The Doctor, and The Nurse, Who's An Empath, and Very Cute
Haha! Part Three in the "How Bored Is visiblemarket" series of posts. This time, for our two favorite people on Heroes, now that they're together.
Episode 12: Godsend
Previously, on my massive, dialup killing posts, Claude was awesome, all by himself, and Peter was, on the whole, not so much. Although he does make the best faces. Also, Claude got shot by his morally grey lover partner, and Peter landed himself in a coma.
A coma, where he's now dreaming of Claude:
Looking rather beardy, among other things. It should be mentioned that the real first image of Claude that we get, if you watch the episode, is of his hand pulling money out of someone's wallet (it's right around 1:24, if you want to check it yourself). I couldn't find a cap of it, but that's definitely before the above shot. And here's the question that's always bugged me: why does Claude bother stealing money? He needs to be visible to use it, and it's pretty clear that he doesn't do that, because it's a risk; and we've seen him just steal pretzels and scarves. So...is he just stockpiling cash somewhere, to use at a later date? As an econ major, I've got to say: bad idea, what with inflation and all. But I guess getting a bank account while invisible probably won't happen either. Moving on:
*Squee* I'll admit, when I first watched this, that name meant nothing to me. Oh, how the worm has turned.
It's a while and a couple of storylines till he shows up again, though. But then:
There we go. And look at him: disheveled, definitely homeless looking, and grinning. But here's the thing: we'll see just how many times Claude all out grins at Peter, and it's...a lot. He's no where near as cheerful when we see him with Bennet, although of course, there's a different context to their scenes in 5YG. But even in the initial meeting, it's a smile, but a much more guarded one.
Anyway:
Again with the money! But it makes no sense! How is he going to spend it? Blah. Fine. Moving on. More of the dream/nightmare, Peter's about to explode:
And apparently has the Rage Virus (and now I'm contemplating a Heroes/28 Days Later crossover, which, no, bad, don't have time) and then wakes up, and, apparently, runs away:
Leaving behind a justifiably pissed Angela, and a very confused Nathan. And it's interesting, that Peter's first instinct is actually a very good one:
To get out of the city as quickly as possible, minimizing the threat he poses. Which really is a smart move, and if he'd gone through with it...well, we wouldn't really have a story. Also worth noting: Peter kind of looks like hell here. It's not as evident in screencaps, but he's all sweaty and pacing and nervous, acting a bit like he's high or something, which makes a lot of sense, given his panic, and the fact that he's been in a coma for two weeks. So, kudos for continuity, Heroes writers/producers/directors, whoever did that.
(As for lost muscle mass and the fact that he wouldn't be able to just walk out...well, he does have Claire's power, so we can fanwank that out of the way.)
And then:
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Claude! And he's got the best...just...swagger into the scene. Like, hello there, I'm just going to riffle through this unattended pink wallet:
Just for kicks. Because I'm invisible and what else would I freakin' do with money anyways?!?.
Anyway, his expressions while he does this:
Are all kind of hilarious. He does this little eyebrow raise that's like, "Ooh! Money!" and then just shrugs and pockets it. And you just know he's looking at the pictures in the wallet and think, "Man, those are some ugly kids" or something. Anyway, that's interspersed with bits of Peter's dream:
Again with the laughing and grinning. Which is...something. In the midst of the Peter being about to explode, taking a large part of the city with him, he's laughing. Is it a kind of desperate, "Of course I'm going to die because some stupid kid couldn't control his power" kind of laughter, or is it, "Peter, you idiot, this is so easy if you just concentrate" kind of laughter? Or is he just laughing at the emo bangs? I honestly don't know; I honestly am not sure what we're supposed to make of it, except that Claude's clearly a little bit irrational. We don't know, at this point, why, but we do see that.
