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

S4E15: Close to You (recap)

Original Air Date: Jan 11 2010

Brittany D. – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

Noah voice overs and tells us that people do terrible things to one another as we watch a montage of people doing terrible things to one another. So, a light episode this week then?

Lauren and Noah argue about trying to find Edgar, and Noah blows up when Lauren brings logic into the conversation. She gets a hit on a ‘Vanessa Wheeler’ in her magic computer database and OMG IT’S ELLEN TIGH FROM BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, I JUST BECAME INVESTED. This explains all of Heroes – Vanessa is a cylon and she has been from the start. Anyway, she lived in the house that Samuel destroyed back in the day so Noah has to find her, and Samuel does too, and I bet this ends in a confrontation of some sort.

Matt is making breakfast for his family, and I honestly don’t understand how he’s escaped the police. I know he has that mind thing but still, it’s so unbelievable. He says he’s really embracing this stay at home dad thing, which secretly means he hates it, and sends his wife out to work. Noah appears in Matt’s house, assuming he knows anything about Samuel. Even though the last time Matt helped Noah he got Sylar stuck in his head, Noah plays on Matt’s fear that his own son could get recruited one day, so Matt agrees to help.

Ellen Tigh (I mean Vanessa) plays the cello and Matt and Noah accost her as she comes out of rehearsal. Matt brainwashes her into thinking she can trust the two of them. Ugh. Now she’s probably going to get murdered. She tells them that Samuel was sweet on her, even though his dad was her dad’s servant. One day he disappeared, then showed up in her room all ‘swagger and rock and roll’. She bailed when he asked her to marry him. Turns out Samuel is being a creeper lately, popping up in all sorts of locations and spouting some total crazy about how powerful he is. Noah decides it would be a great idea to have Vanessa trick Samuel by having calling him for a meeting, all in the hopes that the carnival will appear. I can help you with this one Noah – No.

Samuel kidnaps Vanessa while Eli and his multiple personalities distract Noah and Matt. Vanessa gets sent to the carnival, and Samuel creates a minor earthquake to make his escape. Matt’s pulls the car around, and they track the GPS they gave Vanessa. They get to the desert but can’t see the carnival of course, because they aren’t ~special~ enough. Noah still won’t talk to Claire, so when Matt tries to bring logic into this conversation, he gets yelled at too. Matt should go compare notes with Lauren.

Going back home, Matt is ready to start making dinner for his wife and tells Noah to stop ruining his life. That night, he tells his wife he thinks he’s a coward. Noah heads to Claire’s dorm and rambles about bridges and love and family before she tells him she’s late for something. Burn. He goes back home and Lauren shows up, and he confesses his love for her. What.

Lydia is bored with Samuel’s dreams or whatever yarn he’s spinning now about family, because he’s obsessed with getting Vanessa into the group. Lydia decides to rebel against it all and find their next leader, but he’s just ‘so far away’. She sends out some kind of psychic SOS and what do you want to bet this leader is going to be Peter? Sure enough, Peter wakes up from a deep sleep with a compass suddenly tattooed on his arm.

Peter calls Noah because he’s worried about this random compass tattoo showing up on his arm, when he hears Emma playing her cello from blocks away. Turns out, Emma used her siren call to summon him to her apartment. Using the cello for a booty call – awesome. He sees the compass symbol on the cello, and shows Emma his new ink. He takes her back to his apartment and shows her the compass and how it could be associated with EVIL. Angela shows up and has a total freak out over Emma knowing Peter before Emma bolts.

Peter is pissed because Angela had a dream about Emma and won’t share. Once Peter admonishes her for keeping secrets she tells him that Emma will kill thousands of people with her cello. Peter takes her ability so that he can see for himself. That night he has a crazy dream that Emma is in the house of mirrors playing her cello, crying, and suddenly Sylar is there talking about saving her. Peter of course wakes up and goes straight over to her place, destroying the cello. He doesn’t even explain first, he just SMASHES IT. That is not how you respond to a cello booty call PETER.

Hiro and Ando get to Mohinder’s loony bin and Hiro checks himself in. Ando manipulates the security grid with his ability and finds Mohinder. Ando switches Mohinder’s medication then accidentally swallows Mohinder’s meds. Since Ando’s out of the picture, it’s pretty much up to the legit crazy person to save the day. Hiro finds Mohinder and off his meds, Mohinder uses his super strength to bust himself out. They find Ando in a closet and they actually escape while Ando screams about swimming only it’s INSIDE OUT.

