Heroes: Six Months Ago
April 27th 2007 09:35
Six Months Ago was an elucidating episode of Heroes. It filled in some pieces of the puzzle while ultimately raising further questions.
Courtesy of Hiro (Masi Oka), we arrive six months in the past, at a birthday part for Charlie (Jayma Mays).
A lovely relationship blossoms between the pair, and his attempts to convince her that he is from the future are very cute. The scene with the cranes was just beautiful. Despite his most valiant efforts, Hiro discovers that Charlie cannot be saved - she confesses that he has a blood clot in her brain, which is killing her. Right at a pivotal moment, Hiro is transported back to present day Japan, seemingly unable to return to the past. He returns to Ando (James Kyson Lee), despondent that he wasn't able to change the past. Once again, the question is raised - can the future really be altered, or are our Heroes bound by destiny?
Chandra Suresh (Erick Avari) is in New York, attempting to track down the evolved humans on his list.
He begins with the man he thinks is patient zero – Gabriel Gray (Zachary Quinto). His name is very interesting – Gabriel is a messenger archangel, sometimes seen as the angel of death; while gray (grey) lies in between black and white. It paints a symbolic picture of Gabriel – it seems he walks the line between good and evil; sent as a messenger, but instead bringing death. Also symbolic is Gabriel’s profession – as a watchmaker, it is only fitting that he can see what makes things tick.
Like Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), Gabriel has a fixation on being important and special. However, he seems far more unstable than Peter, a fact that Chandra realises all too late.
During an encounter with Brian Davis (David Berman), a telekinetic man, Gabriel takes his alias, Sylar. Just as with the watch, Sylar is able to see that Brian is ‘broken,’ stating that the evolutionary difference is within the brain. This ties in well with the previous episodes, such as how Claire (Hayden Panettiere) was unable to heal when the stick was embedded in her brain. Sylar kills Brian, but it is unclear how he manages to acquire his ability.
The Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) we see here is quite different to the one of the present, and far more ethical.
His reluctance towards his power makes a lot more sense now, knowing that it played a part in his wife’s accident. Peter’s dream seems to occur about the same time as the accident – this would indicate that it is linked to his empathic ability, rather than any pre-cognitive power absorbed from someone else.
It seems strange that Nathan was ready to prosecute Linderman, but he now has no qualms about accepting money from him - one has to wonder what made him change his tune.
Claire gains a place on the cheerleading squad, due to the departure of Lori Tremmel (Ashlee Gillespie). In a great nod to continuity, Jackie (Danielle Savre) repeats the rumour about Lori sleeping with the football team, which was started by quarterback Brody (Matt Lanter). It is through a fight with Jackie that accident-prone Claire injures herself, and her healing ability starts to manifest itself – though the process does not appear to be as fast as it is six months from now. Claire does not seem to realise the significance of her quickly-healed hand, but her father certainly does.
A long-haired Eden (Nora Zehetner), who looks remarkably like Rachel Bilson, is taken in by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman) and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis). Before this, she encounters Officer Matt (Greg Grunberg), who fails the detective test because of his dyslexia. Without realising it, he manages to hear Janice’s (Lisa Lackey) thoughts, which is probably the first time his ability manifests itself. That’s why you should look at people when they are talking to you, Matt.
We discover that Jessica (Ali Larter) is not just Niki’s alter-ego, but is actually her sister. Jessica was killed by their father, Hal (Graham Beckel), when she was eleven years old. Now she’s all grown up, and taking possession of Niki. I can’t really understand how Jessica managed to integrate herself into her sister, but perhaps it is an identity that Niki has assigned her reflective self. Still, most people don’t even want to share a room with their sister, let alone a body.
*Screencap courtesy of the Heroes wiki, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
Courtesy of Hiro (Masi Oka), we arrive six months in the past, at a birthday part for Charlie (Jayma Mays).
Hiro folds 1000 cranes for Charlie*
Chandra Suresh (Erick Avari) is in New York, attempting to track down the evolved humans on his list.
He begins with the man he thinks is patient zero – Gabriel Gray (Zachary Quinto). His name is very interesting – Gabriel is a messenger archangel, sometimes seen as the angel of death; while gray (grey) lies in between black and white. It paints a symbolic picture of Gabriel – it seems he walks the line between good and evil; sent as a messenger, but instead bringing death. Also symbolic is Gabriel’s profession – as a watchmaker, it is only fitting that he can see what makes things tick.