And then he starts walking away, and I don't have a cap for it, but there's a moment where he randomly picks up someone's cell-phone, fidgets with it, hears it make some weird bliping noise, and then tosses it. Which I find just so strange, but CE manages to make even that intriguing. Why does Claude do that? Because he's just instinctually interested in things, and wanting to see how they work? Because he can, seeing as he's invisible? Because he's bored? Because he thinks that people who have their cell-phones out during dinner are rude and annoying? On this question, I actually do think I have the answer: it's the first, the instinctually interested in things. Which sounds really broad, but we'll see him later in Peter's apartment, where he does something similar. And of course, his work with the Company could reflect that, and especially his work with Peter. But that's still in the future, so for now:
Righteous stalker Peter. Now, here's a question: does Peter follow him, because he saw him in his dream and thinks it's significant, or because he saw him steal money, and wants to track him down and make him give it back? Ponder that.
Claude almost seems to know, even before Peter catches up with him, that someone's following him. I think there's a part of him that's still, after seven years, not quite used to not turning around when someone calls out behind him. But he doesn't look back, and then:
Ooooh, Claude eyes. So very pretty and almost purple. But here's the initial expression, looking at Peter: shocked, yes. Angry? Not right away. Stunned, definitely. And a part of me almost wonders: is there some recognition there? Does Peter seem familiar, for some reason? Just a thought.
Of course, we do go, pretty quickly, to our failsafe ship starter, people being thrown up against things:
But check out how strong Claude has to be: he's looking up, which means he's holding Peter up:
Which can't be terribly comfortable for Peter, obviously (and probably not much better for MV, because...well, CE really does seem to be pushing him up pretty hard there).
A quick review of the episode: it's a good one, to be sure, and what it really should be called, if we're being literal, is "Connections". This is the episode where all the Heroes start coming together; Claire meets the Haitian (okay, that happened last episode, but it's still mostly explored here), Nathan meets Isaac, and both meet up with Hiro and Ando. And most important of all, of course, Peter meets Claude. Love at first sight, as we know. ;)
Episode 13: The Fix
We get a little overlap between the last episode's moment of Plaude, and this own, but we do get this:
Little flash, which is new, and which I like a lot. Almost like Claude's his guardian angel. Aww.
Anyway, back to this:
Who, or what, is Claude looking for, and as panicked as he is? I figure, he's worried about Peter being a Company man, and is looking for his backup, because really, who would send Peter out by himself on any kind of field assignment? But he does seem to believe Peter's cluelessness about only being able to do what other people can do, which brings us back to:
"Fantastic. One of those." I'd forgotten how much contempt CE gives that line; like he knows just what kind of sappy, idealistic whiny emo kids just always turn out to empaths. He also gives Peter quite a once over, by the way.
Stalker eyes! We know what that means! Love! *snickers*
Shippiness aside: once Peter hears that Claude seems to have some idea of what he is, his immediate reaction? "You have to help me!" And, being Peter, he's very touchy about it:
Stop, and think about this a moment: Peter's just run into a guy, who, yes, he did see in a dream, but even in that dream, he was laughing kind of crazily. In the past few seconds since they've met, he's had him pressed up against a lamp-post, almost choking him to death. And again, his first reaction? Grab hold of his arm, and lean in:
All because he's just so needy. He needs someone to give him direction, someone to help him figure out just what's going on.
PETER: What is this? What -- listen, I found you. I need you to help me.
CLAUDE: Why'd I want to do that?
Which is a very good point, and something Peter doesn't readily think of: just automatically assumes that anyone he meets will want to help him on his quest.
PETER: Because we're in danger. This entire city is in danger. It was in my dream. People die. We die. I don't know when, but it happens.
CLAUDE: Then you'd better leave town.
Which is, pretty much, exactly what Peter had been planning on doing, but it's a plan he pretty quickly abandons, because now he's found someone to give him actual direction, which is what he always banks on. But look at this expression:
And watch this scene again. There's almost a...a hint, that this "exploding man" thing, this "seeing it in a dream", thing, is something Claude already kind of knows about. I mean, for one thing: he believes Peter, right off the bat. Doesn't keep him from walking away, of course, but he does believe him.
Because I'm a shallow, shallow person:
Pretty CE eyes. But really, truly: I love this scene. I love watching it again, after we know all that we know about Claude, and wondering just how much Claude knows, at this moment, about Peter.
We're also meant to wonder a bit, about who the "smarter men then you have tried, and paid for it", he tells Peter as he walks away. There's just such a story behind Claude that it kind of kills me we only get parts of it from Peter's perspective, which tends to be...very Peter focused. Ah, well.
