Things are really starting to come together on this show, and I absolutely love how they’re slowly but surely bringing the characters together, and having them realize why they must unite. Each interaction was interesting in its own way, from Hiro and Nathan to Isaac and Peter to Niki and Ando. All around, a great execution of weaving the characters together.
I also appreciate the fact that Claire is so disconnected from the rest of the cast, yet she’s the person that will tie them all together. Indeed, if she was in Las Vegas or New York with the rest of the characters, the urgency and anticipation of the rest of the cast finding her would be lessened. Right now, they just know that they need to save her in order to save the world. Aside from that, they don’t know who or where she is.
Claire’s father is also an intriguing character, which was exemplified greatly in this episode. From all accounts, it appears that he does truly care about his daughter. The look on his face when Claire told him that the quarterback tried to rape her, and the resulting attack seemed like authentic emotion.
Matt using his abilities to put back together his life was a nice touch. So far, we’ve seen people deny themselves of their abilities (such as Nathan), we’ve seen people aspire for greatness due to their abilities (like Hiro and Peter), and we’ve seen people try to understand their powers (like Claire, and to a lesser extent Niki). With Matt, we have somebody who is just trying to improve his every day life, and is reluctant to become anything more (notice his hesitation with the guy who was going to rob the convenience store). I also like how he hasn’t come to terms with how to control his powers as well, resulting in him passing out.
I must say, I thought Ando came off as very unlikable this episode. I mean, honestly, how could he think that this was Hiro’s fault? For that matter, their whole “cheating Vegas” strategy was atrocious. Instead of switching cards at the last minute, why not freeze time and stack the deck so that you’re automatically dealt the best cards? Or rearranging the cards before anybody turns them up? How could they think they’re not going to get their asses kicked when the person they’re playing can clearly see his cards have been switched?
Niki’s storyline is starting to pick up, especially as we discover more about her abilities. Out of all the characters, she seems to be the biggest enigma. Not only are we unsure of her powers, but her backstory is dark and mysterious as well.
I actually really enjoyed Nathan’s character this episode, although he was surprisingly laid back about arriving at a diner half naked, considering how image conscious he is. That said, the scene of him taking off and flyiing was awesome, as was his resulting interaction with Hiro. Again, I thought the writers did a great job of weaving the characters together.
I like the fact that Peter and Isaac have been forced to work together, due to their complicated love triangle with Simone. It looks like Hiro and Ando will soon be added to the mix, as they try to figure out the mystery of Claire.
A couple weeks ago I noted how I like that Claire is tempted to use her powers for revenge (and, honestly, rightly so). While I’m not sure I agree with the notion that a girl who was almost raped would voluntarily apologize (so calmly, no less) to the perpetrator, I appreciated the fact that she came to the realization that using her abilities for such a reason is not right. She’s definitely grown since the premiere just a few weeks ago. I am also intrigued by her father’s implication that he’s allowing her to discover for herself what her powers are. Who is he, and is he responsible for her possible death?
Again, this show remains one of my favorite on television.