Like Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), Gabriel has a fixation on being important and special. However, he seems far more unstable than Peter, a fact that Chandra realises all too late.
During an encounter with Brian Davis (David Berman), a telekinetic man, Gabriel takes his alias, Sylar. Just as with the watch, Sylar is able to see that Brian is ‘broken,’ stating that the evolutionary difference is within the brain. This ties in well with the previous episodes, such as how Claire (Hayden Panettiere) was unable to heal when the stick was embedded in her brain. Sylar kills Brian, but it is unclear how he manages to acquire his ability.
The Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) we see here is quite different to the one of the present, and far more ethical.
His reluctance towards his power makes a lot more sense now, knowing that it played a part in his wife’s accident. Peter’s dream seems to occur about the same time as the accident – this would indicate that it is linked to his empathic ability, rather than any pre-cognitive power absorbed from someone else.
It seems strange that Nathan was ready to prosecute Linderman, but he now has no qualms about accepting money from him - one has to wonder what made him change his tune.
Claire gains a place on the cheerleading squad, due to the departure of Lori Tremmel (Ashlee Gillespie). In a great nod to continuity, Jackie (Danielle Savre) repeats the rumour about Lori sleeping with the football team, which was started by quarterback Brody (Matt Lanter). It is through a fight with Jackie that accident-prone Claire injures herself, and her healing ability starts to manifest itself – though the process does not appear to be as fast as it is six months from now. Claire does not seem to realise the significance of her quickly-healed hand, but her father certainly does.
A long-haired Eden (Nora Zehetner), who looks remarkably like Rachel Bilson, is taken in by Mr Bennet (Jack Coleman) and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis). Before this, she encounters Officer Matt (Greg Grunberg), who fails the detective test because of his dyslexia. Without realising it, he manages to hear Janice’s (Lisa Lackey) thoughts, which is probably the first time his ability manifests itself. That’s why you should look at people when they are talking to you, Matt.
We discover that Jessica (Ali Larter) is not just Niki’s alter-ego, but is actually her sister. Jessica was killed by their father, Hal (Graham Beckel), when she was eleven years old. Now she’s all grown up, and taking possession of Niki. I can’t really understand how Jessica managed to integrate herself into her sister, but perhaps it is an identity that Niki has assigned her reflective self. Still, most people don’t even want to share a room with their sister, let alone a body.
Overall Rating
*Screencap courtesy of the Heroes wiki, and used under Fair Dealing for identification and critical commentary
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Successfully raising new questions while answering old ones, this is the episode that really got me hooked on the show.
Loved the revealing of hidden truths and showing that the landscape of the plot is much more vast than any of the characters are near comprehending.
Loved the accident that forced Nathan burst towards the sky...Pasdar's part needed some rounding out and this exposed the pivotal event that moulded who he became in private.
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by Nickoftime's Sanity Corner
I really have looked for the show but can't seem to find it..must be the crazy hours I keep lol But I'm still looking!
Your posts have me curious now and I really want to see at least one damned episode!
Take care,
Nick
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
Great review. I really enjoyed this episode. I felt that it helped flesh out some of the characters a bit... there's been so much going on of late.
Up until this episode, I've been a bit hit and miss with viewing it. But I think I might be hooked now!
Kylie
Comment by DuskDevi
Rucks and Rolls
Rugby World Cup 2007
Nathan and Peter are really close brothers huh?
I love your analysis of Gabriel Grey/Sylar....excellent. As is this review.
Hope you are well Ninabelle.
Dusk
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
I see you have a new avatar! I'm guessing that is you?
Nina
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
Peter and Nathan seem incredibly close. Their scenes together are usually quite intense, and there is a hell of a lot of chemistry between them. Honestly, sometimes I think that the actors are engaging in such frequent touching on purpose, just to mess with our heads.
Nina
Comment by Francis
Passionate Apathy
Peter and Nathan walk the line perfectly- they have their disagreements and difficulties, but in the end they are family. There are a lot of family-related themes in the show, like Claire and her parents... and her biological parents, too...
Comment by Nina
TV Babble
It would certainly seem pointless for Hiro to have no ability to change the future - I suppose the question is, how much can he change it? Will the universe ultimately intervene and prevent a major and pivotal change from being made? The show has already toyed with the issue of fate, so, ultimately, what part will it play?
Family definitely is a major theme, particularly as there seems to be somewhat of a familial link. The Sanders family is a great example of this - mother, father, son and mother's dead sister...