Heroes 1.19 0.07%
Oh, I'd forgotten how much fun this show is!
The strength of Heroes lies in the plotting. The plotting and the gloriously shiny comic-book cinematography. The script isn't the strong point, and this means pivotal character moments can be a bit hit or miss. Sometimes the overall impact of the 'twist' and the imagery is enough to carry the viewer through the scene... but listen too closely to the dialogue and it can fall a little flat. This episode had, for me, a few of those 'oops, we dropped the beat' moments, but so many great new twists that I can easily forgive it. After all, how can I complain about an episode that had no Simone but gallons of Nathan eye-candy and angst? ;-)
So abilities are hereditary, but not the same abilities. Interesting. I loved the reveal that Lindermann himself has a power--and what power! He's moulded into this universe wonderfully--even if we've only just got to see him at episode 18. I also liked the little meta commentary on HRM not knowing who runs his company. That worked well for the viewer who's one jump ahead of the characters on this one.
The Nathan-Lindermann scene was entirely made of win. I love the premise of a generation of 'heroes' who have already gone through this journey, and who have 'wised up' (aka become jaded and cynical). It's putting Nathan in a more sympathetic position, since he gets to call Lindermann a 'lousy humanitarian' and be shocked about Lindermann's (completely callous) willingness to nuke New York. (I have to admit that I was very amused by Lindermann's 'meh, we're overpopulated anyway' argument, especially since he clearly feels that large swathes of the population of one of the most influential capitals in the world are dispensible... teh evol!) Nathan's capable of being pretty ruthless in his own right, but set him against megalomania on this scale and it seems like a surefire way to set him on the path to heroism...
And then there's the family connection. So Mama Petrelli has powers too! Whoo! I like the reveal of her as puppet-master, especially because I think Nathan thinks he has his mother's measure--she's cold and shows steely determination to keep the family's public image intact, but this hides a deep love and loyalty for her family. How will he take the news that she's been manipulating his life on a far deeper level? Very interesting!
Still loving HRM. He even got Matt and nuclear!dude to be proactive--whoo! that takes talent! And our favourite neighbourhood psychopath (in Sylar) was totally on form as well. I particularly enjoyed his encounter with Peter. :-) His encounter with Isaac was overshadowed by Isaac's prattling... which I liked in theory but not in execution. (Oh dear, dialogue of clunk!) On the theory level, I can definitely get behind Isaac embracing his role as a sacrificial one--his has been a very masochistic power from the outset. He's wrestled with how 'powerless' it makes him (he can paint but not shape the future), and he's been drawn back to abusing heroin, despite his determination to be a hero. If his life serves a positive purpose--especially if it's linked to that of Hiro and Ando, who he bonded with, then he's willing to sacrifice himself. Very interesting take on heroism--especially with Peter set to go nuclear and Lindermann arguing that this 'sacrifice' may serve the greater good. (I also thought Isaac's courier fanboy was adorable and I loved the maze-like quality of the timeline.)
Jessica > Nikki. It was refreshing not to have to put up with Nikki's snivelling, though I found it annoying that Micah apparently can't tell the difference between them any more--more than that, he couldn't even suss the impersonator, which was even more obvious. I hope his powers aren't as unreliable as his intuition!
Peter's death was the low point of the episode for me. It had zero suspense for me, and while I obviously enjoyed Nathan sobbing over his brother's body, I was kind of disappointed that Claire's first meeting with Nathan was overshadowed by the non-death. It was very cool that Claire got to 'save' Peter and repay the favour though. So I had mixed feelings--it was definitely a case of the characterisation/dialogue taking a back seat to the plotting for me.
Loved Nathan's angst-out in the face of Peter's death, especially juxtaposed with Peter's apparent zen! And Nathan's smirky 'no matter what happens?' eyes were wonderful. But COULD Peter survive that explosion? Seems a bit more difficult than pulling a splinter of glass out of your brain...
Claire got a little swallowed up in this episode, I felt. She's usually a highlight for me, and I did feel for her in her scene with Nathan, where Nathan played into her worst fears. But I felt like I lost touch with her a little bit... I hope we get some good Claire-centric action soon--she was more of a pawn in this episode.
Meanwhile Mohinder is busy being a daft idiot again. Gah! I'd be more frustrated if I didn't find it both wonderfully comic and also awesome commentary on how well-intentioned people without smarts can be dangerous.
I'm glad Hiro (and the inevitable Ando) have a new puzzle to unravel--that bodes well for lots more awesome plotting in the eps to come. Oh, yes, it is shaping up very well indeed! I don't know what to make of Hiro meeting future!Hiro, but I'm sure it will be interesting...