I also love this face:
It's like, "Oh, snap! Struck out again!"
And here we are, the next morning:
Pigeons and rooftops, our mainstay. Just me, or are they basically wearing the same outfit? Hee. Another question: how did Peter find him again? Follow him around all night? Stalker eyes!. Anyway:
I'll try to keep the gushing here to a minimum, because...well, there's a lot of gushing to go on. But throughout the scene, there's little subtle moments, where you can tell that Claude knows a whole lot more about Peter, and his situation, than Peter knows himself:
PETER: I took care of a man who owned this building. His name was Charles Deveaux.
CLAUDE: Never heard of him.
PETER: You don't think that's strange? I worked here. The place where you live and keep your birds.
CLAUDE: I don't keep anything. I let 'em out once a day, they come back. Sounds like free will to me.
The face Claude makes at "Never heard of him," while he's turned away and looking at the birds, pretty clearly indicates that he has heard of him. And as for something else strange: seeing as it's the roof of Deveaux's building, where Peter worked...is it possible for Claude to have seen him before? Also, how possible is it for Claude to even have gotten in, without having some sort of permission from Deveaux himself? After all, we've seen the lobby of that building: fancy, for the most part. There's certainly doormen, at least, and the elevators...well, even for an invisible man, it's probably not easy to get all the way up to the roof, and be able to open it, without some sort of clearance. So Claude probably does know Deveaux. Just how recently he's been in contact with him, we can't really be sure, but still...I wonder. Returning to the scene:
CLAUDE: An exploding man, where'd you get that idea?
PETER: My dreams. This place. I found you for a reason. I think you're the one that has to teach me how to stop this.
Which is...an interesting interpretation of that dream. We have no indication of that being the case, do we? But that's just what Peter assumes, and why that is, beyond the fact that in it, Claude's the only one not panicking, to some degree...hmm.
Definitely a glimmer of...of something there. He's heard that something like that could happen, was planned, possibly even from Deveaux, although we have no way of knowing that. There's just so much going on here, beneath the surface, that it makes me giddy. Like here, after the "No teaching. No Sunday school for the special. What I can do, you can't learn. You wake up in the morning, it's there. If you've got thin soup, then that's your supper," moment:
Peter gets a bit huffy, tries to grab hold of Claude's arm again, and he pulls it away. And there's this, a moment where Claude pauses, as if to try and collect himself, as if not quite sure of how to react to being touched and needed and involved in someone else's life again. And even more broadly, being involved in something so intricately linked to the Company. Instead of working through it all, he snaps:
Grabs Peter, threatens to kill him himself, and then runs away, which is what he's done before, and will do again.
Leaving Peter to stand around the roof and glower, which is what he's done before, and will do again, totally and utterly shocked that someone doesn't want to help him just because it's him.
Of course, then, back at his apartment, the dynamic duo shows up:
Hee. I just love that picture. Anyway: both Nathan and Mohinder do their best to sell Peter on the idea of them being able to help him, to fix him, but Peter's still determined enough to leave, and doubtful enough of their ability to help him, to buy it. And that's interesting: he trusted Claude instinctually, to help him and keep him from exploding. Practically begs him for help. But his brother, whom he loves, and Mohinder, whom he went to initially, on the assumption that he knew what he was doing, and who turned him away? He doesn't trust either of them, at this point. Which makes you wonder, why?
Now, on the shippiest level, the answer's obvious (Aww, Plaude...destiny!). But beyond that: Claude's the only one who seems to have really believed him, and how much of a danger he was, right away. And that's important, to Peter.
Which brings us to:
Claude came to find him, and saves him from, presumably, being talked into submission by Nathan, consummate politician, and Mohinder, consummate boring talker. We'll talk about why in a minute, but really, here's another question: how? Did he follow him? That would have to have been tricky, what with him leaving the Deveaux roof first. But we don't really need to think much about that, because:
My god, Claude's expression there...guh. Intense and guarded and so very serious and maybe, just a little bit wistful. Love it. Love that moment. Also love:
How shocked and breathless Peter looks there. Again, on the shippiest level, because...wow. And even beyond that: Claude had to have gotten him up against the wall and with a hand over his mouth pretty damn fast, for it all to have been over with by the time Nathan and Mohinder got out the door. In other words, Claude's got some mad quick reflexes on him, in addition to being crazy strong. Those little implied details just kill me.
