We all guessed who Adam Monroe is, and we were all right. And we were even right that he is the killer.

This epsiode would have been so much better had the murderer (and Adam Monroe) turned out not to be Kensei. That would have been good.

What a surprise? Matt won against his father. I didn't see that coming... Again, would have been better if Maury had won and we had gotten rid of him.

I like Nikki and her powers, and I actually don't want her to be killed off. I bet they won't, either. This will probably somehow end up killing off Jessica leaving Nikki, and maybe her powers, safe.

The series better pick up in the next episodes, or they better continue to the full amount of episodes they had originally planned, because otherwise I am going to be extremely disappointed.

These greedy writers... And they canceled Heroes: Origins, which sounded like it was going to be good.

P.S. I agree with you, Angela P. must have a power, and it is most likely going to be something cool...I just wonder what it is?

Haven't read your review yet, so before I get bogged down in analysis I need to state that I did enjoy last night. The time flew by so fast. And I am excited about the show. Some random thoughts off the top of my head:
- My wife thinks I’m brilliant saying Adam = Kensei
- No Wonder twin or Big Ben (sylar)
- I called Magoo (Parkman) a pussy right at the beginning of the show with all of his whining. My wife hates that word and said nothing. That is confirmation of the truth my friends
- In the DVD with extended scenes I fully expect Nikki’s line “I’m going to die aren’t I” to include a dramatic pause and continue with “I probably shouldn’t have had sex with Nathan then. Again. He’ll be pissed huh?”
- GREAT scene of West seeing HRG. No debating, no negotiating. He just freaks out and bolts. Very well done I thought.
- Is HRG really working for the Company but doesn’t know it? And Ivan was part of the ruse?
- Duuude, did Peter just bring the useless Irish broad into the apocalyptic future and LEAVE HER THERE?!?!? Wow!
- Great analysis of the paintings. Glad I saw it before last night. It seems like only HRG getting a bullet in the EYE is left for the paintings. And big props for your Photoshop work on the killer photo showing Kensei. I thought it might be Peter in the photo, but after last night’s confirmation your work looks extra brilliant. Congrats
- Brilliant casting of Maury Parkman, the guy looks like the dumpy overweight scumbag character they were shooting for
- Molly’s “I heard you” was sweet. Honestly.
-Shanti virus mutated? Noooooooo
-Is Hiro’s Dad really dead? He fell off a building, big deal. Did we see a body?

Okay I’ll read the review at lunch…

What actual powers does Nikki have?

BTW I meant to say no wonder Twins or Big Ben = good episode

that's right, what happened to Origins, I totally forgot about it. What happened

Thanks for the comments, David885 and CC26!

@David - I really didn't like how Matt "just suddenly" developed the powers to defeat his father. Maury has had years to develop his gifts, and quite frankly: Parkman is Matt Parkman. He should have won by getting lucky or by sacrificing himself to save Molly or something. Last night was definitely a Deus Ex Machina moment.

I thought Jessica died last season, leaving Nikki alone with the powers. But then, she shows up at the Company looking to be helped with her "split personality disorder". I officially have no idea what the hell is going on with this character anymore.

As for Angela Petrelli, I had a weird thought last night. What if Angela Petrelli's power was to bring people back from the dead? I know it sounds farfetched, but it would explain what she meant last season when she told Nathan that he had no idea what she's had to do (meaning let her husband die) and how Nathan survived the explosion (he didn't, she brought him back). It could also explain why Adam/Kensei didn't just kill her. He sent her a message to back off and let him kill these people. This is complete theory, of course. She probably just freezes stuff.

@CC26 - It was nice to have a fast-paced episode without the Wonder Twins and I did like seeing West freak out like a sissy. Now if only the last six episodes had been like that I'd be much happier. And yes, he totally ditched Caitlyn in the future. Yay!

As for Kaito Nakamura, there were rumors that we were going to find out what his powers are (and they did say "are", even after his death) which leads me to believe that either Kaito will be resurrected (see above) or that Hiro will travel back in time to see his father again and say goodbye. However, I don't know if this was planned to happen before or after episode 11, so if the writer's strike continues, we may never know.


