Last Monday, NBC's Heroes returned from its many-week hiatus. The story kept moving and there were lots of cool things that happened or were revealed this week. Spoiler Warnings apply if you haven't seen it yet.
First, some of the revelations:
- Linderman has an ability to heal things
- Linderman used to be part of a super-group
- Linderman is actually trying to engineer Peter's future explosion in New York
- Ma Petrelli probably has a super-ability herself (I'm also assuming she was part of the same super-group that Linderman was part of)
- Isaac knew his death was coming and was ready to die as his one heroic deed
- Hiro meets his future self 5 years in the future
I especially liked the confrontational scene between Sylar and Peter with the cool uses of their abilities. The comic book geek inside of me would like to see more battle scenes - especially ones involving multiple heroes using their powers in a cooperative fashion to defeat an enemy. I'd also like to see the Heroes using their powers in public to avert catastrophes, robberies, and - you know, actually being "heroes". But of course the next several episodes need to be focused on resolving most of the big story arc. Maybe we could see some scenes like this in the start of Season 2 before the main story arc for that season takes over.
It was interesting to confirm that the Future Hiro (the badass that speaks perfect English and carries around a sword) comes from a timeline where the explosion in New York has happened. I wonder what Younger Hiro will find in the future to avert the disaster... I wonder what Lindermans' plan with Micah is...
It will be interesting to see how (if) the writers handle the paradoxes inherent in stories involving time travel. At the moment, I see one paradox: If Future Hiro knew Peter well, then he must have known him after the explosion in New York City, which means that Peter was able to survive the explosion. But how could Peter have survived the explosion if he hadn't absorbed Claire's healing power? Peter would not have met Claire (and Claire would not have survived the encounter with Sylar) without Future Hiro delivering the "Save the Cheerleader" message to Peter in the first place.
Putting aside time travel paradoxes, another thing that bugs me is how powers are supposedly passed down through generations. Suresh has already established that it's a genetic thing, meaning a person with super-powers has a better chance of having a super-powered child. However, what doesn't make sense to me is how someone who can fly (Nathan) and someone who can control fire (Claire's birth-mother) would have a child who can heal herself (Claire)? And why does a person who can phase (D.L.) and a person with super-strength (Niki) have a child that can manipulate electronics (Micah)? How are those genes related?
I suppose it's possible that Linderman (healing power) will later be revealed to be Nathan's father (making Peter his half-brother). This would partially explain where grand-daughter Claire's healing powers come from.
Other lesser inconsistencies are things like: Turning horned-rimmed glasses man from the villain (I'm sure he was originally intended to be "Sylar") into a pseudo-good guy. Turning Peter into Claire's uncle (it felt like there was some natural chemistry between the two when they first met). Introducing Simone as a major character and then killing her off. I guess these types of changes are inevitable in a big series like this because you never can tell which way fan reaction will go.
Oh well, even though I've spent too long thinking about the show, I still enjoy the heck out of it.
Isaac knew his death was coming and was ready to die as his one heroic deed
This one is a little incorrect. Isaac told Syler that he has already looked into the future and did what needed to be done to stop him.
Later Nathan was opening a painting that was sent to him, but only got part way open before Clarie came in.
I think Isaac painted a way to defeat Syler and sent it to the people that could do it – making him a hero.
The one that sticks in my mind is how Peter is meant to have a large scar across his face in the future. How is that possible with the healing power he yoinked from Claire? I assume they’ve got an explanation lined up for that one though.
Marcus: One possibility is Peter chose to keep the scar to remember the explosion (or some tragic event). Another possibility is that Peter can only really use one power at a time and was otherwise occupied when his injury happened…
In reference to the genetics being passed on, it’s about a gene that “develops”. In one episode they say that “Claire’s ability hasn’t developed yet”. It’s a gene that takes on ability when some sort of expression of the gene is needed. Claire was in the fire, so she regenerated. Nathan must have spend a lot of time in the air or something. Peter connects with people. Hiro knew all about time and space and also worked in a place where time was very important and a major focus…
it all falls into place. I think Peter also escaped the explosion with Nathan and stuff. Sylar might have just unleashed the explosion, not hurting himself, kind of like what Ted did in the Bennet household.
AIM me at gasandfire if you want to talk more…
brian – interesting theory, we’ll see if it plays out that way.
I agree – Peter or Sylar (or Ted) could have survived the explosion without Claire’s power. Monday’s episode revealed that Future Hiro tried to kill Sylar in 2007 but that he regenerated and that Hiro (and the world) thought the explosion was caused by Sylar. This is why Future Hiro goes back into the past to tell Peter to save the cheerleader, so that when Hiro stabs him, he won’t regenerate. So “Five Years Gone” explained away the paradox I present in this blog entry…
Interestingly, after Future Hiro did this, he returns to the future in this new timeline and finds out that the explosion still took place (though the cheerleader was saved and still alive). It will be interesting in the next episode or two when we learn what really caused the explosion after all (still assuming it was Peter based on Isaac and Peter’s visions). But worse yet, “present” Hiro and Ando also appear in the future – the new paradox that arises is: If “present” Hiro teleported to the future, then how did Peter and others in that future world know who Hiro is? If he teleported away prior to the explosion, did the universe somehow “know” that he would teleport back into the present day and then subsequently NOT stop the explosion? Seems we’ve already established that when Hiro time-travels to the future, that he just disappears from the present (when Hiro first teleported to New York he calls Ando and Ando says he’s been missing for weeks). Doesn’t make sense to me yet…
“Turning horned-rimmed glasses man from the villain (I’m sure he was originally intended to be “Sylar”) into a pseudo-good guy.”
THIS was the point, for me, where I stopped caring about virtually anything that happened on this show. Nobody else seemed to feel the same way, either! I just did not buy Mr Bennett’s redemption, because to me he was still the “face of evil” who’d been doing all this horrible shit to the heroes for the whole season. I saw no reason for Parkman and Ted to go along with him or to trust him. Sure, Parkman can read his mind and see he’s not LYING, but Parkman still does exactly what Bennett tells him to without hestitation and it makes no sense.