They run into the swamp and Ando tells Mohinder that Hiro is dying of a brain tumor. They keep running and Mohinder decides that electroshock therapy will fix Hiro, so Ando should get to it. Somehow this miracle cure works instantly, and Hiro teleports them out of there and into Noah’s apartment as he’s making out with Lauren.

Back at the carnival, Samuel is holding Vanessa against her will and good GOD he’s so creepy, touching her face all over and everything. He says he wants to show her something and if she doesn’t like it she can leave. We never find out what that thing is before the episode ends.

Next week Sylar decides to shove his tongue down Claire’s throat because she’s supposed to help him or some such thing. I bet that helps him get what he wants. How did you feel about this episode? At least we learned some things this week. Or did we? You tell me by leaving comments!

S4E13/14: Upon This Rock/Let It Bleed (Recap)

From http://www.thetwocents.com/:

Brittany D. – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com
Welcome back from hiatus! This recap is going to be longer than usual since we were treated to a double feature tonight. Let’s not waste time here!

Remember that one woman, Emma? Yeah I didn’t until just now. She reapplied to medical school and didn’t get in, but that’s what happens when you drop out of school – you rarely go back. Remember that, kids. She goes home just in time for Samuel to knock on her door. He knows sign language and starts explaining gifts and how they’re the same. Apparently, he sent her the cello and it has the same compass mark on it that he has tattooed on his arm. Letting him in, he tells her all about how her ability works. He tells her that the cello was actually meant for someone else and that he lost her. Emma tells him how the damn thing cracked her wall, but he tells her she actually did it with her fear.

Samuel tells her that he needs help finding a man named Ian Michaels. Apparently, his ability is being mother nature. As they sit in the park, Sam tells her that her emotions actually become one with the music, and she can draw people to her, like a Siren. He asks her to try and draw Ian to her through her music. It’s kind of creepy how fast people start to gather, and I wonder where this Ian guy has been lurking to be called by her music so fast. Anyway, Ian stands next to a tree and it suddenly blooms with new leaves. He gets treated at the hospital (because he was homeless) and Samuel takes him away.

Over in Tokyo, Hiro appears and starts telling people that he’s from the Starfleet looking for his second in command, then he thinks he’s in Star Wars as he helps a woman deal with a purse snatcher. THEN he tells the ‘citizens of Caprica’ that they’re safe. (lol, BSG reference! I geeked out for a second, won’t lie.) The police finally take Hiro to Ando, but he keeps calling him Sancho, and all of Hiro’s thoughts and expressions are crossing with comics. His sister wants to call a neurosurgeon, but Ando wants to figure out what Hiro is talking about. They go to Hiro’s comic book hideout, and Ando somehow figures out that Hiro wants to go to a place called Arkham in Florida. Turns out, it’s a mental institution – oh that wouldn’t be the one Hiro dumped Mohinder in would it?

Claire joins the circus for a couple days and delivers some pancakes to Samuel who is shocked to see Claire and not Lydia. He covers some boxes with a coat and Claire notices that they’re Primatech boxes. He says he’s not interested in explaining the past. She quotes some college knowledge to him about choices in life and you know she’s not gonna let that box go unrifled through. Replicator guy has been following her and being all creepy. She has a chuckle over Lydia and her daughter bickering, and before Lydia can get upset, Claire explains that it’s just a great, normal experience. Claire then asks why Samuel wanted her in the circus, and Lydia tells her that it’s become an obsession to have as many people there are possible.

Because my ability is seeing the t.v. future, Claire goes to Samuel’s trailer to snoop but the Replicator is there reminding her that she’s on beautification duty, so hop to it. That night, Replicator is still following her around and watching her. She runs into the house of mirrors, because when someone is being replicated, you should replicate them MORE in a house of mirrors. She bests him and hits him with a stool before running to Samuel’s trailer to look in that box. She finds pictures and maps of a valley before the Puppet Master Doyle controls her right on out of the trailer. He thinks she’s a spy for her dad, but she’s more concerned that Sam’s collecting a bunch of people with abilities. Doyle is not going to let Claire ruin whatever is going to happen.

