(S04E11) I am thankful that we are finally getting to the meat of this volume. I am thankful that we are inching closer to the inevitable conclusion of this battle between Sylar and Nathan over who will retain control of the body. And I am thankful that Angela Petrelli, the always incomparable Cristine Rose, was back this week.
Also making a return appearance for the Bennett family Thanksgiving dinner was Sandra, along with her new beau Doug. And, of course, Mr. Muggles. It's sweet that Muggs fell in love with Doug's dog, but that doesn't excuse Sandra for dating such a total tool. It's a little awkward to think of going to your ex's holiday, but it's not unheard of. Particularly since she probably already knew Claire was going to be there.
Not to be outdone, Samuel had a Thanksgiving dinner of his own back at the Carnival, but Hiro certainly wasn't thankful to be there.
Hiro's one-track obsession with Charlie is equal parts annoying and endearing. It's blinded him to right and wrong, to a degree. To save Charlie, he had Dr. Suresh committed. To save Charlie, he will deny that he saw Samuel kill his brother Joseph eight weeks ago, even though Lydia was there with him. To save Charlie, he will apparently do just about anything. So much for the hero willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Looks like Hiro is human after all, but then we already knew that.
What I don't know is if I should remember a call of "Must rescue Watson. Beam me up Scotty!" It sounds incredibly familiar, and yet I don't think it's been revealed yet. Maybe a hint of the future? Whatever it means, it's where Hiro zapped off to once Samuel's "man" did whatever he did to him. I can't remember that guy's ability, if we ever knew it. Man, I'm doing a great job on keeping track of these details, eh?
Back at the Bennetts, it was a pretty uneventful evening. Claire slashed open her arm, but Doug was convinced it was a peanut allergy. It was nice to see Gretchen roll back into the fold, though she may come to regret that decision now that Claire has her on a wild goose chase to the Sullivan Bros. Carnival, care of the compass she stole from her father.
I won't even get into how stalker creepy it is that Noah is out hunting after his former partner and lover, considering that the Haitian wiped her mind. I don't think he could undo whatever the natural chemistry was that first attracted them to one another, so maybe they can find happiness again. Still, the whole thing was a little weird.
The real action was at the Petrelli Thanksgiving. Tell me that display, even before Nathan lost control, wasn't about the most sterile, sad and pathetic holiday meal you've ever seen. Angela is one cold and calculating bitch, and apparently that comes through in how she brings in a feast for her "family" to enjoy together.
Only this hasn't been a family for quite awhile. I was actually glad to see Sylar ultimately take back control of his body. A little more surprising was that Nathan's consciousness is still somehow in there, fighting for control. We already know (SPOILER ALERT!) that Adrian Pasdar is scheduled to leave the show, so presumably he won't win this fight.
On the other hand, even if it looks like Sylar, it would be interesting to see him struggling with Nathan's psyche battling his evil impulses. I'm still waiting for the inevitable confrontation between Samuel and Sylar. No matter how powerful Samuel can be, I just don't see ground-shaking as any real threat for Sylar when he's firing on all cylinders.
Things were a little slow this week, but it's a holiday episode so you can forgive some indulgences. We got some major developments within the circus, as now Lydia and Edgar know Samuel for what he truly is. And we know as well the depths of the darkness in his heart.
If I'm understanding what was done to Hiro right, it looks like he was mentally set to a point in the near past, though I could have that wrong. This would mark the second time Hiro's mind has been punted back to an earlier point in his life (the last time he was made a child again). Repetition does not suit you, Heroes. Prove there's more to this than that.
Sure, we could probably nitpick apart this saga until it's nothing but shreds, but the same could be done for any comic book you can find, as well as most other television series that have such complex plots. The bottom line is whether or not it's entertaining, and this season it is again. Relax and live a little. And if it's not your cup of tea, then move on and let the rest of us enjoy it.
[For clips and full episodes of Heroes, teleport over to our friends at SlashControl.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-24-2009 @ 8:27AM
hartbroknagn said...
