Tuesday, November 28, 2006

SEASON 1 : CHAPTER TEN: “SIX MONTHS AGO”



Air Date
Monday, November 27th, 2006 7/8c

NBC Press Release

THE CLOCK TURNS BACK SIX MONTHS AS "HEROES'" SECRETS ARE REVEALED -- As the clock turns back six months for all of the "Heroes," Mohinder's father Chandra Suresh arrives in New York to begin his quest to find individuals with extraordinary abilities, and meets someone all to eager to be special. Peter celebrates his graduation from nursing school, and learns that Nathan plans to prosecute a case that could mean trouble for the entire Petrelli family. A surprise visit from her father brings out the worst in Niki. Hiro attempts to be a hero and change the future for someone important. Claire joins the cheerleading squad and makes a curious discovery. H.R.G. and the Haitian meet someone special.

Re-cap of Episode Chapter : “Six Months Ago”

Intro – Mohinder narrates: “To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose. The earth spins at a thousand miles an hour as we desperately try to keep from being thrown off. Like the first blush of winter that signals the great migration. Is there any warning of their arrival? A sign? A single event that’s set the chain into motion? Was it a whisper in god’s ear? Survive, adapt, escape… And if we could mark that single moment in time, that first hint of prophecy of approaching danger, would we have done anything differently? Could it have been stopped? Or was the die long ago cast? And if we could go back and alter its course, stop it from happening, would we?”

Hiro arrives in Midland, Texas at the Burnt Toast Café six months ago. It is Charlie’s birthday.

In Brooklyn, New York Gabriel Gray works on an old German watch as Chandra Suresh enters his watchmaker’s shop. Gabriel tells him that his watch is running 2 seconds slow (?) and fixes his watch in moments. Chandra tells him about the genetic research he is doing and that he suspects that Gabriel has special abilities. He gives him a copy of “Activating Evolution” and tells him to call him after reading it.

In Los Angeles, Matt Parkman pulls over a car for a traffic violation. The driver is Eden McCain. Using her voice of suggestion she tells Matt to get back into his car and to eat some doughnuts. After a few moments of confusion Matt drives away. When Eden begins to drive away she is confronted by the Haitian.

In Odessa, Texas Claire has made the cheerleading squad. Jackie and Claire fight over the uniform and Claire’s hand gets get when it goes through a plate glass door. Chandra Suresh calls H.R.G. and wants to learn more about Claire.

Hiro finds out that he has teleported six months into the past and has arrived on Charlie’s birthday in April. Hiro realizes that he is having trouble controlling his ability and feels that he has made a mistake.

In Las Vegas Niki attends an A.A. meeting and we discover that she has been sober one year. We find that Niki’s father is at the meeting and he tells her that he wants back into her life.

In Manhattan Peter is throwing a graduation party in which Nathan, Heidi, and Angela Petrelli attend. Nathan tells Peter that the District Attorney wants him to prosecute Mr. Linderman (who is now in Atlantic City). He tells him that Linderman has mob ties that are so deep that if they take him out an empire will fall. This includes their father.

Gabriel Gray visits Chandra Suresh at his apartment and tells him that he has always felt different, like he did not belong to his family. Chandra tells him that they’ll begin testing on his brain to see if any abilities are present. Chandra says, “If the soul exists, scientifically speaking, it exists in the brain.”

H.R.G. covers Eden’s list of criminal activities and she tries to use her power to convince him to let her go. But she begins to become aware that the Haitian can counter her power.

Hiro calls Japan from the past and asks for Ando but the Hiro from the past answers! Hiro immediately hangs up. “Great-a Scott!” he exclaims.

Matt Parkman is met by Tom McHenry who calls him a walking cliché for eating doughnuts. Matt is only an hour away from taking the detective test.

Hiro gives Charlie a Japanese language book and tells her that she has a “big memory” and that it will get “stronger in the future.” Charlie still doubts Hiro’s ability so he stops time and goes and gets her flowers and then delivers food to one of her tables. Then he offers up the prophetic, “Tomorrow the swallow will slay the dragon.”

Niki and D.L. visit Jessica’s gravesite and Niki tells D.L. that it’s important not to forget.

As Nathan and Heidi are driving home from Peter’s party a truck tries to run them off the road. Nathan’s ability kicks him to protect him and as he rises away from the car it crashes into some barrels on the off ramp of the freeway.

