Heroes recap of episode 210: Truth & Consequences
by Racialicious guest contributor David Zhou
As Volume Two of the Heroes saga nears its end, the plot lines come together and the series develops a climactic peak. But at the same time, gone are the opportunities for the writers to tell backstory, and while this is good for simply the quality of each episode, it gives the show a lot fewer opportunities to slip up with things like representation and stereotype. But who was counting anyway? Oh right, we were.
In this episode, Adam, Peter, and Hiro all look for a virus, albeit for different reasons. Mohinder Suresh proceeds in his lonely medical missions before being confronted by an old villian, accompanied by Maya but not Alejandro, who is the newest victim to Sylar’s wrath. And in the meanwhile, the Bennets mourn for their not-so-dead father… moments in which Hayden Panettiere displays her best acting yet this season. (Okay, you might disagree with me there.)
Two recaps ago, I told my deep discomfort with the portrayal of the as-yet-unnamed Haitian, but I missed one thing. I don’t know the science-fictional precedent of his eclectic collection of superpowers, but somehow we must add one more to his many abilities: super-hearing? I say this because from season one, he and Claire have a relationship that has stemmed from a friggin’ windchime; when she needs someone to turn to, she just needs to hang up a special windchime and then expect the Haitian at her back door immediately to console her fears. In this episode, as Claire grieves for the loss of her father, she is tempted to hang this windchime once more to ask him to erase the memory of her father’s death. This character is even less whole than we had thought… I’d like to think that in addition to his power-negation and memory-stealing powers, he has also teleportation and super-ears, but instead he seems continually like just a house-elf for the Bennets and the Company. And this is a problem. (Please note that he wasn’t shown in this episode - this is just a remark about another reminder of this issue.)
This week we also return to the Dawsons in New Orleans. After Monica attempts to steal back a medal won by D.L., she’s caught by a gang that, besides being paid for arson, steals backpacks from little kids. Granted New Orleans is still depicted as a broken city with rising crime, but the men in this gang here fulfill very specific archetypes of the urban criminal. Specifically, these gang members do happen to be black men decked out with chains, toting guns and enacting violence upon the good. This stereotyping ties into a much greater discussion about how the criminals that these men portray have made a mark on the mainstream consciousness, but I’ll stick to the small things here. In this show, it is apparent that no effort was made to avoid or qualify this kind of typecasting at the levels of plot or representation. I can just imagine how casting was like.
And lastly, as we begin the hunt for this pandemic-causing virus, deception and coercion thrive in the plotlines of Heroes. In which case, it’s interesting to note that, well, all of the dishonest, deceiving, and generally bad characters are white: Bob, Elle, Noah (in a way), Adam, Sylar. The characters of color are generally all genuine and good, for reasons entirely inexplicable. Sorry, but I just had to make this connection. Perhaps it means nothing. 
To read past Heroes recaps, click here.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of 
Jen* wrote:
The whole Sylar/Maya/Alejandro thread was really offensive to me on this last episode. It could just be me, but I was starting to get the feeling that Maya and Alejandro were idiots…because they’re not American [or because they don’t speak fluent English].
I started getting the idea that they weren’t particularly competent in prior episodes. But I’ve never gotten the vibe that Sylar (Gabriel) was any kind of genius - so how does he completely snow Maya with his manipulation? I don’t remember incidents from the show really clearly days later, but I remember this general feeling that Maya was being written as stupid and I couldn’t figure why.
I’m also wondering why Monica couldn’t fight the thugs off with some copycat stuff she’d learned previously. Does she not retain her skills?
The more I think about it, the more I notice that the women on this show are characterized as weak or evil. What kind of representation is that?
