Heroes: Season 2, Episode 5 Review: Fight of Flight

Fight or Flight

Original Airdate: October 22, 2007

Writers: Joy Blake & Melissa Blake
Director: Lesli Glatter

After a few episodes, the pieces are slowly starting to come together. While it may be too slow for some audiences, it is encouraging for the direction of the season. A little bit more is discovered about the threat Mr. Parkman poses while giving some of the characters connected to him more material. It seems likely that some major stuff will come around in the next 2-3 episodes, which should hopefully kick the season into shape.

Alan Blumenfeld as Mr. Parkman could be another interesting villain turn. Blumenfeld looks anything but menacing, and that’s what makes the con in the opening so successful. Zachary Quinto initially didn’t feel right as Sylar, but as the first season progressed, he fit into his character. Hopefully this will be the case for Mr. Parkman.

This is also the first instance of a power passing down from one generation to the next. This seems like it would make more sense than random powers bestowed on the next generation (fire + flight = spontaneous regeneration). However, genetics are far more complicated than that, and considering powers aren’t like facial features or medical history, they have some leeway.

Mr. Parkman’s abilities, while similar to his son’s, are far more sophisticated. Mr. Parkman has the ability to project a physical nightmare world to whomever he wishes; making the participant believe it is real. This explains why he knew Molly was tracking him and the ability to inflict a comatose state on her for getting too close. Matt has a beginner’s degree of this ability as he breaks the hold the nightmares had on them, but he needs training to hone it so he can face him in the eventual showdown.

The nightmares he transplanted Matt and Nathan into both cause them to confront the major issues in their lives. Nathan’s guilt and the visions of his burnt alter-ego have been present since the beginning of the season. Looking at what’s been shown it could be surmised that he cut a deal with someone to restore his face at the price of leaving his brother to the unknown and being unable to tell anyone about it. It seems like he’s hiding something. With Matt as his partner, it would make sense that that truth should come out soon.

Matt worries that he is turning into his absentee father, as doubts that he may be the father of his ex-wife’s child after all creep in. It’s common for someone to turn into the type of person their parent was (or be attracted to that kind of person) even if they were a bad parent like Mr. Parkman. With his father at the center of the crisis, it gives Matt a lot to work with.

Knowing the thoughts of his colleagues was clearly an invaluable asset to Mr. Parkman, and that advantage must’ve corrupted him and may have lead to the twelve separating or whatever would lead one of them to target the others. Mr. Parkman knows how to con people, and the mind reading makes his work untouchable compared to an average swindler. Matt could go that same route.

It’s implied that Mr. Parkman may be involved in the murders of the Group of Twelve, as he happened to have Bob’s ripped picture near his with the omnipresent symbol scrawled over his face. Why would he have Bob’s picture there if he wasn’t going to send it out? He could be working with someone else as well, as his physique was far from what the hooded figure looked like in the premiere.

One of the most highly anticipated moments was the introduction of Elle, played by Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars”. Perhaps to reel in fans of that series, our first impressions of Elle draw comparisons. Elle is inquisitive, perky and a good sense of intuition. The obvious difference between the two is that Elle can kill someone without hesitation. It seems rash for her to do this, as she may have tried torturing Ricky into giving her what she wanted instead of killing him outright. I’m not sure whether the “Veronica Mars” comparisons are the writers trying to reel in “Mars” fans or if it is unintentional moments grabbed onto by fans of her old show, but perhaps that’s why the introduction ultimately falls short of expectations.

Considering the theme of generations this season, it would be dramatically appropriate for Elle’s father to be Bob. His rank in The Company would give her more freedom than the average agent. Perhaps he spoiled her when she grew up. Having a daughter roam as freely as she does could jeopardize his status in The Company or their operations altogether.

Obviously, Peter is a valuable commodity for The Company as he gets more powerful the more he meets other people with abilities. The Company has a vested interest in wanting to control those with powers, as seen with Niki, and Peter has already shown what losing control of his powers can do to him. So someone would be aggressively searching for him.

It isn’t unreasonable to believe that Elle might’ve been that person all along. Peter has used electromagnetism to throw several thugs away from him and Caitlin. Initially I expected this was Ted’s power, as Ted created an EMP to break out Bennet in “.07%” which looked like Peter’s burst, but being around Elle may be an easier explanation. It offers possible clues to what happened to Peter. Perhaps after the explosion in the season finale, he was picked up by The Company (ie Elle) and another powerful party managed to seize him in transit, placing him with the Irish thugs for safekeeping. McSorely, the alluded to mob boss, may be that power.

While the box didn’t have any huge revelations, it does offer a step for him to contact his family. With the precision of search engines nowadays, it shouldn’t take long for him to find out his past. Unfortunately he is afraid of his true identity. However, that changes when he learns of Ricky’s demise. People around him are at risk by powerful people, and staying low profile is going to get a lot harder. Ultimately he faces the eponymous options: keep hiding from Elle or find out who is looking for him. His only clue comes from his painting of presumably him and Caitlin standing outside a French building with that ubiquitous sign. Since there were plane tickets to Montreal among his personal effects, maybe whoever had him first is trying to sway his journey indirectly.

The scene where the cop takes Monica’s statement could be foreshadowing a future episode. It’s not uncommon for citizens not to speak to the cops out of fear of retaliation, which ultimately only allows the crime to grow and fester in the community. One could surmise from her watching kung fu that she is preparing to possibly help her community that has been affected by the crime post-Katrina, and likely place her in the way of that robber later.

Unlike the other characters, Monica has someone with her to explain what’s happening when she manifests, and that makes a major difference in her learning. Once Micah provides some sympathy, Monica embraces her power: from enjoying double Dutch to recreating moves from kung fu movies. However, her actions in the restaurant were high profile enough to alert Mohinder to her. While Mohinder is out to help those The Company’s ensnared, he has no choice but to bring her in. This merging of storylines is welcome, as those not connected to the main story have been uneven at best.

Mohinder’s undercover operation faces serious jeopardy when he feels Molly has gotten too ill for him to take care of alone, leaving him little option but to seek help from The Company. Mohinder and Matt’s feelings towards Molly are an interesting contrast to how they acted in “Five Years Gone”, where Mohinder eventually sided with the heroes and Matt was a Company operative.

Hiro’s adventures in Japan are getting a little frustrating. All Ando has to work with lately is reading (literally!) about Hiro’s exploits. Unless Hiro’s helping Takezo somehow plays out in the overall arc, like if Takezo was still alive in the present, then it would warrant why Hiro is still there five episodes into the season. Hopefully his battle between the three of them and the army will prove worthwhile.

While the series hasn’t gotten to the thrilling entertainment that made up the best parts of the first season, this episode offers some hope as a few storylines provide interesting developments. Although it is a patience tester waiting for these major moments to hit.

Overall Score: 7/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 22 Review: Becoming, Part 2

Becoming, Part 2
Original Airdate: May 19, 1998
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Joss Whedon

As the first part begins it, the second part completes the collapse of everything Buffy cares about. It fits the theme of Buffy’s desire to lead a normal life and the conflicts that has with her calling. In part one, it started to erode with Angelus’ crew attacking Buffy’s friends. They take it a step further in this episode by having Buffy get expelled, suspected for murder, kicked out of her home and forced to send the person she loves to hell all in a matter of hours. In addition to that, the episode also presents several pivotal moments in other character arcs which will be evident throughout the series.

