Robert N EmersonHeroes: Collision
February 23rd 2007 08:53
Collision was another intriguing episode of Heroes. It advanced the struggles of the characters well, but is still suffering from minor problems.
Officer Matt may not have had a huge amount of screen time this week, but his solitary scene managed to be incredibly creepy. Why is it that Greg Grunberg’s characters are always treated appallingly? Visually, this segment was fantastic, with the blue lighting adding a clinical and ominous feel to an already menacing scene.
Matt’s collapse was the result of being drugged by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman), who is now keeping him prisoner, presumably for some nefarious reason. The mysterious man from the bar (Jimmy Jean-Louis) appeared once again, and it was confirmed that he is able to block Matt’s mind reading ability, although he was able to snatch ‘Claire’ from Mr Bennet’s mind. It sounds as if the mysterious man will rob Matt of either his powers or his memories. Neither is a particularly fun alternative.
Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) were entertaining as always, although it appears that Ando is quite a bad influence. Hiro certainly isn't a natural cheat – it’s one thing to move a roulette ball; it's another to switch the cards that someone has already seen. For the sharp eyed, the pair gambled at the Montecito Hotel and Casino, which is the setting of another NBC show, Las Vegas.
We actually got to see the process via which Isaac (Santiago Cabrera) paints his visions of the future. It appears that the drugs allow him to enter a trance-like state, which does lend credence to theory of the brain being significant in heroes' powers. I enjoyed the transition between his live-action vision and his artistic rendering - it was a very cool effect, and it shows that Claire will be a main target of some hostile force.
Speaking of Claire, I was quite annoyed that her awakening had changed from the last episode - rather than switch back to the medical examiner to maintain the integrity of the scene, they changed the dialogue completely. It felt like a total disconnect from the previous cliff-hanger, and took me utterly out of the moment. It is also a little difficult to believe that her body was discovered and an autopsy conducted in such a short space of time, but I'm willing to overlook that as a necessary device for the plot.
Despite the issues with Claire's storyline, there was some great work from Hayden Panettiere, particularly when she broke down at the weight of all that has happened. Until now I had neglected to mention her geeky friend Zach (Thomas Dekker) - he is very much the voice of reason in Claire's life, and is even somewhat of a sidekick for her.
Seeing Claire would have been quite a spooky experience for Brody (Matt Lanter), so he must be quite the sociopath to continue his awful behaviour. Knowing that he is a serial rapist, it is certainly understandable that Claire wanted to exact revenge, but there will ultimately be ramifications for her actions.
Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is a very intelligent man, so he really should have known that yelling warnings to Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) would not have been the best course of action to take. I still feel sorry for Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) - he is desperate to understand his heroic self, but the elusiveness of his power makes it difficult for him to convince anyone of its existence. It seems that Peter shares my theory on the empathetic nature of his gift - the real question, however, is whether he is able to retain these borrowed abilities. If so, then he could potentially become the most powerful being on the planet.
I'm also curious as to whether Peter was the one that froze the train, or if it was Future Hiro's doing. Future Hiro is very different from his present day equivalent - his garb, weapons and unaccented English indicate that the time he is from is a long way off.
Through the enigmatic Linderman, Nathan and Niki were brought together. It’s hard to believe that this could be coincidental. Nathan is obviously dwelling on his new found capability, despite trying to convince Peter otherwise. It appears that Niki's alter ego takes over during stressful or dangerous situations, and the changeover is instantaneous. It seems that she does the things that Niki doesn't want to do, almost like the ultimate compartmentalisation. The initial switch was very subtle, but definitely noticeable, and Ali Larter did a great job conveying it. The only noticeable physical difference between the pair is that the alter ego has a tattoo of the mysterious symbol. I love that she referred to Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) as 'our son,' as it demonstrates an involvement in Niki's life, rather than complete detachment. Concerning Micah, it is apparent that he knows what Niki was doing as an occupation - either he has been spying on her, or he is in some way gifted as well.
The title Collision is an apt one, and not just for the obvious car crash. In physics, a collision is nothing more than bodies coming together, and that is exactly what the heroes are doing. The characters are colliding; drawn together by the forces of fate. What will be the result of the impact?
Heroes continues next Wednesday at 8.30pm on Channel Seven.
