Heroes Ep: Acceptance

[the_other_sandy]

I watched one fannish show and two non-fannish shows tonight, but my non-fannish shows totally represented with the fannish guest stars. Lie to Me featured James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Capt. John Hart from Torchwood) and John Pyper-Ferguson (John Oxenberger from Hard Core Logo). Castle featured Matt Barr (Sully from Harper's Island).

It was nice to see a couple of characters learning some valuable life lessons this week. First up was Hiro, who eventually (after 47 tries, assuming he wasn't exaggerating) figured out that Tadashi was a doofus and that going back in time to fix his screw-ups wasn't going to stop him from screwing up. It wasn't until Hiro sat down and really talked to him that he was able to help Tadashi. Too bad Hiro couldn't have figured that out before traveling through time so much that he just about gave himself an aneurysm. But on the plus side, maybe his epiphany in helping Tadashi could mean an early end to the ridiculous time travel storyline that it looked like we were going to be stuck with for awhile.

I was especially proud of Tracy, who finally decided to accomplish something with her life instead of sleeping her way to the top. I sincerely hope her journey towards redemption makes her more interesting, because as much as I like Ali Larter, I think she should have been let go when Niki died in the warehouse explosion. Tracy hasn't really had a purpose up until now. Or, possibly, she's had a different purpose every other episode or so. It's time to really give the character something uniquely her own to do, or write her out.

Claire was very cute being a career coach to her dad, but I don't think it went the way she intended. If anything, it looks like Bennet is ready to get back to work tracking down specials. Maybe the next time Peter asks him for help, he'll be a little less snide. 'Cause I'm pretty sure Bennet has seen stranger things than a disappearing tattoo in all his years with the Company.

Speaking of unintended consequences, I don't think Angela forcing Nathan-shaped Sylar to take a trip down memory lane worked out like she'd planned. And how ironic that homicidal maniac Sylar (as Nathan) tried to do the right thing regarding Kelly when you know that the real Nathan knew all about his mom's cover-up. Who else would've called her?

I can't think of two people who deserve each other's friendship more than Millie and Angela. Why do I think that covering up the deaths of each other's children is the least they've done to each other? Although Millie's going to be in for a shock when Nathan turns up again.

Why does this show give us so few scenes between Peter and Nathan? Are TPTB so afraid of Petrellicest that they can only give us one or two scenes per volume? I was all prepared to be proud of Peter for blowing off Nathan's phone calls after the way Nathan treated him last season, but I should've known better. Peter can't hold a grudge to save his life (literally--we've seen it). And just as I was thinking that Peter and Nathan (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) were going to reunite, Millie put out a contract on Nathan, Nathan was murdered, and Sylar rose from his grave like Michael Myers.

Knowing that Nathan isn't really Nathan puts a creepifying factor on the brother hugging and the reconciliation for me. I want to enjoy it because of the amazing chemistry Milo and Adrian have, but I can't. I just hope we eventually get a scene where Peter finds out that Nathan is dead and has been replaced by Nathan-shaped Sylar, and that his mother has known all along. The fallout should be epic.

Comments

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

And how ironic that homicidal maniac Sylar (as Nathan) tried to do the right thing regarding Kelly when you know that the real Nathan knew all about his mom's cover-up. Who else would've called her?

I interpreted this as Nathan having called his mom about the death not because he intended to start a cover-up but because calling Mom is a fairly natural reaction when you're panicked. Angela then decided to do the cover-up and had Nathan's memory wiped, so there were no memories of the incident for Parkman to transfer to Nathan!Sylar. It is somewhat ambiguous, though.

I can't think of two people who deserve each other's friendship more than Millie and Angela. Why do I think that covering up the deaths of each other's children is the least they've done to each other?

Ha! Yes!

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

I can't think of two people who deserve each other's friendship more than Millie and Angela. Why do I think that covering up the deaths of each other's children is the least they've done to each other?

It puts the thing from last season where Angela stole Millie's umbrella in a new context, doesn't it? I thought that was an awesome bit of continuity.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

And I'm pretty sure Millie did something to screw Angela over last season too, but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I interpreted this as Nathan having called his mom about the death not because he intended to start a cover-up but because calling Mom is a fairly natural reaction when you're panicked. Angela then decided to do the cover-up and had Nathan's memory wiped, so there were no memories of the incident for Parkman to transfer to Nathan!Sylar. It is somewhat ambiguous, though.

It could've gone that way. I just believe Angela is such a 'fixer' that she's been making Nathan's mistakes go away all his life, so that's who he calls when he makes a mistake.