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 3:09 pm ¶
Carmen Van Kerckhove wrote:
Jen* yeah I agree with you - it’s so unrealistic to me that Maya would side with Sylar instead of her own brother, who gave up his whole life to protect her. She does come off as being a bit thick. I was also baffled by why Monica suddenly forgot how to kick ass.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 3:48 pm ¶
dnA wrote:
A part of me died when Maya made out with Sylar.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 3:51 pm ¶
islandgirl550 wrote:
I felt exactly the same way about the so-called thugs that beat up Monica. Hip-Hop and dark-skinned black men… so menacing… sigh…
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 4:57 pm ¶
Dennis wrote:
Maya may be an idiotic, but then so is Peter, a telepath who apparently can’t read Adam’s mind or the mind of the red-headed woman that Adam killed to figure out that Adam has been lying all along. Let’s not forget Peter spent two months locked inside a small room and he still didn’t figure out that The Company had imprisoned him. Stupidity trancends race on this show and that has more to do with horrific writing than cultural stereotypes .
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 5:11 pm ¶
jd wrote:
Jen - don’t forget Eden; she was evil (or at least spoiled and selfish), then became weak and incompetent once she stopped.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 5:40 pm ¶
David wrote:
Wow Jen I can’t believe I missed those really messed parts in the interactions between Sylar and the siblings…
Haha I will say… uhm Monica had guns pointed at her?
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 5:43 pm ¶
Jack D. wrote:
Not every person in life is a shining star of character. I’m OK with Maya simply being a petty person sliding into evil.
As for the Haitian’s powers, noted in this column: Claire was reacting emotionally, not logically. We can’t assume our bald friend would automatically show up because of the chimes. That was merely her grieving, teenage wish.
The gang: I wish the author here had elaborated on how the gang situation *should* have been portrayed. Post an alternative, please?
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 6:54 pm ¶
Jack D. wrote:
And Monica’s martial arts skills: Initiating and surviving actual combat requires confidence, not just a black belt. Looked like the girl was intimidated by the odds (multiple opponents!) in a constrained, unfamiliar environment.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 6:58 pm ¶
al wrote:
alejandro’s death was really annoyingly easy. maya being able to control her power -once- does not mean that she will always be able to, and it’s ridiculous of sylar to take that risk.
i really think sylar should have died at the end of last season. he’s pointless now, and overly annoying. i mean, he was always annoying. i know he’s ‘crazy’ but his motivations are weak. he’s also clearly evil every time he speaks, by his tone of voice, and i also think it’s ridiculous that maya fell for it. except that english isn’t her first language, he is so clearly a skeevester i find it hard to believe.
i think logically, maya and alejandro actually had the same power. it’s just that they manifested under different circumstances. and i think the twins with powers angle was really interesting. my alternate plot line would be, sylar tries to separate them by killing alejandro, and alejandro gets so angry, his power kills sylar. then he and maya continue on, angry at eachother. how much more interesting would the dynamic be, with them both having killed the other’s lover? but they’d still have the sibling bond, and the same power. why aren’t we writing this show? sigh.
i’m also really irritated by the ads for next week. “2 heroes will fall!” it says. but 2 heroes fell -this- week. alejandro and victoria (was that her name? we never even got her power.)
and yeah, peter has so many powers he just does not bother using, but maybe he doesn’t remember? i feel like he said he remembers everything.
i hope that adam dies. it’ll just make things easier. and sylar, please please kill sylar. he doesn’t even have a power anymore. he could just get hit by a bus or something.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 9:18 pm ¶
Orville wrote:
I don’t like how Mohinder is all alone he doesn’t really have a storyline he’s just kind of there? Mohinder also has no lover or partner either. I also cringed big time when I saw the imagery of the young black men as “criminals” that sold DL’s medal. Its just offensive to me.
The author of the article is right on about the Haitian we don’t know anything about him he’s just there? He is this magic negro that is nameless.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 10:12 pm ¶
Gouw wrote:
To whoever brought up annoying characters, I’m all with you. I find it hard to get irritated with fictional characters but this season Heroes has like 7 that piss me off every time they open their mouths. Sylar was great last season but shitty writing makes him and his plotline filler, which isn’t helped by Maya being so NAIVE. Claire’s boyfriend is fucking creepy and way too dedicated (doesn’t he have a family, or like, other friends or something) and I know Kristen Bell can do a lot better than some stereotypical valley-girl personality who shoots lightning bolts.
