We know from the ads that this episode is supposed to feature Tracy heavily, which is kind of a "no-duh" given the title.
Word is that REBEL is supposed to be unmasked this time too. Smart money was on Micah even before we saw the clip in the ads where it appears Noah believes that Tracy can be used to track REBEL... which Tracy potentially could do as Micah's aunt.
This episode also marks the first episode since Pushing Daisies' Bryan Fuller returned to the show as head writer. So here's hoping tonight is even better than Season 4 has been - for the most part - so far.
8:00 - Right. So, last time... Bennet points Danko in the right direction and exposed Nathan, Hiro and Ando go to "save Matt Parkman" and find there is a second Matt Parkman - Matt's son, apparently. And Tracy was screwed over by Nathan.
8:01 - New from Gillete - the Mach 4 Turbo! (See.. cause Danko is shaving and we're getting a lot of close-ups....)
8:02 - And there's the puppet-master Eric Doyle, all strung up and gift-wrapped! Sylar is getting creative!
8:03 - And Noah is having trouble shaving too. That's got to be symbolic of something...
8:04 - Oh wait... maybe Noah was the one who got Eric Doyle? I can see him doing the stringing up and the bow as a joke. Then again, if it was Noah, he wouldn't have been anonymous given that he needs a way to bring Danko to heel NOW.
8:05 - Wait... so is Angela involved with REBEL or not? My guess before now was yes... but now I'm not so sure.
8:06 - Wait... so apparently Danko was rehired now that Nathan has been outed as a metahuman. But they still left Noah in charge? Or is Noah still in charge? So many questions... but I'm glad they're intelligence questions that have a chance of being answered.
8:07 - And yeah... Mohinder is still as clueless as ever. Nice to know some things don't change.
8:08 - No jokes about how hot Ali Larter looks in the heat lamp room, please.
8:10 - Ah. Recent management changes. So Noah IS still in charge.
8:11 - Yeah - typical Noah plan. Use the powered killer as bait for everyone else.
8:12 - Baby Matt Parkman... SO clueless, and yet so funny. And trust Ando to be the one to figure it out. Could this be the start of a new HEROES BABIES spin-off? :)
8:13 - "I'll be warm mommy". Hee hee hee.
8:14 - The baby has a power! And he's a technopath too! Hey... maybe the baby is REBEL...
8:15 - Ah. And now they come for Angela. Nice fake-out with the vision, too... "Rebel Rebel". Never figured Noah for a Bowie fan.
8:16 - Fast recovery time on that drug. Mohinder, Matt and Daphne are freed. And yeah - I so like Matt being smug about how Tracy should have waited for them as he EASILY mind-controls all the guards into seeing an empty hall.
8:17 - For the record: I don't believe for a minute Noah didn't account that maybe Tracy freeing some of the other captives. He's trying to bust some of the other Heroes out... mark my words.
8:21 - Ah. But Tracy ran off AFTER they all got out. No surprise there. And no surprise that Noah is more concerned about Tracy and REBEL than finding Matt, Mohinder and Daphne. Assuming he was even able to do that with Matt masking them all.
8:23 - Ah. Matt using his wife's name to see Daphne treated. Nice. Of course Mohinder wants to run too because - stupidly and like Tracy - he doesn't realize the Matt is probably his best chance at staying free right now
8:24 - The baby Genesis device. Nice. But I can't believe Hiro is so stupid as to think he can take the baby, leave a note for the mom and NOT have problems come up. Actually... wait. This is Hiro. Yes I can.
8:25 - Still, nice character moment with Hiro talking about how he saw his mom die...
8:26 - Heh. E.T. tribute for the win. And Janice is still not nearly as dumb as... oh, 90% of the supporting cast.
8:27 - So called it! Micah is REBEL! Or is working with them if REBEL is more than one person.
8:31 - Heh. Angela has a friend. And they referred to the shoplifting incident from the pilot! Wow... actual adherence to continuity. Nice.
8:32 - Anyone believe for a minute they actually got Swoozie Kurtz for such a small part? Me either.
8:33 - I can't believe for a moment that Janice would actually believe - as far gone as Matt went - that he's actually become a terrorist. Actually... wait. Yes I can.
8:35 - Ha-do-ken!!! Didn't know Ando could do THAT with his lightning. And neither did he, apparently.
