meta/liveblog: 4.17: "Pass/Fail"
BRING IT ON!
Mohinder gets the previously again! A twofer! Are they making it up to him for him being in less than half the episodes this season? Anyway, Sylar. Samuel. Melissa. HRG. Kidnapping! Hiro. Charlie! Brain tumor. Funeral. Ugh. Claire. Indignance! Milo gets a week off! (I'm glad; I can't handle any more of his sufferings without crying myself. I love him, but I have been depressed as hell for weeks.)
Claire. Sad and gothy in the cafeteria with Gretchen, who likes to wear black anyway, being a creepy chick. Gretchen wants to know what's up; Claire is closemouthed about all the drama. Gretchen tries sympathy. I love her eyeliner. And she reaches over and grabs Claire's hand - and Claire squirms away like Gretchen is covered in slime. Gretchen watches her go with a sad, resigned look on her face. Yeah, discrimination sucks. Fortunately, Sylar shows up right then and is gorgeous. "Excuse me - is this seat taken?" he grins. Oy. Vey.
Noah's apartment of shame. Ando gives a decidedly pale and out of it Hiro a glass of water. Mo has made a compass and tells Noah that only the Special can use it. They bow to Hiro, who is seeing double, and neatly passes out on the floor. Ando shouts his name, but it's too late - Hiro is back in the Burnt Toast. Where ADAM MONROE is waiting for him! HOORAY! Yep, it's a Q-style-judgment hallucination with Kaito "George Motherfucking Takei" Nakamura as Q! I mean, the judge. They are judging Hiro for fucking with the space-time continuum! The sentence for guilt is DEATH! Oh, that's so classic. I might do a shitty job recapping these scenes because they're just going to be delicious.
Takei! And Anders! WOOOOT!
Ick; a locally specific/targeted Microsoft ad, mentioning a restaurant here in town that I've actually been to. It's really good. Maybe people SHOULD go there more. But still. Ick. ICK! I don't want MINORITY REPORT to be reality any sooner than it has to be!
Meanwhile, Claire runs up the stairs of a really classic college interior (stone arches, long long dark-wood staircase, etc etc. etc). She's searching for a class she's supposedly late for, but she finds Sylar in an empty classroom instead. Claire spits, "What the HELL are you doing here?" He turns to face her and lets her know that he's there to learn. What she tastes like. (I'll give you a hint: Red Bull, vodka, and some man she'll use up and discard. Represent!)
Meanwhile, Melissa wakes up all tousled and post-fucked (That's why you cast Kate Vernon; she is a maestro of the "tousled, post-fucked, slightly hung over, what did I do with my bra" depiction) while Samuel shaves. Melissa is pissed and defiant, and tells him that she's ready to get gone. Samuel immediately brings everything back to his precious memories of their past. He offers to feed her first before she leaves, and "I fixed your record player" is the most interesting euphemism for sex I've ever heard. I might have to start using that. Hey, I got my record player fixed this weekend!
In the hospital! Hiro's been rushed there in a coma. Ando is near hysterical, unaware that the ghosts of Adam and Kaito are following Hiro around. Anyway. Watching. Ando's Hiro's fantasy trial lawyer! And he does look great in a suit. Almost as good as David Anders, who I would like to do VERY dirty things to. David, call me! I'm in the 503!
Canonical Sylaire Theatre. Claire is coldly furious, and reminds Sylar that he killed Nathan. And he counters that he has a Samuel-ink tattoo of her, which means that she's his destiny. Sylar mourns that he doesn't want to be alone, and that she has to help him "Get his mojo back", by which I assume he means his killing lust, and not his ability to get it up. Then again, I don't know. And he will blackmail her by threatening to kill Gretchen. Ooh, Claire, aren't you glad you have friends and emotional connections that can be horribly exploited, just like normal people?
