Hosted by Arturo R. García
Fanart courtesy of Derek Marchetti

Welcome back to our panel discussion of “Heroes.” And we’ve certainly got good material this week, don’t we? Again, our panelists are:

• Robin, a host and producer for Vocalo.org, a Chicago-based radio and web community
• Erica, who blogs at Mental Hygiene.
• Clara, who blogs at Cornell A3C
• Mahsino, whose design work can be seen at Blamoh.com
• And joining us this week is Hexy, who blogs at Hexpletive.

Hiro — What the hell, right? Actually, I found it fitting, if sad, that he finally referenced his father’s words about sacrifice from Season 1 just before gutting Ando. But, my bet: he will “re-set” time to keep Ando alive, and explain that this was just his way of “going undercover” with Knox’s gang so he can get closer to the Formula. What do you say?

Erica: After screaming, “WHAT THE HELL?!?” at my television for a minute, I
realized that wouldn’t bring Ando back to life. So, I instead came up with two possible explanations:

1. Hiro has gone completely off the deep end, blinded by his ambition to be heroic. Ando will be saved somehow by The Company, given powers, and sent to fight The Other Company’s goons (which now include Hiro). If this is the case, then I’ve really lost all respect for Hiro. (Why was Knox suggesting that, anyway? It felt like a dumb gang initiation ritual, which made it doubly weird for Hiro to fall for it. And would you seriously want to recruit/hire somebody who was totally OK with killing his best friend to
get the job? Talk about a flawed interview process…)

2. When Knox made the suggestion, Hiro stopped time, teleported himself and Ando somewhere, put a squib under Ando’s shirt and explained he should pretend to die, then teleported them back. While it certainly shows Hiro in a better light, the drawback to this theory is that it’s been established that Daphne can still move at normal speed even when Hiro has stopped time (although the writers have certainly shown that they’re willing to
completely ignore physics and previously established power-interaction problems, so who the hell knows). Plus, I just watched it again (yay Tivo) and Hiro doesn’t do any of his usual blink-to-stop-time and the sword goes in pretty far… so I think Ando got stabbed for real

Mahsino: While I’m sure that Hiro is probably going to go back in time to save Ando, that whole situation is problematic for me for a number of reasons:

1. Continuity. In the first episode of the season, didn’t Hiro say he wasn’t going back in time anymore because it was too risky? I’m ready to put money down that when he goes back to save Ando, there’s going to be some sort of wacky misadventure he finds himself in en route to getting back his BFF.
2. The End of Bromance. The Ando/Hiro Bromance was the best of the show; it’s part of why I keep watching. Sure, Parkman and Mohinder may have imitated with their 2 men and a preteen shtick (and where is Molly anyway? Someone might wanna call CPS), but they never had that awesome mix of self deprecating humor, uber optimism, and sheer geekdom that Ando and Hiro collectively bring to the table. Until Ando returns, I’m pourin’ shots for my lost Heroes homie every Monday.

Clara: Ando is definitely coming back. I don’t think we can use Hiro’s flashforward of future-Ando killing future-Hiro as justification because for one, that could have been Peter or Sylar (or any other shape shifting character) in disguise, and two, there’s no guarantee that that future timeline even applies since future-Peter messed up the present timeline. But I do feel that the producers and writers wouldn’t write Hiro so out of character unless there was a twist. And I don’t want to dismiss Hiro’s flashforward completely– after all, having your best friend stab you results in having hard feelings.

One interesting thing about that scene– Hiro’s last words to Ando were in English. This surprised me because I would have thought that Hiro would speak to his best friend in Japanese, their native language. I’m assuming that Knox and Daphne don’t understand Japanese, so wouldn’t it have been more personal and touching if Hiro and Ando had shared a final dialog only they understood? Or better yet, couldn’t Hiro have devised some sort of plan to avoid killing Ando and communicated this to him in Japanese?

On the other hand, it is fitting that Hiro spoke in English when put in conjunction to the future-Hiro, who speaks English with an American accent. Perhaps this is the beginning of Hiro’s transformation into the tougher Hiro of the future.

