Heroes Volume Four, Chapter Two: Trust & Blood

So the plane crashes, but we don’t get to see the part where all our heroes somehow manage to avoid being crushed or charred in the wreckage. Instead, we catch up to them with their madcap escape already in progress. Armed goons with search lights and helicopters pursue Hiro, Matt, and Mohinder. Matt develops the Isaac Mendez Milky-Eyes™ again, and a vision of Usutu guides him to a trailer, from which he steals art supplies. While Matt makes some prophetic sketches, Hiro and Mohinder swipe clothes from the clothesline and change out of their orange prison jumpsuits (Mohinder dons an awful black-and-red striped shirt, which, honestly, is no sillier than some of the stuff he wears voluntarily). Mohinder tries to convince Hiro to turn himself in, theorizing that the authorities will go easy on him once they discover he no longer has his powers, but Hiro isn’t falling for that crap. Matt sketches a bunch of random pictures, including one of Daphne getting shot.

Daphne finds Ando in Tokyo and tells him she’s worried because Matt didn’t come home last night. It’s not clear why Tokyo was tops on her list of places to look for him, but whatever. Ando fills her in on Hiro’s capture, mentioning he’s tracked him via GPS to Arkansas. Daphne and Ando zip off in search of Hiro and Matt.

At the crash site, Nathan argues with the scary balding guy (aka Danko, aka the Hunter) over the extreme and deadly tactics used to hunt the escaped prisoners (Danko is pro-, whilst Nathan is anti-). The plane wreckage is bombed to remove all traces of the crash; this seems a tad unnecessary, especially since much of the remainder of the episode takes place around the still-identifiable wreckage of the plane, but I’m sure Nathan’s goons know what they’re doing.

Bennet apprehends Peter and Claire, but has a pang of conscience and lets Peter escape. Bennet and Claire have one of those father-daughter squabbles I enjoy so much (“I don’t even know who you are anymore!” “I’m just trying to protect you, Claire-Bear!” Repeat ad nauseum). While Bennet and Nathan have a powwow about how Danko is totally nuts and super-violent, Daphne zips in and speeds off with Claire.

Matt, Mohinder, Ando, Daphne, Claire, and Hiro all congregate around the plane wreckage, heedless of the dozens of heavily-armed goons sweeping the immediate area for them. The goons attack and riddle Daphne and Claire with bullets. Chaos ensues; heroes scatter. Claire comes back to life and gets captured, but Daphne, apparently, is a goner. (Or not: there’s a framing device running throughout the episode featuring Nathan, forty-three hours after the crash, relating these events over the phone to someone who ultimately turns out to be Angela. So it’s fully possible Daphne is still alive and Nathan either is unaware of this or isn’t telling his mother the whole story.)

Danko takes Claire into custody and informs her that the plane crash was entirely her fault. Fair enough, though I’d go ahead and save a little of the blame for the kid who caused the big old hole in the side. Danko wants to shoot Claire in the head, but both Nathan and Bennet object. Strenuously. Bennet sends Claire back to Costa Verde.

In Newark, Mary Campbell and her no-good teenaged son Luke, who are neighbors to Sylar’s still-unseen taxidermist father, arrive home and find Sylar camped out in their living room, happily interrogating one of the agents who’d tried to capture him last episode. The agent hasn’t surrendered any information about Sylar’s father, so Sylar decides to torture the Campbells to get him to talk. As a bonus, Sylar throws in some free half-baked psychoanalysis of their family dynamic: Luke is a child of a single mom and an absent father, so Sylar, sensing a kindred spirit, concludes he’s a mom-loathing psychotic killer-in-training. The sad part is, he’s not far off. Luke reveals his own cool ability: heat rays!

This is relevant to Sylar’s interests.

When the tortured agent frees himself, Luke kills him to protect Sylar. Bad judgment call, kid. Really, really bad. Sylar takes off, but Luke decides he has a new best friend and tags along after him. Sylar thinks this is a crappy idea at first (as he tells the kid, “I let you live, which is kind of a big deal for me”), but relents when he finds Luke knows the current location of Sylar’s father. They steal Luke’s mother’s station wagon and hit the road. Is this plotline awesome or disturbing? Both? I can’t decide.

