Heroes: "Out of Time"
* Okay, now THAT is more like it. Best episode of Season 2 so far. Revelations, confrontations, dramatic twists, and some genuine character development. Good pacing and better CGI for once as well. I got the feeling Tim Kring was reading the message boards and was like, "Okay, time to pick up the pace, people."
* I'm not sure which moment wins the WTF/FTW award for the episode--I was expecting Adam to turn out to be Kensei, but it was still awesome to see his villainy unfold, particularly his vow to Hiro that he'd destroy everything he loved. Probably the other major moment was Caitlin being stuck in the plague-ridden alternate future of 2008. Nice going there, Peter--you lose your memory and suddenly you're a 'tard.
* But thanks to the intervention of Mama Petrelli herself, our boy is back in action. Angela seems to have tremendous facility with understanding other people's powers--I wonder if she's a "fixer" like Sylar, and her innate ability is to "optimize" other heroes to use their abilities. I loved seeing her play the hard role with Peter and give him the verbal slap he needed to get his mind right. Cristine Rose is an underrated weapon in the "Heroes" arsenal.
* I think the sequence with a nearly-naked Peter getting hosed and deloused "Silkwood"-style may have caused fainting spells in most of the female population of North America.
* The other Petrelli didn't have a lot to do this ep but stand around and ask questions, but at least they're the right questions. It's interesting to see Nathan, who in S1 wanted to know nothing about his family's secrets or his powers, now acting as the prime motivator to explore the mysteries. He really is becoming his brother, which makes their inevitable reunion all the more interesting.
* Hiro's storyline in Japan dragged on way too long, but the resolution was beautiful and poetic. Poor Hiro, forever touched by tragedy as a cost of responsibility. It was also funny to see how Hiro regressed from being the confident, experienced swordsman to the "Yatta"-screaming geek in Ando's presence. I'm glad Hiro and Ando are back together again, and I can't wait to see them set out on the road to avenge Papa Nakamura's death and come face to face with Kensei/Adam!
* Matt owned a lot of this episode. It was great to see him really come into his own as a hero and atone for his mistakes. He's rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters on the show, and this episode was a good example. His interactions with Molly were just choice.
* Poor Mohinder, always fated to make fucked-up decisions because you don't trust your instincts. Then again, maybe he's not wrong here--HRG is clearly going off the rails, but at the same time, Bob might just be playing the nice guy to win Mohinder's trust. What's a scientist with a broken nose to do? And good call by Bob, who dusted the scene of HRG's murderism for fingerprints. Sloppy, sloppy, Noah.
* West, you are a CREEPY STALKER FREAK. You barge into Claire's house and get all cozy with her mom (Don't you think she'd have learned from Sylar's home invasion, or does she not remember that?), and you take umbrage because her dad is HRG? As
Lauren would say, "Bitch, plz."
* Not only did I call "White Beard" being a red herring, I also called Niki getting the virus. I'm actually rethinking my support of getting rid of her, though--this was certainly the best acting she's put in all season, and definitely up there with the finer moments of S1.
* So Claire's regenerative healing abilities may be key to curing the Shanti virus? Hmmm....what was that famous tagline from last season? Something about saving the cheerleader, saving the world? And note that Kensei also has regenerative powers...
* Take a note, folks: The fast pace of this episode, and the utter absence of Gabriel and the Wonder Twins. Coincidence? I doubt it.
* Overall, a great addition to the series and a welcome return to form for a great show, and next week looks to be even better.
* ADDENDUM: Oh yeah...what was up with the halo around the eclipse in the opening credits being greenish instead of gold? That's GOT to have some deeper meaning.