Heroes - Season 1, Episode 12 - "Godsend"

Let me preface this post by saying outright that Heroes is my favorite show on television. I basically started this blog so that I could have a forum in which to discuss my thoughts about the show (of which, nerdily enough, I have a seemingly endless supply). You will probably never see an episode rated below a B, for I simply find every episode to be at least above average, though most are spectacular. If you don't watch Heroes, stop reading this blog and either go to NBC.com or click on the Peekvid or Alluc links to the left and catch up. You'll thank me, I promise.

On to last night's episode: As far as Heroes goes, this was certainly not the most action-packed hour and may in fact have been the least action-packed episode yet. The only real action we got was Hiro's sword stealing (how awesome was that slo-mo time! Imagine what it would look like from some random person's perspective, seeing this little Asian dude speed around like Superman).

Also, though it technically doesn't count as action since it's only a dream, we did get some INCREDIBLE new visions of Peter's impending implosion. We saw a conversation transpire between Peter and Nathan moments before the explosion, and then, most awesomely, we saw the explosion happen from Peter's point of view, saw Nathan's body melt away (and Simone's), and then saw the all too familiar shot of the New York skyline exploding (from the same angle as Hiro's initial visit to the future). AWESOME.

More importantly, we were introduced to a new character who, from what I can gather, is about to become a crucial part of the show. Going by Those Scenes*, the "Invisible Man" is going to be a sort of Obi Wan Kenobi figure for Peter. My guess (from some reading and some observation) is that the dude was part of an older order of Heroes, and is now burnt out, using his power to get by with a minimal existence. Peter will provide some direction for his life, and in turn, Invisible Guy will help Peter harness his ability (maybe even all his abilities, if he's held on to all his past ones, as I believe he has).

Equally as important is the connection made between Nathan, Hiro, and Isaac (and Simone and Ando). Nathan seems to finally (finally!) be buying into the whole "Save the world" thing, thanks to Hiro and Isaac's strong convictions. I can't wait to see how this team of heroes builds and develops. Also, all 3 men are linked by one more thing: Linderman. Linderman owns Isaac's pictures, Hiro's sword, a sex DVD of Nikki and Nathan, and who knows what else. He definitly has a bigger role to play. Which brings me to this thought: Does Horn Rimmed Glasses work for Linderman? Or better yet, is Horn Rimmed Glasses Linderman?

My only strong negatives about the show: Nikki/Jessica is getting less and less interesting. She needs to bust out and join the larger narrative soon or I'm going to lose patience. Same goes for her beau and kid. At least we can look forward to Micah busting out his powers next week. Also, all that suspenseful prodding about the strange marking on the Heroes' skin (Nikki's, Matt's, etc.) and it turns out to be Japanese characters for "Godsend" ? Kind of a let down...

Matt Parkman's storyline was so-so, but I like that he finally revealed his power to his wife. He's definitely being set up to make a nice run in this story.

Ted honing his powers in the Nevada desert = bad ass. Ted is going to be crucial.

Claire making her second attempt at friendship with that guy = eh. Get back to the real story. Claire needs to be talking to The Haitian and to Peter. When is she going to get involved?

As usual, the episode has left me with a few important questions (aside from the ones I've already stated above):
1. What's the deal with Peter's visions? In "Six Months Later," we learn that while he was asleep, he dreamt about Nathan's car accident as it was happening. So he wasn't really seeing the future and he was asleep. But in this episode and the last one, Peter dreamt a) in the first person and b) of himself in the future. Can Peter see the future? If so, can he change the future with his actions now? Up until this point, the answer has been no; every single one of Isaac's paintings has come true. It's as if Peter's attempts to change the future are what cause it to turn out the way it is supposed to. Something doesn't add up here...

2. How did Sylar end up back in the custody of HRG? Why are they keeping him alive?

3. Is Mohinder going to get a power? Because if not, he's going to really start sucking.

For it's important advancement of key plot elements, but because it's definitely not one of the best episodes, I rate this episode a B+

Favorite Scene: The replay of Peter's vision/dream with the added, more detailed new elements. Spectacular.

Favorite Line: "What you can do, what I can do: this is God. Respect the calling." - The Haitian

*Those Scenes refers to any program's "Scenes From Next Week"