Robert N EmersonHeroes: One Giant Leap
February 15th 2007 09:33
One Giant Leap was an enjoyable episode of Heroes, although it fell back slightly from the standard set by Don't Look Back. The plotlines of some characters were extremely entralling, while others seemed to develop little from last week.
It was great to see Officer Matt Parkman's (Greg Grunberg) professional life steam ahead, even if his personal one is going down the drain. It's quite ironic that a man who can read minds is so ineffectual at communicating. I hope that he and Agent Hanson (Clea Duvall) continue to work together, as they seem to have the potential for a really strong partnership.
Matt's inability to hear the thoughts of the mysterious man in the bar (Jimmy Jean-Louis) was very strange, and the complete silence was quite disturbing. Is this man another Hero, or is something else interrupting the power? Was he behind Matt's sudden collapse?
In contrast to last week, Niki (Ali Larter) had the least interesting story this episode, and the mystery of her other persona remained as elusive as last week. She took the finding of the ring as confirmation that her husband had killed his gang, without considering the possibility that she was the culprit - after all, it was her alter ego that led her to the spot, which would imply at least some level of knowledge.
Hiro (Masi Oka) has not lost his geekish charm, and I think that Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) makes a great sidekick. The scene where they endangered and then saved the school girl contained some cool special effects, and I loved their infectious joy at saving the day. The question remains - are they slaves to their destiny, or can they change the future?
Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) is still incredibly obsessive about his ability to fly, which I think is a symptom of living in his brother's shadow. It was very funny to watch him fall off the playground, particularly as the caped child watched in bewilderment.
Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) was quite despicable in this episode, obviously trying to cover himself if Peter sprouted any more crazy talk about flying. I do wonder, if Peter's gift really is an ability to empathetically link with others, perhaps his new found confidence came from channelling Nathan?
Not a lot happened with Isaac (Santiago Cabrera), except for his break-up with Simone (Tawny Cypress). I'm not particularly keen on her character, but I have to admit her kiss with Peter was quite steamy. In regards to Isaac's comics and sketches, I wonder if he also completed them while high? If not, then it shows that he doesn't need drugs to see the future. I would guess that, up to this point, he hadn't realised that they also predict events yet to happen, as they tell tales of individuals that are unlikely to be breaking news.
If it was indeed Sylar that tried to kidnap the little girl, he certainly is very powerful. It seems as though he has a variety of abilities, even encompassing those of the others, such as Nathan's flight and Claire's indestructibility. However, it may be that he has simply been able to develop his gifts further due to working with Chandra Suresh.
I'm still not certain if Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) should be trusting Eden (Nora Zehetner). I'm not sure if it is just poor writing or portrayal of the character, but she just seems disingenuous. The extreme cleanliness of Sylar's apartment indicate that he may be suffering with some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder. The scrawling on the wall also show that he feels remorse for his actions - if his powers are an amalgamation of others, perhaps, like Niki, he has an alter ego that is committing these crimes. It was also very odd that his New York apartment was able to be cleaned so quickly, considering he was in Los Angeles trying to kidnap the little girl. Either someone else was behind the purging, such as Eden, or Sylar was able to teleport himself back to NY, as Hiro is able to do.
The ending of the episode was phenomenal, with Claire (Hayden Panettiere) waking up to her own autopsy. Rather than being hysterical in the knowledge that she had just risen from the dead, she confronted the situation with rather irritated disbelief, which was morbidly hilarious. How on Earth will she talk her way out of this situation? I predict she'll have to say goodbye to that normal life of hers.
Mind you, it is a good thing she is indestructible, because she is very accident prone. In addition to her self-inflicted injuries, Claire has been involved in two fatal incidents this week alone. Strangely enough, both times were the fault of Quarterback Brody (Matt Lanter), which is very suspicious. I wonder if he is in league with her father (Jack Coleman), who managed to make even a normal parental warning to be careful sound threatening.
The attempted rape scene made clear that Claire is, in fact, capable of dying - it seems she is unable to heal if there is something lodged in the way, such as the tree branch or her jutting out ribs. However, this distinction doesn't seem completely clear cut, as Claire has received other injuries that surely would have been fatal, yet she didn't even lose consciousness. As an alternative theory, it could be that the brain plays a significant part in the Heroes' powers - after all, Sylar seems to have an obsession with it.
Overall, this was a good episode, although not a huge amount of headway was made. It think it is important that the show keep a fast pace early on, lest it languish and irritate viewers with endless questions, as is the case with Lost. As to whether any of the characters leapt ahead as the title suggests, on the surface it would appear not. However, it is important to remember that one giant leap for mankind is just one small step for a man.
Heroes continues next Wednesday at 8.30pm on Channel Seven.
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
It was great to see Officer Matt Parkman's (Greg Grunberg) professional life steam ahead, even if his personal one is going down the drain. It's quite ironic that a man who can read minds is so ineffectual at communicating. I hope that he and Agent Hanson (Clea Duvall) continue to work together, as they seem to have the potential for a really strong partnership.
In contrast to last week, Niki (Ali Larter) had the least interesting story this episode, and the mystery of her other persona remained as elusive as last week. She took the finding of the ring as confirmation that her husband had killed his gang, without considering the possibility that she was the culprit - after all, it was her alter ego that led her to the spot, which would imply at least some level of knowledge.
