Like episode two of this season of Heroes, the third chapter, titled, “Kindred,” managed to be fast-paced without being overwhelming. Instead of giving a linear recap/review, I’m going to break it into sections about characters.
The Sanders Family
It seems that D. L. didn’t survive being shot by Linderman, which is a bummer because not only was he a character with an interesting power (Kitty Pryde-esque phasing through walls) but D.L. was a stand-up father and husband. Perhaps Leonard Roberts will show up on Smallville again—which, on a side tangent, is a sinking ship of a series. Tsk. Tsk Gough and Millar. Tsk. Tsk.
After visiting his gravesite, of which the tombstone read “Husband-Father-Hero,” Nikiand Micah head to Louisiana. Niki’s leaving Micah with family there so that she can go off and TCB. The Company has somehow convinced her that they can “Cure” her and they will no doubt be manipulating her in shadowy ways.*
Best moment of the evening: Nichelle Nichols, in all her regal elegance, opening the door to mother and son and saying, “Well, welcome to N’Orleans.”
!Horrible, Awful, Shameful Advertising Cross-Over!
There was an embarrassingly lame commercial with Beyonce Knowles shilling for American Express. At one point in the evening this ad took on an illustrated effect and asked the question, “Are you a cardmember?” Now, I honestly can’t remember if this has been an Amex tagline for a long time, but it was intentionally made to evoke the Heroes mantra from last season, “Are you on the list?”
I felt icky.
The Bennet, I Mean, Butler Family
I’m curious to know why Claire feels she needs to explain anything to her classmate, West, regarding what he saw through her living room window.
He’s stalking her!!! He should be explaining to her why he’s hanging around her house all creepy-like.
And not only should she already have a restraining order against the guy—but he then humiliates her publicly. In Bio class he asks the instructor what would happen if a lizard and human mated. Would the offspring be able to regenerate an amputated limb?
Now to be fair, West probably hasn’t met anyone else “like him” while Claire has—and he’s just an over-excited teenager. But I really hope they make him less of a dick, because Claire is awesome and she deserves better.
Also, we all sometimes need to be pushed out of our comfort zone to be able to claim who we really are, and everyone in Claire’s life who knows about her gift has discouraged her from using it. But West hasn’t considered how much danger he could be putting Claire in, even though he was previously bagged and tagged by the man with the Horn Rimmed Glasses.
She has to tell him, “I have to pretend to be a brainless Barbie doll so that I don’t get carted off to some laboratory!”
He tells her to shut up (ooooo-kaaay) and then takes her up in the air on an homage to the Lois Lane “Can you read my mind?” flight from Superman the Movie.
The Parkman-Suresh Household
It seems as if Parkman’s been having nightmares too. We know he can hear Molly’s nocturnal thoughts when she’s sleeping, but while he’s asleep does he experience her nightmares too?
It’s clear that Molly has big love for both her adoptive daddies, and it’s very cool to see such a caring and tight non-traditional family presented without a sitcom touch. Mohinder is pleased to be back in New York as he’ll be able to help out more around the house and with Molly’s development. But Parkman reminds him that as an academic and a scientist he’ll have trouble protecting the child:
“Mohinder, no offense but you’re a professor. You’re not 007.”
It seems that Dr. Suresh is going to have more trouble than he thought being the other daddy as The Company has co-opted Issac Mendez’s loft and have set up a lab for him there. It’s going to be extremely difficult for him to sneak away and not be watched by insidious eyes.
Hiro & Ando: Together Again (Sort of)
Both the Entertainment Weekly recap and the reader response there have expressed boredom with the feudal Japan story-arc—But I’m really enjoying it! Ancient myth has obviously informed modern myth, and it’s a playful twist to see how modernity might influence the classic.
Besides—how great is Ando’s discovery of Hiro’s message to him on the hilt of the sword?!?
“Ando, Open”
Hiro and Ando are supposed to be together and I love that they are connected across time. (Plus, there’s a little bit of Xena and Gabrielle there with the theme of the scrolls which document their adventures. Hmmmm.)
