Commentary: Heroes 3x03 "One of Us, One of Them"

[brighteyedjill]

And now: One of Us, One of Them

Great shot of evil!Angela’s shadow coming into the room. I don’t at all mind seeing this scene twice. I totally thought she was going to kiss Sylar, though, when she was whispering sweet nothings in his ear. That's motherly love, Petrelli style.

Bridget is not a blonde! Hooray! Oh... wait... She didn’t last long. It took me a couple seconds to realize what Angela meant by "She's going to feed you." I was thinking, "Um, like through a feeding tube? Or bringing him jello and milkshakes? Why did Angela say that in such a sinister way OH NO I GET IT!" She is a great Queen Bitch, and she knows the way to her son's heart.

Finally, Nathan asks about Peter. And apparently Peter left two messages, since that’s not what he said on the phone when we saw him. To be fair, he could have said what we heard on that voicemail before the bit we heard at the end of the last episode. But still. It's about time Nathan took an interest in where the hell his real brother is. It’s handy that Knox’s power is so useful for detecting Peter’s feelings. Wonder if that’s related to Peter’s type of empathy in any way.

I thought for one glorious moment that by “I’ll need my old partner back” he meant Claude. But now Bennet and Sylar are thrown together by circumstances! Hilarity will ensue (I hope)!

I like how there is always lots of breakfast in the Bennet house. Waffles, eggs, bacon etc. Real homey. Blending in fail. If they were real Californians, they would eat only granola and yogurt. Or maybe a bagel. Certainly not that much syrup. You can take the Bennets out of Texas... I love protective!Sandra. She’s Claire’s real mom, Lyle. Snap. I love that Sandra has balls, and I love the dynamic between her and Meredith. Sandra's starting to remind me of Joyce Summers. In a good way.

Angela is full of awesomeness for partnering these two. And besides, Bennet, you didn’t like Claude too much at first, either. Gabriel is just misunderstood, and he needs structure. Which Noah can give him. Rare slash set-up much?

Pikachu is a way better nickname than Carp. I like the Hiro/Ando banter with Daphne. And I was prepared to not like her at all. Any appearance by the Haitian is a good appearance. Especially if it becomes Keystone Cops-esque. But you'd think that Hiro would learn from getting schooled over and over again.

It’s probably for the best that Meredith didn’t get a chance to raise Claire. Because she is sort of counter-productive. Who doesn’t know that parents are supposed to provide a unified front? Stop with the undermining!

Can I just say how much I love every single line delivery of Adrian Pasdar’s? Because I do. And he has chemistry with Ali Larter. Of course, he seems to have chemistry with anything that moves (and several things that don't). The line, "You're really not Niki Sanders" was delivered in a ridiculously sultry way, with him leaning ridiculously close to her face, and batting his ridiculously long lashes at her. Who responds to that with, "I have to go to New Orleans"? Are you ovaries made of stone, woman?!

African!Isaac is awesome! Parkman can has a destiny? Of course, if all I could paint was Matt Parkman, I might start to feel a little slighted.

All Angela’s sons looks good in suits. Of course, that suit doesn't look quite as expensive as Nathan's, but still... And I love Sylar most when he has moments of vulnerability. His Mommy issues know no bounds.

A movie theater showing an old movie (Which Buster Keaton movie is it? I didn't recognize it.) is a great setting for this scene. Oh, campy humor! Back to true Hiro and Ando hyjinks form!

Future!Peter ruined Matt’s chance at future happiness? And a family with a baby? So not cool. Parkman deserves a family. Of course, he already has one. Go back to Molly and Mohinder, Matt! (P.S. Where is Molly? Still on a plane? Circling the United States?)

Peter really is dumb. Knox casually says he knows Jesse really well, and that doesn’t set off any alarms? That’s villainy 101(just ask Hiro--he has a syllabus somewhere). Don’t agree to any facts that you don’t already know. Also, back at the Company, Peter was screaming repeatedly at the top of his lungs that he was Peter Petrelli trapped in Jesse's body. Since the walls at the Company are so thin, wouldn't that... y'know... tip off Knox that Jesse was perhaps... Peter Petrelli? Unless the real Jesse also spends a significant amount of time pounding on his cell walls screaming that he's Peter Petrelli. Which is a possibility, I suppose. Let's go with that one.

