Heroes Season [Volume] 2 (#24)---9/24/07-'Four Months Later'

[wingsandsword]

With Hiro, history isn't inherently broken, history records things as unfolding one way, but that's not neccesarily how they actually happened. After all, history also said he was honorable and a model samurai, and didn't say he was a gaijin. I'm seeing it telegraphed in pretty strongly that Hiro must take the place of Kensai so that history unfolds correctly. I don't think history is as easy to change in Heroes as it is in other SF shows, Hiro tried to change the future to save the waitresses life last season, and instead only fulfilled the destiny.

Good to see Bennett has still got it, I was waiting for him to go off on his smarmy boss.

It's also good to see that Matt Parkman finally gets to be a police detective, by completely embracing his powers he overcomes the limits of his dyslexia.

It looks like this season's X-Men plot homage is to the Legacy Virus, just like last season had a Days of Future Past subplot.

Edit: Did anybody else notice who plays the new Company Man with the Midas touch? The same guy who played Werner Brandeis in Sneakers.

 

[Arnwyn]

I thought it was pretty good. (And no Jessica = always a great episode.)

I was particularly pleased to see that my favorite character from Alias (Sark/David Anders) was Kensei. Woo!

Unfortunate that Hiro's dad was killed - I would have liked to have seen much more of him.

I certainly don't have the adoration of Sylar that some others in this thread seem to have. :\

 

[wingsandsword]

I have to admit I was a bit surprised to see flying boy. I didn't expect it (although I should have) but also I think it is the first time we've seen someone with an already known power. That makes me think there is a finite list of abilities, perhaps.

It was established in the tie-in comics/graphic novels during the first season that Claude's first partner happened to have the same power as Peter.

There are a lot of powers, but every powered person apparently does not have an inherently unique one.

 

[JennB]

I'm seeing it telegraphed in pretty strongly that Hiro must take the place of Kensai so that history unfolds correctly.

Of course. Hiro is in a Sinclair/Valen (B5) type plot. When he comes back to the present he'll be much older, having lived out his life in the seventeenth century.

 

[Grymar]

Of course. Hiro is in a Sinclair/Valen (B5) type plot. When he comes back to the present he'll be much older, having lived out his life in the seventeenth century.

I never watched B5, so what exactly do you mean? Emotionally or physically more mature?

 

[wingsandsword]

I never watched B5, so what exactly do you mean? Emotionally or physically more mature?

Okay, here's an explanation:

In Babylon 5, one of the most powerful races in the Galaxy is the Minbari. The central figure of their culture is Valen, an enigmatic wise man who appeared in their darkest hour 1000 years ago and lead them to victory against dark forces and laid down many basic tenets of their religion and society.

When the human race begins to explore the stars, an arrogant human captain mistakes a Minbari gesture of peace for a threat and opens fire, starting a war. The minbari have been travelling the stars for millennia, their technology was vastly superior to humanity, and although they were fighting tooth-and-nail (and secretly buying more advanced weapons from other races), mankind was on the brink of extinction after a couple of years of war.

At the last stand of mankind, a minbari warship captured several human starfighters to interrogate them about the remaining humans and humans that were trying to flee known space. Minbari technology includes some elements that are almost magitech to humans, including the ability to analyze what is essentially the soul. While being interrogated, they discover that one human starfighter pilot has the same soul as Valen. They believed that for some reason, their savior was reincarnated as a human. Their highest law being that the minbari do not war amongst themselves, and their ruling council interpreted his reincarnation in human form to mean that Humans count as Minbari for purposes of the "no civil war" rule, they ended the war immediately and withdrew to their own space, but not before blanking the mind of the pilot of the experience, leaving him adrift in his fighter, and refusing to tell most of their own people why (thinking their own society would not believe it).

In the aftermath of the war, the Babylon Project is created as a diplomatic station to try to prevent another massive war. After a series of failures/sabotages, the project was almost abandoned, until the Minbari offered to front the money for a fifth attempt, on one catch, that pilot is named as the commanding officer.

Eventually, that pilot has his origin revealed to him, Valen had left with instructions to give it to him when he reappeared. It was a recording from himself from 1000 years ago. Following instructions he gave himself, he resigns his commission and goes to live on the Minbari homeworld.

Later in the series, he returns to use a piece of alien technology to travel back in time 1000 years and use Minbari biotechnology to assume a minbari guise and "become" Valen and lead the Minbari to victory.

Thus, a main character in the series goes back in time to become a key figure in his own history.

 

[Phoenix8008]

And Hiro actually has the powers to pull off the legendary fights that are attributed to Kensai. Can't wait to see him armored up and slashing through hundreds of troops on the field of battle in slow motion/bullet time! I'd imagine that if that comes to pass, we'll see a bit darker emotional state from Hiro as he grieves for the necessary loss of lives he was forced to take.

More interesting...if Hiro does the battling, falls in love with the swordsmith's daughter, and all that...but it's attributed to Kensai, then at the end when the Dragon wants Kensai to give up his love to pay the price it will be Hiro who steps forward to give his heart...Hmmm. This could take most of the season...

 

[Shayuri]

I'm still leaning towards Hiro being the Dragon...but like most legends, things aren't exactly how they seem.

I think Hiro will teach Kensai not just the ways of the sword, but the ways of the hero. He'll then use his powers to help Kensai...making it seem like he has those abilities. Both he and Kensai will fall for the daughter, and in the end, Kensai will take his own life when she chooses Hiro.

That's my guess right now, at the outset. We shall see!

 

[Ed_Laprade]

My favorite line was Hiro's: "This is going to be tough." ("I broke history!" was up there too.)

Has anyone else noticed that Hiro has a Super Nose? He's had it smashed straight on hard enough to knock him out at least twice, but it remains unbroken.

And I guess now we'll never know what his dad's power was. (Rats!) But I expect that Hiro will find out what the legacy is eventually. (I don't really expect him back in the present until the end of the season.)

Next week's TV Guide confirms that powers are not unique to a single individual. It also says that the the south of the border duo are twins. Her power is to create an instantly lethal disease when stressed and his is to counter it.

Looking good so far!

Edit: Oh yeah, and I don't like Peeping Tom the Flying Boy either!

 

[Glyfair]

Next week's TV Guide confirms that powers are not unique to a single individual.

The online comic seems to confirm that he can fly (although he has an obsession with scent, which may or may not be tied to powers).