As for Heroes: Origins, it was cancelled upon hearing news of the upcoming writers strike, as they needed all their writers working on revising current episodes in time. There was also concern about spending studio money on a spin-off of a show who's ratings were slipping and could be cancelled if the strike runs for too long. However, I had an interesting thought last night: Why not make Heroes: Origins a fan competition? Star Wars and Star Trek both have massive fanfilm communities, why not Heroes? They should let people create their own characters and short films, air them over the internet and let people vote for their favorite. The winner gets to have their character either written into the graphic novel, or maybe even included in the actual show. I think it would be a great way to introduce new characters that the fans actually like, without having to rely on the writers or spending studio money to do it.

Just a thought.

Good gun powder episode of Mythbusters made the tent explosion more impressive try to catch it, the stuff really does blow up.

Phenomenal greeting card!!! My sandwich is on my monitor because of that!!!!!

What the Sylar are they going to do with Claire? Cut her arm off and rub it on Nikki’s injection like some freaky cheerleader-aloe plant? I mean really. Hellllooo Mohinder, they already know you are working with HRG you dunce. Oh, that’s right, you didn’t think they could track or listen in on cell phone conversations…the people that can turn things to gold, don’t die, put thoughts in your head, remove memories from your head and send emails from their eyebrows. Yeah good point. They are completely using Mo to kill off HRG or at least sabotage him.

The “vaginitis” is responsible for the remainder of my sandwich being located in my keyboard now. Thanks. And here I thought Magoo was the female role model for Molly.

Didn’t we see Molly’s real parents? Or was it only her hiding in Harry Potter’s bedroom?
I love the idea of fanfilms. I personally would love to come up with a couple of characters to propose to them. But I’m no writer; I can’t come up with week after week action and plot lines that keep everybody hanging on the edge of their seats. Or develop long term relationships for characters that beautifully ratify their differences in poetic fashion for all to witness over a brief 4 episodes….wait a tic, neither can they. Maybe I am a writer.

Great review again. Really. It bums me out a little, but you are speaking the truth and I/we need to realize some of the shortcomings. We can’t take the Parkman approach (i.e. sure my dad left when I was a kid, destroyed my self esteem and scarred me for life BUT I’m sure there is a good reason and he is still a great man…what? He’s a mass murdering slob? Oh, okay.)

Quote: "There were rumors that we were going to find out what his powers are..."

I didn't think he had a power, because iin the last series, when he was talking to Hiro, he said "I have waited for one of us Nakumura's (not direct quote) to have a power. I did not think it would be you." To Hiro. This doesn't say he doesn't have power, but it sort of suggests it.

By the way, forgot to mention, I like your idea of letting people make their own Heroes then turn them into someone on the show. But I think they shouldn't have to make a video, [i.e. if they are rubbish at filming or acting, etc.] but that could be one of the possibilites. NBC should make them create a portfolio, like drawings and analysis of their power, etc. That would be good. :) I would definately get involved if that happpened.

You should do that on here.

Ok, I understand your frustrations with this episode, but I disagree. I am tired of the second season having so many similarities with the first season and I do think they've been meandering with the plot for too long.

This episode however was a slight reminder of why I loved the show. There was some interesting character developments and a decent amount of action. Seeing so many scenes from the paintings come true in one episode makes excited because I was worried we wouldn't find out about HRG's death until the end of the season. I seriously hope the only reason West exists is so that Sylar can take his power of flight.

Matt's ability to trap his father didn't bother me as much as Peter's sudden memory of his mother and here is why: It is clear from the previews for next weeks episode that the Haitian removes Peter's memory at (apparently) Peter's request. The Haitian told Claire last season that he can't return memories to his victims. So how exactly did Peter suddenly remember his mom while pounding on that table?

I'm guessing the writers have some idea that since Peter absorbed the Haitian's ability, he can eventually get his memories back somehow, or it has to do with Angela's unknown ability.

I'm rambling...

I think you're right. Peter being able to suddenly remember has to be related to some sort of power, specially seeing as the Haitian appears to take it away. I guess we will have to wait and see. Maybe, next week, Peter, the Haitian, or some one related will explain to us how he will get his memory back.

Do you know, I had a revelation while searching the web. And, unless it is just sloppiness from the Heroes writers, I have worked out that Papa Petrelli is Kensei/Adam Monroe. How? Because, if you look at pictures of the Group of Twelve, there are all the people we know, i.e. Charles Deveux, Angela Petrelli, Bob, Maury P, Linderman and Kaito, then there are some other people, and, of course, a blurred image of Papa Petrelli.

Out of these five unknown people [two men and three woman], only two of them could be Adam, and neither of them look like him. And if he was the one who joined the Group together, why wouldn't he be in the picture? So that leaves the only person who we can't see left for Adam to be.