Resolving the Angelus storyline had to end only one way. While many shows would’ve forgiven and forgotten, it would’ve cheapened all the bad things that happened. Any shot of things going back to the way they were ended when Jenny died. Since the show became a hit, Joss Whedon found himself with a lot more creative freedom to plunge to the depths of this tragedy. Unlike the first season, it wasn’t going to end happily with the loose ends tied up or toned down. In the first season, renewal was unknown since all twelve episodes were shot before it premiered.

The episode starts with Buffy being arrested under suspicion for Kendra’s murder and soon afterwards fleeing the scene. Buffy as fugitive is a great dynamic for this episode, as it is all about the loss of the support systems in Buffy’s life and how Buffy is defined as an individual. Her allies are out of commission or turned their backs on her and everyone else, besides Spike, is out to get her. How can she function and save the world, and what does that do to her psyche?

This is reinforced with Whistler’s appearance in Giles’ apartment. In part one he remarks about how a person can only control how they react to the big moments in life, rather than the big events themselves. That determines who you are. This episode takes that self-exploration route down a dark path, with the idea that the major event is losing everything but yourself.

Buffy’s desperation eventually leads her to ally herself with Spike. To have mortal enemies working together for a common goal is always interesting. With that, the obvious point of their alliance must be addressed: she invited Spike into her home! While it may have been expected for some like Angel pre-“Innocence”, Spike doesn’t have a soul, and could easily reenter the Summers’ household whenever he wants and do whatever he wants there. Had things played out differently in the end, Buffy would’ve likely gotten Willow to do a recanting spell as they did in “Passion”, but that detail got lost in the panic of the final battle.

Spike’s angst has been simmering all season and this episode gives us the long anticipated pay-off, which doesn’t disappoint. Angelus’ constant teasing, with the desired result of driving Spike crazy, only proves to be the downfall of Angelus’ plans. It makes sense for Spike to want to side with Buffy even if Drusilla wasn’t part of the equation. Despite “talking big”, Spike ultimately likes humanity, and plunging that into hell seriously jeopardizes his lifestyle. This decision, like many of those in this episode, serves as major turning point for the character.

Kendra’s murder, in addition to one of Angelus’ vamps waiting for her at her home, forces Buffy to tell her mother the truth. Some of Joyce’s comments about her daughter’s calling draw parallels to a kid coming out to his or her parents, “Have you ever tried not being a slayer?” being the most obvious one. “Buffy” has a big gay following, so it’d make sense they would touch on gay subtext eventually, but to draw that parallel is a noticeable tribute to that fan base that will keep the franchise alive for years to come.

Spike and Joyce’s scene in the living room was a riot, one of the few instances of humor in the episode. Recalling “School Hard” makes the silence even more uncomfortable. However, the Joyce and Spike dynamic would become one of the more fun ones on the show. In some way, they are a good example of opposites attracting.

It’s understandable that Joyce is shaken by the reveal, not to mention Spike & Buffy speaking of murder and death with their seasoned response to it. Joyce, like many not involved in the gang’s activities, would naturally dismiss the supernatural goings on with some kind of reason. Unfortunately, she has yet to have the exposure to the supernatural her daughter has and considering the high stakes, Buffy doesn’t have time to sit her down and explain it all. This has been simmering since the beginning of the series, and this is the boil over point. What should’ve been a frank, modest discussion only explodes amidst the chaos, further changing the mother-daughter relationship.

Snyder’s behavior towards Buffy is explained in this episode. As “I Only Have Eyes For You” set up, the mayor placed Snyder as principal for control. Considering Buffy is the slayer and the strong hints that the mayor is evil, it makes sense that Snyder would pounce on Buffy at every moment in hopes that it could get her expelled. While it may have been more practical for them to just hire an assassin to get her out of the way, it makes sense from a political perspective to stay low profile.

Xander’s emotional confession to the comatose Willow recalls their whole relationship to this point. Willow has been disappointed that Xander’s overlooked her for the more glamorous Buffy and Cordelia and he’s been largely oblivious to this. However, seeing Willow in her most vulnerable state (which Joss Whedon has said was always a good choice for drama on the show) made him realize what he missed. To make it even worse, he realizes this too late, as she’s moved on to Oz. Eventually, they’d realize their love was actually a deep friendship, but it doesn’t diminish the impact of this complication.

The cruelest moment of the episode not involving our heroine was Drusilla’s interrogation of Giles to uncover how Angelus can summon Acathla. Jenny’s death is still fresh in the viewer’s mind, and this scene rips open the old wounds better than a chainsaw. This is another great example of the finale recalling the previous episodes to reinforce the culmination of everything we’ve seen this season.

Willow’s toying with witchcraft has been played with occasionally and almost came into fruition in the previous episode. However, her second attempt at the spell, with “resolve face”, is a milestone for the character. Somehow during the spell she connects with something and in a possessed state completes the spell in front of the spooked Cordelia and Oz. Some have theorized that this is Jenny acting from beyond, which is possible, but negates the achievement of that moment.

One moment that was never properly capitalized was Xander’s decision to place his animosity towards Angel over his feelings for Buffy by not telling her Willow planned to try the restoration spell again. Perhaps this was a writing decision to make sure she didn’t have a glimmer of hope through the whole episode, but this should’ve caused major tension between Xander and the rest of the group later, as well as a solid foundation for where his arc would go.

Xander not telling Buffy about Willow’s second attempt makes the ultimate sacrifice even harder than it was going in to the final battle. Considering Buffy was ready to kill him before to protect the world, the sudden twist where Angel is restored only after Acathla begins to wake brings back the tragedy of their romance to the forefront. She was ready to kill Angelus, but never expected it that way. In a nice bookend, both Darla and Buffy say “close your eyes” before they change Angel.

While I’m not a Sarah McLaughlin fan, the choice of “Full of Grace” to close the episode resonates so powerfully, as if what happened wasn’t enough. Buffy had to give up literally everything she cared about to save the world and that song fits the mood perfectly. If you don’t feel like your heart has been ripped to shreds, maybe this show isn’t for you.

This season of Buffy showed massive amounts of growth from both the writers and actors and this episode is another great example (the 3^rd perfect 10 of this season). This episode alone shows Buffy suffer devastating loss culminating in the tragic pay off the Angelus storyline. In addition to that, several characters experience life changing events that will be defining elements to their characters. Doing that much with one episode is a major achievement, one of “Buffy’s” best.

Overall Score: 10/10

Season 2 Average: 7.45

Heores: Season 2, Episode 4 Review: The Kindness of Strangers

The Kindness of Strangers

Original Airdate: October 15, 2007

Writer: Tim Kring
Director: Adam Kane

One of the major problems of the first three episodes was its pacing. Catching up with the large ensemble wouldn’t be easy and unfortunately the cast didn’t get much for individual screen time. Few shows can manage to do this in forty-two minutes. Ultimately, its best to let some of the subplots sit out so those covered get enough. By doing so, several stories make major advancements, with big reveals for the Group of 12 and the Nightmare Man, which converge in an expected, but interesting manner.

