A Case of the…. Heroes – Episode 2-3

Shows

Before I get to this past week’s episode of Heroes, I want to let any of my readers know that I have a new e-mail address. For the past year or so, my InsidePulse e-mail has been inactive, so if you’ve ever e-mailed me and I haven’t responded, that’s why. I’m really good about responding to readers’ e-mails, so if you’ve sent something and haven’t received a response, assume I never received it. I really enjoy talking television and interacting with anybody who takes the time to read my columns, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. My only rule is that I don’t read any spoilers, so please don’t mention anything that hasn’t happened yet (unless it’s explicitly stated in the upcoming preview). With shows like Heroes, Lost, and The 4400, I always like talking theories, so feel free to send me anything you’re pondering. The new address is mbasilo_insidepulse@hotmail.com, which is also linked at the bottom of the page.

Now, onto the episode

I have to say, though, that I still don’t like West very much. I mean, he’s hassling Claire about not revealing to him that she is different, yet all the meanwhile he doesn’t divulge his secret until AFTER she finally comes clean about hers. Seems very hypocritical to me. And the fact that he has been watching her through windows is still creepy. Why exactly was he looking through her living room window to give her a book?

The discovery that Bennet had tagged West was not too surprising, since TV Guide (or was it Entertainment Weekly) had already spoiled that. What I don’t get, though, is why Claire was so shocked and appalled? I know that she doesn’t know everything her father did while he was working for The Company, but surely she knew that. I mean, that was the whole purpose of Parkman and Ted holding her family hostage. Quite frankly, we did Claire vs. her dad last season, and it was great, but their relationship has evolved and I enjoy them better as allies.

One thing I did really like about her discussion with West, however, was her subtle remark that she does indeed feel pain, but just gets over it very quickly. All those times she jumped off huge scaffolds onto the hard ground, I kept saying to myself “sure, that won’t kill you, but shouldn’t that still hurt like hell?” It’s nice to finally have an understanding of this aspect of her abilities.

It seems that Mohinder unearthed the eighth Isaac painting, which depicts Bennet being shot and killed right through the infamous horn rimmed glasses (how apropos). I certainly hope this is a red herring, as he is THE best character on the show. And was that Claire in the background with a shadowy figure? I could see that it’s a blonde girl, but I couldn’t tell if it was without uncertainty Claire. I thought it could perhaps be Kristen Bell’s yet-to-be-introduced-character (with her and Claire both being blondes and about the same height and build), since she is supposed to be somewhat sinister.

We’ve learned a bit more about the Wonder Twins, and I stand by my initial theory that their abilities seem to balance out each other, with Maya taking away somebody’s life force, and Alejandro returning it. I’ve actually read an interesting hypothesis, which is that Maya’s abilities only work when she is forced into a precarious situation against her will, which explains why she goaded the police officers in the first place. I quite like that theory, since I was left wondering why she would provoke them like that.

Somebody also noted that the white guy that escaped with Maya and Alejandro was driving Claire’s car (hence revealing that he was the one who stole it). I hadn’t noticed that, nor have I had the chance to verify it, but nevertheless that’s an interesting observation.

We also learned that D.L. did not survive the gunshot wound he suffered in last year’s finale. I actually thought that this revelation was handled very well, with Nikki vaguely telling Micah that she’ll make sure he’s always able to visit his father. We also discovered that Nikki is ailing from the virus that is killing off some of the heroes, and that she’s made some sort of deal with The Company. Is it just a ruse, and she’s actually in cahoots with Bennet and Mohinder? Or is this our first hint that Nikki’s dark side cannot be completely blamed on Jessica?

Peter is still in Ireland with no recollection of who he is and how he got there, and he’s also coming to terms with re-learning his abilities. I found his reluctance to open the box when the opportunity finally came a bit of a stretch, though. For somebody so curious about who he is and why he has these powers, it seemed a tad unbelievable that, suddenly, he would not want to learn more about himself (even if he was a bit frightened by his apparent darker side). Oh, and I loved how the tattoo disappeared, as I was left wondering if it would once he got it (after all, a tattoo is, in a sense, a wound).

From what I’ve gathered, a lot of people haven’t enjoyed the Hiro and Kensei story arc, and I haven’t quite decided how I feel about it. For somebody so concerned about altering the time/space continuum (which, by the way, could have severe ramifications), it seemed somewhat inconsistent for Hiro to opt to stay with Kensei after making him the hero that he is supposed to be. It almost seems as if the writers don’t know what they want to do with Hiro in the present day timeline.

One thing I want to note about Hiro, which I missed upon my initial viewing of the finale, but caught after it was brought up during the episode commentary (see, Smallville, episode commentaries can be very beneficial!) was the way Hiro said “yatta” after stabbing Sylar. Throughout the entire season, the normally jovial Hiro used to always exclaim “yatta!” (which means “I did it!”) in his high pitched, excited voice. Yet in the finale, after he impales Sylar, he says “yatta” in a gravely, sincere tone. It was actually an exceptionally powerful moment as a viewer, and for his character.

The big news of this episode is the return of Sylar, as we finally find out how he escaped the carnage of the Kirby Plaza battle in the finale. It seems that Candace dragged him to safety. I’m actually quite fond of this explanation, as Candace’s ability would allow her to do such an action undetected (after all, she can create an illusion that Sylar is still lying in a pool of blood, while she’s actually pulling him away, if I understand her abilities correctly). The question is, why? Does she still work for The Company? If so, what do they want with Sylar? If not, who does she work for now? And did Sylar actually kill her, or was it another one of her illusions? If she is in fact dead, I liked the revelation that she’s actually an overweight woman, which is a nice payoff to the finale, where she’s constantly eating while caring for Micah.

It also occurred to me that between Peter and Sylar, every character is expendable, as their abilities can live on through these two characters.

Sir Linksalot: Heroes

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into various popular television shows. Be sure to visit his blog at [a case of the blog] and follow him on Twitter.