*bounces off to read people's meta*
The strength of Heroes lies in the plotting. The plotting and the gloriously shiny comic-book cinematography. The script isn't the strong point, and this means pivotal character moments can be a bit hit or miss. Sometimes the overall impact of the 'twist' and the imagery is enough to carry the viewer through the scene... but listen too closely to the dialogue and it can fall a little flat. This episode had, for me, a few of those 'oops, we dropped the beat' moments, but so many great new twists that I can easily forgive it. After all, how can I complain about an episode that had no Simone but gallons of Nathan eye-candy and angst? ;-)
So abilities are hereditary, but not the same abilities. Interesting. I loved the reveal that Lindermann himself has a power--and what power! He's moulded into this universe wonderfully--even if we've only just got to see him at episode 18. I also liked the little meta commentary on HRM not knowing who runs his company. That worked well for the viewer who's one jump ahead of the characters on this one.
The Nathan-Lindermann scene was entirely made of win. I love the premise of a generation of 'heroes' who have already gone through this journey, and who have 'wised up' (aka become jaded and cynical). It's putting Nathan in a more sympathetic position, since he gets to call Lindermann a 'lousy humanitarian' and be shocked about Lindermann's (completely callous) willingness to nuke New York. (I have to admit that I was very amused by Lindermann's 'meh, we're overpopulated anyway' argument, especially since he clearly feels that large swathes of the population of one of the most influential capitals in the world are dispensible... teh evol!) Nathan's capable of being pretty ruthless in his own right, but set him against megalomania on this scale and it seems like a surefire way to set him on the path to heroism...
And then there's the family connection. So Mama Petrelli has powers too! Whoo! I like the reveal of her as puppet-master, especially because I think Nathan thinks he has his mother's measure--she's cold and shows steely determination to keep the family's public image intact, but this hides a deep love and loyalty for her family. How will he take the news that she's been manipulating his life on a far deeper level? Very interesting!
Still loving HRM. He even got Matt and nuclear!dude to be proactive--whoo! that takes talent! And our favourite neighbourhood psychopath (in Sylar) was totally on form as well. I particularly enjoyed his encounter with Peter. :-) His encounter with Isaac was overshadowed by Isaac's prattling... which I liked in theory but not in execution. (Oh dear, dialogue of clunk!) On the theory level, I can definitely get behind Isaac embracing his role as a sacrificial one--his has been a very masochistic power from the outset. He's wrestled with how 'powerless' it makes him (he can paint but not shape the future), and he's been drawn back to abusing heroin, despite his determination to be a hero. If his life serves a positive purpose--especially if it's linked to that of Hiro and Ando, who he bonded with, then he's willing to sacrifice himself. Very interesting take on heroism--especially with Peter set to go nuclear and Lindermann arguing that this 'sacrifice' may serve the greater good. (I also thought Isaac's courier fanboy was adorable and I loved the maze-like quality of the timeline.)
Jessica > Nikki. It was refreshing not to have to put up with Nikki's snivelling, though I found it annoying that Micah apparently can't tell the difference between them any more--more than that, he couldn't even suss the impersonator, which was even more obvious. I hope his powers aren't as unreliable as his intuition!
Peter's death was the low point of the episode for me. It had zero suspense for me, and while I obviously enjoyed Nathan sobbing over his brother's body, I was kind of disappointed that Claire's first meeting with Nathan was overshadowed by the non-death. It was very cool that Claire got to 'save' Peter and repay the favour though. So I had mixed feelings--it was definitely a case of the characterisation/dialogue taking a back seat to the plotting for me.
Loved Nathan's angst-out in the face of Peter's death, especially juxtaposed with Peter's apparent zen! And Nathan's smirky 'no matter what happens?' eyes were wonderful. But COULD Peter survive that explosion? Seems a bit more difficult than pulling a splinter of glass out of your brain...
Claire got a little swallowed up in this episode, I felt. She's usually a highlight for me, and I did feel for her in her scene with Nathan, where Nathan played into her worst fears. But I felt like I lost touch with her a little bit... I hope we get some good Claire-centric action soon--she was more of a pawn in this episode.
Meanwhile Mohinder is busy being a daft idiot again. Gah! I'd be more frustrated if I didn't find it both wonderfully comic and also awesome commentary on how well-intentioned people without smarts can be dangerous.
I'm glad Hiro (and the inevitable Ando) have a new puzzle to unravel--that bodes well for lots more awesome plotting in the eps to come. Oh, yes, it is shaping up very well indeed! I don't know what to make of Hiro meeting future!Hiro, but I'm sure it will be interesting...
*bounces off to read people's meta*