Another thing I love: Claude getting a beer out of the refrigerator, tossing the bottle cap at Peter, wandering around Peter's apartment like he owns the place.
It's such an almost playful little moment that doesn't really have to mean anything, but just is. Just like this one:
Of him pulling apart the little bobbly headed dog, curiously, sees how it works, and then puts it back. This is the other of those little moments I mentioned, where you kind wonder why Claude does that sort of thing. He's just a very curious, interested kind of guy, I guess. Likes to see how things work. It's pretty cool, all on it's own. Anyway: hooray, beer! And also, hooray Claude:
CLAUDE: This your place?
PETER: Yeah.
CLAUDE: Guy with family connections like yours could do a lot better.
PETER: Left the family business. I'm a nurse now.
Which is interesting: Peter "left" the family business and is a nurse "now". Does that mean he trained a bit as a lawyer/businessman/something else profitable and properly "Petrelli"? That's another interesting bit of backstory that's hinted at, and leaves us wondering. It doesn't need to be addressed by the show, necessarily, but it's good to know that it's there.
Which of course brings us to:
CLAUDE: Nurse who's an empath, very cute.
PETER: "Empath," what's that mean?
CLAUDE: Means you're a pain in my ass, mate.
And I have to go do my little, "It's canon, people! Claude thinks he's cute!" dance. Okay, I'm done.
Peter points out, quite rightly, that for however much of a pain in the ass he might, Claude did follow him.
That's totally Claude's look of, "Hey, I may be a bit of a misanthrope, but not that much of one." Which is...well, there's levels here. Because first of all, if you suspect, as I do, that Claude heard of this "exploding man decimating New York" plan/theory of Company upper-levels, and turned away from stopping just such a thing before (after he was nearly killed, which is a good enough excuse, of course) Peter's bringing him right back into the forefront of it all. He had no reason to find Peter again, to offer to help him, and, I think, wouldn't have, if he didn't have some reason to believe that Peter could handle it. After all, Claude doesn't seem like the kind of person to put up with some punk kid that's just going to waste his time. Not that he mentions that, of course:
CLAUDE: You don't know what you're asking, what you have to go through. You might want to reconsider dying. Hell of a lot easier.
PETER: I can handle it.
CLAUDE: Yeah, that's what they all say.
Which is still...well, he wouldn't have come back if he didn't think Peter could handle it. He's got a certain degree of respect for him, a kind of expectation, which he doesn't come right out and say (as Nathan would), but his presence alone really shows it, I think. Of course, for Peter, what really hits is the fact that there's others like him. We get this smile:
Which is honestly one of my favorites. Very subtle, and his eyes just shine. Love it.
Anyway, as Peter asks about the "others" that there might have been, Claude's expression...goes several places:
Vaguely suspicious, maybe a little nostalgic, and it's almost like he wonders if Peter's messing with him, if trusting this kid is leaving him vulnerable to some sort of trap. As if his words are hitting a little too close to home, for whatever reason. And then there's this:
Where he leans closer, almost seems about to say something, but doesn't. Just kind of strides past him (with an adorable bit of enthusiasm, I have to say, that's boyish and exuberant in a way that we haven't really seen from him before). And Peter is, predictably, mystified:
Because the shifts in Claude's moods are just such so strange. And he doesn't realize why yet (and probably won't get the full extent of it, ever), but still, he's...interested. Intrigued, I guess you'd say, as we all are, about who this man is, and what he's doing.
And then there's this, the "You comin' or not?" moment:
Which is followed by Peter doing an adorable headshake of, "Oh, yeah, there's something else I'm supposed to be doing besides staring off into the distance and thinking about Claude and how hot weird he is."
Man, I love these guys.
And, because these episodes are proving all the more interesting, and have so many awesome details to go into...well, detail, about, I'm going to leave off here for now. So, tomorrow (hopefully), stayed tuned for: petty theft, attempted manslaughter, (Freudian) battery, and tragic moments. Oh, ours is quite the fun pairing is it not?
