Unofficial Heroes NBC Forum and Message Boards

GoldenGait

Hey, instead of posting a zillion new topics or replying to existing topics with my reviews for Season 1 I figured I'd start a general Season 1 review topic and put all my thoughts in one spot.

For more reviews, of Heroes stuff and non-Heroes stuff, visit my website!

GG
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:47 pm Post subject:

1x01 Genesis

Let's get one thing straight: this review is of the aired pilot, not the long, unaired, evil-twin version. In my world that one doesn't exist. Don't talk to me about it.

I enjoy the Star Wars-esque explanatory crawl. I do. This show is such a strange concept in a world chock-full of America's Next Top Model and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (Top Model answer: no, they are not) that I think it needed a quick download for the viewer so they wouldn't feel dropped in and disoriented. However, it wasn't a novel. Short and sweet. And effective.

One more basic Heroes comment: I love the music. That initial haunting vocal by Shenkar is awesome (although they randomly credit him twice as 'Shankar'), and so very "Heroes". Very distinctive, and very fitting. And congrats on being able to strike the right chord (no musical pun intended) right off the bat in the very first hour. Most shows take a couple episodes to get into its groove.

The first person we meet is Peter. Cute nurse Peter. I love him as a nurse, I think it's an adorable aspect to his character—I'm just sad, knowing what I know now, two seasons later, that they dropped this facet of him entirely. But: a great way to introduce the character. We also meet Simone, who I never cared for—not in a bad way, she just never held my attention much, aside from her impact on Peter and Isaac. She kinda functions as a prop for me.

And the miraculous accent change! This is really the only episode where we get full, Indian-accent FOB Mohinder. Which brings me to the portion of our program where I take a moment to congratulate the creators of Heroes for having such a diverse cast. Pardon me while I soapbox momentarily, but it's so nice to see a TV show that rivals a Bennetton ad for number of continents represented. And not only that, but the different ethnicities and nationalities aren't used as jokes, either (okay…with very few exceptions). Even just the casting of Niki and Micah (and later DL)… I love it. Good job. Let's hope other shows catch on.

Speaking of Niki, the déjà vu moment in the mirror as she turns and runs out of the room while looking for Micah is a lovely subtle hint of things to come. Although even now, two seasons later, I still don't understand Niki's split perfectly. The disturbing part of Niki's first scene, though, is Huggerz69, the internet "perv" watching her strip. As is revealed later, Huggerz69 is none other than Ando, and I just can't see him being the type to call her Lady when the whole set-up is clearly pay-for-peek. He seems too docile and deer-in-the-headlights for that. Huggerz69, however, could not be more appropriate as an internet handle for him. Nice job.

WHAT'S WITH THE COCKROACHES? Mohinder mentions them in his initial lecture (1), and then squishes one in his father's apartment in New York (2). Stay tuned, the tally will continue.

Nice moment: the back-of-the-head shot of HRG the first time he puts the glasses on. And wow, I was so surprised when he turned out to be Claire's father. I have moments of complete and utter gullibility, and this was one of them, so I totally didn't see this one coming. But I loved it once it happened. Smile

Claire. I think her introductory scene is the best out of all the characters in the pilot. The handheld camera works, the stunt and special effects were great (and apparently much more low-tech than one would imagine—listen to the DVD commentary), and Hayden's performance is perfect, too. Considering how passionate this character is over the course of the next two seasons, it's interesting how nicely Hayden's deadpan, almost defeatist delivery of her first couple lines sets up who Claire is.

Nathan and Peter's chemistry in the pilot is fantastic, the two actors immediately feeling like brothers on-screen, between Nathan's condescending attitude toward Peter and Peter's child-like enthusiasm and desire for his big brother to play with him. Their banter in Nathan's campaign office and later at the precinct is great, and I think I actually prefer their pilot chemistry to how they develop together over the course of the season, as the shoulder holding and long gazes get more prolific.

Hiro is adorable! Very cartoonish, but in a good way. The show is pretty serious most of the time, so his joyous, childish, woo-hoo-ing dash down the cubicle hallway is a nice light moment. The shaky face and the Star Trek references are hysterical, and it's nice to see someone other than Peter who is gung-ho about the possibility of having an ability and who has some pre-existing knowledge about it. Plus, the back-story on Masi Oka makes the whole thing cooler. Impressive: hxxp: youtube. com/watch?v=ln8P8RqQG2o Hear Masi's back-story and watch him beatbox for Carson Daly. (Aside: Carson is too skinny and doesn't know the correct definition of 'momentarily'. )

Next I'd like to take the opportunity to turn the conversation to Mommy Dearest, Cruella DeVille, the one, the only, Angela Petrelli. Fabulous job with casting, and the wardrobe people consistently put the cherry on top of that character. The only problem I have here is that once they develop Angela a little more, I can't believe this woman who is so incredibly image conscious would have been so cavalier about being arrested for shoplifting. Nice Angela moments: her flippant wave to Nathan as he leaves, and Peter's slap on the stairs (which apparently was improvised—this makes me like it even more).

Isaac! I've never loved a plot device more. The entire character is there as a magic mirror, a crystal ball, something to advance the plot, but it works so well I don't care one bit. Santiago makes what could be a very boring character into one of the more interesting ones to watch. Or maybe I like him so much because I'm an amateur artist myself and I just respond to men who paint. That could be part of it.

Musical missteps: when Peter sees Simone hailing a cab, and later when everyone looks up at the eclipse. This show lends itself to a good score, not a popular song with lyrics. But it's the pilot, so I'll give you this one as a mulligan.

Sandra Bennet really bothered me when she was first introduced. I mean really pissed me off. I wondered how the writers could fill a series with such wonderfully complex and interesting characters and then drop the ball so much by giving Claire such a one-dimensional, borderline cartoonish mother with no personality. Oh, GoldenGait of little faith. I should have known better and not doubted they had their reasons…

I have ultimate appreciation for series that demonstrate forethought and planning. Too many shows seem to write each episode as they come, introducing things and contradicting themselves as needed. It's refreshing to see a show that can set up several intertwining, complex season story arcs within the pilot episode. Lost is another smart-show as far as continuity goes, and I've been very impressed with Heroes so far. I hope they can keep it going.

Bits and Pieces:

* This is one of only the first three episodes that start with the episode name in block font and not the usual font based on Tim Sale's handwriting. I think. Maybe I should check on whose handwriting it is…. maybe my memory is fuzzy.
* Nice moment: Claire's impatient snapping of her fingers when asking for the tape.
* Nice Adrian delivery: "She got arrested. " "Arrested for what?" "Shoplifting. "
* For a TV show, and especially for a pilot, the amount of special effects in this episode was amazing. The burning train cars were very cool. The whole episode looked very rich, which most pilots don't.
* Funny moment: Mohinder's mad dash from HRG and the cab. All he needed was to flail his hands more and give a high-pitched scream.
* Nice reveal of the bomb painting on Isaac's floor. And I love that it's survived so far into the series.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more of my reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:48 pm Post subject:

1x02 Don't Look Back

The episode opens with the Petrelli brothers in the hospital after a recap of Peter’s leap off the building (which I should have mentioned in the last episode review, could have been put together a little better…the initial swoop in by Nathan looks hokey to say the least). Nice Adrian delivery: “You were a little wound up yesterday, but I thought you were just being ‘you’. ” In fact, Nathan and Peter’s entire discussion in the hospital is just plain fun to listen to. There are a couple actors who I wouldn’t mind listening to if they were just reading the phone book, and Adrian is one of them. (Lost’s Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje is another. ) What a fantastic speaking voice, especially when hushed.

