Heroes: Better Halves
March 22nd 2007 06:30
As you can probably tell, I am very, very behind on my Heroes recaps. I am going to do my best to get up to date, starting with the episode Better Halves. This was an enjoyable installment of the show; however, at times, it lapsed into predictability.
The episode began where the previous had left off – Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) delivering the message given by Future Hiro to Present-Day Hiro (Masi Oka). Of course, ‘Save the Cheerleader, Save the World’ makes even less sense to Hiro than it did to Peter. However, Hiro was very impressed by the fact that he will one day have a sword. Once again, I just have to reiterate how much I love Isaac’s (Santiago Cabrera) paintings, and the fact that they fit together like the panels in a comic book links in nicely with the execution of the show.
Claire (Hayden Panettiere) believes that she has met her biological parents, who, to her disappointment, turned out to be exceedingly ordinary. Considering that the reunion was organised by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman), it was quite obvious that these people would be simply playing the role of Claire’s DNA donors.
I wonder if Claire’s real parentage will ever come to light. The fact that they were unable to be found, even when their daughter was stricken with a mysterious illness, indicates to me that they are either dead or detained.
DL Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), the husband of Niki (Ali Larter), has finally reappeared on the scene – and he phased through solid matter to do so. It is unsurprising that he has a Linderman connection, and I imagine all the Heroes will be linked to the mysterious mobster in some way.
Niki has finally caught up with audience and realized that her alter ego was behind the deaths of DL’s crew. The conversation between the two halves revealed that Niki’s reflective self is extremely paranoid and mistrustful. On a completely superficial note, she also has better hair. The physical fight between Niki’s alternate persona and DL was quite intense; she threw him clear across the room, he literally reached into her chest. I felt so sorry for poor Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) when he walked in – it’s bad enough to see your parents fight, without throwing super powers into the mix.
Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) has left for India, his doubts finally getting the better of him. Eden (Nora Zehetner) attempted to use her feminine wiles to convince him to stay. This was at the instruction of Mr Bennet, and I’d just like to say that I totally called her on being shady. What does she have in store for Isaac?
Although the title Better Halves relates mostly to Niki's split personality, this theme runs deeper throughout the episode. A wife and husband are supposed to be each other's better halves, but neither Niki or DL can take the moral high ground. Hiro and Ando (James Kyson Lee) show that a hero needs a sidekick to be complete, and vice versa. Finally, Claire meeting illustrates that we are the two halves of our parents - and that something is amiss if we don't fit.
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary.
The episode began where the previous had left off – Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) delivering the message given by Future Hiro to Present-Day Hiro (Masi Oka). Of course, ‘Save the Cheerleader, Save the World’ makes even less sense to Hiro than it did to Peter. However, Hiro was very impressed by the fact that he will one day have a sword. Once again, I just have to reiterate how much I love Isaac’s (Santiago Cabrera) paintings, and the fact that they fit together like the panels in a comic book links in nicely with the execution of the show.
Claire (Hayden Panettiere) believes that she has met her biological parents, who, to her disappointment, turned out to be exceedingly ordinary. Considering that the reunion was organised by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman), it was quite obvious that these people would be simply playing the role of Claire’s DNA donors.
I wonder if Claire’s real parentage will ever come to light. The fact that they were unable to be found, even when their daughter was stricken with a mysterious illness, indicates to me that they are either dead or detained.
DL Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), the husband of Niki (Ali Larter), has finally reappeared on the scene – and he phased through solid matter to do so. It is unsurprising that he has a Linderman connection, and I imagine all the Heroes will be linked to the mysterious mobster in some way.
DL chokes Niki from the inside*
Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) has left for India, his doubts finally getting the better of him. Eden (Nora Zehetner) attempted to use her feminine wiles to convince him to stay. This was at the instruction of Mr Bennet, and I’d just like to say that I totally called her on being shady. What does she have in store for Isaac?
Although the title Better Halves relates mostly to Niki's split personality, this theme runs deeper throughout the episode. A wife and husband are supposed to be each other's better halves, but neither Niki or DL can take the moral high ground. Hiro and Ando (James Kyson Lee) show that a hero needs a sidekick to be complete, and vice versa. Finally, Claire meeting illustrates that we are the two halves of our parents - and that something is amiss if we don't fit.
Overall Rating
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Great review as always.
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
This is the only show I watch now...and what's really annoying is that it's on at the same time as 'Spicks and Specks'...the only other show I watch.
(...hang, on I watch 'Scrubs'...oh and I record 'Lost')
Oh grrr...Mohinder is irritating.
You were so right about Eden.
Niki and um, Ikin? (what is the doppelganger's name?) are just so...oh woe, oh despair!
Good to have you back Ninabelle.
Hope you're well...
Dusk
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Mohinder needs to start doing something more interesting. So far he has mostly just interacted with Eden, and as a baddie she is really quite dull.
While NIki and her double (whose name is revealed in the next episode) are just the two sides of the same coin, the doppelganger really is far more interesting... and shinier too...
Great to see you again Dusk. Hope you are well also.
Nina
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
I think it was an interesting choice to have Niki and her alter ego have different hair - the difference is fairly subtle, but it helps to convey the stronger character.
Comment by Andrea
Diet and Health
V8 Supercar Pitstop
I love Heroes. For once, the writers seem to have tried to make the series really move forwards instead of stagnating (just so they can scrape a couple more episodes out of it). The characters are interesting and always evolving.
I'm looking forward to your next review.
A.
PS You're right, Wednesday night is big at the moment ... I wish the TV stations would learn to work more harmoniously and spread the good shows out through the week!
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by Francis
Passionate Apathy
rip-offhomage, but these characters have made their powers and the stories their own.Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
Hope you're well Ninabelle...I was thinking of you yesterday, wondering how you are...
Dusk
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Yes, I am well - just up to my eyeballs in assignments!
I hope you are well, also...
Nina