(S02E07) I enjoyed this episode immensely. For starters, there wasn't a single mention of the wonder twins tonight! There were no black tears, no subtitles, and consequently, no dozing off on my part. The twins' storyline is this years version of the Nikki/Jessica snorefest that ensued most of last season. The less I have to see of it the better.
Unfortunately, we also received no further insight into what's going on in Gabriele's world. I was really hoping we'd get to see him make good on his promise to kill Alejandro.
Judging by some of the comments I've read in past recaps, I'm willing to bet a few of you completely agree with me on that point.
Aside from being thrilled that I didn't have to endure the twins journey to America (to visit a dead man no less), I really enjoyed how chock full of information this episode ended up being. It felt like two hours of television crammed into 60 minutes. I better get started because we have a lot to cover.
Kensei and Hiro
If I found myself on a massage table breathing in a copious amount of opium, I'd probably consider it my own personal heaven. Not the case with Hiro. He was being held captive in White Beard's camp after Kensei sold him out for countless riches and inimitable power.
Am I the only one who thinks Kensei's reaction to the kiss between Yaeko and Hiro was disproportionate to the offense?
I understand that Kensei was in love with Yaeko, but it was merely a kiss in a heated moment of passion. Totally forgivable in my opinion, but if Kensei forgave Hiro that easily he wouldn't have a reason to show up in the present and wreak havoc on Hiro's life.
I got a little chill after the sword battle and imminent explosion when Kensei said, "As long as I have breath, anything you love I will lay to waste. I swear, you will suffer." Hmmm, I wonder who's responsible for the death of Hiro's dad? Could it be ... Kensei/Adam? Kudos to those of you who predicted this earlier in the season.
Near the end of the episode Hiro wormholed his way back to modern day Japan where Ando informed him that his father is dead. He doesn't appear to have put 2 + 2 together yet as his reaction appeared to be one of dismay, and not suspicion.
I'm sure I'm not the only one thrilled to have Hiro back in the present. Having him in the past was really starting to wear thin.
Noah Bennett
Noah wasn't showcased as much this episode as he was in the previous two. In fact, most of his involvement revolved around Claire, but we did get to see a heated conversation take place between him and Mohinder.
We also got an up close look at the series of paintings and they included some of the activities that took place tonight. Namely, Hiro battling Kensei, Nikki beating her way through a door, a hand holding a vial, and Peter in 2008 observing a room full of people killed by the pandemic. We also saw Mohinder brandishing a company gun and the familiar scene of Noah dead on the floor while a girl and boy (presumably Claire and West) hug in the background.
Mohinder also displayed the first signs of not trusting Noah when he said, "We were supposed to take the company down together. I don't know what your agenda is anymore!" This is the precursor to Mohinder pretty much selling Noah out to the company a bit later in the episode.
West and Claire Bear
West weaseled his way into the Bennett household by showing Claire a newspaper clipping that he could have waited to show her at school. To make a long story full of kissing and teenage hormones short, West discovered that HRG is Claire's dad and he completely flipped out.
Peter and Caitlin - 2008
Continuing their journey from last week, Peter and Caitlin found themselves on the vacated streets of New York when out of the blue they were apprehended by men in biohazard suits asking if "they had any symptoms" and if they were "sick."
Peter and Caitlin were stripped down, cleaned, and probably deloused before being separated and interrogated. This is where we discover that Peter is dead according to death records in 2008. I'm guessing that after Peter exploded in the sky during last season's finale, his family had him declared dead. It seems like a logical thing to have done.
In this future Peter finds himself in, 93% of the world's population has perished thanks to the Shanti virus. It spread across the globe as a pandemic and the few remaining people are quarantined and trying to find a cure.
Mama Petrelli is one of the fortunate ones and she assists Peter in remembering who he is although there isn't really a good explanation as to how and why she knew Peter's whereabouts in the future.
She let Peter know that that Nathan died in the first outbreak of the disease and she implored him to travel back to the past and alter history so that virus never has a chance to take hold. All I have to say about this sequence of events is THANK THE LORD! PETER IS FINALLY AMNESIA FREE! It took a season and a half, but Peter finally realizes who he is and what he's fully capable of doing. I'm hoping too see some extraordinary things from his character going forward.
Finally, Peter was transported back to the room in Montreal where he instinctively shot a bolt of lightning into the palm of ... dun dun dun ... Kensei/Adam. Can't wait to see how this plays out.
Bob, Mohinder, Nikki, Nathan, and Parkman
Several important/interesting things happened during this story line of the show:
- Nathan and Nikki hadn't seen each other for who knows how long, but they shared an awkward "I've seen you naked" kind of glance when their eyes first locked. I found this rather amusing.
- Everyone knews Maury (Parkman's homeless looking dad) as on the way to the company to bring some pain. The plan was to isolate Maury and inject him with the virus in the hopes that it would nullify his powers.
- Adam/Kensei is controlling Maury. He's the visionary and he views himself as a God. Linderman was Adam's disciple. Adam escaped two weeks ago and he wants revenge on the company.