Peter wakes up from a dream when the phone rings. It is Nathan calling to tell him about the accident but Peter already saw in his dream that they were run off the road. At the hospital the doctor tells Nathan that Heidi’s injuries will put her in a wheelchair.

Back at the Burnt Toast Café Hiro shows Charlie in a Japanese newspaper that the Swallows defeated the Dragons in baseball, which should have confirmed his prediction from the day before. When Charlie still refuses to believe he stops time enough to show her the one thousand origami cranes that he had folded.

Chandra Suresh is testing Gabriel Gray when he comes to the conclusion that Gray may not have powers after all. Gabriel gets angry and storms out but not before taking a post it note with the address of Brian Davis, a man who Chandra suspects has telekinetic powers. As gray leaves H.R.G. arrives by taxi.

Micah receives a new laptop computer from his grandfather as a gift and immediately starts to take it apart. Hal tells Niki, “You are only as sick as your secrets.” Niki responds with “What did you do that was so bad?” When Hall sees that Micah has taken apart the computer he gets angry and leaves.

Chandra Suresh tells H.R.G. that mutations are cancers and diseases and that his daughter had a genetic anomaly which is how he got started in genetics in the first place.

Jessica comes to Hal’s hotel room, roughs him up a bit and tells him to go away and never come back.

Claire is practicing her cheerleading when her father (Mr.Bennet aka H.R.G.) comes home with a gift for her. During their discussion he tells Claire that, “your actions make you good or bad.” When they go to check on Claire’s cut hand they find that the wound has already healed.

Matt tells Janice that he has failed the detectives test once again.

Peter believes that he is going to give a deposition against Mr. Linderman but when Nathan arrives he tells him that there won’t be one because their father had just died from a heart attack.

Charlie tells Hiro that she has a blood clot in her brain that is inches away from an aneurism and that she is dying. She tells Hiro that she loves him and when they go to kiss… Hiro is teleported back to the exercise yard on the top of the Yamagoto Industries building where he and Ando work. After a few tries Hiro realizes that he cannot teleport back.

Brian Davis enters Gabriel Gray’s watchmaker shop and shows him his ability to move things by mind control. When he asks his name Gabriel looks at the watch he is working on and tells him that his name is Sylar. As they discuss Davis’ power Sylar strikes him in the head with a crystal paper weight and kills him.
Eden asks H.R.G. what he wants her to do and he replies, “get Claire’s name off Suresh’s list!”

Gabriel Gray (now Sylar) comes back to Chandra Suresh’s apartment and shows him that he can now use his mind to move a glass. Sylar tells Chandra that he can start over and that the people with abilities on his map need to be told that they are different and that they will find them together.

Hiro returns to the Burnt Toast Café in the present through mundane means and tells Ando that he could not save Charlie, that the power was too big for him and that he had failed.

Outro – Mohinder narrates: “This list, these people, their future is written in their DNA. Just as the past, it seems, is written in stone. Was the die cast from the very beginning? Or is it in our own hands to alter the course of destiny? Of all our abilities, it is free will that truly makes us unique. With it, we have a tiny but potent chance to deny fate. And only with it can we find our way back to being human again.”

Trivia

* Gabriel Gray’s watch shop is called “Gray and Sons.” Assuming that sons means more than one then perhaps there are two Sylar’s running around loose on the planet.

* Gabriel tells Chandra Suresh that the watch he is working on (a Sylar) was a 1917 German watch and that he had been working on it for seven years.

* Matt’s police car number is 82388.

* The bottle of alcohol that Eden has on the front seat of the stolen car is “Wild Goose” brand “Straight Bourbon Whiskey – 101 proof and 8 years old.”

* The stolen car is a 2006 Lamborghini Gallardo Spider (Hand made in Saint Agata in Northern Italy and a work of art!)

* Lori Trammel turned in her cheerleading uniform and that is how Claire got on the squad.

* Charlie’s birthday is April 24th.

* Peter’s apartment number is 1407.

* Peter has graduated from college and is now a nurse. His specialty is Hospice Care.

* One of the songs playing in the background during Peter’s party is “Avalon” by Roxy Music.
* Another is "Take Your Mama" by Scissor Sisters.

* Eden’s list of criminal activities include: Grand Theft Auto, Larceny, Robbery and Arson and that she is suspected of murder in Oklahoma (probably her step mom – see graphic novel # 9 “Life Before Eden”

* Matt Parkman and Tom McHenry meet outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

* Matt has a box of doughnuts in the car with him.

