Alan K. Henderson's Weblog

(Spoilers ahead - episode synopsis here.)

So, Simone is dead after all. The character had a lot of potential and they redshirted her. What a colossal waste.

And we have a new "mutant," a snide chick named Candice who can shape-shift a la Star Trek's Odo and X-Men's Mystique. This girl has an attitude that's really annoying. I hope she gets bitten by Mr. Muggles before the season is up.

My guess that Mr. Linderman knows about the "mutants" is true (although my first idea at casting was way off). At least he knows about the Petrelli brothers' powers. (As I said last week, him knowing about Nikki/Jessica is the best explanation for his interest in her/them.) I still see no reason to believe that he's part of the Organization - I think he has his own agenda.

Linderman is clearly a megalomaniac of the James Bond villain mold, as revealed by his little speech about meaning and happiness. Humans are unhappy without purpose; people who see the two as mutually exclusive are the sort who perceive "meaning" in Napoleonic proportions.

Props to Nathan for not shooting Linderman. Nathan needs to stay alive to bring him down.

I may have been wrong about a Jessica vs. Sylar confrontation being the ultimate smackdown. I think that's being set up right now. Peter can and has absorbed Sylar's powers, and has some that Sylar lacks such as invisibility and regeneration. If Sylar were to prove victorious, he would have an ability that would allow him to absorb powers without killing anyone. Interesting thought...

What will the Organization do with Mr. Bennett? Or with Parkman? Where will Hana Gitelman turn up next? How did Nathan's mom know about the daughter he didn't know about, and what dealings does she have with The Jamaican?

Three cheers for Ando, for coming through for Hiro. Now Hiro has the sword, and he's made his getaway to post-nuclear New York City. We now know that the scope of the explosion will be confined within a part of the city.

Since Peter is the cause of the nuclear explosion according to his premonitions, it would seem that he's fated to survive this encounter somehow.

I've been thinking about the phrase "Save the cheerleader, save the world." The average person might assume that this means "Save the cheerleader in order to save the world." But could these be two separate missions?

Maybe they're not. Maybe saving Claire accomplishes one or several goals, perhaps all of those listed below, which are necessary to save the world:

• The Organization is a threat to the world. Saving Claire created a chain of events that will somehow play a role in its downfall.
  
• Linderman is a threat to the world. Saving Claire created a chain of events that will somehow play a role in its downfall.
  
• Sylar is a threat to the world. Saving Claire prevents him from gaining her regeneration ability, which makes him more unstoppable. Saving Claire also allows Peter to gain her power, so that he will be able to have an important edge when fighting Sylar.
  
• The nuclear explosion threatens the world, because a) it sets off a chain of events which lead to global destruction, and/or b) it kills people necessary to save the world.

Labels: Television