- Nathan found out that Peter is still alive.
- Maury eventually made his way to the company and used his abilities to trick Nikki into thinking that Bob shot DL. Nikki went apeshit, punched Mohinder in the nose, and went after Bob with a syringe full of cure/virus/scourge on humanity. She ultimately injects it into her own arm to no result (yet). I'm guessing this injection will be the beginning of the Shanti pandemic, but it's just speculation on my part.
- Parkman further realized the scope of his abilities. He managed to speak to Molly while she was in the coma, got into the "room" that Maury had her locked in, summoned and locked Maury in this "room", and escaped with Molly in tow. Seriously, if there's an award for most improved Hero from Season 1 to Season 2 my votes has to go to Parkman. The guy is turning into a veritable powerhouse.
- Mohinder woke up this morning and got himself a gun. Got himself a gun. Bob informed Mohinder that he may need the gun when he confronts Noah while trying to apprehend Claire Bear. Between the broken nose and the gun the prophecy is getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.
- Mohinder flat out tells Bob that he's been working with Noah in an effort to bring the company down. Mohinder has obviously lost his mind, has been thoroughly manipulated by Bob and the company, and will be making the biggest blunder of his life if and when he shoots Noah in the face. I'm really hoping this never ends up happening as I'm quite fond of HRG.
Did I miss anything? Probably, but so much happened this episode, I'm hoping you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
All in all, this was an excellent, content filled episode. With Adam/Kensei becoming the primary antagonist, I'm really curious to see how Sylar is going to factor into this whole equation. Was it Adam who placed him in isolation and for what reason? I'm also dying to figure out what the hell happened immediately after the Season 1 finale.
Thankfully, the preview for next week promises to address some of my questions. They include:
What happened after the bomb?
Where did Sylar go?
What happened to DL?
How did Peter survive?
Who is Elle?
The Upfronts: FOX
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The Upfronts: CBS
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
11-06-2007 @ 1:19AM
carterman said...
I only started watching the show this season, and this was the first episode I liked. It was actually good, actually had interesting story bits (unlike Prison Break, which from my channel flipping between Chuck/Heroes and PB, did next to nothing...did Fox forget there's a strike? That extra hour of Prison Break might help out later), and was just really cool. I guess that's why people love the show.
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11-06-2007 @ 1:25AM
dizzy said...
I was shocked to see the Adam = Kensei connection. That makes me wonder... why hasn't Claire realized she has the same powers, UNLESS Kensei has the SAME powers as Peter.
That and if the Shanti virus is let loose because of a moron (see: Bob) that has intentions that are very suspicious.
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11-06-2007 @ 1:31AM
Wilymon said...
i dont think Adam ages because his cell dont deteriorate! which i guess would mean Claire doesnt either, they're both probably kinda immortal! finally something to get excited about this season!
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11-06-2007 @ 1:53AM
Stacie23 said...
What was the point of last week's intense cover up of getting on the cheerleading team to cover up the fact that Claire has a boyfriend, only to have West(the boyfriend) show up the next day for Waffles? Makes no sense. It makes last weeks episode completly null and void.
Otherwise this show was fantastic. Everything is coming together and all the characters actually do mean something. The first 5 episodes everything was very disjointed and the characters were on their own doing their own thing. Now everything is becoming intertwined again.
I really hope this writers strike doesn't go on too long because with the whole future thing going on with this show, it seems the strike could mess up the long term goal of the season. Last season it was the bomb, this season the virus. I am definetly back on board with this show.
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11-06-2007 @ 1:53AM
Midnight13 said...
I kept flipping back and forth with "Heroes" and "PrisonBreak". "Hereos" hasn't kept my intrest as much as it did last year. I think its gone from being this freash inovating concept to taking bits and pieces of other sci-fi series and incorporating it into the show. The black eye thing from the twins storyline is too reminiscent of "The X-Files", Claire and flying boy is too "Smallville" to me. "PrisonBreak" can be just as fustrating. They are doing what they did in the first season, acting like every episode is going to be the episode where they break out, and then something always keeps them there. I don't mind if Micheal doesn't get out of the prison, the setting is actually intresting, but stop acting like NEXT week is the week they get out, and then you watch the episode and they don't make it out. They did that during the first season and it got old, because after awhile you knew it was going to take them the whole season to break out.
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11-06-2007 @ 1:56AM
nathan said...
I think it's pretty clear that Peter survived because of Claire's ability.
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11-06-2007 @ 2:10AM
Bill said...
Peter, Mohinder, and Hiro's storylines are working for me this year, and Noah's been ok, but Claire, the wonder twins, and Micah are boring the crap out of me. My only hope is that Sylar kills the twins and stops by New Orleans to knock off those people on his way to New York to rejoin the action. But we'll see.
And how awkward was Zach Quinto in that green spot "My character wants to destroy the world, but I'm here to save it." He almost looked camera shy, which is kind of odd for an actor.
