norwich36: (Nathan)
norwich36 ([personal profile] norwich36) wrote2007-03-07 07:31 am
Entry tags:

Heroes: Parasite



I finally got to watch this episode streaming from the NBC site, but of all the episodes not to have recorded! I want to rewatch this one a million times, because I suspect there were lots of hints and clues to things, especially in Lindermann's collection.

I have so much love for this show. Do I say that every week? I think I say that every week, but I can't help it. I spent about ten minutes after the episode just squeeing and flailing and cursing that we don't get a new episode until the end of April. We've had cliffhangers before, but never, I think, for every single person's plotline. Damn.

Ok, I have to begin with my reactions to the Bennetts' plotline, because after last week they are my favorites, so they BETTER NOT BE DEAD. I'm not too worried about Mr. Bennett, despite the cliffhanger, because the Company still has his son's life to blackmail him with, but I'm quite worried about Mrs. Bennett, for two reasons. (A) She got to have her emotional resolution with Mr. Bennett, telling him that she knew how to play dumb (*loves her times a billion*) and when he said "I can never love you enough" (*loves him times infinity*) she said "you do fine (*heart breaks into a million pieces*)--but that sort of emotional resolution generally presages death, if I know my genre TV. (B) So far, the only other person we saw shape-changing girl imitate was dead, so that may possibly mean that Mrs. Bennett to be dead for her to take her form. And even if that's not true, where *is* the real Mrs. Bennett? It seems very possible to me that they've already killed her, to show Mr. Bennett they mean business, and they're going to keep his son hostage.

Please tell me I am wrong about this! I want them both to come out alive. I love that with his memory wiped, Mr. Bennett was still so passionate about finding Claire.

Moving on to Nathan's plotline: Nathan! You've been secretly working with the FBI to bring down Lindermann? Oh, just when I thought I couldn't love you any more. And wow, are the writers *deliberately* feeding the Petrellicesters, or what? Could that scene in his office with Peter have *been* any slashier? Only if there was actual kissing involved, I think. It's hard for me to decide whether I loved Nathan's scenes with Peter, Hiro, or Niki more. Ok, I lie. The scene with Lindermann was definitely for the win. I knew Lindermann was going to be Malcolm McDowell, but I didn't know he was going to be quite as awesome as he was. The cooking! The pot pie! Totally turning his back at the end, as if inviting Nathan to shoot him!

I also thought the whole "life of meaning" v. "life of happiness" discussion was very interesting. I'm trying to decide which of those we, as the audience, are supposed to be favoring. I assume the Heroes are all on a quest for the life of meaning? The point about those in search of the life of meaning live in the past or the future could certainly apply to a number of the plotlines tonight: Mohinder trapped Sylar to get revenge for his actions in the past, and also because of his quest for knowledge, which is future-oriented; Mr. Bennett's whole storyline is about atoning for his actions in the past and changing the future for Claire; Hiro needs to claim a relic from the past in order to literally move into a different future, though we found out that he does not in fact change the future, both from the appearance of the post-apocalyptic landscape he and Ando sees and from the fact that Isaac is still painting his own death; and Peter has also been on an unsuccessful quest to change the future.

Is anyone living the life of happiness? Claire is certainly trying to keep hold of her life, throughout the episode, but really the life she's trying to hold onto is the past. Jessica is, I suppose, living in the present, but she's depicted as evil, as is Lindermann. I'm trying to decide where Sylar would fall on this continuum, and failing: is eating people's brains present-oriented since he's focsuing on his own aims in the moment) or future-oriented (since he sees himself as representing the evolution of humanity)?

I have other thoughts on parallelism in the episode, and Mohinder finally getting a clue, Ando coming to Hiro's rescue, and Mrs. Petrelli turning out to have been protecting Claire, etc., but they'll have to wait since I am late for work.
ext_2583: "Lady Agnew" by John Singer Sargent (Heroes Petrellis)

Wrong smiley!!

[identity profile] mskatej.livejournal.com 2007-03-07 08:12 pm (UTC)(link)
You are the master of squeeful meta, Nora. Image

I guess I'm not too worried about Peter because clearly Sylar is not going to win that battle, but it was still not very nice seeing his head get cut open. Ooh, he will be able to self heal before Sylar gets to his brain! That's pretty cool.

I was also relieved that Mohinder isn't *quite* as much of a dumbass as I had pegged him to be.

Nathan is fantastically hot and I'm choosing to believe he didn't kill Linderman in the end, not because he wants the future Linderman offered him, but because he realised that he wouldn't be able to protect his family if he was dead, and killing Linderman was ostensibly suicide. *nods*

Re: Wrong smiley!!

[identity profile] norwich36.livejournal.com 2007-03-07 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Thank you! (I'm trying to insert a smiley face here but I can't seem to find where they are.) Image I have no idea what that image is I just inserted.

Yeah, Peter isn't going to die before he gets a shot at blowing up New York. I wonder if something interferes with his self-healing and that's where he gets the scar Hiro mentioned?

And it's true, Mohinder took one step forward away from dumbassness--unfortunately he took two steps back. Still, I'm glad he actually shot Sylar. I thought he was going to wuss out at the last moment, but he didn't.

There's no way Lindermann is dying in this episode, not when they ponied up the money to get Malcolm MacDowell, or however you spell his name. Plus, my new theory is that Lindermann is Nathan's real dad.

Re: Wrong smiley!!

[identity profile] bop-radar.livejournal.com 2007-03-08 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
*loves on your new theory*

I love this show, Nora!

[identity profile] bop-radar.livejournal.com 2007-03-08 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
Oh noes! I am worried about Mrs Bennett now too. :-( I hadn't thought of that (I was 70% asleep while watching this ep). But I luff her! WOE.

I love that with his memory wiped, Mr. Bennett was still so passionate about finding Claire.
Yeah, I loved that. I found him really powerful in this episode--I'm really enjoying the actor's performance.

Oh, nice exposition on the life of happiness versus life of meaning thing! I will think more on this when I have a brain again.

[identity profile] norwich36.livejournal.com 2007-03-08 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
I really hope I am wrong about Mrs. Bennett. The Bennetts are currently my OTP for this show, and as soon as I find caps I am making icons of them.

[identity profile] bop-radar.livejournal.com 2007-03-08 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
Ohhh, awesome! Yeah, they're really the only people I 'ship' right now on the show. It's not a shippy show for me at all. And there's a great lack of Bennett icons out there.