Heroes The Hard Part

[selenak]

Firstly, much Hiro love. Very much Hiro love, and the fact he noticed Future!Hiro got too used to the killing settles a minor debate as to whether or not the authorial intention last week was just for the audience to go "ooooh, cool!" on that note, or not. Hiro not wanting to kill a man who seeks forgiveness makes him the anti-Hamlet; Hamlet didn't want to off Uncle Claudius while Claudius was repenting, either, but he didn't want to because there was a chance Claudius might be genuine and, if dying in an effort at redemption, would end up in heaven and in hell. Hiro does want Sylar to redeem himself.

(Meanwhile, Ando, not surprisingly, does not want to die. Loved his objection and revelation to Hiro, too.)

Mind you, I actually was more of the Hamlet persuasion, in that I didn't want Redeemed!Sylar, either. I do like how the show played it, and the phone call to Mohinder of course was one more confirmation that the Pretty But In This Week Not So Dumb one is Sylar's grand passion after killing. Mrs. Gray was neither an angel nor Mrs. Bates, two extremes I was worried about when hearing about the Sylar-visits-his-mom plot line from the tv guide summary; and the scene where Gabriel/Sylar created a snowglobe environment for her going from beautiful to horror was perfection.

Speaking of snowglobes: Rosebud, Charles Foster Kane, a man who did in the end not become President, and whose mother was, like Mrs. Petrelli and Mrs. Gray, somewhat on the ambitious side. I love my cinematic allusions.

Sidenote: this show has it in for mothers, though. Mrs. Bennet is loving but flaky due to numerous mindwipes and MIA since Parasite, Mrs. Gray said "you're special" once too often and got matricided, and more about Angela Petrelli in a moment. Which leaves Jessica/Niki as the most positive mother of the episode. Well, except Heidi, but we only saw a brief glimpse of her, so that doesn't count.

Mohinder finally isn't a sucker for the next bad guy any more and plays along with them knowingly, and using his brain. Pairing him up with a little girl throughout the episode also helps, a lot. Question: if Molly is the new tracking system, how does this solve the problem of the old one - most of the specials (save Claire, Nathan and Peter) are already tagged?

Mr. Bennet's reunion with Claire: awwwwwwww. Wonderful.

And now for the House of Dysfunctional, because much as I like the other characters, I do love the Petrellis best (well, them and Hiro). This is so shaping up into a battle of the generations, with Peter and Claire on the one side, Angela Petrelli and Linderman (and possibly Mr. Nakamura) on the other, and Nathan as the wild card in between, which also fits with his age. It's also shaping up into a battle of "who is right about Nathan?" harking right back to the pilot, where Mrs. Petrelli gives Peter the "he doesn't love you" speech; in The Hard Part, you have Claire asking "why do you always run back to him?" and Peter giving the same answer he did then - "he's my brother". Angela being a part of the Ozymandias plan was something of a surprise, but it doesn't go against what we know, and it does fit with her idea of Nathan, which isn't a son or a person as much as the fulfilllment of ambitions. The instrument, it seems, to bring utopia, which explains why she was always so hell-bent on getting him elected despite having a frosty relationship with him at best. (Now, Peter is her son, so I want more clarity on whether she knows Peter is first candidate for the exploding man, or whether she just knows one is about to go off.) She doesn't want or need to see him as someone else, hence also her words to Nathan in the Peter-is-dead-scene in .07. Peter, on the other hand, might or might not trust his brother too much, but he sees him as someone he loves first and foremost. In addition to the clear parallelizing of the two sons told they can be Presidents by their mothers in this episode, Nathan and Sylar, you have the juxtaposition of Angela on the one and Peter on the other in, shall we say, the morality play of Nathan Petrelli's soul. Claire I'd say is the observer or jury in that one, pointing out to Peter things like Nathan talking to Thompson, but also not yet completely convinced of Nathan's position the way Angela is.

Speaking of Claire and Nathan: her watching Heidi's arrival with the two boys was heartbreaking. I'm not sure she wants Nathan to treat her like Simon and Monty - Mr. Bennet is her dad, and it's him she refers to as "Dad" throughout the episode long before their reunion at the end - but it still has to hurt to see that he can be someone's father, just not hers. On the a bit less painful side of things, Nathan's awkward remark on her bravery (for someone professionally good at smoothtalking people, Nathan is really inhibited around Claire, though I think that's actually better than if he could pretend ease that can't exist between them right now) and her earlier reaction to Peter revealing Nathan can fly were terrific little character moments.

