NBC
(Season 3, Episode 8)
“What am I gonna do now? Am I gonna kiss you? Or am I gonna kill you?” – Angela to Arthur, upon learning that he plotted to kill Nathan
So … we learn a little more about how the heroes got to where they are. Here are a few thoughts on tonight’s episode:
Arthur goes rogue. After some mind control on Angela goes oh so wrong, the Petrelli patriarch forms the rival company Pinehearst and begins forming his army. Hey, she was just trying to keep her son Nathan from being killed.
Sylar gets his serial-killer freak on. We should start calling ziti pasta the food of death. It played heavily into The Sopranos‘ journey, and now it’s playing into Sylar’s. After Elle, working for the company, tries to make nice by having a pleasant pasta dinner with Sylar, she ends up inadvertently turning him into a killing machine. Sure, she’s struggling with her choices, but like Noah says, she can either walk into the city and try to make it on her own, or stay with the company. Personally, I would have walked. Here’s the thing, though. Later in the future, suburban dad Sylar has a son. And if my Spidey-instincts are correct, he and Elle made a little connection in tonight’s episode. Could the son be Elle’s?
Meredith has a combustible brother. We learn that fire-starting Flint was told he’d be trained to be an agent in the company. Well, that just cannot be, she told him. “Remember what daddy used to say?” she asks him. “God gave you a big sister instead of a brain. Don’t ever trust the company.” So the two end up on a train being pursued by Thompson (Eric Roberts). He’s got a soft spot, though, because when he realizes that Meredith never knew Claire was still alive, he lets her go. And then cheerleader Claire shows up at the scene of the fire, started by the flame-throwing brother and sister.
Usutu loses his head. Oh dear. The poor vision painter has some serious head issues when he actually loses his after Hiro comes out of his spirit walk and proclaims to Ando they have to warn Angela, Nathan and Meredith that Arthur is alive. That Arthur is one bad dude! And I’m guessing he’s going to try turning Hiro into one bad dude, too. Can his bromance with Ando save him?
Your thoughts on tonight’s episode?
Clacked by Jane Boursaw 
on Nov 11, 2008 @ 03:00 EST5EDT
Total unpredictability in this episode! I loved just about the whole thing…Heroes is getting back on track, finally! The one thing that didn’t work for me was Eric Roberts’ unconvincing jump from the burning train. It actually had me chuckling a little bit at how cheesy and fake it looked, almost like he didn’t want to jump. I was suprised that Meredith and Flint were brother and sister–maybe their shared ability should have tipped me off, but then again we haven’t seen the same inherited powers in siblings yet. I don’t count Peter being able to fly because he only sapped that power from his brother and wasn’t naturally born with it. Neither was Nathan, come to think of it.
Since we are used to seeing Angela as such a powerhouse it was so strange for me to see her controlled by her husband. I even felt sad for her, much the same way I felt for Claire’s mom when she was starting to lose her marbles after having her memory erased so many times. Another surprise–Linderman had a conscience! Was it just me, or did he seem like maybe there was more to it than just not wanting to kill Nathan? Like maybe he had feelings for Angela? Also, was anyone else confused by Nathan and Heidi’s car crash? Did he fly out of the car or did someone pull him out? It looked like it happened against his will, so is this when his power manifested? Was this already covered at some point in the show and I just forgot?
Personally I am loving seeing Gabriel vs. Sylar and the internal struggle that he has with his ability. Some people have said they only like him evil, but I disagree. With all the unrealistic things that happen on Heroes, at least they give their characters truly human qualities. This provides a depth and life to the character of Gabriel that would otherwise turn flat and boring if he had continued to be portrayed as this inhuman, unemotional monster. I really love the idea of Gabriel and Elle together and having a baby. They’ve both been forced more or less into the way that they are and together I think they can find strength to resist what everyone else tells them about themselves.
Final thought: How did Usutu not know Papa Petrelli was coming to lop off his head? Or did he see it, but realize it was necessary for things to play out as they should and let destiny take its course? If he did, he’s a better man than me!
Nathan and Sylar are brothers and have similar abilities.
You’re right, but it’s Peter isn’t it? Just goes to show my memory reboots a little too quickly–one episode that shows the time before we knew they were brothers and I forgot all about it!
Christ, what an idiot I am. Peter and Sylar.
Oh, and to answer your other question, yes, they’ve shown the accident before, I think late in Season One, and yes, as far as we know, it was the first manifestation of Nathan’s (Not, you know, Peter, for people like me that can’t make the distinction) powers.
I’d go one farther that Peter and Syler are brothers who have the same power as papa Patrelli (all three take powers from others they just do it in different manners).
I actually made the same point a little further down in the comments ;)
I was bored to tears. I usually find a good 15 minutes of any episode lately that I enjoy. This time, I might as well have been staring at a wall.
The major plot hole regarding Arthur’s (faked) death really ruined this episode for me. You can’t change a storyline like that without explanation.
However, this episode was a perfect example of why you shouldn’t let angry women cook.
I liked the return of Eric Roberts. And was it me or did Elle seem nice in this episode? Was the Sylar incident what turned her bitchy?
Eh… Didn’t even remember that it was a suicide.
hey, i wanted to check out your link but it isn’t working. elle did seem nice. i think she is a good girl at heart but like HRG said, she’s been trained to work for the company since she was a little girl. it’s not her fault.
Did anyone else notice at the beginning of the show that it said Villains instead of Heroes? I have never noticed it before.
No chat this week :(
Intriguing episode. I like this much more complex Sylar character. When he was just killing people for their abilities he was interesting, but just came across as evil. That would have gotten old really quick. When we saw future homebody Sylar, it seemed somewhat forced. This week’s episode created the bridge between the two Sylars and created depth.
Overall, that is what this episode did well…helped define the characters. Looking forward to where this takes us.
Though, I am a little worried about Hiro.
Okay, I need you folks to explain some things to me.
If Papa can force his will on anyone, why didn’t he just do to Nathan what he did to Angela to get him to drop the investigation on Linderman? For that matter, he could just show up at Nathan’s work and make everyone forget they ever heard about Linderman, right?
If the poison Angela gave Arthur was so potent he can’t breathe on his own, how did he ever survive getting to the hospital?
If Sylar had that handy-dandy air rifle power, how come we have never seen it before?
I’m not entirely sure what Daddy Patrelli’s power is. It seemed that he was using a version of the Parkman power, but it seemed to me that he had to kill (i.e. Adam Monroe) to get the power.
Theory: Daddy can take powers. Sylar can figure out powers. Peter can ‘feel’ powers. Each of those seems linked to their personality. But, what about Nathan? He seems to be the only direct spawn of Petrelli that can’t take powers, and we know he received his powers through “medicine.” Is it possible that Nathan’s parentage isn’t what we thought?
In regards to Nathan’s powers, I believe it was stated in a previous episode this season that genetic testing on Nathan as a baby showed he didn’t have the right genes to manifest a power naturally, so they used the formula to give him a power just like they did with Nicki and her two sisters.
Hence my “though medicine” comment.