HEROES 3x12 "Our Father" Discuss and Grade

[FALCONX0N]

Maybe Sylar walked in on the Haitian and Peter and just figured that Peter had brought a friend along for moral support? If I recall, the only time Sylar met the Haitian was in the middle of his mind being wiped, so, it could be Sylar figured he was the only person in the room with powers.

Or, y'know, the Haitian just hid behind a potted plant for the duration of the scene.

 

[TheArsenal]

A mixed bag. The efforts at course correction continue, but many elements of this episode are too poor to be ignored.

It is getting ridiculous that the Haitian still has no name. I know the show has a problem with off-white people but this is crazy.

They seemed to notice this last week. I recall the Haitian's brother spewing some mumbo jumbo about the power of names and not giving them out. Weak, granted, but they took a stab at it. And you make another point, no one is calling this "the most diverse cast in television" anymore. That's for certain.

Peter continues to display his uselessness. With the Haitian sweating and screaming to shoot, Peter wastes valuable time contorting his face in what I assume was conflict. Or maybe Robert Forster's cue card like delivery of his lines isn't bad acting, maybe it's a cunning trick to lull Peter into a hypnotic state. In any case, Sylar saves the day. But his walking away from the Haitian's ability is baffling. Sylar's only weakness is other superfolk - the Haitian's ability would have made him unstoppable. And why would he want that?

I did enjoy the scenes with Hiro. Being able to assure his dying mother that all would be right between him and his father, and that he does live up to his potential, was a nice touch. I thought the scenes with Claire and her mother were okay as well. I was a bit distracted watching her mom go back and forth in the same scene from 50 to a bizarrely airbrushed 30, but at least they tried.

Not a great episode, but I still think this show is in turn-around.

Average.

 

[Greg Cox]

Speaking of the Marine . . . Chad Faust played Kyle Baldwin on THE 4400, a character who willingly injected himself with an experimental chemical in hopes of gaining special abilities.

Now here he is again, volunteering to be injected with an experimental chemical in hopes of gaining special abilities . . . . .

Boy, talk about typecasting!

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

So I'm assuming the whole "world splitting in half" thing is going to be saved for the next volume. I really don't see a way we could get there from where we are with one episode left.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

Well that has been the problem with the series since season two. They've done away with the idea they had in season one of a massive volume covering a full season and instead have decided to go with shorter volumes. That's fine but they need to realize if you cut back on episodes you have to cut back on the number of story ideas/plot threads you've got going otherwise you'll never do them any justice.

It isn't as if the writers are lacking in good ideas. The problem is they don't concentrate on a manageable few [Peter shooting Nathan, eg] and develop them like is often done in your more modest traditional serialized dramas.....

Can you imagine how good this volume would have been if Nathan's emotional response to Peter shooting him had been one of only a few focuses? The brothers trying to heal their fractured relationship and failing? How about Peter being dense enough to shoot his brother (instead of trying to talk to him) being the "catalyst" for Nathan buying into his father's point of view? That's a whole volume of character development and story right there in and of itself. I could buy Nathan accepting his father's point of view if I'd seen some actual trauma after his brother confessed to trying to murder him. Peter and Nathan were supposed to be thick as thieves in spite of their different temperaments and world views. Nathan should have been devastated by Peter's confession. I don't care that it was "future" Peter. It was Peter and Nathan didn't react one bit. "I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to this" is not an emotional reaction.

 

[zog]

So I'm assuming the whole "world splitting in half" thing is going to be saved for the next volume. I really don't see a way we could get there from where we are with one episode left.

Quick resolution #1: Arthur stays dead (catalyst dies with him) and the batch of brew already cooked is destroyed.


Hiro on the flagpole is reminiscent of Hiro in feudal Japan, a good setup to the next volume. But Hiro probably won't sit the finale out.

 

[label]

Finally a really good Heroes episodes. It's been a long time since I didn't cringe after watching an episode because the characters were so unlike themselves and the story lines were nonsensical.

Granted, the story lines are still a mess, but Heroes has never - even in Season 1 - been great at telling coherent stories. The Hiro/Mom scene, as many have mentioned, was excellent. The omniscient Arthur thing really backfires at the end though since how did Arthur not see Peter or Sylar coming to stop and apparently kill him?

Ah well, I can let it go as long as the characters are back making some semblance of sense.

Anyway, I voted above average and was on the verge of excellent. (At least on a Hero's scale).

 

[Mallet]

Arthur isn't dead. Even Sylar can't be that dumb. I mean the same thing just happened to Sylar a few hours ago when Noah "killed" him during the eclipse. As soon as the Hatian leaves or drops his power, Arthur will heal back again.

No, Arthur was shot in the head. We learned you can't come back from head wounds unless the bullet or object is removed.
Sylar had his throat cut.

That's not entirely true anymore. Yes, that happened in season one with Claire (stick in the head) and Peter (glass in the head) but... In season two when Noah was shot by Mohinder and given Claire's blood the bullet "popped" out of his eye socket as he healed and another time (maybe this season?) someone was shot and the bullets "popped" out of the body as they healed.


I think it is whatever the writers want to happen happens with regards to the healing ability. Either way, all someone has to do is dig the bullet out of Arthur's head and he will be back up and running.

Also, now that I think about it, the Company already has a drug that takes away peoples powers, you just have to be injected with it. That is what they did to Sylar and Jessica in season two to take away their abilities. It was only after Sylar got injected with Claire's blood that he got his abilities back.

*Edit* Just remembered that it was Mya, shot by Sylar, who had the bullet "pop" out of her when she was healed.

 

[Hyperspace05]

Below Average - Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.