Peter teams up with fellow escapee Tracy, who is being sort of a wet dishrag, and tells her that, for plot simplification purposes, he can only hang onto a single ability at a time now. Tracy and Peter try to lure Nathan into an ambush: Tracy calls Nathan and offers to give him Peter in exchange for her freedom. When Nathan arrives, however, he successfully sweet-talks Tracy into betraying Peter. Peter ends up taking Nathan hostage; Bennet passes up a perfect opportunity to shoot Peter and instead lets Peter absorb Nathan’s power and fly away. Nathan takes Tracy into custody.

Matt, Mohinder, Hiro, Peter, and Ando meet up outside a church. Hey, it was really super-awesome of those masked goons to let everyone hang onto their cell phones after being arrested, because it’s made all these post-escape hookups go so much smoother. They look over Matt’s prophetic drawings. Hiro sees one of himself in New Delhi and concludes he’s supposed to find a sword and regain his powers. Sometimes Hiro’s leaps in logic are sorta hard to follow. Matt decides he wants to wreak terrible vengeance and retribution for Daphne’s death, while Mohinder, still strangely calm and reasonable, tries to steer him more in the user-friendly direction of “justice” instead. Peter yammers on about taking the fight to the enemy, and everyone starts to look noble and grimly determined. God help us all.

Claire returns to her home in Costa Verde, where a cheerily oblivious Sandra thinks she’s been off visiting colleges. Claire gets a text message from someone named “Rebel,” which reads, “There is still hope. You can fight back.”

Comments

Gorilla Bananas said…
Daphne's boobs look in great shape for someone's who's just survived a plane crash.
Morgan Richter said…
Loved the Hobbit shot with Matt, Mohinder and Hiro hiding in the tree roots.

Totally, what with the Nazguls breathing down their necks. Still, while Matt and Hiro make excellent hobbits, I've always thought of Mohinder as more of a Legolas: phenomenal bone structure, great hair, legs that go on forever. Maybe not the swiftest elf in Mirkwood, but hot enough to compensate for a certain vagueness.

Tracy is a really lousy negotiator.

Oh, Tracy, Tracy, Tracy. I'm trying to be in your corner, babe, but you're just so damn half-assed about everything you do.

Daphne's boobs look in great shape for someone's who's just survived a plane crash.

Okay, yeah, Daphne wasn't on the plane. But I have to admit, her cleavage was giving 110% last night. Daphne's a babe. (Also? Totally not dead. The true path of the Daphne/Matt InstaLove will not be thwarted so easily.)

Do we have any thoughts about the identity of the mysterious "Rebel"? I'm going to go with "anyone besides West."

I was delighted to see that Sylar likes a good Heroes road trip just as much as I do, though I imagine things with his new protege will end, shall we say, poorly.
Morgan Dodge said…
I think that Sylar is doing a fine, fine thing by helping out at-risk youth. Definitely a step in the right direction.

I'm kinda a fan of the Daphne character so I was a little unhappy about the whole getting shot and appearing to have died thing.
I did a quick sweep through the Brea Grant web-verse hoping she might have dropped clues as to the possibility of a Daphne return. Alas, she may be way nice, but she's also professional.

I liked this one. Not everyone is being bright, but it seems like they're playing the right characters again.

I'm glad they cleared up Peter's one power at a time thing. I was kinda waiting for Ando to accadentally touch him. "Aww man! Now I'm stuck with your lame ass power? Please, anyone! Anyone touch me quick!"
Morgan Richter said…
I think that Sylar is doing a fine, fine thing by helping out at-risk youth.

Yes. I think we've all underestimated Sylar's penchant for helping the community. He volunteers at soup kitchens twice a month, you know.

I'm kinda a fan of the Daphne character so I was a little unhappy about the whole getting shot and appearing to have died thing.

Yeah, me too. However, it seems like such an abrupt and arbitrary end to her character arc (what about the true course of InstaLove?) that I'm pretty sure it's not real. Time will tell.

Half the battle with Heroes is just getting the characters to act like their damn selves. I was reading the latest edition of Behind the Eclipse (a weekly Q&A with Heroes writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coliete), and, in response to a question about Mohinder's powers, they had this to say:

Enhanced strength is the only ability remaining. The wall climbing was linked to that goo coming off of his hands and the scales. But whereas Suresh is strong physically, he still has his weak morality to deal with.

Aw, crap. Really, guys? Weak morality? We're going to be doing this again? Mo's been doing so, so well the volume this far, what with being calm and practical and morally sound -- his character seriously starts to fall apart whenever you pull the "weak morality" shtick with him. Doesn't work. It's akin to ziti-baking Sylar. There are some things people just don't want to see.
Ingrid Richter said…
He volunteers at soup kitchens twice a month, you know.