Cockroach tally: the exterminator/apartment tosser claims he’s there because of a cockroach infestation (3). (And for any Aussies reading this, that ‘tosser’ comment was not meant to be dirty. )

Hiro’s first few minutes in New York are priceless. The music is great, his catch-phrase English greetings to strangers on the street, and of course, the introduction of the 9th Wonders comic book. I’m a major potential comic book fan that was just never exposed to comic books, so I think that’s where my TV and movie love of science fiction comes from. I’m making up for lost pre-teen and adolescent time.

Claire’s batty little moment with the quarterback made me want to punch both of them, but I suppose that was the design. I love the idea of the cheerleader who is a closet freak… much more interesting than the mild mannered dorky reporter bit. Most superheroes have meek alter-egos, but one of my favorite things about this show is the heroes are popular cheerleaders, senators, and CEOs as well as the more Superman-Spiderman-traditional office worker, cop, or watchmaker.

I don’t like Eden. The character was a good idea in theory, and necessary, I understand, but especially her introductory scenes in this episode just feel… I dunno. Not on par with the rest of the show. She seems a little cheesy. “Papa Suresh”, her reaction to the news of Chandra’s death. . .

Damn, now I’m craving macaroni and cheese. Smile

I don’t think you can get any prettier than Hayden Panettiere. Speaking on behalf of all the ugly ducklings of the world who had to wait until college for puberty to hit, it’s just not fair that you’re this gorgeous at 17 years old, Hayden. By 25 I’m sure you’ll have taken over the world.

The helix. Heroes’ version of 4 8 15 16 23 42. It’s always interesting when it shows up, but until it’s completely explained to my satisfaction it’ll bug the hell out of me. We see it initially all over Isaac’s apartment, in his paintings, but there will be more to come… And really, I’m not sure it’ll ever be anything truly meaningful or insightful, I think it’s just for the purpose of “hey, look over here, this is a clue, this is important and cool!” Which most people work out by themselves anyway. It’s still a neat little icon, though. Everybody catch it in the numbers scrolling through Chandra’s computer program?

This episode also marks the introduction of Matt, Molly, Audrey, and—my personal favorite—Sylar. Although he’s not actually in the episode, everything set up about him tracks with his character later in the season, which is impressive, considering they hadn’t even cast the part yet. (I’m assuming this because the voice on the machine is obviously not Zachary Quinto. ) Plus, the freezing ability Sylar is shown to have in this episode isn’t revisited until much, much later in the season. Nice planning.

Matt bothers me a bit, but just in technical details. I love Greg, and I think he does the best he can with the part, but I just think the dyslexic cop bit is a little…cheesy, damn, now I’m really going to have to make some mac and cheese. But all kidding aside, there’s been a couple missteps as far as I’m concerned with the direction they took his character in early on. He straightens out for me by the end of season one.

And Adair Tishler, the little girl who plays Molly, is amazing. True, we see her for 3. 4 seconds in this episode, but good lord, sweetie, you’re fantastic. And again, I’m impressed with the forethought and continuity. We’ll come back to you later, cutie.

I don’t like Audrey. The blonde love child of Mulder and Scully just never played for me. Necessary, yes, but not as polished a character as the others in the series.

Peter flies! I like the scene between the brothers on the rooftop a lot, especially since for the savvy viewer, this was the introduction of what Peter’s power actually is—we watched him draw the rooftop float in the hospital. Most people I talked to after seeing this episode when it first aired thought that both of the brothers just had the power of flight. And is it just me, or is Nathan really shiny during this scene?

Bits and Pieces:

* I love the sacking of Claire on the football field.
* Nice delivery: the way Angela doesn't change her tone or cadence or inflection when telling Peter "He committed suicide" twice in a row. Most actors would have changed it up a bit the second time, but I think it's more effective for the character (and much funnier) being exactly reproduced when repeated.
* Why does Milo's mouth pull to the right? I'm part of the medical profession, and my anatomical curiosity is piqued. Anybody know the etiology?

Til next episode, or visit my site for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject:

1x03 One Giant Leap

Most of what I have to say about this episode comes in one-line comments. I think the Bits and Pieces section is going to be as long as the first part this time, which isn’t going to be too long itself.

More paintings! I’m not sure which comes first, the paintings or shooting the episode, but they’re great! And half of them are just placed nonchalantly in the background of a shot and never referred to. I appreciate the subtly.

Major misstep: Sylar’s apartment houses a big Wall O’ Mutants ‘N’ String, just like Chandra Suresh’s. He’s even got Nathan on there. If he has this master map (which I will assume he stole/copied from Chandra's wall), why is he so desperate later to get his hands on Mohinder’s list? Just because it's more complete than his? Or did he really not have a copy of this original that gets swiped by Eden's cleaning crew? Getting further into un-Sylar-like territory, the “I Have Sinned” mural just seems wrong to me, too. I realize he came from a religious family, but when we finally see how he began killing people, he doesn’t seem all that broken up about it. His killings seem to him like natural progression, like evolution, like something very impersonal that he gets to do because he can. The "evolutionary imperative" as they call it in 1x10 Six Months Ago. A lion never scribbles “Father forgive me” after it kills something—there’s no guilt or regret there. Sylar’s apartment in this episode makes him look a totally different kind of psycho than he ends up being. Sylar’s smooth and efficient, and this character seems frantic and sloppy. And last but not least, he exhibits a bunch of random, vague powers when Audrey and Matt chase him in the basement. Don’t start something you don’t plan on finishing or explaining, guys, you’d been so good up until this point!

The attempted rape and subsequent “death” of Claire was well done. Scenes like this are tough to do, both for the actors and the writers. They walk a fine line between realistic and something that just can’t be shown on TV, and this was well played. I think my favorite moment of the episode is when she wakes up on the coroner’s table. “Holy sh…!” The cut away from a swear word is always funny. Smile

Why did Matt drop in the bar after seeing The Haitian? Did someone put something in his drink? Because The Haitian doesn’t have the power to make someone pass out, right? And speaking of The Haitian, I like our introduction to him, just a taste, and we’ll be back to him later. At the time, the slow progression of the first couple episodes of the series made me crazy, but now I’m pleased that they went this way—a couple hints for each character and the tease of what’s to come is a very effective way of getting your viewer to tune in next week. And it makes the revelations all the better when they end up happening!

