Heroes 2.03 Kindred
Oct. 9th, 2007 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakFirstly, I'm not going to complain about the lack of Nathan in this episode. This is because I remember there were several season 1 episodes in which he didn't show up at all or just for two seconds (Better Halves and Distractions come to mind), which were usually followed by episodes in which he showed up a lot. So there.
Secondly, I am going to exhale a huge sigh of relief about the relative lack of Sylar. From the second trailer, I was afraid this was going to be Sylar-centric, and no offense, Sylar-fans, he works better on small doses for me. Plus I still think they should have killed him off in the season finale. However, since they didn't, I'm cautiously optimistic because the what they did with him in the few scenes he was in was promising. Why? Because he doesn't have his powers anymore/can't access them. This is not just suitable irony but actually interesting in terms of character development, especially since he also finds out his usual opus moderandi for acquiring powers, killing people, doesn't work right now (or anymore?). Which could bring us the answer to the question whether this particular serial killer is killing for the powers or for the kicks of killing by now.
Meanwhile: alas for Candice/Michelle/Betty (if the comics count). I had an ominous feeling as soon as she said who she was, considering who we knew killed her in the Five Years Gone verse. And Candice, Candice, you should have known better, and so should your employer(s); you were candy, no pun intended, Sylar was never going to be reasonable and see you as a person instead of food for being special again. From a Doylist perspective, it's as good a way to write out the character as any, because keeping her might get too tricky in terms of story telling - i.e. the Sylar/Nathan reveal in 5YG was so dramatic it could hardly be topped, and afterwards everyone wondered whether Angela or *insert character* was really them or Candice and would be forever. Also, this time the show does make it clear she meant what she said when she told Micah she was heavy, which means my story isn't Kring'ed; I'm selfish enough to care about that. Candice, you were a fun character to write, and I will miss you, rationale-understanding as I am of your demise.
We catch up with Micah and Niki at last, and find out DL's full name and his death. This makes me immediately suspicious that they intend to pair Niki up with someone else, but thankfully this episode does not set her up for romance or flight. Instead, she seems to have inherited Mohinder's role of picking the wrong people repeatedly, but without this season's Mohinder's deliberate agenda there. On the other hand, we could be wrong about that. The fact that she wants a cure: I'm torn about that. On the one hand, I'm against it for gender reasons, plain and simple - female character rejecting her power was done enough with Niki last season, and I thought the finale was about her embracing her other self without losing her ethics through doing so. On the other hand, I also can see the reasoning. Niki found out her entire life was manipulated, supervised and messed with BECAUSE of her superpower, as was her late husband's, and their son's, and Micah got kidnapped because of that. Basically, this means a life on the run versus trying to get rid of what makes her and her son a target, and I can see her choosing the second option. Not that she's going to get what she wants; it's pretty obvious the Company isn't interested in losing a valuable tool unless it turns against them.
Maya y Alejandro: at last something happens in this storyline other than them being on the run. To wit: Maya for the first time kills deliberately, or at last risks doing same, though how strong she counted on Alejandro being able to reverse it is open to debate. Also, she's taking the initiative. Again, I'm torn; it still sounds too much like Niki's storyline from last year. Give the twins something uniquely them, scriptwriters!
Matt and Mohinder: awwwww. They are an adorable domestic unit. With disagreements, which is good as it makes them not too fluffy. Am amused that Matt basically sees Mohinder as as helpless as Molly, which will probably result in both of them rescuing Matt at some point.
Clever Hiro has worked out a method to communicate with Ando through the centuries, which is a neat twist and believably set up by Hiro giving Ando the sword in the season finale. Kensei's reaction to discovering his superpowered nature is somewhat Nathanian, though Hiro can't know that. Otoh, the big plot hole in the Japanese section was that everyone seemed to have forgotten about Yaeko's father. (Doesn't he still need rescuing? Did they cut that scene?) Considering that Kensei has now supposedly learned how to do heroics, I'm more sure than ever he'll turn out to be one of the villains in the current time line, because the more he and Hiro get to be buddies, the deeper the shock and horror will be on Hiro's part. Already he has forgotten something important: dumping Kensei among 29 (or however many) ronin so he can fight them, knowing he can't die anyway, doesn't teach the man anything about selflessness and honor and all those other things his historic hero is famous for, not even bravery, it just teaches him some more fighting skills.
