Heroes: Season 3 Episodes 1 & 2

Since football games only take place 3 nights a week, we’re branching out a bit and we’re going to start recapping some TV shows. Since tonight is the season premiere of Heroes (probably the 2nd best show on TV after LOST) we’re going to start strong.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Volume 3: Villains

Episode 1: The Second Coming

We start off with Peter racing through Manhattan, 4 years in the future. A very vague conversation ensues between Peter and a totally badass looking Claire.

Peter jumps back to the past and…shoots Nathan! Wow.

The camera follows Nathan into the hospital where he dies. Peter goes into the operating room and Nathan sits up.

Has Peter learned how to transfer his powers to others instead of just receiving them? Parkman’s powers evolved, so Peter’s could too….

Commercial break leads off with the Windows “I’m a PC” ad that’s a response to the Mac ads.

Hiro comes out and dominates time right after the break. Hiro is given a mysterios DVD as we’re sent off to Claire, who gets surprised by Sylar at her door. Claire rocks him like the Eagles rocked Ben yesterday, then runs to the kitchen and grabs a knife. A spooky scene with Sylar stalking Claire ensues, kinda makes you wonder if she is dreaming…

Jump-cut to Maya attacking Mohinder as he comes into his apartment. Mohinder is doubting himself again, but then makes a scientific breakthrough on the genetics front…

Over to Hiro watching the DVD his father left him. His father tells him to never open the safe, so naturally Hiro tries to open it. He finds another DVD and his father talks about protecting half of “the formula.” Hiro opens the case and has the formula snatched from by a new character whose power is super-speed.

Jump over to Peter and Matt, who engage in a battle of mental powers and we find out this is Future Peter and that he can remove his scar willingly.

Commercial break.

Back to Nathan in the hospital, who wakes up and walks out. A news crew follows him into a church, where Nathan displays a surprising amount of religious philosophy in a very authentic speech with Future Peter watching in the background.

“Save ourselves, save the world” – Nathan Petrelli

Mohinder and Maya are running experiments on Maya’s blood…looks like Mohinder has the hots for Maya. But Mohinder shows signs of starting down a dark track…researching the ability to give powers to people. Dangerous. Big philosophical question here: just because you can give people powers….should you?

Back to Sylar and Claire…I guess it’s not a dream. Sylar gets a monologue about how he’s going to take everyone’s powers and then gets STABBED IN THE HEART by Claire…but that’s not quite enough to stop him, as he telepathically pins her against the wall and starts to steal her power.

Commercial.

Back to Sylar and Claire, he has her laid on a table with the top of her head pried off, searching her brain for her powers and how it works…and now he has her power. In a strange twist of fate, Sylar gives Claire the top of her head back and when she heals herself he tells her that she can never die…and neither can he, now.

Mohinder comes out on offense with Maya playing defense. Mohinder reveals a deep-seeded desire to become special so that he can kill Sylar…Maya leaves with Mohinder pondering his fate.

Over to Peter (which one?) and Nathan in the hospital. Philosophical/religious discussion ensues with Nathan talking about how they’re angels sent to save the world. Speaking of which, Linderman is back!

Flash over to the governor who has Nikki, calling herself Tracy, alongside him, talking about “using” Nathan as a political tool.

Last commercial break. Heroes is moving faster than the Steelers offense did yesterday.

Out to the desert where Parkman wakes up with a scorpion on his face, a nice divergence from the cockroach theme that had been running through. My bet is it’s a mental trap that Future Peter put him in.

Hiro and Ando in Bangkok. Hiro jumps to the future and watches Ando, now with a power kill him. And then, in a scene eerily reminiscent to Hiro’s first future-trip to New York, the city blows up and Hiro jumps back just in time.

Choice time for Mohinder. Destroy it or inject himself? Ethics goes out the window and Mohinder may have just turned into a villain.

Angela Petrelli shows up for the first time in Nathan’s hospital room. We finally find out Angela’s power, the ability to dream the future. She tells Future Peter to go back and we see someone claiming to be Peter in “level 5” that we had been teased with in previews, along with people with other powers and…Noah Bennett!

The episode ends with a classic Mohinder voice-over.

Flash to Mohinder on the dock, manifesting his ability of super-strength with the symbol in the background…

Commercial-less jump to Episode 2!!!

Episode 2: The Butterfly Effect

Claire and her mom are talking….and she gets a piece of glass stuck in her hand and realizes that she no longer can feel anything. She can still heal, but now she can’t feel…

Now that we know her power, we get to see Angela’s dream. She sees everyone dead with a “hit squad” including Nikki and Sylar. Peter is assembling a string-line structure of history, much like how Future Hiro did in Isaac’s apartment. Apparently, Peter told Claire not to go to Odessa, which was why she was home for Sylar. Uh-oh. Future Peter is screwing up the future that he was trying to save.