8:36 - Wait... did the baby just start Hiro's power again? And hey... another fun note. Apparently if Hiro is touching someone when he freezes time, they become immune
8:37 - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wheelbarrow for the win. So Hiro can freeze time but not teleport. Wonder if that's permanent or if the baby has to be touching him for his power to work at all? Maybe if he's touching Ando while he's touching the baby....
8:41 - "You told them I was Gwen Stefani"? BWAHAHAHA!
8:42 - Oh NOW Daphne starts questioning the "destiny/vision-quest" thing. Fine time for them to get rid of the one new character from Season 3 we actually like!
8:44 - Micah mentions a "she"... "she thought you might be followed." Angela? Angela's friend? Both? Or maybe Monica is about to come back too?
8:46 - Heh. And Peter is there to air-lift his mom out of danger. Looks like Peter can control if/when he absorbs a power now.
8:50 - I love how Micah knows the difference between a revolution and a rebellion and corrects Tracy on the Che Guevara comparison.
8:51 - And yeah... I guess fighting those heat lamps DID give her a chance to boost her powers.
8:52 - Oh crap... I didn't expect them to kill her off. And just as she was becoming - forgive the pun - cool. Ah well... any bets on how soon until we see Barbara make an appearance?
8:54 - Heh. Shades of Lone Wolf and Cub here...
8:55 - Daphne back in Paris, looking somewhat regretful about all of this. And... holy crap, Matt can fly?!?! How the... what the.... psychically learning how to copy other heroes powers like he did with the precognition?
You know what? I don't care! That's cool! Unless it turns out this is a dream sequence.
8:57 - Oh hell... it IS a dream sequence. Well, close enough. But since it looks like Daphne might be dying in the hospital...
8:58 - Oh damnit. That was so manipulative... and so sweet. But DAMMIT.. again... why did they have to kill off the one good character to come out of Season 3?
8:59 - Heh. Crown of liberty. Nice bit of symbolism there...
9:00 - I just realized. They just killed the only two new characters to come out Season 3 who were still around. And both of them were women. And both of them died in order to add more trauma to a male character's life. Tracy dying to save Micah. Daphne having been shot - six episodes ago - trying to save Matt, and now existing mostly to give him one more reason to seek revenge on Nathan and everyone else responsible for going after the HEROES. That really sucks...
The Final Word: I'm torn. On the one hand, there were a lot of great moments here and some of the best cliffhangers going into commercial ever. And a lot of long-neglected characters got some much needed attention. Lots of revelations here which expanded the universe and explained a lot of the rules of reality.
On the other hand, we see two characters die. Well, one of them MIGHT be able to survive but that would be even cheaper than the death.
It gives little away to say that they were both female characters who died due to injuries sustained while saving a male character. It's hard NOT to get a WiR vibe from this episode... even if one of the deaths came as a point of redemption and the other came to a character we thought was dead for most of the season anyway.
I foresee a lot of pissed off fans, regardless.
ReplyDelete8:46 - Heh. And Peter is there to air-lift his mom out of danger. Looks like Peter can control if/when he absorbs a power now
he has been able to control it. Remember when Nathan saved him a few episodes back? We saw him absorb the power after they landed and talked to Angela.
Ali Larter looked amazing this episode, not just in the sweatbox scene, but through it all. And I am all for her bringing herself back to life like iceman would. I was hoping when she iced over she just became like Iceman anyway. If they are copping him might as well go all the way.
I knew the baby was going to jump start Hiro, I called it as soon as I knew the powers. Still it was cool.
I do hate them so very much for offing Daphne. She was awesome sauce.
he has been able to control it. Remember when Nathan saved him a few episodes back? We saw him absorb the power after they landed and talked to Angela.
ReplyDeleteThere's been some question about his precise degree of control, though. Would it happen with any skin-to-skin contact or did he actively have to "wish" the absorption to happen whenever he touched another powered person. This pretty much confirmed he could control it since he could pick up his mom without worrying about her causing him to lose his flight.
I was hoping when she iced over she just became like Iceman anyway. If they are copping him might as well go all the way.
See, that's the Catch-22.
On the one hand, I hate that they killed her PURELY for the purpose of saving Micah and giving him one more relative to feel responsible for causing their death.
On the other hand, it was a very fitting death thematically and it did give her a degree of redemption after much waffling over whether or not she really wanted a chance at redemption or not. Bringing her back after this would be incredibly cheap.