* The book that Hiro gives to Charlie is entitled, “Japanese Language Studies.”

* The truck that runs Nathan off the road is a GMC with New Jersey plates “TFH-63C8.”

* The accident happens at the off ramp exit to “New Dock Street.”

* When Nathan is told about his wife’s condition the eclipse can be seen in the glass window. (Note: Granted this looks like a trick of light from the lights inside the hospital but there is no doubt that it was the eclipse, whether by accident or on purpose it added a new dimension to the story and more trivia to post for yours truly.)

* A Japanese wedding tradition is that if you construct one thousand origami cranes then you will have good fortune. Some traditions say you are entitled to one free wish.

* The crane is a symbol of honor and loyalty.

* The street number at the Burnt Toast Café is 143. (Street name however is unknown.)

* Brian Davis’ address is: 14 Berman Street # 3, N.Y., N.Y. 10003 (Note: Rick Berman is a producer and writer who has done work on many of the Star Trek incarnations. Rick took over as head of the Star Trek franchise after its creator, Gene Roddenberry, died in the early 90s. He is still, to this day, the head of the franchise. This may be a shout-out to him.)

* Hal is reading “The Sirens of the Titans” by Kurt Vonegut Jr. in his hotel room when Jessica pays a visit. This book is highly insightful and Vonegut shows us that life is governed by accidents rather than the will of divinity; that the concept of "hell" is hideous and wrong; that humans are capable both of great kindness and great depravity; that irony seems to rule the universe with an iron fist.

* Hal’s check to Niki and D.L. was a blank check!

* Matt has worked 11 years on the Los Angeles police force and all as a traffic cop.

* Hiro wants to take Charlie to a 24 hour Samurai Film Festival at the draft House in Austin, Texas. The movies that are playing: 1) Yojimbo, 2) The Seven Samurai and 3) The Hidden Fortress (all of which were written and directed by Akira Kurosawa).

* When Hiro and Charlie are talking about the Samurai Film Festival there is a Greyhound bus in the background. This company is a recurring theme in the show (viral marketing anyone?)

* The advertisement clock in the window of Gray & Sons watch shop is set to seven minutes to midnight.
* A portion of the folder on which Brian Davis' address was written on a sticky note has the words "Psychic Powers" and"Drug Induced Hallucination" hand written on it.

Connections

Episode 10
1) Chandra Suresh visits Gabriel Gray (Sylar) at his watch shop in Brooklyn.
2) Matt Parkman pulls over Eden McCain fro a traffic violation.
3) The Haitian abducts Eden McCain and takes her to H.R.G.
4) Niki’s father Hal attends an A.A. meeting in which Niki and Tina are also in attendance.
5) Chandra Suresh calls and talks to H.R.G. about Claire.
6) Past Hiro calls and talks to present Hiro at Yamagoto Industries.
7) Gabriel Gray and H.R.G. pass each other in the street in front of Chandra Suresh’s apartment.
8) H.R.G. visits Chandra Suresh moments after Gabriel Gray (Sylar) leaves.
9) Brian Davis comes to Gabriel Gray’s watch shop.

Nathan Petrelli

Episode 10
1) Nathan is a lawyer that the D.A. asks to go after Linderman.
2) Nathan protects himself involuntarily by flying just before his car crashes into water barrels after being forced off the road by another vehicle.
3) Nathan tells Peter that Linderman’s guys caused the accident.

Peter Petrelli

Episode 10
1) Peter has a dream in which he sees Nathan’s accident. (Telepathy or Precognition?)

Claire Bennett

Episode 10
1) Makes the cheerleading squad at the expense of Lori Trammel. Jackie is at fault.
2) Claire’s hand heals very rapidly and HRG knows about her power.

Claire’s “accidents”

Episode 10
1) Claire puts her hand through a plate glass door accidentally. First recognition of her power.

Mr. Bennett (Horn Rimmed Glasses or HRG)

Episode 10
1) Abducts Eden with the help of the Haitian.
2) Visits Chandra Suresh.

Isaac Mendez:

Episode 10
Not in this episode.

Hiro Nakamura

Hiro’s “events”

Episode 10
1) Hiro teleports six months into the past and ends up at the Burnt Toast Café on April 24th, 2006.
2) Stops time and delivers flowers to Charlie.
3) Stops time and finishes delivering one of Charlie’s food orders to the table.
4) Stops time and fold 1000 origami cranes.
5) Inadvertently teleports back to Japan just prior to kissing Charlie.

