Director: Daniel Attias
Spoilers. There's a moment in "The Dying Of The Light" when Arthur Petrelli (Robert Forster) revives himself, bolts upright in bed, and rips out his throat tube with an expression that communicates one thing to fans: okay, enough of this bullsh*t, let's get this party started!It remains to be seen if Forster's magnetism is the molotov cocktail that needs to be thrown into Heroes' sputtering fireplace, but he's certainly a very promising new arrival that makes you sit up and take note. So, let's see what the gang got up to this week:
Matt & Daphne: I've been waiting for Heroes to introduce another sidekick beyond Ando, but never for one moment thought a tortoise would fill that role! Matt (Greg Grunberg) arrives back on US soil and somehow avoids quarantine rules, with the rather creepy mission to find the spiritual hare to his tortoise: Daphne (Brea Grant). But will she believe his tall tale of arriving to save her life by marrying her?
This storyline left Matt on the sidelines in an airport, but I appreciated Daphne echoing the audience's thoughts about how stalker-ish his "mission" is, and Grant herself is proving to be quite an engaging, quirky presence with her anime hair and pursed lips.
Mohinder, Nathan & Tracy: The unconvincing craziness continues, with egghead Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) choosing to capture any flies who wander into his laboratory web. Here, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Tracy (Ali Larter) arrive to ask for his help, but are soon tricked into accepting injections that knock them unconscious. The trusting fools.
Claire, Sandra & Meredith: The best storyline finds Meredith (Jessalyn Gilsig) still at the mercy of Level 5 escapee Eric Doyle (David H. Lawrence), the "puppetmaster" who can manipulate peoples actions. I'm sure everyone's imaginations are running away with themselves at the dark possibilities, but this is a family show.
Eric is appropriately odious and creepy, and the arrival of Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and her mother Sandra (Ashley Crow) to mount a rescue leads to a memorable sequence with all three women being forced to play Russian Roulette. In hindsight, the sneaky outcome is obvious, but I felt the script did a good job of involving you in the action so you didn't think too far ahead of the surprise. Also great to see Sandra actually do something other than fuss over Mr. Muggles for once!
Peter & Sylar: A brief subplot finds Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) locking horns with "brother" Sylar (Zachary Quinto), before heading off to attack the Pinehearst Company single-handed -- where he stumbles on a familiar face from his past, with disastrous consequences. This was more of a preamble to next week's episode than anything interesting in its own right, and Ventimiglia's sub-Stallone performances have their own super-ability: to drain my concentration.
Hiro, Ando & Usutu: The explanation for Ando's (James Kyson Lee) "death" was obvious in hindsight, but it was nicely handled and a clever use of Hiro's (Masi Oka) abilities. A sense of fun also returns with the pair arriving in Africa to capture Usutu (Ntare Mwine) at the behest of Daphne, so Hiro can join the "virrains" and steal back Kaito's formula. What worked particularly well was demonstrating quickly how Hiro's ability to travel back in time can't defeat a precognitive like Usutu -- with the African mystic humorously braining Hiro repeatedly with a shovel, no matter when or where he appears. Very funny.
Arthur & Adam: It's a shame the writers reintroduced Adam (David Anders) just to kill him off after three episodes, but that's exactly what they've done. The laid up Arthur Petrelli clearly has the same power-sponging abilities as his son Peter, and uses them to drain Adam of his ability -- turning him to centuries-old dust in the process. It's a shame to lose Anders, but I was immediately distracted and excited to see Forster in this role. He has a charisma and screen presence that shines, and the idea of someone with Peter's abilities and Sylar's immorality is a juicy one.
Overall, this was the first episode of season 3 that made me feel mildly confident there's a plan behind everything. The self-imposed limitation of Hiro's time-jumping is a loose bandage I can deal with, and I'm relieved the writers have finally neutralized Peter by having his father steal all his powers. Arthur is now a sizeable threat for the characters to fight -- one that perhaps only Sylar can stop, to find redemption for his past crimes? But has Arthur stolen Peter's base-level ability, preventing him from reacquiring powers? It sure looks that way. How long until he gets his hands on Kaito's formula and re-powers himself, though?
29 October 2008
BBC Three, 10pm
Cast: Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet), Greg Grunberg (Matt), Ali Larter (Tracy), James Kyson Lee (Ando), Masi Oka (Hiro), Hayden Panettiere (Claire), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder), Dania Ramirez (Maya), Cristine Rose (Angela), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter), Ntare Mwine (Usutu), Blake Shields (Flint), David Anders (Adam), Alan Blumenfeld (Maury Parkman), Ashley Crow (Sandra), Jessalyn Gilsig (Meredith), David H. Lawrence XVII (Eric Doyle), Jamie Hector (Knox), Brea Grant (Daphne), Malcolm McDowell (Mr. Linderman), Ron Perkins (Doctor), Mark Vanselow (Neighbor), Robert Forster (Arthur) & Matt Wiese (Milosh)