*Screencap courtesy of the Heroes Wiki, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
Officer Matt may not have had a huge amount of screen time this week, but his solitary scene managed to be incredibly creepy. Why is it that Greg Grunberg’s characters are always treated appallingly? Visually, this segment was fantastic, with the blue lighting adding a clinical and ominous feel to an already menacing scene.
Matt’s collapse was the result of being drugged by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman), who is now keeping him prisoner, presumably for some nefarious reason. The mysterious man from the bar (Jimmy Jean-Louis) appeared once again, and it was confirmed that he is able to block Matt’s mind reading ability, although he was able to snatch ‘Claire’ from Mr Bennet’s mind. It sounds as if the mysterious man will rob Matt of either his powers or his memories. Neither is a particularly fun alternative.
Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) were entertaining as always, although it appears that Ando is quite a bad influence. Hiro certainly isn't a natural cheat – it’s one thing to move a roulette ball; it's another to switch the cards that someone has already seen. For the sharp eyed, the pair gambled at the Montecito Hotel and Casino, which is the setting of another NBC show, Las Vegas.
We actually got to see the process via which Isaac (Santiago Cabrera) paints his visions of the future. It appears that the drugs allow him to enter a trance-like state, which does lend credence to theory of the brain being significant in heroes' powers. I enjoyed the transition between his live-action vision and his artistic rendering - it was a very cool effect, and it shows that Claire will be a main target of some hostile force.
Speaking of Claire, I was quite annoyed that her awakening had changed from the last episode - rather than switch back to the medical examiner to maintain the integrity of the scene, they changed the dialogue completely. It felt like a total disconnect from the previous cliff-hanger, and took me utterly out of the moment. It is also a little difficult to believe that her body was discovered and an autopsy conducted in such a short space of time, but I'm willing to overlook that as a necessary device for the plot.
Claire's literal collision*
Despite the issues with Claire's storyline, there was some great work from Hayden Panettiere, particularly when she broke down at the weight of all that has happened. Until now I had neglected to mention her geeky friend Zach (Thomas Dekker) - he is very much the voice of reason in Claire's life, and is even somewhat of a sidekick for her.
Seeing Claire would have been quite a spooky experience for Brody (Matt Lanter), so he must be quite the sociopath to continue his awful behaviour. Knowing that he is a serial rapist, it is certainly understandable that Claire wanted to exact revenge, but there will ultimately be ramifications for her actions.
Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is a very intelligent man, so he really should have known that yelling warnings to Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) would not have been the best course of action to take. I still feel sorry for Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) - he is desperate to understand his heroic self, but the elusiveness of his power makes it difficult for him to convince anyone of its existence. It seems that Peter shares my theory on the empathetic nature of his gift - the real question, however, is whether he is able to retain these borrowed abilities. If so, then he could potentially become the most powerful being on the planet.
I'm also curious as to whether Peter was the one that froze the train, or if it was Future Hiro's doing. Future Hiro is very different from his present day equivalent - his garb, weapons and unaccented English indicate that the time he is from is a long way off.
Through the enigmatic Linderman, Nathan and Niki were brought together. It’s hard to believe that this could be coincidental. Nathan is obviously dwelling on his new found capability, despite trying to convince Peter otherwise. It appears that Niki's alter ego takes over during stressful or dangerous situations, and the changeover is instantaneous. It seems that she does the things that Niki doesn't want to do, almost like the ultimate compartmentalisation. The initial switch was very subtle, but definitely noticeable, and Ali Larter did a great job conveying it. The only noticeable physical difference between the pair is that the alter ego has a tattoo of the mysterious symbol. I love that she referred to Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) as 'our son,' as it demonstrates an involvement in Niki's life, rather than complete detachment. Concerning Micah, it is apparent that he knows what Niki was doing as an occupation - either he has been spying on her, or he is in some way gifted as well.
The title Collision is an apt one, and not just for the obvious car crash. In physics, a collision is nothing more than bodies coming together, and that is exactly what the heroes are doing. The characters are colliding; drawn together by the forces of fate. What will be the result of the impact?
Overall Rating
Heroes continues next Wednesday at 8.30pm on Channel Seven.
*Screencap courtesy of the Heroes Wiki, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
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