Bits and Pieces:

* Nice line: “If you really wanted to make me happy you’d only date nerds. ” Hear hear!
* The writers did a great job of keeping me guessing on the subject of HRG’s loyalty. Good? Bad? The Ugly?
* Love Peter’s attempts at flight off the playground structures. Very cute, and made ultimately perfect by the kid in the cape watching him.
* Blocking misstep: when Mohinder randomly wanders away to lean forlornly against the door jam for no good reason. Cliché!
* Audrey works for me in this episode. Her queries about what Matt’s ‘voices’ tell him to do is pretty cute.
* We meet Matt’s wife! For anyone who has seen the unaired pilot, I’m so glad they recast, because this pairing works much better.
* Nathan, you jackass. Not cool, man, he’s your brother!
* Did Eden send a clean-up crew from The Company to sanitize Sylar’s apartment? That’s the only thing that seems logical now—Sylar couldn’t have done it himself. Can you imagine coming home from a grueling couple days of slaughtering people for their abilities and walking into a completely empty apartment? Excuse me? Where’s my stuff? Is this why Sylar wanted Mohinder’s list so badly later? Because his working model was vacuumed up by The Company?
* Adair, again, you rock. Way to steal a scene in 2. 5 seconds!
* Where did The Haitian get that helix necklace? Are there more? What’s the significance?
* Nice line: “You son of a Lady!” “Easy, Pete, that’s our mother you’re talking about. ” I also enjoy the following thumbs-up.
* Isaac’s realization that his girl is out kissing another guy as it parallels the actual events is heartbreaking. It’s a good show that can create a conflict and have the viewer root for both opposing parties. I’m so happy for Peter, and I’m so sad for Isaac!

Til next episode, or visit my site for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject:

1x04 Collision

We begin this episode with poor Matt strapped to a table in a room lit by the left over blue light bulbs used to light the entirety of the movie Underworld. I think the scene goes on a bit long, but this is the point where OWI was spawned, and since it’s an annoying acronym, I won’t be using it. I’m just mentioning it exists. For the sake of completion. But really, what I liked about this scene was the way it ended, with the introduction of The Haitian’s powers. Jimmy Jean-Louis is wonderful to watch on screen, and it just gets better when they finally let him talk… but we’ll get to that later. Also, I give The Haitian the Best Dressed Male Award for the show. Nathan is a close second.

As a member of the medical community, I would like to state for the record that while Hayden’s face is done up very well as a dead body, the rest of the autopsy is bull-hooey. Doesn’t look like that, people, not even close. And when will the television community stop filming autopsy scenes in the dark? Hospitals are very well lit, I promise. I’m sure they tried very hard to make this scene look good, but they missed.

Why are they using the “in your eyes” song again? Score, not lyrics.

This is one of the best Niki episodes, in my opinion. Ali and Hayden continually compete for the best heart-wrenching, pitiable, desperately-teary-blonde moment each week, and this week the top spot goes to Ali. She looks so lost, so in over her head while talking to her friend in the bathroom, and her expression when Micah tells her “it’s safer over the internet” is wonderfully complex. Her great performance is joined and matched by Adrian when Nathan and Niki meet in Vegas. Their conversation by the window is sweet and sad at the same time. These two people would probably be very good together, and as they skirt the lies they seem to make a real connection. The sad part is that while they’d have so much in common if they just dropped their facades and actually talked to each other, they end up passing each other by because of their ties and shady deals with other people. This fake conversation is probably the best connection either one has had in a long time.

“Niki’s not here right now. ” Finally finding out the extent of Niki’s split was a long time coming, but done nicely. I’m glad they waited until a bigger moment like this, after two of the main heroes finally meet (we had to go four full episodes before two storylines crossed!). The reveal would have fallen flat otherwise. And Ali does a great job making the two characters distinct. One of my favorite moments is her face split in the elevator doors (as you probably guessed from my image).

Peter’s afternoon with Mohinder is amusing, considering how far they end up progressing by the end of the season. I like that after chasing these ‘people with abilities’ halfway around the world, the minute one walks in his door, Mohinder is suddenly Mr. Skeptic. Funny line: “I’ve only met him the once, but maybe I should do the talking… he’s kind of a heroin addict. ” And if everyone is, as Peter posits, just “cheap knock-offs of our fathers,” what was Mr. Petrelli’s ability…?

NICE Rain Man homage with Hiro and Ando on the escalators in the casino. I love when TV shows put in little references to pop culture without a big neon flashing light pointing it out to the viewer. It feels more intimate when you figure it out without them having to tell you. I think Heroes is one of very few shows with enough levels that a diverse group of people can watch it and enjoy it for the aspects they understand and the inside jokes they recognize. If you’ve never seen Rain Man or don’t know what it is, go and rent it. I recommend it as one of the great movies of the 80s.

And the best part of this episode as far as I am concerned comes right near the end—the arrival of Future!Hiro. Talk about badass… When he first appeared onscreen I must admit that I had a very immature moment of true nerdiness, sitting straight up on my couch and grinning like and idiot. I think my hands flailed a little, too. But come on, Masi as Future!Hiro is so much fun, and such a surprise, and what a perfect way to amp up the pressure? Masi, you rule.

Bits and Pieces:

* Nathan got a haircut!
* Ooh, HRG was still so creepy in his loving-father routine at this point. I was so sure that he was evil.
* I don’t think anyone has bigger eyes than Eden.
* Funny delivery by Keanu!Peter: “Are you Chandra Suresh?” “No, that was my father. ” “Yeeaah, ummm…” ::hair toss::
* As much as Ando is a peripheral character for me, this episode was a nice one for him, showcasing his slight moral ambiguity: “Is Peter Parker cheating when he sells pictures of Spiderman?”
* The way they shot Isaac’s high was very cool. This is also the first time we see his white eyes while painting.
* Funny moment: the thug punching out Hiro with nominal effort after Ando shoots his mouth off about how powerful his friend is. Poor Hiro. I think he should have gotten to punch Ando when he regained consciousness. It’s only fair.
* Cool tidbit: the helix tattoo on Jessica’s back.
* Claire’s revenge on the quarterback always makes me cheer. Yee-ha, cowgirl.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

1x05 Hiros

Episode five opens with Future!Hiro and Peter on the subway. And the line that spawned a thousand promos was delivered: “Save the cheerleader. Save the world. ” Oh, man. I am in. So much is delivered in this first minute and a half, and while a lot of it seemed like gibberish at the time, I love how much sense it began to make as the rest of the season unfolded. Continuity gold star.

So, I understand Jack Coleman is a tall guy, and Jimmy Jean-Louis isn’t a little person, either, but good lord, Adrian looks minuscule between the two in the parking garage! And damn if he hasn’t been hiding a nice set of abs under those suits. Okay, excuse me, superficial moment over. But it is one of the top three scenes of this episode as Nathan flies away from HRG and The Haitian. Kudos to whoever made the decision for the take-off to be silent: most people who fly on TV or in movies get the whoosh as they lift off, but this seems much more real and is frankly very refreshing (like a Junior Mint). The sonic boom later is fine by me, I just really like the gentle, noiseless launch. Another thing I’d like to know is when Nathan figured out he had this ability? It had to have been just after the accident with Heidi. And he didn't really seem freaked out by the fact that he flew up and caught Peter in the alley, so had he been practicing? Was he floating around in his study after that, trying to figure out how it worked? Inquiring minds want to know. Because his flight from HRG and The Haitian looked awfully smooth and practiced, even if the landing left a little to be desired. Smile

And speaking of the landing, how did no-one else in the diner see him? And one final note: he’d need a doctor immediately to fix the ground beef the gravel landing would have turned the soles of his feet into.