Mohinder Suresh

Episode 10
1) Is still contemplating the list of “heroes” that his father has compiled.
2) Narrates the intro and outro.

Chandra Suresh

Episode 10
1) Finds Patient Zero (Gabriel Gray aka Sylar) in New York.
2) Began working in genetics because his daughter had a mutation. Does not tell what that mutation is.
3) Defines the “evolutionary imperative” as “that which we are destined to do!”
4) Meets with H.R.G. regarding Claire and her abilities.

Niki Sanders / Jessica

Episode 10
1) We find out that Niki was an alcoholic and seems to have worked for a casino (the vest and name tag appeared to be from a casino.)
2) Jessica / Niki seem to exhibit the classic signs of a split personality (rather than a special ability.) During physical or mental pain one stronger personality will come out to protect the other(s).

Micah Sanders

Episode 10
1) Takes apart an entire laptop computer in about ten minutes.

D.L. Hawkins

Episode 10
1) Is a felon prior to when the story began.

Eden McCain

Episode 10
1) Uses her power of suggestion on Matt Parkman to get out of a traffic violation / stolen car arrest.
2) Tries to use her powers against H.R.G. to no avail.
3) Seems to be in a lot of trouble with the law.

Matt Parkman

Episode 10
1) Matt is dyslexic and has trouble reading as the words get twisted around. He has failed the detective test at work.
2) Matt hears his wife think that he is “her hero!” This is his first sign of an ability.

Paul E. Sylar / Gabriel Gray

Episode 10
1) Meets with Chandra Suresh and is tested by him.
2) Takes his name from a German watch.
3) Kills Brian Davis by hitting him in the head with a crystal paper weight. Brian’s head is broken open and his brains are leaking out. Sylar knows that Brian was “broken.”


Charlie

Episode 10
1) Tells Hiro that she has a blood clot that is inches a way from an aneurism and that she is dying. Could this have caused her remarkable feats of memory?

The Symbol

The symbol appears to be a shadow (or an eclipse) of the human DNA helix. The intersecting horizontal lines seem to be markers where the DNA has mutated. This is possibly the super-genome or a “new” or “mutated” protein that identifies the Heroes. It can be found in too many locations (see below) to be a mere coincidence. Is it a calling card to those with special powers? And will they rally around it?

Episode 10
1) Chandra gives Gabriel Gray his book “Activating Evolution.” The symbol is on the cover.
2) The book “Activating Evolution” is seen on the desk of Chandra when Gabriel Gray returns his book. The symbol is on the cover.
3) The Haitian is wearing a necklace which has the symbol on it.
4) Gabriel Gray gives the book “Activating Evolution” to Brian Davis. As he is looking over the book Gabriel (Sylar) kills him. The book is seen on the floor in the pool of blood. The symbol is on the cover.

The Mark (The Partial Symbol?)

Episode 10
Not seen in this episode.

Brains

There has been some discussion concerning mutated and/or manipulated DNA as the reason behind our Heroes powers. But why would someone go through the trouble of sawing the top of someone’s head off and scraping out the brains if it wasn’t important. I can’t think of a psychological reason why this might be done but for research purposes it makes sense. Einstein had his brain removed and studied after his death. Perhaps the powers we are seeing are not genetic manipulations at all but rather from evolution and the power of the brain. Why then the double helix symbol? Mohinder Suresh began the series with the question, “"People only use 10% of their brains, what if they used more?” Could this then be the real reason behind their powers? Have our Heroes somehow found a way to tap into additional brainpower? And, is Sylar being controlled by Mr. Bennett (HRG)? And the question that I keep asking myself, “What is Sylar’s power?” Can he assimilate others abilities?

Episode 10
1) It seems that Brian Davis was Sylar’s first victim and that his powers are obtained somehow via the brains of his victims. How has not yet been determined.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heya. BEST EPISODE EVER, FULL STOP (or "period", for State-siders)

Speling Erors
=============
"Lori trammel turned in her cheerleading uniform and that is how Claire got on the squad."
Lori trammel = Lori Trammel

"The advertisement clock in the window of Gray & Sons watch shop is set to even minutes to midnight."
even = Seven.