Angela’s reason for confessing to Kaito’s murder could point to the motivation of the Group of 12 Killer. By targeting some of the highest profile evolved humans on the planet, the killer may want to expose them to the public for some unknown result, maybe the widespread persecution we saw in “Five Years Gone”. Maybe the killer has some remorse for what he or she has done and purging the founders is his or her way of atoning, as well as exposing the sins of the rest. It’s likely Angela knows a lot about the killer, even if she doesn’t know which one it is. Hopefully they’ll keep her around long enough so she can tell that story.

The glimpse of the complete photo of The Group of 12 is certainly one for the high definition screen capture crowd. This shot confirms Bob as one of them, which should prove interesting to Mohinder’s story when the killer targets him, assuming it isn’t him. Some have theorized that the man who is identified as Mr. Petrelli is actually Takezo Kensei, which would be interesting. He is the only person in the photo not looking at the camera and he is out of focus. Other than that, no major reveals until Matt recognizes his father.

One major surprise is that the Nightmare Man tormenting Molly is Matt’s father who abandoned him when he was a kid. Since he is a character we’ve never seen or heard about, and he isn’t played by someone like Malcolm McDowell, it’s good that we didn’t wait for a long time to find out that. Matt’s role in the main storyline was tenuous at best, and those subplots tended to be the weaker elements of the first season. Now that his role in the main plot line has been solidified in the past few episodes, his story should get more interesting.

It personalizes the threat against Molly further, as he wants her to use her ability to find him, regardless of the risk. The end result puts the little girl in a state of comatose shock, where she begs for help. If this is one of Mr. Parkman’s powers, it adds to why we should be scared of him. Turning someone’s external responses off completely is very scary.

Unless West is going to be a villain, they’ve done a bad job handling his character. His stalker like behavior “courting” Claire was unsettling to watch and her falling for him hard to swallow. This is amplified from the assumption that Claire is going to turn against her dad for this guy. Perhaps if they waited a few more episodes instead of having the change be so drastic might’ve made it easier to swallow. Claire is a bit naïve to trust her new beau than her father considering what he’s done for her, but she is a teenager and that can make rational thought difficult. However, it seems unreasonable to believe that she would go against her father: she knows of her father’s past, so what he did to West would’ve, if anything, increased the guilt of past sins.

Naïveté certainly explains why Claire thinks she can somehow keep her relationship secret from her father, who was practically a secret agent. Even if he hadn’t seen the painting foretelling his doom, he would’ve picked up on something. It’ll be interesting to see how he balances finding the paintings while keeping the final one from occurring.

Nathan takes a few steps towards getting his life back in order, down to shaving that Rock Bottom Beard (Copyright NBC, All Rights Reserved). However, he’s still haunted by his actions with Peter and the image of his face covered in burn marks. Peter’s eventual return should make Nathan’s course very interesting regardless of where he goes.

Micah living with his grandmother and cousins is the odd subplot out this week, as it has nothing to do with the main storylines yet. Considering their relation, it’s no surprise that at least one of them has a power. Turns out Monica is able to replicate anything she sees (whether this is only stuff on TV is unknown). This power has most popularly been done with the Marvel supervillain Taskmaster (I don’t know much aside from that, so character connections won’t be explored here). It could send Monica on a dark path, as her mimicry to help her city may ultimately corrupt her. This is rather impressive and would be one Sylar would love to have.

Before her power is revealed, an odd hint of another side of her occurs when Micah tries to comfort her after being overwhelmed trying to keep her family together. For an unusual length, the camera stays on Micah’s hand when he hugs her. Considering her talent and his, it would make sense that Monica is some robot. Micah uses his technopathy to get some inner machinations to manifest and Monica uses a machine-like ability to watch and duplicate.

Monica’s ambitions mirror Peter’s, in that she hopes to salvage her city, still devastated by Katrina. This connection to topical events is reminiscent of the unaired pilot, which contained scenes of a character with radioactivity (later retooled into Ted) with ties to an Islamic terrorist group. Personally I’m wary of such direct connections to real life situations, since “Heroes” is primarily an escapist fantasy show and any coverage they’d give to a real issue may be superficial and take us out of the fantasy. However, I’m willing to withhold harsh judgment until later.

Maya and Alejandro’s story gets kicked into gear with them meeting Sylar. It’s a safe guess that Candace’s organization was keeping him in Mexico, but to have him wake up in the desert rather than the tropical setting we last saw him in shows a strong tenacity for him to keep going, although that contradicts his condition in the previous episode. While they aren’t in America yet, having Sylar meet with them must reduce some of the criticism fans have had towards their storyline being randomly in the mix. Also considering that Maya is a lead character and her brother isn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sylar kills him, steals his power and uses that as leverage so the heroes he meets in future episodes can’t touch him, unless they want to ooze the black gunk of death too.

This episode benefits highly from focusing only on a few storylines instead of cramming a dozen or so character arcs in one episode. While those not connected with the main storyline (ie Monica) may have been lackluster, the potential they have to connect make up for that. Also the advancement of several major stories offers some hope to those who are still skeptical about the season’s direction.

Overall Score: 8/10

Heroes: Season 2, Episode 3 Review: Kindred

Kindred
Original Airdate: October 8, 2007
Writer: J. J. Philbin
Director: Paul Edwards

Only three episodes in and already the season has gotten a lot of flack from critics and fans, which is expected as the honeymoon period ends. “Heroes” is one of the more entertaining shows on TV, but it is a flawed success. Unfortunately more of the flaws are visible right now. Now I want to remind my readers that I’m not out to write reviews merely to knock a show or gush excessively about it, which tend to be the two major factions of internet critics. Odds are “Heroes” will get trashed a bit among fans who won’t like it compared to the first season. That may be the case for me. However, I’m going to try to keep a critical eye on the show without being a superficial fan boy who screams “J*** T** S****” at the slightest provocation.

Unfortunately, this episode is lacking in momentum. Most of the storylines make little progress, as if they’re holding off until some major event later in the season. Essentially, they’re waiting for this season’s equivalent to Peter and Sylar’s first encounter in “Homecoming”. While the episodes at the end of the introduction of the season may be good, it’s like they didn’t have enough of an idea what to do for the six or seven episodes in between.

One such point would be Hiro’s adventures in 17^th Century Japan. As shown in previous episodes, a much larger force can override his time traveling abilities, such as being unable to save Charlie or times when he is propelled distantly into the past or future. Since he hasn’t finished his work with Kensei, he can’t go back. With no hint at what he has to do, this feels like another instance of them stalling for time until the modern plot requires Hiro to return, likely a third into this season.

Kensei’s reaction to his new found power could ultimately lead him down a dark path, despite Hiro’s persistence in setting him forth to accomplish his heroic deeds. Considering Kensei’s attitude using his power for personal gain, it could easily corrupt him. Kensei himself may be the Group of 12 Killer. With rapid cell generation, what natural causes would kill him? Considering the literal time distance from the other stories, it would be nice to see Kensei pop up in the present, if only for more David Anders.

Probably the best example of a stand still plot is Ando’s, who basically spends the episode reading Hiro’s accounts. Normally it wouldn’t matter why no one in over three hundred years opened that compartment in the handle and found Hiro’s letters, but this episode doesn’t get the same suspension of disbelief.

