Heroes 2.07 Out of Time
Nov. 6th, 2007 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which certain speculations turn out to be true, and others, not so much.
Firstly, I do hope this stops people asking what the point of Hiro's stint in the past is/was. I mean, I wasn't spoiled, and I still could guess Kensei wasn't going to stay there, or stay a good guy. (The "nobody can stop me because nobody can stop me" back when he had found out he could regenerate was a rather huge anvil.) Mind you, I do agree that they dragged it out so Hiro wouldn't come back before the present-day events came to a point where they could introduce the guy, but this is pretty much what happened with Hiro's sword-seeking quest in s1, wo what else is new? I do like this final chapter in old Japan; Yaeko saving the day by freeing them due to being overlooked was great, and her final goodbye from Hiro had something of a Japanese fairy tale, complete with noble resignation of parted lovers, which was very fitting. I'm not sure whether I buy Kensei was genuinenly in love with her; his disappointment seemed to be too Hiro-focused. Not necessarily in a slashy sense, though I could see that, but mostly because Hiro had presented him with an image of himself that he fell in love with, and it turned out to be a) not his and b) hollow.
As for Kensei/Adam (ha! I knew it - again, "Adam", the first man, was a giveaway of a name) in the present, the story Bob tells doesn't square with Angela and Thompson supporting plan Linderman, but then again Bob isn't the type to give Nathan the straight truth the first time around anyway. The part about them locking up Adam and "throwing away the key", though, sounds likely enough; a few years (decades?) buried alive are enough to drive anyone bloodhirsty, let alone someone of very dubious morality to begin with. As for the changes the centuries wrought before that, note Bob's description of Adam as "a visionary". Which he certainly wasn't as Kensei before meeting Hiro. Hiro is going to angst on a massive, massive scale once he clues in.
Meanwhile, they wisely didn't try to match Five Years Gone by giving us an extended look at a dystopia (and err, well, 93% of the population gone do not provide much visuals other than empty cities, which are harrowing but time consuming) in Peter's subplot but focused on the essential. Which was giving him a date for the virus spread and letting him meet his mother. I was thrilled to bits as I hadn't expected Angela as the person from the past Peter would meet (it had to be someone, obviously, but my bet was on Mohinder). It was a fantastic scene, and among other things another hint about the nature of Angela's power because did you notice she stops speaking out loud and starts to talk to Peter in his mind and then the memories come back? (Just of her, though. He still can't remember anything else, it seems, going by his reaction to Adam, but the process has started, and I bet in the next episode we'll get a full recovery.) And wow, this must be the first time (in the show) Angela spoke of Nathan as a positive example to Peter. (The contrast to their Nathan conversation in the pilot couldn't be greater.) And you've got to love Petrelli priorities. Save your brother, save the world. In that order. And just to hammer the point home as whatever happened to Nathan and Peter post-explosion would not have happened had Peter been able to control his abilities to begin with, his inability to do so again costs someone he cares about, as Caitlin ends up in the virus-ridden future.
(Sidenote: Right now, I can't see how that won't be the end of her, because if Peter & Co. prevent the virus from spreading, that timeline will cease to exist, and he can't retrieve her from it.)
Back in the present, we have Matt saving Molly and locking his father in a nightmare; they really give Greg Grunberg terrrific stuff to do this season, and he rocked in those scenes. This makes him father of the episode, and the tie between the insecurities the audience is so familiar with - "too slow, too stupid, too fat" - and his overcoming them because not only does he need to save Molly but caring for her has given him confidence that yes, he is a good cop, a good father, he's worth something - really worked for me. I also appreciate that Maury Parkman didn't twirl his moustache but tried the "vulnerable old me" number again, which might even be the truth as he sees it.
Contrasting with Maury, we have Niki - and apparantly her storyline is really meant straight, i.e. she's neither infiltrating the Company, nor is she Jessica, she did go there to get rid of her Multiple Personlity Disorder - who incapacitates herself rather than being used to kill again. I'm in two minds about this, because on the one hand this is consistent for Niki - when trying to stop herself from harming people, she either locked herself up or, in "Parasite", asked Nathan to knock herself out - but on the other, it means the integration she seemed to achieve at the end of s1 didn't result in her being confident enough to find another way in a crisis. And on the third hand, which we're at now, given her backstory, it's hard to see what quick other solution she could find, given that she realised someone was playing with her mind and knew this could have horrible results. I really liked that it was Nathan who got through to her, and the emotional continuity there; beyond their sexual attraction, they had bonded over being parents and their children in Collision, her unwillingness to kill him had enabled her to overcome her inner Jessica in "Parasite" and her visit in his office re: Micah in "Landslide" arguably resulted in the first of his actions that didn't happen in the 5YG timeline (telling her and DL where Linderman was). They have a connection, not a romantic one, but it's there.
Also? Nathan risking being stabbed with the virus vial by going towards her has to be a first (post-savingNew York the world in the s1 finale, I mean) where he does this kind of thing, risking his life, for a non-family member.