Hiro (Masi Oka) has not lost his geekish charm, and I think that Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) makes a great sidekick. The scene where they endangered and then saved the school girl contained some cool special effects, and I loved their infectious joy at saving the day. The question remains - are they slaves to their destiny, or can they change the future?
Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) is still incredibly obsessive about his ability to fly, which I think is a symptom of living in his brother's shadow. It was very funny to watch him fall off the playground, particularly as the caped child watched in bewilderment.
Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) was quite despicable in this episode, obviously trying to cover himself if Peter sprouted any more crazy talk about flying. I do wonder, if Peter's gift really is an ability to empathetically link with others, perhaps his new found confidence came from channelling Nathan?
Not a lot happened with Isaac (Santiago Cabrera), except for his break-up with Simone (Tawny Cypress). I'm not particularly keen on her character, but I have to admit her kiss with Peter was quite steamy. In regards to Isaac's comics and sketches, I wonder if he also completed them while high? If not, then it shows that he doesn't need drugs to see the future. I would guess that, up to this point, he hadn't realised that they also predict events yet to happen, as they tell tales of individuals that are unlikely to be breaking news.
If it was indeed Sylar that tried to kidnap the little girl, he certainly is very powerful. It seems as though he has a variety of abilities, even encompassing those of the others, such as Nathan's flight and Claire's indestructibility. However, it may be that he has simply been able to develop his gifts further due to working with Chandra Suresh.
Mohinder discovers Sylar's pleas for forgiveness*
I'm still not certain if Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) should be trusting Eden (Nora Zehetner). I'm not sure if it is just poor writing or portrayal of the character, but she just seems disingenuous. The extreme cleanliness of Sylar's apartment indicate that he may be suffering with some sort of obsessive compulsive disorder. The scrawling on the wall also show that he feels remorse for his actions - if his powers are an amalgamation of others, perhaps, like Niki, he has an alter ego that is committing these crimes. It was also very odd that his New York apartment was able to be cleaned so quickly, considering he was in Los Angeles trying to kidnap the little girl. Either someone else was behind the purging, such as Eden, or Sylar was able to teleport himself back to NY, as Hiro is able to do.
The ending of the episode was phenomenal, with Claire (Hayden Panettiere) waking up to her own autopsy. Rather than being hysterical in the knowledge that she had just risen from the dead, she confronted the situation with rather irritated disbelief, which was morbidly hilarious. How on Earth will she talk her way out of this situation? I predict she'll have to say goodbye to that normal life of hers.
Mind you, it is a good thing she is indestructible, because she is very accident prone. In addition to her self-inflicted injuries, Claire has been involved in two fatal incidents this week alone. Strangely enough, both times were the fault of Quarterback Brody (Matt Lanter), which is very suspicious. I wonder if he is in league with her father (Jack Coleman), who managed to make even a normal parental warning to be careful sound threatening.
The attempted rape scene made clear that Claire is, in fact, capable of dying - it seems she is unable to heal if there is something lodged in the way, such as the tree branch or her jutting out ribs. However, this distinction doesn't seem completely clear cut, as Claire has received other injuries that surely would have been fatal, yet she didn't even lose consciousness. As an alternative theory, it could be that the brain plays a significant part in the Heroes' powers - after all, Sylar seems to have an obsession with it.
Overall, this was a good episode, although not a huge amount of headway was made. It think it is important that the show keep a fast pace early on, lest it languish and irritate viewers with endless questions, as is the case with Lost. As to whether any of the characters leapt ahead as the title suggests, on the surface it would appear not. However, it is important to remember that one giant leap for mankind is just one small step for a man.
Overall Rating
Heroes continues next Wednesday at 8.30pm on Channel Seven.
*Screencap courtesy of Wikipedia, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
| 84 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
i dont wantto talk anymore about the show for fear of spoiling something to come, I haven't seen them in a while but i do know there is a lot more to come.
Great review as always
Comment by Nina
And definitely be careful what you say - if you let slip any spoilers I may have to hunt you down
Comment by DuskDevi
Rugby World Cup 2007
Ninabelle...this review is weakening my resolve.
I had said that I will continue to record the episodes until such time I am ready to watch them...all in one go.
(am also doing it with that %$&# 'Lost'...I really hate this show....)
BUT...your review...I really want to watch 'Heroes' now!
Fantastic as always Ninabelle.
Hope you're well hon...when does Uni start? You're persevering with Law? (shoot...almost wrote 'perversing'...hee hee)
Have you ever thought about doing reviews for magazines?
Dusk
Comment by Nina
Uni starts again on the 26th, and I'm continuing to study law. Thankfully I have a couple of comrades who share my feelings about the course, so we are able to band together against the super-enthusiastic and hard-core students.
I would absolutely love to do reviews for magazines - thanks again for your PM on the subject.
NIna
Comment by Francis
Passionate Apathy
Hiro is great as always; the destiny vs. free will thing always tends to pop up when one can time-travel.
Nathan is a politician, and one doesn't last long in that arene without an innate ability to cover one's ass.
There was no reason for Claire to freak out; she'd been spending some time and effort exploring the limits of her healing powers. I wonder if she could recover from decapitation? "There can be only one..."
Comment by Nina
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
I love Hiro and his side-kick. They're just so damn adorable!
Comment by Nina