"Let's get this over with," Claire says, and tells Sylar to leave Gretchen out of it. But first, Sylar has to do some more devilish monologuing, drawing on a chalkboard, chewing scenery like so much turkey jerky, and drawing all sorts of personality-foundation parallels between them. He's got a point. "How did we end up so different?" he wonders. She goes for the easy answer; he's a psychopath. He's also a guy with a gajillion abilities, so she needs to shut the hell up if she doesn't want to get whacked. He telekinetically flings her across the room and slams her down on a couch, paralyzing her, and then tells her that he got an ability from Lydia to take the answers he needs by touch. And then he plants a big ol' smackeroo on her lips while she tries to squirm away, and the show is OFFICIALLY FUCKED UP. When did the show start placing such a high priority on Sylar taking certain carnal knowledge of Claire by force? Who's in charge of that? It's starting to be less charged with erotic possibility and more "somebody's got a problem with girls."
Samuel and Melissa are somewhere at a malt shop, and Samuel has a fancy shake. He reminds her over and over again of the groovy things they shared when they were little. She is lovely, dammit. I love her. Anyway. Enough blondes. Melissa tells Samuel that he needs to understand that he's never going to have the good things in life, and that she only remembers things with a little bit of fondness. Of course Samuel doesn't accept this and slurps on the shake all sexy-like. And she's kinda falling for it. FUCKED UP, show.
Hiro hospital - and Hiro hallucination awesomeness! Watching. Oh Adam Monroe, nom nom nom.
Sylar! Claire! Claire's mascara! I guess he's found out some things about her, (and she's still clothed, so I guess he stopped with just a kiss - which is not the approach I'd take if I was him) (what? It's true) and tells her that it's her own fault that she can't genuinely connect with people. And she can't say what she really wants to say to Gretchen. Oh, Do Tell. And then she stabs him in the eye with a pencil and walks out of there. Awesome. That's more like it. PENCIL IN THE EYE. Sure, it's cheap justice, but flashy. That's all I ask out of my TV. The twisted, uncomfortable jollies are extra (that's where good fanfic comes from). But still, guys - what's up with that?
Yay a Caprica ad! I really cannot recommend that show enough (based on the introductory miniseries). A slightly apocalyptic, sexually charged science-fiction soap opera about Faustian bargains and the search for the soul - complete with great mid-century fashions straight out of Mad Men? Yes, please.
Hiro! Dream!Sylar! Adam! nom nom nom. Hey, Danielle Savre! I really do love her. No Dianna Agron, as the other head cheerleader that tormented Claire; unfortunately Sylar didn't kill her; Claire and West just drove her insane. Dream!Sylar runs through the list of all the people Sylar killed after Hiro let him go in exchange for saving Charlie. Hiro howls in protest. Oh my GOD DAVID ANDERS IS SO HOT... Anyway, Charlie's lost in time. "How did that happen?" Adam purrs. Hiro mutters that he made a bad deal. True dat, son.
Carnival of misery. Melissa is miserable. Ish. Samuel is spinning out all the details of all of Melissa's childhood fantasies; she's falling for it, poor dear. He is Irish; they have that ability. And is played by Robert Knepper, who defines "rakishly hot". They kiss. And then run through the paradisical garden that Ian Light-Eyes made happen with his ability. Ian Light-Eyes basically can make Shelleyan English gardens by touch. It is beautiful and tempting, I gotta give it that. But she is bright enough to understand that this is a fantasy - and HIS fantasy, at that. Oh snap. He cools rapidly (UH OH) and tells her he can take her home. She tries to kiss him, but he runs away. You are FUCKED, lady.
Claire is running because Hayden Panettiere is good at that. Gretchen is tied up on the floor of their dorm room (hmm, well, anyway). Claire comes in and rescues her, only to have Sylar cut the power and blow the windows of the room in on them, showering them with broken glass.
Shit just got real! (Or did it?....)
Claire and Gretchen stumble into the hallway, then into a cleaning closet. "So... that's Sylar?" Gretchen asks. Claire says that he's emo. True again. Claire apologizes to Gretchen - for keeping her at arm's length. And also sucks at metaphors. But that she's freaked out that she's like Sylar (great skin!), and is also afraid that she'll end up alone because they're kind of immortal and shit. Gretchen suggests that to fix Sylar, maybe he should get rid of all his powers - and then morphs into Sylar himself. Oh HELL NO. HAHAHAHA rad! Claire goes running into the lunch lounge, finds Real Gretchen, and gives her a huge massive freaked-out hug. Gretchen's like "Whu? Hey, are you into me?" Claire wants to hold Gretchen's hand. So she does. And doesn't care what anybody thinks. Oh AWESOME. Also, Gretchen has two ears for the listening. Another success of Psychoanalyst Sylar!
