Heroes: "Cautionary Tales" Episode Review

[rogueslayer452]

The Heroisms: What It Means To Be A Hero

Mindwhirling from where we left off, the Bennet family is packing to leave California but Claire refuses to go, calls out on her dad and tries to mend things with West. Unfortunately West is less than forgiving, until tragic events are set into motion as HRG's life hangs in the balance for when the painting of his fate draws closer. Mohinder meets Bob in California and gets a new partner, Elle, and tries to play it both sides. Unfortunately his trust issues get the better of him when the chain of events leading to the final moment start happening; betrayal and immediate decision-making on his part let slip his judgment, which leads to an unexpected ending.

Meanwhile in New York, Matt Parkman is testing out his newest development in his abilities which backfires since ultimately he is becoming someone whom he never wanted to become, his own father. Hiro attempts to save his father's life by going into the past to when the murder occurred, but comes to realize he cannot prevent such an act from happening. Though instead he learns a stunning truth.

And an ending which leaves us all jaw-dropping to how/who/why....


The Characters: Truth, Lies, Betrayal, Realizations

The Bennet Family: It's insteresting how a simple family can live underneath a house filled with lies and deceit. I love HRG and yes, I was shocked in the end when it appeared his death, though this all could've been prevented if he'd just told Claire the truth from the beginning; about the paintings and his plans on taking the Company down, so on and so forth. But it didn't because he was so gung-ho about keeping his family safe from a dangerous threat that couldn't be stopped. Though it's true, they'll never stop running, they'll never stop being on the move, and it's unrealistic to try and stop a powerful organization like the Company. But his intentions were good behind them, so it's understandable but impossible all at once.

Claire. Y'know, I thought she'd learned this lesson from "Company Man" last season. I guess either they aren't keeping with the continuity with that or Claire's just forgetful of all the things her father's done for her. Eh, too little too late for her to realize that if you ask me, but still it's nice that she finally realized it. Though spelling out "sorry" with rocks for West to see? How gag-worthy was that? Kring was SO right, Heroes isn't a romance kind of show, especially not with these two. Why would she want to stay behind for West? If she wanted to not go with her family she should've gone to NYC to the Petrelli's, go with Nathan to find Peter or whatever. I am REALLY hoping for a reunion with Claire and Peter soon, especially with HRG after knowing that he's still alive.

Mohinder Suresh: Oh, Mohinder. My poor, poor confused innocent boy. Now fandom is really going to be hating on him. For the record, I don't. He's confused, lost, not wanting to choose sides and desperate to want to do the right thing for everyone. I've been reading everyone going off on him about what he did, and honestly while I would say the same thing I can't. He was in an impossible situation and he's unsure on whether who to trust. It may be naive of him to trust the Company over Bennet, but he's thinking of the overall picture. Surely what he did could've been prevented, but he was at loss -- I've mentioned that Mohinder is not a killer, but he did it to stop HRG from killing Bob. A bad, manipulative man he may be but he doesn't deserve to be killed. I understand why he did it. In short, I forgive Mohinder. But now everyone in fandom is going to be hateful of his character because of this deed, which is unfortunate. It's okay Mohinder baby, I forgive you even if you make naive, impulsive decisions.

Matt Parkman: Is it inevitable to become your parents? Maybe, because Matt is certainly using his abilities nearly the same manipulative way Maury was. In his mind he thinks he's doing the right thing, to solve the Nakamura case, but it's only going to be destructive down the line if he continues to do what he's doing. I also agree with Angela Petrelli, while he'd defeated his father he still has his daddy issues, and it isn't going to go away until the case is solved. And good for her for pointing out that he's starting to become his father by experimenting with hsi abilities, which may seem like a good way to do good in the beginning, but eventually it'll take control of him and he'll think of nothing else but the power and what he can do with it. Hopefully it doesn't come to that.

Hiro and Kaito Nakamura: Awww, reuinted! I liked that Hiro wanted to stop his father's death from happening, but realized that he couldn't. 'Twas very sweet, especially when he was talking with wee!Hiro though wouldn't that have caused a chain of destructive events meeting your youngerself that way? I don't know Still, it was heartfelt and awwww, I loved it. I also loved how Hiro stayed behind to see who his father's murder was...and his reaction was SO worth it. OMG.

West: I still don't like him, but yeah he kind of was okay in this episode.

Angela Petrelli: I'm loving her more and more this season. Since this episode lacked any Petrelli love it's good to have a short appearance by one, and I liked how she interacted with Matt, and actually told him what he needed to hear...the non-mind control part I mean, the part where she calls him out on starting to become like his father.

Bob and Elle: So I guess they really are father and daughter. I was confused since in "Four Months Ago" Bob introduced her as his colleague and actually didn't act very fatherly; he seemed far too laidback to allow Elle to do the things she does. Which also means that if HRG is right in telling that Bob allowed his own daughter to become a lab rat inside the facility of the Company, issued the experiments and allowed the Haitian to erase her memory, then there's going to be more father-daughter drama. Though I have to say, Elle is very touchy-feely...perhaps way too much than the Petrelli family is, which is just whoa. Of course, she's childish and all teenagery with her ability.


