reluctance to rely on our memory and common sense isn't so admirable. We're inundated with shots of Sylar conking Brian over the head with a slab of quartz. The show would have you believe this is to emphasize Sylar's intense distress over his first kill. If you're cynical, you realize it's because the show doesn't expect us to remember that without repeated visual aids.
Sylar prepares the noose and pushes the chair aside.
Beautiful shot. Very precise, and very carefully thought out. A lot of shots in this episode display Allan Arkush and Nate Goodman's trademark precision and technical wizardry, but I love how elements of the direction and photography support the story: a surreal shot like this sets up why Sylar believes Elle's an angel when she saves him.
Elle tells Sylar that "everything's gonna be OK." She tells him that "everybody does bad things," that she's "felt exactly how [Sylar's] feeling right now," and that sometimes it helps to "talk about it."
Humor me: read that last paragraph again. The next time we see this character ...
... she'll be stroking Peter's earlobes, fondling his hair, Ellectrozapping him for kicks and playing the unhinged-and-dangerously-unstable sex-kitten role to perfection.
My point isn't that the way Elle's written here doesn't make sense. It does -- as much as Elle's role in the Company storyline in Season Two did. I vastly prefer the way Elle's written here to the way she was written in Season Two, so I can't hold this particular course correction against the episode; and, to be fair, the performance Kristen gave during Season Two -- even when she was whiny and pouty and obnoxious and when I hated her with the passion of a thousand fiery suns -- was as complex as the performance she gives here. My point is that Elle shouldn't have been written one way, then another, and then the first way again. This episode reestablishes that's Elle a Company cautionary tale, but it also portrays her as sensitive, charming and perceptive. She's putting on an act, but only up to a point: the implication is that she genuinely cared about Sylar and didn't want to watch The Company destroy his life. Within the show's continuity, that's then effaced by the Season Two sociopathic Ellectrozap-happy brat with the mental age of an eight year old, only for Elle to then bizarrely rediscover the complexity she had at this point in the show's chronology at the start of Season Three.
I guess we can write this off if it turns out Elle has a moral crisis, turns against The Company and gets lobotomized. But the question is whether we should need to speculate that far. The character here -- and the character throughout Season Three so far -- is a polar opposite to the character we met in Season Two.
Elle leaves Gray & Sons. As she walks away we get a glimpse of the clock outside the shop. The time on the clock is ...
Oh, show. Clever, clever show. For that, I forgive inconsistent characterization.
The Primatech Van? Very cute.
Elle asks why she and Noah can't B&T Sylar and analyze his ability with the standard vivisection. Noah (although, at this point, I guess he's not "Noah," or even "Daddy Bennet": he's "Anonymous Evil Trenchcoat Guy") exposits that whales won't sing in captivity. Given the way we've watched Sylar snack on Bridget Bailey in captivity, I'd say that theory's been refuted. In Noah's defense, there's no way he could have known that at this point.
Props to all of the cast for climbing back into their characters two years earlier. Coleman does a particularly stellar job. He's fortunate because his material in this episode is wholly assignment-oriented -- the way it was in the pilot -- allowing him to slip into his early-Season-One character gracefully. Noah walks with a more confident stride; his tone of voice becomes level and less emotional; his eyes convey resolve instead of anxiety. You can believe this is the guy who taunts Mohinder in the cab and lies so convincingly to his family.
Noah: "Pie!"
Pushing Daisies shout-out? It was written and filmed long before the drama over the past week, but if there's a subtext to that line, it screams, "Only you can save us, Bryan!"
Primatech Fun Factory. Meredith asks if they can skip the bulls**t and go right to the deal Thompson wants to cut with her. It's remarkable for the way Jessalyn Gilsig gets it across: it's more shrewd and to-the-point than it is b**chy, which is in line with the character she played all along.
Thompson asks Meredith why she hates The Company. Her reasons come out before the episode's over, so I'm not sure the melodramatic pause here was necessary. But the intriguing question is why Thompson doesn't already know what Meredith's reasons are. Meredith obviously knows it was Company agents who broke into her home 14 years earlier. It's not clear how she knows, but given that Thompson's reading Meredith's history out to her, and given that we've seen Thompson hand Claire over to Noah, the question is why Thompson doesn't immediately make the connection between Meredith and Claire. The only explanation is he doesn't know Meredith is Claire's mother; and if Noah and Claude tried to B&T a firestarter, brought the woman's baby back to The Company and never once mentioned the identity of the firestarter they were trying to take down in the first place, you really have to wonder how an organization with such serious communication issues lasted so long.
Petrelli Castle. Nathan shows up, Arthur implores Nathan to drop the Linderman case, and Nathan insists he's going to free the family from Linderman's "toxic" influence.
It's difficult to say what's running through Arthur's mind in this moment. Forster plays his scenes with enigmatic brilliance, but I think you could argue this look conveys admiration for Nathan's resolve as much as it does resigned acceptance about what he now needs to do.
Adrian channels the confident, steely-eyed gaze he delivered so well throughout the first season, and reminds me why I'm still looking forward to Nathan's scenes with Arthur in the present more than anything else for the rest of this volume.
The repeat of the crash from "Six Months Ago" is brief and manages not to come across as an attempt to harvest scenes from earlier episodes. Looking back, I wish we could have gotten a reaction from Angela or Arthur about Nathan manifesting an ability. We now know they were waiting to gauge whether his synthetic ability was successful; you'd think whatever details Linderman's goons fed back about their target launching into the air would be worth a line or two in the next scene.
Nathan waits outside Heidi's room at the hospital and learns she's paralyzed. Adrian delivers what remains one of his most earnest and compelling performances. It doesn't borrow from the show's early brilliance any more than the car chase did, but, perhaps unfortunately, it reminds us that a lot of recent material on the show doesn't come close to topping this early brilliance.
The little gasp of horror Angela lets out when they find out Heidi's spine is broken was well played by Cristine. Angela looks like she starts to connect the dots right away, so the fact that she doesn't immediately order Linderman to work the Be-Healed Whammy on Heidi just about flies. But then, Adam's locked up at the Hartsdale facility at this point, so it's not like the Magik Blood wasn't an option worth considering. I'm surprised there wasn't any mention of this. It was an ideal opportunity to bring Adam into the story, and the guy was effectively erased from the backstory this week.
Again, beautifully shot. I love how Angela's like a blurry backdrop to the drama between the brothers, but I think it's also interesting that Arthur's kept out of this particular shot, as if he's peripheral to the family unit. He's responsible for this accident, so I guess a shot like this reinforces that it's now "them" against him.
Arthur and Angela return to Petrelli Castle. Arthur insists Linderman wouldn't dare go after Nathan on his own. I think the Season-One Linderman most definitely would, but perhaps this wimpier lapdog Linderman wouldn't.
Angela's expression ...
... more or less sets up her doubt, but also conveys how much she wants to push back her suspicion and fool herself into trusting the man she loves. When Angela tells Arthur she loves him, you can believe it. And when Arthur removes his glasses, looks at his wife ...
... and lies to her face about an attempt to murder their son, you're hard-pressed not to sympathize with the woman for poisoning him and wanting him dumped in a Company incinerator.
Thompson and Meredith visit a ramshackle shelter to apprehend a superpowered war veteran named Danny Pine. Thompson introduces himself as a Veterans Affairs official. Danny wants to know what happened to Scofield.
Fox River? Panama?
The metal arm is a neat touch, as is ...
... the little smile Meredith gets when she captures her first target. It's a fateful irony that, barely a year later, her daughter gets the same smile when she captures her first target.
Queens, New York. I wanted to call this place the Pie Hole, but the ABC lawyers would probably come after me, so I'm settling for the Morally Gray Apartment. Whatever we call it, it's a testament to the detail that goes into making the show, from Papa Gray's company-headed paper to the SuperMap Eden and Mohinder find in "One Giant Leap."
Again, plus points for continuity; it dovetails perfectly with Sylar's first batch of victims in Season One, and with the reveal in the graphic novels that Sylar was working from a fragment of Chandra's list.
Elle shows up with pie and tells Sylar she's been thinking about him. She shows an interest in Sylar's list, and Sylar -- determined to be special in Elle's eyes -- snatches it from her. Sylar demonstrates his ability. Elle wonders about the people with abilities like Sylar's, and Sylar -- determined to be special in Elle's eyes -- immediately shuts down the conversation and asks about the pie. It's one of the more consistent parts of Sylar's character arc, and Rob Fresco brings it out with remarkable subtlety.
Primatech Fun Factory. It's worth noting that Meredith goes along with her assignment and seems pretty enthused about the prospect of becoming an agent. I'm not sure I buy a character with this kind of integrity turning corrupt enough to extort $100,000 out of Nathan less than a year later, but it's interesting that, per the graphic novels, a character who lacked a stable environment during childhood and moved between adoptive homes during adolescence would latch onto a regimented life of structure and procedure.
Flint: "An invisible man tackled me in the alley!"
Claude shout-out? It's a funny line, even if it isn't. Chances are Claude's off the Company radar after Noah shot him six years earlier, but you could speculate that if Claude isn't tackling fellow supers for kicks, it's simply another invisible super. That, or the show's rewriting this part of the backstory as well, and Claude's still a Company agent a year before Peter finds him in New York.
Flint's enthusiasm about becoming a Company agent is so pathetic it's funny. I'm not sure what it means when one of the volume's most allegedly merciless villains turns out to be pathetic or funny, but the salute Flint gives Thompson is so adorably naive that it's endearing.
Morally Gray Apartment.
Beautiful set, and beautifully shot. The plastic-covered chair; the perfectly-made bed; the antiquated lamp and rug and wooden furniture; the fact that Sylar and Elle have to eat on the floor because Sylar never has guests and wouldn't have a table to eat at. You don't know whether to laugh or cry for the guy.
Sylar describes himself as "an addict" who's after "a drug that [he] can't get enough of." I think the analogy was more effective as part of the subtext rather than part of the dialogue, but, in the show's defense, this is at least an attempt to connect the current Season Three storyline with the origin of the villain: alongside Sylar's final phonecall to Chandra in "Don't Look Back" and the "forgive me" scrawling in "One Giant Leap," it becomes apparent that Sylar was aware he was turning into a monster. This episode doesn't redeem the character any more than the previous episodes have, but it gives Sylar a level of self-awareness, and it lays out how, on top of being a victim of circumstances, Sylar was actively pushed into becoming a killer.
Sylar: "Maybe I don't have to be so special. Maybe I can just be Gabriel again."
Word for word, it's almost identical to what he later tells Mama Gray. It seems like Sylar wants from Elle exactly what he later wants from Mama Gray and Angela: to be accepted the way he is.