Yes, Ando, you got kicked a lot by the thugs, but if I was there in the diner with you and Hiro, I’d kick you some more! You’re mad at Hiro for getting you beat up? Who was the one mouthing off to the thugs in the first place? Your friend turns out to have a power that he’s not fully in control of yet, and you talk him into heavy cheating at a Vegas casino and then offer him up for target practice in a language he doesn’t speak? From where I’m sitting, you’re the honey here.

Hiro and Nathan’s entire body of interaction in this episode is hysterical. Hiro is such a cartoon, and Nathan is so perfectly resigned to the fact that his life couldn’t possibly get any weirder… Only problem: how does Hiro suddenly know enough English to hold a conversation?

Blonde Angst Moment-of-the-Week goes to Claire’s confession about the quarterback to her father in the hospital. Good job, Hayden, it’s tough to cry, act well, enunciate, and look pretty all at the same time, but you manage it here flawlessly.

Apparently Jessica’s a tiger in the sack, because when Nathan catches up with Niki in the hotel the next day he practically starts salivating again. One of the best nights of his life, huh? The best part of this second confrontation is the way Adrian steps away as he says, “They taped us?” It worked very well, nice choice.

Peter finishing the painting is wonderful, and again, I love how they show the “high” and vision of what should be on the blank canvas. Milo doesn’t look quite as natural as Santiago does while painting, though and he’s got kind of a drunk bird look on his face. To tell the truth I’ve never seen a drunk bird, but that was the descriptive term that came to mind, so I went with it.

Bits and Pieces:

* Peter, please do something with that crazy lock of hair. It’s in your mouth, dude. You look cute and all with the floppy ‘do, but this is just borderline unsanitary. Every girl who has grown out her bangs understands your frustration, but we all dealt with it. Maybe get a nice headband? Wink

* Greg, you’re adorable, and you make Matt adorable. How much did every woman watching this episode suddenly want to be married to a mind reader who was trying to impress and win you back?
* I love that the diner Nathan lands at is the Fly By Night diner. It’s on the shirt he gets, too.
* I don’t think it gets cuter than Hiro imitating a car horn as he asks Nathan for a ride back to Vegas.
* Oh, quarterback, you shouldn’t mess with HRGs little girl. HRGs threatening lecture is chilling… I simultaneously want and do not want him as my father.
* DL is introduced! Happy to have you onboard, Forrest. And again, nothing is ever resolved in the same episode it’s introduced in, so we’ll have to wait ages to get the full scoop on him…
* What a slimy smile Nathan gives as he leaves the hotel, $4 million richer. Very political.
* The sweet, dumb, misguided Ando that shows up at Niki’s is NOT the same guy that would have called her a Lady online in the pilot.
* They’ve made several references to Nathan’s wife by this point, and one reference to “Nathan’s accident. ” Must admit, at this point in initial airings I was not paying the slightest bit of attention to these comments, but upon subsequent views I’m impressed by the planning and continuity. Love those hints, guys, keep ‘em coming.
* Can’t tell you how happy I was once Peter and Isaac started collaborating, and once Hiro gets Peter on the phone. Connections, finally! Let’s make some forward progress, boys!

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

1x06 Better Halves

We open with Mohinder’s voice over: “Evolution is an imperfect—and often violent—process. ” I had an Evolution and Biology professor in college who would always say, “Evolution is a blind watchmaker. ” I never understood what he meant, and I still don’t, but every time I hear Mohinder’s beginning to this episode I expect him to finish my professor’s phrase. Which then always gives me a little mental image of Sylar with the white eyes when he’s painting…. Anyway, this had nothing to do with anything, so now onto the actual review. If anyone can explain why evolution would be a blind watchmaker, I’d be glad for the enlightenment.

I was so happy when the story started moving along with some purpose. It took six episodes, but the show finally found itself a direction that involved more than one or two characters at a time and had a bigger (albeit extremely vague) possible impact and effect. I love the look of pure geek excitement followed by superiority on Hiro’s face when Ando relays the message that he came back from the future and had a sword.

HRG didn’t need to immediately run out and find fake bio-parents for Claire. He’d told her he had just made initial contact with the adoption agency, and that the process could take awhile. Wouldn’t it have been better and safer if he’d left it for awhile longer? C’mon, man, procrastination. Get on board. And I feel so bad for Sandra Bennet when she’s trying to overcompensate about how close she and Claire are… You know HRG is pulling the strings here, but it’s so painfully obvious this poor woman has no clue what really goes on in her household.

DL and Niki’s connection to Linderman and the extensive backstory of the $2 million job confused the hell out of me on first viewing, and I remember thinking it was very badly done. On subsequent viewings I realized the whole story is actually laid out quite elegantly in this episode. The first conversation we finally see between Jessica and Niki in the mirror is awesome. Ali does a great job of playing the two of them differently, and the hair and make-up departments put the finishing touches on perfectly.

Originally the writers were going to take Zach and Claire’s storyline and expand on it by having Zach come out. They decided not to flesh it out entirely onscreen, but they had already been setting it up for a few episodes. A very sweet scene appears in this episode as Zach walks Claire home and tells her he hopes her bio-parents aren’t freaks too, because he likes that she’s special. She asks with a laugh if he’s flirting with her, and he says, “No… believe me, no. ” He follows up by asking if she’s going to “come out” to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and the whole moment is very sweet and hesitant. I’m glad they didn’t try to add one more storyline to the multitude they were already juggling, but I can see how it would have made for a few really nice scenes. These two have a cute kind of onscreen chemistry together, and Zach being gay works just fine without it ever being expressly stated as fact.

I love what a large part of Heroes is shot in another language with subtitles. The only other show that I know of that does this as much as Heroes is Lost. I love the universal feel of a show with this many international characters. Plus, come on, Masi is adorable to listen to when he speaks Japanese. And James Kyson Lee improves vastly over the course of the season. I feel so bad for Hiro when he fails to save the gamblers and for the first time feels guilt and responsibility concerning his power. It’s like someone deflated him.

And speaking of the murdered gamblers, it is VERY cool when you realize the person who did the slaughtering on the other side of the door was Jessica. Yikes! Good thing Ando shuffled Hiro away when he did! There’s no way those two would have survived against her. She tore one guy in half! Literally in half! Holy crap.

Woah! We finally get confirmation on what we’d been thinking for awhile about Eden—there’s something fishy about this chick! And poor, gullible Mohinder is just a pawn. And now HRG knows his little girl is involved… Plus, Peter’s put himself on the radar as a possible bird-man like his brother, but HRG has already tried to wrangle a visit with Nathan, so flight running in the Petrelli family is not really news.

