Heroes (02/23/09) “Cold Wars”

Cafe Society
1

Welcome to this season’s “Parkman kidnaps HRG to get to the bottom of The Big Conspiracy”/ “Company Man” redux. Kids, this is why you never leave your drink unattended in hotel bars: the fairly fantastic three are looking to give our Noah a rough night- they’re slapped on a blood pressure cuff and set up the IV- hope they gave him a safety word too: (Geeze, guys, is that the same hotel you abducted him from?)
From NBC’s site:

While being held hostage, HRG (Jack Coleman) is subjected to Matt Parkman’s (Greg Grunberg) unique brand of interrogation, revealing how he became involved with Nathan’s (Adrian Pasdar) government plot to capture those with abilities. Meanwhile, Matt’s discoveries bring Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) face-to-face with “The Hunter” (guest star Zeljko Ivanek).

Think we’ll get a “GET OUT OF MY HEAD??? ” More Japanese inner monologues? Or maybe Noah’ll just sing the ‘Banana Splits’ theme to himself for 17 hours and drive Matt insane.

2

Meh. The been-there, done-that of this season continues.

3

Did they REALLY have to do the scary painting on the floor of Isaacs studio? i mean… really?

4

That floor was just one too much call-back for me. But the rest, thumbs up. Characters acting in manners consistent with their past behaviours. Everyone thinking they’re working on the side of the righteous. My continued hope for the guys to grow some gorram brains remains a pipe dream, of course. (C’mon Peter, you’re getting there!) The show will keep spinning wheels until they take the next step in the narrative, when the heroes get their shit together and act as an effective unit.

The guys and Sylar are both trying to get info on their pursuers, but in their own ways; Sylar mechanically (swipe the laptop); Matt, Peter and Mo, mentally/emotionally. Gee, wouldn’t it be weird if the four of them got together to fight a common foe? Naw, that never happens in fiction!

5

I don’t know. They seem to just keep recycling a limited number of ideas on this show.

6

My wife and I felt this episode should have been called:

Black-and-whitey-talky-talky

If Matt was reading Noah’s mind, why was everything not from his perspective, like inside John Malcovich’s mind in Being John Malcovich?

Annie, what do you mean the floor was too much “call back” for you? I don’t get it.

7

I think they’re taking the whole “reset” idea a little too far. Oh well, I think this was a pretty great episode compared to the last couple seasons. Of course, the writers were basically copying “Company Man,” but that’s a great episode to copy. Probably trying to get ready for Fuller to come back. And Peter was practically a genius this episode relative to his previous performances. His save of Parkman was great.

Also, I totally called Bennett telling Matt that Daphne is alive.

8

They’re making a lot of references to past events/scenes etc: Peter getting in Mohinder’s cab in the first chapter, immediately followed by the Scary Agent Guy, whereupon Mohinder runs away-which happened in the first episode of S1; something last ep that I now forget. That felt more homage than retread. Nuking Washington-retread.

9

Oh, good. I haven’t actually seen the episode yet, but this is good to hear. The writers’ genocidal campaign against any character who wasn’t introduced in the first season annoys me.

10

Duh, Matt drugging Noah in the bar; in the first season it was Haitian bagging Matt in a bar and Matt waking up in the Primatech jammies with electrodes on his head. And Claire trying to befriend some nerd who could just not believe the blonde wasn’t pulling a prank on him. That was more of a retread than a Zach-back, though

11

With the 317 missed opportunities (in this episode) to reveal to the special-hunter that Nathan is a special, that brings the total for the season so far to; 2976.

Whoever had 2976 in this week’s pool please contact the producers for your fabulous prize!

12

He totally suspects something is up.

