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Heroes 1.09
I think this is episode 1.09, anyway. Sigh. They even put the title and the number in the episode, and I still can't keep track. (Just fyi, every *single* time I reference a SV ep I have to look it up first--I have some sort of aphasia when it comes to these sorts of things).
Anyway, spoilers for tonight's episode and for the preview of next week's episode
The Mohinder storyline dragged a bit, but since it highlighted the overarching theme in this episode (you can't save people from themselves, OR trying to protect people from their destiny never works), I won't complain too much. Mohinder's father couldn't protect him; Claire's dad couldn't protect her; Nathan couldn't protect Peter; Micah couldn't protect Niki (and D.L. couldn't protect Michah from Jessica); and I take it we are to assume that Hiro couldn't protect the waitress. Though Peter was able to protect Claire: why? Because he was acting as a hero? Because he was willing to sacrifice his own life? I wonder if that's really the key.
The rest of the episode, apart from Mohinder's plot, was just terrific: great pacing, great twists, great reveals. I think the biggest reveal has to be that Sylar isn't tracking the other heroes by instinct or by a special gift; he is actually acting as a serial killer and targeting them (maybe with Dr. Suresh's database?), or he would have known that Jackie wasn't the girl he was looking for.
I wonder, though: the mantra is "save the cheerleader, save the world," and everyone assumes that the cheerleader in question is, in fact, Claire, but what if it isn't? It was a great twist for both Sylar and Peter to mistake Jackie for Claire because of her supposed heroism, but what if somehow accidentally Sylar has targeted the correct cheerleader? I know that in the economy of the drama, it makes more sense that Claire is the one who must be saved, both because of her actual powers and because of whatever mysterious agency her dad works for, but I still wonder. Jackie was very much made out to be a bitch in this episode (which reinforces bitchy things she's done in the past, like stealing credit for Claire's rescue of the fireman--though that actually helped Claire, both at the time and in this episode), and I cheered as loud as anyone when Claire socked her in the nose, but on the other hand Jackie expressed concern for Claire even as she was getting murdered, telling her to run. She wanted to be known as a hero, and maybe she was one, a little bit, at the end.
Claire was wonderful in this episode. I really love her growing acceptance of her inner freak, as well as the fact that she's beginning to realize friendship is a two-way street. I also kind of loved the fact that she was initially going to accept the fact that she was grounded, even though she's homecoming queen--to me that says good things about her relationship with her dad. And I also liked the fact that she wanted to go back and help Peter, and that she's going to tell her dad. (And thank God we now know that won't have dire consequences!)
Claire's subplot highlighted the other big theme of this episode, which was about accepting--or denying--your own heroism. Peter has accepted the call in a big way, and I have to say that made me like his character more than I have all season. I really admired his commitment to save the cheerleader even at risk to himself. And of course now he's seen that Isaac's prophecies are true, so he'll be even more committed to that path, which I suspect is going to put him at odds with Nathan, who is still very much in denial of his own powers. And I'm sure the conflict between Nathan and Peter is only going to be exacerbated by Peter's arrest.
Of course, embracing your powers is not always an unmixed blessing. We are still left wondering what changes Hiro has wrought in the past. He doesn't seem to have saved the waitress, yet if this is really the same time stream, rather than a different one--which is suggested both by the picture and by her friend recognizing Hiro-- then the waitress must have recognized Hiro when he came into the restaurant the second time. This means she must have known and embraced her death, for some reason--possibly in the same way Peter embraced his potential death. Maybe Hiro actually has done something important by travelling to the past, that must be preserved at all costs(e.g. inadvertantly activating everyone's powers?) even if it meant she had to die, so she heroically made that sacrifice?
Meanwhile, watching Eden in action with her powers was actually HOT. Damn. I didn't think I could ever like that character, but in action she's kind of mesmerizing! And what a useful power to have, too. I'm sure it's too much to hope for that they're actually going to rehabilitate Sylar, but maybe we'll get to find out why he's a bad guy?
And speaking of bad guys: Jessica isn't really going to kill D.L., right? But I'm still really wondering how it might be possible to reintegrate Jessica and Niki. That gravestone suggests that Jessica was an actually sibling (twin?) of Niki, so the question is, is Jessica actually her sister, or just a symbolic aspect of her consciousness that uses her sister's name?
And are they really going to tell us how everyone got their powers in next week's ep? I'm so excited!!!!
Edited to add: Oh, I forgot to talk about Ando. I felt so bad for poor Ando, waiting and waiting for his man and wondering if he will ever come back. Half of me wanted him to go be heroic with Peter to save the cheerleader, and half of me was very glad he didn't since I'm sure he wouldn't have lasted long.
