Heroes: Homecoming
April 20th 2007 08:18
Homecoming was a gripping episode of Heroes. As well as being action packed, it involved some really lovely interaction between the characters. The majority of this episode dealt with Future-Hiro's message - Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. This theme certainly came to a head, but it is unclear whether it has actually been achieved.
Claire (Hayden Panettiere) was voted Homecoming Queen, having ‘rocked the freak vote.’ This embrace by the so-called outcasts nicely mirrored Claire’s acceptance that she is different. She has a fantastic sidekick in Zach (Thomas Dekker), and there were a lot of cute exchanges between the pair. I particularly enjoyed it when Claire stood up for her friend by punching Jackie (Danielle Savre) in the face. Normally I don’t advocate violence, but it really was warranted in this case. In some ways, Claire was doing Jackie a favour – if she hadn’t been so superficial as to cover up the bruise, Sylar would have realized she wasn’t invulnerable.
Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) attempted to stop Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) from seeing the painting he obtained from Linderman. Despite being quite self absorbed, it is clear that Nathan is truly worried about Peter, and is attempting to save him from harm. Of course, this defiance only strengthens Peter’s resolve – and it certainly helped that Simone (Tawny Cypress) conveniently had a digital copy.
Poor Ando (James Kyson Lee) was still waiting for Hiro (Masi Oka) to return. Surely the staff must be sick of him by now. It certainly seems strange that the diner is still operating – after all, there has just been a grisly murder of one of their own.
The meeting between Ando and Peter had just the right mix of both awkwardness and understanding. Peter’s admission that by himself he is not really anything was quite poignant. It’s clear that he has a desire to be a strong and special person – however, even when blessed with a special ability, he cannot escape the shadow of others.
The initial exchange between Peter and Claire was really sweet – it’s a shame about the age gap, because there is some real chemistry there.
I loved that they met due to her colliding into him - it really is very fitting.
All the scenes with Sylar were incredibly tense, and the use of light and shadow was very dramatic. Sylar attacked Jackie because he believed that she was invulnerable – had she not taken the credit for Claire’s heroic act, he wouldn’t have targeted her. I suppose in some way it is karma, but it also illustrates just why heroes tend to have a secret identity.
Ultimately, Peter played a part in saving Claire. He grapples with Sylar, resulting in them both plummeting from the top of the amphitheatre. This was a very brave act by Peter – he was prepared to give his life to save hers, which fits well with his caring and compassionate nature.
Thankfully, Peter was able to heal after having absorbed Claire’s ability – he saved her life, and she unknowingly saved his.
Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman) was also trying to save his daughter, eliciting the help of Isaac (Santiago Cabrera). Even under the influence of heroin, Isaac was unable to paint anything pertinent. Instead, his resulting artwork was that of what looks to be fire or an explosion in the shape of a man. No doubt, this will have great significance in episodes to come.
It is now evident that Eden’s (Nora Zehetner) power is of persuasion. She and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) have Sylar in their custody – the question is, what do they plan to do with him?
On the other side of the world, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) locates Sanjog Iyer (Javin Reid). It appears that he is some sort of dream guide. Unfortunately, he does not have the power to make these dreams any more interesting. Mohinder finally decides that he wants to continue this quest, and chooses the appropriate option on the rather unsubtle screen. The result is a list of the Heroes located thus far.
DL (Leonard Roberts) and Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) are on the run from Niki (Ali Larter), but Micah wants to go back to his mother. However, Jessica is in charge, and is intent on shooting DL. It remains to be seen whether her super strength is accompanied by accuracy.
Hiro manages to go back in time, but travels too far, arriving during the middle of Charlie’s (Jayma Mays) birthday celebration. This accounts for his rather sheepish expression in the photo. Considering that the waitress revealed to Ando that Hiro disappeared a few weeks ago, we can assume that he spent several months will Charlie.
Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. Claire survives, but Jackie dies – so has the right cheerleader been saved? I would think so, but there is no telling what effect an event can have over time.
Also, many of Isaac’s prophetic paintings were realized in this episode. In an attempt to stop these events from happening, are all the Heroes just playing into fate’s hands? Can the future really be changed, or is it pre-determined the instant the paint dries?
*Screencap courtesy of the TVIV, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary.