I'm far too classy to even mention brain soup here.

Do we have any thoughts about the identity of the mysterious "Rebel"? I'm going to go with "anyone besides West."

Well, West did text Claire quite a bit before. Perhaps Skulky the Turtle Wonder has figured out texting?
Dan said…
Another fine recap, Morgan. Here's what I thought:

* The whole 'I don't even know you any more' thing from Claire-Bear was fair enough (albeit tedious) with HRG. But with Nathan?? I mean, how well did she know him before?

* Sylar and Luke totally reminded me of the Sith. "Always two there are. A master and an apprentice."

* Every time Sylar said 'Agent Simmons' I heard him say 'Hey, Gene Simmons'. Which was baffling, but kinda cool. Looking forward to him torturing Ace Frehley next week

* No idea who Claire-Bear's mysterious SMS'er is. But I WISH HE'D STOP SHOUTING! THAT'S JUST RUDE. I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH OF A REBEL YOU ARE

* Alas, poor Daphne Milkman. Matt now moves into InstaGrief™. Hopefully Skulky can offer some solace

* Finally, did it disturb anybody else that Paremedic Peter Petrelli seemed to be the tactical mastermind of our little group of fugitives? Because he totally wouldn't be my choice.

And, hey, let's just say that everybody's boobs looked great. Even Matt's.
Morgan Richter said…
"Always two there are. A master and an apprentice."

Oooo! I didn't even think of that! My brain was taking me more into sketchy Midnight Cowboy territory, but I like the whole Sith analogy so much better.

Finally, did it disturb anybody else that Paremedic Peter Petrelli seemed to be the tactical mastermind of our little group of fugitives?

Yes. Yes, Dan, it did. Deeply. However, who else is going to step into that role? Ando? Hiro? Mohinder???

Well, West did text Claire quite a bit before.

Yeah, I think that's what raised the ugly specter of West in my thoughts when Claire was getting her messages from "Rebel." Surely it wouldn't be him, though, what with the systematic purging of all characters from Volume Two. Nobody's going to kill off Adam and Elle and bring back West. That'd be madness!
Patrick said…
Great recap! My bet for the mysterious texter is that it's HRG, that way Claire can get all disillusioned and upset with her father, encouraged and inspired by Rebel, and realize at the end that they're the same person.

The arrival of Luke is a worrying development, especially as Sylar thinks it's too much of a coincidence that a teenager with powers is on the same street as his father. We've also established that Luke's mother is somewhat loose, given the way she flinched when Luke told her what the other kid had reportedly said about her but didn't seem to think it an unwarrented accusation.

The problem is that Sylar and Luke will meet Sylar's dad, Sylar will spend a few episodes thinking Luke is his brother, will then probably kill him anyway, then find out he wasn't related, then bond with his dad, then kill him anyway just to remind us he's a bad guy.

Daphne probably not dead as Parkman didn't cry and they would have given him some kind of big emotional reaction if she was gone for good. Maybe he remembered from 'Alias' that these things are never what they seem.
Patrick said…
I also think the Hunter probably has some kind of power - yet to be revealed. We'll learn what it is when poor Nathan gets put in one of those orange jump suits and sent to Guantan... wherever they plan on taking them.
Morgan Richter said…
The arrival of Luke is a worrying development, especially as Sylar thinks it's too much of a coincidence that a teenager with powers is on the same street as his father.

Patrick, I'm 100% in agreement with you on this. I didn't even want to mention it, because I think the whole "Sylar has brothers!" plotline was played out last season, but yeah, I'm betting Sylar is thinking Luke's his kid brother.

My bet for the mysterious texter is that it's HRG, that way Claire can get all disillusioned and upset with her father, encouraged and inspired by Rebel, and realize at the end that they're the same person.

Heh. You may very well be right. I found myself kind of hoping Rebel would turn out to be Micah, and then I wondered why I was thinking this, because I found Micah all kinds of irritating in Volume One. But then I remembered he had turned into kind of a neat kid in Volume Two (even though he didn't get anything interesting to do), and he was fine in his single lonely appearance in Volume Three. So I'd be cool with Micah coming back on the show (which seems entirely possible, since Nathan was looking at Micah's file during his conversation with President Worf at the end of last volume).