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 11:26 pm ¶
jen* wrote:
ok yeah - Peter’s on my nerves too. I also thought he’d remembered everything, but then it seemed that he hadn’t. Apparently, actually, since he doesn’t remember having all of his powers.
We should totally be writing the show. I wanted to see Peter manifest all kinds of powers this season, after having been cooped up with Sylar for a minute last season. [The superhearing power was fascinating to me. And I’d love to see him accidentally melt some kitchen appliance and wonder where THAT came from.] And I don’t see the point of Sylar this season. Or, frankly, Maya and her dead brother.
why do I still love the show? I don’t know. I just do. I’ll watch it til it [or Hiro] dies. [Guess that’s it. I’ve had a mini-crush on Masi Oka since the first episode.]
Posted 28 Nov 2007 at 11:30 pm ¶
Hater wrote:
I’m curious as to why Heroes episodes are recapped on this website. I know that the Latino character is an ex-heroin addict but besides obvious stereotypes, what warrents it being posted on Racialicious?
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 12:01 am ¶
dnA wrote:
Yo,
While I understand some of the things folks are saying about the Hatian, as he does have some magic negro qualities to him, I always got the impression that no one knew his name because he could always make them forget. He is literally one of the most powerful characters on the show, second only perhaps to Peter.
As far as images of black men on the show, I always thought that DL’s problem was that he was too well adjusted. He’s the only one of the heroes who is able to assimilate into a normal life without succumbing to self-doubt (Peter) Alcoholism (Nathan) Insanity (Niki) Quixotic Compulsion (Hiro) Utter Recklessness (Claire) or Dishonesty (Matt). He becomes a fireman and uses his power to save lives, while the rest of the Heroes remain almost entirely self obsessed. He’s really, at least instinctively, the only real ‘Hero’ on the show.
So that said, I’m willing to give Heroes a pass on portraying black gangsters in a mostly black city. It’s not like the only criminal element on the show is black, we’ve seen Irish thieves, Japanese Bandits, white collar criminals and a super powered serial killer. Are people really going to be offended because Heroes portrayed criminal characters who were black in an entirely appropriate context? Should Japanese people be offended at the blatant jacking of the plot from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai for the entire Hiro arc in the seventh season? (right down to the opening line “Is there no god to protect us?”) Micah and Monica live in a black neighborhood in New Orleans. Who did you want to have stolen the medal? Bobby Jindhal?
There have been at least four major interracial romances, (Isaac and Simone, Simone and Peter, DL and Niki, Adam and Yaeko…) on the show that have played that tension well without exploiting it. (Let alone the fact that the show had two blatantly mixed race characters, Simone and Micah, name ONE show where that isn’t played for stereotype if it is dealt with at ALL) I’m sorry, I think as far as race is concerned, Heroes is one of the best fucking shows on television.
I almost forgot…Yaeko fell in love with Hiro right before he pwned Adam in a sword fight…when was the last time anyone saw the Asian dude get the girl?
Sorry ya’ll, but racist? Shit, I wish every show on TV was as “racist” as heroes.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 12:26 am ¶
dnA wrote:
Homie,
Mohinder totally boned Eve in the first season. (Yes, I said boned, I’m twelve.) Granted, Eve also had sex with his dad, but that’s not the point. Watch the freaking show.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 12:31 am ¶
damia wrote:
“Mohinder also has no lover or partner either.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT MATT??
I agree about the “gang” portrayal in the episode…I just knew they were going to go there too. Same with the guy who robbed the fast food place in the first episode with Monica. I bet the writers think that because they have some non-stereotypical black characters, they have a free pass to use all the annoying stereotypes they like.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 2:49 am ¶
bring the bruthas wrote:
“Heroes” is a big puzzle, messed up sure, but go back and look at the details. Don’t mess with Haiti Sensation! Remember this stuff about my chocolate:
We know he can suppress powers as much as wipe memories and that he’s spoken only to Peter, Bennet, Claire, and Parkman (and Mama P. in French). His powers don’t fully work on anyone with regenerative abilities (brain cells, right?)
