Heroes - Chapter Three "One Giant Leap"

Heroes
Chapter Three: "One Giant Leap"

This is a very complex show to try and talk about in a blog. There are 7 or 8 groupings of storylines going on involving 9 main characters and a couple others that may or may not play into the whole debacle. I had to take notes by character instead of by scenes or plot points... it's like work to watch this show! Not that I'm complaining because I'm absolutely engrossed by Heroes!

Chapter Three started pretty much where we left off last week with Niki in the desert burying bodies but by Chapter's end Claire had summed it up best: "Holy Sh..." Heroes is getting dark and ugly real fast.

Sylar:
Last week we were introduced to the name Sylar and saw a glimpse into his work; this week we were introduced and blown away! The FBI and LAPD have been investigating Sylar for quite some time and in 12 states so far. We saw that he likes to freeze some victims, cut people's heads in half and steal their brains, as well as impale anyone in his way with household objects. This week we saw much of the same but we also saw the lair he keeps in NYC (including a room full of scripture and confessions of sin written in lots and lots of blood. We also saw some of his personal library which includes the book Dr. Suresh wrote on the phenomenon (to which I can't describe yet as we don't know the full scope of everyone's powers) and a book about brain surgery! What am I missing?

Oh yeah, he tried to kidnap and I assume kill the little girl Greg Grunberg's LAPD Officer Matt Parkman found last week. A chase ensued, Clea Duvall cornered Sylar and he worked some mojo on her. Without contact, she was thrown against the wall and her gun was pointed to her temple. Parkman rushed in, fired off a couple rounds into Sylar's body... it's over. Oh hells no! Sylar gets up and FLIES away! What the...

Here's what I'm taking from our encounter with Sylar. Last week many of us assumed that Sylar might be Claire's creepy dad (that seems to be hunting those with abilities). This week they blew that theory out of the water. He's a slender man with slight facial hair. Not that we could make much of him out but that much I know to be true. I'm now left with a couple options. Maybe Sylar is Nathan Petrelli who's running for Congress and trying to hide his identity from his brother. Maybe Sylar is the Petrelli Brothers' Father who supposedly committed suicide from a long suffering depression. What I do know is that Sylar seems to have most of the abilities that some of our main characters exhibit. He can fly, he can move objects with his mind, and he also has the capability of cellular regeneration. What is the connection?


Parkman:
He's a failed individual and his new found power might be the only thing to save him. He's failed at advancing in law enforcement and he's apparently failing at his marriage. We met his wife last night (who btw is a hottie) and she's done. He missed their couple's therapy session because he was dealing with Sylar (and feeling like a hero) and then he read her thoughts which much like The Entity told him to get out!

In a bar, post eviction, he learns to have fun with his telepathy. He listens in on the bartenders thoughts, the schlub at the end of the bar, the disasterous first date, and then he settles on a gentleman sitting across the room. His cluttered mind goes dead silent as he concentrates on this gentleman. It's a pretty scary moment if you're asking me. Dead silence and a stare that would burn a hole through your skull. Obviously this man is on to Parkman and after seeing the preview of next weeks episode, he's working with Claire's creepy Father! Oh yeah and he's wearing a necklace that has a symbol we saw embedded in the code that Mohinder is trying to decipher.


Mohinder Suresh:
So he came to America in search of his Father's legacy and so far he's found nothing but trouble. Claire's Dad has been one step ahead of Mohinder the whole time. But now, with the help of a neighbor (played with a wicked calm by Brick star and once Everwood resident Nora Zehetner) he's hot on the path. After finding a key along with Sylar's address, Eden and Mohinder head to Queens. Entering the belly of the beast, they break into Sylar's apartment and discover a map similar to the one Dr. Suresh kept but with many more names, places, and faces (including Nathan Petrelli). They also discover his bloody lair. When they bring the police back, the place is empty and spotless. Trail is cold.


Know who else is cold? Well, probably? Eden. Who is this college aged girl, why is she comfortable holding a gun, having a gun pointed at her, learning of a murderous plot, and breaking into a psycho's apartment? Me thinks Eden's not all she's leading us (and Mohinder) on to believe she is.