I knew the baby was going to jump start Hiro, I called it as soon as I knew the powers. Still it was cool.
Yeah, although I'm curious just how it works exactly. He just makes ANYTHING work like it is supposed to?
I do hate them so very much for offing Daphne. She was awesome sauce.
Indeed. The best part of Season 3 and... she's gone just like that. I find myself disgusted for thinking that scene with Matt at the end was very sweet and very perfect... even as I am disgusted by her death and annoyed by the fact that they made us think she was dead five episodes ago... and then revealed that she was alive... and now they are killing her, for no reason other than to make Matt even more angsty.
There's been some question about his precise degree of control, though. Would it happen with any skin-to-skin contact or did he actively have to "wish" the absorption to happen whenever he touched another powered person. This pretty much confirmed he could control it since he could pick up his mom without worrying about her causing him to lose his flight.
ReplyDeleteSince he absorbed through fabric, I kind of figured he just had to will it to be. I am more curious to if he even has to touch them.
See, that's the Catch-22.
On the one hand, I hate that they killed her PURELY for the purpose of saving Micah and giving him one more relative to feel responsible for causing their death.
On the other hand, it was a very fitting death thematically and it did give her a degree of redemption after much waffling over whether or not she really wanted a chance at redemption or not. Bringing her back after this would be incredibly cheap.
If it was planned I don't feel it as cheap, it is showing off the powers, something the show doesn't do enough. She actually got an awesome scene to show how strong she is, then *poof* gone. Since her eye moved after she shattered, I think that shows some signs of life and intent.
They did really jerk us around with Daphne. I hope she can outrun death. Or maybe she lives on in Matt's mind or something. Maybe Matt can snap and lose his mind from grief. Then he can make Mohinder dress up as a blonde, and try to live out a happy life.
It'd be the best use for Mohinder ever.
I agree with you on the WiR vibes. I felt the same way after the ep. I do think both send-offs were pretty poignant, though.
ReplyDeleteAnd man, did they blow their special effects budget on this one episode? Whoa.
Since he absorbed through fabric, I kind of figured he just had to will it to be. I am more curious to if he even has to touch them.
ReplyDeleteWell, Peter snagging the power from Nathan when he was on the run with Tracy seemed to confirm it. So did his picking-up Matt and flying with him when Mohinder was captured. But there was some question about it being a conscious choice since Peter did get Tracy's power after brushing her hand by accident...
If it was planned I don't feel it as cheap, it is showing off the powers, something the show doesn't do enough. She actually got an awesome scene to show how strong she is, then *poof* gone. Since her eye moved after she shattered, I think that shows some signs of life and intent.
I must have blinked and missed it. I thought I saw some change but I thought was just the ice melting and it was supposed to be symbolic of her crying or something.
They did really jerk us around with Daphne. I hope she can outrun death. Or maybe she lives on in Matt's mind or something.
And yet... I can't help be somewhat relieved that this means an end of Matt being all creepy about the whole "we're destined to be together because I saw the future and we were married thing.
Maybe Matt can snap and lose his mind from grief. Then he can make Mohinder dress up as a blonde, and try to live out a happy life.
It'd be the best use for Mohinder ever.
The scariest part about that idea is that Matt could do it and totally make everyone else think Daphne was still alive and he could cause Mohinder to think he really was Daphne.
This sounds like bad fan-fiction. And yet, I think it's the best possible punishment for Mohinder for... everything.
I didn't even notice the effects, the characterization was so good this time around.
ReplyDeleteOf course I think part of my enjoyment may have stimmed from this being the first episode in a while with no angsty Sylar stealing time away from the main plot.
And yeah... I do think both send-offs would be perfect ends for the characters and were acted well and played well. It's just the actual ENDS that annoy me.
Like Daphne having to die at all after having survived THIS long. It serves no purpose other than further pushing Matt down the slipperly slope he's already been navigating with abusing his powers and wanting revenge.
And Tracy dying after having spent most of the season (and for that matter, the entire series) doing NOTHING doesn't sit well. Noble sacrifice, yes. Redeeming herself in death, fine. But having it come to save Micah - even though the whole thing is very Sydney Carton "It is a far far better thing I do..." - just way too WiR.
And I'm somewhat angry at myself in that I just noticed the pun in how at the end, Tracy WAS literally a Woman In A Fridge... even as she WAS the fridge.