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'Heroes': Here comes the sun
Man, that was one long eclipse, was it not? But now that the sun is out again, the Heroes have their powers back and Nathan Petrelli has turned back into the World's Most Suggestible Politician, we can get back to the business of starting to wrap up this arc.
Spoilers coming right after I patch up my leg in a grocery store aisle.
Before I get started with this week's recap, I want to thank Ryan McGee for handling the past two episodes with such aplomb. Of course, we'd expect nothing less from the man who has reimagined Lost as a series of Facebook updates.
As for this week's episode, the conclusion of a two-parter called "The Eclipse," that's pretty much how you expected it to play out, right? I mean, what with the sun reappearing at just the right moment so that the characters get their powers back and no one we know very well dies or anything drastic like that.
(Science note: The eclipse finally passed a little after the halfway point in the episode, after taking up a good chunk of last week's episode. Which, based on some cursory online research, would make it the longest total solar eclipse ever. The motion of the bodies involved means that total eclipses don't last more than about 7 1/2 minutes. This one had to run for at least a few hours, given all that transpired while it was kinda dark.)
And so, if you've watched the show for a while, you were just kind of waiting around for that to happen, so that Claire could take her startled first breath after being pronounced dead, and for Sylar to rise back up and come after HRG after having his throat slit. Knowing that was around the corner diminishes the cat-and-mouse game between Sylar and HRG somewhat, and that's kind of a shame, because seeing the ruthless side of Noah Bennet was kind of fun, and their fight -- just two guys beating the hell out of each other, with no special abilities involved -- was one of the better ones Heroes has ever staged.
Sylar does, of course, come after HRG, but with the goal of taking Claire back to Pinehearst, where her extra-special catalytic properties will finally make the formula complete and let Arthur Petrelli give half the world powers. But since everyone else has their abilities back as well, Hiro -- still mentally 10 years old, but fully aware of his mission now that he's caught up on the 9th Wonders comics -- arrives just in time to blink Sylar and his enabler Elle to a remote beach before whisking Claire away to the New York balcony to witness Kaito Nakamura hand baby Claire over to HRG (more on that, sort of, in the bullet points).
And Elle, perhaps, should've been careful what she was wishing for with all her egging on of Sylar to be bad again. 'Cause once he was alone on that beach with her, he delivered a little speech about how regaining his powers showed him that he'll never really change, and the last we see of her (and possibly Kristen Bell?) is Elle writhing in pain as he starts to slice her forehead.
Down in Haiti, meanwhile, the end of the eclipse has restored in Nathan the power of flight and the uncanny ability to listen to the wrong kind of advice. After seeing the havoc Baron Samedi's power has allowed him to wreak, Nathan is suddenly convinced that his pop's idea to give lots and lots of people a genetic boost is just what the world needs to end war and genocide and all other societal ills. Which, I'm sure, is just what the paranoid and power-hungry man behind the plan has in mind. Such a supremely gullible Nathan hasn't been around for a while. That was not a bad thing.
A few more thoughts on part two of "The Eclipse":
- I can't decide whether the presence of Breckin Meyer and Seth Green as the comic-store employees is a fun bit of stunt casting or a bit of meta-storytelling that's too self-aware for its own good. Maybe some of both. But Green and Meyer seemed to be having a good time with Masi Oka and James Kyson Lee -- and I'm glad the writers slipped in the expository line about the current issue of 9th Wonders being the last one Isaac Mendez wrote before his death (save the possible "lost sketches" that some bike messenger supposedly has and for whom Hiro et al's search will probably take up some time next week).
- It's come to the point where I just feel kind of bad for Greg Grunberg and Brea Grant, saddled as they are with a supposed love story that's based on Parkman's spirit walk and nothing else. The revelation last week that Daphne was in leg braces (she had cerebral palsy) before her power manifested was kind of interesting, and gives some plausible explanation for the life she's chosen since, but their scenes the past few weeks have contributed very little to the larger story.
- About that last scene: I got nothing, thanks to some combination of NBC, Comcast and my DVR not properly understanding that the episode ran a little past 10 p.m. I'm guessing that Claire founds out that her adoptive father does, in fact, really love her, but please feel free to flesh that out (or tell me I'm wrong) in the comments.
Now that the sun is out again, use your powers of observation to discuss this week's Heroes. Why does Nathan always, always listen to the wrong people? And what do you figure we'll learn if we ever see the "lost issue" of 9th Wonders?
