goldengait
01-14-2008, 04:36 PM
This episode opens with Mohinder spreading his father’s ashes, but moves quickly to one of the cutest characters we’ve seen on Heroes, and unfortunately one of the most short-lived. Jayma Mays plays Heroes!Charlie much the same as she played UglyBetty!Charlie (if you haven’t seen Ugly Betty, go watch it, it’s hysterical), and both are adorable. I love her attempts at Japanese, and I love that Hiro’s jacket reads ‘I don’t belong here’! And in all honesty, if I had to pick a power to have myself (other than Peter’s, obviously, that’s a cop-out answer), it would be Charlie’s instant recall. Would have made medical school quite a bit easier!
I think it’s kind of sweet and naïve how defensive Matt gets when Audrey lumps him into a super-power category with Sylar and Ted. He’s almost indignant with his, “Wait, you think I’m like them?” Of course you are, Matt honey, just go with it. I like that Matt is able to calm Ted by relating to him, and it’s great that he gets some validation on his abduction scenario. My question is this: what does being taken by The Company actually do to you? Matt, Nathan, and Isaac were all exhibiting powers before they were grabbed, but Ted’s story seems to say his power didn’t start up until after they’d messed with him. How did they find him in the first place if he wasn’t doing anything special yet? We know based on later episodes that they do have a ‘tracking device’, but how would they have known to look for him in particular? And are they even using the tracking device at this point? Did Chandra come up with Ted’s name and Eden passed it on to The Company?
Sylar’s storyline takes another couple steps forward in this episode, too. We have the introduction of his ticking sound, and for the first time, we the audience get to see him murder. I love that before Charlie is killed she (very violently) slices open the top of the head-sized can of food with a can opener.
I love the prompt on Chandra Suresh’s computer: “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO QUIT?” Very fitting. And apparently Mohinder is not. Good for you. Now, scamper back to New York, quick like a bunny.
If you’ve got to have exposition, it should be handled like HRG’s explanation of how he ended up adopting Claire. Lots and lots of info, but weaved into the storyline well and it fits the scene. It’s also nice to see that HRG does actually care about Claire, and that he cares about anything, because his creepy, dispassionate attitude up until this point was going to get uninteresting if it went much longer unchanged. Now we know he’s invested on a personal level and he’s not just cleaning up for The Company.
Bits and Pieces:
* Sendhil needs to work on crying. I know it’s tough, but it can be done well.
* Very nice sets and CGI backgrounds for a TV drama. Not perfect, but a damn sight better than a lot of other shows!
* I’d have preferred Mohinder’s conversations in India take place in Hindi or Gujarati, or any one of the Indian dialects.
* Orange!Mohinder has a bit of a mullet as he approaches WhiteSuit!Mohinder and Chandra in the first guide-dream sequence.
* I really like the 70s, dated look of the wood-paneled walls in Primatech.
* Nice to see The Haitian is being figured out. I liked Nathan’s earlier description of him better: “Creepy Euro-dude. ”
* Ooh, and Eden has a power.
* Cute Claire delivery while she’s coloring the Homecoming sign: “What?”
* Blocking misstep: when Mohinder chases after the dream-sequence kid, he does that awkward, hesitant shuffle at the top of the stairs like he’s trying to follow him but his feet won’t move. If you’re trying to chase someone, just freakin' chase them, don’t pause at the top of stairs to yell “Stop!” at them. It’s not going to work, and as an actor it's a very poor choice.
Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
GoldenGait
I think it’s kind of sweet and naïve how defensive Matt gets when Audrey lumps him into a super-power category with Sylar and Ted. He’s almost indignant with his, “Wait, you think I’m like them?” Of course you are, Matt honey, just go with it. I like that Matt is able to calm Ted by relating to him, and it’s great that he gets some validation on his abduction scenario. My question is this: what does being taken by The Company actually do to you? Matt, Nathan, and Isaac were all exhibiting powers before they were grabbed, but Ted’s story seems to say his power didn’t start up until after they’d messed with him. How did they find him in the first place if he wasn’t doing anything special yet? We know based on later episodes that they do have a ‘tracking device’, but how would they have known to look for him in particular? And are they even using the tracking device at this point? Did Chandra come up with Ted’s name and Eden passed it on to The Company?
Sylar’s storyline takes another couple steps forward in this episode, too. We have the introduction of his ticking sound, and for the first time, we the audience get to see him murder. I love that before Charlie is killed she (very violently) slices open the top of the head-sized can of food with a can opener.
I love the prompt on Chandra Suresh’s computer: “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO QUIT?” Very fitting. And apparently Mohinder is not. Good for you. Now, scamper back to New York, quick like a bunny.
If you’ve got to have exposition, it should be handled like HRG’s explanation of how he ended up adopting Claire. Lots and lots of info, but weaved into the storyline well and it fits the scene. It’s also nice to see that HRG does actually care about Claire, and that he cares about anything, because his creepy, dispassionate attitude up until this point was going to get uninteresting if it went much longer unchanged. Now we know he’s invested on a personal level and he’s not just cleaning up for The Company.
Bits and Pieces:
* Sendhil needs to work on crying. I know it’s tough, but it can be done well.
* Very nice sets and CGI backgrounds for a TV drama. Not perfect, but a damn sight better than a lot of other shows!
* I’d have preferred Mohinder’s conversations in India take place in Hindi or Gujarati, or any one of the Indian dialects.
* Orange!Mohinder has a bit of a mullet as he approaches WhiteSuit!Mohinder and Chandra in the first guide-dream sequence.
* I really like the 70s, dated look of the wood-paneled walls in Primatech.
* Nice to see The Haitian is being figured out. I liked Nathan’s earlier description of him better: “Creepy Euro-dude. ”
* Ooh, and Eden has a power.
* Cute Claire delivery while she’s coloring the Homecoming sign: “What?”
* Blocking misstep: when Mohinder chases after the dream-sequence kid, he does that awkward, hesitant shuffle at the top of the stairs like he’s trying to follow him but his feet won’t move. If you’re trying to chase someone, just freakin' chase them, don’t pause at the top of stairs to yell “Stop!” at them. It’s not going to work, and as an actor it's a very poor choice.
Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
GoldenGait