Whether the Hunter has an ability or not, I think things are going to get sticky for Nathan as soon as the Hunter finds out he can fly...
Dan said…
I'm betting Sylar is thinking Luke's his kid brother

(sigh) Sylar, dude. I have brothers. They're okay and all, but they're not worth this shameless glommery that you've got going on with anybody who is borderline quasi-fraternal.

My bet for the mysterious texter is that it's HRG

Oh, I like this idea. But would HRG really be able to text replies so quickly? I mean, he's a grown-up! Shouldn't he be fumbling around the keys, trying to pound something out, replying three quarters of an hour later to say 'OK'?

However, who else is going to step into that role? Ando? Hiro? Mohinder??

Good point. And Matt's crippled with the InstaGrief™. So, realistically, this lot shouldn't be able to elude The Hunter for more than ten minutes. Quarter of an hour, tops.

So, of course, in the Heroes universe, they'll go pretty much the rest of the season I guess.
Morgan Richter said…
But would HRG really be able to text replies so quickly? I mean, he's a grown-up!

I think we've just discovered the reason behind Rebel's SHOUTY ALL-CAPS! It's much easier to text in all-caps. Seriously, proper capitalization in text messages is almost beyond my capabilities.

So, realistically, this lot shouldn't be able to elude The Hunter for more than ten minutes.

Oh, yeah. I'd imagine The Hunter has been sitting in the bushes all this time, observing our gang of nitwits while glancing at his watch and rolling his eyes and wondering if it'd be too unsportsmanlike to round them all up before the ten minutes is up. I hope he lets them dangle for a while longer. I have the feeling that watching Peter et al bumble their way through elite military manuevers is going to be adorable!

Speaking of adorable, the brilliant Jack Coleman has a very funny behind-the-scenes blog over at Television Without Pity (The HRG Files). He's just updated it to cover the last two episodes (and the Super Bowl commercial). Worth a read. Coleman is snarky!
Anonymous said…
I was kind of hoping Rebel would end up being Micah as well, but HRG would be a good twist. Is Micah even aware of Claire's existence though? It doesn't seem like their paths have ever actually crossed unless I've forgotten something. Obviously they were both in New York at the end of Volume I, but they didn't interact did they?
Morgan Richter said…
Is Micah even aware of Claire's existence though?

Yeah, I don't think they've met, unless you count the chaos at Kirby Plaza. So it probably wouldn't make much sense for Rebel to be Micah (which doesn't mean it won't turn out to be him, of course. Logic sometimes takes a backseat on this show).
Anonymous said…
I sort of got a kick out of Claire referring to Nathan as number two. Now, you lot may not be aware of this, but in a handful of states across the U.S. (about 50, if I had to guess), the phrase "nuber two" is sometimes slang for a certain bodily evacuation.

Now I'm almost perpetually irritated by Claire, but I think the writers found a subtle and surprisingly clever way for her to call Nathan a piece of shit.

Oh yeah, and how after surviving a plane crash does she still manage to have caked-on makeup? I think the hunters threw an Avon grenade at her and it exploded on her face. I'm just saying.
Morgan Richter said…
Oh yeah, and how after surviving a plane crash does she still manage to have caked-on makeup?

Seeing as Nathan's goons let Tracy, Peter, Hiro, Ando, Mohinder and Matt keep their cell phones post-capture, I'm not surprised they'd let Claire hang on to her Maybelline Moisture Whip and her straightening iron for post-escape touchups.

I'm still wondering why Mohinder and Hiro and Matt had to steal clothes from the clothesline, though. If they were naked under their stylish orange jumpsuits (and it's clear Matt at least had a t-shirt on under his), it makes it all the more bizarre that they still had their phones... Theory: they were all fully dressed in street clothes beneath the jumpsuits, but Mohinder really, really wanted to nab himself that Freddy Krueger sweater.
Damozel said…
Hi folks!
Am here thanks to Dan, seeing as he shoved me in your direction because of his soft spot for my Mohinder pout :D
I back Morgan's statement of "Logic sometimes takes a backseat on this show". If the writers stopped a moment to think, this could be a far better show - but this is all old hat with us Heroes fans, I guess.
I am liking Volume 4...so far. My chief silent grouses remain:
(a) The continued absence of Molly and her non-mention between Matt and Mohinder is disturbing. Dan believes she is the force behind Nathan...Original! Could even Heroes writers manage that twist?
(b) Sylar's quests are getting tiresome. Though I like his sense of humour
(c) The show is still going a bit fast with the scenes and the dynamics between the characters...
(d) are the writers afraid to think out dialogues between characters or are they too lazy to write them down? Or are they keeping up this show because NBC wants them to?
Damozel said…
Morgan, your blog is like an unending Pixar movie fest for an old Heroes fan like me :D Wonderful. Oh my! Season 1 recaps: digs into the delicious nostalgic fare...
Ingrid Richter said…
Welcome, Damosel! (and good to see you back on the board, Josh)

The continued absence of Molly and her non-mention between Matt and Mohinder is disturbing.