Even more fun to be had, here: Distractions (1.14)
*
Episode 12: Godsend
Previously, on my massive, dialup killing posts, Claude was awesome, all by himself, and Peter was, on the whole, not so much. Although he does make the best faces. Also, Claude got shot by his morally grey lover partner, and Peter landed himself in a coma.
A coma, where he's now dreaming of Claude:
Looking rather beardy, among other things. It should be mentioned that the real first image of Claude that we get, if you watch the episode, is of his hand pulling money out of someone's wallet (it's right around 1:24, if you want to check it yourself). I couldn't find a cap of it, but that's definitely before the above shot. And here's the question that's always bugged me: why does Claude bother stealing money? He needs to be visible to use it, and it's pretty clear that he doesn't do that, because it's a risk; and we've seen him just steal pretzels and scarves. So...is he just stockpiling cash somewhere, to use at a later date? As an econ major, I've got to say: bad idea, what with inflation and all. But I guess getting a bank account while invisible probably won't happen either. Moving on:
*Squee* I'll admit, when I first watched this, that name meant nothing to me. Oh, how the worm has turned.
It's a while and a couple of storylines till he shows up again, though. But then:
There we go. And look at him: disheveled, definitely homeless looking, and grinning. But here's the thing: we'll see just how many times Claude all out grins at Peter, and it's...a lot. He's no where near as cheerful when we see him with Bennet, although of course, there's a different context to their scenes in 5YG. But even in the initial meeting, it's a smile, but a much more guarded one.
Anyway:
Again with the money! But it makes no sense! How is he going to spend it? Blah. Fine. Moving on. More of the dream/nightmare, Peter's about to explode:
And apparently has the Rage Virus (and now I'm contemplating a Heroes/28 Days Later crossover, which, no, bad, don't have time) and then wakes up, and, apparently, runs away:
Leaving behind a justifiably pissed Angela, and a very confused Nathan. And it's interesting, that Peter's first instinct is actually a very good one:
To get out of the city as quickly as possible, minimizing the threat he poses. Which really is a smart move, and if he'd gone through with it...well, we wouldn't really have a story. Also worth noting: Peter kind of looks like hell here. It's not as evident in screencaps, but he's all sweaty and pacing and nervous, acting a bit like he's high or something, which makes a lot of sense, given his panic, and the fact that he's been in a coma for two weeks. So, kudos for continuity, Heroes writers/producers/directors, whoever did that.
(As for lost muscle mass and the fact that he wouldn't be able to just walk out...well, he does have Claire's power, so we can fanwank that out of the way.)
And then:
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
Claude! And he's got the best...just...swagger into the scene. Like, hello there, I'm just going to riffle through this unattended pink wallet:
Just for kicks. Because I'm invisible and what else would I freakin' do with money anyways?!?.
Anyway, his expressions while he does this:
Are all kind of hilarious. He does this little eyebrow raise that's like, "Ooh! Money!" and then just shrugs and pockets it. And you just know he's looking at the pictures in the wallet and think, "Man, those are some ugly kids" or something. Anyway, that's interspersed with bits of Peter's dream:
Again with the laughing and grinning. Which is...something. In the midst of the Peter being about to explode, taking a large part of the city with him, he's laughing. Is it a kind of desperate, "Of course I'm going to die because some stupid kid couldn't control his power" kind of laughter, or is it, "Peter, you idiot, this is so easy if you just concentrate" kind of laughter? Or is he just laughing at the emo bangs? I honestly don't know; I honestly am not sure what we're supposed to make of it, except that Claude's clearly a little bit irrational. We don't know, at this point, why, but we do see that.
And then he starts walking away, and I don't have a cap for it, but there's a moment where he randomly picks up someone's cell-phone, fidgets with it, hears it make some weird bliping noise, and then tosses it. Which I find just so strange, but CE manages to make even that intriguing. Why does Claude do that? Because he's just instinctually interested in things, and wanting to see how they work? Because he can, seeing as he's invisible? Because he's bored? Because he thinks that people who have their cell-phones out during dinner are rude and annoying? On this question, I actually do think I have the answer: it's the first, the instinctually interested in things. Which sounds really broad, but we'll see him later in Peter's apartment, where he does something similar. And of course, his work with the Company could reflect that, and especially his work with Peter. But that's still in the future, so for now:
Righteous stalker Peter. Now, here's a question: does Peter follow him, because he saw him in his dream and thinks it's significant, or because he saw him steal money, and wants to track him down and make him give it back? Ponder that.