There’s the Claire/Mama P./France/Haiti connection. Also wind chimes to Claire and emember Nichelle comment about how nice it was to have a musician in the house again…
Very key: he’s wearing the danged symbol on his necklace from his daddy that factors into everything! (c.f. symbol warehouse in Canada, etc.)
He’s also the only “Hero” who’s expressed a faith in God (so far) and a belief that the powers derive from God and are a good thing. So he purposefully doesn’t talk ’cause he doesn’t have to whine.
Plot hole: he’s gone bronco working with Bennet, but we see him working with the Company and Bob?
Plot Parallel: In the first season, Mo kills him in the future after the blast with the poison meant for Future Hiro the “terrorist”. But notice how Mo saves him in the present from the virus?
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 8:14 am ¶
bring the bruthas wrote:
Question: Monica can only *imitate* physical movements of others within her physical limits, not *initiate* them, right?
Agreed N.O. gang was a pain. Cajun rednecks lusting for her would’ve been offensive too though. Best to just have schoolyard bullies taunting him for Micah’s lightskin and let him electrocute them all?
Sorry, I also got to say in about the Sylar/Maya/Alejandro triangle: that’s what it was y’all…
My friend pointed out something I didn’t know: names are very important as cultural markers on this show. For example, she told me to Wikipedia “Maya” and “Twins” and “Hero” and I would get the reference joke.
The problem is that if you want to play “white man” “woman of color” and “immigrants” storyline and you didn’t see what happened before (or even if you did) , it throws everything out of focus.
It takes a woman to raze a village by plague. She thought she could only do it under stress, and that she needed her brother (a man) to cure it. Remember her power was triggered at her brother’s wedding, being threatened by the lover of her brother’s fiancee (another man), who she didn’t trust anyway. These two didn’t trust each other as well so it didn’t take Sylar long to pick up on that– their power bound them together more than anything else.
Yeah Sylar manipulated her but has also taken a page from Suresh’s book about how to unlock powers too. Evil seduces precisely because it’s more exciting than the boring whiny bozos we’ve seen so far.
The woman get liberated once they figure out what to do with their strengths, which are not absolute. Same as the men. Them Petrellis *sigh*
All the men had their sweeties. Now Sylar gets some attention. But I don’t think he can take her powers, so that will keep the boy in line. Might do him some good, damn.
Also, Sylar doesn’t know about the virus or Adam Monroe, right? So there’s at least *two* baddies and *three* threats now. Much better!
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 8:47 am ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
Hater,
you’re thinking of Isaac from Season One. Alejandro wasn’t an ex-heroin addict but he too was slain by Sylar (guess latino males can’t get a break on this show…)
As to why Heroes is being recapped on Racialicious? Perhaps Carmen or the recappers might offer a more in-depth explanation but this site *is* about the intersection of race and pop culture. Heroes is a popular primetime show on a major network about a group of people of various races, ethnic origins, etc.. For Racialicious readers who are fans of the show, it’s fun to examine the way race/class/origin effect the characters as well as how assorted stereotypes are presented (or thwarted). For those who don’t watch the show, I guess it’s just another examination of how race is portrayed in the media.
I really like al’s idea(#10) for what should have happened with the twins. Sylar killing Alejandro was cheap and I can’t stand watching him slobber all over Maya. If I were writing the show, I’d have had him show up at Mohinder’s place right after he figured out he’d lost his powers (thus, avoiding the twins completely), begging to be fixed. Or just begging…
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 9:30 am ¶
dnA wrote:
Which one? Or couldn’t you be bothered to learn “the Latino character’s” name?
So I’m glad we’ve all agreed that the only way for a show not to be racist is not to have any non-white characters with any traits that could possibly be interpreted as negative under any circumstances.
I am now offended by:
The scene where they use opium to disable Hiro’s powers. Why do Asian people always have to have opium. Or samurai swords. Or Tech jobs.
The entire character concept of Matt Parkman. It’s just offensive that the main Jewish character is a cop, because everyone thinks of cops as “pigs” and pigs aren’t kosher. racist
I’m offended by the fact that Claire is a dumb blonde who is responsible for almost everything bad happening on the show. How is this supposed to make blondes feel?
