I was sick and in bed all day yesterday, but I dragged myself up the stairs to watch this one show. It took all of my energy to stay up for that one hour, and I am so glad that I did. By far one of the best, if not the best episode yet. This is what Heroes should be like every week. I loved it. Highlight below to read more:
I've said it several times before on this blog, and I'll say it again. I'm not convinced that HRG is evil. I think he really does love Claire, and I think that this episode proves it. He was willing to die to protect his family, and he didn't try to play any games about it. Sure, he tried to bluff early on and pretend like he didn't know Matt and Ted, and then he made one calculated move by leading Matt and Ted to the bookcase so he could grab a pistol, but once he was disarmed, he did everything that he could to protect his family. From that point on, he warned Matt about his actions through his thoughts, brought Ted his file, and told Matt and Claire the truth. I hate to say it, but I could really start to like the guy.
It's funny how being a father changes a man. Mr. Sulu (Mr. Nakamura) said something like that to HRG as he was holding the baby Claire in his arms. I think this episode really showed us how it changed HRG from a straight company man recruited into a shadowy organization into father determined to balance his work against protecting his daughter from his work. At first, HRG didn't even want a kid, then he took her as an assignment, and finally he couldn't give her up. At least now we know why he kept erasing his wife's memories of Claire's ability, why he destroyed the tape that Zach made, why he erased Zach's memory, why he erased the quarterback's memory, why he erased Lyle's memory, and why he tried to erase Claire's. He didn't want the word to get out that Claire had an ability because he didn't want to have to give her to the people that he works for. It was because of his job, but not because she was the job, because he didn't want her to be the job.
Some interesting things showed up in this episode, too.
First off, they found Claire at the Deveaux (I was misspelling it in previous posts as Devereaux) building. Why does that building seem like ground zero for so many of these "heroes"? Claude hides out on the roof taking care of pigeons. Simone's (who may be special based on the preview for next week) dad (who may also be special as we've discussed here in the past) seems to have been the owner given the name of the building, so it there a connection there? Isaac paints it and spent time there with Simone regularly. Claire's birth mother started a fire there to escape HRG and Claude (or so it seemed in this episode, although, I really thought that the fire had been in Texas based on past episodes). Claire was found there. Peter is training there. What's so special about this building?
Second, Mr. Nakamura seems to be ultimately in charge of the organization HRG works with. So, does Mr. Nakamura really know about Hiro's abilities and was just playing dumb when the two of them last met? Does he, like HRG, not want the organization to find out about his child? Heck, is Hiro even really his child? I want to know more about Mr. Nakamura and Nakamura industries.
Next, what's the deal with Claude? He believes that HRG is a good man after working with him and he believes that he should be helping "his people." So, why did he have so much trouble getting around to helping Peter? Why has he been in hiding, growing more and more bitter, all of these years? Was he really that disillusioned when HRG actually pulled the trigger? Which, by the way, it seemed to me like HRG accidentally pulled the trigger the first time based on the way he jumped and the look of surprise on his face, and only once he realized that he had started down the path did he get the resolve to try and finish the job. Of course, another question, there is whether or not Claude was hiding someone. HRG was ordered to kill Claude because he was hiding one of "them." Based on next week's preview, could that be why Claude is always hanging out at the Deveaux building?
And we can't leave out the Haitian. Obviously, HRG has some way to signal him that we don't know based on the fact that he told Matt that he had sent out a signal for help. And apparently, the Haitian is good at not talking since basically everyone thought he was mute, including HRG, right up until this episode. Everyone except Claire, at least. But who is the Haitian really working for. I'm not sure that I got the quote exactly right, but I thought that he told HRG, "I answer to someone who's orders supersede yours….In your daughter's life." What does that mean? Who is he talking about? Finally, when he first showed up to reboot Mrs. Bennet the first time, who really believes that that went off without a call to 911? An upper middle class housewife sees a black teenager walking into her bedroom in Odessa, TX; I'm telling you, she at least tried to dial to 911 as soon as she got a glimpse of his dark skin.
Ted and Matt are now back in custody (so to speak), too, but where was Hana throughout this whole ordeal? She sent them on this fool's errand and then hid in a corner somewhere? She could've downloaded the info off those computers by just thinking about it, so why wasn't she with them? Matt apparently, is going to be let free to partner with HRG. Perhaps he'll be the replacement for Eden. Ted, on the other hand, is going to be kept for observation. What is this organization really up to, though? Why are some kept and some freed while a certain few are recruited to work for them? I think Matt working with HRG will bring out more good in HRG than it will bring out bad in Matt. But what's the deal with the new "hero" that was in the room with Matt when HRG and his supervisor (Eric Roberts) walked in? I wonder what kind of power she has.
Finally, HRG himself has been shot and memory wiped so that the Haitian can hide Claire and give him plausible deniability. That means that they will be after both of them soon, and HRG may not remember that he doesn't want to chase her. How will that change his character? And what is going to happen to Lyle and Mrs. Bennett, they both know the truth about Claire again. Have they been wiped again, too? I think it was a really great moment when HRG finally realized that he couldn't give Claire to the company, but that it would cost him to continue protecting her. I don't think that a little memory loss and a bullet wound are quite all the payments he's going to have to make on this deal, though.
2 comments:
I found it interesting that HRG's Boss appeared at his house. Sure there was comotion going on inside and Lyle said he called the cops, but how did he know to show up there? Did he receive the same 'signal' the Haitian received? I also found that Parkman was very forgiving in that he was in the house to find answers, he was in a rush, and he was angry; but it didn't take much for him to read the mind of HRG, trust what he heard and follow his instructions. I think deep down he fears Ted. And of course they were led to the slaughter by a woman; guys when will we ever learn. Like Samson and Delilah, where was Hana? She helped get Parkman and Ted on their way, but was nowhere to be found when it came time for action.
I did like the subtle battle where HRG kept saying 'father' and was constantly reminded he was a 'surrogate father'. It showed his real affection for his 'daughter'.
Questions: Where will Claire go now? Is the Haitian her only ally? Will she seek out Peter? Will she seek out Nate (dad)? Now that HRG's Boss knows she is 'one of them', will he rally his loyalties to capture her? Will he call on Syler and all his new found powers? How has Syler coped?
On a last note, this really was one of the best episodes, if not the best. It wasn't bogged down by nonscence of the seemingly meaningless other characters (see last weeks comment).
I loved it! I had to lay on the hard floor in my closet to watch it, but it was worth it! I wonder how the Haitian gets anywhere he goes...he just appears everywhere. It is really weird. I thought maybe HRG hung the wind chime out of Claire's window to signal the Haitian. I am not sure, though. I almost cried at the end, and I am starting to like HRG too. I need to know more about Hiro's dad and that whole thing, too. I think it is too cool that Hiro was there when Claire was given to HRG. All of their lives are more intertwined than we originally knew or thought about. There are more things I thought about or wondered, but you hit on most of them in your blog entry. Overall, the best show yet!
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