Heroesville: Heroes, Season 3, Episode 11 – “The Eclipse, Part 2″ (Dec 2)
In Haiti, Nathan’s chained up in what appears to be an old-school dungeon. Why do the bad guys always have dungeons? What’s funny is that even if Nathan had his powers, it wouldn’t really matter. He’d just be in chains and floating a few feet in the air. Baron Samedi claims that names grant power. Well, somebody who named himself after a Voodoo loa probably would think that. There’s something very cool about that coming up, though. Bear with me.
Over at Pinehearst, Arther Petrelli is proud of his paranoia. Hee. Man, I love that guy. The now-powerless Flint is keeping an eye on Mohinder, because he still has his natural born dumb guy strength. By the way, his fidgeting with the lighter made me think of something. His name is “Flint”. What is it that makes the spark in a lighter? Yeah, that’s right. It only took me 11 episodes to get that. Anyway, Mohinder manages to fake him out and beat the living crap out of him. If you like dudes punching the hell out of each other, this is the episode for you!
Daphne actually thinks that Arthur took her powers away. Man, she is really afraid of him. She’s steadily getting more interesting, the more we see what’s going on in her head. I really hope she gets to smack Arthur around before all is said and done. She’s earned it.
In the comic shop, Hiro is doing research. Hee. Say, is that comic that Hiro holds up to buy an issue of Ultimate X-Men, written by Aron Eli Coleite, writer of this very episode? Why, yes! Yes it is! Awesomely, we do get the classic comic book store line “This isn’t a library!” I worked the register for years, and I’ve said that more than once.
Sylar and Elle hit the pharmacy to treat a bullet wound. Careful, you don’t want to run in Shia LaBeouf – that dude’s passionate about Walgreens! Sylar really wants to split up, and to his credit, it doesn’t seem to be because Elle’s leaving an easy-to-follow blood trail. Elle convinces him that they should stick together, and Sylar continues his solid run of doing exactly what people want him to. For a crazy evil guy, he gives in to peer pressure pretty consistently.
Back in Haiti, they rescue Nathan and the Haitian clocks his brother but good. Yes, I realize that in these scenes, everybody but the Petrellis can technically be considered ‘the Haitian’, but you know who I mean.
Seth Green and Breckin Meyer suggest that the powers will come back once the eclipse is over. OK, if that’s true, and now we know that it is, why has this never happened before? Some of these people have had their powers for 30 years or more. This must be a special case, since even old hands like Arthur were caught off guard. (And again, Adam Monroe would have turned to dust a long time ago if this were a regular occurrence.) Hiro reads up on his past, which really does have a fair share of trauma. That’s a lot for a 10-year-old to deal with.
When Peter sends Nate away and faces down the army, he says “I’m expendable”. I’m just saying, I have at least one friend who agreed with that sentiment. (Hi Kelli!) Now, I’m just wondering, is it even plausible that Peter could work an assault rifle? He spent some time in between Seasons One and Two with Adam Monroe, and I suppose that’s one guy who probably heads into weapons training pretty quickly. I’m not completely convinced, but I guess it’s not impossible.
In the hospital, Claire flatlines. We all know they’re not killing the cheerleader, but they did a pretty good job with that. Sandra Bennet has a lot more to do this season than talk to Mr. Muggles and forget things, and she’s really doing well.
This next scene is awesome. Sylar locks Elle in an elevator to keep her safe. (I know! Everybody loves Kristen Bell, right?) And then it is a straight-up brawl between Sylar and Bennet. Sylar gets a couple of good shots, but Bennet clearly has the upper hand. Especially once Sylar invokes Claire. Good, just wave a red flag in his face. And then, and I’m still sort of shocked they went there, Bennet slits Sylar’s throat with a box cutter. Boy, let’s hope they don’t have to partner up again anytime soon. That will be awkward. And remember how Sylar named his kid in the future “Noah”? That seems unlikely now. I almost never name children after people who murder me.
Next, Claire dies. Of course, she doesn’t stay dead long, since the eclipse comes to an end. And then, everybody gets back to normal. Daphne’s running, Matt’s reading minds. Once again, there’s a sweet moment between Matt and Daphne, and even with the lack of backstory, Daphne hugging her Dad has to choke you up. (Especially since most fathers on this show are evil.) By the way, Ray the Scarecrow? Named after Wizard of Oz actor, Ray Bolger.
