Heroes 3x07 - Eris Quod Sum

[marenpaisley]

Huh. I'm not really sure what to make of tonight's episode. There were things that worked for me and some others that didn't. I guess we'll start with characters again. Missing today were The Haitian and Mr. Muggles. Yeah, maybe that's why it seemed a bit jumpy: we had all of our key players today - even Lyle. "Lyle style" was an interesting little moment. Even the tortoise made it to Matt's apartment, but we can look at that later.

Claire, Sandra, Lyle, Elle: I liked the interplay between Claire and Elle after they "made up", as it were. I genuinely felt sorry for Elle, and I hope that her character can see some real growth and development in the coming episodes. Claire annoyed me with her bitchiness, but I think that was intentional (I hope?). She's a teenager going through a tough time - I've worked with enough of them irl to think that may be what the producers were aiming for.

Bennet, Meredith, Nathan, Tracy: I think I saw the scene online where the four of them interact (I was trying to stay spoiler-free, but sometimes you just. have. to. click. the. link!), and it was still pretty funny. I'm still digging Nathan and Tracy working together, too. They make a good team.

Daphne & Matt: Daphne, nooooo! I realize that she's just scared, and that's why she's still answering to Arthur Petrelli, but I'm going to hate seeing the fall-out of her double-cross. I liked Matt's reaction to his father's death; it seemed pretty realistic to me. Even if you don't like a person, you can't help but be shocked when they do die. What I'm wondering is if Matt even remembered that he used to care for Molly. I'm pretty sure he was in Mohinder's old apartment (the tagline read "Brooklyn"). Did he peek inside her old bedroom and think, "Great! Now there's room for the turtle tank!" Of course I'm just being facetious, but, c'mon, show! I suppose the writers thought Matt leaving a message on Mohinder's cellphone was enough. Because, you know, Mohinder and Molly are just out shopping or something. No worries.

Peter and Arthur: Sucks your father is such an ass, Peter. Seriously. Also, Arthur didn't take Maury Parkman's ability before he killed him - an ass and an idiot. Here's hoping that Matt owns Arthur in the end.

Mohinder & Maya: Yeah, I didn't buy the idea that Mohinder "really cared for Maya". I get it that he wasn't in control of his actions due to all of the crazy that's been happening to him, but he actually had feelings for her? Really? I did like Maya having natural reactions of repulsion to his presence. And, the biggest thing for me was the fact that Maya gets to have a new life now. She was able to leave with dignity, which is more than what a lot of fans wanted for her (cruel, cruel people). My question for Mohinder is what does he really hope to achieve now? Is he planning on working for Pinehearst because he feels as though he's being blackmailed for his own cure? Or has he really bought the idea that the future Peter saw is inevitable unless Mohinder, himself, tries to make Pinehearst's formula work?

Sigh. I think I'd be able to swallow this down a whole lot easier if the original origin of Mohinder's abilities didn't stem from him deliberately injecting himself to see if he was right, but rather, as the script first was written, as a means of self-defense against those thugs in 3x01.

Sylar: I'm still enjoying his redemption arc. I loved the fact that he pushed Peter out the window and then broke his fall. But how long will he be able to resist the manipulations of Arthur? Sylar has been a lot of fun to watch, anyway.

I feel like I'm missing someone... oh, dude. Hiro & Ando. Seriously, once again I could have done without them this episode. I also thought that ending on Hiro's "spirit walk" knock-out was a lame cliff-hanger. Um, we know that goopy stuff he ate won't hurt him. A better ending would have shown a clip of the vision he was seeing that somehow put himself or others in danger. Duh, writers. I shouldn't have to spell that out.

I think this episode suffered not so much by the story being told - each of the storylines were interesting taken individually - but rather from poor editing. I don't know if that was because the script itself was presented in this way or if the changes were made in the editing room, but all this episode seemed to do was set up more story for a big payoff in another episode. Set-up episodes generally aren't as well received as pay-off episodes, anyway, and this one seems especially disappointing knowing that the big pay-off isn't going to come until after 3x08 (the flashback episode). So that's really three weeks until the major story elements that we've been building to get to be explored again. Hmm.

Okay, add in this weird suspended World Series game, I think it's time to log off, pick up a book, and listen to the cold, cold rain.

Comments

[aurilly.livejournal.com]

Arthur didn't take Maury Parkman's ability before he killed him
I think Arthur might be able to take your ability but also let you keep it? Because I think he was projecting thoughts into Adam's head right before he killed him last week. Adam just suddenly started freaking out and screaming even before he was touched, and I think the blog or one of the writers or something said that's what was going on.

The Elle and Claire scenes were great. DO you know what is strange about the past couple of episodes? Since the beginning, this has been a male-oriented show. You basically never got two females in the same scene. Now, the all-female scenes are my favorite. Last week's "Claire and her two mommies kicking ass" and now this week with Tracy+Meredith cattiness, then everything with Elle and Claire. It's like they hired a bunch of female writers and finally got it right. I wish Maya had gotten to hang out with a girl (that was the storyline I was hoping they'd give her this season; she'd already had enough drama at the hands of men), especially since it's working this year.