Mohindir
"1) Is still contemplating the list of “heroes” that his father ahs compiled."
ahs = has

Question Marks
==============
Two seconds slow means that because the spring was not wound tight, it slacked occasionally to cause the watch to not tick when it was supposed to tick, two seconds off the real actual time.

Sylar obviously had to look at a clock in the room somewhere to check this, or he has some kind of absolute, to-the-second time sense. =)

Further Comments
================
Niki/Jessica has schizophrenia - that's the split personality psychology syndrome.

Does Hiro wince or concentrate just before he disappears when kissing ?
He doesn't even get to kiss her!

Peter and Nathan - maybe Peter's power stretch further. Do they some kind of brotherly connection, like a mind link or something?

Akira Kurosawa is not so popular in Japan and with Japanese people as he is with Japan-o-philes. In that same sense, it can be easily seen that the series is not very accurate in portraying Japan in a non-stereotypical manner, as in the first episode where the numbers of Hiro's clock are written in Chinese/Kanji characters, illustrating that it is in Japan - while anywhere across the world, including Asia, they use Arabic numerals for clocks. =)

Sometimes, the references to heroes, genetic powers, etc. seem a little bit strained. Like when Nathan mentions that winning his father's favouritism is his "birthright".

Inconsistencies
===============
Claire's healing power seems to work very slowly this first time. She can repair broken ribs in about 5 seconds, but the hand she first punctures with glass takes probably at least an hour to heal (they take her to the hospital to bandage it up without noticing anything wrong the whole time)

Where did Hiro get a Japanese daily newspaper in a small country town in middle of mainland US?

Because of the way that is is done (hanging off a custom made Cirque du Solei stitch-less harness), Nathan's flying during the car scene seems a bit tacky... His feet continually wobble about in mid air, as opposed to (for example) Superman movies, where it is shot on a green screen with the actor standing, so his feet do not move about when flying.

You're totally right about the eclipse being seen in the window. In the first or second episode, Mohindir tells Peter in the taxi that the eclipse is not total in New York. The eclipse looks pretty total in the mirror.

Themes
======
Irony
-----
Hal:
Seems to be a sucker for irony:
"Got break the internet is half or something."
Micah proceeds to break the laptop in half.
"You're only as sick as your secrets."

The most famous Hal (debatable) is the computer HAL in "2001, A Space Odyssey."

"Cheap Knock-offs of your parents"
----------------------------------
Also, the son/daughter following the parent theme:
Mohindir is a geneticist like Chandra
Niki is an alcoholic like Hal
Slyar is a watch maker like his father

Thank god Claire is not a freak like her father!

Relationships
-------------
There is a common conception of Asians portrayed in western media either as tanky, Bruce Lee style kung fu experts (Hiro in the future with the sword) or as nerdy, weak, wussy programmers (Hiro and Ando). But they NEVER get the girl! (Jackie Chan is only allowed to get the girl if it is comic relief when he does it, and Jet Li *never* got Aaliah (probably due to mutual bad acting) in "Romeo must die", though it is supposed to be a love story)

So I was very glad that Hiro got the girl...

But when you think about it...
------------------------------
Peter 'gets jiggy' with Simone really early
Nathan already 'got jiggy' with Niki
Niki 'gets jiggy' again with D.L.
Claire has the I-like-potential-gay/nerd-dude AND nearly gets raped
Matt is married (meaning he NEVER gets jiggy!) as goes for HRG
Mohindir and Eden kiss....

All before Hiro gets a shot. =( Poor dude.


Guesses:
========
Sylar's ability is NOT to fix anything - he has the ability to see what's broken, and ascertain what is wrong (He notices the watch spring and the Brian Davis' (the telekinetic) brain). It does not just work with machinery, it seems to work with human brains as well. However, he can't fix anything - otherwise, he'd have fixed the 1917 German Sylar watch a long time ago. But I'm stuck as to why he can suddenly perform brain surgery or whatever it is that he does to steal other people's powers from their brain.

It seems that Niki/D.L.'s little boy, Micah, who can fix things that he knows are broken by touching them. His ability seems to encompass already what is wrong with the machine in a general (but not specific) sense. He knows the computer is broken, but might have pried it open to see, and he knows the phone is broken, but cannot see inside it to see WHAT is broken before he fixes it.

Also, Zach (nerd hanger-on to Claire) I'm guessing is gay, or thereabouts. He denies liking Claire, when she asks "are you flirting with me?" and mentions something later on (ep 9, the clack clack scene) about being 'born different' and people not understanding that in his conversation with Claire. Also, he's already a gay icon online - he's got the 'pretty-boy' look.