Claire and West: go from him going too far in provoking her to bonding a bit too fast, plus she really should have asked the "related?!?" question, no matter how unlikely it would be, BUT I'm positively delighted West is used to do something I've been hoping, but not believing would happen, to wit, confronting Claire with her father's actions towards other specials. Last season, she could dismiss them post-Company Man as "the Company made him do it, and he only did it to protect me anyway", but we already know, and she'll have to go through realizing it's not that simple. Noah Bennet joined the Company years before getting Claire as a child, he did sign on for the morally grey without anyone forcing him or blackmailing him, and he did treat a lot of people as lab rats. West had it relatively easy with just being tagged and losing a day; I don't think Sylar was the only one who went through the experiments stage, considering Claude's remark about the vivisections getting to him and HRG's very detailed description of what the Company would do to Claire. And I very much doubt the other experiment subjects were all crazy serial killers.
Anyway, this makes the West/Claire romance immediately into something more than just a teenage romance for Claire which plays with the subtext of West having some traits from other family members. What's more, I doubt Noah B. will see West as something other than huge security risk for his family, West not having the benefit of having saved Claire Bear and thus earning Noah's benevolence. Which means he might do something unpleasant to West, which means more Claire confronting the ruthless side of her father and what morally grey can mean.
Now I had predicted that the eight pictures would not actually be showing the eight remaining elders, but that some of the dead people on them would turn out to be members of the younger generation. I just thought they'd bluff about this a while longer. So colour me surprised in a good way when Mohinder unearthed Isaac's rendition of Dead!HRG. That's a great shocker and setting up of suspense. Mind you, I think this picture will turn out to be misleading, as the one of the dead blonde cheerleader did which turned out to be Jackie, not Claire, or Claire and the shadow, which turned out to be Peter's, not Sylar's. But... on this show I wouldn't exclude completely they'd actually kill Noah off. I think it's highly unlikely. But not absolutely impossible.
(Oh, and also: in the background we have Claire and a dark haired male; given the content of this episode, I think the writers want us to think it's going to be West, but it will turn out to be either Peter or Nathan.)
Lastly, back in Ireland, the show answers fannish speculation about tattoos on self-healing individuals.*g* (Having it turn into the "Godsend" symbol/genetic marker before dissappearing was another neat teach. Is that how Jessica got hers?) Peter not opening the box at the end is frustrating but in character, or rather, it shows that Peter's insecurities and tendency to want someone else to control him (which goes along with rebellion but only until appropriate control is found) aren't the result of being the younger Petrelli, at least not completely, but are his nature. And you know, his reasoning - that if he did enjoy that display of power and the near death of another human being, his old self might be someone he doesn't want to be, a killer - makes sense; of course he also combines it with a breathtaking bit of Peter-typical illogic, since hanging out with a gang is bound to get him into more violence. But again, the someone else's control thing.
And very lastly: yay for Nichelle Nichols! What are the odds she's another elder, hmmmm?
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Date: 2007-10-09 03:29 pm (UTC)Oh, NICE! (Of course, with the show killing off POC, that's just sorely-needed compensation. Not too hot about the Mysticism/New Orleans angle for obvous reasons, but the actress won't disappoint, that much is certain.)
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Date: 2007-10-09 03:45 pm (UTC)- I completely agree that the Hiro-Kensei-Yaeko storyline is way too happy and fluffy not to mean that it's setup for angst and trouble in the future.