Spiderman Mohinder is going power-crazy…and Maya-crazy. Maybe he needs an Uncle Ben figure to tell him “With great power comes great responsibility.”

The adrenaline-rush from the show gets pumped up even more when the commercial break with a preview for the new Bond movie: Quantum of Solace. Terrible name, but Daniel Craig was great in Casino Royale. Look for another strong performance here. Big downer at the middle of the commercial with the WPXI 11:00 news previews. There’s a reason they’re #3.

Obama commercial: We can’t afford more of the same.

Parkman is still out in the desert. Elle and Bob watch Sylar kicking ass. Bob is a bad parent.

Hiro is suspicious of Ando now, since he saw Ando killing him in the future. Speedy’s name is “Daphne.”

I guess Hillary became President in Heroes, because the position of Junior Senator in New York is open. Nikki/Tracy are set up to offer the position to Nathan.

Jump-back to Hiro and Ando in Daphne’s apartment. She’s stolen a bunch of priceless art, including the Mona Lisa.

Claire clip that we were previewed before the show. “Attempt #7.” Peter flies in and saves her at the last second.

Baby rocking the Blackberry E-Trade commercial totally rules this break.

Right back to Claire and Future Peter, discussing how Sylar took her powers.

Nikki/Tracy walks in on Nathan praying by the window. Apparently “Gerald Dickinson’s untimely death” was the reason for the opening of the Junior Senator position…I’m sticking with the Hillary story. Linderman gives Nikki a creepy look as she walks out the door. Linderman trys talking to Nathan, telling him it’s “God’s plan” for him to take the senate seat.

Elle walks into Bob’s office to tell him to watch out for Sylar trying to get to Level 5, only to find out that Sylar killed Bob. Elle gives Noah a gun, and he pops a cap (or 5) in Sylar, but with his new-found ability, Sylar heals himself.

Sylar turns the gun gold for fun and tries to steal Elle’s power, but she goes Emporer Palpatine on him and- cut to commercial. AAAAAHH!

Back from the break, Elle wakes up to see all the Level 5-ers fleeing…then passes out.

Over to Hiro and Ando in Daphne’s apartment. Hiro tells Ando what he saw in the future. Ando tells Hiro he won’t kill him. Hiro starts talking pop-culture and says they need to set a trap like Batman for Catwoman.

Future Peter and Nathan are back in the hospital. Future Peter confesses to Nathan that he shot him and asks for forgiveness. Nathan asks for career advice from Future Peter. FP disappears to go “set things right”…another “save the cheerleader, save the world” moment?

Nathan calls Nikki/Tracy and demands her being on his staff. Creepy reporter guy tries to convince her again that she’s really Nikki Sanders, and she grabs his arm and…freezes him. The “Ice Queen” seems like an apropos name for Tracy’s new power. Maybe Nikki has a different power with each personality?

Commercials…McCain commercial that talks about how Obama wants to increase taxes. Except for the fact that Obama’s tax plan only raises taxes on those at the top of the income bracket.

Back to Heroes…Angela Petrelli is taking over for Bob and apparently making some changes at the company. Angela starts by giving Elle the boot. Sylar is trapped for now, but others got out, including Noah and the guy claiming to be the real Peter Petrelli.

Ando and Hiro in Daphne’s apartment. Hiro plays matador, and lets Daphne get away, but not before planting a tracking device on her. She’s off to Germany…

Mohinder is seeing some ill effects of the injection, like his skin peeling off.

Reminder: Full episodes of Heroes now on NBC.com

Parkman wakes up and thinks he can hear a turtle talking to him, but it’s really a man. Parkman finds out he’s in Africa. Product-placement moment. “Should have gone with Sprint”…ironically, Sprint sponsors Heroes, as we know from the online “Design your own Hero” challenge. The man he met knows his name…and apparently can paint the future.

Noah is home, and Claire tells him she’s better. Noah says something has happened that he can’t ignore…

Nathan and Linderman playing Chess…a nurse walks in and asks why Nathan is playing chess with himself. Linderman is either invisible or is a figment of Nathan’s imagination…

Noah runs through the Level 5-ers with Claire and tells her how he has to stop them. Claire wants to help. Claire’s mom comes back to help protect the family. Too bad we saw that shot on a sneak peak before the show.

Peter jumps down to Level 5…and Angela tells him off.

The Level 5-ers are wrecking havoc on some civilians.

Angela wakes up Sylar, and she tells him that…she’s his mother!!

We’re left hanging with the “who’s the father?” question…Linderman? Adam? Mr. Nakamura?

Conflict of interests next week as Heroes is on at the same time as the Steelers-Ravens game.
Solution: Watch the game. Watch Heroes online on Tuesday.
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