'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
Review: Heroes - Strange Attractors
by Jason Hughes, posted Oct 27th 2009 3:00AM
(S04E07) We'll have to wait until next week to see Hiro try to save Charlie. This week, we stayed with Noah and Jeremy, checked back in on Claire and Gretchen, and saw how Matt was faring with his unwanted head-guest. And things didn't really go well for any of them.
The series is really finding a nice stride, for those of us left to enjoy it. I'm racking my brain trying to think of ways to inject a sense of excitement into the show to lure some of its wayward former viewers back. Who could they cast for an arc on Heroes that people would have to tune in to see. Summer Glau? Jennifer Aniston? Bill Cosby (he has the power of slow dancing)?
They're keeping things pretty simple now, not stretching us beyond three storylines per episode, and the sense of excitement and wonder really is back in a way I've not seen since the first season. I'll not go so far as to say this is the Heroes of old, but it's a helluva lot better than the Heroes of lately.
Noah & Tracy
The lion's share of the episode followed up with Noah after he stayed back with Jeremy. Despite his best efforts at covering up Jeremy's parents' death, the poor kid still wound up arrested. There we found out that he had a darker past in the town, which culminated in a tragic finale.
Before it got to that, Noah called in a favor with Tracy to try again to get Jeremy out of jail. After yet another death, Jeremy became so consumed with guilt that he walked himself back into the jail. In the end, the small town took their pound of flesh, subjecting Jeremy to vigilante justice. I guess he can't heal himself.
Before all of that went down, Samuel arrived in town and whisked Tracy away to the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, which confused me even more as to just what his abilities are. Or who he's got helping him be everywhere. He's getting most of his information from Lydia, and yet he seems to know so much about everything. He knows who's at a crossroads and the right moment to drop in and seed their minds.
He leaves Tracy the compass, which spins madly when she's holding it. That backed up my theory that the compass senses people with abilities, but as with everything related to Samuel, there's more to it than that. Tracy takes Jeremy's death pretty hard, because she relates to his emotional predicament; she too killed someone when her abilities were manifesting.
But what does it mean that after she completely dismisses Noah from her life and thinks about what to do next, the compass nails down a direction. Yes, Samuel indicated that it would point her the way, but how does it know when? Furthermore, how did she get back to Cainan, Georgia from the Samuel Brothers the first time? Is there a transporter within the Carnival?
Claire
Samuel's invisible lapdog Becky continued her efforts to isolate Claire, thus making her vulnerable and sad enough to join his "family." This guy is seriously disturbed that he wants to gather up everyone with abilities and make a "family." His brother's death must have left a massive hole in his heart.
As for Gretchen, I went from mistrusting her to feeling sorry for her. Becky was gunning for her all episode, though why she was going to such elaborate lengths to off her is beyond me. If you're invisible, there are a million ways to take someone out without leaving the hint of a clue.
But Becky was so bad at this that first she tipped off Claire that she was there, or at least that someone was, and then she got desperate and wound up getting revealed. Which means that the dumb girls who were pledging with Claire and Gretchen now know about both Claire's ability, as well as Becky's.
I'm assuming Becky will just disappear, but that's not so easy for Claire. This is the normal life she's been trying to build for herself. Now granted, the other two girls are really, really, really dumb and their stories will be pretty unbelievable. So long as Claire can keep anyone from poking anything into her, she should be able to shake this off.
Matt / Sylar
While Sylar's body is struggling with Nathan's memories, Matt's struggle with Sylar reaches a dramatic turning point. I'm not sure why I didn't foresee the grand switch that takes place by episode's end. Even at the end, it didn't cross my mind that Sylar was now in full control of Parkman's body. I wonder if that means he has his ability, as well; what a mess that would be.
I loved how Janice was looking at Sylar-Matt gloating in those final moments. Even if she didn't fully understand what Matt told her about what he did with Sylar, she knows that there's still something seriously wrong with her husband. Suddenly, this storyline is getting pretty interesting. Now I'm really looking forward to Matt and Sylar's (the body one with Nathan's mind) eventual reunion.
[For clips and full episodes of Heroes, you can always check with SlashControl.]
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