November 21st, 2006
Heroes Episode Review: Chapter 9 (1.09) Homecoming
Episode Title: Chapter 9 (1.09), “Homecoming”
Best Line: “Are you the one? By saving you, did I save the world?” “I
don’t know. I’m just a cheerleader.”
Best Moment: Seeing the elusive missing painting.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Welcome Back, Heroes! Chapter 9, “Homecoming,” introduces the first major conflict of the season. Not only do we get to see the resolution of those haunting words (“Save the cheerleader. Save the world.”), we also get some tantalizing tidbits about some other major characters.
Nathan does the unthinkable and tries to destroy Isaac’s painting that he received from Mr. Linderman. However, Simone has an ace up her sleeve and shows Peter the digital copy sent with the painting. For the first time, Peter (and the audience at home) see the vital clue to Claire’s whereabouts. It also explains Nathan’s desire to destroy the painting.
Claire’s election as homecoming queen was surprising and entertaining. It is nice to see that, despite looming killers and ominous portents, life goes on. Unfortunately, Mr. Bennett’s desire to safeguard Claire may, in fact, be the catalyst that puts her in danger.
Last week, Mr. Bennett’s concern resulted in forcing Isaac to paint another picture. Unfortunately for him, it proves useless. The “human torch” image could mean anything, including a future for someone we haven’t imagined. Eden refuses to use her power on Isaac again, and tells Mr. Bennett so. It’s nice to see that Mr. Bennett, for all his apparent influence, is not a god. He is just a man.
D.L. finally has a confrontation with Micah, when his son tries to escape so he can return home to his mother. D.L. tries to explain the situation with Niki, only to find that Micah may know more about her than anyone. If D.L. makes it through this alive, he needs to get introduced to Matt, who may be the only one who can (literally) get inside Niki’s head to save her from Jessica.
Meanwhile, Mohinder seeks answers to the dream boy whose file he found locked in his father’s desk drawer. The boy may be more than another riddle. He may hold answers, or at least help Mohinder find them.
Peter tries to contact Hiro, but Ando explains that he is “away.” When Ando finds Hiro’s picture (celebrating waitress and most recent Sylar victim Charlie’s birthday six months prior) on the wall, he realizes that it might be awhile before his friend comes back from the past. They plan to meet up once Peter arrives in Texas, but when Peter arrives Hiro is still missing. Unable to wait, Peter leaves to save the cheerleader.
The only letdown for me was the fact that more heroes did not show up at Union Wells High School to assist Peter. I had hopes that this confrontation would be the first real team-up, linking several heroes against a common foe. Nevertheless, seeing Peter make a heroic stand (especially when he didn’t think he had any power) was awesome. That, my
friends, is what being a hero is about.
Perhaps the most significant moment in the show, however, was the brief encounter between Sylar and the forces of Mr. Bennett. Seeing Eden and the Haitian confront the serial killer seemed both ominous and thrilling. Perhaps Mr. Bennett knows more than he lets on, but what will be his ultimate role in the grand scheme of things?
At some point, the line needs to be drawn between good and evil. I’m not suggesting that viewers are unable to understand complex characters. I just think that, considering the comic book influences on the show, the storyline needs to divide the heroes from the villains sooner or later. Until recently, we assumed Mr. Bennett was the chief bad guy in
all this. I’m much more likely to assume he is a wild card, whose actions may tip the scales in the ultimate showdown.
Here’s how I see the current lineup taking shape (subject to change):
Heroes: Hiro, Claire, Peter, Matt, D.L., Isaac
Villains: Sylar, Niki/Jessica, Nathan
Undecided: Micah, Eden, the Haitian, Ted
Big Influences: Mohinder (good), Mr. Bennett (evil?)
Minor characters: Simone, Ando
Finally, let me admit that I was wrong. I had assumed that the whole “Save the cheerleader” scenario would be the season’s climax. Instead, it came during November, which, as people who work in the television industry will tell you, is “sweeps” month. I guess it makes some sense, when you consider that the real climax for the season should be saving New York from nuclear destruction.
But ask yourself this� if the cheerleader storyline was the climax for November, what will NBC do for sweeps in February?
Until Next Week,