Heck, I'm still trying to figure out where Matt & Mohinder are sleeping. Apartments are pricy in New York, but not that hard to find.

I'm still wondering why Mohinder and Hiro and Matt had to steal clothes from the clothesline, though.

To elude the bloodhounds? General wackiness? Gratutious skin?
Morgan Richter said…
Welcome, Damozel! Yeah, as fond as I am of Heroes, my main grouse is (and always will be, I fear) the overall sloppiness. I mean, they (partly) explained away the absence of Molly last volume with a singly hasty exchange between Mohinder and Maya, and now Mohinder and Matt seem to have no recollection of the small child they were raising together... c'mon, guys, you can do better than that. I know they've got a lot of characters and a lot of plotlines, and there are inevitably going to be some loose threads, but I wish they'd take a little more care with the details.

Sylar's quests are getting tiresome.

No argument here. Especially since this feels like the exact same quest he was on last volume, only without the part where he bakes ziti and has a shy romance with Elle. Still, I thought Sylar was in pretty good form this last episode, what with terrorizing the family and taking the kid on a spontaneous road trip. When Sylar decides to be evil and funny, he's vastly entertaining.
Dan said…
Mohinder and Matt seem to have no recollection of the small child they were raising together...

If I had a choice between raising Molly and looking after Skulky The Turtle Wonder, I'd go with the Turticular One, too.

Hmmm? No, I don't have children. Why do you ask?

I'm still wondering why Mohinder and Hiro and Matt had to steal clothes from the clothesline, though.

Just to make life a little bit tougher for the person who owned that caravan would be my guess:

"Jillian, they stole my Freddie Krueger sweater, my new sketchbook and pencils and that box of donuts we were saving for Valentine's Day."

"Jerks!"
Morgan Richter said…
"But they left us a handful of yen and three baggy orange jumpsuits. And they didn't take my "Rednecks Make Better Lovers" t-shirt. So it's all good."

Just to make life a little bit tougher for the person who owned that caravan would be my guess

Dan, you may add "caravan", in this usage, to the list of Australianisms you've thrown at us. (Norgs, utes, bottle shops, fringes, singlets... am I missing any?)

Not that it wasn't abundantly clear from the context, but for the Americanos here, this is from Answers.com:

caravan: (chiefly British) A trailer or dwelling place on wheels.

We learn so much from you.
Dan said…
(Norgs, utes, bottle shops, fringes, singlets... am I missing any?)

Um, we also 'hire' DVDs rather than 'rent' them.

We so upside-down crazy!
Morgan Richter said…
Oh! You also use the fancy word "sultanas" instead of lumping all dried grapes into the communal category of "raisins."

(I hope everyone else is paying attention. There'll be a quiz later, and I pity anyone who doesn't know the difference between a norg and a ute.)

On topic: Did I miss something when Nathan's goons bombed the plane wreckage, presumably to obliterate all traces of the crash (and later, we saw part of the news broadcast confirming that the government was denying that a plane had crashed)? Because... the plane was still there for the rest of the episode. Only instead of a crashed plane, it was a crashed-and-charred plane. Did that really help Nathan's scheme any?
Dan said…
Only instead of a crashed plane, it was a crashed-and-charred plane. Did that really help Nathan's scheme any?

Uh, no. But then, very few of Nathan's actions help Nathan's schemes.

I pity anyone who doesn't know the difference between a norg and a ute.