Claude almost seems to know, even before Peter catches up with him, that someone's following him. I think there's a part of him that's still, after seven years, not quite used to not turning around when someone calls out behind him. But he doesn't look back, and then:
Ooooh, Claude eyes. So very pretty and almost purple. But here's the initial expression, looking at Peter: shocked, yes. Angry? Not right away. Stunned, definitely. And a part of me almost wonders: is there some recognition there? Does Peter seem familiar, for some reason? Just a thought.
Of course, we do go, pretty quickly, to our failsafe ship starter, people being thrown up against things:
But check out how strong Claude has to be: he's looking up, which means he's holding Peter up:
Which can't be terribly comfortable for Peter, obviously (and probably not much better for MV, because...well, CE really does seem to be pushing him up pretty hard there).
A quick review of the episode: it's a good one, to be sure, and what it really should be called, if we're being literal, is "Connections". This is the episode where all the Heroes start coming together; Claire meets the Haitian (okay, that happened last episode, but it's still mostly explored here), Nathan meets Isaac, and both meet up with Hiro and Ando. And most important of all, of course, Peter meets Claude. Love at first sight, as we know. ;)
Episode 13: The Fix
We get a little overlap between the last episode's moment of Plaude, and this own, but we do get this:
Little flash, which is new, and which I like a lot. Almost like Claude's his guardian angel. Aww.
Anyway, back to this:
Who, or what, is Claude looking for, and as panicked as he is? I figure, he's worried about Peter being a Company man, and is looking for his backup, because really, who would send Peter out by himself on any kind of field assignment? But he does seem to believe Peter's cluelessness about only being able to do what other people can do, which brings us back to:
"Fantastic. One of those." I'd forgotten how much contempt CE gives that line; like he knows just what kind of sappy, idealistic whiny emo kids just always turn out to empaths. He also gives Peter quite a once over, by the way.
Stalker eyes! We know what that means! Love! *snickers*
Shippiness aside: once Peter hears that Claude seems to have some idea of what he is, his immediate reaction? "You have to help me!" And, being Peter, he's very touchy about it:
Stop, and think about this a moment: Peter's just run into a guy, who, yes, he did see in a dream, but even in that dream, he was laughing kind of crazily. In the past few seconds since they've met, he's had him pressed up against a lamp-post, almost choking him to death. And again, his first reaction? Grab hold of his arm, and lean in:
All because he's just so needy. He needs someone to give him direction, someone to help him figure out just what's going on.
PETER: What is this? What -- listen, I found you. I need you to help me.
CLAUDE: Why'd I want to do that?
Which is a very good point, and something Peter doesn't readily think of: just automatically assumes that anyone he meets will want to help him on his quest.
PETER: Because we're in danger. This entire city is in danger. It was in my dream. People die. We die. I don't know when, but it happens.
CLAUDE: Then you'd better leave town.
Which is, pretty much, exactly what Peter had been planning on doing, but it's a plan he pretty quickly abandons, because now he's found someone to give him actual direction, which is what he always banks on. But look at this expression:
And watch this scene again. There's almost a...a hint, that this "exploding man" thing, this "seeing it in a dream", thing, is something Claude already kind of knows about. I mean, for one thing: he believes Peter, right off the bat. Doesn't keep him from walking away, of course, but he does believe him.
Because I'm a shallow, shallow person:
Pretty CE eyes. But really, truly: I love this scene. I love watching it again, after we know all that we know about Claude, and wondering just how much Claude knows, at this moment, about Peter.
We're also meant to wonder a bit, about who the "smarter men then you have tried, and paid for it", he tells Peter as he walks away. There's just such a story behind Claude that it kind of kills me we only get parts of it from Peter's perspective, which tends to be...very Peter focused. Ah, well.
I also love this face:
It's like, "Oh, snap! Struck out again!"