Hexy: Well, Hiro, you better have one hell of a back up plan. I might forgive you for this one if you’ve finally figured out that your incredible powers make pretty much any situation easy to deal with, but I certainly won’t forgive the writers.

Honestly, that scene where Hiro stabs Ando through the heart should have been devastating. I should have leapt at the screen with a cry of “NOOOOO!”, or at the very least had a note of horror in my “What the fuck?” But no. Just plain old confusion, and a sigh of resignation that Hiro’s really quite dreadful at this “rebuilding trust” endeavour.

Robin: Now that was truly shocking. Hiro is always trying to prove his loyalty and his honor. And now this? Either he

a) felt like he was making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of the greater good,
b) plans to go back in time later to save Ando’s life,
c) didn’t trust his best friend any more after seeing future Ando zap him with lightning, or
d) actually went over to the dark side. I’m guessing b based on what we know about how this show operates. Now wouldn’t that be novel, them brining a non-white character back to life for once?

I want someone who knows more about Japanese culture than I do to sound of about Hiro’s obsessions with honor and loyalty. Are the writers successfully playing off existing Japanese cultural tropes and genres like the Samurai film to create an exaggerated story line that’s comic book-esque but satisfying in its execution? Or, are they creating characters with the kind of two-dimensional motivations you’d “expect” from a couple of Japanese dudes? “We must protect our family’s honor! I must honor my father! I must prove my loyalty to my best friend! Oh wait, I just stabbed my best friend! Whoops.”

Stephen The Vortex Guy – what’d you think of his brief story arc?

Erica: Another POC providing character development for Claire. I wasn’t surprised that he died in the end (although I didn’t expect suicide, good for him), because he’d pretty much gone through the guy who made a mistake, guy who lost everything, guy who tried to get it back, and guy who failed story arc. As one-episode characters go, it was a well-acted part.

Mahsino: It’s nice to see The Wire alums getting work- but really- Bubbles the crack-head as a villain? Not buying it. Aside from when Adam Monroe called Japanese Nazi (I mean, really? WTF?), the whole Stephen story arc was the most problematic one of the episode for me.

First off, I really hate it that, whenever they want to portray a woman as tough on television, they slap dark eyeliner and a black leather jacket on her. Needless to say, I spent most of the hour mocking Claire and how she somehow managed to give a smoldering glare with a whiny, menacing, voice.

Another problem with this particular story arc: although this rang true for in the Spider-Man, I mean, Mohinder, story arc, was the re-emergence of the Magical Negro/ expendable minority. It was as if Stephen’s whole point in the story was to prove to Claire that not all people incarcerated by the company are necessarily evil. I’m sorry, but I’d like to see one minority character, who isn’t a villain, not sacrifice themselves (or someone they love) in order to save other white characters –I’m lookin’ at you, DL.

Hexy: As a lover of the Wire, there’s an extra level of disappointment when I say: What. A. Waste. Andre Royo was clearly acting the heart out of the shitty material he was given, but there’s only so much you can do. And there goes another great actor of colour, swinging in and out of Heroes in one episode. I really hope they decide that his Vortexes (Vortices?) go somewhere awesome and bring him back later, he deserves better as an actor and a character than to self destruct for the purposes of teaching Claire another lesson about humans/her dad. Seriously, how many does she get?

Clara: Cosign with everyone else that Stephen only existed to show that not all the villains in Level 5 are evil and are, oh my, normal people too, and that his purpose was really only to push Claire’s character. I will say that I’d rather he died by his own doing instead of being shot by Noah. At least he was able to choose.

Robin: Man, I loved this character and I’m really sad to see him go so quickly. He was totally sympathetic and his power was totally badass! Still, it was great while it lasted. I think he would have made a great permanent addition to the Heroes cast because his power was game changing. Suddenly even invincibles like Sylar and Claire were no longer untouchable. On the other hand, Stephen has such a strong moral compass and is so conflicted about his abilities that he would be reluctant to use them. That would have been some great tension to have in the show.