Also, WHAT? And can he go fix Peter's emotional problems now, please? I suggest starting by smothering Angela with a pillow.
Back to the trial of Hiro and the deliciousness of Anders! The defense is not doing well; they have no witnesses. But they do have an excellent case - Hiro has saved the world repeatedly. But he got screwed in trying to help Charlie. Adam objects and says that Hiro is reciting the opening of Quantum Leap (HA! OMG, I'm dying here). Lovely closeups of Masi so you can see his freckles. The defendant is GUILTY! And Hiro flatlines! BUT it's not the final act of the episode, so I'm not gonna freak. Or even feel tense, really. No more fakeout deaths on this show probably ever again, which SUCKS because I love a good fakeout death! I really do! I enjoy that shit! It's one of the things I like about TV and genre TV in particular. You can have a major character in peril - and then seemingly even dead - sometimes for multiple episodes! - and then they come back. Oh, I guess that's more soap opera. Or Gandalf. But still. I dig it.
Greg Grunberg for "the more you know." Ding!
Hiro's still flatlined. In his fantasy, which has taken on a distinctly Kubrickian air, he gets up off the ER table and walks towards a hallway full of people he knows, friends and enemies alike. They all stare at him as he walks past, toward a bright white light. Hm. Whaddya think, Hiro? "I wish to change my plea," he says, "to guilty. If this is the end, I want to go out with honor. Doing the right thing. I want to go out a hero." Damn right, show. Kaito approves, and Hiro is suddenly holding the Kensei sword. Everyone gets out the way except Adam Monroe - who engages him in a spirited sword fight, with Adam shoving him back towards the light and Hiro struggling. But then, conveniently, Adam falls on Hiro's sword, and it's done. DAVID ANDERS! <3 <3 NO! COME BACK!
In the light, Hiro's mother calls his name. She's proud of him for all that he's learned. Hiro's mom! Hey, um... ability... um... nah, they'd never do that, would they? :) Hiro walks towards her, telling her he's ready to go to the Summerlands, where Aslan rules in peace and joy forever. She tells him no, though - that some things are more powerful than science - like destiny.Hiro is disappointed that he doesn't get to die - but Mom's better; she can heal, remember? EVEN FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.
Yay, destiny.
My cat just looked up and said "what the hell is that bullshit?" (she's a quite verbal animal) and I told her to shut her damn fool cat mouth. There you go! Problem solved! It's beautiful. It's as convenient as a 7-Eleven, but I'll take what I can get, and that was an entirely great slice of classic TV schmaltz. What does she know? She's a cat. She can't even see in color.
Samuel is lonely and sad at the diner where he had the milkshakes. He is extremely upset and freaky, and he terrifies a waitress that approaches him. Her concern enrages him, and he gets up and walks toward her, shouting, determining that he's not gonna play nice anymore. He makes the earth shake so intensely that they can feel it all the way out in Carnie Fantasy Valley - because an entire chunk of the earth just falls in. Eeh. :( Bad episode timing, I guess. Give generously to Haiti.
Anyway, Samuel goes home, teeth grinding in vengefulness (everybody saw what he did) and Melissa gets on a bus home too, all sad.
Hiro lies unconscious but alive in hospital. (Where's Mohinder? Are he and Noah just hanging out, making compasses, shooting the shit, eating ramen takeout? Yum.)
Claire and Gretchen laugh together in their room. Unfortunately they're not both wearing just panties, lip gloss, and tube socks. ... WHAT? I've got kinks. So do you.
Sylar goes to visit The Parkmans, and Janice opens the door, holding Mattie-boo, and totally doesn't recognize the nationally-wanted and infamous serial killer with dozens of spectacular murders to his name. OK, I've decided that Janice is secretly kind of slutty.
TO BE CONTINUED...!
Oh my.
I'm just not even going to talk about next week's previews. For they are nonsense and I am not going to bother to try to understand them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Like, a lot. Great script by Oliver Grigsby - the man living the dream. Enjoyment. And a little more time to grieve privately with Peter; I imagine he spent this episode crying himself to sleep while kissing a photograph of Nathan, only to wake up in sweat-soaked nightmares. Good times. Good. Times.
