(S03E09) It's a shame that nobody's watching this show anymore, because tonight was all about setting the stage for the battle to come. With "Volume 4" coming either in December or early next year, we should be moving fast and furious to the big confrontation between Team Pinehearst and Team Primatech. By the end of this episode, all of our major players appear to have chosen sides. The stage is set, after only nine episodes, to get to the meat of this volume.Remember when we were told that there was going to be an examination of the generations of Heroes, and possibly struggles between them. It looks like the Writers Strike swept all of that off the table. Hell, the only people left from the "first" generation are Angela and Arthur Petrelli, and now they appear to be on opposing sides. It took awhile to get to this point, what with wasting all that time on Mohinder and Maya early on this season, but it looks like we're finally getting to the good stuff. Creator Tim Kring took pen to paper, or more likely fingers to keyboard, to write this pivotal episode. Is there anybody left watching to appreciate his efforts?
At this point, are we confident that Angela is now firmly on the side of good, with Arthur and Pinehearst representing evil? Angela certainly came across as pretty evil back in the first season, and both her and her husband appear willing to put their own agendas above the health and well-being of the world at large. In fact, the only difference I can find between them is that Angela cares for the health and well-being of her children, if nothing else. Arthur simply feels that they each have a role to play.
I'm glad to see Daphne finally pick a side, if we can fully believe that she finally has. I'm not sure at what point she fell in love with Parkman, but it was only at the moment she thought he would die that she changed her mind.
The scenes between Elle and Sylar were very sweet and touching, weren't they? I can't wait until next season when they're setting up Arthur as a good guy who only seeks redemption for his past misdeeds. "You're a monster!" "I'm trying to be better." Aw, now just hug it out. That said, Sylar is actually pretty damned effective as a monster attempting to reform.
Arthur tipping him off on a way to get someone's ability without killing them may have sated his hunger for good. After all, wasn't the craving for their abilities? He didn't want to kill them, he just wanted their abilities and to understand how to work them. And he managed to take Elle's ability without stripping them away from her. That got me thinking. Arthur, Sylar and Peter all seem to have variations on the same powers, or maybe they have the exact same power, they just manifest it differently. And since Sylar and Peter don't take powers away when they acquire them, maybe Arthur can't either.
He was able to erase 18 years of Hiro's memory, so maybe what he can do is erase someone's memory of how to access their abilities. You have to figure that Peter isn't going to stay depowered. He was whiny and pathetic enough when he was one of the most powerful people on the show, and he's gotten much more annoying and useless now. Oh, and save the catalyst, save the world? Why does that sound familiar?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-18-2008 @ 4:01AM
Phish said...
too little too late.
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11-18-2008 @ 4:29AM
scotty said...
>Is there anybody left watching to appreciate his efforts?<
*crickets chirping*
*tumbleweed rolling by*
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11-18-2008 @ 5:05AM
Nightfall said...
The comic book cliches are unavoidable with this show, but doesn't this advancing plot seem reminiscent of X-men.
It's too bad that for a show that is beginning to get good again, its compelling stories aren't original. I guess in this universe, Prof. X and Magneto were husband and wife...
11-18-2008 @ 5:18AM
michael said...
this is probably the worst heroes episode of all time , NBC should just pull the plug
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11-18-2008 @ 6:19AM
KenMo said...
I hope someone, somewhere is keeping track of all of the missteps the people producing Heroes have made.
They can pass it around to production teams of new, promising shows as a guide on how to kill a show that has everything going for it.
This show should have been the best on TV for 6 or 7 years before it ended, but what we got was... this.
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11-18-2008 @ 6:21AM
Picviewer said...
Re: Arthur, Sylar and Peter
Look at it from this angle since their base power is pretty much the same. Peter is a sponge being comes from well being normal somewhat, feeling sympathy and empathy. Sylar more the mechanical logical thinking to see how things work right? And Arthur just from a point of desire or controlling.
Peter: pulling another power just happens
Sylar: wants to know how it works and happens
Arthur: has to have it to control it
Knock out the Hiro storyline and this ep was finally a decent one.
Flint/Clint? : Claires' uncle basically doesn't realize hey you look like my sister?
Powers only cycle during solar eclipses? Huh so how does that explain all the others who used their powers prior?
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11-18-2008 @ 7:00AM
Diane said...
re: the poll..
It's team Pinehearst, not Pineview
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11-18-2008 @ 1:05PM
White Rabbit said...
The only thing that kept going through my head at the end of the episode was...
"So Claire's super important? God dammit that means more episodes are going to revolve AROUND her! Less Claire is the right direction IMO..."
I was so happy after last weeks episode (the one where Hiro saw into the past) because... there was NO CLAIRE! She showed up for about 5 seconds but didn't say a WORD. It was the happiest this show has made me in a long time.
