Heroes 1.9: "Homecoming"
Written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Greg Beeman
After a great deal of foreshadowing and plot escalation, the moment has finally come to save the cheerleader and save the world. Oddly enough, without the massive promotion given to this episode, it would feel much like any other. The pacing is just about the same, and the serialized nature of the plot is so complex that the idea of an “event” episode, even during sweeps, is somewhat misleading.
Yes, Claire is huge part of the episode, and it would be easy to get lost in that sweet and gorgeous smile. It would be just as easy to focus on Peter’s heroic battle with Sylar and how it marks an important turning point in the series. But while the writers treat this with appropriate focus and portent, it’s not oversold. Sylar’s capture will serve to expose more about Mr. Bennett’s organization, and now Claire is ready to accept her abilities, but beyond that, there’s no obvious connection between saving Claire and saving the world.
I’m a little concerned about how the writers will deal with Peter. In a relatively realistic setting, it would take very little time for the police to determine that Peter wasn’t involved in the killing. So if that doesn’t happen, it could be a problem. One way to complicate matters would be for Mr. Bennett to ensure Peter is detained under shady circumstances. This, in turn, could lead to some interesting issues with Peter. After all, he does have a somewhat unsettling side, and he could be pushed into a less heroic direction.
Claire’s plot thread is obviously important, but as mentioned, it’s only one of many plot threads handled in the episode. Mohinder comes to an important realization about his father’s research, and he’s now poised to become a uniting factor for the heroes over the course of the rest of the season. It’s now abundantly clear that this emergence of superhuman abilities is not a small event; there are an awful lot of them out there, and it’s been at least one generation since it started.
I’ve said before that I think that Jessica has been around longer than six months, but that something changed, strengthening her presence within Niki in tandem with the development of her enhanced strength. The more we see of Jessica, the more I’m sure of it. She demonstrates a degree of knowledge and control that would not otherwise be present. So how long has Jessica been lingering in Niki’s mind?
The writers have brought up a number of questions over the past several episodes, and it’s about time that they start explaining things. Hiro’s plot thread actually may serve that purpose. Characters have mentioned that the abilities began to emerge about “six months ago”, and sure enough, Hiro has jumped six months into the past. With Charley’s ability to remember almost everything in extreme detail, with the subconscious ability to process that information into practical application, she could help Hiro in any number of ways.
This is also a natural way to explore, beyond Hiro’s direct experiences, what happened six months before the pilot. There’s no reason why the writers couldn’t show the audience what was happening while Hiro was getting to know Charley. And that would be the perfect opportunity to clarify the context for a lot of the characters already seen in an unusual and creative manner.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Heroes”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
Directed by Greg Beeman
After a great deal of foreshadowing and plot escalation, the moment has finally come to save the cheerleader and save the world. Oddly enough, without the massive promotion given to this episode, it would feel much like any other. The pacing is just about the same, and the serialized nature of the plot is so complex that the idea of an “event” episode, even during sweeps, is somewhat misleading.
Yes, Claire is huge part of the episode, and it would be easy to get lost in that sweet and gorgeous smile. It would be just as easy to focus on Peter’s heroic battle with Sylar and how it marks an important turning point in the series. But while the writers treat this with appropriate focus and portent, it’s not oversold. Sylar’s capture will serve to expose more about Mr. Bennett’s organization, and now Claire is ready to accept her abilities, but beyond that, there’s no obvious connection between saving Claire and saving the world.
I’m a little concerned about how the writers will deal with Peter. In a relatively realistic setting, it would take very little time for the police to determine that Peter wasn’t involved in the killing. So if that doesn’t happen, it could be a problem. One way to complicate matters would be for Mr. Bennett to ensure Peter is detained under shady circumstances. This, in turn, could lead to some interesting issues with Peter. After all, he does have a somewhat unsettling side, and he could be pushed into a less heroic direction.
Claire’s plot thread is obviously important, but as mentioned, it’s only one of many plot threads handled in the episode. Mohinder comes to an important realization about his father’s research, and he’s now poised to become a uniting factor for the heroes over the course of the rest of the season. It’s now abundantly clear that this emergence of superhuman abilities is not a small event; there are an awful lot of them out there, and it’s been at least one generation since it started.
I’ve said before that I think that Jessica has been around longer than six months, but that something changed, strengthening her presence within Niki in tandem with the development of her enhanced strength. The more we see of Jessica, the more I’m sure of it. She demonstrates a degree of knowledge and control that would not otherwise be present. So how long has Jessica been lingering in Niki’s mind?
The writers have brought up a number of questions over the past several episodes, and it’s about time that they start explaining things. Hiro’s plot thread actually may serve that purpose. Characters have mentioned that the abilities began to emerge about “six months ago”, and sure enough, Hiro has jumped six months into the past. With Charley’s ability to remember almost everything in extreme detail, with the subconscious ability to process that information into practical application, she could help Hiro in any number of ways.
This is also a natural way to explore, beyond Hiro’s direct experiences, what happened six months before the pilot. There’s no reason why the writers couldn’t show the audience what was happening while Hiro was getting to know Charley. And that would be the perfect opportunity to clarify the context for a lot of the characters already seen in an unusual and creative manner.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Heroes”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:55
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