Outside, Noah looks like he's about to throw up from the sentimentality of the scene. He realizes Elle's not just throwing herself into a performance, and gives ...
... possibly the cruelest smile he'll ever give anyone on this show. I figured at first that this came down to Noah being uncharacteristically vicious towards Elle, but it could be that Noah was so good at compartmentalizing work from family that an emotional attachment in his work inspired a reflexive reaction.
Petrelli Mansion. Angela overhears the plot to kill Nathan, looks thunderstruck, and Arthur Parkman- AND Haitian-whammies Angela into submission. Which makes us despise Arthur even more and makes Angela even less of an equal partner in the ElderSuper hierarchy, but also quite elegantly sets up her distaste for Matt's ability at the police precinct in Season Two, and explains why she was reluctant to let the Haitian inflict any mind-wiping on Claire in "Fallout."
Desert of Clairvoyance. Hiro goes catatonic, Usutu and Ando mix a gaseous version of the clairvoyant goop, and Hiro gets put under again. I'm at a loss to explain why this scene was here. This is about a minute of screen time that could have been used for any other storyline.
Primatech Fun Factory. Meredith springs Flint out, helps him escape on a freight train and tells him he can't ever trust The Company. As with every Flint scene this week, it's hilarious, mostly because of Flint's insistence that The Company's "been nice" to him, but also because Meredith finally loses patience with Flint and tells him they're tricking him because he's dumb. I love the petulant look Flint gets when Meredith says this. He can't disagree with it, but he also trusts Meredith enough to make decisions for him, which leads very consistently into Flint always needing a crewrunner like Knox or Arthur to tell him what to do. It also sets up an inevitable scene in which Meredith and Flint discover they're working for opposing companies, and in which Flint wonders how Meredith could rejoin the organization she told him not to go anywhere near.
The cut from the flaming carriage to the flame on the stove at Petrelli Castle was a neat touch. It's amazing how this episode cuts from an explosive, high-octane scene to an intimate, character-based scene without losing any tension or momentum. Whatever issues the episode has with continuity and internal consistency, its pacing and flow are impeccable.
It's an Arthur Whammy, so you'd figure it's as slick and insurmountable as they get. The fact that Angela's able to overcome it at all -- if only enough to look disturbed about something she can't put her finger on -- is a credit to her strength of will. I think it's also enormously to Cristine's credit that she switches so effortlessly from self-deluding wife to mind-rape victim to vengeful mother to liberated widow in the space of one episode; and that she takes the character who helped orchestrate the bomb plot and makes us feel as bad for her as we felt for Sandra after she was Haitian-whammied into debilitation.
Linderman: "That smells good! Almost as good as my pot pies."
Nice throwback, but also worth noting for the way McDowell delivers it. It's the one way you can reconcile the Linderman we see here with the one we see at the Corinthian.
Linderman works the Be-Healed Whammy on Angela, and the little half-smile he gives after restoring her memories ...
... could easily be the same smile Arthur had after removing Maya's ability; that's to say, the Good Deed smile. But I don't think Linderman would take any pleasure in small deeds; his smile here is because he helped someone he cared about, and more importantly because he realizes it's the first step to overthrowing Arthur's empire. The focus on challenging blind obedience makes for a neat thematic tie to Meredith and Flint's storyline, but it's also the only way Linderman's description of Arthur in "Landslide" as a man who was "weak" and who "gave up" makes sense. If you figure Linderman's confidence emerges when he decides to take a stand against Arthur, it's his subversion that propels him to change and step up as the Big Boss of Season One.
Linderman: "Believe it or not, I still have a shred of humanity left in me somewhere."
I find that hard to believe, but if we're supposed to believe it, I think it's telling that Linderman's shred of humanity is rekindled by the prospect of rescuing Angela from what amounts to an abusive marriage. This is a springboard for ... Lindermangela shippers?
Aaaaaand we're back to the pilot episode. Sort of. Amazingly, the footage of the train wreck doesn't look at all dated; the pyrotechnics are still spectacular by TV standards, the new footage on the bridge blends seamlessly with the reused footage, and the scene does what so many scenes in "Six Months Ago" did: it alters our perception of the characters and their story arcs. Even if this wasn't the idea when the pilot was shot, the fact that Claire's heroism emerged at a crash which her biological mom caused somehow brings Claire's arc -- and Meredith's -- full circle.
Meredith reveals that The Company killed her daughter. Thompson catches on to the daughter's name and mumbles something about how The Company "told her she died in a fire." I continue to be amazed that Thompson didn't make this connection sooner, but I guess it was 14 years earlier, and perhaps, at the time, he really wasn't privy to the high-clearance information he has now.
^ ^ Alternatively, the reason Thompson suddenly gets so jittery about Meredith being brought back to The Company isn't about a conflict of interests between Meredith and Noah, but because he knows there's A Big Plan for the kid who was handed off to Noah, and because he doesn't want Meredith interfering in the life of the Pure-Blood-Formula-Key-To-Averting-The-Latest-Apocalypse daughter. I hope that isn't the case, but kind of suspect it is.
Morally Gray Apartment. Elle dresses up, cooks ziti for Sylar and tells him about "some sort of artsy spoken-word thing" at the theater down the street. Aww. I know it's grotesque and laughable, but am I insane for shipping these two?
Sylar suggests they visit the theater later that night, which is pretty funny because I'm guessing that Sylar -- prudish gentleman though he is -- had only one outcome in mind on this particular night. Which makes Elle's admission that she invited someone to join them all the more hilarious. I don't even want to think about the slash fiction that fans will get out of that.
Petrelli Castle. I'm not sure how the cast takes dialogue about Italian lentil soup and makes it so ominous, but this trumps even Arthur's line to Nathan about looking good in a suit.
As with all of her scenes this week, it's perfectly played by Cristine. You get a sense of Angela's hurt and betrayal, but you can see how it's only veiling the rage beneath the surface.
Angela wonders whether, without the mind-reading ability, Arthur would know who she was anymore. That trail of thought inevitably leads to the conclusion that Arthur became warped and misguided and fanatical; Angela says as much in the next scene when she tells him he was "a visionary" who lost his soul.
Which sounds a lot like Adam. I was waiting for one of the characters to draw the parallel; even if it had only been an off-the-cuff namecheck, it would have helped to bridge this with the brief-but-illuminating backstory in Season Two. The way Adam's role in The Company is ignored -- and the way his importance in shaping the ElderSuper's collective ideology is ignored -- is disappointing. It doesn't drag any of these scenes down, but it stops the story arc from becoming as epic as it could have been.
Not that this isn't something the show can return to; as with the Haitian showing up and already working specifically for Angela -- over and above Arthur or Linderman -- there's an enormous chunk of this backstory still left to explore.
Morally Gray Apartment.
Trevor plows through every glass in the apartment. Sylar looks mortified at the debris he'll need to sweep. Elle looks thrilled at Trevor's ability, which makes me wonder whether she's secretly saying, "Pfft! What a crappy power! Mine is SO much cooler!", but which, more importantly, also draws attention to how "special" Trevor is and maximizes Sylar's outrage. With hindsight, it jives perfectly with Sylar's line in "The Butterfly Effect" about Elle being as much to blame for his killing spree as anyone. It didn't make sense at the time, but it shows how at least some parts of this show were planned in advance.
Zach works the manic eyes. It's interesting that he brings out the Sylar personality while he's still wearing his glasses: in "Six Months Ago," he removed his glasses before cracking open Brian's head. Small detail, but it's a nice visual clue to the psychotic personality overcoming and submerging the mild-mannered one.
Elle makes a half-hearted attempt to hold Sylar back, freaks out and runs. Sylar TK's Trevor to the wall and scalps him. And Noah ...
... watches with disturbing fascination as Sylar demonstrates his M.O.
As with many parts of this flashback, you could argue that it retcons everything we thought we knew. There's never been an indication that Noah was involved in events leading up to Sylar's rampage. By all accounts, given what we've seen here, Noah should be going on a long-haul guilt trip for everything that happens after this -- especially to Sandra and to Claire.
But then, you could equally argue that he is carrying the weight of that, and that it just hasn't been shown on-screen. You could also argue in favor of Noah's compartmentalization: he's impartial here, but he sobers up when Sylar comes after Claire. At that point, when his actions come back to bite him in the ass, it's as if he finally realizes the horror he helped to set into motion. By that logic, Noah only acknowledges the reality when it becomes personal and threatens his family.
And that's just Noah.
Elle looks like she'll need a lifetime of therapy. And while I can just about accept the retcon to Noah's backstory, the only way I can explain the change between Elle now and Elle when she's straddling Peter is a Haitian Whammy that goes disastrously wrong.
Brilliant. Theatrical, but brilliant.
Again, brilliant. Visually, this episode is on a level with the best of the show.
Petrelli Castle. Angela watches her husband collapse and takes a sip of wine. The Ice Queen is born.
Angela: "I lied. It's not your mother's recipe."
Line of the night. Perfect deadpan delivery.
Nathan shows up, finds his father on the ground and immediately forgets his vendetta against Arthur. In character, very human, and complemented by Angela's glance at Nathan as he's dialling 911: it's partly regret for the anguish she caused her sons by killing their father, partly admiration for the way Nathan's so much more forgiving than she is.
Arthur's doctor turns out to be the bespectacled whitecoat that'll tend to him over the next year. I'm still surprised that the show opts for "permanent paralysis" and doesn't go anywhere near Adam's Magik Blood as an immediate solution. I guess security at the Hartsdale facility is better at this point, but come on: how much harder would it be for Maury to sneak in and swipe a vial of Adam's blood now than it would be a year later?
We cut to the street below the Morally Gray Apartment. This is a part of the timeline that doesn't quite gel, because somehow, between Sylar scalping Trevor in the previous scene and Noah jumping into Mohinder's cab in this scene, Eden was assigned to watch over Chandra, Sylar tracked down and killed Chandra, Noah flew to Madras to analyze and collect Chandra's research, and Mohinder and Noah both flew to New York for the rest of this scene to play out.
Who cares? Let's focus on simpler thoughts. It was a simpler time. A time when Mohinder was the intelligent scientist, when Noah was The Anonymous Trenchcoat Guy, when strangers felt a sense of solidarity during an eclipse and struck up conversation about being extraordinary ... and when we had no idea of the bug-serums, feudal Japan detours and pandemic virus plots ahead.
The repeat of Peter climbing out of the cab and Noah hopping in was a neat touch. As with Meredith showing up at the train wreck, it changes your perception of the story. It feels even more fateful than it did at the time, but it also feels even more tragic. In retrospect, Noah was at least partly responsible for the death of Mohinder's father.