Suresh — does shutting Maya up really make him a villain? I kid. Do you think there’s hope for redemption for the character, or will he turn decidedly for the worse?

Clara: I gotta say, Mohinder is an equal opportunity killer. First, the racist, white neighbor. Second, the black drug dealer who uselessly pulls a knife on him. (And of course the black victim is a drug dealer and carries a knife. Of course while Mohinder goes out hunting he goes after this sort of victim. Eyeroll.) Lastly, his Latina lover. Waiting for the Asian victim now!

Joking aside, I don’t think it’s a question of whether or not it is possible for Mohinder to be redeemed, but whether the writers feel like giving him redemption. I do think Mohinder will receive some sort of redemption story, because he’s a popular character, but not without losing everything. He has to hit the bottom in order start going up.

Hexy: I actually thought Mohinder has been giving us the only consistent and vaguely believable transition from good to evil (or vice versa) of all the characters shuffling around on that axis. He’s certainly doing a more convincing job than the Sylar/Peter switcheroo. I think there’s hope for his character, but frankly I’m not sure I want to see it! I certainly like his evil vibe a lot more than the entirely manufactured tension between him and Maya. You can’t just tell us it’s there, Heroes!

Erica: The original Mohinder had a combination of scientific acumen and political (for lack of a better term) ignorance. His
father’s book was a beacon for many of the original heroes, and Mohinder became a positive, encouraging person who wanted to help evolved humans. (Unfortunately, he wasn’t particularly good at it.) By showing us Future Sylar who cooks waffles and loves his son, Heroes has already promised that anyone can be rehabilitated. So Mohinder COULD be redeemed; whether he will be or not, who knows. The season is all about confusing the viewer between good and evil, and I expect the Formerly Very Good have quite a lot of Bad to do before they recover.

Related: I was more pleased with Maya’s brains this episode — she left when she first saw the trail of blood (smart), then came back to snoop around (dumb), then used her power to start suffocating Mohinder (smart), then stopped. Now, stopping was dumb (why not at least get a safe distance away before letting him breathe?!?), BUT it was true to her character. She’s so repentant for the lives she has already taken by accident that she’s willing to sacrifice to prevent it from happening again. I’m more pleased with this Maya than the one I’ve seen so far in Season 3. Let’s just hope she doesn’t feel obliged to sleep with whatever guy rescues her from the wall.

Robin: Oh man. Poor Suresh. See what happens when you use yourself as a test subject? Did you never read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? I think the writers have made us too emotionally invested in Suresh as a good guy (if a bumbling one) to turn him over to the dark side forever. Although if they can make us think that Sylar is good and misunderstood, perhaps they can do anything.

Mahsino: Really, Maya, glad you remember your accent- but is none of this missing people stuff familiar? Not drawing parallels from that crazy time you had in Mexico with that other sexy, evil, guy who seduced you around the same time that others went missing? Nothing?

And, of course, Mohinder attacks the black guy. This theme of minorities being used as “food” is getting old, fast. It only made sense that he captured Maya, although she probably could have cried harder and ran out before she actually killed him, but, whatev.

And no, shutting up Maya does not make Mohinder a villain, in my eyes that’s the making of a true hero. And I’m sure O’ Powerful Peter will set Mohinder on the right path, so I’m not really worried. The Heroes writers only seem to employ certain stereotypes of people as true villains anyway (evil brunette, wisecracking blonde, Angry/Scary Black man, Latino w/Tattoos, German, etc) so, unless they magically turn Mohinder into a terrorist (which I wouldn’t put past them), I’m not convinced he’s beyond any sort of redemption.

Open Mic! What’d you like? What’d you dislike?

Robin: Best. Episode. Yet. (This season.) I now appreciate all the set-up from past episodes that led up to this one. I’m very excited about the Arthur Petrelli plot twist, even though it continues to narrow the story to a Petrelli family drama. Good Petrellis vs. evil Petrellis! This should be interesting. I also really like the new characters, including the super creepy puppeteer. But I’m hoping they put to rest Noah Bennett’s obsession with “protecting” Claire, and thereby killing everyone else. We get the point, Noah.