Anonymous said...

Edit on my Hal comment:
"You're only as sick as your secrets"
Of course, is ironic in that Hal has big secrets regarding his abuse of his daughter that Niki does not remember.

When I say that Sylar 'can't fix anything' I mean as a Hero power.

I'm specifically trying to see what simliarities + differences there are between Micah and Sylar's powers.

Anonymous said...

Please excuse my continous posting!

Regarding Charlie's blood clot:

Blood clots are formed by coagulation of blood, suauing forming in the heart of vessel and travelleing into the brian, causing strokes.

Charlie's power is to do with her memory, and being able to learn things really quickly. I would assume that this seems to mean that her short term memory passes to long term memory very quickly.

In order to learn something from short term memory:

"...retain information for longer, information must be periodically repeated, or rehearsed — either by articulating it out loud, or by mentally simulating such articulation. In this way, the information will re-enter the short-term store and be retained for a further period." - from Wikipedia

It's hard to see a connection between the blood clot and her powers, scentifically speaking. (but hey, Heroes is a comic book style show, so anything's possible!)

The Alternative One said...

Starseeker--->

Thanks for your posts. I really enjoy what you have to contribute. I agree that this was the best episode so far but then again I am very biased (is a half stop a comma?).

I've fixed the Speling Erors you pointed out but in my defense I did write this Tuesday morning at 3:00AM.

The two seconds remark needs a qualifier. You can’t say a watch is two seconds slow and stop there. Is it two seconds slow per day, per hour, month? Etc. And is it measured against GMT, the Official US time (www.time.gov) or the world atomic clock? BTW you may want to all read this interesting article
http://www.thebulletin.org/doomsday_clock/current_time.htm
(Believe it or not this article about the doomsday clock is entitled seven minutes to midnight).

Thanks for clearing up Jessica/Niki's disease. Schizophrenia, huh? I didn’t know that. I think it may be important later on and an indicator that Niki does NOT have any powers.

I think that Hiro has problems controlling his ability when he is under stress or emotionally confused. This would explain why he teleported just before kissing Charlie and why he could not teleport back.

Peter and Nathan – my wife thinks that they have that rare undocumented ability that some say twins have where they can feel pain and emotions many miles away from each other. I tend to agree.

I have absolutely no current information on Japan and its culture so cannot comment. Stereotyping is a common U.S. fault though so it does not surprise me that others might witness it frequently on American TV.

I also think that genetics may weigh heavily on the series in later episodes. It does not annoy me half as much as the Niki/Jessica storyline (my least favorite).

I think that each of the heroes have to go through a “learning curve” to be able to understand and use their powers effectively. I think that in two instances in this episode Claire had no control over the healing process and Nathan had no control of his power taking over when he was in mortal danger.

Where did Hiro get a Japanese daily newspaper in a small country town in middle of mainland US? He teleported to Japan, paid for it in U.S. dollars and yelled, “Go Swallows!” as he ran away!

Quote: “Because of the way that is is done (hanging off a custom made Cirque du Solei stitch-less harness), Nathan's flying during the car scene seems a bit tacky... His feet continually wobble about in mid air, as opposed to (for example) Superman movies, where it is shot on a green screen with the actor standing, so his feet do not move about when flying.” I still think that he had no control and thus did not know what to do when his power took over.

Quote: “The most famous Hal (debatable) is the computer HAL in "2001, A Space Odyssey."” Did you know that HAL was used because it is one letter higher in the alphabet than IBM?

Quote: “So I was very glad that Hiro got the girl...” But he doesn’t get to kiss her!

Regarding Charlie's blood clot:
I read somewhere that blood clots in the brain are sometimes manifested in two very different ways. In most cases there is a deterioration of mind control and therefore body functions. But in very rare cases the exact opposite occurs. A person in this situation may experience enhanced mentally capacity, photographic or eidetic memory, a propensity towards mathematical and/or logical thinking or abilities that border on the autistic. That is why movies like Phenomenon were successful and why this works (for me at least) concerning Charlie.

Keep posting guys the conversation here is excellent!

Anonymous said...

Yes, totally great work. I'm sure every single person reading this is grateful for your blog, ignoring all errors - it's uberness outweighs anything, even if u made a million speling erors.