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11-18-2008 @ 7:17AM
scotty said...
This series was really fascinating to watch and keep up with in its first season. And it had a cool geeky vibe. Since then, I feel dippy dorky and embarrassed now for watching it. Maybe I'm insecure, but, honestly, I feel like I'm immature (as in, like an adult who refuses to grow up sort of way) for still keeping up with it. It's just become so stupid in so many ways that it would take me way too many words to describe now.
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11-18-2008 @ 7:25AM
Chris said...
What a bunch of negative nancys. I still watch this show and like it. I like the characters, their relationships, and their conflicts.
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11-18-2008 @ 8:28AM
vacelts said...
I must be getting disillusioned with the show, because I was not impressed with this episode. I thought the big reveal about Claire’s specialness was anticlimactic.
http://redlightnaps.wordpress.com/2008/11/18/heroes-its-coming/
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11-18-2008 @ 8:42AM
Cyantre said...
Peter was actually way smarter without his powers, tricking Flint into using his powers to light the gas on fire was a nice change of pace from Peter's usual self.
Hiro acting like a 10yr old, while it provides some comic-relief, ultimately is just distracting to the main storyline. Disabling any hero for some weak side-track story is just suicide at this point in the show with so many characters and story-lines to focus on.
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11-18-2008 @ 9:00AM
Ian said...
I think that Tim Kring should hire Jay and Silent Bob to go door to door to everyone posting a negative comment on the internet about Heroes. Its the butterfly effect, one person steps on this show and everyone starts to hate it because its the cool thing to do so...
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11-18-2008 @ 9:21AM
niki said...
I am still enjoying the show. Some episodes have been hokey but last nights episode made it seem like stuff is really going to start happening. and how hot is Sylar?! yum.
I'm excited to see the big battle, but I could do without Hiro. He's reminiscent of scrappy doo from Scooby Doo the later years. he just comes in with his power and screws things up.
I'm rooting for Heroes.
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11-18-2008 @ 9:26AM
Bill said...
Mrs. Petrelli looks like she's about to start doing the West Side Story snapping/dancing routine in that picture.
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11-18-2008 @ 10:10AM
Jen said...
I just don't see what people are talking about when they say Heroes is horrible. I will agree that season 2 was not at the same level as season 1 but I am thoroughly enjoying this season. I may not be the most critical person when it comes to TV watching but I don't watch TV because I expect to find a soul search and gut wrenching experience. I watch to be entertained, although I stop at reality shows and can't stomach most comedies. Is it that somebody else said it is horrible and you had to jump on the negativity train? What if they cancel it, and in its place put some reality show on instead? That'd be so much better, huh?
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11-20-2008 @ 1:42PM
Dan said...
Thank you Jen! I don't get it. Heroes may not be as good as Dexter, or possibly even Chuck, but it's certainly better than "America's Next ____" Or "American ___" or any other stupid competition show that only cares about attracting the dumbest and most loyal audience. Heroes is fun, surprising from week to week (I didn't expect Hiro to be turned into a 10-year-old, and I loved how he found a copy of 9th Wonders...the show was at its best when 9th Wonders was involved) and an entertaining 45 minutes of TV.
What I don't get is all the haters. If you hate it so much, why do you keep watching? And if you don't hate it, why bash it so much? The show will work out its kinks and continue to be the best live-action comic book on TV. How can anyone not like the Arthur Petrelli storyline, that guy is an evil genius!
11-18-2008 @ 10:23AM
SassylilB said...
I was a good episode! I like it, I have to admit that few episodes have been really good. Clair was not annoying as she usually is, and I loved the scenes with Ell and Syler! Probably the best part of the episode.
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11-18-2008 @ 10:45AM
Ryan said...
Yeah I don't get all the negative comments. Was the Hiro storyline ridiculous? Yes, but that's been Hiro's schtick since the end of S1.
Everything else I thought was quite intriguing and I'm liking that there are now two sides for a hopefully nice battle. The Elle/Sylar thing was captivating as was the Parkman/Petrelli Parents/Daphne showdown.
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11-18-2008 @ 10:56AM
Parl said...
I thought the episode was decent, but the romances between Sylar/Elle and Parkman/Daphne are horribly horribly forced, especially the latter. They're just cringe-worthy. Same thing with the "development" of Sylar's empathy.
It's obvious that the writers are in panic mode right now. They're trying to wrap up this villains storyline (that isn't getting good publicity) in any way possible to get to the next chapter and start on a clean slate again. Problem is, they've already done this at least twice and it's killing the show with bad plots, bad wrap-ups, and bad character development (not to mention horrible retcon).
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