The Heroes Review: Season 4, Episode 4 - Acceptance

Posted by Jason Chamberlain on 10.06.2009

This week on Heroes, Noah has a mid life crisis, Tracy goes back to work and Hiro finds acceptance!

AND MICHAEL WEYER!!!

I swear I'll get that fixed Mike!

As usual, I'll get things started!

After starting off this new season with two strong episodes, Heroes takes a step back this week with a pretty boring one. This episode was slow, it was tedious and nothing of consequence happened til the very end. At least, not on first blush. Maybe I’ll remember something as I go through it.

I’ll start with Hiro’s story. I’m really not sure where this whole power malfunctioning, dying story is going. Would they really kill off Hiro? Somehow I doubt it. This is a show that needs to rebuild some faith with its audience and icing the guy who is, arguably, the shows flagship character would be counter productive. Then again, it’s giving Hiro a storyline and throwing a wrench into the “Deus Ex Machina” that is his time travelling power, right?

This week’s story was kind of fun as Hiro tried to save a dude from himself. The concept of a Japanese office drone who just will not stop photo copying his ass makes me smile. It also, hopefully, illustrated to Hiro that you can’t save everybody, even when you have super powers. People have free will, and some people are also idiots. That’s a dangerous combination.

With Hiro bringing his sister into the super powered loop, I’m wondering; could she have a power? It would run in the family wouldn’t it? Then again, maybe her power is just being really hot.

Claire and HRG’s long talk bored me to tears. Claire did drop one real great nugget of advice that worked its way from her dad along to Tracy before the hour was up, but did we really need, like, three scenes that were exactly the same to get to it? And why, aside from the obvious storyline concerns, is HRG suddenly interested in getting back into the game, so to speak? He’s obviously learned that it’s his never ending devotion to the job that cost him pretty well everything. Why wouldn’t he use his Claire granted reawakening to become a better family man, reconnect with his wife? I know, cause we need him being badass HRG. I dig. Still, weird.

Tracy found out, quite literally, that you can’t go home again. Especially when ‘home’ is a sleaze ball governor who just wants to tap that ass. I give the show, and Ali Larter, credit for the under stated and powerful moment in the bathroom where the realization of exactly what the score was hit her full on. It was surprising in its subtlety. I half expected the governor dude to just stuff a single down her dress and spell it out real clear for us. Yes Tracy, you’re a prostitute. Unless you want to use your cool water/ice powers to be more than that.

Nathan’s story is... interesting, but I’m not sure I like where it’s going. I’m not sure what point the whole “shady death in Nathan’s past” plot had other than getting Nathan good and whacked so that Sylar could emerge from his grave. It was strangely chilling to see a couple bony old blue hairs staring each other down over drinks, simultaneously harbouring (or concealing) murderous intentions.

Not sure what to make of Sylar climbing out of the grave instead of Nathan, but from next week’s previews it looks clear that Sylar isn’t quite Sylar. Does that make sense? Ah well, at least Zach Quinto is still getting work!

Also, I want to see the Scary Grandma lay the smack down on that chilly ‘friend’ of hers.

My other problem with this episode? Not enough Samuel! That guy is the bomb. I also want to see more of his carnival troupe. There has to be more to them than Darth Maul and Tattoo Lady! Come on!

Things I Dug

- Hiro has a bucket list!
- Noah’s new home life sucks.
- “I’m like a Swiss army knife of super powers.”
- “I never actually sold anything.”
- Nathan gets a ‘Katie Vick’ storyline!
- “Every time there’s a secret buried some place I find you with a shovel behind your back.”
- “I am a company man.”
- “Sometimes you have to remember who you were to figure out who you want to be.”
- “Nobody copies their butt 47 different ways without wanting to get fired!”
- Tracy’s “Holy shit, I’m a hooker” moment.
- Samuel is the fucking MAN.
- Wow, those are some murderous WASP’s!
- Zombie... SYLAR?!?!

Now, here's Mike!

First, a few thoughts first on last week’s episode:

*The Sylar/Matt stuff was brilliantly done as Sylar actually seemed helpful and even worried about the “missing girl” and the throwback to the very first episode of the series was good. Seeing Matt going down the same path as his dad is still hard but promises some intrigue.

*I’ve always liked the actress Deanne Bray and her character is quite intriguing. Being able to “see” sound for a deaf person is a great idea and the scene where she plays the cello was one of the best quiet moments the series has had.

*The Claire/Gretchen story continued to grow nicely with Claire finally able to open up to someone although I’m sure that’s going to haunt her in the end.

So onto this week…

You Can’t go home again: So Tracy decides to get back into her old life but to little surprise, she’s unable to. It makes sense after all she’s been through, including dying, that Tracy wouldn’t be the same brutal conniver she was before. Larter did a great job with her wanting to get back to her old life but realizing she just didn’t have the passion for it. I loved the bit where she “cries” through her hands as the idea she has to concentrate in order to keep her solid form is one to play with down the road. Not sure where her path is from now on but a good shift for the character.

HRG seeking gainful employment: I admit some confusion as it sounded in the season three finale like HRG was going to restart the Company but he’s lost here now. The bits with Claire were good, showing the chemistry they have and believable as father/daughter. I enjoyed Claire bringing up his long experience and he just stares at her before reminding her “you know that was a cover, right?” Then again, it’s hard to get a new job when you can’t tell anyone what your old one was. However, the last bit with him putting up clippings of the heroes makes you think the old HRG can be back.

Hiro’s Travels: I admit saving a guy from photocopying his butt over and over seemed pretty silly at first. But it’s past time Hiro got it into his head that no matter what he does, some things you can’t change. However, it was clear that he was using that quest to avoid the issue of his own dying and the last conversation with him and Tashida was good. The line of him saying “you’ll have a friend waiting for you in heaven” was moving as was when he finally tells his sister about his condition. That of course led to her finding out his powers and where Hiro went to is sure to be interesting.

Peter/Carnies: Not much to report on this front. I did like the bit where “Nathan” shows his powers to Peter and Peter makes the logical conclusion that Nathan takes after Peter and their father in copying powers. Still a bit confused as to the Carnies’ overall game plan but their connection to Bennett is very interesting.

Sylar reborn: Once again, Angela seeks to make Joan Crawford look like Mother Theresa. I knew this woman was conniving and obsessive with keeping the name safe but covering up the death of a friend’s daughter and making her own son forget it is low, even for her. It was great seeing Swoosie Kurtz back as the friend gelling with Nathan well and liked the bit where Nathan uses that power to remember what happened touching the pool area. That Kurtz would want such immediate bloody payback was a nice twist and I loved the scene where she and Angela talk over dinner and Angela gets a taste of her own medicine with being kept in the dark by a conniver. The big moment, of course, was that it’s Sylar who crawls out of the grave which means we’re in for a very wicked ride to come.

The 411: Slow, boring, nothing really happened... way to blow that momentum Heroes! Do better next week!

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]