Peter, Nathan and Angela attend Arthur's funeral. Nathan brings up Izzie, the uncontrollable bane of Arthur's existence. Funny, and a subtle way to offset the disturbing half of this scene. It seems like there's a measure of venom in Angela's voice when she tells her sons not to idolize their father. It could be the moment when Angela starts feeling "free to speak [her] mind," but it could also be the starting point for the character we'll see her become: the one who's motivated enough to pick up where her husband left off and complete the plans they'd made together.
Desert of Clairvoyance. Hiro wakes up. He and Ando hear a shriek.
Goodbye, Usutu! We liked your paintings. We liked how you made fun of Matt's illiteracy and bonked Hiro over the head. We hope to see you in many dream sequences, and we're only mildly perplexed by the way Arthur showed up out of nowhere to kill you.
This one? ... Arthur can take. Scream, Hiro. Scream all you want.
For whatever reason, this episode's flaws didn't grate too severely with me. It could be the nostalgia trip that made it so enjoyable, but the episode's merits were enough to make me want to forgive its failings. It's not like the episode's perfect. The plotholes and inconsistencies are rampant, some key issues are glossed over or ignored, and the episode never quite manages to embellish the characters as successfully as "Six Months Ago" did.
But a lot of the inconsistencies can be written off with idle speculation. None of the plotholes are critical enough to damage the story the show was trying to tell. And, continuity issues aside, this episode does exactly what "Six Months Ago" and "Four Months Ago" did: it redeems and humanizes characters who were either two-dimensional or one-note, and it gives the audience a window into the characters' shared history. It's also a moment for Angela and Elle to shine, and for Cristine Rose and Kristen Bell to demonstrate why they're among the strongest members of the cast.
And, if nothing else, it has Hiro shrieking "AAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!" ... which will never not be awesome.
4.5 out of 5
Comments (47)
Posted by Pete | November 14, 2008 1:51 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 01:51:
Hey Otto -
Nice review as usual. I personally thought that the episode was just too uneven and inconsistent for my taste, though - I'd give it a 3 out of 5. There were definitely some points that worked very well, especially towards the end, as you pointed out. However, the other parts just dragged it down way too much. Sylar and Elle were a bit too cheesy, I would have liked to see the Matt/Knox thread (especially over King Retard Flint), the reason for Angela's Season One villiany was unexplained, and I agree that they missed an opportunity to connect Adam. I also completely agree that this season's major flaw is character inconsistentcy. This will probably be the closest thing to a SuperElders backstory that we get, so yeah, I'm a bit disappointed.
Posted by Raissa | November 14, 2008 1:55 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 01:55:
Great review. I accept that Noah and Elle's characterizations can be justified if you squint. But, I hate squinting. Oh, well. My favorite line: "God gave you a big sister instead of a brain." :)
Posted by Raissa | November 14, 2008 2:46 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 02:46:
Here's a question: How much of this S3 story line is exactly what it would have been if S2 hadn't been problematic? Is some variation of this what we would have gotten anyway, just better executed?
Posted by KellyH | November 14, 2008 3:11 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 03:11:
For the most part, I loved the episode like no other this season.
Slight detour--the ratings were alarming. The worst of any first-run episode ever, and not that much higher than what Pushing Daisies is pulling.
The groundwork to save Daisies is swelling (the latest talk has ABC ordering no more episodes this season but keeping the option for a third 13-episode season open for next year). I guess we can't count our Fullers before they hatch.
I can get my mind around most of the episode. The one thing that disturbs me is the Sylar timeline. The ONLY way the timeline can work is if, at this point, Sylar has already killed Chandra. But that can't work. Eden could have been assigned to Chandra long before this, so I can let that slie. It can't work simply because the vicious bastard who slammed the scientist who brought his "specialness" to light mercilessly against a windshield cannot possibly have reverted to this conflicted characte.
On the other hand, we have the bloody hands, which are the obvious source of the "Father, forgive me" stuff that Mohinder and Eden find. I don't know. Since Otto's explanation of an extraordinarily compressed timeline is--ridiculous (and I mean that in the best possible sense), I guess we have to accept that Gabriel Gray was going back and forth between personas for a while (calling Chandra under "Sylar's" name, etc). We have to accept that the guy who interacted with Elle has already killed Chandra.
Really, it's the only way it can work. This Gabriel Gray who interacts with Elle already killed Chandra Suresh. Doesn't make sense, but it's the only thing that CAN make sense. I don't think we were given a specific time reference to Chandra's murder in Six Months Ago or Seven Minutes to Midnight. Also, Mohinder came to New York not long after the murder.
My guess is that Gabriel realized he was becoming a monster and that the murder of Chandra caused him remorse and a slight bit of schizophrenia. Again, the murder of Chandra was very vicious and vindictive.
But we have to accept it. Sylar already has killed Chandra before the events involving him in this episode. It's the only thing that works.
Posted by Michael | November 14, 2008 3:33 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 03:33:
Otto, good review. There's a very simple explanation for how Arthur appeared out of nowhere. Peter took Hiro's power and Arthur took all of the powers that Peter absorbed.
Posted by ThePandorarRose | November 14, 2008 4:08 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 04:08:
I;m gonna comment as I go. I look forward to your thoughts. Yours are always a joy, even if I don't agree. You have a great eye.
An attempt to emphasize Arthur as the Daddy Villain this season? You decide. For me, it's one of the few retcons in this episode that's difficult to get over.
Really? With all that power? With the dynamic they had in Vietnam? I think its another example of "It's not what you think or assumed" or "Prejudged" There is always a story. And as much as I think Linderman cared about Angela he knew he was starting a coup. In Las Vegas I'm sure he was the head, but here he was number two. I saw no recon here. Being able to lead doesn't mean you always did. If Linderman took over all the roles Arthur played of course he would be pulling all the strings.
... to the pot pie scene in "Parasite," when Linderman's close to untouchable and Nathan's trembling under the guy's menace.
Which was months later, but I don't think he was trembling because it was Linderman. He was about to kill a man and most likely not get out of there alive. I always saw it about the killing, not the man.
You could argue that Linderman distinguishes genocide from killing one's own child; or simply that his perspective changed.
Or he's just shocked the man wants to kill his favorite son. Linderman does say "I can stand the heat" The "What should we do', seems more like in the other scene "sure I'll do what you want because you can kill me." Linderman isn't frightened of Nathan. One is only the big fish when there aren't any bigger fishes in the room.
The show's reluctance to rely on our memory and common sense isn't so admirable. We're inundated with shots of Sylar conking Brian over the head with a slab of quartz. The show would have you believe this is to emphasize Sylar's intense distress over his first kill. If you're cynical, you realize it's because the show doesn't expect us to remember that without repeated visual aids.
The normal viewer, like my mother couldn't remember how season 2 ended after like 9 months - not everyone is into the show as us - Two and a half years and some people didn't see season one. It had to be done.
you really have to wonder how an organization with such serious communication issues lasted so long.
And HRG didn't know Linderman was a founder. It's always been established the company is built on secrets and people know only what they need to know. And at the end he does put it all together.
and reminds me why I'm still looking forward to Nathan's scenes with Arthur in the present more than anything else for the rest of this volume.
You betcha!
I wish we could have gotten a reaction from Angela or Arthur about Nathan manifesting an ability.
Yes, I was shocked we didn't at least see Angela dream the crash like Peter did. But it does play into that on Charles roof Angela had no idea Peter had already manifested.
it reminds us that a lot of recent material on the show doesn't come close to topping this early brilliance.
Seriously!
The little gasp of horror Angela lets out when they find out Heidi's spine is broken was well played by Cristine. Angela looks like she starts to connect the dots right away, so the fact that she doesn't immediately order Linderman to work the Be-Healed Whammy on Heidi just about flies.
So much so. As for Adam etc - healing Heidi would be very suspicious. Linderman only does it after he feels Nathan is waning on the plan... and time has past.
Arthur and Angela return to Petrelli Castle. Arthur insists Linderman wouldn't dare go after Nathan on his own.
Again I remind you: One man has a gun, the other a rock, whose scared, no matter what a bad ass he is. Killing the godfather's son gets you killed - unless he asked you to do it.
The "I need you to tell me scene" spot on! It was all that.
Petrelli Mansion. Angela overhears the plot to kill Nathan, looks thunderstruck, and Arthur Parkman- AND Haitian-whammies Angela into submission. Which makes us despise Arthur even more and makes Angela even less of an equal partner in the ElderSuper hierarchy, but also quite elegantly sets up her distaste for Matt's ability at the police precinct in Season Two, and explains why she was reluctant to let the Haitian inflict any mind-wiping on Claire in "Fallout."
YUP! And why she never used the Haitian on Peter and Nathan in season one when it would have been so easy. This has always been my theory, its nice to see the continuity and it confirmed.
The fact that Angela's able to overcome it at all -- if only enough to look disturbed about something she can't put her finger on -- is a credit to her strength of will. I think it's also enormously to Cristine's credit that she switches so effortlessly from self-deluding wife to mind-rape victim to vengeful mother to liberated widow in the space of one episode; and that she takes the character who helped orchestrate the bomb plot and makes us feel as bad for her as we felt for Sandra after she was Haitian-whammied into debilitation.
And why I always loved her and find her character so compelling, any other actress would never have brought that to this character and led the writers to follow
his smile here is because he helped someone he cared about, and more importantly because he realizes it's the first step to overthrowing Arthur's empire.
it's his subversion that propels him to change and step up as the Big Boss of Season One.
Or is the top dog now.
I find that hard to believe, but if we're supposed to believe it, I think it's telling that Linderman's shred of humanity is rekindled by the prospect of rescuing Angela from what amounts to an abusive marriage. This is a springboard for ... Lindermangela shippers?
I didn't find it hard to believe at all. Linderman not looking happy at the party for the couple (or was that in the behind the scenes shots of him in the background) and really the look on his face when he watched Arthur do that to Angela. And yes it makes me think he loved her, unrequited. But that smile - its coup and he knows he'll be running the show now.
As with all of her scenes this week, it's perfectly played by Cristine. You get a sense of Angela's hurt and betrayal, but you can see how it's only veiling the rage beneath the surface.
It's like you get her in that one look.
Not that this isn't something the show can return to; as with the Haitian showing up and already working specifically for Angela -- over and above Arthur or Linderman -- there's an enormous chunk of this backstory still left to explore.
I didn't even find it shocking. But I've long suspected she helped him when he was a child within the Company.
Petrelli Castle. Angela watches her husband collapse and takes a sip of wine. The Ice Queen is born.
If you notice she's also crying. But yeah, don't brake a woman's heart after 41 years.