Papa Petrelli.

http://www.bleepinggeek.com/images/stories/screenshots/heroes2/heroes_12.jpg

Of course, I might be wrong, but its just a guess.

@David885: I think your wrong there. I heard rumors from an "Insider" thats says the picture was taken after the group had locked Adam up for hes talk of genocide and plauges? I think he said it was in Hiros dads prison. Hence he would'ent be there in the picture. I think the picture itself is taken after they lock Adam/Kensai up.
@Peter: Another great review. Don't you ever tire of being right. I'm glad that they are finally trying to take the show somewhere. But they did try to cram too much in this episode. Although we did learn alot in this episode, it raises more questions. If Maury and Linderman were "down" with Adam/Kensai they why the happy photo with the group your planning to kill. Also Linderman was trying to wipe out .07% of the population. The group knew about this but they want to let it happen after going though all the trouble of locking up and pissing off a man that can't die. And talk about pissing a man off. How are you gonna remember your mother but not your brother, father, or blowing up and almost killing .07% of the population? This memory loss thing is getting old quick and just when you think Peter is ready to get back to action, we get him remembering the cake his mom gave him on his birthday. Good abuse of power jack ass

Now as for Peters mothers power. I'm almost willing to bet that she can do the same thing Peter can do. IE copy the powers of those around her.
Lets just hope that 4 Months ago Answer these questions.

@manzy: Despite my rambling, I also enjoyed the episode. It was by far one of the stronger episodes of the season, imo. My only problem is that they could have easily spread out some of last nights action over the last three episodes instead of having bad episode after bad episode. As for Peter's condition, he definitely had his mind wiped when the Company took him (it was standard operating procedure), but I believe he absorbed the Haitians abilities so he may be able to reconstruct what he lost.

@David: They never actually say that Adam was a member of the twelve, only that he was the one that initially brought them together. It is still possible that Adam is Papa Petrelli (despite the graphic novels), but only if Peter is mindwiped BEFORE they put him in a cell with Adam. The previews clearly show Peter in a holding cell with Adam, much like the ones that Parkman and Bennett escaped from. It's also obviously the first time they've met, as Peter would recognize his own father (especially if his father never aged).

Next week, if they mindwipe Peter, then put him in the cell, then Adam is Papa Petrelli. If they put him in the cell with his memories intact, it's a bust.

Mainly I hope he isn't because it's a stretch that Kensei is also Adam. It would be even more reaching if Kensei is also Adam is also Papa Petrelli. It would however put a new spin on the Angela Petrelli/Kaito Nakamura affair, as it would be the second time Adam lost a woman to a Nakamura.

I'd also like to point out that while Papa Petrelli's law firm used the Godsend logo, it's never been proven that he was one of the Twelve, only that he fought in Vietnam with Linderman and was married to Angela (who I still think is the one with the powers). It could be that the photo only shows 11 of the 12, and Papa Petrelli as a spouse.

Ho ho ho! Peter, while I disagree with your scathing assessment of this episode, I heartily cheer your *brilliant* humour. I didn't lose my sandwich, but I laughed *out loud* for the longest time. Fantasticly witty.

Finally, an episode to be proud of. Frankly, I am going to overlook some of the minor points - the handcuffs, the opium haze, Matt growing testicles while Mohinder loses his - in favour of a loud cheer for a return to fun with this series. I mean, I can't freakin' stand that top-secret-conspiracy HRG is yacking on a cellphone across continents to Mohinder about his diabolical plan to take down the company, but whatever - no Wonder Twins, no reincarnated Sylar, I'm up for this.

I was a bit shocked by "Bob's" frank summary of plot lines to this point and unveiling of the mysteries, but *yay* for Bob and the series. I think Lost got "lost" in leaving in too many mysteries and this was Heroes' way of avoiding that pitfall and *finally* answering some nagging questions. I don't think his explanations took away from the dramatic tension terribly and there are still many unanswered "mysteries" to keep us on the hook.

I have to credit my wife with some brilliant observations, however:

(1) What will happen when Caitlyn gives birth to Peter's baby in the future?
(2) What will West/Claire's baby look like and what kind of mutant powers will he/she have?

Finally, I am glad they wrote in a plausible explanation for Molly's phone-in performance since the season opener. Yes, it was contrived, but it works and gives some credibility to why she has been seen sleeping on a hospital bed for so long. I am looking forward to the interim episode which will explain how Matt gave up his wife's child for the sickly waif that is Molly, but I don't have my hopes up on that one.

