![Sylar is back.](https://web.archive.org/web/20071011193253im_/http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2007/10/sylarisback.jpg)
(S02E03) Back by popular demand, we're sticking with the format that Varun put to such good use in his most recent reviewcap of Heroes.
I'm actually thrilled he came up with it as my fingers were on the verge of falling off after pecking out the gargantuan review of the first episode. Since we happen to lack Claire's immaculate regenerative qualities, Varun and I would have been fingerless by season end had we kept up with the old format.
So without further ado, let's get to this content packed episode that saw the return of Nikki and Micah, confirmed the death of D.L. Hawkins, and brought about the death of yet another hero.
Which reminds me, should I be calling the characters that are deemed bad "heroes"? I'm talking characters like Candice/Michelle and Sylar. Should I maybe be referring to them as anti-heroes? I digress.
Peter Petrelli
Last week we learned about a mysterious black box that could lead to Peter gaining some clues to his identity. Blackie promised to give Peter the box if he'd help his crew during a high dollar heist.
During the planning of the robbery, Peter was able to read the mind of one of Blackie's goons as he thought about taking the money all for himself. It's pretty interesting watching Peter make use of powers that he isn't even aware he has. It was just as interesting watching a newly buffed up Peter (did Milo Ventimiglia work out this summer?) try to summon the lightning bolt as Blackie's sister watched intrigued in a doorway.
Peter ended up helping Blackie's crew steal a bang load of money from armed security guards and instinctively utilized his psychokinetic powers to move an armored truck in front of a stream of incoming bullets. Yet another instance of him remembering what and who he is.
As Peter predicted, the goon did attempt to turn on Blackie and when Peter pointed out the fact that his prediction was correct the goon put two bullets in Peter chest - which Peter's chest promptly spit out like a watermelon seed. Peter once again made use of his psychokinesis to Jedi choke the goon.
Peter almost looked like he was enjoying choking the guy until Caitlin brought him back to reality by saying his name. Watching the fire in Peter's eyes was pretty riveting. Could he be on the verge of flirting with the dark side? I promise, no more Star Wars parallels moving forward.
A few last note on Peter during this episode. He got a tattoo that officially made him a part of Blackie's gang, but the tattoo promptly faded away thanks to Peter's healing abilities. He also made out with Caitlin which is only going to lead to trouble.
I can't wait for this amnesia storyline to finally be done. Peter possesses so much butt kicking potential it's absolutely frustrating having to watch him fumble around with his talents.
Maya & Alejandro
Let me start out by saying, Maya is a total hottie. I'd be all about taking her out for some ice cream if the threat of crying black gold from my tear ducts wasn't a constant part of the equation.
As interesting as the twin's powers are, I can't help but think the two of them got shortchanged in the evolution lottery. We've got characters that can fly, regenerate, shoot lighting, freeze things, read minds, and manipulate time. Killing people inexplicably? That's more of a curse than a power, but I'm sure at some point we'll be enlightened on how this power will be used for good. My early guess is Sylar will kill someone, Maya will kill Sylar, then Alejandro will bring the character Sylar killed back to life. Just a hunch.
Maya made use of her power once again tonight, only she did it completely voluntarily. It appears that her power is activated when she's in a state of duress. It seems like she intentionally pointed out the fact that she is a wanted criminal knowing that the policemen would forcefully arrest her.
She ended up killing everyone in the police station, including the American guy holed up in the cell next to Alejandro. When Alejandro sucked the darkness out of Maya, the American guy was the recipient of life, and the three of them hightailed it out of the prison in the American dudes vehicle. Viva la Conquistadors!
Nikki & Micah Sanders
I'm not a big fan of the Nikki/Jessica storyline that dragged on for a good portion of season one which is why I was pained to see Nikki and Micah make an appearance on tonight's episode. Nikki pawned Micah off on some relatives in New Orleans, then called DGG (dorky glasses guy) in the hopes that he would "cure" her from her abilities.
For anyone still wondering, D.L. is officially dead as indicated by a prominent shot of his headstone.
Sylar
We found Sylar on an idyllic beach in the company of the illusionist, Michelle - formerly known as Candice.
When Sylar realized who he was sitting with, I got a kick out of him casually glancing at Michelle's chest area and saying, "So none of this is real?" before slowly bringing his gaze up to her eyes. Priceless.
In a nutshell, Sylar is holed up in the middle of nowhere attempting to heal from the sword wound Hiro inflicted in the finale of season one. Sylar is completely powerless and doesn't appear to be any closer to regaining the use of his abilities until Michelle (and some entity she alludes to) helps nurse him back to health.
Sylar was completely impatient and killed Michelle with a swift coffee cup to the dome in the hopes that he could steal her powers of illusion. He did this right after Michelle basically promised him trips to any destination and sex of any variety he desired.