Angela: "I lied. It's not your mother's recipe."
Line of the night. Perfect deadpan delivery.
Totally!!
how much harder would it be for Maury to sneak in and swipe a vial of Adam's blood now than it would be a year later?
Can't we assume it's all gone and why they needed Claire. Angela didn't use it on Nathan, unless they wouldn't let her because it would look suspicious.
It seems like there's a measure of venom in Angela's voice when she tells her sons not to idolize their father. It could be the moment when Angela starts feeling "free to speak [her] mind," but it could also be the starting point for the character we'll see her become: the one who's motivated enough to pick up where her husband left off and complete the plans they'd made together.
Totally. This is the woman who told Peter "love is overacted" and "When you put everyone else first, you end up last". She put him first and he walked all over her. She had the rose colored glasses she warns Peter about with Nathan.
What's also great is Nathan gives his mother a "WTF?" Look.
I agree about Elle, it's hard to connect sex kitten sociopath with this girl - maybe it will come up.
I really only care about the Petrellis. :)
Posted by Siege | November 14, 2008 4:38 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 04:38:
No, Otto--you are not alone in your semi-shipping of GabriEllectro! Their dynamic is awesome--even if, down the road, any child they might have would be entirely sociopathic. Probably the most prolific super-serial killer ever.
And let's be honest: Hiro getting Arthurized so that he's at the mental level of a ten-year-old...it's not so big of a jump for him, is it?
Anyway...definitely the strongest episode this season, even if there were a few continuity screw-ups. We can forgive that, if only for the cleverness of the show [I sooo never would have caught the seven minutes to midnight nod--seriously, do you like go through every episdoe frame by frame?]
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 9:59 AM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 09:59:
The episode had great moments, but I felt struggled overall. For two reasons:
1) While I think the performances were great (and who knew Eric Roberts was going to transform into a fantastic comic-book actor), it really should've been an Angela and Gabriel centric tale. They could've told the entire story, paralleled, all that jazz.)
2) The timeline is atrocious. I have to put my nerd hat on here, but none of the dates in this episode correspond to any of the events that they describe.
1x10 'Six Months Ago' is set six months before 1x01 'Genesis'. S1 takes place over, roughly, eight weeks. The gap between S1 and S2 is four months. S2 takes place over a week. S3 picks up where S2 left off, and S3 has spanned a week.
So since 1x10, a year and two weeks has passed.
It's been a year since 1x10, and six months since 1x01. So automatically the timeline makes no sense. And the beats:
Meredith's story takes places just prior to 1x01.
Angela's takes place during 1x10.
Noah and Elle's takes place during 1x10.
Then why does Noah and Elle's story end with Noah getting into the same taxi he gets into during 1x01. Their story was meant to have taken placed six months earlier.
In saying that, the scene with McDowell and Rose in the kitchen was amazing.
Posted by Jonathan | November 14, 2008 1:13 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 13:13:
Thanks for the great reviews, Otto. Have been following them for quite some time now but I'm leaving a comment for the first time, mainly because your first few paragraphs couldn't be any truer: whether season 3 is enjoyable or not really, really depends on one's mindset. I just enjoy the ride when I'm watching and save all the analysis til later. So while discovering all the plot holes has lowered my respect for the writers, it hasn't detracted much of enjoyment I get from the series.
On a totally unrelated note, I think it'd be quite funny if all the "clock shots" in the future have the time set to seven minutes to midnight. It was extremely cool (in a nerdish kind of way) when it appeared in "I am Become Death", but this time it felt overdone--- yet it'd be hilarious if they keep this up to the point where it becomes an inside joke/self-parody.
Thanks again for your fantastic analysis. Hugely insightful. And entertaining, of course :)
Posted by KellyH | November 14, 2008 2:11 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 14:11:
Ian, I'm pretty sure that the Sylar, Noah, Elle story was placed at "one year ago," not "eighteen months ago."
This story takes place during 1x01. Chandra Suresh has ALREADY been killed, despite the fact that the portrayal of Gabriel Gray in the episode doesn't quite harmonize with that.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 3:01 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 15:01:
That's my problem - it shouldn't be placed at 'One Year Ago' because Audrey had been working the Sylar case for a few months... so it makes no sense for it to be set at any point except the day after Brian died.
Then you can rationalise that he knew Elle for a week, and when she left he snapped and went back to Chandra. If it occurs after Chandra died, he's already Sylar and not even an attractive blond is going to halt that process.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 3:21 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 15:21:
Here it is:
July 2006
Audrey Hanson is assigned to the Sylar case. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)
She is in hot pursuit of Sylar, after he kills a man in Chicago, and uses another man as a decoy. (Turning Point)
September 28, 2006
Chandra Suresh is murdered by Sylar. (Don't Look Back)
In Madras, Mohinder Suresh is told of his father's death. He later encounters a man with horn-rimmed glasses at his father's old apartment. (Genesis)
Noah Bennet calls New York and says that he will have copies of Chandra's research sent immediately upon his arrival. (The Kill Squad, Part 1)
It CAN'T have taken place during 1x01.
Posted by KellyH | November 14, 2008 5:03 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 17:03:
So the Sylar scenes should have logically been set much earlier--and they should have done away with the connecting scene with the taxi and Mohinder. You're right--there's no way the Sylar timeline in this episode makes any sense in the context of 1x01.
On the other hand, he killed James Walker in 1x02, and he was one of the names on the list fragment--so maybe that was his next destination after booting Elle and scalping Trevor? That actually works.
What was bugging me was the timing of the Chandra murder. I hadn't even thought of the Audrey connection.
This qualifies as pure sloppiness for the sake of making a connection. The connection of the train wreck with the Claire scene worked. Somebody should have been on the ball, and the entire taxi conversation/connection should have been cut, and the Sylar storyline with Elle and Noah should have happened shortly after Brian's murder and well before Chandra's. I qualify this as a screw-up.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 6:17 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 18:17:
I think the fact that it has us both in agreeance suggests it's ridiculously bad.
If I can get past that flaw, the ep isn't so bad. It is a huge flaw, but I think if they changed the dates to 'one year ago' and 'six months ago' the episode would feel better. Shouldn't require more than a minor edit for the DVD release at any rate.
As for the connection, if they throw in a 'six months later', then it just about works.
It just bugs me. This show made a concerted effort not to contradict itself timeline wise, and then this happens? It's insane. Especially considering they threw in so many tie-ins, visual cues and paralleled scenes (seeing Gabriel acting like Maya did was genius.)
Posted by Otto | November 14, 2008 10:10 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 22:10:
Pete, thank you. "Too uneven and inconsistent" sums it up, and I can't disagree with you there. It didn't bug me as much, but I get why it damaged the episode for you.
I would have loved to see the Matt/Knox story too. Do you think it would have gelled with the moment when Knox thought he killed Matt, though? It didn't look like there was any recognition there. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
"the reason for Angela's Season One villiany was unexplained ..."
I dunno, I felt the episode dovetailed very smoothly with Season One in this respect: the gist seems to be that Angela had a voice in The Company, but that it was constantly silenced by Arthur, either verbally or forcefully. I liked how this episode expanded on Angela's role in the bomb plot, and how it established that the plot was a collective insanity. It sounds like Angela only became a key figure in the plan very late in the game.
Do you think this will be the end of the ElderSuper backstory? I hope not, but I wonder how inclined TPTBs will be to revisit the idea of flashbacks after the outcry against the shoddy continuity.
Raissa, I agree, we shouldn't have to squint this hard.
Great choice for a favorite line; I loved that one too. My second choice after the soup recipe would be Arthur's description of Peter's apartment as a "shoebox." If he really believes that, he's even more out of touch with reality than we thought.
With the overarching storyline, I have no idea. I'd guess the key pieces were always in place: Arthur reemerging, The Formula, Sylar fighting The Hunger, etc ... Perhaps everything surrounding those elements was grafted on and tailored to fit with it?
KellyH, Ian: guys, I'm stumped on the timeline, so I trust you to figure out if it's possible to make sense of it. I took the images of Brian when Sylar hanged himself to mean Brian was his one and only victim at that stage. The show didn't do a great job of clarifying how much time passed between each subsequent scene, but I figured Sylar had several opportunities to kill Chandra after Elle found him at the store: it could have been immediately before Sylar killed Trevor, or in the time between Sylar rushing out of his apartment and Noah getting a ride in Mohinder's cab.
Ian's right that it doesn't line up perfectly. I get why that annoyed viewers because it implies the writers didn't respect their timeline enough to treat it with care. The counterargument is the fact that this -- us debating the chronology in this detail -- is limited to a comparatively small portion of the viewership. I'm only speculating, but I doubt the majority of the show's viewers stopped to think about whether the timeline jived with the one we knew until now.
The show made a call about whether to stick with a backstory we'd gotten a glimpse of two years earlier. They needed to make that call to accommodate the current storyline, and if they felt the current storyline justified incurring the wrath of a relatively small number of viewers, then honestly, I almost applaud them for having the conviction to make that call. I'd take a strong-but-inconsistent story over a weak-but-chronologically-accurate story any day of the week. It might not have been the right call in this case, but it shows the writers cared about their storyline enough to contradict -- or at least significantly rework -- the backstory they'd established.
Michael, thanks. Great point about Arthur teleporting to the desert. I wonder how Arthur knew Hiro had gone on Usutu's spirit walk -- did he channel Isaac's ability and paint it?
ThePandoraRose, thanks for the kind words, and for the commentary. Couple of points which you brought up:
With the Linderman coup, I'm thinking Linderman secretly hoped it would help him win Angela over: if he healed her, freed her from Arthur's tyranny, took care of her, respected her opinion and made sure her voice in The Company's plans was heard, she'd fall into his arms. Didn't turn out that way, but I'd speculate that Linderman wanted it to.
"Being able to lead doesn't mean you always did. If Linderman took over all the roles Arthur played of course he would be pulling all the strings."
Sure, but Linderman was *so* comfortable in his role as the Big Bad when we met him in Season One. I just can't buy that he grew into that role in such a short space of time and stepped up as the head of The Company so recently. To me, that's what made the twist in the "War Buddies" GN so effective: it's like, "Whoa, so that shy bookworm of a kid turned out to be the mofo mobster running The Company?" It was supposed to be a change that came about much earlier in Linderman's life, not something six months or a year before we meet him at the height of his power.
Re: Nathan shooting Linderman: "I always saw it about the killing, not the man."
I see it as both: Nathan's wrestling with his conscience, but he's also determined to protect Heidi and his kids, and to end Linderman's overbearing grip on everyone and everything. And I think the extent of Linderman's influence was something Nathan would have admired as much as despised.