The final scene in Niki’s bedroom as DL’s power is revealed is wonderful! Nice to see his power, fun to see Jessica toss him around the room, and Noah steals the scene with his scared run toward his fallen mom. This kid is good! I’m amazed at the scene-stealing capabilities of the three cast members under 18 years old (Adair, Noah, and Hayden). I also love how the end of the scene was shot with tilted camera angles, it was very effective.

Bits and Pieces:

* Cool line: “When you left, I became another person. ”
* Another cool line: “No hustle. Japanese people very lucky. ”
* I’m still loving the little blue Nissan Versa.
* Great snarky line for Sandra: “Is that what you’re callin’ ‘em? The ‘bio-parents’? That’s so cold, and impersonal, and fitting. ”
* The Bennet house is awesome. Check out that kitchen! I’d kill for that kitchen! Mutant Espionage and Torture must pay well.
* Cool how Isaac brushes away the paint to reveal the helix on the shoulder of his painted Niki/Jessica. But uh-oh! Don’t open the door! This one’s trouble, I promise.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:52 pm Post subject:

1x07 Nothing To Hide

We start this episode with no preamble, straight to the episode name and into the story. It’s nice to see a conversation between Peter and Charles Deveaux, even if it is a dream sequence. I was starting to think they’d cast this great actor only to have him lie motionless in a bed!

The Lyle storyline is hysterical! Nosey little brother. The chase through the front yard with all the neighbors watching is great, as is the idea to hide in the car forever. “I’m going to put this thing on YouTube and make like a million bucks!” “YouTube is free, you idiot!” Zach making matters worse is perfect teenage behavior, threatening to eat his brains.

And we’re back to Matt! Poor guy. Again, I understand the need to get rid of Janice and get him mobile so he can be a part of the larger story, and the reason they use for him is kind of perfect—what’s the worst thing that you wouldn’t want to find out from hearing your partner’s thoughts? That they’re cheating on you. Unfortunately, there was just an inexplicable cheese factor to this that I can’t put my finger on. Otherwise I like the entire idea.

We meet Heidi Petrelli! The poor wife Nathan has been cheating on. And it gets worse—the woman is paralyzed. And in non-shocking news, Angela Petrelli is still a pixie. Moving on. Morning brunch is amusing from the get-go, and lo-and-behold, the wheelchair is all Nathan’s fault. What a prince. Peter is definitely the best part of this scene, showing up scrubby, mouthing off and hanging his family out to dry in front of the reporter… Fabulously dark-sheep moment, there, Pete. Way to go. The ‘race around the statue of liberty’ crack is also a nice moment. “Pretty special family. ” “You have no idea. ” And while I think Adrian overacts a little at the end of the scene, Milo does beautifully. Nice delivery on the entire cover-story he launches into. Good job.

Hello Ted Sprague! He’s not Sylar, but he is a problem. Indirectly the problem, but that’s for later… The burned set they made for Ted’s house is very cool. Kudos, set designers. Also nice when Matt can show up Audrey and head them in the right direction. Take that, detectives exam! And why doesn’t the nurse run out the door instead of calmly continuing her ministrations to Ted’s wife after he freely admits he killed someone recently? High tail it out of there, babe! Oh, wait, no, you’re going to place yourself on a silver platter labeled “hostage” and hand yourself to Ted. So smart.

The frozen explosion is cool! It’s also fun (and highly infuriating) that this group of heroes is together for a couple seconds on the side of the road and then everyone keeps right on going, never realizing who they were talking to.

Bits and Pieces:

* Do you suppose one of the audition requirements when they were casting Sandra Bennet was to ask the actress to let a Pomeranian lick her mouth? Because I think it happens in every episode she appears in.
* I wanna know where the Petrelli family money comes from.
* Great Micah/Ando moment: “Didn’t you visit my mom?”
* Man, Nathan is sleazy. Lie, after lie, after lie, and finish with that politician’s smile. Eek, you’re just creepy.
* How many feet away does Matt have to be to hear someone’s thoughts? What’s the max distance?
* Great moment: when Peter finally gets to tell Nathan off for lying and cheating on Heidi. The shoulder push as he passes through the door beside him is well done.
* The Nathan Who Cried Wolf: you lie one too many times, Nathan, and when you actually tell someone the truth about flying away from HRG, your own brother won’t believe you.
* Micah has a power! And a cool, useful one at that. I also like that he knew immediately and matter-of-factly that he was not speaking to his mother on the phone.

Til next episode, or visit my website for ore reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject:

1x08 Seven Minutes To Midnight

This episode opens with Mohinder spreading his father’s ashes, but moves quickly to one of the cutest characters we’ve seen on Heroes, and unfortunately one of the most short-lived. Jayma Mays plays Heroes!Charlie much the same as she played UglyBetty!Charlie (if you haven’t seen Ugly Betty, go watch it, it’s hysterical), and both are adorable. I love her attempts at Japanese, and I love that Hiro’s jacket reads ‘I don’t belong here’! And in all honesty, if I had to pick a power to have myself (other than Peter’s, obviously, that’s a cop-out answer), it would be Charlie’s instant recall. Would have made medical school quite a bit easier!

I think it’s kind of sweet and naïve how defensive Matt gets when Audrey lumps him into a super-power category with Sylar and Ted. He’s almost indignant with his, “Wait, you think I’m like them?” Of course you are, Matt honey, just go with it. I like that Matt is able to calm Ted by relating to him, and it’s great that he gets some validation on his abduction scenario. My question is this: what does being taken by The Company actually do to you? Matt, Nathan, and Isaac were all exhibiting powers before they were grabbed, but Ted’s story seems to say his power didn’t start up until after they’d messed with him. How did they find him in the first place if he wasn’t doing anything special yet? We know based on later episodes that they do have a ‘tracking device’, but how would they have known to look for him in particular? And are they even using the tracking device at this point? Did Chandra come up with Ted’s name and Eden passed it on to The Company?

Sylar’s storyline takes another couple steps forward in this episode, too. We have the introduction of his ticking sound, and for the first time, we the audience get to see him murder. I love that before Charlie is killed she (very violently) slices open the top of the head-sized can of food with a can opener.

I love the prompt on Chandra Suresh’s computer: “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO QUIT?” Very fitting. And apparently Mohinder is not. Good for you. Now, scamper back to New York, quick like a bunny.

If you’ve got to have exposition, it should be handled like HRG’s explanation of how he ended up adopting Claire. Lots and lots of info, but weaved into the storyline well and it fits the scene. It’s also nice to see that HRG does actually care about Claire, and that he cares about anything, because his creepy, dispassionate attitude up until this point was going to get uninteresting if it went much longer unchanged. Now we know he’s invested on a personal level and he’s not just cleaning up for The Company.