I don't think Sylar thought this one through completely, and that fact was all the more apparent when he realized he hadn't absorbed Michelle's power. Strangely, he didn't even seem to cut open her scalp to learn her abilities. He simply killed her and started yelling random destinations to no avail.
Claire and West
This West character was really starting to get on my nerves, so it was a relief to finally have him reveal his secret to Claire. Now he can stop being annoying and just be in a relationship with her, which I hope won't end up being more annoying.
After making a big scene in biology class which upset Claire and caused her to storm out of the classroom, West went after her and tried to make her admit that she's "different". When Claire finally confessed, West picked her up and flew her around the city in spectacular fashion.
The two of them eventually found themselves arguing over whose power is cooler. In my opinion, it's a close one, but I'd have to go with flying over regeneration. I'd much rather fly from one place to another than regenerate, particularly because Claire still feels pain. Plus, bypassing the need for airports would be completely worth it.
After Claire and West shared a sloppy kiss we discovered that West had the mysterious equal sign symbol on his neck. Apparently, when he lived in St. Louis he remembered a guy stepping out of the bushes and abducting him. He described the guy as having, "horn rimmed glasses," which caused Claire to remember how sketchy her dad used to be.
Mohinder, Parkman, and Molly
Tonight on My Two Dads, Mohinder returned to New York where he scared the living crap out of Parkman and gave Molly a giant hug.
Mohinder's new office space ended up being in Isaac Mednez's former residence. DGG also told Mohinder that the company is going to be keeping a close eye on him which is going to wreak havoc on his plan to be the downfall of the company.
Despite this, Mohinder found an opportunity to search for more of the paintings in Isacc's series. The paintings started with the death of Hiro's father...
... and ended with HRG taking a bullet in the eye while someone (possibly West, Peter, or Nathan) hugs Claire in the background. I'm pretty bummed about this. All of Isaac's paintings have come to fruition. Being that I've grown fond of HRG, I would love for this painting to be the exception to the rule. Chances are that won't be the case, and I can only hope he doesn't die until a few more seasons have elapsed.
Hiro, Kensei, and Ando
I'm confused as to how Kensei has made it this far into life, and never realized that he had the power to regenerate. I guess it's not completely outside the realm of possibility, but I find it hard to believe the guy has never cut himself shaving, broken an appendage, or burned himself.
Anyhow, Hiro communicated with Ando via a bunch of mini scrolls he planted in the base of Kensei's sword. He told Ando the story of Takeo Kensei, explained that he's developed a crush on the most beautiful woman in Japan, then tells Ando that he's not coming back yet.
Hiro is very obviously enamored with the princess, but I'm not entirely surely why he intends to stay in the past. I can't figure out what he still needs to accomplish if anything. I'm about ready for him to get back to the present and hunting down the party responsible for killing his dad.
No mention of Nathan this episode but from the previews, he'll be making an appearance next week sans beard. All in all, it wasn't an action packed episode, but it did a good job of pushing the story a little further along. Of all the stories going on right now, I'm most eager to learn about HRG's fate.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
1. Just for the record in the newly revealed painting it looks as though Claire is kissing someone, maybe she shot him for having done everything he did to West and the others?
BTW West is a retarded name and I hate the not so subtle resemblance to Tom Welling.
Posted at 2:18AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Los
2. Maybe Kensei got his power as a result of the solar eclipse that occured in the season opener. At least that would explain why he hadn't known about it before.
Posted at 2:19AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Bart Lee
3. I can really do without the Maya/Alejandro storyline. It adds nothing to the Heroes saga. Like you said, they are more cursed than special. I would prefer to see the heroes we already know and delve deeper into their stories. I like that they put the Heroes in different situations to see how they deal.
Posted at 2:19AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Jake
4. "Hiro is very obviously enamored with the princess, but I'm not entirely surely why he intends to stay in the past. I can't figure out what he still needs to accomplish if anything."
When Hiro was in love with the waitress last season, his abilities suffered then as well. Maybe he figured out that he needs to resolve his romantic dilemna before he can return to the present.
Posted at 2:36AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Ryan
5. Did anyone else catch the obvious Nissan Rogue car placement, in Mexico of all places?
I guess if we can accept that there are heroes on earth, we'll have to accept that everyone they interact with in California drives a Nissan Rogue.
Posted at 2:37AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Wil Wheaton
6. the rogue was claire's. dun dun duuuuuun!!!!
Posted at 2:50AM on Oct 9th 2007 by bob-o
7. Wil! The Nissan Rogue was Claire's which was stolen last week! You should have noticed the school bumper sticker on the rear!
Posted at 2:55AM on Oct 9th 2007 by AkaiWRX
8. Ummm the car the American in Mexico was driving was Claire's.
The Conquistadors are the mascot to her high school.
Great episode.