I don't think The Haitian was involved though. Angela seems reluctant to use him on her boys, possibly because she was so pissed about the mental whammies Arthur used on her for so many years. And it would have been so easy to fix the Meredith problem by whammying Nathan and Meredith into forgetting each other instead of staging the fire and faking the deaths and giving Claire to the Bennets, but she didn't. Parkman also didn't (and couldn't have in the amount of time he had) transfer all of Nathan's memories to Sylar. Nathan-shaped Sylar didn't remember the toy airplane, and there was nothing sinister about that (although with the Petrellis, you never know). If Nathan didn't have his memory erased, there's no way he'd believe that Kelly suddenly woke up from her fatal brain injury and jetted off to London.

Future episodes may prove me wrong, but until then that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ;-)

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

I wonder if that will be the straw that broke the camel's back when it comes to Peter and Angela. I mean 'cause this is HUGE!

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I wonder if that will be the straw that broke the camel's back when it comes to Peter and Angela.

I'd like to think so, but Peter even forgave her for plotting his death so his brother could be president. The poor guy just cannot hold a grudge.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

Some part of me wants to just shake him and say "run away because these people are toxic!"

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I just want Peter to meet up with someone who cares about him as much as he cares about them. I think a little unconditional love would do wonders for the boy.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

That would be nice, but this is Heroes we're talking about. There's no story if people are happy. ;)

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

In a way, that's kind of the point. I know Peter is going to have terrible things happen to him, but it was easier to deal with when he had Nathan's shoulder to cry on. Peter needs people so much (he's an empath, for cryin' out loud!) that it's hard to see him alone all the time.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

It's funny that we're talking about this. I just watched an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_%26_Order:_Special_Victims_Unit) [S11 E03 (Solitary) (http://www.tv.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/solitary/episode/1297722/summary.html)] that took a look at what solitary confinement does to the human psyche. It was pretty horrible.

As for Peter, I never really thought that Nathan was all that supportive of him in the little things. Yeah, he pulled his act together for the big stuff, but their relationship (with each other and with their parents) is so dysfuctional that Peter would be better off leaving them behind for good. I think that the Carnival may intice him in that way.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I always felt Nathan was supportive, just not always with any particular degree of enthusiasm. There was just something about Peter's faith in Nathan that brought out the reluctant big brother in Nathan. But even if it was reluctantly, Peter still had someone to count on. He doesn't have anyone now. I'd like to see him have at least one friend he feels he can go to, and I was hoping it would be Hesam. Peter is way overdue for a hug after everything he's been through. And I'm afraid that without someone else to turn to, he will end up with the carnies, and that will most likely be bad in a Kensei/virus kind of way.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

I think that this is going to be one of the major plot threads of the season. I keep wondering when the "big bad" is going to show up or if we've seen it already and just don't know it yet.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

I keep wondering when the "big bad" is going to show up or if we've seen it already and just don't know it yet.

I'm pretty sure we've met the Big Bad--Samuel. We just don't know what his end game is yet.

Heroes has always been unbearably slow to get going. It usually doesn't pick up speed until halfway through any given volume. I just hope it doesn't get canceled before then. I swear the ratings get lower every week.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

They're not allowed to cancle my show until I tell them it's okay for them to do so. I have made it a decree. :)

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

If only I'd known that before. I would've made you watch Stargate Atlantis.

[jade-kadir.livejournal.com]

*Grin* I did watch the first season, but somehow I lost track of it after that. *Shrug* I don't know how, but I'm planning on catching up on what I missed since I've started watching SGU.

[viridian5.livejournal.com]

Why does this show give us so few scenes between Peter and Nathan?

Seriously, PTB, wtf? They have great chemistry together, who knows how much longer the storyline will let us have a Nathan of some kind, and I want to see them. Gah.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

One of the things I love so much about Supernatural is that the showrunners may have set out to tell a little horror story every week, but as soon as they realized they'd accidentally caught lightning in a bottle with Jared & Jensen's screen chemistry, they refocused the show to take advantage of it.

The Heroes showrunners don't seem to have the slightest idea why their show was such a success in season one, and while there were certainly more factors involved than Milo & Adrian's screen chemistry, the show certainly hasn't taken advantage of it. Instead, they seem to go out of their way to make sure that Peter & Nathan spend as little time together on screen as humanly possible. I don't get it. Why waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like that?

[fey-cooks.livejournal.com]

Nathan didn't know anything about the cover up - the Hatian wiped his brain remember? No memory... without his ability to know the history of the items he touches Sylar would have never remembered the incident either.

[the-other-sandy.livejournal.com]

No, I don't remember that at all. Angela has always been so reluctant to have The Haitian work on her own sons. I just assumed that the memory of Kelly's death was one of those things that Parkman didn't have time to grab and transfer over to Sylar. That would mean that Nathan-shaped Sylar wouldn't remember that night until he touched whatever it was he touched by the pool, but the real Nathan would've retained his memory of the incident when he was alive.

[fey-cooks.livejournal.com]

That scene I can actually pin point because I watched it just last night. It was when they were sitting in the bar together talking about what Nathan had found out - she was explaining what had happened and she point blank said she had the Hatian wipe his memory.