With Adam's blood, I'm not sure it's possible to use it all up. He's an endless source of fresh regenerative blood. I think that's partly why The Company wasn't trying too hard to find a way to kill him: he was an invaluable tool if a key figure in The Company was ever injured. Here, we find out the head of the organization was paralyzed, and Adam's not even mentioned. I still can't wrap my head around that.
Siege, this:
".. any child [Elle and Sylar] might have would be entirely sociopathic. Probably the most prolific super-serial killer ever."
... is so unbelievably right on. I wonder what the actor who played L'il Noah would make of it. Do you think it'll ever be revisited?
Hiro? Yeah, I think that'll be the unintentionally sad part: we might not be able to tell much difference between the 10-year-old version and the mid-twenties version.
Jonathan: welcome, thank you, and you're very welcome. :)
I'm with you on the "enjoy first, analyze later" approach. I always watch an episode once for pleasure before I start taking it apart, and I think it says a lot about the appeal of the show when you can watch it and get a lot out of it on both of those levels.
I love the idea of the clock in-joke. When the time of day stops being an issue, it's one less thing for the continuity supervisor to worry about.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 10:26 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 22:26:
Otto - I think my disappointment is that this show has been excellent for three seasons and I've never once felt like they dropped the ball big-time on continuity. Even with Elle, I can justify that... but the timeline is insane.
And it's even sadder in that I have defended this show since 201... and I can't defend this episode. At all. It has some great moments (and your review shows some stunning visual cues and parallels)... but that just makes the wound worse because this show can be so amazing in those regards yet be unable to match the timelines up enough.
Seriously - how can a show go from that beautiful scene with Angela and Linderman in the kitchen to 18 months ago? The problem being that new viewers won't understand any of it because they have no context, and older viewers will know how flawed it is.
Still, bravo sir. Your review picked out so many brilliant bits that my grade rose from 5/10 to 7/10. I'm still crushed that it didn't work, but there's some brilliance there.
Posted by ThePandoraRose | November 14, 2008 11:14 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:14:
ThePandoraRose, thanks for the kind words, and for the commentary. Couple of points which you brought up:
I didn't want you to think I was only thinking the negative, you really get the show the way I feel it should be gotten.
With the Linderman coup, I'm thinking Linderman secretly hoped it would help him win Angela over: if he healed her, freed her from Arthur's tyranny, took care of her, respected her opinion and made sure her voice in The Company's plans was heard, she'd fall into his arms. Didn't turn out that way, but I'd speculate that Linderman wanted it to.
Wow, I wasn't even going that far into the ship, lol. But I could totally see it. Arthur had everything he wanted and I think he took great joy in stepping into all his roles. He was the head of the Company, the "man" in Angela's life in terms of working together toward a goal, and a manipulator of Nathan. I'm sure he got a kick of of it. But, yes I don't think Angela feel in line, which fits with his life of disappointment. Well, maybe she slept with him once, but that was it - a woman that beautiful has needs, ya know. :)
Sure, but Linderman was *so* comfortable in his role as the Big Bad when we met him in Season One. I just can't buy that he grew into that role in such a short space of time and stepped up as the head of The Company so recently. To me, that's what made the twist in the "War Buddies" GN so effective: it's like, "Whoa, so that shy bookworm of a kid turned out to be the mofo mobster running The Company?" It was supposed to be a change that came about much earlier in Linderman's life, not something six months or a year before we meet him at the height of his power.
See what I'm trying to say is your only as big as the fish in the room. Meaning if I have a gun and you have a rock, you fear me. If I have a gun and you have a bomb, you fear me. Linderman was known through out the country (according to the GN) A mobster of known proportions, suspected of such doings in two states - yeah, Arthur had his hand in it, but it was Linderman. He had an empire, gones, a hotel an art collection. :) This is a man who was a top dog, but on his own turf. He's always been the man we saw with Nathan, but Arthur has more power and so he's subject to him. Arthur may be the king, but when he's in NY its not hard to believe Linderman is the king of his castle. How many of those movies about kings and Queens do you see the count who throws around his presents and takes no crap, but then the king comes to town and everyone is shocked how he turns into a scared cat, subject to him. It's not about confidence, it's about the power someone has over you. And it can be any power, not even the power to kill you. How many men become 12 years old again, no matter how powerful, when their father walks into a room. I see where your seeing it I totally am, I just think your not looking at the fact that he has his own empire in another State when Arts not around. He's the prince of Wales and he just took out the King.
Re: Nathan shooting Linderman: "I always saw it about the killing, not the man."
With Adam's blood, I'm not sure it's possible to use it all up. He's an endless source of fresh regenerative blood. I think that's partly why The Company wasn't trying too hard to find a way to kill him: he was an invaluable tool if a key figure in The Company was ever injured. Here, we find out the head of the organization was paralyzed, and Adam's not even mentioned. I still can't wrap my head around that.
Yeah, I know its hard. The only thing has to be that there are rules and you can't make something too suspicious. Like a woman whose back is broken in three places heal in a day.
Now in my fanwank maybe when they took his blood and he tried to escape and it was deemed to dangerous. Still, unless the whole thing was Bob's way to manipulate Mohinder why go after Claire if you have bags stored up. How long can blood be kept?
I have to look for a reason everywhere I guess - I do hope they go into it more, like it only works once on a host so you need a new immortal, because it seems to odd. But Angela didn't also demand a vile of blood from Bob for Nathan, so the question begs - it must have been against Company policy for something so out in the open. They are all about not wanting personal issues to effect what they do.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 11:21 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:21:
I think with Adam, it's probably as simple as no-one wanting to give him a chance to escape. He doesn't need food, he doesn't need pills, they just lock him up and throw away the key.
Posted by Matt | November 14, 2008 11:36 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:36:
Hey Otto,
Another great review, with some excellent points raised. Personally, I really enjoyed this episode, but there were a few things that grated on me to the point where I was dragged out of the story at certain sections.
The entire Meredith plot thread didn't work for me at all. It just didn't seem to have any coherency behind it at all - Meredith hates the Company, then begrudgingly becomes an agent, then enjoys being an agent. Okay, that's fine. Then she decides to run away because Flint is there too? Surely he'd be safer working for the Company than he would be running from them, and it'd make it easy for her to keep an eye on him. There was no clear motivation for Meredith's actions here, so I couldn't really connect with any of the characters here.
Another problem that jarred me was Thompson's moment of mercy in releasing Meredith. It didn't seem to fit with the ruthless Company man we met in the first season; instwad, I felt like it was just turning him into a Noah Bennet clone for the purpose of the scene, because Noah himself was busy elsewhere.
Finally, the Elle we saw here - while excellently portrayed as usual by Kristen Bell - doesn't fit at all. What happened to the sadistic sociopath that we first saw in Season Two? I thought the whole point of her story arc was to show how slowly being formed into a hero changed her for the better, but here she showed no signs of psychosis whatsoever. I did like, however, the subtle explanation that this gave for her determination to capture Sylar, seeingas she essentially loosed him on the world.
However, all of that can be forgiven pretty easily...especially since Usutu's head is no longer attached to his body! That scene made me unbelievably happy...
Posted by KellyH | November 14, 2008 11:37 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:37:
I'd hope they'd consider fixing some things on the DVD release--shouldn't be too hard and shouldn't require any reshooting. Change a couple of chyrons. But they'd have to completely delete the Mohinder taxicab tie-in because there's absolutely NO way to make that work chronologically, especially considering Audrey Hanson's ENTIRE role in S1 (and we aren't going to pretend AudreyClea never existed). I know that the tie-in was cool an gave us "awww" moments, but for me, it wasn't worth the huge wtf issues it created with what we just saw. You say you respect them for making that call, Otto, and in most respects I do. But I don't respect them for splicing in that taxi tie-in just for the sake of a connection to the premiere, creating a cool effect--they already did that sufficiently with the Claire/Meredith thing, which was much less problematic. There are just too many problems with HRG getting into that taxi right at that moment to justify including it in the episode.
A 10-year-old who had watched all the episodes could figure out that it just didn't work.
So all they have to do for the DVD release is to cut the taxi scene tie-in (painful as it would be to do that, the continuity issues just do not justify it or make it worth it), and rework the chyrons. Then everything is (pretty much) OK.
Posted by Ian | November 14, 2008 11:40 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:40:
Man, Audrey... I tell ya, I would have given this an A+ if they'd gotten her back and had her after a Elle/Sylar team up that was causing mayhem. The Company tells her to study Sylar... but she falls for him. Like a twisted Natural Born Killers.
If you have to destroy continuity, at least go completely for broke. :)
Posted by Craig | November 14, 2008 11:48 PM:
Posted on November 14, 2008 23:48:
Great review as always Otto. I'm about to put the link on the main page :)
For me, this was the first episode I really had a negative reaction to. Several things in the timeline made no sense to me. For example, if Chandra Suresh was killed AFTER the "experiment," then why was Mohinder in the cab here? Didn't he come here to investigate his father's death?
I also think the way they presented the episode made it look like Arthur Petrelli died around the series pilot, whereas in what actually aired it felt to me like Petrelli had been dead for weeks if not months.
There were just too many coincidences for me, and I think I'm tired of "going to the past/going to the future" type episodes. "Six Months Ago" was one of Heroes' best episodes and I felt like "Villains" reduced its impact quite a bit.
I did, however, like the "Villains" title card. And there were some great performances in this episode, especially from the wonderful Cristine Rose.
Posted by Daniel P | November 15, 2008 6:52 AM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 06:52:
Great review Otto.
I was seriously put off by many of the continuity issues. Elle didn't gel at all, and the reminder of Audrey just destroys any continuity with Sylar's storyline. Thompson was iffy, but I enjoyed the storyline anyway. BUt frankly, all this retconning, for me, has been frustrating. I really wish Villains had played out differently, but it's too late now. And I worry for the future of the show. If the show doesn't captivate more viewers soon, it might not even be approved for a fourth season (NBC can only look to make Heroes its go-to show for so long with this decline). To think that back in the first season, I would have never thought the show to end in any other way than having a planned ending--it's scary.
Sorry for being so negative, but I love this show deeply, and I wish it nothing but the best. So I'm hoping desperately for it to correct its course. It's starting to look like Fugitives will do so, if early talk and info about it as well as Fuller's support (whether he comes back to the show or not) are any indication. Then again, there was hyping of how season 2 would avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, and the promise of a return to form in season 3, and we all know how that turned out.
Anyways, continuity error note: in Six Months Ago, Nathan told Peter that Arthur was found having died of a heart attack in the morning, when in Villains it clearly happened at night. I had just watched Six Months Ago a couple of days ago, so it was interesting to catch.