Anyhow, keep that humour coming, Peter. Roaringly funny.

oh, yeah, and *best caption ever*: My name is Hiro Nakamura. You Killed My Father. Prepare to Die.

Session 2 is getting weaker and weaker. :(
1/ Seems the people in Heroes either have story to tell or else they just get killed! I thought the idea of Heroes is about ordinary people with power, not comic book heroes....can't those people just go back to their normal boring life as in real life? Think the writers are forgetting why is the show popular in the first place.
2/ Not really sure why they make out as if kensei is super powerful - both claire and peter are killable after all.
3/ Mohinder is going to shot HRG to get Claire? Come on!
4/ Stalker West in Claire's house in the early morning with the mother talking to him??

Maybe the writers in Heroes are having their private strike well before the offical strike! :o

5/ I am going to destroy Hiro and the world because you steal my girl friend?!

@Tom: Thank you very much. When they first introduced Sylar as a villain last season, I was really excited because he added a whole new element of danger to the show. No one had ever really created a serial killer who preyed on superheroes before. He was always in the shadows, you never knew where he was going to hit next. He was genuinely scary.

Then, they showed his face. Gave him a backstory. Tried to give him a motivation, and in my opinion, ruined the character.

The save the cheerleader prophecy from last season was also a good idea. You had this vague warning about a major disaster that was eventually going to happen, but no idea who was going to cause it or when and how.

Then, they got mired down in "who's the bomb" storylines and by the time it actually happened, no one really cared that it ended up being Peter, other than the fact that he was probably going to have a headache afterwards.

This is my longwinded way of saying that the writers have a history of dropping the ball. This season lacks all of the tension and thrill that made the show great. We still have a killer lurking in the shadows, but he's not particularly scary and he's not Sylar anymore. We still have a vague apocalyptic prediction, but now its a new vague apocalyptic prediction. It's almost as if Heroes 2 is subconciously trying to parody Heroes 1.

If I made T-Shirts, I'd start a whole line of "Kensei is the new Sylar" or "The Shanti Virus is the new Bomb" shirts.

I'm glad the show is picking up steam and is entertaining again, but with each day that the writers strike continues, I get more and more worried that we're just watching Heroes circle the drain.


@FSbot: The "I'm going to destroy the world because I lost the one I love" plot doesn't work, it's true. It didn't work for Anakin Skywalker, it doesn't work here. Hopefully, we'll find out that in the years since their first encounter, Takezo has come up with a lot better reasons for being so evil (oh please, oh please make him a Nazi! That would be great! He even has the blond hair)

Seriously, Kensei waits 400 years for revenge on Hiro, get over it dude. So what, if Matt Damon gave Kensei the "How bout them apples?" would Kensei run him through with his sword/hold a grudge for half a millenia. hey, there's a t-shirt "How bout them cherry blossoms?" or "Hiro stole my girlfriend"

Niki will live!

Heroesfan: I don't doubt it.
According to Kristen over at E! (who, despite the network she works for, does seem to have the inside track):
Sylar's gonna kill a Hero. A non-Hero's gonna kill a non-Hero. And then Sylar's gonna kill another Hero.
As for Claire and her blood: I'm told she'll rescue at least two main characters in the coming month.

So, let's begin the round of guesses! My guess: Sylar kills Alejandro, Mohinder kills HRG, and Sylar kills Kensei (who needs a cheerleader?)

As for the saved? Claire is going to heal Nikki and then... um... her dad? I don't know. Can her blood heal somebody if it's used as a transfusion? Even if it's not a hero? Or do her antibodies only work against evolved DNA?

WaaWaaWeeWaaah! You get the ep a few days late and miss all this discussion!

My thoughts (Oh i have some massive ramble in me but I shall spare you all) aside, lets have a stab at trumping Pete at these predictions.

Sylar kills - .... Alejandro (dammit! I guess that's a no brainer) and the other one... well I'm gonna say Tits McGee (Maya) [she's so peach, why can't she be a good character]. I reckon Sylar will end up being the key to save eveyone but will die in the process - villan turns hero /martyr deal.

Non Hero kills non hero - mohinder kills HRG is the obvious one but I'm gonna say mohinder kills... are there even any other non heroes? Micah's gmilf? Future Patty McMingin? Damn. Well I guess the limited possibilities go a long way in highlighting the weak writing this season.

