Heroes #23:1961/Season 3/2009

[coyote6]

I don't think Grandad Petrelli was shooting microwaves; Dr. Dad Suresh got knocked down & back by the blast, without being severely injured.

All on its own, as an examination of the beginnings of the Company, insight into Angela's character, and a Petrelli (with a dash of Suresh) family story, it was okay. The whole "Field of Camlann" style in which the massacre happened was suitably tragic, and I liked the symmetry of the meals in the diner. If it had been earlier in the season, or in an earlier volume, I think it would've been better.

As the second-to-last chapter of this volume, it was kind of lame. The only reasons for being there seemed like weak justifications for the flashbacks. In-story and in-character, Angela wanted to persuade her children & affiliates to restart the Company in order to restart the Masquerade, and she wanted to use the mass graves as a means of persuasion; great, except that really could've been done over dinner. Sure, digging up bodies might add impact, but they had to cross the country for that?

The show presented it as if actually schlepping them out to the desert was done mainly because Angela was suddenly and inexplicably dreaming about her sister after 50 years -- except that revelation doesn't have much impact on anyone except Angela, so far.

I'm hoping that gets redeemed later -- either Alice plays a major role, or Angela's death is imminent and the dreams of Alice were about her latent guilt over Alice triggering her powers as a means of trying to give her resolution before she dies. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will feel like filler.

BTW, the "Previously On" clips before the episode didn't quite match what I remembered from last episode -- anyone else notice that? I may need to go back to the last episode.

Also, what's with the wacky geography? IIRC, a couple of episodes ago, Hiro and Ando were most of the way to NY, and as they pulled out of a diner or service station, the camera shows Nathan and Claire at the same location. Except Nathan and Claire were in Mexico when they were told to meet everyone in the desert -- so why did they fly all the way up into the middle of eastern half of the USA before heading back southwest?

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I liked the episode in many parts, but not in the conclusion of the past/ Angelas Sister.

1) The reason for the entire Company thing was because a girl was frightened and lead to a slaughter? I am not happy, it sounds weak.
2) The girl living in a bunker where the event happened for her entire life? I am not satisfied. She's basically insane, but of the pathetic kind. I am disappointed, too.

I liked most of the scenes in the past with young Angela and Devreaux.
I liked the end scene with the family sitting at the table in the diner.

The scientists must be good at "duck and cover" because both suresh and zimmerman survived that masacre (with zimmerman only to be hired by linderman of all people in the future)

Intelligence bonus applies to Reflex Defense these days!

 

[LightPhoenix]

Anyone remember if it was for socks?

Yes, it was for socks.

Also, what's with the wacky geography? IIRC, a couple of episodes ago, Hiro and Ando were most of the way to NY, and as they pulled out of a diner or service station, the camera shows Nathan and Claire at the same location. Except Nathan and Claire were in Mexico when they were told to meet everyone in the desert -- so why did they fly all the way up into the middle of eastern half of the USA before heading back southwest?

I think it was supposed to be two different locations, with the director trying to tie the two scenes together without a fade/cut. It instead made it seem like they were at the same place. I don't think that was the intent though.

Or, it could be wacky Heroes geography. Who knows.

 

[Mark]

I would have liked to see a longer battle, perhaps in slow motion, with more powers shown off and some escapees also shown (a young Sylar's father, maybe?).

 

[Kobold Avenger]

You have the government with knowledge of "Supers" in 1961, in 2008 when a soldier volunteered to get super powers, and 2009. You have mass graves in 1961 and Guantanamo bay style detention and murder in 2009. You have Sylar impersonating Nathan, a senator, and you have the old movie reel made by Papa Surresh...........methinks the opposite of hiding is in order....time to expose.

I keep on thinking that's the approach to do, but not just in the USA, but every other country in the world. Some countries will definitely end up rounding up "supers" and killing them, some might be more accepting, while others will simply round up as many supers as possible to start an arms race. Which will force the US government to stop exterminating supers if there's an arms race, once they realize they need superpowers on their side.

 

[LightPhoenix]

I would have liked to see a longer battle, perhaps in slow motion, with more powers shown off and some escapees also shown (a young Sylar's father, maybe?).

I've been waiting since the show first started. Alas, it seems it will never be.

 

[coyote6]

I'm guessing that a big super battle is beyond their budget.

And possibly ability, too; do they even have a fight coreographer? Most of their "fights" consist of people being tossed around by one means or another, being pinned by something, and/or being shot -- not a lot of Buffy-esque fights.

 

[Mark]

I'm guessing that a big super battle is beyond their budget.

And possibly ability, too; do they even have a fight coreographer? Most of their "fights" consist of people being tossed around by one means or another, being pinned by something, and/or being shot -- not a lot of Buffy-esque fights.

The stuff in old Japan might have been the most difficult.

 

[papastebu]

I think that it was good episode. There were a few things I would have liked to see handled better, such as the fact that Alice stuck around for 48 years and didn't take off to parts unknown. I guess psycho-trauma might affect her that way; there's no telling what post traumatic stress disorder is gonna do to you.

The scenes of them digging up the bodies weren't wasted time. Angela was looking for her sister's body. She was trying to figure out what her dream of her sister meant, and if she should even look for a grown, living woman at all. She had thought Alaice had not survived the horror of that night, and was unsure why her dream was calling her back.

There were a couple of segues this episode like the one with Nathan and Claire, and I can't remember the other one, but I chose not to think that someone had gotten all wonky with time and space--though we were dealing with Hiro, in that one.

I always thought that Charles Devereaux's power was out-of-body travel. Maybe that was just one aspect of whatever he could do, but I thought that Pete dreamed--his mom's power--about using Charles' power, which I thought was astral travel.

I thought it was kind of cool when Claire said, "Dad," and both of them looked at her. My immediate thought was a sit-com called "My Two Dads". She is starting to become a better character, rather than being a hot-looking space-saver with a cool power. It seems to me that the dynamic is changing pretty drastically among those three, and Claire's maybe maturing as a result.

I am glad that Sylar is getting some comeuppance for being such a jerk. His karmic tab was just getting way too high. Maybe it just had to "go around" a little farther to "come around" to him, again.

I'm really sorry that some people can't seem to get what they want out of the show. I found when I started writing full time, it affected my reading enjoyment adversely. It took a lot of effort, actually, to quit looking at the way stories were put together, maybe catching a typo or mispelling, or the author's writing, rather than just putting my head in the book and being transported the way I was when I was a kid. It honestly doesn't seem to me that the show's shortcomings--and even someone who wants to believe it all as badly as I do can see them--are all that glaringly obvious, anymore. They do need to pare down the number of stories per episode, but they are moving in that direction, now. I think next season is going to be the best, yet.