Why is the Petrelli family just like the Corleones? Peter is basically Fredo with powers. Why is the only Italian family on the show connected to mobsters?
Matt’s fat, balding Jewish father is named “Maury.” Oh that’s original. I haven’t heard of any Jews named “Maury” before.
Speaking of Jews, of course Bob can turn metal into gold. What other kind of power would a Jew have? this show is SO fucked up.
Howcome the only Indian person on the show looks like he hasn’t eaten in a week? Mohinder, have a sandwich.
Linderman, Adam….are we seeing a pattern here? British Accent=EVIL MEGALOMANIAC!!!
DL and Micah are from Las Vegas. What are they trying to say, that all black people like to gamble so they move to Las Vegas?
Don’t even get me started on Micah stealing cable. racist .
Oh right. They go to Ireland, and the Irish characters own a pub. Of course, because all Irish people are alcoholics right? What’s next? Is Kaitlin going to come Riverdancing back from the future munching on a bowl of Lucky Charms?
I’m done.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 9:31 am ¶
EvilAngelfish wrote:
*…it’s fun to examine the way race/class/origin AFFECT the characters…*
(sorry, I hate spelling mistakes, especially my own)
Also want to cosign on dnA’s point about having black gangbangers in an area with a primarily black population. It may have been lazy for the writers to have that plotline in the first place and for them to just cast a bunch of young black guys and outfit them in thug wear but it’s not like this is The Wire and they have time to develop those characters. Would it have been better if they’d shown a gang of black youth with like, a couple of girl gangsters thrown in? Or if they’d mapped out a backpack-stealing route with a nifty GPS because one of them was a genius hacker or something?
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 9:53 am ¶
Mixed Hero Love wrote:
Matt gets a wife in the future and got cheated on in the present, but didn’t have enough sense to get “hot FBI Love” when it landed in his lap. He don’t deserve anything.
Sylar isn’t just stealing powers, he’s also able to highly adapt to any situation. Dude has the ability punch buttons and size up situations because his DNA is freakin’ scary and constantly evolving.
He’s crazy, but look in context: the powers are either a gift or a cure, the end or the means, the result or the ingredient, you know?
Remember he named himself after what he used to do (a watch!) not what is (a serial killer) because that’s the only way his power works. He can only take things apart to see how they work and suck the power from them. So what makes him different from Suresh on a level? That’s why he calls him and taunts him…
What he’s interesting in is that he really believes he’s on a quest to evolve by eliminating the “weak”, the “undeserving”, etc. At first he didn’t want to kill “innocent” people only people who prevented what he saw as evolution. But his mind’s snapped. That’s what makes him interesting and scary.
And do not forget: he tried at least 2-3 times to end his streak last season when he realized the implication of what he turned into and what he was doing. Once involved Suresh after the Isaac painting.
The more important one was after the creepy visit with his momma. She accidentally killed herself after he shows off his powers (he doesn’t kill her!). Hiro sees it and Sylar tries to get Hiro to kill him because he doesn’t want to be responsible for NYC, but Hiro won’t or can’t kill him. After that, Sylar figures, heh, any kid really can grow up to be president in this country like his nagging momma said.
He is a predator but he is also prey (the Company wanted to pick him apart too), who has also been held in check more than once by women (Eden if she had only listened to Bennet– and Candice).
I agree though, without more backstory, you can miss the flavor and what drives the powers and all…
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 11:40 am ¶
Anon wrote:
C’mon people, missing the obvious: HIRO v. PETER!
What needs to get fixed: Hiro’s damned sense of timing– he needs a damn GPS or iPod from that Company or something. Never at the right place at the right time.
I’m eating Lucky Charms now- most integrated cereal there is…
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 12:30 pm ¶
jd wrote:
Hiro also needs to use his words. cool as a Hiro v. Peter fight would be to watch, it’s really stupid as set up.
Hiro: Before you help Adam, let me tell you about some stuff I saw with my own eyes when I traveled into the past …..
Peter: That lying bastard! Let’s get him!