Also, as usual Otto, things you point out in the review really gives me new perspective on the episode. It jumped the episode up in some places, and brought it down in others. But the Seven Minutes to Midnight reference? Brilliantly clever.
If only we could see more about the ElderSupers. The show is being way too much of a tease of late.
And I promise next time, my post will be shorter.
Posted by Susan | November 15, 2008 6:57 AM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 06:57:
I've been really busy lately, but I did want to leave a comment about your review.
You seemed conflicted about it, but overall enjoyed it. I'm glad your review was mostly positive since, from what I've read, there's been quite a backlash regarding this episode, which doesn't help with all the other negativity the show has been receiving. :( (Maybe IF Bryan Fuller returns that could turn the tide, so to speak.)
One thing I have always appreciated about your reviews is how you pick out the little details whether it is the strong acting or the camera work/directing. It helps give me a greater appreciation of the good work they do, since I don't always catch those details (like the time on the clock shop sign). Thank you for pointing them out. :)
Personally, the episode was fine, but could have been better. Also, Elle was the only aspect that did not really mesh with what we already have seen and know. She seemed too sane.
I do agree with your comments about including all those cuts to Hiro in the Present. There were way too many of them.
I'm still excited to see where all this is leading. As with the past 3 or 4 episodes, I can hardly wait until Monday. :)
As always, thanks for the review.
Posted by Daniel P | November 15, 2008 7:31 AM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 07:31:
In retrospect, perhaps I was a bit too heated about any danger of Heroes' cancellation. Luckily for us, Heroes has a huge international fan base, so that will be a huge factor in keeping Heroes afloat.
And I do often forget just how desperate NBC gets.
Posted by Susan | November 15, 2008 7:38 AM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 07:38:
Some comments on the comments:
Sure, but Linderman was *so* comfortable in his role as the Big Bad when we met him in Season One. I just can't buy that he grew into that role in such a short space of time and stepped up as the head of The Company so recently. To me, that's what made the twist in the "War Buddies" GN so effective: it's like, "Whoa, so that shy bookworm of a kid turned out to be the mofo mobster running The Company?" It was supposed to be a change that came about much earlier in Linderman's life, not something six months or a year before we meet him at the height of his power.
Here's a thought, sure Linderman was much more confident when he showed up at Arthur's after the war. A key here, though, could be when Arthur manifested his power. Once Arthur found out what he could do, that could change the dynamic between them a bit. Also, I would think, given what we know from Season 1, Linderman was Top Dog whenever Arthur wasn't around. He was a reputed mobster in Las Vegas and that didn't happen overnight.
With Adam's blood, I'm not sure it's possible to use it all up. He's an endless source of fresh regenerative blood. I think that's partly why The Company wasn't trying too hard to find a way to kill him: he was an invaluable tool if a key figure in The Company was ever injured. Here, we find out the head of the organization was paralyzed, and Adam's not even mentioned. I still can't wrap my head around that.
Yeah, the head of the organization who had his family told that he was dead. I would think if he wanted to be dead to his family, having someone go get some Adam blood may have been too risky. Who would have gotten it for him without raising suspicions?
Anyways, continuity error note: in Six Months Ago, Nathan told Peter that Arthur was found having died of a heart attack in the morning, when in Villains it clearly happened at night. I had just watched Six Months Ago a couple of days ago, so it was interesting to catch.
Well, the dinner seemed like a really late supper ... like 8 or 9 p.m. Nathan could have shown up around 10 or 11, so by the time he was pronounced at the hospital, it could have been well after midnight and into early morning.
Posted by Ian | November 15, 2008 2:23 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 14:23:
My view of The Company (as of 'Six Months' prior to 1x01.)
Linderman ran Las Vegas.
Bob ran Odessa.
Arthur ran New York.
Kaito ran Tokyo.
They each had a specific location they ran, but the overall delegation fell to Arthur. When he 'died', I presume Angela took over New York and that she became co-partner with Linderman of the main enterprises. When Peter 'died' in S2, Angela took a backseat and Bob took over New York.
Posted by KellyH | November 15, 2008 3:43 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 15:43:
Yes, the episode is getting negative press in several outlets, and the ratings are truly alarming. Could be explained by DWTS coming toward its final shows. Could be explained by CBS's Monday comedy lineup suddenly showing great strength. Who knows? I know that with all this bad press, if I were Bryan Fuller, I'd be doing everything humanly possible to save "Pushing Daisies," whose ratings are unbelievably bad, but which has been creatively superb. Judging from statements and things he's said informally this week, that's what he's trying to do. Why would he want to return to "Heroes" when much of the media is writing it off as a sinking ship? Especially after mourning the potential death of his brilliant creation on ABC? It's hard to say. I don't know if one guy, however brilliant, could "fix" things anyway, unless he were made actual showrunner on a level with Kring higher than Loeb and Alexander were.
Anyway, I've been reading in other places. It's not just die hard fans who are nitpicking the continuity problems. Essentially, anyone who had even SEEN 1.01 would see the most egregious problems. There are some things that can't be fixed. The characterization dissonances with Linderman, Elle, and Thompson can't be fixed. The most heinous timeline snafu, however, can be fixed quite easily, and Kring, et al., if you are listening, PLEASE consider this--the carping about continuity HAS to have gotten back to you by now.
The base timeline has to be fixed with chyron changes--"one year ago" is too long ago for 1x01. That's been suggested by Ian. And the Sylar/Elle/Noah storyline simply MUST be moved back to the timeframe of post-1x10 and NOT pre-1x01. Easily done with chyron changes. And, as painful as it would be because somebody thought it would be cool, the tie-in with the taxicab scene simply must be deleted. It can't be explained within the story. There's simply no way to include it and not make an egregious timeline error regarding your famous pilot episode. Make these simple changes on the DVD release. It's the right thing to do.
Posted by Matt | November 15, 2008 6:06 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 18:06:
if Claude isn't tackling fellow supers for kicks, it's simply another invisible super.
- Claude said to Peter "You're one of those" (mimic/sponges)
- Peter will probably get his powers back and can go back in time (or Future-Peter)
- Can time benders travel multiple timelines / realities???
- Anyone reading this is a crazy-overthinking-a-comic-world nerd like me and should not be so nuts. Just enjoy the cool show people!
Posted by Ian | November 15, 2008 8:12 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 20:12:
The Claude thing doesn't bother me, and it shouldn't bother anyone. We've seen multiple cases of power on the show, so it stands to reason there's more than one 'Invisible Man.' So I'm of the belief that wasn't Claude unless they tell us otherwise, and anyone using that to bash the episode needs to seriously take a second to think it through.
KellyH summed my feelings up on the timeline... but I've heard rumour that there was a conflict between Kring and Loeb/Alexander - apparantly Kring wanted to go back to character stuff (which he is rather excellent at), and the latter two wanted the more epic style. Not sure if that's true, but recent reports about V4 seem to indicate it's more about character than plot, so I'm hoping it goes back to the excellent character side of S1.
Posted by Otto | November 15, 2008 8:20 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 20:20:
Ian,
"...this show has been excellent for three seasons and I've never once felt like they dropped the ball big-time on continuity."
I dunno, I have a vague recollection of continuity issues as far back as "SMA"; but perhaps, on a show that works with time travel and alternate timelines as much as this one does, continuity screw-ups will inevitably become more frequent. I get why it disappointed you, but as long as the timeline matches closely enough to not be flatout wrong (and everyone's judgment about that has varied this week), I found it forgivable.
Great theory about the set-up between The Company's facilities around the world. How do you think Bob ended up running the NY facility after Linderman died? The Las Vegas boss dies, and that leads to Bob taking over the Hartsdale labs to "right the ship"? Was the Las Vegas facility in the Corinthian, and was there nothing underground that survived after Linderman's casino empire collapsed? Interesting to speculate on the story potential there ...
ThePandoraRose,
"I didn't want you to think I was only thinking the negative, you really get the show the way I feel it should be gotten."
There was no chance of me thinking that, and thank you. :)
"Arthur had everything he wanted and I think he took great joy in stepping into all his roles."
Yeah. I think that's one unused element from Season Two that might have been transposed onto Season Three, because it strikes me that the Linderman/Arthur idolization is a lot like the Linderman/Adam idolization would have been. It would tie in very well with the GNs, because the socially outcast loner would suddenly see the kind of influence one man can have, and Adam's example would have inspired Linderman to want to emulate him. In a similar vein, I think Linderman aspired to be everything that Arthur was and have everything that Arthur had -- particularly his leadership, his authority and his wife.
Point taken about Linderman and Arthur's sphere of influence and the way it's all relative. I still find it a tough sell: there was so little indication that Linderman bowed down to anyone, and the only guy I might have seen him deferring to was Adam. Even then, I think the dynamic between Linderman and Adam would have changed long before the period this episode covered. To me, bringing Arthur in as the guy between Adam and Linderman -- and then basically taking Adam out of the picture altogether, the way this episode did -- seemed to undermine Linderman's stature as a villain.
Matt, thank you.
With the Meredith thread, perhaps it would have made more sense to explore it in a separate episode? The storyline seems to have spanned six months, from the moment Meredith captured Metal-Arm Danny in Austin to the moment she was standing on the bridge next to the train wreck. So, it seems like there was a period in which Meredith uncovered The Company's shadiness, realized she'd sold her soul by joining it, found out Flint was going to end up vivisected, had a crisis of conscience the way Claude did ... And, yeah, I agree, a lot of that's left to speculation, and her real motivation was glossed over. Ian suggested upthread that making this a Sylar/Angela-based episode would have been a good call, which I agree with. But I also think the Meredith thread was compelling and relevant enough to merit its own flashback episode.
Interesting point about Thompson letting Meredith go. My guess is he didn't let her go out of mercy; I think a lot of that decision was connected to Claire's story this season, and I think that's why TPTBs were determined to ram it into this episode instead of leaving it until later.
KellyH, I love the chyron-change idea. I'd be surprised if they took it up, but you're right that it'd probably help the episode.
Any thoughts on what the show could have come up with in place of the cab scene? Maybe if they'd shown Noah being assigned to fly to Madras to retrieve Chandra's research, or Sylar walking away from the alley where he killed Chandra? There must have been a number of ways to bring the storyline back to the pilot, but perhaps this was deemed the best option because it connected Noah with Sylar, Chandra, Mohinder AND Peter in one go? It's one of the most memorable moments of the pilot, and TPTBs probably chose it on the strength of that, regardless of continuity.
"Why would [Bryan Fuller] want to return to "Heroes" when much of the media is writing it off as a sinking ship?"