Bits and Pieces:

* Sendhil needs to work on crying. I know it’s tough, but it can be done well.
* Very nice sets and CGI backgrounds for a TV drama. Not perfect, but a damn sight better than a lot of other shows!
* I’d have preferred Mohinder’s conversations in India take place in Hindi or Gujarati, or any one of the Indian dialects.
* Orange!Mohinder has a bit of a mullet as he approaches WhiteSuit!Mohinder and Chandra in the first guide-dream sequence.
* I really like the 70s, dated look of the wood-paneled walls in Primatech.
* Nice to see The Haitian is being figured out. I liked Nathan’s earlier description of him better: “Creepy Euro-dude. ”
* Ooh, and Eden has a power.
* Cute Claire delivery while she’s coloring the Homecoming sign: “What?”
* Blocking misstep: when Mohinder chases after the dream-sequence kid, he does that awkward, hesitant shuffle at the top of the stairs like he’s trying to follow him but his feet won’t move. If you’re trying to chase someone, just freakin' chase them, don’t pause at the top of stairs to yell “Stop!” at them. It’s not going to work, and as an actor it's a very poor choice.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject:

1x09 Homecoming

One of the classic episodes. Can you have classics after there’s only been 34 episodes? And it’s not even classic until 30 minutes into the episode. Not a whole lot happens up until that point, but from there on things get moving like crazy! Yay for plot advancement and action!

I love the music in the opening scene with Claire and the Homecoming Queen announcement. I do not like, however, Jackie’s delivery of “I don’t believe it. ” It sounds like amateur hour.

Nathan is still an honey. And when I first saw this episode, I was so upset when he threw that paint on the painting from Linderman. I was convinced (in true Heroes fashion) that the painting’s subject wasn’t going to be revealed for another eight episodes or so. So when Simone shows Peter the image of the painting, I was extremely relieved. Any more teasers or cliffhangers and I was going to scream.

Jessica scares the crap out of me! And I love her for it. That’s one big gun. And once again, Noah is an amazing little actor! I love his explanation of who Jessica is. Scene stealer.

We learn in this episode how Sylar kills people. But does he eat the brains, or just dissect them? I’m hoping he just pulls them apart to see how they work, because I think eating them is too messy for him, and too primal. He seems more detached than that. More…clinical.

Okay, when I first saw Peter and Claire talk in the hall by the trophy case I could totally see them progressing to Claire having a crush on him and Peter having to tell the sweet high school girl that he was involved with Simone or something. There was such immediate chemistry between them! And now I feel icky for thinking that. But that’ll come up later.

Sylar. Zachary Quinto. This guy is one of my vices. I’m going to try very, very hard not to be one of those ridiculous fans who blubber around about how attractive an actor is. He’s a real person somewhere who probably thinks these kind of things are the epitome of creepy. So I’m stating for the record that he’s beautiful, and I’ll be professional from here on out.

The attack in the locker room was very well done. The blood spatter is wrong, considering it’s never sprayed like that before and never does after, but it’s cool to finally see Sylar’s signature finger-slice. As always, the morph-heal Claire does is very cool, and everything else that continues on from that point is just pure badass. I like the camera move as it follows Claire and Peter as they run down the hall, and I love the locker doors as Sylar flings them at Peter (especially since we’ve seen this in Isaac’s painting). Milo does a wonderful job ducking around, considering he wasn’t actually working with anything. Kudos to Milo and the CGI locker people.

Milo and Hayden do a great, intense job at the top of the stairs, but when Sylar gets up to the top of the stairs and he and Peter go over the edge, it looks pretty awkward. The two of them posed on the ground after the fall looked good, though, and I love that we get a shot of Peter from the angle of the painting.

I would like to know how Sylar keeps getting up and leaving after major injury! Does he already have some super strength or something? He looks a little beat up as he stumbles into the woods, but generally in much better shape than Peter was in after the fall. This scene is where I started liking Eden. Well, no, I didn’t mind her much when she began standing up to HRG about Isaac. But here I think her part isn’t overacted, she’s not too cutesy, and I want her entire outfit.

Bits and Pieces:

* Nice line: “Do you have any idea what it means for me to miss this game?!” “You’ll survive. ”
* Nice popped collar, Milo. I hear that was entirely your idea. Very cool.
* I love that piano… My favorite is the motif as Chandra walks away as he says “So be it,” in one of Mohinder’s dream sequences, and again as Mohinder wakes from it.
* How in the world is Shanti not Mohinder’s first attempt at cracking his father’s password? This genius geneticist has a box of rocks for a brain sometimes. At least he’s pretty.
* Names included on The List: Felipe Acerra, DL Hawkins, Byron Bevington, Niki Sanders, Daniel Buzzetti, Isaac Mendez, Tracy Chobham, Nicholas Datre, Paula Gramble, Curtis Hovsepian, Nathan Petrelli, Noel Menzies, Penkala Burton, Teresa Hue Pham, Matthew Parkman, Hiro Nakamura, David Berman, Adam Soo Hoo, Linda Tavara, Norman Ventris. Partials include Leonie, Sparrow, Amid H. , Michael, Candace (is this who we meet later?), Harry, Ethan, Abu, Frank, Diego, Jess.
* Sound editing misstep: the canned, boring, obviously mismatched scream they attribute to Claire as she runs up the stairs away from Sylar. It’s awful.
* Too bad we have to wait until the next episode to hear from Sylar. He’s another one of the Heroes actors with a wonderful speaking voice.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:57 pm Post subject:

1x10 Six Months Ago

Yay for back story! This one was awesome right from the first scene. Every character I had wondered about got at least a couple scenes in this episode, and they were almost all well done. This is another one of my very favorite episodes. Sylar’s back story was the one I wanted most, and I think his reveal was perfectly timed. They’d done the suspenseful build-up of The Sylar Monster without us ever having seen him, and just as he is shadow-ly revealed and included in some action, we’re whipped away to be introduced to him six months ago. Instead of explaining who he is in the present and having to muck through some heavy exposition to cover his back-story, we get a flashback episode where everything is revealed as storyline! Nicely done.

Beautiful music with the included ticking as we scan around Sylar’s apartment in Brooklyn. It’s the obvious Heroes theme, but the ticking is a nice variation on what we hear every week, and it works nicely with the close-up shots of the clock innards. Erick Avari and Zachary have a great little scene in the beginning here, and there are so many nice moments I’m not going to name them all. My favorites are Sylar’s first “I can fix it,” and the amused follow-up expression on Chandra’s face. Zachary also does a great job of looking confused and utterly intrigued as Chandra walks out the door.

It was nice to see Matt step out of that cruiser, but as soon as Eden was revealed I immediately felt bad for him. You just know he’s about to have a really bad night. Only thing I didn’t like was the sighing-monster-growl noise that signified her power of suggestion. Do something weird with her voice, fine, but you don’t need Godzilla heavy-breathing in the background. Funny Godzilla/Masi Oka thing: hxxp: www. youtube. com/watch?v=IEJm0uIVwUc

The only back story I didn’t like was Niki’s, but that might just be because she’s not my favorite character. Ali does a great job with everything she’s given, but I just don’t find myself as invested in her story. Plus, I think they could have written her dad in a little more elegantly. His story seems to clunk a little more than the rest of the episode, and at times it feels forced.