Yes, finally an episode this season that I liked a lot. I love Zachary Quinto. I would watch any show built around him.
Normally, I don’t like the Patrelli story lines but tonight’s was so good. Why? Sylar said it, no spewing of hope, love and harmony. It was cool to see the powers he still has, especially the “puppet master” powers. Although, I could have sworn he lost those the first time he lost his powers and wound up in Mexico but I could be wrong. It will be interesting to see how Sylar pushes Nathan out. I even forgot how much I missed nasty Nathan from the first and second season as opposed to nice, sweet Nathan from last two volumes.
I also really liked the Samuel story line too. I figured after last week that he is the one that killed Joseph. He is really showing that he is a crack pot however. I am so glad that Hiro is there. I hope he gets Charlie back soon though. I got tired of him whining about it. I also hope this isn’t the last time we see Ray Park’s character. I am even starting to like “painted lady” as Hiro called her.
I have to say though. I still am not a fan of Claire, never have been. I like Noah but not Claire, she just seems so young.
Hope the writers can continue on ths track (crossing fingers)
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11-24-2009 @ 9:44AM
Jee Cee said...
ah really nice episode...love to see more..cheers
http://www.espanolachat.com/
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11-24-2009 @ 10:42AM
Parl said...
Good episode, BUT...
When you make all-powerful characters, you have to find some way to keep them grounded and from using their powers to just go all "god mode." While I think the Sylar storyline has had its ups and downs, it hasn't been bad. I don't get the lightning thing though...a bit deus ex machina unless I'm missing something.
Hiro: They have tried to make him weaker (as you mentioned) by wiping his mind once and now they're doing it again which is a bit lame. I guess overall, I'm curious why they so heavily implied that his power was killing as a means to control his all powerful time traveling if they were just going to basically ignore it. He's back to time traveling as he pleases which brings me to the question...why doesn't he just travel in time to prevent Samuel from getting Charlie? He knows Samuel doesn't have a time traveler so why doesn't he keep traveling until he finds a way to prevent her from being capture in the first place (like how he said he kept traveling to save Suresh).
Claire: Ugh. It's an epic struggle between her and Parkman for worst character. At least Parkman has some growth. It's been how many seasons/years and Claire is still having the same temper tantrums? She's going to see Samuel and Gretchen is going with her? Super powers is one thing, but asking for a suspension of disbelief at that level of stupidity is asking too much.
Overall though, I liked the episode, although it may not seem like it. And I do think the Samuel storyline has been pretty strong all season. I also like Edgar and Lydia as characters and hope we see them a bit more.
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11-24-2009 @ 11:05PM
Mike said...
"I don't get the lightning thing though...a bit deus ex machina unless I'm missing something."
He obtained the lightning ability from Elle and then killed her.
11-24-2009 @ 11:20AM
Kristi said...
ahh…no happy thanksgiving to speak of here. . .I know that Heroes is all about the build-up, but when do we get the pay-off, the finale? In seasons past, it ends up with a marginally okay finale. I want multiple high-octane episodes towards the end of each season, especially when they’re capable of it. Instead we get this. BOO. I love you Heroes, but I don’t have to like you right now.
http://www.orble.com/teevee-heroes-1123/
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11-24-2009 @ 12:33PM
jffm said...
Really enjoyed the episode. Angela has lost it and on her way to cloud cuckooland. Hiro is yet another hero with at least one foot made of clay, and harah I say. Claire's acting like a silly cow, but that's what you do sometimes when you're that age. Her girlfriend is WAY more the creepy stalker than HRG just trying to find a little comfort with an old flame. His ex-wife can just STFU with the, "You brought a date?" business given she's already fishing the bottom of the barrel herself.
But holy moley. For the love of Pete. Is it really that hard to keep spoilers about FUTURE episodes out of a review of the current episode? And no, slapping a parenthetical warning *directly* in front of what you're spoiling isn't very effective. If you're reading quickly or skimming the review, it's way too easy to skip over.
Does the blog software at least support some kind of HTML spoiler tag to mask things that people can use if they just can't resist the urge?