- I did like West as a device for introducing tension between Claire and Bennet, but I'm having trouble buying his relationship with Claire. I definitely like that there was a dramatic shift in her attitude towards him after she found out he could fly, but I was disappointed that she didn't even mention the Petrellis. Then again, maybe the writers thought the segue from Peter healing while kissing Caitlin to Claire and West smooching while talking about flying filled the incest quota for this week. *G*
- I'm really not worried about them killing off HRG. They showed that Isaac's paintings don't always come true (Micah in the flames in NYC, Ted in same), and the future can be changed. And I don't see them killing him off this early. Maybe in a later season, but not yet. As for the girl in the painting--it looks like she's embracing the man, which...would make it weird if it was Claire and a Petrelli. I'm actually wondering if it's even Claire. As usual, Tim Sale's drawing style comes to the aid of the writers. :)
- ITA on everything you said about Peter. It's frustrating for us, but it's completely in character, IMO.
And you know, his reasoning - that if he did enjoy that display of power and the near death of another human being, his old self might be someone he doesn't want to be, a killer - makes sense; of course he also combines it with a breathtaking bit of Peter-typical illogic, since hanging out with a gang is bound to get him into more violence. But again, the someone else's control thing.
Well, that's just Peter all over. It's like you (or rather Nathan) said in Claim: "It is a typical Peter pronouncement; overly emotional, too insightful and yet missing a major point at the same time."
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Date: 2007-10-09 03:50 pm (UTC)Regarding Niki, I took her request for a 'cure' to simply be that she has the virus and _doesn't_ have her powers right now, and wants a cure so she can survive and so she can use her powers to protect Micah. Though she was really into talking up the 'normal' aspect of their new lives... hmmm.
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Date: 2007-10-09 03:57 pm (UTC)This is because I remember there were several season 1 episodes in which he didn't show up at all or just for two seconds (Better Halves and Distractions come to mind), which were usually followed by episodes in which he showed up a lot. So there.
I agree with you, and yet I know that I will treat this episode exactly like the two you mention when it comes to rewatching. *veg*
Niki and the cure: I would be more ambivalent about this if I thought she actually wanted a cure for her powers, but I was wondering if she could have contracted the virus. It would explain why D.L. died in 2007, not 2006, for one thing, and it would put her in a much more desperate position with the Company.
Kensei and Hiro: I found not only Kensei's initial reaction to the power very nathanesque, but also his quick jump to practical consequences, and of course the whole You'll be my conscience thing. I just wish Hiro were a little more meta, he would run like a hare at sentences like "You cursed me!" and "No one is going to stop me because no one can stop me!" Of course, he is hardly an ironic reader. *g*
Claire and West: I liked the reveal about him having been bagged and tagged by Bennet (as a young kid, no less) and I liked them geeking out about their powers, as well as the way he showed her that he could also do something. There really should have been some callback to Petrellis here, though - even if "I know two other people who can fly, only one of them exploded and the other is a depressive drunk" probably isn't great conversation material for a date. Speaking of which, while I see why they could want a romance for Claire, I really couldn't care less. Don't waste your precious screentime, people.
The painting: people have alleged that the commentary says it is indeed Claire making out with someone, so unless the show gets very close to fannish ideas, Mr. Dark and Mysterious is going to be West. Maybe the Horn-Rimmed Guy is Bob, though? I don't want to panic yet.
Second (Third) the yay for Nichelle Nichols!
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Date: 2007-10-09 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 04:14 pm (UTC)Three questions:
1. I thought the tatto that changed was the one on the girl's arm, which matched her brother's tattoo? It changed when she kissed Peter?
I rewound twice. Did I misread that?
2. What is DL's real name?
3. DL died? I thought he was still alive. Micah mentioned not leaving him again??
Oh, also, could HRG be part of the older bunch? Maybe the person killing off the older heroes - is in reality killing off anyone associated with the organization the older heroes created? And could that person be Kensi?
Since the symbol comes from Kensie's crest?
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Date: 2007-10-09 04:17 pm (UTC)Isaac's pictures
Date: 2007-10-09 06:33 pm (UTC)Actually, the incident you mention is the one incontrovertible instance where Isaac's vision was flatly contradicted rather than just cleverly subverted; if you go back to Episode 1.5, I think it is, where we actually *see* Isaac painting Claire on the bleachers, we see very clearly that his original vision was Claire, running *alone*, and tripping on the bleachers as Sylar's shadow spills over her. But when that actually happened in "Homecoming" (1.9), Claire and Peter ran *together* onto the seats and Sylar's shadow (not Peter's) was falling over them *both*.