I love Zachary Quinto’s endless bag of funny accents. What I love even more is that Sylar loves accents and uses every possible opportunity to put one on. Did he really need to be from Jersey (or Boston…? Whatever that was) to play the part of an FBI agent?

Welcome to the part of the season where Peter gets beaten. In the next scene, his shirt will somehow get ripped off, and he will accidentally get coated in grease and/or thrown into a shower.

Sylar really wants to help. So Bennet trusts him to hold the horn-rimmed glasses; he should be honored. Just let the sociopath go in there and kick all their asses, Bennet. But Bennet is just the pinnacle of badassery to say, “I am better than you” to Sylar’s face.

Heroes: where all the actors get a chance to bring in embarrassing pictures from junior high. Kudos to Ali for making this character’s relationship with Micah totally different. She used (gasp!) body language and everything! However, it's really fortunate that Niki's body came out relatively unscathed after being blown up in a burning building. Deaths like that do usually end up open-casket, right?

I do enjoy the Hiro/Ando banter, but I’m not sure how much this antagonism can go on. This arc should not take all season. It can be resolved sooner. But it would be nice if Ando somehow grew as a character out of his sidekick role. Or died heroically somehow thereby contributing to Hiro's hero's journey. Whichever.

Yes! Some Peter on Peter action! Last season we got Sylar on Sylar, this week Peter on Peter. Awesome. Hopefully there will be more of the future next week. But I'm a little disturbed that Future!Peter didn't care Bennet was going to get his ass kicked. Does that mean Bennet will do something evil to piss off Future!Peter? Oh, the look on Bennet’s face when he realized Peter had left the building. Gosh, I guess it’s time for Sylar to save the day!

One excuse to use a storage container coming right up. But I seriously doubt that either Meredith or Claire will end up with her shirt off handcuffed to the wall.

Sylar, don't you know Bennet has a defiant teenage daughter? He understands the judicious application of reverse psychology. Then came the knowing smiles. Bennet and Sylar understand each other. It’s adorable.

So, Meredith can breathe without air? And oxygen suddenly returns to the storage unit when the fire goes out? I guess we had to get our Science is Stupid fix somewhere, since Mohinder was absent this week. Also, we had to give Hayden an excuse to sweat in a skimpy top to please the male viewers.

Sylar is not a tame lion. He did, however, let Knox get away. Which is necessary because he has a hot date with Adam (and Niki and Maury) in Angela’s visions, apparently. When do we get our David Anders back, damnit?

Poor Parkman. His destiny always sucks. I mean, when does the guy get a break? Anyone? Anyone? Fails his detective test several times, wife cheats on him, he gets fired, he gets shot, his wife divorces him, his new partner cheats on him with Maya (gross!), his new daughter is sent on a mysterious plane ride to nowhere, he gets teleported to Africa, and a stranger tells him his future has changed. What's next, getting kicked in the balls?

Not-Niki's plot is thickening, but not necessarily in a good way. “I created you”? If there are about to be clones, I’m going to be angry. Ask George Lucas: clones are not the answer, Tim Kring!

One more appearance by the turtle, who may be surpassing the cockroach in guest spots so far this season. Why does Matt Parkman now have Isaac’s power? Awesome peyote? Not all painters do drugs, I swear! Okay... Every painter I know does drugs. But there have to be painters somewhere who do it stone cold sober!

Christine Rose pretty much knocked it out of the park in every scene she was in tonight. I look forward to many more Angela and Sylar scenes. Petrelli family drama ahoy!

“And then I’m going to kill him.” *grin* Bennet really is a bad, bad man. In a good, good way.

In general, a highly satisfying episode. Character development, plot, only a little stupid science, and (my favorite) Petrelli drama!

Comments

[47-trek-47.livejournal.com]

I am so happy right now I can barely even squeak. Srsly. JOY. I HAS JOY.

Except for that whole Nathan/Bible scene. *headdesk* Though I am somewhat amused that he was apparently on page one. All like, "Huh, I've never actually read this book before. I hope it's got a good plot twist. And spies!" My Nathan: Ever the hypocrit.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. Nathan starts on page 1. At least there's public drunkenness in Genesis. He ought to like that. Heh. Yeah, I was just glad he toned down the religious rhetoric this week. But he had chemistry! And acting! And character development! And fly!Mohinder was blessedly absent this week.