Well, except for the scenes set 16 years ago. Everything else was just rushed to oblivion or moments of supreme WTF?

Prime example:
Sylar tells Peter that he is not a killer.... When he just fired a bullet at Arthur that would have killed him!!! It was only Sylar's intervention that stopped the bullet! AAAAARRGH.

And I love how the secret ingredient is just glowing energy that can be passed from person to person, and also deposited to inanimate matter at will. Stupid Stupid Stupid.

 

[Gertch]

Even Momma Petrelli told Peter to shoot him in the back of the head. That's how you kill a Hero. That's where Claire got stuck with the stick. That's where they shot future Peter (one of them in some future thingy timeliney earlier episode) and he died.

The Spiderman scene in the elevator was a little forced but still comical.

 

[Mallet]

Even Momma Petrelli told Peter to shoot him in the back of the head. That's how you kill a Hero.

Well, Arthur was shot in the front of the head, like Noah was, so will he he like Noah did?

 

[TheArsenal]

I'm not sure whether Arthur is dead or only temporarily dead. But from a story stand point I'm also not sure if he is needed anymore. He put together Pinehurst, got the formula into working shape, built a small army of potential super powered soldiers, then handed the whole thing over to Nathan before getting killed. Nathan calling the shots while paving the way to Hell with good intentions, is far more interesting a story than whatever Evil Pa's motivations were.

 

[Gertch]

Even Momma Petrelli told Peter to shoot him in the back of the head. That's how you kill a Hero.

Well, Arthur was shot in the front of the head, like Noah was, so will he he like Noah did?

I don't think Arthur is dead-dead.

 

[Forbin]

Stunningly good this week. My love for Tamlyn Tomita grows each time I see her, and that scene was heartbreaking.

 

[Hermiod]

Poor.

PLEASE WILL YOU PEOPLE STOP TAKING YOUR CHARACTER'S POWERS AWAY!!!

 

[Yoda]

Nothing about this show is good right now. The plot and all the characters' reactions are just plain stupid. I can't stand Matt and that uhh, girl who runs real fast.

I hope they don't pull a stupid 'double-twist' where Sylar really is a Pitrelli. I honestly hate that entire family tree, Peter and the stupid look he has on his face at all times, Claire, the most worthless character on the show, the Senator who flips between good guy and idiotic evil pawn every single damned episode, the bitchy mom, and worst villain ever Arthur.

I like Hiro, but first he's 10 years old, now he's powerless in the past? None of that is one bit interesting. If they didn't have any idea on how to write the show with someone with his power, maybe they should've given him a different power to begin with. The abuse of time travel in this show is worse than even Brannon Braga would pull.

 

[Sheep]

I like Hiro, but first he's 10 years old, now he's powerless in the past?

I've completely lost track with all the pointless plot twists. Why didn't Arthur take away Hiro's time travel ability the first time they met (when Hiro was turned into a 10 year old)?

Do any of our Heroes have time travel ability aside from Hiro and the newly "dead" Arthur? I'm sure there must be at least one as Hiro can't stay stuck 16 years in the past for the rest of the series, but for the life of me I can't recall who it is. Emo Boy?

 

[TheBrew]

I thought that it was Excellent. I liked Claire when she is trying to be sweet with her dad... much better than evil Claire.

Everything with Hiro was awesome. The scene with his mother is very powerful and I like the irony of a healer who can't heal themselves. I do wish that Hiro had remained the Catalyst because I thought that would have been an interesting aspect... but oh well.

I wish Peter had been all bad-ass and just up and shot his father, but I do sort of like the resolution. Call me a bit slow, but I didn't realize why Sylar took that girl's powers until he used them to find out his true parentage. However, I did like Peter's point about how this was his responsibility and how it tied in to the Haitian's brother. I am okay with him not having a name, because it makes him a bit more interesting... even if it gets silly from time to time.

I also really liked the Ando, Matt, Daphne scenes and I am really looking forward to seeing Ando (at least try) to save Hiro in a bit of reversal from season 1 stuff.

Looking forward to the finale. This ep has pushed this volume above volume 2, though I don't think this show can ever really top volume 1.

 

[MNM]

Nathan should have been devastated by Peter's confession. I don't care that it was "future" Peter. It was Peter and Nathan didn't react one bit. "I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to this" is not an emotional reaction.

But the fact that it was "future" Peter and not the "actual" Peter surely makes the difference. It was a Peter who, now Nathan was shot, wont come to be. I had no problem with Nathan not reacting as it was basically the same as an alternate universe version of Peter shooting him. Why should "actual" Peter get blamed?

I liked this episode, I am glad they have made Sylar evil again, much more natural than compassionate Sylar.

I am glad Arthur is dead, I didnt care for his character.

That's not entirely true anymore. Yes, that happened in season one with Claire (stick in the head) and Peter (glass in the head) but... In season two when Noah was shot by Mohinder and given Claire's blood the bullet "popped" out of his eye socket as he healed and another time (maybe this season?) someone was shot and the bullets "popped" out of the body as they healed.

That's the eye though, not the brain.

If you have this healing factor you clearly need some adamantium on your bones like Wolverine to be tottally safe!

 

[A Clockwork Lim]

Hiro on the flagpole is reminiscent of Hiro in feudal Japan, a good setup to the next volume. But Hiro probably won't sit the finale out.

Who says he has to be left out? Assuming he does remain in the past, he'll be sixteen years wiser by the time he catches up to the present. We've seen what only four years does to him as far as maturity goes; imagine a "FuturePastHiro" who's had four times as long to come into his own even without his powers.

He also has quite a bit of future knowledge that he could exploit along the ways to see whatever plans he cooks up come to fruition.