Obviously, Sylar’s return was the most hyped element, but unfortunately the ads backfired as this episode was essentially a reset for the character. The narrative in the first season practically demanded that Sylar die at the end of the story. However, Zachary Quinto grew into the role as the season progressed and became one the show’s biggest draws. Reprieving a doomed character out of fan adoration can be a double edged sword. Spike on “Buffy” was only meant to last half a season, but he made it to the series finale of spin-off “Angel”. On the other hand, “24” had trouble bringing back Nina Myers and Sherry Palmer for the third season after their stories had played out. Which camp Sylar will belong to remains to be seen, but I’m willing to believe he’s the first case scenario until proven the latter.

Following Hiro’s wound, Sylar evaded authorities because of Candice, who apparently didn’t use her illusion generating ability to cloak herself (either that or they needed an explanation for why they used a different actress, as Missy Peregrym is on another show). Now he’s convalescing in a shack somewhere while Candice uses her illusion powers to make it easier on him. Once he’s shocked out of that, his pain and still present wound are enough for me to forgive the writers for letting him survive when he should’ve been killed.

Sylar’s predicament is confusing. Who thought it was a good idea to leave him in a house in the middle of nowhere with one person and no guards? Sylar is a killer and wouldn’t hesitate to act on his urges if he knew someone had special abilities. Candice’s phone call hinted at bigger players wanting Sylar to get better, so why isn’t anyone else helping her? If this is how the Linderman group is operating without him, man the company has fallen apart.

If they’re trying to make West an endearing character, so far they haven’t hit that mark. West’s advances towards Claire are best stalker like and Claire’s reaction is appropriate even she wasn’t on the run. It’s understandable he would be happy to find someone else that had abilities like he did, but it doesn’t explain his lack of tact in confronting her about it.

Then suddenly he takes her on a flight and suddenly they’re kissing on the beach? This coupling is at best forced and at worst rushed. It would make sense if they took more time, adding Claire’s understanding of West’s secret to complicate their relationship until she developed feelings for him. Unlike other arcs that are waiting for future episodes, this one accelerates the pacing because it needed to be this way at this point in the season.

Things become even more complicated when West is revealed to have been one of Bennet’s past captures. Despite their desire to hide from their past, it found its way to them. West’s recalling of “the man in horn rimmed glasses” is as subtle as everyone seeming to know The Haitian’s nationality just by looking at him, another example of the characters speaking to the audience rather than naturally.

Of course, this is meant to complicate Bennet and Claire’s relationship, but whether this works isn’t clear. Claire learning of her father’s real job was a major element behind their story, so why is she so cold toward her father when she learns her father captured West? Had they done a better job developing the West and Claire storyline, it may be easier to swallow, but it seems hard to believe she would begin to turn on her father after he gave up everything for her.

Considering all the fates in limbo at the end of last season, killing off DL was easily the safest bet. Generally their subplot tended to be on the weaker end of the ensemble, so hopefully DL’s death will jump start it. Despite that, it would’ve been nice to have him die on screen, because there is the obvious discrepancy between his death and when he was shot (it seems unlikely a guy in his shape would take two months to die from a single gunshot wound to the stomach).

DL’s death serves to disturb Niki’s sense of peace after being able to control her strength during her rescue of Micah. Being a single mother is hard, and has been for her in the past. Added her fragile emotional state, her power makes her a liability more than an asset. She wants to be the best mom for Micah, but she can’t let him be around her now, leaving her with presumably DL’s mother, played by another Star Trek alum Nichelle Nichols (perhaps she’s one of the twelve). It’ll be interesting to see what happens to Niki as she tries to get help from the company with Mohinder working as a double agent.

One of the more unusual things taken from this episode is the new coupling of Parkman and Mohinder. Mohinder and Parkman’s argument over whether Mohinder’s work in New York could jeopardize Molly’s safety (despite them still living in an apartment the company knows of) is reminiscent of a married couple. Whether this was unintentional or comic relief isn’t clear, but is a welcome element of the story.

Elsewhere in Ireland, Peter still struggles to remember who he was while the gang prepares their heist that they’ve “volunteered” Peter to help with. At the end of the season, Peter lost control of his powers which resulted in the explosion. In the alternate timeline, Peter has mastered his powers so that he can summon the appropriate one when necessary. Now he’s wondering how to summon them. It turns out naturally, as he moves the van in the way of the guards to facilitate their escape, as we saw in previous episodes when he used that energy blast to propel an attacker away from him.

With that blank slate, Peter finds himself susceptible to using his powers for less honorable causes, as evidence when he uses telekinesis to choke the dirty member of the gang like Darth Vader. Perhaps the power that put him in the canister wanted to vilify him, as his power makes him a valuable commodity among the special people. Perhaps Caitlin is in on it. Some have theorized that Caitlin wants to keep Peter from finding out the truth about himself. It would’ve made sense for Peter to use what was in that box to contact his brother or mother to tell them he’s alright, but she stops him with a kiss. It’s possible that is just misleading.

Maya and Alejandro’s subplot is the most frustrating of the bunch. While some fans are exaggerating the emphasis the producers have placed on these characters over the established ones, I’ll concede that their storyline has been repetitive at best. Each episode has this basic outline: the twins separate, Maya uses her powers to either kill or incapacitate everyone else around her and they reunite, usually with some apology for what she’s done. It’s understandable that they may want to keep these two from meeting Mohinder until later, but they should either do some other storyline or keep the characters out of the episode.

One of the few moments that did advance the plot was the reveal of Isaac’s last painting in the series, depicting Bennet lying dead (who appears to have been shot through his left eye) with a blonde female and another party in the shadows. It would be a safe assumption to think that the blonde is Claire and the male may be West. If that’s the case, it’s disturbing because it looks like the blonde is kissing the unknown party. It’s possible that Claire may be persuaded to help West in his quest for revenge, but that would be out of character considering last season’s story. Regardless of the truth, this one should make Bennet’s storyline much more interesting.

This painting connects Bennet directly to the Group of 12 Killer. Bennet’s role in the company was rather low in the hierarchy, not to mention he is about 20 years younger than the other members. If the killer is targeting the original founders, why would he or she target Bennet? If West is the culprit, then it would make sense because of the personal vendetta. It also suggests the killer’s plan to take them out one by one goes astray somewhere between now and when the painting takes place.

Despite the nice twist of the serial killer story, most of the stories in the episode are either stalling or moving too fast. The wide focus also doesn’t give the characters much in the way of development either. Perhaps future seasons of “Heroes” would benefit by taking a page from “Lost” and only covering a few storylines an episode. Hopefully this slump will end when stories begin to collide without a major dent made into the viewership, but who knows how patient fickle fans will be?

Overall Score: 6/10

Lost: Season 3, Episode 21 Review: Greatest Hits

Greatest Hits
Original Airdate: May 16, 2007
Writer: Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz
Director: Stephen Williams

“Flashes Before Your Eyes” set off the major character arcs for both Desmond and Charlie this season. Desmond saving Charlie only to get a new vision of Charlie’s horrible death repeatedly has taken a toll on his psyche. Likewise, knowing his demise is imminent has affected Charlie’s behavior. As the season draws to an end, they would have to address it definitively, which plays in well with the overall storyline. So it makes sense to go back to Charlie, who hasn’t had a flashback since the middle of last season, who reflects on his life while his destiny is closing in.

