Episode Title: Hiros
Original Airdate: 10-23-06
Onto the fifth episode in the first season and this is the one where things really start to feel like they’re finally coming together. There’s a sense of purpose and a sense of wonder that really shines through in this episode more than some of the other episodes aside from possibly the pilot. There’s also something that I noticed in this episode that either wasn’t in the earlier episodes, or I just hadn’t really noticed and that’s the strong color palette with a focus on the primary colors red, yellow, and blue. There’s also a handful of moments where more characters start embracing their powers besides Hiro who has accepted his power from day one. In fact, Hiro is just about the only character who doesn’t use his powers in this episode.
The biggest aspect of this episode really highlights several of the characters who begin to embrace their powers for more heroic purposes, more or less. Even though not everyone continues to embrace it once they have figured out what they can be used for. It starts out with a very great moment where Nathan Patrelli is cornered by the Hatian and Noah Bennett and he just jets off into the air before landing a few miles away at the same diner that Hiro just happens to be at. The last episode also ended with Claire using her own powers to get back at the rapist quarterback via an intentional car accident. There’s also a fascinating moment with her and her father Noah where she confesses to him. It’s fascinating because while she does confess something very personal to her, she doesn’t confess to him about her ability which he already knows about. He also pulls a few strings with his connection and shows the full extent of the Haitian’s power who is able to give the quarterback full amnesia, pulling out every bit of his previous personality. We also get a couple moments with Matt back in his home after being bagged and tagged without any memory of his missing day. He uses his telepathy to basically give his wife a perfect date night, giving her everything that he thinks that she wants based on what she’s been thinking about. And to end it, he goes out for ice cream and starts to get overwhelmed by his power but convinces an armed robber to go home to his family. Unfortunately, no one else around him has any idea what he actually did and is just scared of this man with a gun. Finally, Peter Patrelli comes to grips with his own power through his visit with Isaac, and through contact with him Peter is able to finish one of Isaac’s future portraits, and without the aid of shooting up.
Another thing that has been mentioned throughout the show to a certain extent gets brought out in full force with the tagline that this season is probably still most remembered for “Save the cheerleader, save the world.” The painting that Peter finishes shows Claire at the bottom of the steps covered in blood, or technically with blood surrounding her. Present day Hiro is also finally able to connect with Isaac through Peter as the cliffhanger of the episode. None of the characters besides Claire and Noah know exactly who the cheerleader is yet, but it’s really starting to feel like things are being put into motion. There’s also a little bit more insight into both Linderman and Nathan Patrelli’s plans as Nathan finds out about Linderman’s blackmail plot and turns it right around on him in order to get an extra couple million out of the deal and worry about the consequences once he wins his election. One last thing that I’ll mention is that even though Sylar has been out of the picture for this entire episode, we do finally get a quick look at DH: Niki’s murderous husband and Micah’s father who if I remember correctly either has the ability to teleport or walk through walls. I forget exactly which. Still, overall a great episode that really connects the characters together in an intelligent way that isn’t overly confusing.
Channel: Superhero 