So, at the end at the episode, we have Peter in the suit he wears in the vision, Ted, glowing hands, Claire with a gun, Sylar having had his vision of the Five Years Gone future with himself as President, Nathan about to leave his campaign headquarters - all the players assembled in New York. It's going to be a looong week.

Oh, and another thing: can we stop calling Candice a shapeshifter now? It's clear her power is creating illusions (as was evidenced when she didn't just fake being Simone but hid the real Simone's dead body in Parasite), not actually change her form, and what happens to Micah in this episode is a great illustration of that.

Comments

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

This is so shaping up into a battle of the generations, with Peter and Claire on the one side, Angela Petrelli and Linderman (and possibly Mr. Nakamura) on the other, and Nathan as the wild card in between, which also fits with his age.

That's a great way of putting it.

I love me some Petrellis. It was interesting to see that it was Claire who finally managed to break Peter of his dependence on Nathan, and his tendency to go running to his big brother to "fix things" at every opportunity. Claire doesn't work that way. She figures out a solution herself, and DOES something. It's a good check and balance to Peter's idealism. In a way, she's less of an innocent than her uncle, and I think her hard-headed practicality and common sense makes her a perfect foil for him.

My heart broke for Claire when she was watching Nathan with his boys...I could see pity for her in Peter's face, too. And then she thinks she's connecting with her father for the first time ("You can fly? That's cool."), only to be let down again. Poor Claire. But the reunion with her dad at the end was great, as was the look of recognition between Parkman and Peter.

I've heard quite a few people talking about how whiny Claire and Peter were in this ep...dude, if I'd had the week those two have had? I'd be curled up in the fetal position making little whimpering noises and twitching uncontrollably. Personally, I'm loving their quiet courage and determination to save the world.

Can't wait for next week.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I've heard quite a few people talking about how whiny Claire and Peter were in this ep...dude, if I'd had the week those two have had? I'd be curled up in the fetal position making little whimpering noises and twitching uncontrollably. Personally, I'm loving their quiet courage and determination to save the world.

Same here. They went through the week from hell and still keep going.

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

Sidenote: this show has it in for mothers, though.

I'd go with parents in general, actually. Chandra obviously had no time for Mohinder because he was "born too late," Daddy Petrelli was clearly a negative influence (although we don't quite know how), Hal Sanders killed his daughter, and Nathan kinda sucks with regard to Claire. We've only got one genuinely good dad, DL, and one who managed to redeem himself even though he really, really screwed up big time, HRG.

It's amazing these characters have turned out as functional as they have. Of course, one of the show's themes seems to be correcting the mistakes of the previous generation, so that makes sense.

Speaking of Claire and Nathan: her watching Heidi's arrival with the two boys was heartbreaking.

I'm a bad, bad person. The first time I watched it (why yes, I have already rewatched!), I couldn't help responding to Nathan's line, "I brought you boys something." With, "A sister!" But the second time around it was definitely wrenching.

Angela being a part of the Ozymandias plan was something of a surprise

I'm actually not very surprised. Her look when Nathan is crying over Peter, saying "It's not supposed to happen this way" is very, very cagey. Even for her. But, as usual with her, I couldn't pin down why it was cagey.

Oh, and another thing: can we stop calling Candice a shapeshifter now?

PLZGODYES. I've been internet bitchslapping people for weeks now (all through hiatus, actually) about that, and even completely disregarding the opinions of anyone who calls her a shapeshifter.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'd go with parents in general, actually.

Okay, point taken.

The first time I watched it (why yes, I have already rewatched!), I couldn't help responding to Nathan's line, "I brought you boys something." With, "A sister!" But the second time around it was definitely wrenching.

What I want to know now is how he does explain Claire's presence in the house. I mean, presumably she's supposed to leave that day for France, but she's clearly there when Heidi and the boys arrive, and he had to say something about a pretty blond teenage girl in the house. "Friend of Peter's?"

