S4E16: Pass/Fail (recap/review)

The latest episode of “Heroes” entitled “Pass/Fail” took us on a trip to an alternate reality, or rather Hiro’s subconscious thanks to his brain tumor. We saw a lot of familiar faces from previous season’s including George Takei’s return as Kaito Nakamura, and like most of you I too couldn’t get the Star Trek connection between him and Zachary Quinto out of my head. Speaking of Quinto, he returned after his blink and you missed it appearance from last week, and spent the majority of his scenes with Claire. Between multiple cameos and bad monologues this episode of “Heroes” was less than extraordinary…


The Players:

Director: Michael Nankin

Writer/Creator: Oliver Grigsby/Tim Kring

Actors: Zachary Quinto, Robert Knepper, Kate Vernon, Jack Coleman, James Kyson Lee, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Hayden Panettiere, David Anders, George Takei, Tamlyn Tomita

The Shows Plot:

“Heroes” follows a group of regular people who discover that they have special abilities that separate them from everyone else in the world. Some choose to hide their gifts, others try to use them for evil, and a rare few choose to use their powers for a greater good.



Title of this Week’s Episode: “Pass/Fail” Season 4: Episode 16

Hiro’s brain tumor causes him to slip into a coma, where he “awakens” in a dream state that features many important characters from his past. He’s put on trial for his previous transgressions, and must deal with the fall out from the decisions he’s made regarding his powers. Meanwhile, Sylar pays Claire an unexpected visit to get answers as to why he isn’t quite himself, and Samuel’s plan to impress his long-lost love, Vanessa, doesn’t go according to plan.



The Good:

David Anders: David Anders’ return as Adam Monroe was a definite plus for last night’s episode. He was an amazing villain on the show’s previous seasons and unlike Sylar he had some sort of direction. It was great to see him pop up as a prosecutor in Hiro’s dream, and how hilarious was it when he called Hiro out for reciting the opening to “Quantum Leap?”

Hiro and His Mother: The reunion between mother and son was beautifully done with dialogue and visuals. It was such a sweet moment between the two, and we finally got to see some acting range from Masi Oka.

The Bad:

Hiro’s Brain Tumor: The entire storyline surrounding Hiro’s tumor sounds like it was ripped from a bad soap opera. It’s an attempt to make Hiro less annoying and more valuable, but he still rubs me the wrong way. All of his quirks that used to be charming, have become simply irritating.

Samuel’s Seduction: Samuel’s attempts to walk down memory lane with his pseudo-girlfriend Vanessa was uncomfortable to watch. His obsession with her is unhealthy and unnatural. That’s why it was extra weird when she gave in and shared a milkshake with him. If I was her, I’d check to make sure it wasn’t laced with some type of drug.

Claire Bitches About Her Power AGAIN: Claire has been singing the same sad song about being “special,” since season one and it’s getting old. The conversation she had with Sylar-Gretchen was one big cliche. Her character refuses to show any kind of growth or development. They need to give her something better to do than whine every episode.

Overall:

“Pass/Fail” didn’t really serve a purpose for the overall story arc of this season. Sure, Hiro’s health was restored but was there any doubt in your mind that it wouldn’t be? Samuel went all Avalanche from X-Men and showed that he’s mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, and Sylar went all Dr. Phil on Claire. He ended up giving her some type of closure, but still didn’t find any for himself.



Rating: 5/10