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11-06-2007 @ 2:19AM
Z! said...
oh yeah i didnt think about that. if kensei/adam is immortal it stands to reason that peter will be immortal. and if adam is bad how do we get rid of him. maybe matt will put him in a comma.
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11-06-2007 @ 2:20AM
Franklin said...
Maybe it's going to be Sylar who stops the virus. I could see it playing out that way over a series of convoluted circumstances, where Sylar (for his own selfish reasons) puts an end to the virus.
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11-06-2007 @ 2:52AM
Jake said...
I think people have short attention spans when it comes to Heroes. Not every episode is going to be as info filled/action packed as this one was. I have liked the season so far, with the exception being the Twins story. But then again I didn't like the Nikki story from last year for a while and she grew on me. But hopefully the twins will be the characters that are supposedly supposed to die in the upcoming episodes and Sylar will become more powerful. The Adam Kane/Kinsei twist was a welcome realization, as I love David Anders and his work on Alias as Sark. Heroes is creating some good bad guys with Sylar and now Kane. I really really hope the producers aren't stupid enough to actually kill HRG. He's the best character without powers and is probably in the top five, along with Hiro, Sylar, Parkman, Peter.
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11-06-2007 @ 4:18AM
Phish said...
i reallllly dont know why everyone loves Hiro so much, i mean, he's damn annoying at times.
and Honestly, only the minority uses their powers for personal gain?? really??
i'd rob huge institutions (who are insured and wont hurt the little guy), beatup assholes in clubs, even manipulate my way to getting a reallly hot chick to screw. etc.. etc..
and these guys are trying to save the world, ya right!
i know the show's premise is unrealistic, but even the characters themselves are so unrealistic its laughable!
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11-06-2007 @ 4:36AM
Joe said...
Wow, I'm surprised the grammar Nazis haven't had a field day with this article. I noticed 'offense' instead of 'offence', 'vile' instead of 'vial' and starting two sentences without capital letters. Erm, you're paid to write?
In other news, maybe Tim Kring was right when he said episodes 7 - 11 were the best they'd made yet. It might just be shaping up that way.
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11-06-2007 @ 4:56AM
Kathy said...
I really think this episode is the best so far. Maybe the addition of the new characters really did bring down the series. It was nice to see all of the original characters interacting with each other again. This should be what we saw right from episode one instead of the wonder twins and the other new characters.
Acting talents help as well and kudos to Greg, Adrian, and Ali for acting the hell out of this episode. I think unlike their more famous co-stars, these three are not as appreciated by the media. It's about time that they get the recognition that they deserve. I especially feel sorry for Ali who get the crappiest treatment as far as character goes. And yet, she manages to rise above the material given to her.
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11-06-2007 @ 7:00AM
Jen said...
"THANK THE LORD! PETER IS FINALLY AMNESIA FREE!"
I don't think he's free of amnesia. I think he read his mother's mind and saw her memories, which caused him to remember those moments. But anything that happened while his mother wasn't around, he doesn't remember - which is why he didn't remember who Adam was at the end of the episode.
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11-06-2007 @ 7:17AM
Drip78 said...
i'm kinda interested to see what happens to caitlin, peter kinda accidentally left her in the future when he teleported back.
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11-06-2007 @ 7:21AM
JJ Hawkins said...
Thanks for the catches Joe.
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11-06-2007 @ 7:21AM
Justin Williams said...
My guess is that when Hiro went back in time it really screwed up the time line. If Adam really wanted the hiro's dad dead he could of done it alot sooner when they were friends. Once Hiro went back in time and betrayed Kensi, that put him hell bent on revenge. Thats why the killing started as soon as Hiro was gone. On the flip side I wouldnt be suprised if Adam turns out to be a good guy fighting the company to destroy the virus and wants a chance to be the hero that he was supposed to be. It could go so many ways and thats why I love this show.
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11-06-2007 @ 7:59AM
Chuck said...
I think being in a comma would get very cramped, very quickly. At least in a semi-colon there'e room to strectch out a bit! :-)
Seriously--New York the center of mass destruction, the only person who can save the world is the cheerleader, a bunch of superheroes whining about how miserable they are, Sylar wanting to kill heroes to take their powers . . . I liked this season better when it was called season 1. I mean, so far it's pretty much a rehash, isn't it? A whole new season of possibilities and all they can do is rewrite the same plot again?
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11-06-2007 @ 8:05AM
Ryan said...
Excellent episode. I know people were saying Adam = Kensei since episode 1, but I was shocked. Plus Hiro and Petere are finally integrated into the "main" storyline i.e. Adam and the Shanti virus.
Next week looks to be another classic like "Six Months Ago."
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11-06-2007 @ 8:19AM
Debbie said...
All but the last two paintings came true in this episode. Nikki beating down the door, Hiro fighting Kensei with a sword, Peter viewing the people killed by the virus and the hand holding a vial is Bob giving Nikki the vial of the virus to inject Matt's dad.
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