Erica: I’m noticing a stronger undercurrent of violence against women this season. We always had Niki being slapped around, but so far this season: Claire was brain-raped, Mama Petrelli was attacked by her son and then paralyzed by her husband, Meredith is currently under some sort of muscle control by the “puppet master”, and Maya is glued to the wall by her lover. To be fair, there’s also a lot of guys getting scalped, rendered comatose, stabbed in the chest, whatever — it’s a more violent season in general. But the creepy factor, a sense of being rendered powerless against one’s will,
that’s a lot higher in the attacks on female characters. (Heroes: SVU?)

Why’s Bennett so obsessed with protecting Claire when his son hasn’t been seen all season? Oh yeah: guilt over working with her brain-rapist.

I’m starting to get impatient about not seeing Monica. COME ON!!!

I liked Matt Parkman’s achievement of overcoming his daddy issues by locking Maury in a nightmare of his own. Too bad Maury’s back. But hey, at least we’re consistently seeing The Evil Company being run by flabby white guys. The Original Company obviously can’t be the ultimate evil anymore now that a dame’s in charge

Mahsino: Okay, I’m not the kind of gal who crushes over make-believe people, but, basically anytime I see Sylar in a suit, I think of the Flight of the Concord’s song: “She’s So Hot…Boom”. So yeah, the car ride scene when he and Noah were driving to get Stephen was the only bright spot of the show this week. “[He]’s so effin’ hot…he’s like a curry”

The whole Nathan/whoever-Ali-Larter-is-this-week storyline is annoying to me, so all I have to add as an acknowledgment of their presence is: Why the hell was Nathan doing the opening voice over? That sort of work should really be left to the British, I mean come on, obviously they aren’t keeping Mohinder around for his intellect.

Clara: First thing I noticed was whoa, Nathan’s doing the voiceover now! Is this a sign that Mohinder has become such a villain/monster/hero/etc that he’s not cool enough to be the Solemn Voiceover Dude anymore? Or did the actor have a sore throat the day they were recording it?

Also about Nathan– I’m glad his religious fervors were addressed directly instead of just showing random scenes of Nathan praying. Right after he tells Tracy Strauss that he believes God gave him his powers (and I liked Tracy’s response to that), Mama Petrelli knocks it down with the truth–he was injected with it. “We were trying to be better than god,” she said. That certainly kills a buzz. A lot more can be said about religion and Heroes, but I’m going to leave it to more capable blogger to cover that.

I rolled my eyes at the introduction of a second company. I was hoping Knox would round up other rogue heroes to form an anarchist revolutionary group to counter the original Company, but apparently they have to be part of a company in order to have power. Yawn.

Hexy: One quick side note: Knox has a brief back story (how he met Jesse and got sent to Level 5,) in graphic novel format. It leaves as many questions as it answers (although we do find out he’s got a college degree), and presumably won’t ever be read by most viewers of the show, but if you’re interested …

… I really, really, really hate the speedy blonde chick. Each episode she grates on me more, and the whole Parkman arc implies we’re not losing her any time soon.

Sylar’s in-car villainous family counselling service was brilliant. I wish I’d had him around when I had disagreements with my father.

I’m a bit miffed that they decided Sylar’s metaphorical rape of Claire wasn’t quite enough and went in for the less allegorical puppet guy’s implied rapist intentions with her bio-mother. If they’re going to pack this entire show with slim blonde women, let’s see a little diversity with the trauma.

And, finally… while I still love this show, the situations the characters find themselves in are just starting to annoy me. A formula that could destroy the world? It’s really that dangerous? Maybe you should have come up with a plan that involved something more complex than cutting the bit of paper in half, no?

And on that bit of common sense, we’ll adjourn. Can Hiro and Ando make up? Who’s going to wash Ando’s MIB suit after this? And how many more Wire alums can the show jam onto the cast? Find out next week!