Posted at 2:59AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Drew
9. West is the person killing the elder heroes... I haven't entirely worked out his reasoning, but theres a lot of hints there... the person in the hoodie is obviously young, the killer being able to fly would explain why there was no body found at the scene, and from the first day he was trying to get close to claire, and it certainly seems like he's trying to turn her against her father... of course, I could just be falling into the writers trap, but its gotta be said
Posted at 3:32AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Esoterikal
10. you forgot to mention that Peter refused to open his box when he got it and that the tattoo disappeared but left the Godsend symbol before it faded.
Also no mention of Nichelle Nichols in the review?
Posted at 3:40AM on Oct 9th 2007 by jeff stiefer
11. A couple of observations/notes:
1. Kensei's power probably kicked in, during the solar eclipse. So, prior to that, he most likely didn't have any powers.
2. I think the people getting the older generations of Heroes (Hiro's dad, Mama Petrelli) are probably a group of people. I kind of doubt that West killed Hiro's dad, only because it doesn't really make sense. West is an ass, but I doubt violent. Especially to some old guy he's (forseeably) never met. My bet would be Claude (Christopher Eccleston), at least for Mama Petrelli's case.
3. The Peter stuff is a little bit too much like "Green Street Hooligans". I'm waiting for their to be some football match, and have Peter just go, "this is dumb."
Posted at 3:43AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Marc Morrison
12. It seems each hero has their own power. Is it me or does West and Nathan have the same power? Granted, West takes a more leisurely approach, and Nathan is more rocket-like. Maybe I'm missing an important difference. I'm not being critical of the show, just asking for help in understanding.
Posted at 3:45AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Kate
13. As a point of sports (or more specifically, soccer) trivia, the big factor in the robbery Peter assisted on was the betting on a match between Celtic and AC Milan. Those two teams actually played each other last week and Celtic won 2-1, whereas in this episode Celtic was on the losing end. If I'm not mistaken, in the Heroes Universe timeline this episode takes place only a few months after the 2006 election, right? If so, then the match referenced was not last week's game, but the Celtic/Milan meeting from March 7, 2007, in which Celtic lost 1-0 in an extra time thriller.
Posted at 3:52AM on Oct 9th 2007 by mrkorb
14. I agree...the tat didn't fade, it changed to the Godsend symbol...
Posted at 4:03AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Joe Myers
15. Does anyone else believe that it's possible Kaito was setting up Hiro to become Kensei?
While training him in "Landslide" he tells Hiro to remember the story of Kensei, that he has to be willing to cut out his own heart. Well, I don't find it ironic that Hiro's ended up in Kensei's time, with a less than idealistic Kensei. I think there's a very good possibility that he becomes Kensei.
But then, will we not get to see a healer cut out their own heart?
It's my guess that we will see both before the end of the season...chew on that! Hit me up if you have a theory!
Posted at 4:09AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Joe Myers
16. @14, the tattoo changed into the godsend symbol temporarily, but then it vanished.
Posted at 4:17AM on Oct 9th 2007 by iuqiddis
17. Didn't the guards wake up as well when Alejandro absorbed Maya's poison? Isn't that why they and the gringo ran out of there so fast? I'm pretty sure if Alejandro absorbs the disease that it resurrects everyone who was just infected.
Posted at 4:34AM on Oct 9th 2007 by jordancda
18. So the obvious question should be asked I guess: is West related to the Petrellis? We don't know his last name...he could be another illegitimate child of Nathan's, right? Or maybe...he's a third brother, illegitimate child of Mama Petrelli. Of course this all could be dumb. I'm sure that either Mama or Nathan would know if he was out there and one of theirs.
Also, you'd think that HRG would be aware of West's presence at the school...he did capture and tag him apparently. Why would he willingly send Claire into an environment where this kid was present? Isn't the whole point of "tagging" them to be able to trace them? I mean, he hasn't been working at the Company but you'd think Mohinder (or through his own remaining connections) would let him know.
Posted at 4:43AM on Oct 9th 2007 by jordancda
19. I agree with a previous comment that the Maya and Alejandro storyline is getting fairly annoying. I hope they actually do something useful soon.
Like JJ, I don't know the reason why Hiro is staying back in Japan.
"Kensai's motivation reversal after his fight with the Ronin seems both sudden and random, given how different his attitude was before the fight (almost "too" perfect). Either he is fooling Hiro (and us) to shut him up or the writers dug themselves into a hole that they couldn't get out of as quickly as desired."
http://lamererun.com/2007/10/09/heroes-kindred/
Posted at 6:47AM on Oct 9th 2007 by Jeffrey Lipsey
20. Uh, not all the paintings came true. The biggest one - the explosion of New York - ultimately was thwarted, leading one to believe that HRG can still be saved (which I hope he is).
Posted at 6:59AM on Oct 9th 2007 by David