Simone & Isaac:
What are the chances that Simone is a dastardly character as well? Not sure yet, but I find it hard to believe she's just an innocent civilian in all of this. She leaves Isaac because he won't give up this "painting the future" thing and/or his drug habit.

Isaac ends up drawing a fateful umbrella incident later as well. First though, he receives a call from a frantic and non-English speaking Hiro.


Hiro:
Having just returned from his teleporting flash to the future Hiro tries to convince his porn obsessed friend Ando (he of cheapness that didn't pay for more time with Niki in the premiere) of his powers. He shows him the Isaac drawn comic 9th Wonders which actually has to the minute frame by frame account of the conversation they're having. To prove his abilities, he looks forward in the comic and see's that he must save a school girl from being hit by a truck. Off they go in search of the location and the girl. In a great stop-time sequence Hiro does find the girl and saves the day leaving his friend Ando convinced! To the United States they go.

Upon arrival in the US, they simply follow the frames of the comic book as a guide. They fly into LAX and rent a car bound ultimately for NYC but the comic say's VEGAS IS FIRST! As they enter the car, Ando's psyched! He looks down at his video iPod and watches a clip of Niki stripping.

Her website http://www.lasvegasniki.com flashes across the screen!


Niki:
Dirty Dirty Stripper -- sorry wrong show! Thank the heavens our ominous voiceover in the beginning told us that she has an alter-ego 'cause damned if I'd figured it out yet. Seems like her alter-ego is one crazy ass bitch! Okay, so she's burying those guys in her trunk and she finds more bones in the ground. One happens to be wearing a silver ring with a skull on it. She drives herself and that poor neglected child (seriously, call protective services already) to her "husband's" Mother's house and confronts her. I don't quite understand it all but I think Niki is blaming those bodies on her husband DL because that ring belonged to someone or something. The Mom seems to be in on it somehow because she was way too calm and collected for having just been accused of covering up for her murdering convict of a son. Is she whacking people too? Is everyone on this show posessing some kind of power? Damn...

Her son, he of incredible sleeping powers, seems to know where his Dad is and as they're driving away, she gets pulled over. The arresting officer rips her from the car (god knows where that child will sleep tonight) and say's that the man she borrowed money from needs to see her. I'm not afraid to say I'm a little lost.


Peter and Nathan Petrelli:
Peter is still obsessed with being able to fly. The jumps from the top of a swingset multiple times (in front of a caped Big Gulp sippin' tweener no less) and falls flat on every attempt. He confronts his brother Nathan about their flying incident. Nathan gets annoyed because, ya know... Pete's doing it in front of his whole campaign staff and all...

Long story short, at an election party Nathan uses his brother's hospitalization and dead Father's illness to run a completely immoral campaign based on ending depression and suicide. He outs Peter's flying leap as a botched suicide attempt in front of everyone including Simone (of whom he just confessed his love).

Peter storms out, later meets up with Nathan, punches him in the face a couple times and storms off in the pouring rain. Here he meets up with Simone; They kiss under a red umbrella and some major hard rain (which if you were paying attention Isaac prophecized).


Which leaves us with Claire:
Oh, she of teen spirit and 9 million lives! Her friend who's filmed her many mishaps wants her to stop ignoring her abilities but all Claire wants to do is be a normal teen. Zach, the football star we met last week butters her up with compliments and at a bonfire/kegger 30 miles from Odessa tries to get her drunk! A dark haired teen girl looks on. After some light smooching on the bleachers Zach decides its time to put up or shut up.

Taking lessons from the Hearst College Rape Handbook he throws Claire to the ground and tries to have his way with her. She fights back; he throws her against the fence, then to the ground. Whoops, did I mention there was a tree trunk down there and a sharp branch has gone through her neck? Yeah, Claire's quite dead and Zach's off without another thought.

Close up on Claire's dead almost white eyes. Her head is turned to the side and the wood is twisted out of her bloody neck. In a matter of moments, her eyes regain their life and Claire coughs back to consciousness. She lifts her head in horror as the camera pulls back to reveal Claire on a Coroners slab WITH HER CHEST COMPLETELY EXPOSED... RIBS AND ALL!!!!! Her last reaction: "Holy Shit!"

Exactly