P.S dexter owned again this week.

@Peter: Nah, i seriously doubt the Adam is Papa Petrelli. Couple of solid reasons:-

a) Assuming the graphic novels stay true to the series, Papa Petrelli looks NOTHING like Adam/Kensei. As we saw in this episode, he hardly aged a bit. From the graphic novels, i've always thought that Nathan bears a strong resemblance to his father.

b) IF he was Papa Petrelli, why would the whole group then refer to him as Adam Monroe? Quite stupid don't you think to have two names? Besides, its clearly stated that ADAM brought the whole group together. If ADAM brought the whole group together, then why does he need to masquerade as Papa Petrelli? Doesn't make sense.

c) Why would it be definitely Papa Petrelli if Peter he wasn't mind wiped when he meets Adam in the cell? From the preview, it clearly looks like they haven't met before. Wouldn't you think that if Peter hasn't lost his memories, he will recognize his OWN father?

d) Again, referring to the graphic novel, it is quite clear that Papa Petrelli was shocked by Linderman's power. Don't you think if he was Adam, wouldn't he just heal straight away? I was under the impression that Adam/Kensei uses his power quite actively. When they were attacked on the boat, it seem Papa Petrelli was quite scared of being shot at.


Anyway, just my two sense. What i see as solid evidence might not be for someone else. Oh, btw, i came across this juicy hint on what Papa Petrelli's power is a couple of days ago. I am leaning at it to being bullshit at the moment because so far, all the heroes powers have a "scientific" basis to it where else Papa Petrelli's implied power has no "scientific" basis.

Hint: Papa Petrelli has a power and aware of its "effects" but he doesn't know it is a "power". He probably only realizes it when he met the rest of the other Older Heroes. If you read the part in the graphic novel where he was playing cards with the other soldiers, he says a particular sentence that may imply what his power is. It is just after he wins.

Again, if you want me to post up outright what it is, let me know. :)

@Tron:
Yes, yes Dexter did own. A lot. Had me cheering at the end even.

Scooting back to Heroville, the lack of writers has had me contemplating where I would take the show. Honestly, I really want Kensei to reveal that he was a Nazi. He would have been alive during the time period, and probably wouldn't have joined the good side of that fight. Plus, it would give us a good springboard for his current state. What's more evil than an immortal Nazi? Plus, it would give him a pro-genetic superiority stance that would give him a better drive than just picking on Hiro. Also, it would work in well with his "talking about holocausts and plagues" schtick.

But it basically boils down to this: As far as supervillains go, you don't get much better than battling aliens or supernatural Nazis. Those are the big two. Also, evil doppleganger comes in at a close third.

@ken:
That's exactly my point. I'm arguing that there's very little chance they are the same person. The only way to keep the "myth" alive is that if Peter is mindwiped before entering the cell with Adam, he wouldn't recognize his own father. But I have a very strong feeling that he'll go in there with all his memories and we can finally put the "Kensei/Papa Petrelli" rumor to rest.

1. If you can turn things into gold with a touch, couldn't you afford a better security system? Maybe something automatic that can't be mind-controlled?

2. If you can read people's minds and manipulate what they see, couldn't you make enough money to not live in a crap apartment and look like a slob?

3. Why is Peter Petrelli such a wuss? Strange men from an apocalyptic future have kidnapped you, stripped you naked, and stolen your woman, and you can't summon a little lightning? A mental nudge? Nothing?

4. Why is Kensei so upset over his girl getting stolen? She's not that hot. Plus, there's bound to be plenty more women who dig the "hero of Japan". Do you think the real reason Kensei is so upset is that after 400 years he still can't grow any decent facial hair? Hopefully in 400 years he's learned American english so he can drop his horribly fake accent.

Overall, I thought this episode was a big improvement, but it's still too repetitive and predictable. I'm glad Tim Krieg owned up to the fact that the season has been a disappointment so far.

Jaybee: all excellent points. I suppose, though, with heroes of all kinds running around there's no such thing as a "better" security system. For instance, Micah could easily hack anything digital, Peter could fry anything with an E.M.P., etc.

#4 was especially funny.

Nice one Jaybee25 ;)

I wonder if something like Maya's powers could kill Kensei, which brings us to Sylar if he kills her...

Cheers Peter, great site you have. Who would believe that Episode Reviews/Recaps can be that interesting. ;D

All the seasons up to the latest episode are available for download - http://file.sh/heroes torrent.html