So it *is* possible for Isaac's paintings to be outright proven *wrong*, at least when somebody acts at the right instant. (That New York hasn't been atomized would certainly seem to prove the same thing, but there it's always possible to say it just hasn't happened *yet*....) It may be that Bennet's demise is the future they actually succeed in preventing outright.
---Stephen J. Barringer
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Date: 2007-10-09 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 09:32 pm (UTC)2. Don't know by heart, would have to rewatch, but the full name is on the gravestone.
1. No, the girl was giving Peter a tattoo, i.e. adopting him into the gang/family. This tattoo changed when she kissed Peter, which is no wonder with the self healing factor, and then disappeared.
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Date: 2007-10-09 09:35 pm (UTC)http://cadesama.livejournal.com/177611.html
Which also gives reasons why Peter, he who basically bonds with every person he meets, stays with the gang. And she wrote it before the episode was broadcast, which is impressive.
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Date: 2007-10-09 09:37 pm (UTC)Niki and a cure - now I feel dumb because her having the virus hasn't even occured to me, and yes, of course, duh, now I feel stupid.
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Date: 2007-10-09 09:45 pm (UTC)I agree with you, and yet I know that I will treat this episode exactly like the two you mention when it comes to rewatching. *veg*
LOL. I watched Better Halves only once, too, but I rewatched the Claire-Meredith scenes from Distractions for research for my stories. The entire episode though, not so much.
"You'll be my conscience" yes indeed.
Horn-Rimmed Guy as Bob: and that would be why he wears glasses, I guess. Methinks you've got it!
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Date: 2007-10-09 09:48 pm (UTC)Also, I feel very flattered about a fanfic of mine being quoted as accurate character analysis.*g* And well, Nathan and I probably agree on this point....
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Date: 2007-10-09 10:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-09 11:22 pm (UTC)*makes note to start watching Heroes SOON*
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Date: 2007-10-09 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 05:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 08:32 am (UTC)Well, I remember that it had the Claire-Meredith scenes, and the phone call between Meredith and Nathan in the end, and something with Claude and Peter, and apart from that, uh....
Somewhat connected, I have recently seen a promo picture of Claire for one of the next few episodes, and it's scary how much she actually looked like Meredith. That's truly some brilliant casting.
Horn-Rimmed Guy as Bob: and that would be why he wears glasses, I guess. Methinks you've got it!
I hope so...
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Date: 2007-10-10 09:09 am (UTC)(Come to think of it, I watched the entire Claude and Peter scenes only once, because I fast forwarded through them on rewatch - Eccleston fatigue, I guess, because I don't have anything against either character - and the only reason I know that particular scene is in Distractions as opposed to any other episode is because someone mentioned it a while ago.)
Claire and Meredith: yes, that struck me the first time we saw M. and hasn't left me since. I do hope they bring her back and flesh her out some more.
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Date: 2007-10-10 09:12 am (UTC)I too will miss Candice, but not that much, since I didn't like the Michelle incarnation of her anyway. She was just a little over the top, and not particularly threatening the way Missy Peregrym was.
Again, I'm torn; it still sounds too much like Niki's storyline from last year. Give the twins something uniquely them, scriptwriters!
I'm actually convinced that Maya and Alejandro are playing out Peter and Nathan, Tragic Twin Edition -- but, then again, Peter and Niki's plot line paralleled quite a bit in S1 anyway.
But what I find fascinating about Maya and Alejandro (as well as Hiro and Kensei) is the tendency of the writers to externalize extremely important characteristic and assign them to each member of a pair. It's like creating codependent pairs is a hobby for them. We've said before that Heroes characters always need a foil to tell an effective story and make us care about them, and the way they keep returning to this trope makes me wonder if there are more subtle instances turning up with the less codependent characters. What trait has Claire externalized onto Noah, or will she project onto West? That might tell us something about how their relationship will end up going.
