Heroes 1x18 Parasite

[oyceter]

Why no more until April?! Waaaah!

I have been a bit nidgy about some plotlines of late, not because I haven't been squeeing like crazy, but because it's felt a bit like the characters of color are getting less interesting storylines. Thankfully, this week's cool storylines included those of Hiro, Isaac and Mohinder, and sort of DL.

Also, yay for more women! Especially for scheming older women like Mrs. Petrelli! And Mrs. Bennet is being cool! I love that Mr. Bennet told her what to tell him and finally trusted in her, and that she carried it off so well. It's sad that at that moment, he finds that he can't trust her, not because of her, but because of shapeshifter girl.

Sigh, the Simone thing was a mislead as expected. So did Isaac shoot up again? It sort of looked like that, but I couldn't tell. I really want to like Isaac, and I did for a while before the stupid love triangle of DOOM storyline reared its ugly head again. And I have to admit, a big part of me is crotchety and grumpy about all the fandom love Peter is getting. Why all the white males fandom? Why? There are the exceptions of Claire and Hiro, but oh, the preponderence of white males.

I do realize that much of the fandom love is because Peter is getting huge story chunks and important roles and emotional development, but I am sick of white male characters getting huge story chunks and important roles and emotional development and thereby becoming fandom favorites.

Maybe Claire and Mrs. Petrelli will be a little superteam of women, and I will grimly cling on to my characters of color and cheer them on, even through their boring plotlines.

See, and now I am grumpy, and I don't want to be grumpy because this episode was ten kinds of awesome!

First, Mohinder! ZOMG that was awesome! Spinal fluid! Torture by tuning fork! Drugged chai! Funny yet true lines about caffeine! Please keep being interesting!

Claire's storyline was a little less interesting, but I sort of expected that after the giant episode last week. Plus, Mrs. Petrelli! We find out who the Haitian is working for!

The Niki/Jessica storyline is still not interesting me, though I'm wondering what DL is up to. He had a look when he left that makes it seem like he's planning something. Small note: Indian FBI agent yay!

Shapeshifter woman seems to be promising, and I am happy about having more cool women, though still sad that the only woman of color is still dead. Excepting Hana the Israeli Internet Genius. Bring her back too! Give her stuff!

So the big Linderman reveal fell flat for me. Possibly he is an actor I don't recognize? But really, Nathan. And Mohinder. Stop hesitating and talking before you shoot! Though Mohinder did indeed shoot.

I squeed the entire way through the Hiro-Nathan intereaction, especially Hiro's assessment of Nathan's emotional connections. EEEEE! Flying man!

AND OMG ANDO YOU ROCK!

On a completely unrelated note, did I just see Dwight from the Office in a random kid's movie trailer?

Comments

[polykleitos.livejournal.com]

Linderman is played by Malcolm McDowall, whose very well known for playing Alex de Large in "A Clockwork Orange" (or at least, that's what I know him best in).

[oyceter]

Ahhh. Huh, never watched that, guess that's why I didn't catch it ;).

[matt-ruff.livejournal.com]

So the big Linderman reveal fell flat for me. Possibly he is an actor I don't recognize?

...which just shows how far Malcolm McDowell's star has fallen since his Clockwork Orange/Time After Time days.

Although you really should recognize him, since he's played the bad guy in like half the SF movies of the past two decades, including Star Trek: Generations, Tank Girl and Firestarter 2: the Rekindling.

[oyceter]

Hee! In his defense, I actually haven't seen a whole lot of SF movies or Clockwork Orange...

[sienamystic.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly certain that I read somewhere that the two FBI agents were Marvel comics editors, doing a spot of Stan-Lee-Cameoing.

[oyceter]

Oh, that's awesome! I really love the writers because they all seem to be having so much fun with the call-outs.

[thomasyan.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering what DL is up to

I think he realizes it is Jessica and not Niki.

What is interesting is that Micah does not appear to have twigged, emphasis on *appear*, since in the past he instantly knew the difference.

**

I'm worried they might blow it with Mrs. Petrelli. How much did she know, and why didn't she reveal more? She seems clever, I bet she could have said things to her sons that would be meaningless to anyone without powers. I realize she is playing things close to her chest to avoid outting herself, but it's not clear if maybe she's been too silent.

**

I'm not sure Linderman is going to make any sense, either. He seems powerful and reasonably smart. Except that if that were the case, why does he rely on violence so much? Sure, maybe he can get away with it, but is he addicted to it? Because otherwise surely it would be smarter and just as effective, if not more effective, to use less violent means? I hope he has an agenda that makes sense, rather than, just being bugfuck crazy, which would be boring.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I'm wondering if he's got some plan to trail Jessica or something. And I am going to guess that Micah does know and is hiding it, since the skip school comment felt very unlike Niki.

I am going to hang on to Mrs. Petrelli for a bit, just because the show has been pretty good about doing cool minor characters, particularly the parental figures. Mrs. Petrelli vs. Mr. Bennet! Awesome!

Linderman so far is really boring me. I hope there's some even bigger person in charge of Linderman and Mr. Nakamura.

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

Man, I like this show in spite of the white male characters, and pretty much in spite of all the white characters, period. I get confused when people like this show for non-Hiro-based reasons. :)

[oyceter]

Hee! I am mostly ornery toward Peter because I am being contrary, not because I don't like him. Although my favorites are still Hiro and Claire. And Ando, who I adore because he is a hero despite not being a superhero.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Hi...this is really coming late to the party, but I was reading through your old Heroes episode reviews after IBARW, and I was actually really surprised to read this:

I do realize that much of the fandom love is because Peter is getting huge story chunks and important roles and emotional development, but I am sick of white male characters getting huge story chunks and important roles and emotional development and thereby becoming fandom favorites.

Because I really haven't seen that much fandom love for Peter. Nathan, yes. Peter...not so much. Although maybe this is because we are looking at different places in fandom? (I mean, I love Peter, but I never really got the feeling that he was a fandom favorite--the mainstream audience may be a different proposition, of course.) I guess I was just wondering what gave you this impression. I hope I'm not being too intrusive or pushy by asking.

[oyceter]

I got the impression by going to the Ninth Wonders comm and counting the stories that had Peter in them -- at least at the time of the finale and at the time this post was written, I think a pretty big chunk of the fic, art, comms and meta was about Peter. Hopefully it's a little more balanced now; I haven't been over to the comm for a few months.

[12-12-12.livejournal.com]

Thanks for explaining! I've actually almost never been to any comms/forums--my fannish activity has been pretty much confined to LJ and TWoP, which would explain why my perception of fandom is a little different. :)