('half stops' are not commas. =) But very inventive!)

Time:
-----
You might be right about it needing to be per day, per week, etc.
But isn't it just assumed to be absolute time? GMT *is* the world atomic clock, located in Greenwich on the prime meridian at UCT 00.

and isn't US EST just that clock minus the offset?

Unless (highly possible) the US keeps its own, private imperial system style time?

[opens the intercontinental standards debate with a salvo!]

But to be honest, I have no idea.

Niki:
------
If she was merely schizo, how would that explain Jessica's super strength? Maybe the explaination is that we can all do that, as long as we're pissed off enough?

A guess: perhaps two souls, Jessica and Niki, are sharing Niki's body after Jessica's death (in 1987)
Also.... are they twins, or just sisters? We don't know yet.

Hiro:
------
Maybe Hiro has some kind of "power timeout" too long warping space ti
me, staying in a place he shouldn't be?
My Heroes watching gang seems to have democratically declared that time cannot be changed, on the basis of this ep.

And you're right... he doesn't get to kiss Charlie..... totally cheated! *cries and runs away* I REALLY hope she comes back.

Time Travel:
------------
Interestingly, this opens up a whole discussion for sci-fi nerds about how time paradoxes are resolved in Heroes.

1. Do we say that time is immutable, and if you don't win the lottery, you don't win it, even if you go back - cause some reason will prevent you from buying the ticket, or make you lose it even if you do win?
2. Alternate universes? This is the usual resolution of comic books, as both DC and Marvel resolve them this way.
3. And some quantum theory/relativity/string theory stuff I sort of pretend understand (being a physics undergrad) but will not make a fool of myself posting at 3:30am. =)

Blood Clots
----------------
Oh, I didn't know that - it's a Savant kind of thing? I can't find it googling... got a reference?

The Alternative One said...

Starseeker--->

Again, it is always nice to hear from you.

('half stops' are not commas. =) But very inventive!) LOL

”Time is relative,” as Einstein said, “if you spend five minutes with a pretty girl it seems like five hours. But, if you put your hand on a hot stove for five seconds…”

I, like you, am not an expert on time. (Only that there is not enough of it to go around!) Hopefully someone with more knowledge than I will pick up on the discussion. However, I am certain that saying, “your watch is two seconds slow” is akin to saying your right shoelace is tied differently.

Since finding out that Niki had a sister named Jessica I had the gut feeling that she was a twin. No real evidence to back it up just a feeling. I think we’ll need to wait for more information before we find out for sure. And, I think her strength may be psychosomatic.

Your right, I hadn’t thought about Hiro in that sense but perhaps he does need to charge his internal battery between bouts of dancing the light fantastic (or teleporting). That might be a better theory than my “not working under stress” theory. It should be interesting how it plays out.

I REALLY hope Charlie comes back. I like the character.

Time Travel: Everything I ever learned about time travel I learned from Robert Heinlien so am not an expert. But there may be a different dimension (Yes, Buckaroo Bonzai and John Bigboote! in the 8th Dimension)

Blood Clots: I really wish I could remember where I read this. I’ll look into and get back to you!

Dazzer said...

I WANT CHARLIEEEE - cries - they were so sweet together...

But it just firms my belief that New York will go up in apocolyptic flames. Since he can't change what happens, he can't change what will happen either.

With Sylar(Greg), his ability is to know the inner workings of anything. He doesn't eat brains or something (thank god) but takes them away for "study". It is from this study that he can understand how the brain works, and how the brain gives that particular person his powers. Thus, he can emulate their powers through studying their brains.

So, Peter cannot take Sylar's accumulated powers. Since Sylar's base power is the above, wouldn't do Peter any good to go around cutting brains as well.

Now I'm wondering what will HRG and Co do with Sylar now that they have him

The Alternative One said...

Dazzer said:
"Now I'm wondering what will HRG and Co do with Sylar now that they have him."

I can't wait to find out!

P.S. I hope its nasty!

Anonymous said...

dazzer->
"But it just firms my belief that New York will go up in apocolyptic flames. Since he can't change what happens, he can't change what will happen either."

Fwoar, I never thought about that. If Hiro really can't change time, then NY is screwed...

Super interesting perspective on syler's ability to aquire abilities. Any guesses on how studying the brain allows him to be able to do it?

I mean, if I study Einstien's brain, it doesn't mean I can become as smart as Einstien without some way of tinkering with my own brian to make it the same, right?