The end went on just long enough for Claire to slowly realize what it was she was seeing-- that she's back in time seeing her dad being given Baby Claire-- and then she's like "Holy $%*&!" as Hiro covers her mouth. It was kind of cute.
Sara | Dec 1, 2008 9:21:21 PM | #You missed a very important part (at least it seemed to me) HRG really freaked out when he heard that Claire had actually died, he started to tell her something ... along the lines of that means... when Sylar and and Elle bust in and interrupt. No offense, but your recap is sort of lame this week. Maybe I was spoiled with Ryan, but you barely even went in to details. I thought recaps were for people who missed the episode and people like me looking for confirmation on stuff, this is very bare bones and is missing a lot of stuff.
Sarah | Dec 1, 2008 9:33:08 PM | #Sarah, Noah was going to say to Claire that Sylar is still alive, but being the smart man he is, stopped halfway knowing that Sylar would be hunting them down, and the first place he would look is obviously the home. So it wasn't crucial information he was going to tell Claire. That's just my opinion. Cause Noah was very happy to see Claire again, and had a look of "He's dead claire, no more running!"
Greg | Dec 1, 2008 11:26:14 PM | #One of the better episodes of heroes this season. This season could best be defined that heroes CAN do better.
Runit24 | Dec 2, 2008 12:07:09 AM | #I'm guessing this new 9th wonders issue will tell who is going to win this war between the "Justice League" and whatever group of villains remain, whether Sylar decides to be good or not. However, I think the issue will tell about the upcoming war and who can actually kill Arthur. It seems right now, he is the invincible man. Side Question: Where is Micah? could they possibly come out and be a part of something larger soon?
Matthew | Dec 2, 2008 3:25:09 AM | #Seems to me the only person who can really stop him is the Haitian. He only has to be in the vicinity to cancel out his powers and then if gets his hand on him, its mindfrak city.
I think they're done with the Micah storyline. They only trotted him out there to bring some kind of closure to his and Nikki's story. I think this season is really coming into focus and i actually like how they played out Nathan's decision to back his Father. What he said made a lot of sense and if all his Dad wanted to do was to take over the world then he wouldn't be wasting time with the formula to give normal people powers. He'd just round up as many souped up people as he can find and do it Legion of Doom style. Heck at this point, the only one who can really stop him who's inclined is the Haitian since he's got Sylar wrapped around his finger and Peter's still powerless.
The episode was supposed to take place over a few minutes wasn't it? They just kept jumping between plots to make it #seem# like hours. (*groan*)
What I'm PO'd about is that the eclipse came *again* so soon... (Hey, does this mean everyone is solar powered? Did Superman come to Earth 200 years ago and have kids?)
pakopako | Dec 2, 2008 6:39:55 AM | #Just a thought, if it is true that Sylar is not related to the Petrelli's, could the mother of his son in the future be Claire? The son is named Noah, so it might make some sense, plus they are both indestructible so maybe they find common ground there.
PJ | Dec 2, 2008 6:41:37 AM | #I really just can't wait for the season to be over. I may have cared for the fates of these characters a while ago, but I was actually hoping that Sylar and Claire were in fact dead and we could move on to more interesting storylines. I keep watching every week to see if something grabs me. Other than Hiro grabbing every hero from the Bennett residence and whisking them away, nothing else really interested me this week. I'm just tired of these characters, and it might be too late to save them by making them more interesting.
Casey | Dec 2, 2008 6:49:00 AM | #Most people seemed to like this episode for some reason. I personally thought it was the same old rubbish. The reason Heroes hasn't been the same since season 1 is that they messed up the finale of that season. Season 1 should have ended with Sylar dying, and new baddies being introduced for the next seasons. Instead we are stuck with some new 'twist' to the Sylar character every week. This week being him turning bad again, and killing the girl who might have made him happy (which again made no sense as Sylar killed her father). I'm only watching this show out of habit now, and if they don't do something to turn this show around soon, it will be cancelled.
Alex | Dec 2, 2008 7:26:48 AM | #Am I the only one having a problem following what's going on? I'm glad they've suggested Sylar isn't a Petrilli because that idea was just idiotic. But really Sylar was evil then he's decided to try to be good, now he's evil, then he's conflicted, then good, and now (shake magic 8 ball) he's evil. Same with Nathan his dad's evil, maybe not so evil, no evil, wait good yes definitely good. It seems like every time there's a good/interesting scene the next scene is a character randomly changing their minds/motivies/sides that ruins the previous promising scene.
eva | Dec 2, 2008 7:32:16 AM | #I think I'm finally throwing in the towel on this show. I've hung on as long as possible. This two part eclipse episode was such a waste of time. It didn't change the story in any way except to turn Nathan back in to the worst judge of character ever.
