The Dope Box TV Blog

It’s Coming Heroes, NBC TV series

Saving the day, Ando makes Hiro blink to escape the clutches of Arthur (who was momentarily distracted by the eclipse painting on the giant rock). Instead of having his powers completely removed, he has been mentally reverted to age ten. So he’s extra bratty, thinks about waffles a lot, and uses his control over the space time continuum for pranks (ketchup in some guy’s chair, tying shoelaces together, unscrewing salt shaker). Ando does his best to train Hiro to use his powers. They end up in a comic store where they find an issue of the magical comic book of prophecies: “9th Wonders!” An eclipse is coming, y’all!

Arthur tells Gabriel (which I will henceforth refer to him as…until he starts dissecting brains again) that his hunger is not about killing; it’s about power. Gabe is locked in a dark room with a disgruntled, sparking Elle who is chained to the wall and pissed about him murdering her dad. She does her best to fry his ass but he’s indestructible and…nice? He’s gone all psychotherapist on us, telling her she needs to get all her anger out. It’s obvious she is suffering since she can’t get control of her power. Using empathy as his tool, Gabriel touches Elle and she’s fixed. At first, I assumed he’d taken her powers away, until she starts giving him electro-slinging lessons. The way they were giggling and touching each other seems like clear foreshadowing of a blossoming romance. So, is she the mommy of his future little boy? Does this mean the demise of Sylar and emergence of pure Gabriel? Hopefully his wicked sense of humor survives the assimilation.  

Decapitated head guy, Usutu, appears to Parkman and leads him to comatose Angela. Parkman goes inside her mind but finds her unable to escape her mental imprisonment. Fake Daphne appears and gives him a stab in the gut which makes him bleed in reality (someone will have to explain that one to me). Real Daphne then transports inside Angela’s mind to save him and profess her love. The sappy scene inspires Angela to convince Arthur to free her on account of her being such a lovable gal. And he does (whuh?).

I guess it was inevitable that Peter and Claire would have to be back on the show. Peter continues trying to save her except now he’d like to stop her from becoming a future homicidal brunette. In one scene, Claire’s uncle Flint (who she doesn’t know is her mom’s brother) fights with Claire’s uncle Peter…but no one says uncle. Instead dummy shoots a fireball at a gas leak, P and C get away. Will someone get the cheerleader a gun? A sword? Some ninja stars? Girl needs to learn self-defense.

There is a mini family reunion in Angela’s hospital room. Peter, Claire, Nathan, Parkman, and Daphne are told by newly conscious Angela that the formula requires a human catalyst. And, of course, it’s Claire.

Nathan and Nikki/Jessica/Tracy/Whatever had some scenes too but I tend to tune out when she comes on the screen. Enough resurrecting her, already. I look forward to her future death scene.

“Last time I tried to tell anybody anything like this my brother came back from the future and shot me. Twice.” –Nathan Petrelli

Heroes, NBC TV series, Mondays

Hiro eats some magical guano that makes his irises snowy and prompts flashbacks to the previous year. The cynic in me thinks the flashbacks were a ploy to get the apathetic fans interested again. I’d like to say I was immune to this ruse but…it was damn nice to be reminded of why I became a fan to begin with. It was also nice to have a virtually Claire-less and Peter-free episode.

In a plotline almost entirely bitten from La Femme Nikita, Meredith is criminal turned agent by the Company. They’ve captured her dim brother, promising (with fingers crossed so it doesn’t count) to make him an agent too. She chooses bro over foe and busts him out. While fireball production isn’t exactly a coveted power, this character has potential. She deserves more screen time than she’s been getting. Sans cheerleader, please.

It’s clear that Angela Petrelli’s mind had been excessively excavated by Arthur (who is so tan he looks green). She appeared near lobotomized before Linderman healed her. She makes the best of her healed mind, making a scrumptious pot of lentil death soup for her assailant. That Linderman, I don’t know what we’re supposed to think of him. What was his motivation for healing her?

The most interesting vignette for me was of Gabriel/Sylar and Elle (with HRG/Noah). Gabriel, before becoming full-on Sylar, apparently felt so guilty about his emerging “hunger” that he tried to off himself via noose. Elle is playing undercover agent on a mission to observe just how screwy the watch-repairer is. Clearly, Gabriel takes a liking to electro-girl which is only exacerbated by her total exploitation of peach pie (no pie-teasing, ladies, it’s just wrong).

In a stunning final scene, Arthur appears out of nowhere, beheads Usutu (thanks!) and lets Hiro know the jig is up.

The episode’s title is “Villains” which leads me to wonder…which of these characters are we to believe are bad? We’re shown humanity from those thought previously foul. They added some much needed layers that make choosing the villains a more subjective game. Linderman, Sylar, Angela, Thompson, Elle…villains? Or misunderstood?

“I lied; it’s not your mother’s recipe.” -Angela