Is "Co" the Haitian dude?

alternative->
Can I pretty pretty please request you/we start compiling a list of "who gets jiggy with whom" with each ep?

A definite yes your wife's Petrelli twins theory. I totally agree w it as an excellent guess.

"Time Travel: Everything I ever learned about time travel I learned from Robert Heinlien" You mean Xmen, issue 145, when Kitty Pride time travels?

Which Hienlien novel features time travel? I've only read Starship Troopers.

Other stuff
---------------
re: Nuking NY.
I am guessing (from X-men biased POV) that perhaps Tim Kring won't alter the status quo of the world too much a-la Marvel comics, cause one of the reasons people are hooked to the show is because it is about 'real people', Spiderman is-a-nerd-just-like-you in Manhattan style. If it went a little too tangentially, I think it might lessen the appeal, as per Superman living in totally fictional Metropolis with us believing that people are fooled by him wearing mere glasses.

Result: Marvel sells vastly more than DC.

'Smallville' the TV show, is sucessful in the sense that it is more real.

Guessing again: (and again from totally baised POV) Charlie HAS to be saved, somehow, someway. They spent a lot of time on her character... if it was all just to "crush Hiro's innocence" (quoting a friend) then Tim Kring is... not my friend. =(

Also, Masi Oki (actor who plays Hiro) mentioned waay back in ep 5 or so when he was interviewed for Netscape that Hiro gets a 'love interest'. Now that we're at ep 10, I would suggest that there has been no 'love' in love interest yet, and therefore (cause I want it to be true so bad) Charlie will RETURN!

I vote to drop the Jessica/Niki storyline in favour of giving sweet Charlie some screen time. Who's with me?

The Alternative One said...

Starseeker--->

The following Heinlein novels all contain elements of space/time travel and have Lazarus Long as a central character:
Methuselah's Children (1941)
Time Enough for Love (1973)
The Number of the Beast (1980)
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (1985)
To Sail Beyond the Sunset (1987)
Lazarus Long is my favorite Heinlein character and I recommend "Time Enough For Love" as your next read.

I'll add "a jiggy with whom" section but I think I'll call it something less, well, jiggy.
Perhaps, "Weekly amorous count" or something along those lines.

Bring back Charlie!

Save the know-it-all!
Save the show!

Juna Duncan said...

Great post. Just found you in my search to find other hero sites. Looks like you got some hard core fans already. Keep up the good work.

I hope the next episode lives up to the trailer.

Dazzer said...

How about that abysmal novel/film called Time Machine? lol how he goes back in time to try and save his girlfriend, then ends up knocking himself out into the future 3000 years later or something.

re Sylar

I'm just observing that Sylar has the ability to observe the inner workings of a machine. It was on Chandra pushing that he forced himself over the "awareness" line, and thus while it took him 7 years with the watch, after Chandra's visit, his ability kicked in when he saw davis.

And on thinking about it now, I think I found a pattern.

He was obcessed with people being "broken". Davis was "broken" because he was in denial of his abilities, and didn't want them. So Sylar sees it as "fixing" them.

Does it seem likely that this would be his "pattern"? Like with claire, she felt like a "freak" cuz of her powers. And with Charlie, its cause she thinks its her blood clot? Dunno, just a theory...

The Alternative One said...

Juna Duncan said...
"I hope the next episode lives up to the trailer."

Heroes is like pizza even when it's bad it's good!

Dazzer said...
"How about that abysmal novel/film called Time Machine? lol how he goes back in time to try and save his girlfriend, then ends up knocking himself out into the future 3000 years later or something."

O.K., I agree that the movies were pretty bad but the novel, that is an entirely different matter. Considering the book was written in 1895 and published in 1898 H.G. Wells was well beyond the Science Fiction curve. To imagine something so advanced for the time is an incredible feat of creativity. I wouldn't blame him because Hollywood can't get his story right. (In the original story there is no girl from his time to save!)

BTW... Sylar presents an interesting case study. Exactly how is he assimilating powers. I agree that he is not eating them (as some would imagine) and I also agree that he needs to study them. But what is the catalyst that allows him to take on someone's uber-ability?

The Alternative One said...

kevnlyb--->

I have two still images from Ep. 11 of short-haired Eden. If you'd like me to send them to you drop me an e-mail at dharmapoet@wi.rr.com and I'll send them.

Anonymous said...
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