13

The guys (Huey, Dewey & Louie? Kukla, Fran and Ollie? Help me, people), in a bit of backstory that was really self explanatory last week, plan their heavily medicated abduction of the man with the glasses. Peter, knowing his way around a hospital pharm, bags some Phenobarbital and the boys plan their evening. (*ed:Hey, I got a dose of that once. Excellent choice, gentlemen. One squirt of that in my IV and I spent the next 4 hours explaining my unified theory of creation to the toddler in traction the next gurney over. But I digress) *

Mo:OK, Matt? I know you’ve been on a bit of a rage fuelled enemy killing spree since the SWATs probably didn’t kill your pixie girlfriend, but Noah’s what’s know as a high value asset. We can’t get intel if you make his brain explode.
Matt: Screw you, buddy, I’m getting my Jedi on. Wow, people really do dream in black and white……….

*Fade to: The King and Queen of the ambiguously morally grey prom, Noah and Angela. *
Noah: We’re getting the band back together? Pretty please?
Angela: Primatech was a stupid idea. And expensive-frankly, ever since Midas Bob bought the farm, the revenue stream has been completely ruined. Why do you think I was trying to recruit Gabriel? We needed someone to gold up the knickknacks. By the way, here’s the last of the petty cash. And a watch. Heh. Guess who gave me that?
Noah: No Company? Now what am I suppose to dooooooo?
Angela: You’ve been a great adoptive dad to my granddaughter- given some thought to becoming a surrogate son for me? I’m hiring again. Gabriel didn’t work out so well. But I won’t lie and tell you I’m your real mother!
Noah: You have two sons already; they’re a little naïve but fundamentally decent.
Angela: And you wonder why we don’t get along?

Matt squints at Noah some more. Mohinder and Peter make tut-tut noises and check Noah’s vitals, but fail to top up the IV. Wavy back in time to:

Nathan: Hey, Noah, let’s get the band back together!
Noah: The government? Rounding people up? I dunno….
Nathan: Oh, now that’s a problem for you? That only took you 18 years
Noah: Naw, not that-it’s just there’s so much paperwork. But let’s go check out my arsenal. I keep it secure with Lyle’s old locker padlock *(ed: Combo: May 9/57- I’m calling it! Or 79/May 7. It’s a date, whatever) *

Back at Three Stooges HQ:

Mo: You’re torturing him because you’re pissed about them killing Daphne.
Matt: You think you deserve to be hunted because you feel guilty about……well, just being a big dork.
Mo: Are you reading my mind? I thought we agreed……
Matt: No, you’re just not that complicated. It’s why I love y…oops.
Noah: Oh Maaaaatt- wanna see what me and Mo were up to last month?
Mo: ohshit ohshit oshit!
Matt: You knew? Asshole!
Mo: I thought he was bullshitting me! ‘cause, me? Bullshit magnet.

(Oh Mohinder, you are a big dork. Why do you think you can keep anything secret? Or think any of your plans will work? Just shut up, brush your hair and go back to the lab. Just check with management before you start any new lines of research, ‘k?)

Matt and Mo smash each other across the room for a while, letting Noah escape to the parking lot; where he gets recaptured by Peter. Peter. Last week he’s thwarted by a hatrack, this week it’s empathy boy? Dude, you’re just lucky we can blame this one on the drugs.

(ed: Back to the bickering roommates: were any of you boys listening to Sylar’s rules of engagement last week? Stay focused, don’t let emotions get in the way, plan for your end game, concentrate on your goal. And what do the two of you do? Bitch and fight and play right into the other’s abilities. Mohinder lies to the mind reader, Matt starts a fight with Conan the Professor. And Mohinder always underestimates the dosage required to keep his captives down. Do you remember Sylar pinning you to the ceiling? Hey, get Pete to figure out the sedative strength, he actually trained on humans.)

Matt: Who are you working for now?
Noah : (In Ukrainian or something): Eat me.
Matt: I’m going back in without the drugs. It’s gonna hurt!
Mo: That’s my line, bitch.