Charlie has been a polarizing character. Some have accused his storyline of treading water since he kicked his drug addiction. The exploration of his dark side in “Fire + Water”, perhaps the most hated episode of the second season, became subject to a lot of negative criticism. Despite that, I’ve enjoyed Charlie’s character and I liked “Fire + Water”. His interactions with Hurley and Jin have been extremely entertaining in one of the most overlooked character relationships on the show (guess if they were lovers or mortal enemies critics would cite them more). Plus his relationship with Claire has been rewarding as well even if it doesn’t get the publicity the Kate-Sawyer-Jack triangle does.

Considering the news Desmond’s given him of his death, it makes sense for him to be thinking about his life (likely this has been his mindset all season). Charlie’s flashbacks function more like a normal person would. Instead of one story playing parallel to the current action, the flashbacks are five moments not connected by narrative. While it doesn’t add to the episode’s story on the surface, the device adds to the emotional punch of the episode.

Also, the events tie in to Charlie’s character. Since he was a child, his working class family depended on him to help them with his musical talent. Unfortunately, the rock and roll lifestyle got a hold of him and he found himself falling apart because of addiction. He has tried and desired to prove himself. So it is fitting that the moments Charlie considers his best reflect his need for validation, his music and family.

Charlie’s mission with Desmond to The Looking Glass reinforces these memories. Being heard on the radio is the validation he needs, reinforced when Naomi tells of Drive Shaft’s success since the crash. His leap of faith, believing his death will lead to the rescue of the other castaways, reminds him of the time he trusted his father to catch him in the pool (where someone could be heard saying Desmond). His brother giving him the ring symbolizes the responsibility bestowed upon him. Being the hero is recalled by helping Nadia. Finally, seeing Claire is the reminder of why he’s doing it.

In another character connection, Charlie saves Sayid’s love Nadia from a mugger (who looked like Liam). Without repeating previous reviews that detail the interconnected nature of the back stories and what that means, it adds to Nadia’s story. It’s practically a cliché for people from troubled nations in Europe and Asia to seek asylum in London. It’s likely Nadia was in London before California, where Locke inspected her new home.

Desmond attempting to take Charlie’s place is another way to read why Desmond has been having visions: he’s meant to die instead. With fate imminent, it would make sense for Desmond to think there was another way to save someone he’s become friends with, since Ms. Hawking never told him how specifically to read his flashes in “Flashes Before Your Eyes” besides course correction will negate any changes he makes. One clear hint that Charlie isn’t out of the woods (besides being held at gunpoint) is that Desmond can’t see what’s happening. Assuming it’s correct, Desmond can only have these visions if he’s present when they happen.

With the threat of Charlie’s death more vivid than ever, it makes the scenes where he bids farewell to his friends even more poignant. Hurley, who he has bonded to the most in a non-romantic way, is a touching farewell. Those two have had such great chemistry and this scene is a great example of them showing their serious side. Of course, his goodbyes to Claire would be different, as his actions are motivated by the possible future where Claire and Aaron are rescued. Claire accidentally leaving the DS ring behind adds to the already impressive punch.

This episode might’ve ended with Charlie jumping in the water, leaving us to assume his success when they contact Naomi’s ship. However, they decide to go another route which is far more interesting. It turns out Ben lied (surprise, surprise) about The Looking Glass being flooded. In fact, two women inhabit it. Who these women are and why Ben lied about the station are two huge questions. Some theorized that they may be Dharma who managed to survive the purge because of their isolation. Whatever it is, it ties directly to Ben’s need to control his people.

While Ben shot Locke to protect his place within The Others, that action ironically further showed his status is doomed for failure. His decision to move ahead with the attack, while it may be smart considering what we know about the main beach, is rash and symbolic of his losing control considering how he demanded it.

Naïveté is also a major flaw with Ben’s leadership. He knows clearly how his daughter feels about the castaways and she has enough motivation to go against his rule. This dynamic is similar to him and Juliet, but unfortunately for him he is backed in a corner as far as who he can use to infiltrate the castaways. Both relationships give the castaways a big advantage. In a way, Ben giving the gun back to Alex shows a transfer of power, which is used to help the castaways.

On the other end, Jack reasserts his leadership in the main cast, which has been questioned since he returned, by revealing his plan. With some help by Rousseau, paying off her cameo in “The Brig”, they plan to rig tents with dynamite, killing The Others looking for the pregnant women. The plans of the leaders from both ends complicate things further. The castaways know they’re coming because of Juliet’s information. Because The Others plan to head in early, the castaways won’t have time to wire the dynamite properly. Such complexity among actions adds to the suspense, which has gone beyond critical mass.

Since they can’t properly wire the explosives on this new timetable, Sayid suggests a contingency where a few stay behind and shoot at them, hopefully creating the same effect. Sayid is an obvious choice to stay behind as one of the gunmen. So is Jin, whose military background has been mentioned in prior episodes. Desmond could’ve been a good substitute, but his thoughts were on Charlie’s fate. The wild card is of course Bernard. Where did a dentist from New York learn to shoot like that?

This season, some fans have complained (among other things) about the notable absence of Rose & Bernard, who finally return in this episode. While the producers have a story to tell, unfortunately the real world element isn’t easily controllable. Considering the show’s distance from every other major TV production, it’s understandable that actors not under contract as leads would want to get work elsewhere if they aren’t needed on Hawaii and that may make them unavailable for an unknown period.

This episode revisits and answers two long standing loose ends from the first season: the radio tower and the cable on the beach. Some have criticized the castaways for not going to the tower sooner (since any adventure with the cable has involved falling in one of Rousseau’s traps), but unfortunately, they’ve only had fleeting access to communication devices and if they had, there would be no guarantee that anyone would be listening. With Naomi’s satellite phone and her ship miles off shore, they now have both.

The cable connects the long rumored underwater station to the island. Some wondered why they wouldn’t just cut the cable, assuming that it is the source of the blocking signal’s power. That comment would’ve been an easy out for the writers and the stupidest architectural design flaw since the two meter wide thermal exhaust port in “Star Wars”. The cable could also serve as a last ditch effort to keep the station connected to the island in case of a major storm.

This is the best penultimate episode of “Lost” to date. The stakes are as high as ever, with the showdown between The Others and the castaways drawing near. The flashback story had a lot of heart and was as emotional as ever considering the thought that Charlie would have to die to get everyone off the island. This episode prepares us, but even in doing that makes it so much harder.

Overall Score: 9/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 21 Review: Becoming, Part 1

Becoming, Part 1
Original Airdate: May 12, 1998
Writer: Joss Whedon
Director: Joss Whedon

As the season revs up for the climactic showdown between Angelus and Buffy, this two parter escalates everything. The major themes of this season are brought back to the forefront as everything Buffy knows and loves falls apart. Her desire for a normal life, the distance between her “real” life and her calling, her obsession with destroying Angelus and the consequences of such actions collide throughout the episode. Any problems with subpar filler like “Killed By Death” and “Go Fish” are distant memories by the time this episode’s over.