Mohinder really is in a Le Carré plot among the morally grey. For someone who's not a Mohinder fan, I really love his storyline. His doubts about Noah Bennet make so much sense if you consider that last week, he was told by Bennet to inject Monica with the virus in order to maintain his cover, that Bennet is utterly obsessed with the pictures - who don't show anything useful to bring the Company down but do show Bennet's death -, is willing to risk Mohinder's life for that (and not the larger goal), and then Mohinder gets the happy news of Ivan's demise at the hands of Noah B. He really has to wonder what the difference between Bennet and Bob is (in true Le Carré character fashion) at this point, plus while Mohinder probably is willing to die for the greater good, dying for the personal safety of Noah Bennet is another matter. And now he's asked to bring Claire in... for the greater good. I love it. Again, I think Bob is editorializing with the truth; note that he didn't mention either to Nathan or to Mohinder what Adam's abilities are. My guess is that the reason why he thinks of Claire's regenerative abilities as a potential cure - and the reason why HRG was able to describe to Claire in such detail what experiments would be made with her - is that they did that with Adam with some success, which might even be how Nathan got cured from the completely burned state he keeps seeing in mirrors. But also again, Bob isn't lying, either. At this point, I guess they do want Claire for the virus cure first and foremost. No one in their right mind would risk having such a virus around if they don't also have an antidote at hand. And the irony is, given that she wanted to use her abilities to help people, Claire might even volunteer. If she were asked. Which, unfortunately, I doubt she will be.
As there were doubts whether we were supposed to see West's and Claire's "prank" with Debbie as something good or bad: I think that's cleared up in this episode. Not only was it petty (and malicious in a JD and Veronica in Heathers fashion) but also foolishly risky. That happens if you tell a teenager to suppress, suppress, suppress, a mixture of loneliness, hormones and guilt comes into play, and your own promises are broken at the same time she breaks hers. I suspected Claire was aware that Noah was lying to them just as she was lying to him, and her last scene confirmed it. Ouch, ouch, triple ouch. Doesn't justify either her or her dad, but makes her actions additionally understandable.
Now for the trailer for next week's episode:
T
R
A
I
L
E
R
Flashback goodness reigns supreme as we'll find out what happened to the Petrellis after they took off to the sky (that image of both of them hurling over the ocean), quite how DL died, who Elle is and who her "Daddy" is, and how Peter ended up meeting the quondam Kensei, Adam, in Company custody. Given that short look at a completely burned Nathan I maintain my theory that Peter made a deal with the Company for Nathan's life, trading himself and his services in exchange. And Elle and Bob really seem to be a direct parallel to Claire and Noah. I want to time travel to next week, damn it.
Firstly, I do hope this stops people asking what the point of Hiro's stint in the past is/was. I mean, I wasn't spoiled, and I still could guess Kensei wasn't going to stay there, or stay a good guy. (The "nobody can stop me because nobody can stop me" back when he had found out he could regenerate was a rather huge anvil.) Mind you, I do agree that they dragged it out so Hiro wouldn't come back before the present-day events came to a point where they could introduce the guy, but this is pretty much what happened with Hiro's sword-seeking quest in s1, wo what else is new? I do like this final chapter in old Japan; Yaeko saving the day by freeing them due to being overlooked was great, and her final goodbye from Hiro had something of a Japanese fairy tale, complete with noble resignation of parted lovers, which was very fitting. I'm not sure whether I buy Kensei was genuinenly in love with her; his disappointment seemed to be too Hiro-focused. Not necessarily in a slashy sense, though I could see that, but mostly because Hiro had presented him with an image of himself that he fell in love with, and it turned out to be a) not his and b) hollow.
As for Kensei/Adam (ha! I knew it - again, "Adam", the first man, was a giveaway of a name) in the present, the story Bob tells doesn't square with Angela and Thompson supporting plan Linderman, but then again Bob isn't the type to give Nathan the straight truth the first time around anyway. The part about them locking up Adam and "throwing away the key", though, sounds likely enough; a few years (decades?) buried alive are enough to drive anyone bloodhirsty, let alone someone of very dubious morality to begin with. As for the changes the centuries wrought before that, note Bob's description of Adam as "a visionary". Which he certainly wasn't as Kensei before meeting Hiro. Hiro is going to angst on a massive, massive scale once he clues in.
Meanwhile, they wisely didn't try to match Five Years Gone by giving us an extended look at a dystopia (and err, well, 93% of the population gone do not provide much visuals other than empty cities, which are harrowing but time consuming) in Peter's subplot but focused on the essential. Which was giving him a date for the virus spread and letting him meet his mother. I was thrilled to bits as I hadn't expected Angela as the person from the past Peter would meet (it had to be someone, obviously, but my bet was on Mohinder). It was a fantastic scene, and among other things another hint about the nature of Angela's power because did you notice she stops speaking out loud and starts to talk to Peter in his mind and then the memories come back? (Just of her, though. He still can't remember anything else, it seems, going by his reaction to Adam, but the process has started, and I bet in the next episode we'll get a full recovery.) And wow, this must be the first time (in the show) Angela spoke of Nathan as a positive example to Peter. (The contrast to their Nathan conversation in the pilot couldn't be greater.) And you've got to love Petrelli priorities. Save your brother, save the world. In that order. And just to hammer the point home as whatever happened to Nathan and Peter post-explosion would not have happened had Peter been able to control his abilities to begin with, his inability to do so again costs someone he cares about, as Caitlin ends up in the virus-ridden future.