Mohinder gets the previously again! A twofer! Are they making it up to him for him being in less than half the episodes this season? Anyway, Sylar. Samuel. Melissa. HRG. Kidnapping! Hiro. Charlie! Brain tumor. Funeral. Ugh. Claire. Indignance! Milo gets a week off! (I'm glad; I can't handle any more of his sufferings without crying myself. I love him, but I have been depressed as hell for weeks.)
Claire. Sad and gothy in the cafeteria with Gretchen, who likes to wear black anyway, being a creepy chick. Gretchen wants to know what's up; Claire is closemouthed about all the drama. Gretchen tries sympathy. I love her eyeliner. And she reaches over and grabs Claire's hand - and Claire squirms away like Gretchen is covered in slime. Gretchen watches her go with a sad, resigned look on her face. Yeah, discrimination sucks. Fortunately, Sylar shows up right then and is gorgeous. "Excuse me - is this seat taken?" he grins. Oy. Vey.
Noah's apartment of shame. Ando gives a decidedly pale and out of it Hiro a glass of water. Mo has made a compass and tells Noah that only the Special can use it. They bow to Hiro, who is seeing double, and neatly passes out on the floor. Ando shouts his name, but it's too late - Hiro is back in the Burnt Toast. Where ADAM MONROE is waiting for him! HOORAY! Yep, it's a Q-style-judgment hallucination with Kaito "George Motherfucking Takei" Nakamura as Q! I mean, the judge. They are judging Hiro for fucking with the space-time continuum! The sentence for guilt is DEATH! Oh, that's so classic. I might do a shitty job recapping these scenes because they're just going to be delicious.
Takei! And Anders! WOOOOT!
Ick; a locally specific/targeted Microsoft ad, mentioning a restaurant here in town that I've actually been to. It's really good. Maybe people SHOULD go there more. But still. Ick. ICK! I don't want MINORITY REPORT to be reality any sooner than it has to be!
Meanwhile, Claire runs up the stairs of a really classic college interior (stone arches, long long dark-wood staircase, etc etc. etc). She's searching for a class she's supposedly late for, but she finds Sylar in an empty classroom instead. Claire spits, "What the HELL are you doing here?" He turns to face her and lets her know that he's there to learn. What she tastes like. (I'll give you a hint: Red Bull, vodka, and some man she'll use up and discard. Represent!)
Meanwhile, Melissa wakes up all tousled and post-fucked (That's why you cast Kate Vernon; she is a maestro of the "tousled, post-fucked, slightly hung over, what did I do with my bra" depiction) while Samuel shaves. Melissa is pissed and defiant, and tells him that she's ready to get gone. Samuel immediately brings everything back to his precious memories of their past. He offers to feed her first before she leaves, and "I fixed your record player" is the most interesting euphemism for sex I've ever heard. I might have to start using that. Hey, I got my record player fixed this weekend!
In the hospital! Hiro's been rushed there in a coma. Ando is near hysterical, unaware that the ghosts of Adam and Kaito are following Hiro around. Anyway. Watching. Ando's Hiro's fantasy trial lawyer! And he does look great in a suit. Almost as good as David Anders, who I would like to do VERY dirty things to. David, call me! I'm in the 503!
Canonical Sylaire Theatre. Claire is coldly furious, and reminds Sylar that he killed Nathan. And he counters that he has a Samuel-ink tattoo of her, which means that she's his destiny. Sylar mourns that he doesn't want to be alone, and that she has to help him "Get his mojo back", by which I assume he means his killing lust, and not his ability to get it up. Then again, I don't know. And he will blackmail her by threatening to kill Gretchen. Ooh, Claire, aren't you glad you have friends and emotional connections that can be horribly exploited, just like normal people?
"Let's get this over with," Claire says, and tells Sylar to leave Gretchen out of it. But first, Sylar has to do some more devilish monologuing, drawing on a chalkboard, chewing scenery like so much turkey jerky, and drawing all sorts of personality-foundation parallels between them. He's got a point. "How did we end up so different?" he wonders. She goes for the easy answer; he's a psychopath. He's also a guy with a gajillion abilities, so she needs to shut the hell up if she doesn't want to get whacked. He telekinetically flings her across the room and slams her down on a couch, paralyzing her, and then tells her that he got an ability from Lydia to take the answers he needs by touch. And then he plants a big ol' smackeroo on her lips while she tries to squirm away, and the show is OFFICIALLY FUCKED UP. When did the show start placing such a high priority on Sylar taking certain carnal knowledge of Claire by force? Who's in charge of that? It's starting to be less charged with erotic possibility and more "somebody's got a problem with girls."