I really agree with the Hiro/Ando cliffhanger of not-hanging. We've seen this before. Unless somehow Hiro sees into the past and that's the impetus for the flashback? Because remember the original 6 Months Ago was started with the construct that Hiro went back to save Charlie, and this was all the other stuff going on at the same time. And then 4 Months Ago had the construct of Peter remembering things. So maybe the goop or whatever can go backwards and forwards? That might be nice.

cruel, cruel people
I really think the only reason people wanted her dead was because the show doesn't really have a precedent for letting characters exit the show gracefully. Either we're stuck with someone's presence or they have to die violently. Now that they've shown that it's possible to write someone off, I desperately want that to be it! I don't want her to die! Just let her be gone and happy.

Mohinder and Molly are just out shopping or something
That's sort of what I assumed. I can definitely see Matt thinking that, well, until he realizes that all of her stuff is packed up. My issue all season has been with Nathan forgetting about Matt.

Your recap was so rational and made me feel a little better. :)

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

I think Arthur might be able to take your ability but also let you keep it? Because I think he was projecting thoughts into Adam's head right before he killed him last week.

Ooo, good catch. Okay, Arthur, you get a pass this time. :D

I wish Maya had gotten to hang out with a girl

That's really insightful; I hadn't thought about her onscreen relationships in that way, and you're absolutely right.

I found that the more I watched Season 2, the more I liked Maya. I can see some of the things that fans were annoyed with, but I think that ultimately she became a scapegoat for people to dogpile while the season was airing. I'm still relatively new to Heroes (I got into the DVDs back in March at the urging of seraphtrevs) and was able to watch the first two seasons without any breaks. I'm betting that when everything is said and done, Season 3 will hold up much better when watched all the way through, too. I think that's why comic book anthologies read way easier than individual issues - the stories are so much more engaging when you're not removed from the storyline for a whole month (or week, as the case may be). Whoa, tangent! : )

Either we're stuck with someone's presence or they have to die violently.

Yeesh, that's true, too! I'd be perfectly happy if we were able to leave Maya's storyline right where it is - she's gone off into the sunset and hopefully to become the person she always wanted to be. I suppose Monica was also left to her own devices, and I'd like to think that she and Micah are using their abilities to help put New Orleans back together.

My issue all season has been with Nathan forgetting about Matt.

That's another good point. I liked how the two of them worked together. I suppose we could chalk up his forgetting to having been traumatically shot, but still. And while it was a great comedic scene when Nathan, Meredith, and HRG were together, there is the issue that Nathan has another family out there, though he seems to have forgotten them, too. Maybe his father will confront Nathan about his lapse in familial responsibility. Actually, the showdown between those two could end up being pretty epic. :D

Your recap was so rational and made me feel a little better. :)

I'm glad for that! I find that I'm usually reeling from information overload until I get my thoughts down and then explore other people's reactions. I tend to miss so much while I'm watching that it's really great hearing what other people caught, so thanks!

[coldryuuza.livejournal.com]

ohhh where did u get your icon??> it's nice.

i'm diggin Sylar's redemption arc a lot too. :D it's interesting.

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

I got the icon from this page (http://www.bricked.net/deeps/?p=65), where you can find a lot more. They're all adorable. :D

I still maintain that Sylar could be become the Wolverine of this universe: always walking that line between good and evil and struggling against his killer instincts. It definitely makes for a compelling story!

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

whoops, posted this in the wrong spot.

[oldfilmsflicker.livejournal.com]

Sylar is awesome.

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

Yes. Yes, he is. :D

[seraphtrevs.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure he was in Mohinder's old apartment (the tagline read "Brooklyn"). Did he peek inside her old bedroom and think, "Great! Now there's room for the turtle tank!"

LOLOLOLOLOL

I think I'd be able to swallow this down a whole lot easier if the original origin of Mohinder's abilities didn't stem from him deliberately injecting himself to see if he was right, but rather, as the script first was written, as a means of self-defense against those thugs in 3x01.

At this point, I'll agree with you. I really DID like the idea of him making a Faustian choice and being driven mad by it, but now that they've decided to make him not crazy, I'm not feeling it at all. Heroes. >:(

I think this episode suffered not so much by the story being told - each of the storylines were interesting taken individually - but rather from poor editing.

Yeah, I agree - it felt really disjointed. There was a lot of stuff that I liked in retrospect, but on the whole I was left with a "blech" feeling.

[marenpaisley.livejournal.com]

At this point, I'll agree with you. I really DID like the idea of him making a Faustian choice and being driven mad by it, but now that they've decided to make him not crazy, I'm not feeling it at all. Heroes. >:(

Oh, yes, I liked that he made the decision deliberately at first, too. But after this episode I was just left feeling bzuh? Now I have to wonder if that was the director's interpretation of the script, who then subsequently made the actor behave in a non-crazy way? I get the feeling from reading the interviews with the writers and even from Beeman's blog that Mohinder's simply been reduced to being "the bug man" on the show. And that's it. You know, if they were really stretching for something for Mohinder to do this season while they explored the family dynamics of the Petrellis and Bennets, then I think it would have been better to just disolve his storyline for this volume - Mohinder takes Molly to India, maybe, while Maya joins the Company as an agent. He could have made a return with Molly for "Fugitives".

My biggest hope for his story in this volume is that he gets cured and de-crazified in time for what I assume will be a story arc that is similar to the X-Men's hiding-from-the-government plots. Then he can help the powered characters stay in hiding. I want Mohinder to stop playing for the villains' team in the future, and he needs to earn the trust of the other characters in order to do that.

Sylar needs less redemption at this point than Mohinder.

lol, I don't know why I'm posting this when you're going to be here soon where we can just talk about it. Eeeeee! :D :D :D