Already he has forgotten something important: dumping Kensei among 29 (or however many) ronin so he can fight them, knowing he can't die anyway, doesn't teach the man anything about selflessness and honor and all those other things his historic hero is famous for, not even bravery, it just teaches him some more fighting skills.
Ninety, actually! I laughed out loud at that, because it was such a Claude teaching move. Hiro certainly doesn't mess around. You will be his hero, or else. And yeah, he seems to have missed out on the important tidbit that Kensei needs to be heroic, not just commit heroic deeds. I think it's interesting that Hiro seems to think fixing history is merely a matter of standing in the right place and hitting your marks. I don't think that's entirely naivete speaking, but also a warped perspective brought on by his ability.
Re: Isaac's pictures
Date: 2007-10-10 09:13 am (UTC)Oh, and of course given that Hiro jumps to a specific date in the pilot - November 9th, the morning after the elections, 2006 - and watches the explosion happen, I think we're in the clear that this particular event has indeed been avoided, though whether it has been prevented or postponed is probably still up for grabs.
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Date: 2007-10-10 09:34 am (UTC)*g*
Come to think of it, I watched the entire Claude and Peter scenes only once, because I fast forwarded through them on rewatch - Eccleston fatigue, I guess, because I don't have anything against either character
For me, it's a mix of both Eccleston and Claude fatigue - yes, it's a nice character, but not as great as he is often made out to be. And most of the time I actually forget which episodes he is in, apart from Company Man.
I do hope they bring her back and flesh her out some more.
I hope so, too, as long as it doesn't involve killing her. That seems to be all the rage at the moment.
I remembered something I wanted to comment on Niki - I was somewhat afraid that they would separate her from D.L. to open her up for another pairing, as well, and when we got that aside about Nathan and Heidi currently being separated, all my sirens went on, but then
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Date: 2007-10-10 11:37 am (UTC)Well, that, too - Kring had to get his twin idea in somewhere, after all.*g* But I think one obvious and big difference is that even when they were twins and called Ethan and Harrison, Peter and Nathan had tension. (No, not that kind.) (Well, actually...) (But I mean they had issues, obvious and less obvious ones, with each other.) Whereas Maya and Alejandro have yet to disagree on anything, be it the protecting each other or the methods of same, or their destination, or what they want there - though disagreement might come if Maya continues to use her power deliberately - or not. Which is why they remind me more of Niki and Jessica, though of course Niki was horrified by what Jessica did.
Hiro: yes, that's it. He seems to think right now that if Kensei does what he's supposed to - perform heroic actions, kiss the girl - that makes him into the person Hiro thought he would be, instead of, well, something like one of the people Kensei paid for impersonating him, hitting his marks.
Interesting thought about Claire and externalising traits - hmmmmm....
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Date: 2007-10-10 11:52 am (UTC)I doubt they'd hook her up with Nathan on a permanent basis - not just because "drove Heidi and the kids away" does not equal divorce yet but for the more cynical and pragmatic reason that if Peter's current situation with Caitlyn developes into something that lasts for most of the season, they're likely to want Nathan (once he's more stable) available for one-off sex scenes again due to APs ability to have chemistry with almost every woman. This being said, though, I think it's entirely likely Niki and Nathan could have something of a short fling. She has just shown up in New York, she's in a messy situation no matter what she might mean by "cure", it would be plausible if she looked Nathan up once she finds out he's still alive (if she doesn't know already), especially given that he could direct her and DL to Linderman, so for all she knows might have more information on the company. And Nathan seeing sex as a temporary guilt reprieve and distraction is canon, so, yes, could be they go for that.
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Date: 2007-10-10 12:57 pm (UTC)Eek, true.
but for the more cynical and pragmatic reason that if Peter's current situation with Caitlyn developes into something that lasts for most of the season, they're likely to want Nathan (once he's more stable) available for one-off sex scenes again due to APs ability to have chemistry with almost every woman.
That somehow makes me think they are turning Nathan into some sort of noir character, given depression, dark past, drinking problem, estranged wife, and now presumably lots of meaningless hookups. He should become a private detective.