Claire (Hayden Panettiere) was voted Homecoming Queen, having ‘rocked the freak vote.’ This embrace by the so-called outcasts nicely mirrored Claire’s acceptance that she is different. She has a fantastic sidekick in Zach (Thomas Dekker), and there were a lot of cute exchanges between the pair. I particularly enjoyed it when Claire stood up for her friend by punching Jackie (Danielle Savre) in the face. Normally I don’t advocate violence, but it really was warranted in this case. In some ways, Claire was doing Jackie a favour – if she hadn’t been so superficial as to cover up the bruise, Sylar would have realized she wasn’t invulnerable.
Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) attempted to stop Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) from seeing the painting he obtained from Linderman. Despite being quite self absorbed, it is clear that Nathan is truly worried about Peter, and is attempting to save him from harm. Of course, this defiance only strengthens Peter’s resolve – and it certainly helped that Simone (Tawny Cypress) conveniently had a digital copy.
Poor Ando (James Kyson Lee) was still waiting for Hiro (Masi Oka) to return. Surely the staff must be sick of him by now. It certainly seems strange that the diner is still operating – after all, there has just been a grisly murder of one of their own.
The meeting between Ando and Peter had just the right mix of both awkwardness and understanding. Peter’s admission that by himself he is not really anything was quite poignant. It’s clear that he has a desire to be a strong and special person – however, even when blessed with a special ability, he cannot escape the shadow of others.
The initial exchange between Peter and Claire was really sweet – it’s a shame about the age gap, because there is some real chemistry there.
Peter arrives to save the cheerleader*
All the scenes with Sylar were incredibly tense, and the use of light and shadow was very dramatic. Sylar attacked Jackie because he believed that she was invulnerable – had she not taken the credit for Claire’s heroic act, he wouldn’t have targeted her. I suppose in some way it is karma, but it also illustrates just why heroes tend to have a secret identity.
Ultimately, Peter played a part in saving Claire. He grapples with Sylar, resulting in them both plummeting from the top of the amphitheatre. This was a very brave act by Peter – he was prepared to give his life to save hers, which fits well with his caring and compassionate nature.
Thankfully, Peter was able to heal after having absorbed Claire’s ability – he saved her life, and she unknowingly saved his.
Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman) was also trying to save his daughter, eliciting the help of Isaac (Santiago Cabrera). Even under the influence of heroin, Isaac was unable to paint anything pertinent. Instead, his resulting artwork was that of what looks to be fire or an explosion in the shape of a man. No doubt, this will have great significance in episodes to come.
It is now evident that Eden’s (Nora Zehetner) power is of persuasion. She and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) have Sylar in their custody – the question is, what do they plan to do with him?
On the other side of the world, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) locates Sanjog Iyer (Javin Reid). It appears that he is some sort of dream guide. Unfortunately, he does not have the power to make these dreams any more interesting. Mohinder finally decides that he wants to continue this quest, and chooses the appropriate option on the rather unsubtle screen. The result is a list of the Heroes located thus far.
DL (Leonard Roberts) and Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) are on the run from Niki (Ali Larter), but Micah wants to go back to his mother. However, Jessica is in charge, and is intent on shooting DL. It remains to be seen whether her super strength is accompanied by accuracy.
Hiro manages to go back in time, but travels too far, arriving during the middle of Charlie’s (Jayma Mays) birthday celebration. This accounts for his rather sheepish expression in the photo. Considering that the waitress revealed to Ando that Hiro disappeared a few weeks ago, we can assume that he spent several months will Charlie.
Save the Cheerleader, Save the World. Claire survives, but Jackie dies – so has the right cheerleader been saved? I would think so, but there is no telling what effect an event can have over time.
Also, many of Isaac’s prophetic paintings were realized in this episode. In an attempt to stop these events from happening, are all the Heroes just playing into fate’s hands? Can the future really be changed, or is it pre-determined the instant the paint dries?
Overall Rating
*Screencap courtesy of the TVIV, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
sure wish I could get the show over here in America...it sounds like something that would hold my attention! Thanks for the info...Great post...
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
excuse my stupidity!
I rarely watch tv so I'm kinda not up to date on any of the new shows...well unless you count Animal Planet's E-vets and Discovery's Health! lolol
I'll be sure and watch for it now though...since you SO graciously and tactfully told me it's NOT an Aussie show it's American lolol
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Nina
TV Babble