Nathan’s a jackass! Speaking as a female doc-to-be, I applaud the male nurses of the world. (And those nursing shoes, gotta tell you, are amazingly comfy…. seriously. ) It’s great to see Peter smiling and joking in this episode, happy before the weight of the world falls on his shoulders. And I want to meet Mr. Petrelli! I’m sure they’re purposefully not revealing him so he can be cast at a later date when his character will no doubt be central to a plot thread, but this is driving me bonkers that we still haven’t seen him even after two seasons (don’t tell me the fuzzy, blurry picture counts, because it doesn’t). And in the most amazing Heroes moment to date, Angela Petrelli actually says something sweet and supportive to her son.

Peter is so sweet during his discussion with Nathan about outing their father as a Bad Guy. The man refuses to come to his nursing school graduation party, and yet Peter doggedly defends him. This is really the first time we witness this character’s insanely stupid loyalty problem. (Well, no, maybe the Petrelli Family Sunday Brunch counts. ) Someone helps him, or is related to him, and he’ll follow them to the ends of the earth, completely blind to the fact that maybe they’re not exactly out to save the world. If Peter was an animal, he’d be a golden retriever, smart-but-dumb, and loyal to a fault.

Heidi is so energetic here! You can see why Nathan married her—when she’s bouncing around at Peter’s party she’s obviously a total spitfire. And very diplomatic between the boys in conversation. I like this woman! Don’t cheat on her Nathan!

Better yet, don’t fly out of your car and put her in a wheelchair. There’s an idea. But in all seriousness, Nathan, you are such a horrible human being. The favorite, the one with the ‘birthright’, the son who is loved more… And you think Peter is self-righteous? And who do we think was driving the car that ran them off the road? They presume it’s one of Linderman’s guys, but I want to find out later that it was someone we get to know. Whoever that might be. And sadly, doesn’t the canned scream they attribute to Heidi as the car crashes sound a lot like the awful, fake scream Claire gives as she’s running from Sylar in 1x09 Homecoming? Come one, sound people, step it up.

I have problems with the following scene in the hospital, too: how has the staff let Nathan wander around with that gash on his forehead? If Heidi’s been in surgery for hours at this point, someone would have taken him aside and forced him to accept a clean-up. I don’t think he would have refused care for that long, right? And then we have another patented Peter Flip-Flop. Oh, wait, I will help you squeal on Dad. Forget my whole spiel from earlier. But the coolest thing in the hospital scene is the reflection in the window made by who-knows-what that looks just like the eclipse Heroes logo (right at the end, next to Nathan’s head).

Again, I love the scenes between Sylar and Chandra. Sylar’s line, “So, what, you’re going to cut me open?” is cute, considering his future as a human butcher. Zachary’s delivery of his entire monologue/explanation of how he views his family is wonderful, especially his down-turned eyes and inflection of “insignificant”. And we learn that he’s been simmering for awhile on this idea of changing his name and running away from his father’s pitiful legacy. The best Sylar moment of the episode is his frustrated outburst when Chandra tells him he may not have an ability. Zachary throws such a perfect 7-year-old’s tantrum, flinging the folders. And! In another lovely two-ships-in-the-night moment, we see HRG step out of the cab behind Sylar as he leaves Chandra’s apartment.

The reveal of Jessica as Niki’s sister was good, but I think the story could have had more details. I would have liked them to be identical twins or something. That would make more sense and fit with the future storyline. And boy, does Ali break my heart when she cries. I really like the fact that as Jessica walks into Hal’s hotel room, we watch her first as a reflection in the mirror before the camera actually swings around to Ali.

Now, if anyone can clarify these details for me I’d be grateful: did Hal beat Jessica and only Jessica until he killed her, then switch to Niki? At which point Niki absorbed her dead sister’s personality and then when Hal beat her, Jessica would take over and take the beating, only giving Niki back the reins after the abuse had stopped? So does Niki have the physical power of strength (which Jessica can borrow when in control), and Jessica has the ability to jump her consciousness from a dead body into another one? (That discussion will continue in the review of 2x11 Powerless. ) So Niki doesn’t ever remember him killing her sister, or the subsequent beatings? This all goes a long way towards explaining Jessica’s brutal personality…

Super Dave! David Berman (Brian Davis) plays one of my favorite side characters on CSI. He’s wonderful here, too, perfectly awkward and hesitant about displaying what he can do. I love how hard he has to concentrate just to move the cup. And just as soon as Gabriel Gray finishes his 1917 watch that he’s been working on for seven years—just as soon as he is triumphant and successful in figuring out how it works—he takes the name Sylar and figures out how he himself is supposed to work. Brilliant brilliant brilliant! I just don’t think it looks like he connects with Brian’s head when he swings those crystals at him.

I like that when Sylar goes to see Chandra after acquiring Brian’s power his hair isn’t quite so neatly coiffed, and he doesn’t have the glasses on anymore. He’s shedding Gabriel Gray and coming apart at the seams a little. The spiral downward has begun! The way both actors jump as the glass shoots off the table and breaks is very nicely done, too.

Bits and Pieces:

* In the Previously-On-Heroes recap at the start of the episode, the tape of Sylar talking to Chandra is partially replayed, but this time it’s been re-recorded with Zachary Quinto’s voice instead.
* Have I mentioned how much I like the way they place the chapter titles at the beginning of each episode? This one and Seven Minutes To Midnight are among my favorites.
* Zachary looks adorable with the magnifying glasses on! Then again I think anyone would look cute in them.
* Nice line: “We’ll take pictures—we’ll totally commiserate the event!” “I think you mean commemorate. ”
* Cute cartoon look on Hiro’s face as he looks out at the rain and wishes Charlie happy birthday.
* The dance between Heidi and Nathan is one of very few acceptable instances of the use of a song with lyrics instead of score.
* Is it just me, or is our mild-mannered watchmaker somewhat reminiscent of Clark Kent in his slicked-to-the-side black hair and black-rimmed glasses? I’m sure they didn’t do it entirely on purpose, but the similarity is cool nonetheless, considering that instead of the hero this one’s alter-ego is the villain.
* Very nice cut: as we switch from Sylar’s hopeful “What do you think my abilities could be?” to the laundry list of Eden’s dubious ‘abilities’. Robbery, arson, grand theft auto and possibly murder sound like some special talents there, little lady.
* It’s always fun when the show that is shot in LA and has to pretend to be in every other exotic location imaginable gets to actually shoot in LA and show off some recognizable landmarks like the Staples Center behind Matt.
* Jayma Mays accent is the most endearing thing in the world.
* I love love LOVE the fact that Hiro has a bunch of bandaids on his fingers after he folds the cranes for Charlie. Lots of papercuts! What a wonderful detail.
* I like Janice a little bit more (not much, but a little) now that I know what a crab Matt was to drive her to her affair. She’s still a Lady, but living with a depressed and going-nowhere Matt must have been really tough.
* Did Mr. Petrelli really commit suicide? Because the initial story told was a heart-attack, and then Angela admitted to multiple suicide attempts, the last one successful. But now I really think he was murdered (and it was possibly made to look like a suicide?). . . but that's for season 2 discussion.
* Hiro’s and Charlie’s scene together when she tells him she loves him is adorable. Minute problem: Masi drops the accent a little when he says “I’m supposed to save you. ”
* Nice to see when and why Eden was sent to monitor Chandra.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait

GoldenGait · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:58 pm Post subject:

1x11 Fallout

We’re back to the present at the start of this episode, shrieking at the top of our voices at Claire to NOT tell her dad about her abilities. It was such a nice little don’t-ask-don’t-tell arrangement… You just know Protective!HRG is going to come up with some dumb thing that he thinks is necessary to keep Claire safe. Then again, I get why he’s kept up the normal façade. And oh boy, the Weepy Blonde Moment-of-the-Week goes to Claire as she cries in the kitchen. Breakin’ my heart, Hayden: those single tear drops are masterful.