The episode primarily focuses on how Angel’s reacted to several major moments in his life: his siring, the restoration of his soul and his first glimpse of Buffy. In the present, Buffy deals with major events in her life while Angelus prepares to unleash hell by allowing Acathla to suck the world into hell. The flashbacks pull double duty: showing how Angel became a vampire and later how his lost soul found its calling fighting evil. While the character backgrounds aren’t always episodically consistent (particularly the first time Angel sees Buffy), this episode’s information is undisputed canon.

After his soul was first restored, Angelus spent the better part of a century moping about his evil deeds while feeding upon rats in the gutter, the vampire equivalent of rock bottom. It seems unlikely that the powers that decided Angel should fight on the side of good would have him suffer for that long, but perhaps they felt it would prepare him to accept his responsibility. Whether they planned that never has been confirmed.

Angel’s backstory illuminates details on two major female players. Drusilla’s human counterpart is a shocking contrast to the aloof killer she’ll become. The only thing these women had in common was precognition, albeit Drusilla’s is fractured considering her mental state. The incident in the church illuminates the history that has been alluded to in the past. As seen since “Innocence”, Angelus has gotten a kick out of torturing Buffy in her fragile emotional state, so it’s fitting he’d do the same thing when the human Drusilla begged forgiveness. If only they had time for more in this episode.

Buffy, before she was chosen, wasn’t much different than Cordelia. Concerned with popularity, boys and not much else, she was rather shallow. Unfortunately, she had a troubled home life as she had to listen to her parents fighting. Ultimately, Whistler or the Powers picked her to help Angel find his way because she would be an outsider whose life was altered dramatically by a moment just like him.

Now this part has been subject of some controversy, as Angel’s behavior in the first episode hinted that this was the first time he’d seen her. I disagree with that assessment, believing that Angel merely behaved that way so as not to make her think he was stalking her. While that may be scoffed at because of Angel’s lack of social skills, it doesn’t explain why he’s drawn to her besides her being the pretty new girl unless he’d been following her for some time.

It was nice to see Darla return for this episode. Besides being very attractive, Darla’s importance in Angel’s story is invaluable, as seen eventually on “Angel”. Although she doesn’t appear outside of the prologue, this brief appearance provides foundation to the Angelus story that would be developed in future seasons and his show, as well as calling back to the early days of “Buffy”.

Whistler’s appearance is the first instance of a benevolent demon in this universe. Considering where “Buffy” and “Angel” went as their series evolved, it’s hard to believe that it took them this long to introduce this concept. Even a few would be credited among the main cast for both shows. Unfortunately, he was unavailable when time came to shoot the pilot for “Angel”, so his role was tweaked into the character Doyle, who garnered his own following

Whistler’s role in this episode explains Angel’s motivation and storyline, which would be further explored on his show. A benevolent demon, sent by powers far greater than him, tells Angel that he’s meant to fight on the good side for a larger purpose. To establish this more than a season before is rather impressive. He also serves to reinforce the episode’s central theme: humans can’t control the big events in their lives, but they can choose how they react to it. With his soul, he can fight the evil that has plagued his conscience for a century.

One thing worth noting, as the DVD version is what’s reviewed, is that the original monologue that opened the episode was done by David Boreanaz. Subsequent airings use Max Perlich, who played Whistler. After some brief research, I couldn’t find any explicit reason why they switched voices for future airings, but perhaps after “Angel” they felt the idea of destiny would’ve been better said by the person literally directed by fate to set on of the characters on their way.

Acathla, much like The Judge earlier in the season, serves more to motivate the plot than as the motivation of the characters. It gives a high stakes apocalypse scenario that is fitting for the end of the season. Although they don’t need another reason to defeat Angelus (either by restoring his soul or killing him), plotting to destroy the world makes it an event. Also it was amusing to see Jack McGee, who I’m more familiar with for his work on “Rescue Me”, as the archeologist Drusilla kills.

Buffy and Xander stand on opposite sides regarding the restoration spell, both motivated by their feelings. Xander’s anger and desire to see Angelus dead is the proper follow up to his speech in “Passion”. It goes so far as to even provoke Giles to fight, had no one been around to stop him. Buffy wants to see Angel restored because he isn’t the guilty party. Xander has been bitterly jealous of what Angel’s been able to have with Buffy and Buffy still loves Angel, even if the being “wearing his face” is a remorseless killer.

Willow’s curiosity in the magic left on Jenny’s computer explodes when Buffy stumbles on the back up disk Willow knocked between the desk and file cabinet in “Passion”. Considering Willow’s ambition, it would make sense that she would accept the challenge of trying the restoration spell herself, even if it is years beyond her experience in magic. This is something Giles recognizes, but doesn’t forbid. Instead this concern serves as foreshadowing of events that won’t happen for several seasons.

It was nice to see Kendra return. Her appearance reinforces the theme of how much detachment from others is necessary for slaying. It would’ve been nice to see more about what she did during her absence and it’s unfortunate that she was killed off rather quickly, but ultimately where they were going would more than make up for this.

Buffy’s determination to get Angelus for what he did makes things even worse. Playing on Buffy’s emotions, Angelus gets her to leave her group of friends for a fight, making them easy targets even with another slayer among them. Following Jenny’s death, she swore it wouldn’t happen again. Now Kendra’s dead and everyone besides Cordelia’s incapacitated. This cataclysmic series of events is another turning point for Buffy this season. She has been wondering how much distance she needs with other people, and considering what happened to those close to her because of her emotional investment, it’ll be hard to reconcile keeping anyone close.

Despite the dark material, there are some in-jokes for fans. Giles turns out to be one of those “New Agers” who used an Orb of Thesulah as a paperweight (which seems a bit hard considering its shape). Another instance is newly chosen Buffy having difficulty locating the heart when fighting her first vampire. For all the fights with vamps she has, I’m surprised even a seasoned vet has the accuracy she has. Has she ever missed the heart when she’s gotten a stake in a vampire?

It’s hard to review part one of a two parter like this since it is really only half the story. Regardless, this episode is a fine set up for the conclusion. This is all about how our reactions to the major events in our lives determine who we become. Buffy’s friends are decimated following Drusilla’s sneak attack. Her support systems are gone and now she is facing the law. How will she react to all this?

Overall Score: 9/10

Heroes: Season 2, Episode 2 Review: Lizards

Lizards
Original Airdate: October 1, 2007
Writer: Michael Green
Director: Allan Arkush

While the premiere may have tried too hard to cram as much as possible into the episode, there was a “wait and see” feel to it. With serialized shows, it’s often best to hold out harsh judgments until things have played out, unless a storyline is poorly executed. About a half dozen storylines were introduced in the premiere involving over a dozen different characters, so they can catch a break. This episode capitalizes on some of the threads introduced in the previous episode, developing the stories further and offering more intrigue.

Before his death, Isaac managed to paint eight pieces presumably depicting the deaths of the remaining founding members. With this, it could be easy to have him be as posthumously prolific as Tupac, bringing up artwork here and there through the history of the show (even if they have Peter or Sylar, who absorbed that power) to create suspense, so hopefully they make good on their promise that these are the only paintings not yet fulfilled. The painting plot device was effective in the first season, so it makes sense to bring it back for this one. Collecting clues from the missing paintings, along with the return of The Haitian, gives Bennet more story possibilities since he is sitting on the sidelines with Mohinder’s infiltration.