Thus paving the way for the Peter/ Future Hiro fighting combo that was so awesome last season.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 2:51 pm ¶
al wrote:
i’m really into peter and hiro working together, and talking to eachother, and hanging out. they’re my favorites.
i forgot until now how micah runs away when monica is attacked. i’m sure he’s running for help (it’s micah!) but i don’t understand why he didn’t turn the lights back on. it would have freaked out the gang enough for them to stop at least for a moment, and it’s the first thing i would expect someone to think to do, at least in the situation where they were the one who turned off the lights.
i think it’s interesting how the powers themselves don’t seem to be hereditary.
and just in case the writers or someone is reading this, i hope they bring back clea duvall and christopher eccleston. and alejandro.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 7:10 pm ¶
jen* wrote:
TOTALLY wanna see Christopher Eccleston again.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 7:36 pm ¶
Mixed Hero Love wrote:
Hey yeah, that’s right Ecccleston’s not dead! And it was he and Pops Bennet who found rescued Claire when her birth mom set the house on fire with her power. So he’s still got a score to settle with Bennet and the Company and he’s still stalking around NYC right?
And if Claire’s blood (and Mo-Mo’s too) can bring back the “dead” or cure folks (when are they going to figure out they need to mix their blood already to come up with a serum, geez!), there’s going be some wild stuff going down with whoever Sylar or Monroe didn’t junk up. That is until Maya shows up in town.
And Pratt knows where this virus is too, but Matt messes it up because he wants to literally pick her brains so bad, he turns into a Sylar after all this– probably gives Sylar his powers in the process big dumbass. Geez what a mess when they all wind up in the same place. Definitely bring back Clea– maybe she gets recruited for the Company but she’s too good for Matt!
P.S. Micah’s a jerk, still saying, “let me look at the wiring of the building to come up with a brilliant solution for this, hmm”. Stick a penny in the fricking outlet, steal the fuse boy! Your cousin’s in trouble. Damn Lassie would’ve had her out by now and cut the gang up Cujo style by now.
Posted 29 Nov 2007 at 9:25 pm ¶
Brandon wrote:
DNA,
You seem to be Heroes’ self-appointed apologist w/ regard to race. I did a quick run-thru of ALL of the black characters that have appeared on the show up until episode 24.
St. Joan hadn’t been introduced yet, so I omitted the “first person in her family to go to college.” How many times have we heard that cliche from a white character? Have we ever? Even after she discovered her powers, the kind-hearted simpleton couldn’t think of anything better or more lucrative to do with herself than pursue the Assistant Manager Training Program for Burger Bonanza.
Also not mentioned were the ONLY Mexicans on the show… who “no [spic] English” and are about as simple as they come… never mind that one white man(not even a particularly attractive one) is sufficient for the sultry muchacha to abandon her twin, yes twin, brother for a man she just met.
The comic book stealing gangbangers and the biracial boy’s theiving black cousin were also omitted as they had not yet been introduced
None of these things taken alone would make a show racist. But taken collectively (including the 8 listed on the link provided), it would seem difficult, if not impossible to conclude otherwise. Check the link below and then tell me I’m wrong.
http://theangryblackwoman.wordpress.com/2007/11/21/save-heroes/#comment-25702
Posted 03 Dec 2007 at 7:04 am ¶
al wrote:
brandon - i’m not argueing with your take on things, i just wanted to point out that maya and alejandro are not mexican, and monica’s interest in assistant manager training predated her knowing she had any powers. she was even turned down before she fully understood that she had a power. now i’m going to click through your link.
Posted 04 Dec 2007 at 9:19 pm ¶
Brandon wrote:
al,
thanks for responding to my post. i just assumed that maya and alex were mexican b/c they were trying to get into the us by a land border, and were met with civilian patrols. i guess i never considered that they could be central american. are they? but to clarify my former comment about her training: yes her interest in the asst. manager position predated her powers. However after going to the Company facility she was given an ipod and, due to some string pulling by the Company, also given the position that she had wanted in the asst. manager program that she was initally turned down for. she thanked bill(or bob, i forget his name) and seemed intent on taking advantage of this windfall. anyways.. thanks again for reading the post and the link. peace.
Posted 06 Dec 2007 at 8:09 pm ¶