The Episode: Sacrifices and Decisions of the Morally Gray Kind

This show continues to blow me away, and it's interesting how people react to certain things regarding their favorite characters and the actions of another without taking into account other things as well. Again, this goes back to Mohinder and his incredible moral dilemma this season. He plays a much bigger role this go around, and while I am happy for this it's making me nervous because of the decisions he's made in the past. And now this, him actually shooting Bennet in the eye as predicted in the painting, I knew would be the final straw for most people; I've read and continued to read people praying it would be a fakeout, that it wasn't true, and when it happened everyone jumped onto the "OMG Mohinder is so stupid!" train and stormed off ranting.

I can understand feeling frustrated. However, I digress because Mohinder and HRG are my favorite characters and they both have their major flaws, the decisions they've made haven't been the greatest but I fully understand and emphasize where Mohinder is coming from on the not-trusting issue.

Let me elaborate: he's never fully trusted Mr. Bennet to begin with, ever since last season they've confronted each other on different levels of understanding. Since the finale I assumed they reached a common ground that the Company needed to be put down and Mohinder agreed with that, though as time went on Mohinder had gotten deeper inside what that organization can do there was a silver lining to the corruptedness of what they'd become. Noah Bennet had said to him in this episode that he, too, once believed that the work he was doing was to save others but Mohinder has seen and witnessed firsthand a future pandemic that can destroy millions of lives (and given the predicted Dark and Terrible Future at least 93% of the world's population would be gone by next year). Perhaps yes, Bennet had believed it was for a greater cause and noticed it wasn't what he wanted for Claire or anyone else, this is a bigger issue for everyone, not just Specials, if the Shanti virus mutates and spreads. So when he learned that Bennet had killed someone -- killed someone, a man who had a family, in cold-blood -- he realized that perhaps trusting someone like Bennet wasn't the greatest plan.

Mohinder also didn't want to play with the Bob's orders either. He actually stated when they were prepping themselves for the confrontation that he wanted to do this on his terms (very reminiscent to his words with Thompson, no?) He wants nobody to be caught in the crossfire; all he wants to do is gather Claire's blood to cure the virus, and possibly find an alternative cure from the blood samples, and that's it. Of course he knows that Bennet won't give up Claire without a fight, so he prepares himself. He even apologizes to Bennet for what's going to happen. He shot Bennet because he was going to shoot Bob, it was a matter of "right versus wrong" and he knew that letting him shoot Bob would be wrong, even if he's untrustworthy. Mohinder sacrificed his partnership for the bigger issue and what he believed was the right choice.

Hell, even after shooting HRG in the end he looked regretfully down at the gun like "OMG I can't believe I shot the man I teamed up with and betrayed, OMG". He didn't want to do it, he's not a killer, but it had to be done.

In any event, this is precisly what I like about their characters; both Mohinder and Bennet are like opposite bookends to each other, as someone stated in the TWoP forums. It's interesting how last season Bennet was with the Company and Mohinder was the one being targeted, and now this season Mohinder is with the Company and Bennet is the one they're after. Along with that is their ultimate sacrifices for the greater good: Bennet's is to protect his daughter, Mohinder's is to save strangers from a deadly virus that can spread and protect them from further harm. Bennet acts morally gray, Mohinder is not morally gray, while both have good intentions behind their actions. When you think about it, they are both in the right, but have to come to terms that sometimes their methods can be destructive. So I understand Mohinder's motives for deciding against Bennet, because ultimately it was the only decision to do since he was unsure of their allegiance.

Which makes me wonder what exactly was their plan of action to take the Company down in the first place. I mean, having Mohinder enter their premises without any kind of backup was kind of a reckless call on Bennet's part. He's only one man and while, yes, having to contact Bennet for further instructions was a good idea to keep everything in line it's impossible for Mohinder to have all this weight on his shoulders. He would eventually either be found out, turn to their side or have a complete breakdown from everything they were going to ask of him. It's all too much for him, not to mention that Mohinder is NOT trained like Bennet was to deal with the Company, and even if Mohinder is going to be joining the Company it seems that he's going to be that "moral compass" for them, which makes sense and leads me to believe that perhaps a new generation will be formed. Still working theories around that, but it makes sense.

This show brings in the moral ambiguity like whoa, nothing is plain black and white and not one character is all good or evil. That is what I like about it. Sure, Mohinder shot Bennet, but it was an inevitable decision given the situation at hand; a horrible decision that could've been dealt with differently but he was at loss at what to do. Each character is dealing with their own personal battles, and whether for better or for worse, all have to make sacrifices.


The Glees and Squees!

