‘Heroes’ makes great use of the old standby, ‘when in doubt, throw in some more lesbian scenes’. ‘Hysterical Blindness’ is proof that the more a series appeals to a large crowd, the more on track it is. Season 4 is much more on the mark than last season, and it has given us the best episode of the season so far! Everything from the perfect pacing and wonderful character development to the storytelling was incredible last Monday. Even though there were several stories that we were jumping back and forth from, I found the episode to be completely intriguing from the start to the very finish.
Things quickly started where we left off last week; watching Sylar dig himself out of what was supposed to be Nathan Petrelli’s very shallow grave. After having his mind jumbled by Mr. Parkman, he had virtually no clue as to where, what, or when he was. Sylar was picked up by officers, who found him covered in dirt and blood, and wound up being interrogated by a psychologist. This really showcased Zachary Quinto’s acting abilities. In stead of typical Sylar Good Guy/Bad Guy routine, we got to see Quinto portray Sylar as a completely blank slate. It made for a nice change. The story quickly took a dramatic turn when fingerprints reveal to the police that they have the ever-wanted mass-murderer Gabriel in their mitts. Thankfully, Sylar’s old instincts kick in just in time for a daring and sudden escape.
Meanwhile, Peter is trying desperately to reacquaint himself with people, starting off with his mom. He quickly learns that Angela, however, is much more worried with Nathan, and that he would be losing the battle if he fought for her attention. The director did a wonderful job of allowing us to listen to this, while we also get to hear a conversation taking place with Emma and her mom. It was fun to see how the roles were flipped – on one side, a fretful mother, on the other, a neglectful one. Their kids also have opposing roles – clingy Peter and push-away Emma. Inevitably, Peter and Emma ran into each other, as Peter beat the clock to keep her from getting hit by a bus. Their meeting, brief as it was, was long enough for Peter’s speed power to leave him behind, and Emma’s sound-seeing abilities to acquaint themselves with him. Watching Peter discover that not only has he lost a power, but gained a new one, was pretty entertaining.
Poor Claire’s life is once again flipped upside down when it seems as though she is being stalked by her new, single-white-female roommate. Once again, the pacing is what made the story such a success. Despite the frequent hopping between storylines, ever story was picked up again in just the perfect place. I have to say, I found the kiss to be uneventful and very unnecessary. Personally, I thought it was greatly (and thankfully) overshadowed by the wonderful introduction of the character Rebecca into Claire’s complicated life. At first glance, one assumes that she’s merely an attractive sorority girl, but we quickly find out that she’s anything but. With little glimpses into the past, we uncover that she’s really just been manipulating Claire’s life at college from the get go. The best part was watching Rebecca as she employed her invisibility power to not only kill Claire’s first roommate, but plant the suicide note. I love when plot points come back to pay off later!
I have to say, the ending was really retro Heroes. Aside from the astounding and fun revelation about Rebecca, there was the discovery by Emma that she could change the color of sound to cause damage! Not least of all was Hiro quickly and unexpectedly showing up in Peter’s apartment. I have to say, though, my most favorite part was seeing Sylar being taken in by Samuel Sullivan. With Samuel’s attempt to collect so many characters, I’m ecstatic about seeing where this will go. I didn’t see any of this happening, and highly anticipate next week’s episode! Wait a minute! Exciting twists? Unbelievable reveals? Adrenaline-pumping potential? That sounds suspiciously like ‘Heroes’ season one! I’m quite content with that!
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Tags: 0405, 04x05, Angela Petrelli, Annie, Arnold, Captain Lubbock, Carrie Wiita, Christine Adams, Claire Bennet, Cristine Rose, Dawn Olivieri, Deanne Bray, Dr. Coolidge, Dr. Madeline Gibson, Edgar, Emma Coolidge, Ernie Hudson, Gabriel Gray, Gretchen Berg, Hayden Panettiere, Heroes 04x05 Hysterical Blindness, Jack Wallace, Kat Purgal, Little Girl, Louise Fletcher, Lydia, Madeline Zima, Milo Ventimiglia, Peter Petrelli, Rachel Melvin, Ray Park, Rebecca Taylor, Robert Knepper, s04e05, Samuel Sullivan, Season 4, Sister #1 - Allison, Sister #2 - Kara, Sydney Sweeney, Sylar, Tessa Thompson, Zachary Quinto