[47-trek-47.livejournal.com]

Everyone seems to have missed my post on this subject, but Mohinder is clearly NOT a fly. He's obviously turning into a cockroach. It all makes contextual sense.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Oh, I do think I remember reading that, and you are completely right. The cockroach is such a recurring theme that it would be a waste of a good metaphor for Mohinder's evolutionary advancement to liken him to any other creature other than the mighty cockroach. But Mohinder's similarity is to the hubristic Dr. Brundle in the movie The Fly. That's my story. Because if he was turning into an actual fly, wouldn't he... y'know... fly?

[47-trek-47.livejournal.com]

Mohinder can't fly. He's not a...

Oh, who am I kidding? Everyone on this show is a Petrelli....

[jaune-chat.livejournal.com]

This episode didn't make Jaune Chat angry. As a matter of fact, it made Jaune Chat very pleased!

Sylar/Bennett is one of the coolest partnerships ever. I mean, they won't ever trust each other, but it'll be great while it lasts. Before one of them shoots/TKs the other to death.

Ma Petrelli continues to show her awesomeness. She's a devil woman, an evil, evil person, but I love her charm and self-assurance. Sylar as her son? Soap-opera material, yes. Cool implications even if she's lying? Also yes.

Peter and Future!Peter continue to show they're both more pretty than smart. But at least they're pretty, and there is that.

Nathan continues to show great character range through both acting and wardrobe. Seriously. In season one he was all super-neat and fitted suits buttoned all the way up, slick, gelled hair, and shark smile. And he was a magnificent bastard. Season two he was all ruff and scruff, and he was a broken man learning to mend. Season three he's back in the suits, but generally more open, soft, and less slick, and his religious rhetoric and more uncertain demeanor reflect that very well.

Meredith's tough love in a metal box is pure science FAIL. Sorry. I'll happily accept rapid cellular regeneration and pyrokinesis, but I can't accept that Claire's suffocating while FireMommy is just fine and then the air comes back in and... No. Just no. Science FAIL. If it's all psychosomatic, that's fine. But otherwise, no.

Thanks goodness Mohinder wasn't in this episode, because other wise I would have been forced to plug my ears to the bad science and go "la-la-la!"

Sylar's bad habits are going to be the death of him some day. Tisk, tisk, killing random bad guys. You naughty boy!

Liked how Micah almost immediately pegged Tracy as not-Niki. At least we didn't have some wacky case of mistaken identity, because that would have sucked. I also hope we're not going the clone route, but I fear it to be so. It's not uncommon in comic books.

And Matt... who's still stuck in Africa with the vision guy. Who has some wicked cool drugs to get Matt to not only exhibit Issac's power, but to paint streaks of mud on his face! I can only hope Matt sees a clear path out of this plotline.

On a different note, it looked like the girl he was cradling in Not-Issac's painting was Daphne, the speedster. Wouldn't that be interesting?

The return of the Haitian: Awesome.

The Hiro and Ando show, Again, Some more: Not quite as awesome. Yes, some good happy slapstick that amused me. Yes, Hiro and Ando's rift deepens, and that's good because it shows character development. Daphne totally schooling their asses for the third time? Starting to get old.

And Sylar taking control of Bennett and his cover story with his Good-ol-boy accent? Made. Of. Win.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

Sylar IS made of win. There are those who say Sylar's time is over, that he's an uber bad guy who just needs to die, but here's the thing: he's not all bad! Yes, he does bad things, but on the inside, he's a lost little boy. Just like his brothers.

One of the things I really liked about the episode was the return of several things I really liked about Season 1: the Haitian, CompanyMan!Bennet, and Hiro&Ando shenanigans. These are things that work. Well, keep in mind that Hiro & Ando have a track record of getting schooled by strong women.

I agree that the woman in African!Isaac's painting looked like Daphne. Poor Matt was going to have a baby with her, and now that's never going to happen! But he'll try to change the future, just like they always do, and angst will ensue. But, heh. I, too, hope that Matt can muddle his way back to the rest of the Heroes before too long...

Also, le sigh regarding Nathan. He gets prettier every day. I mean, really seriously adorable. Could he get any more awesome? Survey says no.

[mystery-sock.livejournal.com]

Sylar is not a tame lion.
My life is complete.

lulz even now. I ought to rss your meta.

[brighteyed-jill.livejournal.com]

And if Sylar is Aslan, and Aslan is God, by the transitive property, Sylar is God, right?

My metas are generally a work in progress... I live-blog the show on Monday, then watch it a second time later in the week and re-adjust my thinking. But meta is fun! Bring on the snark!