And here we are, the next morning:
Pigeons and rooftops, our mainstay. Just me, or are they basically wearing the same outfit? Hee. Another question: how did Peter find him again? Follow him around all night? Stalker eyes!. Anyway:
I'll try to keep the gushing here to a minimum, because...well, there's a lot of gushing to go on. But throughout the scene, there's little subtle moments, where you can tell that Claude knows a whole lot more about Peter, and his situation, than Peter knows himself:
PETER: I took care of a man who owned this building. His name was Charles Deveaux.
CLAUDE: Never heard of him.
PETER: You don't think that's strange? I worked here. The place where you live and keep your birds.
CLAUDE: I don't keep anything. I let 'em out once a day, they come back. Sounds like free will to me.
The face Claude makes at "Never heard of him," while he's turned away and looking at the birds, pretty clearly indicates that he has heard of him. And as for something else strange: seeing as it's the roof of Deveaux's building, where Peter worked...is it possible for Claude to have seen him before? Also, how possible is it for Claude to even have gotten in, without having some sort of permission from Deveaux himself? After all, we've seen the lobby of that building: fancy, for the most part. There's certainly doormen, at least, and the elevators...well, even for an invisible man, it's probably not easy to get all the way up to the roof, and be able to open it, without some sort of clearance. So Claude probably does know Deveaux. Just how recently he's been in contact with him, we can't really be sure, but still...I wonder. Returning to the scene:
CLAUDE: An exploding man, where'd you get that idea?
PETER: My dreams. This place. I found you for a reason. I think you're the one that has to teach me how to stop this.
Which is...an interesting interpretation of that dream. We have no indication of that being the case, do we? But that's just what Peter assumes, and why that is, beyond the fact that in it, Claude's the only one not panicking, to some degree...hmm.
Definitely a glimmer of...of something there. He's heard that something like that could happen, was planned, possibly even from Deveaux, although we have no way of knowing that. There's just so much going on here, beneath the surface, that it makes me giddy. Like here, after the "No teaching. No Sunday school for the special. What I can do, you can't learn. You wake up in the morning, it's there. If you've got thin soup, then that's your supper," moment:
Peter gets a bit huffy, tries to grab hold of Claude's arm again, and he pulls it away. And there's this, a moment where Claude pauses, as if to try and collect himself, as if not quite sure of how to react to being touched and needed and involved in someone else's life again. And even more broadly, being involved in something so intricately linked to the Company. Instead of working through it all, he snaps:
Grabs Peter, threatens to kill him himself, and then runs away, which is what he's done before, and will do again.
Leaving Peter to stand around the roof and glower, which is what he's done before, and will do again, totally and utterly shocked that someone doesn't want to help him just because it's him.
Of course, then, back at his apartment, the dynamic duo shows up:
Hee. I just love that picture. Anyway: both Nathan and Mohinder do their best to sell Peter on the idea of them being able to help him, to fix him, but Peter's still determined enough to leave, and doubtful enough of their ability to help him, to buy it. And that's interesting: he trusted Claude instinctually, to help him and keep him from exploding. Practically begs him for help. But his brother, whom he loves, and Mohinder, whom he went to initially, on the assumption that he knew what he was doing, and who turned him away? He doesn't trust either of them, at this point. Which makes you wonder, why?
Now, on the shippiest level, the answer's obvious (Aww, Plaude...destiny!). But beyond that: Claude's the only one who seems to have really believed him, and how much of a danger he was, right away. And that's important, to Peter.
Which brings us to:
Claude came to find him, and saves him from, presumably, being talked into submission by Nathan, consummate politician, and Mohinder, consummate boring talker. We'll talk about why in a minute, but really, here's another question: how? Did he follow him? That would have to have been tricky, what with him leaving the Deveaux roof first. But we don't really need to think much about that, because:
My god, Claude's expression there...guh. Intense and guarded and so very serious and maybe, just a little bit wistful. Love it. Love that moment. Also love:
How shocked and breathless Peter looks there. Again, on the shippiest level, because...wow. And even beyond that: Claude had to have gotten him up against the wall and with a hand over his mouth pretty damn fast, for it all to have been over with by the time Nathan and Mohinder got out the door. In other words, Claude's got some mad quick reflexes on him, in addition to being crazy strong. Those little implied details just kill me.