Nathan’s powers kick in, and he uses them to propel Baron Samedi into a truck. And then the Haitian comes in and wipes out his brother’s mind. This is not a “forget the last couple of hours” thing – that guy goes blank. And here’s what’s cool: Samedi suggests that names are the source of power, and that knowing somebody’s name gives you power over them. Who takes him down? A guy who doesn’t have a name! Neat, huh?
Mohinder visits Maya, just at the moment when the two people who absolutely don’t want powers get them back. Not much happens in this scene, frankly. This is weirdly common with Maya’s scenes, though.
Meanwhile, in a more interesting scene, Seth Green tries to talk Hiro out of the bathroom by inspiring him. This scene was so cool, that I actually got a text message about it. We decided that Seth has contributed more to the show in two episodes than Mohinder has in three seasons. Particularly neat is the bit with the guys arguing about 9th Wonders continuity. Which is also, you know, the actual continuity of their lives. I didn’t realize that Hiro and Claire hadn’t had any real scenes together until they pointed it out here. Like how Maebe and Buster didn’t speak to one another until the final episode of Arrested Development. Anyway, they decide Hiro might be able to get his powers back by taking Claire to the greenhouse. He promptly disappears.
Over at the Bennet house, Claire tells Bennet that she came back from the dead, and the “Oh, Poopie” look on his face is fantastic. And sure enough, Elle and Sylar are full power and in the house. Bennet drops the bombshell that Sylar isn’t a Petrelli, and I have no idea if this is true or not. It certainly seems possible, and it’s pretty funny to see that Angela and Arthur individually went with the same story – Sylar’s issues pretty well jump out at you. And thank you Bennet for just coming out and telling Sylar he’s got “Mommy issues”. Bennet and I are total BFF! Still, before it gets ugly, Hiro pops in and makes the bad guys disappear.
OK, here’s where I was wrong. In the comic store, they say that the current issue of 9th Wonders is the last one completed before Isaac’s death. You know how I spent two many people producing it in their own way? Yeah, I’m dumb as a rock. Still, I’m gratified to see that the bike messenger from Season One is being acknowledged. Remember when Isaac gave him the sketchbook? Pretty neat! Sure, I could nitpick and wonder why Isaac’s editor was hassling him about deadlines if he had enough material done for a full year after his death, but we’ll let that go. Besides, that’s pretty much the working relationship that Don and I have, so it’s not without precedent.
And in the “Somebody needs to slap Nathan” category, after liberating a village, Nate decides that Arthur’s got some pretty good ideas. Seriously, dude. Your Dad is evil. You fell for it with Linderman, the whole “Well, he’s evil, but his plan could work out for the best” thing. Remember how that worked out? It’s consistent with Nate’s recent religious experience, as he’s reaching for something to believe in. Don’t believe in Arthur!
Sylar and Elle end up on a beach somewhere. Unfortunately, Sylar’s realized that it’s much easier to be a changed man when he doesn’t have his murder powers. Turns out, Sylar likes killing! And then, in a moment that angered me, he pops open Elle’s head. No! Killing cute girls is not the way to raise interest in your show!
For the second week in a row, I’ve heard from people who had their DVR’s cut off seconds from the end. What happens here is that Hiro and Elle appear in the greenhouse, watching the scene we’ve seen before. Hiro’s Dad gives the baby Claire to Bennet, while young Hiro sits nearby and plays with crayons. If you recall, Kaito had to force him to take the baby, and then warned him “Don’t get too close”. Claire does not take this well, because after all, she didn’t know that she was assigned to Bennet. Presumably, she pictured some adoption agency kind of thing, or something where he at least wanted a kid. Nope. She watched her infant self have to be forced on the man who raised her, a guy who says he doesn’t want her. That is kind of hard to take, I would imagine.
Next week, things get crazier on us! Is that a regiment of Super Soliders that I see? That’s what it looks like! One thing’s for sure, there will be a definite lack of Elle. This makes EJ a sad panda.