They totally had me going there with the scene between Nathan and Peter in the jail cell. I was right where I usually am, thinking Nathan needs some quality kumbaya time and that Peter is too sweetly innocent for his own good, and BAM! No more Nathan, it’s Sylar sitting next to Peter on the cot. Nice jolt at the outset of this episode.

Nice initial conversation between Sylar and HRG. And I like that they let Sylar be a little beat-up after that fall in 1x09 Homecoming. He seemed to waltz away from the high school a little too easily at the end of that episode, and I was beginning to fear they were falling into the trap of making the villain a little too indestructible. The hairpin turns of the conversation are handled very well by both actors as Sylar reveals he knows Claire is HRG’s daughter. HRG’s cool confidence slips a little and Sylar plays up the creepy with his description of “sweet, innocent, ripe, indestructible” Claire, only to have HRG again gain the mental upper hand with his repeated use of ‘Gabriel,’ prompting Sylar’s momentary meltdown: “My name is Sylar!” I like the far-away echoing of the clock at the end of this scene, as if the sound itself were locked behind the glass with him. Knowing the character as well as we do now at the end of the second season, it makes Sylar’s captivity in this episode even more affecting. Zachary did a really great job of playing a caged animal, pacing, mostly calm, but willing to throw itself at the cage walls when provoked.

I’m always impressed when a shot involves a bunch of mirrors and the camera is skillfully still out of view and not caught in any reflection (watch the opening shot of Peter being questioned by Matt and Audrey). I also really like the crossed-wires sensation Greg and Milo play when Matt tries to read Peter’s mind. The moment is shot well, too. Another good Greg moment comes when he attempts to listen in on HRG and Claire’s discussion with Audrey.

Alrighty. This comment continues on from what I said in my review of 1x09 Homecoming. There is just way too much chemistry between Claire and Peter for me to be comfortable with later storylines. The way they look at each other in Peter’s cell had me thinking at the time that we were in for an epic romance between these two, which disturbed me a little even then, considering he’s got to be at least 24 and she’s about 16. His “I like you, Claire,” and her follow-up “You’re totally my hero,” are just kinda gross now. Also, Milo does a great job gradually adding in more and more clues to his physical overload and ultimate collapse. Very smooth increase throughout the episode, and I appreciate that they didn’t have him running around completely fine one minute and in a coma the next. The make-up is good, too.

My heart breaks for Claire when her one true friend in the whole world is suddenly gone… Zack’s memory wipe made me so angry. Sort of the feeling you get when you watch someone lose a million dollar lottery ticket, or the feeling you get when your computer blue-screen-of-deaths on you and you lose your entire pharmacology review document (Toshiba Ruth, I’ll never forgive you). Like, how could this possibly be happening to me?

I love the shot of Sylar sitting still and quiet in the dark of his cell. Very pretty shot. And the little monologue that follows is so well put that you just know Sylar had been sitting and meditating on the subject, practicing the speech and biding his time until he saw Bennet again. I like how he likens his hobby of collecting special people to Bennet’s, and the “We’re going to take you apart, Gabriel,” from HRG is bone chilling. Another tidbit: later in the series they have a lot of shots where both the face in the foreground and way in the background are in sharp focus, but I like this scene with HRG in focus while the unfocused Sylar monologues in the foreground. Also a good choice, I think, to have Sylar remain perfectly still through the entire thing.

When The Haitian grabbed Claire I started freaking out! I was going to be so ****** if they wiped her and we had to start all over again with her (nope, that’s next season... sigh). And we get to hear him talk! Jimmy Jean-Louis has such a great accent, and I love that they kept him silent and mysterious for so long without being uptight about it. Having him speak to Claire is nice here, and lo and behold, suddenly we have a reason for Claire’s mom being so vapid and vacant all the time. No wonder the woman is two-dimensional! She’s been wiped more times than a baby’s bottom! Now I dislike HRG even more for what he’s done to his wife. ******. What gives you the right? Nice line: “Tell me, Claire… can you keep a secret?”

I’m a bit of a painter myself, and it cracks me up when they show Isaac with paint all over him, smudged from head to toe after he’s painted something. I manage to keep pretty clean, dude. Does the absurdly messy paint flinging come with the white eyes? Also, nice Ando line in that scene as he looks at the painting of Hiro facing a dinosaur/dragon: “Change the future? You’re going to die!”

I like that Eden tries to put things right in the end. She began as such a wild child, following no rules at all, and I think it’s nice that after working with The Company (read: Satan) she’s so fed up with evil that she’s ready to confess all her sins and try her hardest to make everything right that she perceives she’s done wrong. Poor chica. What I don’t understand is her discussion with Sylar in his cell. He knows she has the power of suggestion because of their rendezvous in the woods outside the high school, and he just now places her as Chandra Suresh’s neighbor? How does he overpower and ignore her power of suggestion? And he’s suddenly got his abilities back because The Haitian is out getting chatty with Claire? And what does he mean by “You knew what I was and you let it continue”? Let what continue? And did she really know what he was when he was visiting Chandra? Because Chandra didn’t think he was very special, and Eden was getting her info from him. And her final redemption could have been awfully cheesey, but I thought it worked well without being martyr-y or over-the-top preachy on her part.

Just as Peter is starting to look like walking death, Nathan stops in to yell at him. Jackass. But Peter’s collapse and subsequent dream/vision were very well done. (Side note: I love the popped collar on Milo.) The collection of all the heroes in slow motion as Peter explodes is one of the prettier sequences of this show. Really a beautifully put together two minutes. We’ve been light on some of the characters’ storylines for the last two hours, and it’s great to bring everyone back together, highlight the pivotal people, and set up the season finale extremely well. Kudos on continuity and forethought, guys. Very nice job.

Bits and Pieces:

* I love how the bullet phased through DL’s head. Very cool. But I will come back to this idea in my review of 2x08 Four Months Ago.
* Oh, how I love the Vulcan greeting Hiro gives Isaac when they finally meet!
* DL should just walk around with a big ol’ red and white bulls eye on him. This is #1.
* As much as I call Nathan a jackass, his character really is wonderfully complex. He does care, and it’s evidenced by the last 30 seconds or so of this episode where he’s obviously very concerned for his little brother.

Til next time, or visit my website for more reviews!
http://thegoldengaitbridge.blogspot.com
GoldenGait