As double agent, Mohinder catches a break with The Haitian, whose abilities give him a perfect alibi to allow escape (Mohinder’s new and The Haitian can control and remove memories). Mohinder’s ability to protect those with abilities will likely get harder as the season progresses until he’s exposed or his phase in the plan is complete. Regardless, it sets up a lot of potential for his story.

There is some hint of Mrs. Petrelli’s power as Matt tries to read her mind. Unlike other people, she is aware that he is trying to get answers from telepathy. She could be this supposed male figure taunting Molly, considering the being is aware of Molly trying to track it. She may have used her own powers, none of which have been defined, to attack herself and therefore remove suspicion from herself. However, what would her motivation be to remove the other founding members? The likely answer is power, but does that entail her wanting to do something?

Niki’s brief intervention in Peter & Sylar’s showdown gave Peter super human strength. It can be safely assumed that Peter was close enough to DL to absorb his phasing power as well. By proxy, he must’ve also gotten Micah and Molly’s abilities as well. While Micah’s may serve more as a plot device whenever Peter may need to use a defective electronic device, the ability to locate anyone will be helpful when the time comes for him to join the fight in the unknown man who has been taunting Molly.

Assuming the premiere episode theory is correct, whoever placed Peter in the canister wanted to use his abilities for this heist. That would imply that there is something besides money to steal. Perhaps they are Isaac’s remaining paintings and whoever’s orchestrating this is one of the founders trying to save his or her life. Does it involve the mysterious Irish mob boss McSorely? One thing worth considering is that the necklace could be the Haitian’s, as he isn’t seen wearing it in the episode. Is he involved?

Apparently there is something to Mohinder’s threat of a virus as it nearly killed the Haitian. Among the other battles occurring at the end of the season, Molly’s sickness didn’t resonate as well. Perhaps this plot serves to confirm it is a real problem and may be faced later in the season or beyond that.

It’s confirmed that Maya has some deadly power that manifests itself when separated from her brother Alejandro, and that he can not only control it, but reverse it before it’s reached an unknown point. This power combo is a little bizarre, as it doesn’t offer much practically. However, reading through the tie-in graphic novels it appears that it would make sense that evolution would produce harmful powers as well as good, but giving the impression that such “bad” powers could eventually be harnessed for good. It’s not clear whether her powers are related to the virus, but it is a distinct possibility. Their meeting with Mohinder should be interesting.

As seen in the last episode, Hiro motivating Kensei to perform what would become his legendary acts of heroism wouldn’t be easy. To correct his presumed error, he performs one of the deeds Kensei would be credited for: disarming a group of bandits in one of the more amusing scenes (“Why does he keep saying his name?”). Kensei’s love for the rewards of heroism, regardless of how much he orchestrated the act, will likely prove to be one of the things that’ll make him a real hero. Eventually the desire for reward will subside for the satisfaction of heroism, if common storytelling will prevail.

Hiro’s adventures in Japan prove to illuminate more on the history of the stage in evolution that gave superpowers to many of the characters. Evolution is gradual, so it makes sense that there would be instances of heroes going centuries before the present day action. Kensei shares Claire’s ability to regenerate, which is a relief since killing off David Anders that quickly would’ve been disappointing. It’s also a great attribute to have for a warrior.

This episode answers a major question to Claire’s power: her ability to regrow a severed body part. The extent of her power is one of major speculation. Could she cut herself in half and duplicate herself, or throw herself in a blender and make an army? She starts small with the pinky toe, which her science class taught her isn’t a necessary part of the body and it turns out to work. With that information, she could try larger parts, even vital organs for those in need. While Bennet wants her to keep a low profile, it’s unlikely she’ll want to stay quiet if she can help others.

It isn’t easier with West following her around. Now that he has confirmed that she has powers as well, it would be fitting for him to tell her she isn’t alone. He wants to share it, as he now has someone like him. However, this goes against Bennet’s wishes that Claire go unnoticed in school. Obviously, for a girl to be as pretty as Claire and to have a guy continually prodding her, this should be near impossible. In school, like prison, the ones who don’t want to make waves end up being the center of attention.

Overall this episode is another good step in the season: the reveals add on to the set up from the season premiere. While it may be all over the place, it’s still intriguing. While I’m a little impatient to see Hiro back in the present or more hero interactions, it’s still a good episode.

Overall Score: 8/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2, Episode 20 Review: Go Fish

Go Fish
Original Airdate: May 5, 1998
Writer: Elin Hampton
Director: David Semel

As mentioned in the previous review, only one episode between “Passion” and the “Becoming” two-parter was worth keeping. That one was; this one isn’t. For the penultimate episode before the big finale, this episode reeks of being out of place, as if they had it originally earlier in the season (or another season one leftover), but had to move it here. Because of that, little capitalization is made on the major character moments from the last episode, and the episode suffers. Other shows like “The X-Files” did better intertwining self-contained episodes with ones that cover the larger story arc.

Despite the emotional showdown between Buffy and Angel under ghostly possession, it doesn’t amount to anything in this one. Angelus’ only scene doesn’t address it, but rather is a plot device to clue in the gang to the doping on the team. Any vampire could’ve filled in. One could imagine Spike doing the same pre-“Innocence” without altering much.

Xander has the closest to something workable, in being on the swim team causes him to face his insecurity about his manhood. But it doesn’t translate to more than eye candy for the ladies and gay men. This is another episode to show that Nicholas Brendan is way better looking than Xander ever should be, but is because it’s a TV show.

The monster of the week is another classic horror staple; the Creature from the Black Lagoon, only the twist is that they are not mutated fish, but humans. While the make up is solid, these episodes tend to be below average since they use paint-by-numbers plotting with little character development. The metaphor is obvious: steroid abuse, still a major topic nine years later, and special treatment student athletes get. However, what does this have to do with the characters? It would’ve fit better to have Buffy try something in hopes of improving her own strength going into the big fight with Angelus and having it backfire, fitting her self-destructive arc.

How the fish monster takes over its human host doesn’t make sense. As seen, the parasite will hollow out its host until only its skin remains, at which point it’ll shed. However, how can this happen when the victims act completely normal until less than a minute before the skin falls off? Shouldn’t there be a transition where they become sick as their human selves waste away, since right before their skin falls off the fish is already fully grown? Granted, the make up is well-done, but that’s not enough.

One problem with an earlier episode, “Bad Eggs” (seems these obvious puns related to the monster of the week tend to lead to bad episodes), was that there was no explanation for the teacher’s motive. Unfortunately the reasoning here doesn’t work. The coach’s motivation, something about fish-DNA and secret government testing, would work better on “The X-Files”. The writer, who only wrote this episode, seems not to have a good enough grip on what type of show this is and thought any fantasy would do.

Despite that, there are some good moments in the episode. Because of the school emphasis, we have plenty of great nasty Snyder moments, from him wanting to determine how Cameron’s broken nose is all Buffy’s fault to convincing Willow to change Gage’s grade without explicitly saying so.