Heh. The differences are subtle, yet telling.
Damozel said…
Nathan was one of the more multi-layered characters on the show. Though Nathan's path can be seen as credible keeping in mind his hesitations in Season 1 and the FYG future we saw, but his intelligence seems to have been obiterated in that cause.
Also, Matt has got a new ability now and he is a precog. The show needs a precog, fair. The show also hints that people's abilities mirror their attitudes or vocations. Then, can a mind reader become a prophet? I am thinking: if a prophet could read my mind and tell me what I want to hear, does that make him a prophet? Also, Matt has a personal agenda - a family that he has been seeking since Season 1. Does that make him an ideal candidate for a prophet - someone who would/should care for the world? I am not sure I am thinking correctly on this: Any thoughts?
Morgan Richter said…
It's not terribly unnatural for Matt to go from mind reader to precog, but I'm not sure it's the best path for this character, plotwise. I mean, given the options out of the existing characters, it probably made the most sense to give Isaac's/Usutu's powers to Matt (far, far better than to have, say, HRG suddenly scribbling prophetic drawings), but I'm still not quite sold on it. It might grow on me. Matt was already given additional layers to his powers, what with his dabbling into mind control, and I don't think that's been fully explored yet. Making him a prophet as well as a mind-controlling telepath seems a little unnecessary.

I go back and forth on Nathan. I thought his trajectory was pretty clear in Volume One when he was a bit of a weasel, and in Volume Two, when he transformed into a reformed weasel. He lost some ground with me in Volume Three: first there was the God kick, which he seemed to take up and abandon on a whim, and then he sort of wanted to help his father give powers to everyone, but then he also sort of thought the powers were too dangerous... It got messy.

I think his character has been damaged though his inability to commit to a single course of action. I still like Nathan, though, and I like Pasdar, so I'm hoping this volume provides him with some more clear-cut goals. Barring that, I hope he gets to tote around a shotgun while delivering one-liners like he did in Volume Two. That was definitely his high point.
Morgan Dodge said…
-- sorry, I'm just trying to figure out if it's a bad thing that I forgot to hitch the caravan I had hired to my ute because I was distracted by the girl in the singlet, with the cute fringes, coming out of the bottle shop?

I can't be bothered to stay on topic when there's far more important things to consider. Vegemite anyone?
Morgan Richter said…
I was distracted by the girl in the singlet, with the cute fringes, coming out of the bottle shop

That was the one with the really phenomenal norgs, right?

(I'm sorry. This comment thread has become disproportionately breastcentric. Dreadful behavior. Next episode thread, I propose we analyze the 1972 Fischer-Spassky match to compensate for all this lowbrow humor.)

I can't help noticing we've now gone two episodes without a Mohinderlogue. Are they a thing of the past, and if so, is that good or bad? Not that I ever paid attention to whatever Mo was nattering on about, but there's an empty spot in my soul at the thought that they might be gone forever.
Anonymous said…
Morgan, good point about the lack of Mohinderlogues. My thought is that they're probably moving away from them with the new fugitive reboot. It's hard to find the time for grandiose narration when you're just trying to survive and stay one step ahead of the man.
Morgan Richter said…
It's hard to find the time for grandiose narration when you're just trying to survive and stay one step ahead of the man.

Excellent point, Jason. Mohinder's role seems to be downgraded somewhat this volume, which is probably a reaction to his ill-received plotline last volume (I really don't know why anyone thought turning Mohinder into an evil bug-man would meet with widespread audience approval). Fair enough, but I'm worried he might be on the chopping block, just because Bryan Fuller alluded in a recent interview to NBC Universal pushing them to cull some original cast members. Eek.

Taking away the Mohinderlogues might, just might, be a baby step toward weeding Mo out. I hope not. The bone structure alone makes him indispensable, as far as I'm concerned.
Dan said…
I'm sorry. This comment thread has become disproportionately breastcentric.

At least it's done so in what, to most readers, is a form of gibberish. So that's probably the best way to do it.

I can't help noticing we've now gone two episodes without a Mohinderlogue.

I hadn't noticed, but now that you've pointed it out, I want them to come back. How am I supposed to know what the greater themes of the episode are without Mohinder yammering away about Odin knows what? Am I supposed to pay attention to what's going on?
Morgan Richter said…
How am I supposed to know what the greater themes of the episode are without Mohinder yammering away about Odin knows what? Am I supposed to pay attention to what's going on?

Aw, no worries, Dan. Even without a Mohinderlogue to guide your way, I'm sure the dialogue will continue to explicitly spell out everything you're supposed to know. I still think fondly of the pilot episode, where Angela solemnly told Peter re: Nathan, "You hero-worshipped him, and those feelings were never returned." That's awesome, Angela, thank you. I'm sure you were telling Peter that for his own edification, and not just so the audience could be hand-fed an important bit of backstory that otherwise would have to come out organically through Peter's and Nathan's interactions with each other.
Dan said…
"You hero-worshipped him, and those feelings were never returned."