Her look when Nathan is crying over Peter, saying "It's not supposed to happen this way" is very, very cagey. Even for her. But, as usual with her, I couldn't pin down why it was cagey.

It also clinches why she takes his "what do we do?" not as "how do we live without Peter?" but "what do we do with the body?". Oh, Angela.

[cadesama.livejournal.com]

I mean, presumably she's supposed to leave that day for France, but she's clearly there when Heidi and the boys arrive, and he had to say something about a pretty blond teenage girl in the house. "Friend of Peter's?"

Probably just "new maid... who is staying in Peter's old room" (let me keep my fantasy!).

It also clinches why she takes his "what do we do?" not as "how do we live without Peter?" but "what do we do with the body?". Oh, Angela.

She's so crazy and awesome and since Malcolm McDowell is expensive, why not just switch to her as the Big Bad next season? It'd be so much more fraught.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Probably just "new maid... who is staying in Peter's old room" (let me keep my fantasy!).

Okay, okay, I let you. (Though where does Peter stay then? Obviously not at his apartment; he must stay at the house.) Allow me to add: Claire finds a the Very Secret Diary of 17 years old Emo!To!The Max! Peter. Which is also how she figured out the "always run to" thing, because frankly, while it's an accurate remark, I can't see how she could have observed that routine in practice. Given the first time she saw the two together, Peter was temporarily dead and Nathan was having trouble surrendering the body to her, and no matter how many days passed between that and their three way "so there is this Ted guy" scene, there wasn't any situation where Peter could run anywhere, to or from Nathan. Seeing as he's staying at the house, as observed.

She's so crazy and awesome and since Malcolm McDowell is expensive, why not just switch to her as the Big Bad next season? It'd be so much more fraught.

It so would be. And damm it, we need to know what her power is! Also, did you see the two trailers yet? (I'm asking because of one particular Linderman clip.)

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

"So, at the end at the episode, we have Peter in the suit he wears in the vision, Ted, glowing hands, Claire with a gun,"

And all that in busy public plaza in broad daylight. I'm really looking forward to the point when the series starts dealing w/ the public dealing w/ crazy-powers-people because that hasn't really been addressed yet. I'm guessing perhaps it will be a theme of next season.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Yes. I mean, there could be Sunnydale syndrome, but I somewhat doubt it. In the Five Yours Gone timeline, the world found out through the New York explosion; now obviously it won't happen quite this way in "our" timeline, but I'm still betting on public awareness of specials next season.

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

I'm also extremely eager to learn more about the last generation. (Though, a large part of that is about wanting a full season of the Claude and Mr. Bennett show). I'm guessing we'll get both in more depth next season, but I'm still slightly...nervous in a good way about the finale. It's typical season one jitters, I think, not yet knowing what they're capable in terms of finales/season arcs. How spectacular of a mindfuck are they willing to visit upon the audience? It's all in the air, still. Yay happy anticipatory tension.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I'm a backstory fiend, and very much looking forward to it, but I'm willing to bet Claude will only have a small role, if one at all. Simply because getting Christopher Eccleston to commit to more than occasional guest appearances on a tv show apparantly is harder than pulling teeth. Of course they could hire another actor for younger Claude, but I doubt they will. Claude basically served his purpose on the show; the only thing lacking is another meeting with Bennet in the present, which I would love to see, but again, Eccleston.

[misachan.livejournal.com]

I'd argue that they must have plans for Claude to come back (even if only for another five episode run), if only because they left so many loose threads flapping around him. We know that he hid at least one person with powers, but not whom. We can guess that presumably someone intervened to keep him from bleeding to death on the bridge, but we don't know who (and the only person we've seen with healing powers is Linderman, who founded that company that ordered Claude shot in the first place). And most intriguing to me, we know that the Company did business on the roof of the Deveaux building, yet Claude chose there to hide and later train Peter (and I absolutely think Deveaux knew he was there). Why was he safe there?

That's a heck of a lot of backstory in just five episodes. I don't think they would have written him so deep into the mythology if we were never going to see him again, especially when they could have just killed him to cause Peter mentor angst. I think Claude will be the character we go through to learn how far down the Company rabbit hole goes.

Then he'll die to give Peter mentor angst.:)