Ultimately, this episode’s only noteworthy in that it is Wentworth Miller’s first TV acting gig, but considering his breakout in “Prison Break” was still over 7 years away, that doesn’t mean much. It may have worked better at another point in the season, but after Spike got out of the wheelchair, it’s best to skip this one and go straight to “Becoming”, which luckily redeems the sins of this episode.

Overall Score: 5/10

Heroes: Season 2, Episode 1 Review: Four Months Later...

New Series Reviews!

Four Months Later...
Original Airdate: September 24, 2007
Writer: Tim Kring
Director: Greg Beeman

A year ago NBC touted what they hoped would be its next big hit. It would be the anchor for its Monday line up, with an appealing cast and plenty of buzz to guarantee a hit. That show was “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”, a show that became the most notorious debacle of the 06-07 season. What was even more surprising was the show that preceded it, “Heroes”, became the breakout smash. Genre shows succeeding on network TV are rare. “Lost” was a sign that there was life in the sci-fi/fantasy genre on the big networks, but that spawned many duplicates that didn’t last beyond a full season if they were lucky. “Heroes” was an exception.

This episode is essentially a laundry list, giving us a brief synopsis of where our heroes are while setting up many of the major conflicts of the season. “Lost” has tackled this problem by focusing on a few characters in the first episodes of the season, and those episodes, even if they aren’t the best, aren’t overcrowded. “Heroes” prefers to tackle as much as they can, especially with a super sized premiere. An episode that covers over a half dozen plots may have not been the best choice to start the season, as expectations were high even after the first season’s disappointing final installment. It’s a lose-lose situation. Although the episode is fragmented, plenty of threads are established that show immense potential once the season gets momentum going.

Bennet’s scenes at the copy store were hilarious. Despite having no powers, he lives a life similar to the typical superhero: mild-mannered by day, but hiding his secret identity, at least until he has had enough of his smarmy manager. Holding the guy down by clutching his finger was classic, even if that may ultimately bring unwanted attention to him and his family, since he is in whatever Bennet could muster as a Witness Protection Program.

Of course, Bennet isn’t content simply hiding from The Company. Instead, he calls upon his new ally Mohinder, who The Company almost recruited last season, to infiltrate and help destroy it. With him and The Haitian defected and on their radar, Bennet’s options are limited in the operation, but Mohinder, with his father’s work and his credentials, is a perfect candidate.

It was interesting to see how they played their chess game, with Mohinder throwing out a bogus story about a plague that affects those with powers (or is it real?) to reel them in. If anything they should have well known character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Bob, the man with the literal Midas touch) back for a few more episodes.

Claire dealing with the problems of high school while having powers works very well. “Buffy” did similarly a decade a go, although that was the focus of the series instead of part of an ensemble story. She doesn’t want to make waves as the new girl, but being the new girl is enough to garner attention. Her powers, the threat of exposure and possible discovery by the company is even worse.

West could be bad news. It seems unlikely he’s just a regular kid with powers like Claire. At best, he’s a spy for The Company monitoring the Bennets. At worst, he’s stalking Claire. It’s hard to see him floating around Claire’s bedroom window without feeling the creeps. There has to be more to him than the surface, which is expected for a show like “Heroes”. Regardless, his own powers are worth mentioning. There is a limited variety of powers a person could inherit, as we see the first repeat power from someone who couldn’t steal/absorb them.

Greg Grunberg is way better at playing the likeable schlub, which is why Matt’s new direction as Molly’s foster dad while using his telepathy to his advantage in the NYPD is better than angsty “My marriage is falling apart” Matt. Adair Tishler (Molly) is also surprisingly good, and the chemistry between them is a believable. One could assume that their part in the Mohinder/Bennet conspiracy is to protect Molly, whose powers will make her extremely valuable.

Of course, they wouldn’t forget Molly’s warning of the man who can see her when she tries to locate him. With the culmination (or was it) of the Sylar threat last season, it’s expected to raise the bar with an even scarier villain for this one. Molly’s pictures, including the sometimes excessive helix symbol, are disturbing, but add to the mystery of this unseen character. It’ll be interesting to see whether they go the Linderman route and have him be someone we’ve never seen or to have the big bad be someone we already know.

One reason why Hiro is such an endearing character is his lack of cynicism regarding his talents. So, in an interesting turn, they pair him with his hero Kensei (played by “Alias” alum David Anders which also starred Grunberg), who turns out not be the great man whose legend Hiro grew up learning, at least not yet. Hiro won’t likely turn into a bitter cynic over this, but his actions in the past (“I broke history!”) could create major complications in the present. Perhaps ultimately Hiro will be the one to get Kensei to step up and become a hero, even if that will cause major headaches with those trying to figure out how time travel logic (I’m not even going to go there).

Mr. Nakamura and Mrs. Petrelli’s organization gets illuminated further when both become targeted for assassination by one of their former peers. Both, with Linderman, Mr. Deveaux, Mr. Petrelli, and seven other members, were members of the group that eventually spawned The Company. Obviously the identities of the killer as well as the six other members are going to be a major mystery for the season. The vague silhouette resembled someone much younger than the other members we’ve seen, but that could be tied to his power. He may be the person who has been haunting Molly’s dreams since the end of last season. Whether they are the same will likely be the hotly contested question this season.

Mr. Nakamura and Mrs. Petrelli’s conversations deepen the understanding of the major splits between this original group. While Nakamura worked to help his son accept his destiny to save the world, Mrs. Petrelli was ready to use her sons as pawns for a nefarious endgame. Ultimately Nakamura finds peace in this final act of redemption, and appears ready to face the assassin (having Ando get the sword could’ve been a ruse to get him out of the way so he wouldn’t be collateral damage).

Many wondered if either of the brothers would survive. While it may be considered a safe route, the way the characters are dealing now is more interesting than those critics would believe. There is no mention of Nathan’s political career following the explosion, but his heroics keeping Peter from destroying New York and have left him a broken man, complete with the beard and excessive drinking. Obviously, they separated before Peter detonated, and Nathan lost track of him. Nathan’s brief glimpse in the mirror adds another layer to this story. It seems unlikely he wouldn’t get burned. How he healed with Linderman dead will be addressed eventually.

The person whose actions the past four months the most people want to know about are Peter’s. Surprisingly most critics left the amnesia plot twist alone. Considering its place in the story, it’s easy to forgive or else people would be complaining about why Peter isn’t forthcoming with the information about what happened after he fell to earth. The obvious speculation is that someone experimented with him (and got rid of that awful haircut), but placing him in a cargo bin for some Irish thieves to find could be a hint at a grander scheme to bring Peter to someone else without the sender’s direct involvement.

The new kids in town, fugitive siblings Maya and Alejandro, show potential, even if there is a bit of recycling. Maya’s power, whatever killed everyone in the truck, seems to be out of her control as Niki’s was last season. She has killed several people, including some who made lewd passes at her like Niki did. It seems to be all but confirmed that Alejandro acts as an inhibitor for Maya’s ability. If that is true, then it seems like an unnecessarily complicated super power, but in time it may prove effective.

Overall, this episode had a lot of ground to cover. It was a set up episode, with a dozen characters’ stories and motivations established and sent in action. While it may not have been a knockout and some elements conspicuously absent (Sylar), the threads introduced show enormous potential.

Overall Score: 7/10