++ OMG NO MOMO! Not exactly squeeful but really, I feel so horrible for my boy. Seriously, and I know most of the fandom is going to be ragging on him for this one but I completely and totally understand where he's coming from. Not knowing who to trust, everyone's either playing him, messing with his mind and all he's trying to help others and do the right thing. But he's uncertain on which side is more reliable, though the Company is corrupted Mohinder knows that he's needed there to stop the virus from spreading and save the world. He's in an impossible situation. So yeah I still love my Mohinder, even if everyone else disagrees. *clings to her Mo*

++ Actually, Mohinder's dilemma reminds me of Kara's dilemma in the BSG episodes "Resurrection Ship"; she trusts Adama and has a liking for Cain, but is asked to kill Cain by Adama and is trusted by Cain to finish her duties. This is precisely what I see Mohinder going through, about what is right and wrong, what he's asked to do for the greater good and what others expect from him.

++ Mohinder talking with HRG in the car was VERY MUCH LIKE when HRG first came to Mohinder in the taxicab back in the pilot episode, remember that people? So totally reversal of roles here, and I loved it.

++ Hiro meeting wee!Hiro was adorable!! The reunion with Kaito and Hiro was sweet, but sad at the same time. I teared up when they were saying goodbye.

++ OMGOMGOMG, HRG was dead but...not really, he was brought back to life (by Adam, I'm assuming). Just like when Claire had reawakened in the morgue in S1!!! Just, OMG! Resurrected!Bennet is awesome.

++ Good for Claire for recognizing that Bob had called her "Bennet" instead of "Butler". At least something good came out of her storyline this season. Though I'm still pissed that she didn't believe in her father, not only that but West turned out to be good and not evil like I'd wanted.

++ "I'm just...I'm just a cheerleader." Good for them for reverting to S1, back for Claire for saying it so loosely and without much feeling.

++ "You are adorable...can I keep him?" OMG I WANT TO BE ELLE RIGHT NOW! I mean, not with the childish-psychoticness and all that, but she was all touchy-feely with Mohinder. I mean, all feeling him up and rustling her hands into his hair and I'm like GET OFF MY MAN ELLE, I WANT TO BE THE ONE FONDLING MOHINDER GODDAMMIT! Though who can blame her? He's absolutely gorgeous.

++ Mohinder's always getting these blonde partners. I kind of prefer Niki to Elle though, because she WAS the Six to his Baltar. Bwah!

++ The filming was AWESOME. I mean, the shots and angles were perfect.

++ Elle getting electrocuted by her own powers, holy shit! Also: "Stings like a bitch, don't it?" HRG WAS SO CHANNELING DEAN! Hee!

++ Matt's abilities. I like how we're still experimenting with the progression of abilities, and it really is a "sins of our fathers" of this volume. Matt faced his father, but he's on the verge of becoming him if he doesn't control the impulses to use them to his advantage. I don't want him to become the asshole we see in the "Five Years Gone" universe. That said, poor Molly having to deal with the mind-control. Hopefully he realizes his mistake for this and stops before he goes too far.

++ No wonder this episode was called "Cautionary Tales". Every single action, every single decision made to get to the point they were in the end was a cautionary tale to each character.

++ OMFG THE ENDING WAS MADE OF WIN! Finding out HRG is alive, and possibly in the hands of Adam. Just, OMG. Holy shit, indeed.

++ Wasn't this episode supposed to have Maya/Alejandro having conflicts involving Sylar? I mean, it would set up for what's going to happen in the next episode but still.

++ This entire episode. O...M...G.


Overall: It's interesting how with the strike going on each episode is getting more and more intriguing, more action-packed and gut-wrenching with every scene thrown in. This is exactly what this episode did; every scene given was so fast, so incredible that I was literally going "whoa, what the..." and "holy shit!" I think I said those phrases, including "frak me", several times throughout the episode. It's too bad that there's only two episodes left for the first half, it seems so quick that everything is getting wrapped up, but I'm glad that Kring did a finale episode just in case the strike lasts longer than anticipated. It's so, so refreshing but I'm anxious as to what's going to happen to our characters. Just, GAH!! SO FRAKKING AWESOME.

Next Week's Episode: THE MYLAR REUNION HAS RETURNED OMG YAY! Sylar greets Mohinder at his apartment (with his casual "welcome home, Dr. Suresh" OMG!)...although I'm wondering, what has happened to Molly and Matt? I know NOTHING of spoilers involving that or the future of M3, and if you know DO NOT TELL ME. I want to be surprised even though my I had to continue to bug my sister this evening about what was going to happen to HRG and Mo and gah!


How will I survive unitl next week? I mean, how CAN I survive? And only TWO EPISODES left?! Come one, just when things are picking up and getting good? Man, Heroes is like the good crack you can't get enough of.

Comments

[penelopeblack.livejournal.com]

Omg, I miss Zach too! I hate how they just wrote his character off without even having Claire say goodbye.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I know! And I was even more pissed when she was talking to West about how alone she used to feel back in Odessa. I was like, ummm, excuse me? Remember Zach, your BFF and the ONLY person who you revealed your secret to and was actually a better friend than West has been? I swear, they were replacing Zach with West, and it just pisses me off. Zach > West.

[penelopeblack.livejournal.com]

Lol, I don't remember that convo, probably because I tend to zone out during Claire/West scenes. They have zero chemistry!