Because if the story is well received and the ratings go up, people will credit the success to Fuller and he'll become even hotter property.
"I don't know if one guy, however brilliant, could "fix" things anyway..."
Me neither, and I'm not one who thinks the show needs "fixing" all that badly. But perhaps the perception that someone on the show knows what "we" (the audience and the fans) want will help to sway viewers from deserting it as quickly as they would have otherwise.
Craig, I think the gist was that at least several weeks passed between Sylar killing Trevor and Sylar killing Chandra. But even if that's correct, I agree: it wasn't nearly clear enough, and the episode suffered because of it. Same with Arthur's death: I think we were supposed to follow the chyrons and the milestones in the plot and realize the Petrelli thread was six months behind the Sylar and Meredith threads, but the way it was edited, it felt like all the threads at the end of the episode were running concurrently.
"I think I'm tired of "going to the past/going to the future" type episodes."
You and pretty much everyone watching the show. :)
Daniel P, don't worry about being negative. Yours is the popular opinion at the moment, and more importantly, it's your honest opinion, and you're always free to speak your mind here.
"I really wish Villains had played out differently, but it's too late now."
Do you think so? I'm still holding back on an overall judgment, but by and large I've loved this volume. The overall quality has been good, and there hasn't been a total dud yet ... although I realize that by saying that I might have just jinxed the whole thing. :)
I'd be very, very surprised if the show was in any danger of not getting a fourth season. Almost every show is struggling, and NBC in particular is struggling. The ratings will need to freefall for a lot longer -- well after every other comparable show's ratings have leveled out -- for someone to single the show out as an anomaly. I'd be more concerned about the show sticking around and losing either several cast members (which might not be a bad thing) or a chunky part of its budget, which would mean really bad stuntwork and visual effects. Hopefully it won't come to that.
Susan,
"You seemed conflicted about it, but overall enjoyed it."
Yeah, pretty much. Didn't love the inconsistencies and OOC behavior, but the performances and story made up for that, in my opinion.
On pointing out the details: you're welcome, and if it helps anyone appreciate the show a little more, I'm glad.
Great point about Arthur's manifestation playing into the dynamic between him and Linderman. Now there's a storyline that desperately needs a flashback episode or a multi-part GN. I wonder if Linderman already knew Arthur had an ability when he recruited him to The Company, or whether it was purely about trust and respect and repaying the debt he felt he owed Arthur.
With Adam's blood, I would have guessed Maury was the ideal candidate to obtain it, or, failing that, anyone on the inside who was still loyal to Arthur and afraid for their life. But, again, good point -- it could have alerted someone who wasn't so sympathetic to Arthur and gotten him killed just as easily.
Posted by Ian | November 15, 2008 8:34 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 20:34:
Otto - there were probably continuity blips, but I likely had my rose coloured glasses on and overlooked them.
I think the Elder story, sadly, has to run it's course soon. There's a lot more we should be told, but I don't want another Elder playing a big-bad... at this stage I think Arthur's struggling to really break out (and I hope we get some backstory on why he's doing what he's doing), and it feels like - minimum - we could use a break from it.
Or a mini-series. :D
Posted by Ian | November 15, 2008 8:38 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 20:38:
Bob wise, he was all that's left. Victoria is in hiding, Maury's been ostracised... Angela's mourning... the wild card these is Kaito who, apparantly stayed in New York for four months.
Posted by Kevin | November 15, 2008 8:39 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 20:39:
I really liked this episode, as a whole. There may have been some uneven pacing, but the writing, I felt, was more reminiscent of the vastly superior first season. If there were a few retcon-esque issues, like Elle's and Sylar's relationship or Linderman's conscience, well that's all part of the comic book experience, no? I loved the way they tied in newer, lesser-known characters and story arcs with established ones. Meredith being responsible for the train wreck that introduced Claire...brilliant.
I also really appreciated the insight and background we received regarding Angela Petrelli, Sylar, and even Elle. Their characters became much more human for me, after seeing some of the choices they were forced to make. (You're right; the soup moment was the line of the night!)
In fact, I loved the episode right up to the end when Arthur showed up in Africa and started to put the whammy on Hiro. I don't like his character at ALL. Not because he's a villain, but because he is just too two-dimensional Dr. Doomish for me. The cold-blooded decision to kill Nathan didn't shock me; on the contrary, I found it flat and boring. This guy has the power to do anything (he's the single most powerful character we've seen to date) and has no moral compass to hold him in check or make him interesting, not even the limited conscience of a Linderman. He can do anything, to anyone, anytime and anywhere. What does he need a cadre of villains for? Does he feel the need for a fawning posse of hanfers-on? Why doesn't he just 'port around the world sucking the powers out, and ripping the head off of all opposition (filial foreshadowing, Sylar)? Nope, Arthur just isn't ringing my bell.
I'm unhappy, as I've said before with, Peter's storyline. As a comic fan, two plot devices I've alwasy hated were amnesia and de-powering. And heeere's Peter. And now Hiro, who looks like he's getting Rogue'd, and who is supposed to lose his memory later this season, from what I've heard. I know you hate his plot, but he still has underused potential; potential that might be explored if Bryan Fuller returns, and yet here he is getting power-reamed by Arthur.
I guess I'm unhappy with the Villains Volume as a whole, despite better moments like this episode. I've been both frustrated and bored with it, but seldom entertained. I'm looking forward to "Fugitives," and an end to Arthur.
Posted by ThePandoraRose | November 15, 2008 10:36 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 22:36:
Yeah. I think that's one unused element from Season Two that might have been transposed onto Season Three, because it strikes me that the Linderman/Arthur idolization is a lot like the Linderman/Adam idolization would have been. It would tie in very well with the GNs, because the socially outcast loner would suddenly see the kind of influence one man can have, and Adam's example would have inspired Linderman to want to emulate him. In a similar vein, I think Linderman aspired to be everything that Arthur was and have everything that Arthur had -- particularly his leadership, his authority and his wife.
I love this, but I think there is a big difference between idolization and jealousy. I think he idolized Adam, but was jealous of Arthur.
Point taken about Linderman and Arthur's sphere of influence and the way it's all relative. I still find it a tough sell: there was so little indication that Linderman bowed down to anyone, and the only guy I might have seen him deferring to was Adam.
Could Adam kill him by just telling his brain to stop breathing? This isn't just a guy with a gun, Arthur is way, way powerful. It's fear of death, who wouldn't fear that? The stair scene when Arthur says "Perhaps you've out lasted your usefulness" is the example of that entire dynamic.
Even then, I think the dynamic between Linderman and Adam would have changed long before the period this episode covered. To me, bringing Arthur in as the guy between Adam and Linderman -- and then basically taking Adam out of the picture altogether, the way this episode did -- seemed to undermine Linderman's stature as a villain.
I don't think it does at all, as much as Arthur undermines Adam's villainy in Season two. It would seem way back then Linderman, Arthur and Angela we're bowing down to Adam, because of the psychological cult like pull he had over him. With Adam gone Arthur who had the leadership skills and the "vision" took over - he then became a demi-god and all powerful being.(I'm sure he had other powers we we're not award of, if not telepathy being pretty much had to jump) Much like Angela, Linderman has no power to defend himself with. He always loses the powers game of rock, paper scissors. I jokingly call Angela the Nathan of her generation. Linderman at least has war experience (although, I have a feeling Angela knows her way around a gun too) But I digress, a gun, much like Angela and a knife, or even all his gones are not gonna do a thing. And we know telling Angela wasn't completely altruistic on his part - he got a huge gain from it. I think your shock was a true reaction, the episode was all about that. Even Thompson had his moment. And after all Linderman did want to save the world. But we still need more info and I'd hope the next flashback we saw is the next timeline Linderman and Angela and the bomb plot, or at least info in dialogue, but I suspect that won't have a reason for it.
Cheers
Posted by Ian | November 15, 2008 10:55 PM:
Posted on November 15, 2008 22:55:
That raises an interesting point - context for Arthur's ability. He didn't have it in Vietnam, it doesn't seem that he managed to take Adam's ability... so clearly it hadn't manifested to the proper degree in 1977. So what degree does he have it?
Posted by ThePandoraRose | November 16, 2008 2:49 AM:
Posted on November 16, 2008 02:49:
That raises an interesting point - context for Arthur's ability. He didn't have it in Vietnam, it doesn't seem that he managed to take Adam's ability... so clearly it hadn't manifested to the proper degree in 1977. So what degree does he have it?
As part of the Company I'm sure it was decided he couldn't take Adam's ability because it would kill him and they wanted him alive. But now, he has his own Company and his own plans marked by revenege so it doesn't matter.
Posted by Sandy | November 16, 2008 5:16 PM:
Posted on November 16, 2008 17:16:
From your review:
"Elle leaves Gray & Sons. As she walks away we get a glimpse of the clock outside the shop. The time on the clock is ..."
The clock overhead shows 11:52 A.M. as the time. What is the significance of that time? I don't remember. Will someone please clarify for me?
Posted by Otto | November 16, 2008 5:36 PM:
Posted on November 16, 2008 17:36:
Ian,
"...at this stage I think Arthur's struggling to really break out..."
Interesting point. As a character, as a villain, or both? Your point ties in very closely with Kevin's point about Arthur being a two-dimensional villain, but I'd be curious to hear if you feel that's because of the characterization or the story arc. I think Arthur's been brilliantly conceived and portrayed as a character (calculating, treacherous, deceptively warm, dangerously warped), but perhaps even a few episodes was too long to keep us guessing about his endgame? It looks like 3.09 expands on why he thinks The Formula will avert a disaster instead of causing it, but maybe he needed a more defined goal? I'm not sure, I think that part of his character arc is playing out very well.
"Bob wise, he was all that's left..."
But what about The Ones Who Were There To Look Pretty? Were they all too incompetent to run a facility on their own? Did Arthur think they were all too weak-minded? Or had Arthur mind-wiped them all, and were they too doped-out to be much use at this point?
Kevin, great post. I totally agree about the way 3.08 fleshed out Angela, Elle, Linderman and Meredith.
"What does [Arthur] need a cadre of villains for?"
You put forward a very persuasive argument to support why he doesn't. My take on it is he sees himself as the general of his army and doesn't like to get dirty in the trenches. He's the fiercest fighter and the smartest strategist, but he likes to delegate the everyday work: tracking down supers, killing them if they're a threat, recruiting them if they're useful to his cause. Assigning the "mundane" tasks frees him up to plan his objectives and tackle the stuff he doesn't think his lackeys are capable of. When there's an urgent issue that no one can handle as swiftly and effectively as he can -- like finding Hiro and sucking out his memories (and what little intelligence he has) -- then he steps in.
