Michael has a post complaining about some inconsistencies in the plot, and I have to say that he’s got a point. But if we start getting into inconsistencies in comicbook plots, then we’d have to start getting all slayer like on LOST, and dammit, I’m not going there. The writers should take note to tighten up some hole, but to give them some slack, we have to move the story along pretty quick.
The rest might spoil, so click on to read more.
We’ve got six genetically mutated heros (maybe six, if you include Peter’s brother) that are trying to figure out their powers, and we have got to learn each of their backstories along the way. So we have to have someway to tell the story of Niki and the father of her child, Mohinder and his father, etc… This is the benfit of the Lost format, that can take the story a bit slow, with character centered flashbacks, but that is at the cost of the storyline, because the losties are only 70 days in after two seasons. It seems Heroes is trying to stay somewhat ‘current’ to the airing of the episodes (since Hiro jumped to the future on a set day, that seems to be an anchor point…)
By far my favorite story is the Hiro line, he is the only one that sees his power in the true ‘comic book’ form, as a Hero, not as a ‘oh crap, what a pain’ (yeah, i’m looking at you Claire!, and you too Niki!) The freezeing time effect for Hiro’s saving of the girl was awesome. The Japanese dialog is also well done, and hilarious as we are reading faster then they talk, so their gestures come across as badly timed or staged. Still the banter between the two is great, and that Ando is a fan of Niki the stripping menace is a nice twist.
Claire is trying to be just a plain jane high school cheerleader. I dated a cheerleader back in high school, and to counter Michael’s critique during football season, that is all they wear. But she must have to do some explaining to her mom, for the repairs to the sweater, and the constant cleaning of blood and gore. She’s a sympathetic reluctant hero, and really what does having a healing power do, unless she starts breaking out some Buffy like moves, she’ll be a mediocre hero.
Mohinder and the neighbor (who I don’t think is a mole, just a greek chorus, to move the story along and provide backstory) stumble upon Sylar’s lair, and it seems that he was following the same research as Mohinder’s dad (we see his father’s face, too, on the back of a book cover) and has a cool wall map, with more nodes than ol’ pops. Also a freaky confessional booth, that sends Mohinder scurrying for police backup. One point contra Michael is that they broke in, staying at the scene might be good, but the cops can’t know that, or everything is worthless. But still, they run for the police (which could give pixie girl time to call the agency and have them wipe the room… hmmm.. perhaps Michael does have a point…)
Matt gains the trust of the cop that busted him, and catches a glance of ‘Sylar’ though how the chick knew is beyond me. My gut says the Sylar is a ‘rogue-like’ mutant, that can absorb different powers, and that could explain why he wanted to research other mutants. Also explains his multiple powers (telekensis, regeneration and possibly flight). Matt then sharpens his mind-reading skillz by visiting the bar after a fight with his wife. Impressively, he doesn’t use his mad-p0w3rs to hit on the lonely babes at the bar when he is in a funk (unlike What About Brian‘s Adam that thinks it is just cool to mac-daddy with a stripper on the eve of his wedding… though will FREAK-OUT I’m sure when he learns about Brian and Marjorie.. oh wait, sidetracked, surry.) but just randomly focuses his powers around the room. Then he hits a ‘black hole’ in an ominous black man sitting alone. He passes out. The previews have this guy as a partner to Claire’s dad. I think that we have two factions, Claire’s dad (and this black hole guy) are government operatives, trying to head off the evolutionary process. Sylar is a mutant, who either for self-preservation (like Magneto) or malice is looking out for number one, and trying to keep other mutants from gaining their powers. Which if I’m correct, means the little girl. Mutant. (check it!)
The episode ends with Claire finding a limitation to her healing powers. Lumber embeded in the skull stops if COLD. However, bodily organs removed and weighed… not such a bad thing, tune in next week to see how she does after her autopsy. (and I gotta agree with Michael, how convient that the doctor has left her on the table wide open… )
I had a revelation from a reader’s comment on my post about this. So, I was thinking–what if the guy in the bar is the father of Michah. That would explain why Niki says he’ll never be found. Mayhaps his power is deflecting obvious attnetion or hiding in plain sight somehow…if so, that might be pretty cool.
Or I could just be talking out of an orafice other than my mouth…:)
Ohhh… Good thought, reading on some other sights, it appears that DL has powers too (or maybe instead of Niki). He apparently has the ability to morph or transform. Maybe when he vanished, he became Niki’s shadow, which would explain a lot… but not everything in Niki’s story.
This show has as many mysteries as Lost, and does a good job of answering one or two and asking four or five more.