Wavy back to Noah trying to get Danko likkered up at his place. Standard dick waving bravado ensues. Peter guns up, just the way we like him, and goes a’ hunter hunt’n

Peter: Hey, Danko, nice speakers! You sure have a lot of surveillance gear. Hey, I think you need to replace that smoke detector battery, it’s blinking
Danko: pardon me while I push buttons on my phone.
*Vwoooomp: Nathan, with great restraint, walks through Danko’s door instead of landing on his fire escape or scooting down the chimney. *:
Danko: How’d you get here so fast, Senator?
Peter: How’d he get here so fast? You can’t just be figuring this out, Danks.
Nathan: My brother has powers……….my daughter has powers…………. ???
Danko: And???
Peter: I’d facepalm, but then I’d have to put down the gun. Oh wait, I can do bo- BANG
Danko: Owwwwwww?

The SWAT’s come a’ kicking in hotel doors. Instead of brain mojo-ing them, Matt sends Mo out to stop them. (ed:Wooo! Mohinder’s Patented Door Blocking! It’s the only thing you’re good at, honey. Oh, you took them on? At least read a damn book. I recommend Worst Case Scenario- Civilian Insurrection. And now you’re in shackles? Geeze, too bad you don’t have the strength to bust out of …… Good thing you look hot. It’s pretty much all you got left. Well, at least you’re being blackmailed into working for the bad guys this time. Usually you give it up for lab access…)

Mo: For God’s sake people- “Come ‘n get me, come ‘n get me?” Not busting out of my shackles like they were paper? I’m double agent-ing again, you dopes!
*Audience: Because you’re so good at that. How long before you ‘fess up to Nathan? Think you can make it a whole week this time? *
Mo: Oh shut up.
Noah: Hey, Mo, double agent? Me too!

*Meanwhile: Matt gets apprehended and chocolate milk’d again. The SWAT’s are stupid enough to let Noah walk him to the parking lot, where Peter smoke bombs ‘em again and flies away with Matt. They zoom off to Mohinder’s place, where Matt takes over his lease (again) and makes with the prognostipainting: *

Matt: Oh my god, this is horrific!
Peter: It’s ok, you don’t look that bad in person. But what’s with the pipe bombs?

*Next week: Danko gets the Rogue. Or something like that. *

14

Overall I like where this season is going, but I’m getting sick of the painting the future plot device. It’s gotten trite and hackneyed to the point where painting the future seem as mundane as reading a newspaper. And have they explained yet why Matt can do it now? Did I miss that?

And after all this time has Isaac’s old apartment still not been rented out to a new tenant? How many layers of paint must be on that floor by now?

Anyway, is this the first time we had an extended sequence of Peter pointing a gun at someone and he actually fired it? He deserves a pat on the back for that. In fact, it seems like Peter’s the brains of this whole operation. How about that!

15

Yeah - I think he suspects Nathan. However, I’m beginning to suspect that the Hunter is a special, too.

Next up: People complaining how Peter can fly between Costa Verdi and Washington so quickly.

16

Well, going by their overall efficiency so far – yes, it indeed does seem like Peter’s the brains of the whole thing. :stuck_out_tongue:

How did they find Mo and Parkman in the end, by the way? Was that explained or just one of those things that secretive government agencies routinely can do if they want, but never when they really need to?

17

Well it’s established that they can fly at supersonic speeds. The question is how fast. To even come close to the timetable presented last night, he’d have to be flying at at least 6000 MPH or Mach 8 and it would still take an hour round trip. I’m not going to argue it can’t be done, because, frankly, that’s about the least improbable thing in a world of time travellers future painters and telekinetics.

18

The baddies knew they were in Costa Verdi because Peter was seen looting the storage facility, which would also be how they knew they had gotten Noah.

I would guess the first place they’d look for Noah would be the motel where he had last used his credit card. Now a smart person would have moved Noah to a different location, but Peter seems to be the brains of the operation.

In fact, I guess we’re lucky they didn’t start their interrogation right there in the bar.

19

Where was this episode supposed to have taken place, anyway? Costa Verde? Or near Washington DC? Peter and Nathan weren’t zipping back and forth across the US, were they?

20

Nice plan, Pete.

So, who do we think can blow up these days?