NBC/Trae PattonTonight's installment of Heroes was all about family:
The Bennets are falling apart, the Petrellis are reconnecting, and Sylar found out (shocker) that he is from a broken home.
And as the families try to protect each other, the Hunter becomes less and less tolerant of the deviant ways of those for whom powers are a genetic inevitability.
Who will win the struggle?
Can the big bad be defeated?
Get in here and let's discuss...
WHAT WE LEARNED:
Where the Boys Are: Loved the face-off between Team Hero (Matt and Peter) and Team Morally Ambiguous. Focusing the fight around one particular power—mind control—kept those scenes tight and focused. Also, it's impossible not to root for Greg Grunberg's Matt Parkman, who remains entirely accessible and human despite living through nearly three seasons of total weirdness.
Yay Ashley Crow: Love the new, stronger Mrs. Bennet (and her sometime sidekick Mr. Muggles, of course), and that her character growth means Crow is getting a chance to showcase her acting chops. Love how she just commandeered poor Lyle's driver's license! Question: If Sandra is getting better at the parenting of Claire's superhero side, does that mean HRG is going to get better at parenting her as a regular human girl?
Nice Tweak: Kudos to the PTB at Heroes for adjusting the parameters of Peter's power so that he can still absorb any ability—but with a restriction: one ability at a time. To gain something, he must surrender something else. He's no longer an über-mensch, but he's not just a garden-variety mutant either. Excellent compromise...
Puppetmaster II: The Revenge: Creepy Doyle (played by David Lawrence the 17th) has returned seeking...help? Yes, not revenge, not further mayhem, but help—from Claire. Methinks that Rebel's matchmaking algorithm needs work. Wonder how the Bennet ladies are going to handle his little drop-by?
Image vs. Substance: Sylar is the best, really, but sometimes he just does that hand-wavy telekinesis thing for...show. For instance, when breaking into the dinner where his mother was killed. It's a nifty act to be sure, but sometimes it feels like a perhaps unnecessary visual. Ditto the underwater kiss...It was obviously primarily a life-saving measure, but if Claire and Aquaboy are going to get busy, there ought to be a promise of more payoff down the road, not just a pretty image and a loose end.
WHAT'S TO COME:
- The prophecy about Matt Parkman becoming a murder-suicide bomber comes due next week, but Matt Parkman doesn't know anything about it...
- Next week Sylar finally meets his biological father (not to be confused with his adoptive father or his fake bio-dad, Arthur Petrelli), played by John Glover. The father of Gabriel Gray has a wry personality, a fondness for taxidermy and a major health problem that factors into his relationship with his son.
- Nathan has to regain Tracy's trust next week, or the Hunter will have both their heads...Can the old couple get back in business before it's too late?
So...what did you think about tonight's installment? Post in the comments.
Watch full episodes of Heroes here.