Samuel and Melissa are somewhere at a malt shop, and Samuel has a fancy shake. He reminds her over and over again of the groovy things they shared when they were little. She is lovely, dammit. I love her. Anyway. Enough blondes. Melissa tells Samuel that he needs to understand that he's never going to have the good things in life, and that she only remembers things with a little bit of fondness. Of course Samuel doesn't accept this and slurps on the shake all sexy-like. And she's kinda falling for it. FUCKED UP, show.
Hiro hospital - and Hiro hallucination awesomeness! Watching. Oh Adam Monroe, nom nom nom.
Sylar! Claire! Claire's mascara! I guess he's found out some things about her, (and she's still clothed, so I guess he stopped with just a kiss - which is not the approach I'd take if I was him) (what? It's true) and tells her that it's her own fault that she can't genuinely connect with people. And she can't say what she really wants to say to Gretchen. Oh, Do Tell. And then she stabs him in the eye with a pencil and walks out of there. Awesome. That's more like it. PENCIL IN THE EYE. Sure, it's cheap justice, but flashy. That's all I ask out of my TV. The twisted, uncomfortable jollies are extra (that's where good fanfic comes from). But still, guys - what's up with that?
Yay a Caprica ad! I really cannot recommend that show enough (based on the introductory miniseries). A slightly apocalyptic, sexually charged science-fiction soap opera about Faustian bargains and the search for the soul - complete with great mid-century fashions straight out of Mad Men? Yes, please.
Hiro! Dream!Sylar! Adam! nom nom nom. Hey, Danielle Savre! I really do love her. No Dianna Agron, as the other head cheerleader that tormented Claire; unfortunately Sylar didn't kill her; Claire and West just drove her insane. Dream!Sylar runs through the list of all the people Sylar killed after Hiro let him go in exchange for saving Charlie. Hiro howls in protest. Oh my GOD DAVID ANDERS IS SO HOT... Anyway, Charlie's lost in time. "How did that happen?" Adam purrs. Hiro mutters that he made a bad deal. True dat, son.
Carnival of misery. Melissa is miserable. Ish. Samuel is spinning out all the details of all of Melissa's childhood fantasies; she's falling for it, poor dear. He is Irish; they have that ability. And is played by Robert Knepper, who defines "rakishly hot". They kiss. And then run through the paradisical garden that Ian Light-Eyes made happen with his ability. Ian Light-Eyes basically can make Shelleyan English gardens by touch. It is beautiful and tempting, I gotta give it that. But she is bright enough to understand that this is a fantasy - and HIS fantasy, at that. Oh snap. He cools rapidly (UH OH) and tells her he can take her home. She tries to kiss him, but he runs away. You are FUCKED, lady.
Claire is running because Hayden Panettiere is good at that. Gretchen is tied up on the floor of their dorm room (hmm, well, anyway). Claire comes in and rescues her, only to have Sylar cut the power and blow the windows of the room in on them, showering them with broken glass.
Shit just got real! (Or did it?....)
Claire and Gretchen stumble into the hallway, then into a cleaning closet. "So... that's Sylar?" Gretchen asks. Claire says that he's emo. True again. Claire apologizes to Gretchen - for keeping her at arm's length. And also sucks at metaphors. But that she's freaked out that she's like Sylar (great skin!), and is also afraid that she'll end up alone because they're kind of immortal and shit. Gretchen suggests that to fix Sylar, maybe he should get rid of all his powers - and then morphs into Sylar himself. Oh HELL NO. HAHAHAHA rad! Claire goes running into the lunch lounge, finds Real Gretchen, and gives her a huge massive freaked-out hug. Gretchen's like "Whu? Hey, are you into me?" Claire wants to hold Gretchen's hand. So she does. And doesn't care what anybody thinks. Oh AWESOME. Also, Gretchen has two ears for the listening. Another success of Psychoanalyst Sylar!