Another thing I love: Claude getting a beer out of the refrigerator, tossing the bottle cap at Peter, wandering around Peter's apartment like he owns the place.
It's such an almost playful little moment that doesn't really have to mean anything, but just is. Just like this one:
Of him pulling apart the little bobbly headed dog, curiously, sees how it works, and then puts it back. This is the other of those little moments I mentioned, where you kind wonder why Claude does that sort of thing. He's just a very curious, interested kind of guy, I guess. Likes to see how things work. It's pretty cool, all on it's own. Anyway: hooray, beer! And also, hooray Claude:
CLAUDE: This your place?
PETER: Yeah.
CLAUDE: Guy with family connections like yours could do a lot better.
PETER: Left the family business. I'm a nurse now.
Which is interesting: Peter "left" the family business and is a nurse "now". Does that mean he trained a bit as a lawyer/businessman/something else profitable and properly "Petrelli"? That's another interesting bit of backstory that's hinted at, and leaves us wondering. It doesn't need to be addressed by the show, necessarily, but it's good to know that it's there.
Which of course brings us to:
CLAUDE: Nurse who's an empath, very cute.
PETER: "Empath," what's that mean?
CLAUDE: Means you're a pain in my ass, mate.
And I have to go do my little, "It's canon, people! Claude thinks he's cute!" dance. Okay, I'm done.
Peter points out, quite rightly, that for however much of a pain in the ass he might, Claude did follow him.
That's totally Claude's look of, "Hey, I may be a bit of a misanthrope, but not that much of one." Which is...well, there's levels here. Because first of all, if you suspect, as I do, that Claude heard of this "exploding man decimating New York" plan/theory of Company upper-levels, and turned away from stopping just such a thing before (after he was nearly killed, which is a good enough excuse, of course) Peter's bringing him right back into the forefront of it all. He had no reason to find Peter again, to offer to help him, and, I think, wouldn't have, if he didn't have some reason to believe that Peter could handle it. After all, Claude doesn't seem like the kind of person to put up with some punk kid that's just going to waste his time. Not that he mentions that, of course:
CLAUDE: You don't know what you're asking, what you have to go through. You might want to reconsider dying. Hell of a lot easier.
PETER: I can handle it.
CLAUDE: Yeah, that's what they all say.
Which is still...well, he wouldn't have come back if he didn't think Peter could handle it. He's got a certain degree of respect for him, a kind of expectation, which he doesn't come right out and say (as Nathan would), but his presence alone really shows it, I think. Of course, for Peter, what really hits is the fact that there's others like him. We get this smile:
Which is honestly one of my favorites. Very subtle, and his eyes just shine. Love it.
Anyway, as Peter asks about the "others" that there might have been, Claude's expression...goes several places:
Vaguely suspicious, maybe a little nostalgic, and it's almost like he wonders if Peter's messing with him, if trusting this kid is leaving him vulnerable to some sort of trap. As if his words are hitting a little too close to home, for whatever reason. And then there's this:
Where he leans closer, almost seems about to say something, but doesn't. Just kind of strides past him (with an adorable bit of enthusiasm, I have to say, that's boyish and exuberant in a way that we haven't really seen from him before). And Peter is, predictably, mystified:
Because the shifts in Claude's moods are just such so strange. And he doesn't realize why yet (and probably won't get the full extent of it, ever), but still, he's...interested. Intrigued, I guess you'd say, as we all are, about who this man is, and what he's doing.
And then there's this, the "You comin' or not?" moment:
Which is followed by Peter doing an adorable headshake of, "Oh, yeah, there's something else I'm supposed to be doing besides staring off into the distance and thinking about Claude and how hot weird he is."
Man, I love these guys.
And, because these episodes are proving all the more interesting, and have so many awesome details to go into...well, detail, about, I'm going to leave off here for now. So, tomorrow (hopefully), stayed tuned for: petty theft, attempted manslaughter, (Freudian) battery, and tragic moments. Oh, ours is quite the fun pairing is it not?
Even more fun to be had, here: Distractions (1.14)
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