Hiro is determined to turn Kensei “into the man that history needs him to be.” Though Hiro is infectious, I’m a bit surprised that Kensei changed his temperament so quickly. One battle with 90 Angry Ronin (which did produce the best line of the evening: “How angry are they?”) and he’s ready to fulfill his destiny. He holds hands with Yaeko and tells Hiro he can’t leave yet because, “You’re like a conscience. Only, I take heed of you.”
I wonder how long that can last, especially with a blossoming love triangle (Perhaps, like Fry, Hiro will become his own ancestor!!!)
Sylar and Candace
Sylar wakes up in what appears to be Maui, but is actually an illusion manufactured by Candace (now played by a different actress as Missy Peregrym is on “Reaper” –soon to be reviewed). It turns out she’s the one who dragged him out of Kirby plaza * and he has had several surgeries to repair the damage caused by Hiro’s sword—but there is still a lot of stitching and bleeding in his chest.
By the end of the episode he has attempted to steal Candace’s power but is unable to activate it. This begs so many questions . . . . Can Candace project her illusions?
When we see her lifeless, brainless, seemingly murdered body it’s of the overweight woman she told Micah she might actually be—but why would anyone be stupid enough to stay with Sylar unprotected?
So, has Sylar really lost his ability to “fix” and commandeer the powers of others? Or is he being made to believe he has by The Company?
On top of all that, when the camera zooms out of the shack they’ve been inhabiting it appears that Sylar is stuck on the LOST island—What!?!?!? Perhaps this is just to tease all the fans who insist there are connections between the series. But it’s also totally, frustratingly weird. (yay!)
Peter Petrelli Struggles with the Dark Side of the Force
For me, the most irksome arc of the evening was Peter Petrelli’s. Peter was such a force of passionate good last season, and was told as much by a member of the earlier generation of heroes in last season’s finale (which you can watch me gush about here).
He obviously struggles with his powers—amnesiac or not—as well as with a general sense of frustration. And Peter clearly has inherited the Petrelli temper. (Remember when his taunting of Issac Mendez resulted in the death of Simone Deveaux?)
In Monday night’s episode he almost killed a man. A sadistic grin made clear that Peter enjoyed the feelings of power that came from seeing another disabled by his own hand. Fortunately uber-boring Caitlin was there to stop him (what’s with tedious love interests on TV this season?).
And what’s up with Peter deciding amnesia and a life of crime in Ireland are really the best paths for him? After exposing the “clan” traitor, and saving Caitlin and her brother, he was accepted with open arms by the very people who held him captive and abused him (a bit of Stockholm Syndrome, perhaps?).
As Caitlin inducts him with the family tattoo (which I knew could never be permanent with the regeneration powers) the ink faded to reveal the helix symbol embedded in the design of the symbolic family crest.
So Peter’s presence in Cork probably has a greater significance yet to be revealed.
The Twins
Their story needs to pick up speed soon. Unfortunately for those characters we went through the slow discovery and build-up with everyone else last season and as we are already deeply imbedded in the stories of Parkman, Suresh, Claire, HRG, Sylar, et al. it makes their storyline seem especially dragging. But with the reveal of Alejandro’s cell mate as the swiper of Claire’s car perhaps they’ll be coming into contact with more familiar characters soon.
As for Maya, she’s becoming increasingly desperate and doesn’t seem to care anymore who is infected by her “virus.” We’d had a discussion with friends the other night over whether or not her power is inherently evil (as mentioned by one of her relatives) and I really don’t think it is. It’s a part of her that is currently out of her control. She doesn’t know what is happening, how it’s happening or what to make of it. The thing-in-itself is not evil, but how it’s used could be for good or for bad. Or maybe not everyone with a power will be able to use it positively . . . Maybe not every power can be controlled.
*I thought Loeb was making sure that all steered clear of story-arcs already established elsewhere.
* *Which has yet to be explained—her body disappeared last year as well. Not only are her illusions tactile, but it appears that she may be able to project them from a distance as well.