Kim | Dec 2, 2008 7:58:32 AM | #I HATE SYLAR! I can't believe that he's now the center of this fast-declining show. He made a good villain in Season 1, but the stars of the show came together and vanquished him. Why is he still here?!?
I'm really tired of all this back and forth we get on this show. No one is good, no one is bad, they're all just "shades of gray". If, by shades of gray, you mean a sociopathic murderer one week and a conflicted momma's boy the next. Why can't we have basically decent people who find they have super powers and use them for good?
Season 1 was great because of the wonder of these powers and how the team got together to fight a common, really evil, villain. Ever since then, the producers have been beating us over the heads with all this moral relativism garbage. This is a TV show about people with super powers. Let's see them beat up some bad guys, for crying out loud! I get enough shades of gray from real life. I'd like a little fun and escape in the evenings, please.
Cornelius | Dec 2, 2008 8:35:13 AM | #I still love the show and I have no plans on quitting, but I certainly hope there's a wicked pay-off. What's making me crazy is that Peter needs his powers back! Wouldn't a shot of Claire's blood do the trick? That girl should just carry a needle with her everywhere she goes! Isn't that how Sylar got his powers back after he lost them before? If I could bring people back to life and heal them - that's something I'd totally remember!
Bonnie | Dec 2, 2008 9:52 AM | Dec 2, 2008 8:56:28 AM | #this show's rating needs to be boost up to over 18. wtf is with the cut up open chest of claire and the throat slit of sylar. i dont think my kids should be watching something like that.
tuesday | Dec 2, 2008 9:05:03 AM | #I don't know about half the world getting enhanced is good or bad. BUT giving every character with a SAG card powers is what ruined it. Too many 'heroes' spoil the show.
Juke Early | Dec 2, 2008 9:22:10 AM | #Tuesday,
Sylar has been slicing off heads from the beginning and now you're worried your kids will see something bad ?!?!
I still like the show but the Ecplise was weak. "Oh my god I dont have powers anymore...when will they come back????" How about when the eclipse is over...duh!
Justin | Dec 2, 2008 9:47:48 AM | #what happened to monica and micah? they're completely absent this season. yeah, i continue to watch the show, but now i multi-task with other things.
tc | Dec 2, 2008 9:47:55 AM | #So what was this...a way to undo all of the (albeit ham-fisted) character development and most of the characters back to how they were when we first met them?
- Nathan's now sliding towards villainy again.
- Sylar's a full-on villain again.
- Claire's "just a teenager" with daddy trust issues again.
- Peter's a gawky, "don't know where I fit in" type again.
- Hiro's a precocious trickster type again.
It's almost like the writers/producers decided they'd made so many mistakes they wanted to set everything back to Season 1, when the show was passable, rather than using what they'd done to get to a good spot in a more organic manner, so they hit a big rewind button.
And way to jump the sinking ship, Kristen Bell. Good luck with bigger and much better things (VM movie, perhaps?).
Brian | Dec 2, 2008 10:18:57 AM | #The entire situation with Heroes makes me sad. Millions have stopped watching, and judging from posts here, half of us still watching are either disenchanted or just hanging on out of faith things will improve. I really want to see it improve, but my rational mind tells me it is just about at the point of no return.
I hate to draw comparisons to Lost, but the producers of Heroes and NBC need to follow Lost's lead. When Lost was sinking fast in season 3(?), the decision was made to set an end date, limit the number of episodes per season, and thus STEP UP THE ACTION!
Please, Heroes, before it is too late.
Frances | Dec 2, 2008 10:50:50 AM | #when will peter get his powers back? He was the best hero now he is just a guy following other people with powers around. they need to get his powers back because Sylar and HRG cannot keep this show going.
real hero | Dec 2, 2008 11:32:29 AM | #I'm much confuseated. Perhaps I need to sit down and watch all of this season's eps in a marathon.
Jen | Dec 2, 2008 12:00:05 PM | #Jen, to paraphrase Hiro and Seth Green:
Worst. Marathon. Ever.
Ryan | Dec 2, 2008 12:14:24 PM | #Jen, it will NOT help, trust me!
Jonah | Dec 2, 2008 12:23:14 PM | #
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