Chapter Four - Collision

[yellowqueen22]

Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) finally tracks down one of his father’s fabled genetically advanced “supermen.” In Las Vegas, Hiro’s (Masi Oka) plan backfires when he cautiously turns time to his advantage at the gambling tables. Niki’s (Ali Larter) mafia debtors use their leverage to their benefit in a more elaborate scheme, while Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) pays a personal visit to a wealthy Vegas contributor to raise additional campaign funds. Following a tragic turn at a bonfire, Claire’s (Hayden Panettiere) uncanny healing abilities are put to the ultimate test, but according to Issac’s (Santiago Cabrera) paintings, her future could be fraught with even more peril. Meanwhile, Matt’s (Greg Grunberg) abilities are gauged by a pair of men who seem to know a great deal about people with special gifts. (Clea Duvall, Matt Lanter, Kristin Veitch, and Nora Zehetner guest star.)

[InLove_with_Chloe]

I saw this epi as a re-run today.......I can't believe this is the first post!!! Nobody liked it??? I am not a big 'Heroes' fan yet......but who knows, that might change.

Hiro getting punched on the nose. Hehe, that was funny.

[chloefan]

WOW, as popular as this show is now these early episodes have no posts!!

[goldengait]

Collision Episode Review

We begin this episode with poor Matt strapped to a table in a room lit by the left over blue light bulbs used to light the entirety of the movie Underworld. I think the scene goes on a bit long, but this is the point where OWI was spawned, and since it’s an annoying acronym, I won’t be using it. I’m just mentioning it exists. For the sake of completion. But really, what I liked about this scene was the way it ended, with the introduction of The Haitian’s powers. Jimmy Jean-Louis is wonderful to watch on screen, and it just gets better when they finally let him talk… but we’ll get to that later. Also, I give The Haitian the Best Dressed Male Award for the show. Nathan is a close second.

As a member of the medical community, I would like to state for the record that while Hayden’s face is done up very well as a dead body, the rest of the autopsy is bull-hooey. Doesn’t look like that, people, not even close. And when will the television community stop filming autopsy scenes in the dark? Hospitals are very well lit, I promise. I’m sure they tried very hard to make this scene look good, but they missed.

Why are they using the “in your eyes” song again? Score, not lyrics.

This is one of the best Niki episodes, in my opinion. Ali and Hayden continually compete for the best heart-wrenching, pitiable, desperately-teary-blonde moment each week, and this week the top spot goes to Ali. She looks so lost, so in over her head while talking to her friend in the bathroom, and her expression when Micah tells her “it’s safer over the internet” is wonderfully complex. Her great performance is joined and matched by Adrian when Nathan and Niki meet in Vegas. Their conversation by the window is sweet and sad at the same time. These two people would probably be very good together, and as they skirt the lies they seem to make a real connection. The sad part is that while they’d have so much in common if they just dropped their facades and actually talked to each other, they end up passing each other by because of their ties and shady deals with other people. This fake conversation is probably the best connection either one has had in a long time.

“Niki’s not here right now. ” Finally finding out the extent of Niki’s split was a long time coming, but done nicely. I’m glad they waited until a bigger moment like this, after two of the main heroes finally meet (we had to go four full episodes before two storylines crossed!). The reveal would have fallen flat otherwise. And Ali does a great job making the two characters distinct. One of my favorite moments is her face split in the elevator doors (as you probably guessed from my image).

Peter’s afternoon with Mohinder is amusing, considering how far they end up progressing by the end of the season. I like that after chasing these ‘people with abilities’ halfway around the world, the minute one walks in his door, Mohinder is suddenly Mr. Skeptic. Funny line: “I’ve only met him the once, but maybe I should do the talking… he’s kind of a heroin addict. ” And if everyone is, as Peter posits, just “cheap knock-offs of our fathers,” what was Mr. Petrelli’s ability…?

NICE Rain Man homage with Hiro and Ando on the escalators in the casino. I love when TV shows put in little references to pop culture without a big neon flashing light pointing it out to the viewer. It feels more intimate when you figure it out without them having to tell you. I think Heroes is one of very few shows with enough levels that a diverse group of people can watch it and enjoy it for the aspects they understand and the inside jokes they recognize. If you’ve never seen Rain Man or don’t know what it is, go and rent it. I recommend it as one of the great movies of the 80s.

And the best part of this episode as far as I am concerned comes right near the end—the arrival of Future!Hiro. Talk about badass… When he first appeared onscreen I must admit that I had a very immature moment of true nerdiness, sitting straight up on my couch and grinning like and idiot. I think my hands flailed a little, too. But come on, Masi as Future!Hiro is so much fun, and such a surprise, and what a perfect way to amp up the pressure? Masi, you rule.

Bits and Pieces:

* Nathan got a haircut!
* Ooh, HRG was still so creepy in his loving-father routine at this point. I was so sure that he was evil.
* I don’t think anyone has bigger eyes than Eden.
* Funny delivery by Keanu!Peter: “Are you Chandra Suresh?” “No, that was my father. ” “Yeeaah, ummm…” ::hair toss::
* As much as Ando is a peripheral character for me, this episode was a nice one for him, showcasing his slight moral ambiguity: “Is Peter Parker cheating when he sells pictures of Spiderman?”
* The way they shot Isaac’s high was very cool. This is also the first time we see his white eyes while painting.
* Funny moment: the thug punching out Hiro with nominal effort after Ando shoots his mouth off about how powerful his friend is. Poor Hiro. I think he should have gotten to punch Ando when he regained consciousness. It’s only fair.
* Cool tidbit: the helix tattoo on Jessica’s back.
* Claire’s revenge on the quarterback always makes me cheer. Yee-ha, cowgirl.

Til next episode, or visit my website for more reviews!
GoldenGait