Or maybe it was some bizarre mental 'These aren't the droids you're looking for' mindwipe. That would be awesome.

Hmmm... what are Angela's powers again? I swear, episodes fade from my memory with disturbing rapidity these days. You were talking about Nathan wielding a shotgun and one-liners during Season Two and I, alas, have no memory of that whatsoever.

I do remember a very frightening beard, however. So where's the justice?
Morgan Richter said…
You were talking about Nathan wielding a shotgun and one-liners during Season Two and I, alas, have no memory of that whatsoever.

It's pretty much the only thing I remember from season two. It was post-beard, when Nathan and Matt first confronted Maury "Even WORSE than Sylar!" Parkman, and for some reason Nathan decided to channel Bruce Campbell circa Army of Darkness. If he did more of that, Nathan would be my mostest favoritest character ever.

Alas, that was the last we saw of Totally Awesome Nathan. Then Matt and Nathan both got outsmarted and outmaneuvered by Maury, and it quickly became embarassing.

Hmmm... what are Angela's powers again?

Vaguely prophetic dreams/visions. So, really, Angela would have been a much better candidate than Matt to receive the Isaac Mendez Milky-Eyes, though I like the idea of Angela knowing Jedi Mind-Tricks even better. Theoretically, Matt has a few Jedi Mind-Tricks up his sleeves, but he so rarely trots them out, except when he wants Molly to sit down and finish her cereal. Such a waste.
Ingrid Richter said…
I'd like to think Matt is still using his Jedi mind tricks on Mohinder: "You will let me stay at your place, rent-free. We will be eating pizza every other night. You think it's a great idea for me to bring my turtle and girlfriend to live with us."
Morgan Richter said…
I'd like to think Matt is still using his Jedi mind tricks on Mohinder

Heh. It would explain so much! Mohinder specifically told HRG he hadn't been in recent contact with Matt, which probably means Mohinder had been sleeping in his lab, wondering glumly why he let Matt talk him out of his own apartment and all his belongings (the apartment still seems to be filled with all of Mo's signature crap, including that silver double-helix sculpture on his desk. Which, when you think about it, really doesn't seem much like Matt's decorating taste).

Also, I think the Daphne/Matt InstaLove becomes easier to explain when you factor in Jedi Mind Control.
Dan said…
I think the Daphne/Matt InstaLove becomes easier to explain when you factor in Jedi Mind Control.

And Skulky does bear a strong resemblance to Yoda. It's all falling into place. We have Sith, we have Jedi. My money is on a Wookiee appearance next episode.
Morgan Richter said…
And Skulky does bear a strong resemblance to Yoda.

Every bit as wise. Just a little less chatty.

(BTW, Dan, not that there was ever any doubt, but you solidified your geek cred by getting that second "e" in "Wookiee." I went to see Fanboys last weekend, and there's a scene where everything hinges upon our heroes' knowledge of Star Wars trivia -- which, come to think about it, was almost exactly like my application process to USC's film school. They were momentarily flummoxed by a question about the name of the Wookiee home planet, and I was sitting in the theater thinking scornfully, "It's Kashyyyk, you losers!")

On topic: Those mourning the loss of Elle should see Fanboys. Kristen Bell is super-cute in it.
Lou said…
Excellent review as ever girl-Morgan. I particularly enjoyed the fact you pointed out some rather large plotholes: 1) prisoners apparently having cellphones. Ridiculous but alarmingly convenient. 2) Daphne finding Ando remarkably easily. 3) A so-called bombed crash site still having an enormous bloody plane tail sticking up in the air

I also believe Daphne is not dead.

Oh and wasnt Mohinder adorable in his lil strippy sweater? So Dennis the Menace...
Morgan Richter said…
Great to have you back, Lou!

Oh and wasnt Mohinder adorable in his lil strippy sweater? So Dennis the Menace...

I don't know why I always get so happy whenever Mohinder wears something awful or garish. Ever since Volume One where he bopped around in a hot-pink sweater, which he then accessorized with a greenish-brownish corduroy jacket and a multicolored striped scarf, I've kept a keen eye on his wardrobe. The man likes color.

(Are you following the Heroes prop guy's Twitter? He mentioned recently that the Thumb Ring of Sexiness is Sendhil's own personal ring. I swear, you can learn the secrets of the universe through the judicious use of Twitter.)