This being said, though, I think it's entirely likely Niki and Nathan could have something of a short fling.
This I doubt, since they have been playing up Niki's saintly personality so much - as a contrast to Jess, granted, but I'm not sure they are really entirely ditching that. I think they will be going for the grieving widow and not allow her some fun before she falls in love again. (That sounds disturbingly like some sort of romantic heroine, actually.)
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Date: 2007-10-10 01:27 pm (UTC)Unfortunately couldn't save it, so can't rewatch.
Did ask a guy at work who watched it and rewatched via the computer - and he didn't see it either. We were however able to see the tatoo alter. What hit us both is it changed when he kissed the girl not before, that may or may not be linked? Probably not. But the fact that it changed into that symbol I found more interesting than it disappearing.
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Date: 2007-10-10 02:24 pm (UTC)(If they do that, someone so has to write a Chandler pastiche.)
Niki: well, they did hook her up with Peter in the 5YGverse - while she's still grieving for DL and Micah, going by her argument with Peter - so you could speculate they think dealing with grief via another relationship is ic, especially since she integrated Jessica. Though you could be right, and Claire is the only female character (of our regulars) who gets something like a romance this season. (Not that a noir Niki/Nathan fling would be romantic in that sense, of course.)
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Date: 2007-10-10 02:31 pm (UTC)Re: link between the tattoo and the kiss - well, if you go by
The change into the marker first is indeed the most intriguing thing, especially since Jessica has a similar tattoo (though she, of course, can't self heal), and it begs for the question whether all the specials were really the product of evolution or genetic manipulation...
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Date: 2007-10-10 02:44 pm (UTC)BTW that Irish gang has to be the most blase group ever about super powers. I don't exactly want them to go running around screaming about the devil as is the case with the twins, but personally I'd be way more freaked out than grateful if some random person put on a display like Peter's.
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Date: 2007-10-10 03:13 pm (UTC)With incredibly flowery descriptions of course! (I had a class on crime fiction a year ago and I loved Chandler. I don't care if Hammett is the better writer, Chandler is a lot more entertaining.)
Niki: I can see her having a romance eventually, I just don't really see her engaging in a fling to get over her issues. They always seemed to write her pretty "traditional" in that respect, but maybe I'm putting too little stock in their sexual politics.
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Date: 2007-10-10 03:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-10 05:32 pm (UTC)The other poster may well be right about Peter - his ability to "mimic" other's powers may be tied to emotion. I'm also wondering if part the reason Sylar doesn't have his abilities - is Peter grabbed them during their battle and since Sylar didn't obtain them like Peter did, he may have lost the ability. Also, one wonders if Sylar is an anti-Peter and when they fought - Peter cancelled out Sylar? Don't know, may be too much of a stretch.
Regarding the tattoo and how powers are acquired? I think there are two ways: 1)evolution or as Hiro put it, a "gift" from God - triggered by the Lunar Eclispe or environmental factors. 2) Human genetic manipulation. We see evidence of both possibilities in "Kindred" - the first is shown with Kensei - who clearly wasn't the result of genetic manipulation. Same with the Petrelli brothers, Hiro, Claire, and the older bunch of Heroes. But Matt Parkman, and the boy Claire's with (forget his name) may be the result of genetic manipulation. Sylar is an oddity - he may be both - natural ability to incorporate others DNA when he devours their brains. But the desire to do it? Triggered by an unknowing geneticist who he is assisting. If this is an ability - why has he lost it now? (Which I find incredibly interesting and surprised me.)
So if there are two means? Is the way we know who has been manipulated and who is natural via the two different marks? One = the slashes on the neck (genetic manipulation) or two =the tatoo= natural evolution? Note the Tatoo is the same as Kensei's code of arms.
Brings up yet another interesting question? Is the crime that the older heroes are being punished for have to do with the decision to manipulate DNA? Was there a disagreement with one of the founding heroes? Could that individual be - Kensei? Could Kensei be the killer? He is indestructible after all, it's possible he could have survived. That too may be a stretch. Don't know.