Heroes: Upon This Rock/Let It Bleed

By TrinityVixen

Hulu, however useful it may be, is not your friends when you watch this show. Not only does it minimize the commercials, thus diminishing the advertising time (during which you might wrap your brain around the latest in bizarre developments) but it also doesn’t say exactly which of a two-part episode came first. I ended up watching the second hour first. Then again, it’s probably Heroes’ fault that I didn’t even notice I’d watched the episode out of order.

Heroes Volume Five, Chapter Twelve – “Upon This Rock/Let It Bleed”

What a lackluster start to the New Year. I won’t exaggerate. This is far from the worst Heroes has ever been. (Far, far from it.) There are passable moments. Nathan’s funeral is both touching and remarkably grounded, all things considered. (Ironic that such an Earth-bound narrative should be centered on the death of a flying man.) It’s like the Petrellis (and the Bennets) are actually real, grieving people having a hard time saying goodbye to someone they love. (As opposed to, you know, half of them being in on the conspiracy that body-swapped said loved one’s brain prior to this.) Samuel continues his song and dance, working harder and faster and smarter than anyone else. He uses Emma’s heretofore pretty but useless talent to locate another super and invite her to the Carnival. She’s a siren, someone who can lure people in with her music, which explains Samuel’s keenness to recruit her: she’s irresistible. Not that he needs her per se; Samuel manages to stay on somewhat good terms with Claire even after he confesses to her about murdering his brother. (It helps that Samuel maintains credibly genuine regret about the murder.) Must be that Irish charm.

(We learn, via flashback, that Samuel and Joseph are Irish, confirming my suspicions of the accent both men had, rather subtly, as adults. I would have commented before now, but I rarely give this show that much credit. For them to think of how accents fade but don’t disappear with time and to find actors who can achieve that sound is nearly unthinkable next to some of their other story/casting decisions. Like having Samuel suddenly have an unrequited love interest. Who happens to be another blonde. Cheers for that, show.)

The rest is just filler. Peter’s unable to grieve for Nathan. Gee, could it be because Nathan has died about a hundred times? If I were Peter, I would entirely psychotic at this point and just refuse to believe Nathan could be dead because, as with real comic book heroes, he’s been resurrected more than his fair share of times. How could Peter ever trust that Nathan was really dead? Mr. Bennet shows Peter Nathan’s corpse (riding around in the trunk of his car, gross), but that wouldn’t be enough for me, and it doesn’t seem to be enough for Peter to let go either. Claire and Mama P try to help him, to no avail. Just in case it’s relevant next week: Peter loses the Haitian’s ability and picks up Claire’s after getting shot in another of his many attempts to be a hero.

Claire is mad at Mr. Bennet for setting up Sylar as Nathan, so they’re on the outs. Mr. Bennett takes his frustrations out on Edgar with a little torture. Mr. Bennet and Lady L&O coax out some stuff about the Carnival from Edgar, but Edgar’s too far gone on the idea of the Carnival to entirely betray it just to spite Samuel. While the cult-like devotion of the Carnies to their home is sick and a little sad, it reads as true. Edgar thought that killing Bennet would make Samuel take him back; though he has no love for Samuel, Edgar loves his fellow Carnies and the Carnival so much that exile is more hateful to him than the man who framed him for murder. Like I said, sad but understandable. He’s not alone. Even the Puppet Master loves the Carnival so much that he’d toss away his chance at being Claire’s friend again just to keep it safe. I pity Edgar, but I have hope for him. When Samuel, inevitably, flames out, he might be able to salvage his home.

There are only two people left to discuss at this point and exactly nothing of substance to either of their plotlines. Hiro’s brain malfunction after being zapped by one of the Carnies leads him to spend the entire time talking in riddles composed of famous lines from genre films, television, comics, and books. Ando manages to decipher a location from the catchphrase salad. No clue why Hiro couldn’t just jump them there immediately, but Ando and he have an adorable moment about their relationship as a result. They’re cute again, but still useless.

And then there’s Sylar. Newly empowered, he hunts Samuel, ready to kill only to find himself unable. Seems that Sylar has remembered that he’s lonely again, and that loneliness somehow cripples his ability to kill people. Whatever. The less said about Sylar’s plot in the second half hour, the better. It involves Lydia being ordered to sex Sylar up to get at the secrets of his newfound murder-impotence and Sylar leaving the Carnival to go after Claire again. This is not ever going to be okay, show. Just stop already. Because Sylar is powerful and dangerous and happens to have legions of hormonal female fans (yo!) does not mean we think he should be rewarded with or stalk women. He doesn’t get sex that isn’t willing just because there are those who would give it, okay? Stop. Just stop.

Next week: Samuel gets the girl. I mean, probably he does. Has he failed to get anything he wants so far this season?

About TrinityVixen: There’s an asterisk on TrinityVixen’scollege transcript that assures anyone who reads it that, though there is no specific major, degree, or certificate for it, she did, in fact, complete some kind of creative writing program as an undergrad. Armed with that symbol of irrelevant experience, she has polluted the internet with her opinions and horrible fanworks ever since (and for quite a long while before). Living poor in New York until she finds a means to become independently wealthy, she must subsist on the juicy meat of fandom. Fandom and noodles. And instant soup.

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