He tells Claire that Joseph made him better, and that he hasn’t actually done anything bad since he got there – holding Claire hostage notwithstanding. He finally lets her go so that she can go talk to Lydia to figure out what’s up. Lydia tells her that Joseph was originally the one in charge who really made the carnival a family, and Claire figures out that Samuel killed him. Lydia begs Claire to find someone who can stop Samuel, then Eli (replicator has a name!) grabs her up. Samuel gets upset that Eli holds her captive and Claire says she won’t go until Samuel tells her what happened to Joseph. He tells her that he lost control, and he tries to blame Joseph because he told Danko about them, and her father. He rationalizes that Claire’s own father lied, cheated, and killed to protect his family, and that this is no different. He takes her to the valley that he has a map of, where Ian is playing in the dirt. After Samuel parts the Earth so that there’s water, Ian makes an area of the dessert valley beautiful and lush.

Samuel tells her that this is going to be their new home, and that this is why he needs a bigger family. To build the future. She declines to be a part of Samuel’s family for the time being so that she can go back to her home. Samuel extends an open invitation to her and she’s left thinking Samuel is awesome. Finally checking her cell messages, she scrolls past some from Noah, then lands on one from Peter saying they have a lot to talk about.

In a funeral scene, Claire shows up to say goodbye to Nathan. The story told to the public was that Nathan was flying a plane that crashed. Claire is naturally pissed at Angela and Noah for doing the whole cover up to begin with. Peter’s so upset that Angela feels the only person he’ll listen to is Claire, and she follows him to the scene of an office shooting where he’s trying to be a hero. He tries to tell the gunman his story about being pissed as hell, but the gunman shoots him anyway. Later, Claire heals Peter, but not before lecturing him. Peter requests that Claire call her old ex West, who can fly, and we all know it’s because he wants that flying ability. Funny, I had NO idea West was still in her life. Huh.

After Claire’s gone, Samuel puts ink to paper to reveal a woman, his long lost love Vanessa, but then Doyle is flying through the air, and there’s Sylar! And really, who doesn’t see it coming that Sylar wants to kill all of these people with abilities? Of course, Samuel tries to tell Sylar that he has big plans for him, but Sylar isn’t hearing any of it. He decides to off Samuel first, but Samuel starts a dust storm right around Sylar that would have killed him, had he not nabbed Claire’s ability. He puts Sylar in Lydia’s trailer because he wants her to find out more about him. She goes to put the moves on Sylar and as they make out he remembers stuff from being Nathan, and Lydia tells him that he’s just lonely and wants to be loved. He absorbs her power, saying he doesn’t have to kill, and she calls him impotent. Hahaha.

Sylar starts searching for ink, but he can’t find any. Sam tells Sylar that he just needs a friend, someone who understand him and cares for him. He shows him a picture of Vanessa, who is his other half or something. Samuel them goes on to say that he is just like Sylar, not all bad, but not all good, and Sylar tells him to show the tattoo to prove it. The tattoo turns out to be of Claire, and he heads off to find her.

At home, Noah fails to notice the creepy shadow outside his window, and opens it right up. Lurking just outside is Edgar. But maybe Noah did notice him, because he tazers the crap out of him. Noah then goes down to a Japanese restaurant and asks to have it all to himself when his blond, ex partner shows up. I forget her name. Again. She brought some truth serum, and they find out that Edgar can’t go all that fast in the cold – Noah has him in a freezer. The interrogation begins, but blond lady agent interrupts just as Noah’s about to have fun with a knife. She suggests he start actually asking questions and listening. He figures out that Edgar doesn’t have a compass and can’t get home and Edgar reveals that he was exiled.

He goes on to say he was trying to capture Noah and bring him back to Samuel to hopefully not be exiled anymore and keep an eye on everyone. Noah proposes that he and Edgar work together to bring down Samuel, and lets him go upstairs to have some soup. Edgar tells him that the key to getting Samuel is Lydia, but the more Edgar hears about the family being taken apart, the more he doesn’t like the idea and he busts out of the handcuffs Noah put him in. He speeds out, taking every piece of information he’d shared with Noah with him. Blond agent lady tells Noah to call Claire and start repairing their relationship.