"[Hiro] still has underused potential..."
Oh, I agree. I wonder if TPTBs are as clued in to that as they could be, but I agree. For me, though, it'd mean ditching the comedy and going back to the darker side of Future-Hiro.
"I'm looking forward to "Fugitives," and an end to Arthur."
Would everyone agree that Arthur's arc won't last beyond this volume? I guess that's the idea behind several smaller volumes and story arcs, but I was kind of intrigued when Angela brought up the subject of Grandma Petrelli. I wonder what kind of upbringing Arthur had, and whether the show will ever try to "Sylarize" Arthur by exploring how he turned out the way he has.
ThePandoraRose, nice distinction between Linderman idolizing and being jealous of Arthur. To me, jealousy suggests a level of bitterness and resentment, and I think the only reason Linderman would have to feel that way towards Arthur is because of the way Arthur mistreated Angela. I'm guessing Linderman was in awe of Arthur's charisma and confidence when it came to running The Company.
"Could Adam kill him by just telling his brain to stop breathing? This isn't just a guy with a gun, Arthur is way, way powerful. It's fear of death, who wouldn't fear that?"
Sure, but I think the dynamic between Linderman and Adam -- and between Linderman and Arthur -- goes beyond that. Adam's real power wasn't so much his ability as it was his ideology and his ability to convince and sway others. The way I see it, that's also Angela and Arthur's greatest power -- above and beyond their other abilities. It makes them infinitely more dangerous than they'd be if they were sheep like Flint or Maury, no matter how destructive their abilities are. But if it comes down to whose power is more formidable, I'd say Adam and Linderman still win because they have the ability to grant or deny life. As far as we know, Arthur's ability is limited to granting death. A terrifying ability, I agree, but there are religious and mass-hysteria implications to granting life. From that standpoint, Adam and Linderman's abilities trump Arthur's.
ETA: Welcome, Sandy. The time on the Gray & Sons clock is 11:53. There was an episode in Season One titled "Seven Minutes to Midnight," in which we learned that Sylar killed Chandra Suresh at 11:53pm (you can see the time on Sylar's watch when he kills Chandra). Among other instances, it's the time his watch has stopped at when he finds Charlie at the Burnt Toast Diner (in the same episode), and it's the time on his watch when he gives it to Peter in "I Am Become Death."
Posted by Ian | November 17, 2008 12:35 AM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 00:35:
Otto - I certainly think Forster is an excellent actor... but I think he's just a more powerful version of Linderman/Adam. He repeatedly says he doesn't want to destroy the world, but I'm hoping (i.e. in 309) that we understand what he does want. It seems like they're suggesting he's not so much evil as egocentric and a believer that he's better than God - which may lead to him accidentally helping the world be destroyed, but it's all conjecture.
Re: The Company wise, I'd like to see how much of a role Charles had before his health started deteriorating. Something tells me they didn't cast Roundtree as the character by mistake, like Takei he can be very forceful as an actor.
Posted by John | November 17, 2008 1:47 AM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 01:47:
Excellent review!
The whole idea of Linderman acting like a lacky to Arthur bothered me at first...
It is obvious that the writers are trying to hit home how big of a villain Arthur truly is. First he kills Adam and Maury (the two villains of Volume 2), then he paralyzes Angela (the one we all thought was the master manipulator), and is now referring to Linderman (the top baddie of Season 1) as 'outliving his usefullness'...
But the scene where Linderman heals Angela's mind and smiled over his victory made me realise... Linderman WAS smarter than Arthur. HE pretended to follow Arthur in blind obedience, only to turn his own wife against him. Instead of hiring a 'gun' to kill Arthur, he has the woman he's lived with for 30 years to kill him... THAT is the Godfather-pimp Linderman I remember from 'Parasite'.
Damn I miss Linderman... bring him back to life guys!
But Arthur is a truly great villian... the best since Linderman. Forster gives a great elegance to Arthur. And it was great to see Malcolm McDowell and Robert Forster (arguably the best actors ever to appear on the show) share scenes together.
Posted by ThePandoraoRose | November 17, 2008 2:09 AM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 02:09:
ThePandoraRose, nice distinction between Linderman idolizing and being jealous of Arthur. To me, jealousy suggests a level of bitterness and resentment, and I think the only reason Linderman would have to feel that way towards Arthur is because of the way Arthur mistreated Angela. I'm guessing Linderman was in awe of Arthur's charisma and confidence when it came to running The Company.
No true, and yes, but Linderman seems like a man who also wants power.
Sure, but I think the dynamic between Linderman and Adam -- and between Linderman and Arthur -- goes beyond that. Adam's real power wasn't so much his ability as it was his ideology and his ability to convince and sway others. The way I see it, that's also Angela and Arthur's greatest power -- above and beyond their other abilities. It makes them infinitely more dangerous than they'd be if they were sheep like Flint or Maury, no matter how destructive their abilities are. But if it comes down to whose power is more formidable, I'd say Adam and Linderman still win because they have the ability to grant or deny life. As far as we know, Arthur's ability is limited to granting death. A terrifying ability, I agree, but there are religious and mass-hysteria implications to granting life. From that standpoint, Adam and Linderman's abilities trump Arthur's.
No, totally, that's not what I'm saying. Granting life is an amazing thing and I think that was part of how as young heroes they all looked to Adam as a god, and what he had to say. But I'm talking about how a powerful man can be subservient to another man - when that man can stop your brain from making you breath. It's a giant game of paper, rock, scissors. Your other points are great and correct, but not really were I'm going. :)
As for Ian's thought on Bob, you are correct he works out of Hartsdale, NY - I don't think Angela took over New York.
Posted by Otto | November 17, 2008 4:46 PM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 16:46:
Ian,
"It seems like they're suggesting he's not so much evil as egocentric and a believer that he's better than God - which may lead to him accidentally helping the world be destroyed..."
I agree, and I wonder whether that attempt to make Arthur "inadvertently" or "accidentally" genocidal might ruin his stature as the volume's Big Bad. Is he more villainous if he actually wants to bring superpowers to the masses and delight in the anarchy that causes? The "accidental villain" part perhaps makes Arthur's motives more complex, but I wonder if it also undermines him as a villain. Not sure, what do you think?
On Roundtree making a return of any kind or description -- word.
John, great post. I agree, Linderman's underhanded way of upstaging Arthur was very crafty and very in character. I miss that too, and I hope we get more scenes between Forster and McDowell at some point.
ThePandoraRose, I hope I haven't misunderstood or ignored the point you were making -- I see our points as being connected.
"I'm talking about how a powerful man can be subservient to another man - when that man can stop your brain from making you breath. It's a giant game of paper, rock, scissors."
Sure, and I agree: if Arthur and Linderman were in an isolated room and trying to kill one another, Arthur would snap Linderman's neck and there's not much Linderman could do besides heal a few dying plants.
The point I was trying to make was that, because of the nature of their abilities, the dynamic between Linderman and Arthur goes beyond a straightforward game of rock/paper/scissors. If it were only about whose power is more threatening, Linderman would have been terrified of Jessica and Candice back in Season One. The reason he wasn't is because of the power and influence Linderman wields outside of that hypothetical isolated room: the people who work for Linderman, the resources Linderman has, the empire he's created. Given the nature of their abilities, Linderman should by all accounts be able to gather more suppporters than Arthur ever could. Arthur rules by terror, but unless he's going to mentally coerce each supporter one by one -- repeatedly -- there's a limit to the loyalty he can get out of them. Linderman's ability means he can offer to heal any of his goons -- or their families -- if they're ever sick or dying. That engenders more loyalty than a superpowered gangster ever could by threatening to stop their vital organs with the power of his mind.
So, while I agree with your rock/paper/scissors metaphor, my point is that the dynamic between Linderman and Arthur goes beyond that: if they were in an isolated room and trying to kill one another, the question isn't only, "Who would win?", but also, "How many people would be standing on either side of that room, ready to fight and die for the guy they work for?" That's why I think it was problematic to introduce Arthur as the head of The Company after Adam was out of the picture. Linderman's ability gives him the leverage to gain even more power than Arthur can.
Posted by Ian | November 17, 2008 7:56 PM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 19:56:
Otto - I wouldn't be surprised if we got a reason for Arthur doing what he's doing, but he's got revenge on Angela already... so it's beyond that. He was in for the NY plan, so he cares about saving the world... I'm just hoping that eventually we get a flashback where his motives are made clear.
I think Linderman's cocky with everyone else because they can't read his mind. He's excellent at charming people, but if you stop and stare at him for a second you'll see he's full of crap. Part of that is how McDowell formulates words, his enunciation makes you believe what he's saying. But if you shut that out, it's all hollow. And Arthur was capable of shutting that out. I wouldn't be surprised if, originally, Arthur had only absorbed a basic power and didn't know how powerful he was. Then they looked up to Adam because he was effectively a God - which leads to a point: who knew Adam was still alive?
Kaito, Bob and Victoria could've faked his death. They knew how to kill him, and maybe they called the bluff of everyone else in a 'we killed Adam, what are you going to do' way. It's clear The Company Founders were still a unit as of 1992, so (save for Maury) they seem to have remained a unit to a degree. Therefore I wouldn't be surprised if very few people knew Adam was still alive, and Angela only found out when Maury paid her a visit (chances are Maury was yelling at her that Adam was going to get her.)
And once again - ELDERS: A MINI SERIES!
Posted by Ian | November 17, 2008 8:53 PM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 20:53:
Roundtree wise... could Charles be an Empath? Perhaps he was that generations Peter, and Arthur the Sylar. It fits in with 'there's always one good one.'
Posted by Anonymous | November 17, 2008 9:22 PM:
Posted on November 17, 2008 21:22:
"Linderman's ability gives him the leverage to gain even more power than Arthur can."
I completley agree Otto... Arthur knows this to be true as well... Who's image did Arthur use in order to build up Pineheart's gang... Linderman. Who's image did he use to manipulate Nathan... Linderman. Clearly Arthur is aware that Linderman wields a great deal of power and influence, and can very easily sway a common criminal like Daphne to join a 'New World Order'. Writing about this makes me miserable that Linderman is still freakin' dead! lol
Posted by ThePandoraRose | November 20, 2008 12:20 AM:
Posted on November 20, 2008 00:20:
And once again - ELDERS: A MINI SERIES!
Can we start a petition! My god, the history, the costumes the music, it'd be like some amazing novel.
Otto:
I totally see your point, but I think we have to agree to disagree, because your right and in the end Linderman used his healing power to trump Arthur, but I just think Arthur had every reason to fear Arthur and I'll leave it at that.
Look forward to your thoughts on the next episode.