Also, WHAT? And can he go fix Peter's emotional problems now, please? I suggest starting by smothering Angela with a pillow.
Back to the trial of Hiro and the deliciousness of Anders! The defense is not doing well; they have no witnesses. But they do have an excellent case - Hiro has saved the world repeatedly. But he got screwed in trying to help Charlie. Adam objects and says that Hiro is reciting the opening of Quantum Leap (HA! OMG, I'm dying here). Lovely closeups of Masi so you can see his freckles. The defendant is GUILTY! And Hiro flatlines! BUT it's not the final act of the episode, so I'm not gonna freak. Or even feel tense, really. No more fakeout deaths on this show probably ever again, which SUCKS because I love a good fakeout death! I really do! I enjoy that shit! It's one of the things I like about TV and genre TV in particular. You can have a major character in peril - and then seemingly even dead - sometimes for multiple episodes! - and then they come back. Oh, I guess that's more soap opera. Or Gandalf. But still. I dig it.
Greg Grunberg for "the more you know." Ding!
Hiro's still flatlined. In his fantasy, which has taken on a distinctly Kubrickian air, he gets up off the ER table and walks towards a hallway full of people he knows, friends and enemies alike. They all stare at him as he walks past, toward a bright white light. Hm. Whaddya think, Hiro? "I wish to change my plea," he says, "to guilty. If this is the end, I want to go out with honor. Doing the right thing. I want to go out a hero." Damn right, show. Kaito approves, and Hiro is suddenly holding the Kensei sword. Everyone gets out the way except Adam Monroe - who engages him in a spirited sword fight, with Adam shoving him back towards the light and Hiro struggling. But then, conveniently, Adam falls on Hiro's sword, and it's done. DAVID ANDERS! <3 <3 NO! COME BACK!
In the light, Hiro's mother calls his name. She's proud of him for all that he's learned. Hiro's mom! Hey, um... ability... um... nah, they'd never do that, would they? :) Hiro walks towards her, telling her he's ready to go to the Summerlands, where Aslan rules in peace and joy forever. She tells him no, though - that some things are more powerful than science - like destiny.Hiro is disappointed that he doesn't get to die - but Mom's better; she can heal, remember? EVEN FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.
Yay, destiny.
My cat just looked up and said "what the hell is that bullshit?" (she's a quite verbal animal) and I told her to shut her damn fool cat mouth. There you go! Problem solved! It's beautiful. It's as convenient as a 7-Eleven, but I'll take what I can get, and that was an entirely great slice of classic TV schmaltz. What does she know? She's a cat. She can't even see in color.
Samuel is lonely and sad at the diner where he had the milkshakes. He is extremely upset and freaky, and he terrifies a waitress that approaches him. Her concern enrages him, and he gets up and walks toward her, shouting, determining that he's not gonna play nice anymore. He makes the earth shake so intensely that they can feel it all the way out in Carnie Fantasy Valley - because an entire chunk of the earth just falls in. Eeh. :( Bad episode timing, I guess. Give generously to Haiti.
Anyway, Samuel goes home, teeth grinding in vengefulness (everybody saw what he did) and Melissa gets on a bus home too, all sad.
Hiro lies unconscious but alive in hospital. (Where's Mohinder? Are he and Noah just hanging out, making compasses, shooting the shit, eating ramen takeout? Yum.)
Claire and Gretchen laugh together in their room. Unfortunately they're not both wearing just panties, lip gloss, and tube socks. ... WHAT? I've got kinks. So do you.
Sylar goes to visit The Parkmans, and Janice opens the door, holding Mattie-boo, and totally doesn't recognize the nationally-wanted and infamous serial killer with dozens of spectacular murders to his name. OK, I've decided that Janice is secretly kind of slutty.
TO BE CONTINUED...!
Oh my.
I'm just not even going to talk about next week's previews. For they are nonsense and I am not going to bother to try to understand them.
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Like, a lot. Great script by Oliver Grigsby - the man living the dream. Enjoyment. And a little more time to grieve privately with Peter; I imagine he spent this episode crying himself to sleep while kissing a photograph of Nathan, only to wake up in sweat-soaked nightmares. Good times. Good. Times.