(Sidenote: Right now, I can't see how that won't be the end of her, because if Peter & Co. prevent the virus from spreading, that timeline will cease to exist, and he can't retrieve her from it.)
Back in the present, we have Matt saving Molly and locking his father in a nightmare; they really give Greg Grunberg terrrific stuff to do this season, and he rocked in those scenes. This makes him father of the episode, and the tie between the insecurities the audience is so familiar with - "too slow, too stupid, too fat" - and his overcoming them because not only does he need to save Molly but caring for her has given him confidence that yes, he is a good cop, a good father, he's worth something - really worked for me. I also appreciate that Maury Parkman didn't twirl his moustache but tried the "vulnerable old me" number again, which might even be the truth as he sees it.
Contrasting with Maury, we have Niki - and apparantly her storyline is really meant straight, i.e. she's neither infiltrating the Company, nor is she Jessica, she did go there to get rid of her Multiple Personlity Disorder - who incapacitates herself rather than being used to kill again. I'm in two minds about this, because on the one hand this is consistent for Niki - when trying to stop herself from harming people, she either locked herself up or, in "Parasite", asked Nathan to knock herself out - but on the other, it means the integration she seemed to achieve at the end of s1 didn't result in her being confident enough to find another way in a crisis. And on the third hand, which we're at now, given her backstory, it's hard to see what quick other solution she could find, given that she realised someone was playing with her mind and knew this could have horrible results. I really liked that it was Nathan who got through to her, and the emotional continuity there; beyond their sexual attraction, they had bonded over being parents and their children in Collision, her unwillingness to kill him had enabled her to overcome her inner Jessica in "Parasite" and her visit in his office re: Micah in "Landslide" arguably resulted in the first of his actions that didn't happen in the 5YG timeline (telling her and DL where Linderman was). They have a connection, not a romantic one, but it's there.
Also? Nathan risking being stabbed with the virus vial by going towards her has to be a first (post-saving
Mohinder really is in a Le Carré plot among the morally grey. For someone who's not a Mohinder fan, I really love his storyline. His doubts about Noah Bennet make so much sense if you consider that last week, he was told by Bennet to inject Monica with the virus in order to maintain his cover, that Bennet is utterly obsessed with the pictures - who don't show anything useful to bring the Company down but do show Bennet's death -, is willing to risk Mohinder's life for that (and not the larger goal), and then Mohinder gets the happy news of Ivan's demise at the hands of Noah B. He really has to wonder what the difference between Bennet and Bob is (in true Le Carré character fashion) at this point, plus while Mohinder probably is willing to die for the greater good, dying for the personal safety of Noah Bennet is another matter. And now he's asked to bring Claire in... for the greater good. I love it. Again, I think Bob is editorializing with the truth; note that he didn't mention either to Nathan or to Mohinder what Adam's abilities are. My guess is that the reason why he thinks of Claire's regenerative abilities as a potential cure - and the reason why HRG was able to describe to Claire in such detail what experiments would be made with her - is that they did that with Adam with some success, which might even be how Nathan got cured from the completely burned state he keeps seeing in mirrors. But also again, Bob isn't lying, either. At this point, I guess they do want Claire for the virus cure first and foremost. No one in their right mind would risk having such a virus around if they don't also have an antidote at hand. And the irony is, given that she wanted to use her abilities to help people, Claire might even volunteer. If she were asked. Which, unfortunately, I doubt she will be.
As there were doubts whether we were supposed to see West's and Claire's "prank" with Debbie as something good or bad: I think that's cleared up in this episode. Not only was it petty (and malicious in a JD and Veronica in Heathers fashion) but also foolishly risky. That happens if you tell a teenager to suppress, suppress, suppress, a mixture of loneliness, hormones and guilt comes into play, and your own promises are broken at the same time she breaks hers. I suspected Claire was aware that Noah was lying to them just as she was lying to him, and her last scene confirmed it. Ouch, ouch, triple ouch. Doesn't justify either her or her dad, but makes her actions additionally understandable.
Now for the trailer for next week's episode:
T
R
A
I
L
E
R
Flashback goodness reigns supreme as we'll find out what happened to the Petrellis after they took off to the sky (that image of both of them hurling over the ocean), quite how DL died, who Elle is and who her "Daddy" is, and how Peter ended up meeting the quondam Kensei, Adam, in Company custody. Given that short look at a completely burned Nathan I maintain my theory that Peter made a deal with the Company for Nathan's life, trading himself and his services in exchange. And Elle and Bob really seem to be a direct parallel to Claire and Noah. I want to time travel to next week, damn it.