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11-24-2009 @ 2:41PM
Paul said...
My prediction for Nathan -
The idea of Adrian P. leaving Heroes might be, altogether, a publicity stunt. The producers know that he is one of the most popular characters and this has generated a lot of buzz. I think the answer to him returning (within the show's script, anyway) has already been shown to be quite plausible, and his character's resurrection could be saved for, or near, the finally ep of season 4.
Ever since Parkman (Bones) was going nuts with Sylar (Spock's) soul (katra), I've assumed that Nathan's memories in Sylar's body were in actuality Nathan's soul (if you believe in a such a thing). This is important to the storyline of bringing Nathan back, which I'll get to in a minute.
Mama Petrelli realized and commented that it might actually BE Nathan fighting back in Sylar's body during the Thanksgiving dinner. This is further backed up by the fact that Sylar's soul had survived in Parkman only to be restored, so why not the same process for Nathan's soul?
Armed with this information, and knowing that Nathan's body is on-ice, the writers will have us finding both Peter, and the ever morphing Sylar/Nathan, returning to Nathan's actual frozen body. Sylar, as Nathan, will then heal the body and return Nathan's soul. At that very point, Peter will attempt to kill Sylar and the showdown of two brothers vs Sylar will be back on.
This could make for an interesting cliffhanger to season 5.
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11-24-2009 @ 2:57PM
MikLamb said...
I really hope your theory is wrong, Paul. My head is exploding now over reading it, I can't imagine what would happen if it came to pass. :)
11-24-2009 @ 3:36PM
cress said...
Good episode. But someone remind me. I thought Peter was just as powerful as Sylar. Or he was at one point, right?
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11-24-2009 @ 4:48PM
Mr. Bungle said...
Yes, before his powers were taken away by Rober Forester, aka Dad. Then after he injected himself with the "abilities juice", his powers changed to only one at a time.
11-24-2009 @ 5:54PM
Ryan said...
Two corrections: Noah and Lauren were co-workers, not partners (remember "one of us, one of them?"), and they were not lovers. She offered, he backed out at the last moment out of loyalty to Sandra. Also, his stalking her is not that creepy since they're both active agents, and she immediately and correctly called him on his stalking.
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11-25-2009 @ 9:26PM
sendean said...
Paul--I like your theory as I have been thinking some similar thoughts. Another possibility is Nathan's "katra" ending up in Peter (I am thinking how Graphic Novel #134 "One Good Hero" could support this idea). Nathan's fate could end up helping Peter tap back into his "empathy" and become powerful again. Nathan Petrelli and the Petrelli Brothers are why I became hooked on HEROES from episode 1, so my ever optimistic self has not given up on Nathan totally yet!
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11-27-2009 @ 1:09AM
Greg said...
I don't get why they just didn't use Claire's blood to bring back Nathan? HRG was shot in the eye and brought back because of her blood, surely they could have done the same thing to Nathan.
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11-28-2009 @ 3:04AM
MT said...
I think they might need Suresh to make that happen. BUT, really, can't we have just one person die on this show? Would it be so bad?
11-29-2009 @ 8:03PM
bonbon99 said...
"I don't get why they didn't just use Claire's blood to bring back Nathan." -Greg
Well, Angela said she had a dream about Matt saving Nathan. Maybe H.R.G. and Matt tried to convince her to use Claire but she insisted that it follow her dream. Because her dreams don't lie, apparently.
I'm not really all that happy about that explanation either, but I never liked Nathan so I'll take it.
Good episode all around. I hope somebody kills Doug. And Angela. And Lyle. And Nathan stays dead.
Where's Parkman?!
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11-29-2009 @ 8:48PM
Marisa said...
"i feel like i haven't eaten in months. do you think that's some kind of existential soul thing?"
the producers should be so grateful that they have Zachary Quinto. not only does he provide action and suspense, but comedic banter. step it up Kring.
why wasn't Peter able to absorb the puppet master power? how come he was so overcome by it? although, it would have been cool to see mama petrelli's head split open.
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