Anyway, spoilers for tonight's episode and for the preview of next week's episode
The Mohinder storyline dragged a bit, but since it highlighted the overarching theme in this episode (you can't save people from themselves, OR trying to protect people from their destiny never works), I won't complain too much. Mohinder's father couldn't protect him; Claire's dad couldn't protect her; Nathan couldn't protect Peter; Micah couldn't protect Niki (and D.L. couldn't protect Michah from Jessica); and I take it we are to assume that Hiro couldn't protect the waitress. Though Peter was able to protect Claire: why? Because he was acting as a hero? Because he was willing to sacrifice his own life? I wonder if that's really the key.
The rest of the episode, apart from Mohinder's plot, was just terrific: great pacing, great twists, great reveals. I think the biggest reveal has to be that Sylar isn't tracking the other heroes by instinct or by a special gift; he is actually acting as a serial killer and targeting them (maybe with Dr. Suresh's database?), or he would have known that Jackie wasn't the girl he was looking for.
I wonder, though: the mantra is "save the cheerleader, save the world," and everyone assumes that the cheerleader in question is, in fact, Claire, but what if it isn't? It was a great twist for both Sylar and Peter to mistake Jackie for Claire because of her supposed heroism, but what if somehow accidentally Sylar has targeted the correct cheerleader? I know that in the economy of the drama, it makes more sense that Claire is the one who must be saved, both because of her actual powers and because of whatever mysterious agency her dad works for, but I still wonder. Jackie was very much made out to be a bitch in this episode (which reinforces bitchy things she's done in the past, like stealing credit for Claire's rescue of the fireman--though that actually helped Claire, both at the time and in this episode), and I cheered as loud as anyone when Claire socked her in the nose, but on the other hand Jackie expressed concern for Claire even as she was getting murdered, telling her to run. She wanted to be known as a hero, and maybe she was one, a little bit, at the end.
Claire was wonderful in this episode. I really love her growing acceptance of her inner freak, as well as the fact that she's beginning to realize friendship is a two-way street. I also kind of loved the fact that she was initially going to accept the fact that she was grounded, even though she's homecoming queen--to me that says good things about her relationship with her dad. And I also liked the fact that she wanted to go back and help Peter, and that she's going to tell her dad. (And thank God we now know that won't have dire consequences!)
Claire's subplot highlighted the other big theme of this episode, which was about accepting--or denying--your own heroism. Peter has accepted the call in a big way, and I have to say that made me like his character more than I have all season. I really admired his commitment to save the cheerleader even at risk to himself. And of course now he's seen that Isaac's prophecies are true, so he'll be even more committed to that path, which I suspect is going to put him at odds with Nathan, who is still very much in denial of his own powers. And I'm sure the conflict between Nathan and Peter is only going to be exacerbated by Peter's arrest.
Of course, embracing your powers is not always an unmixed blessing. We are still left wondering what changes Hiro has wrought in the past. He doesn't seem to have saved the waitress, yet if this is really the same time stream, rather than a different one--which is suggested both by the picture and by her friend recognizing Hiro-- then the waitress must have recognized Hiro when he came into the restaurant the second time. This means she must have known and embraced her death, for some reason--possibly in the same way Peter embraced his potential death. Maybe Hiro actually has done something important by travelling to the past, that must be preserved at all costs(e.g. inadvertantly activating everyone's powers?) even if it meant she had to die, so she heroically made that sacrifice?
Meanwhile, watching Eden in action with her powers was actually HOT. Damn. I didn't think I could ever like that character, but in action she's kind of mesmerizing! And what a useful power to have, too. I'm sure it's too much to hope for that they're actually going to rehabilitate Sylar, but maybe we'll get to find out why he's a bad guy?
And speaking of bad guys: Jessica isn't really going to kill D.L., right? But I'm still really wondering how it might be possible to reintegrate Jessica and Niki. That gravestone suggests that Jessica was an actually sibling (twin?) of Niki, so the question is, is Jessica actually her sister, or just a symbolic aspect of her consciousness that uses her sister's name?
And are they really going to tell us how everyone got their powers in next week's ep? I'm so excited!!!!
Edited to add: Oh, I forgot to talk about Ando. I felt so bad for poor Ando, waiting and waiting for his man and wondering if he will ever come back. Half of me wanted him to go be heroic with Peter to save the cheerleader, and half of me was very glad he didn't since I'm sure he wouldn't have lasted long.
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