Ink (403)

[GateWorld]

HEROES SEASON FOUR INK EPISODE NUMBER - 403 Samuel, the carnival leader, goes under cover to manipulate Peter, threatening him with a lawsuit. Matt continues to fight the piece of Sylar in his mind while he and his partner search a suspected drug house. Claire deals with her new friend's discovery, and a deaf woman discovers she has a new ability. VISIT THE EPISODE GUIDE >

[pipi]

Clair's new room mate looks so ugly compared to her role in Californication. What happen to the little nympho.

[drake122]

wow Kai Winn on Heroes... may the prophets be with her.

[Saquist]

Yeah I saw her.
I don't like the Ink guy on the show...he's not intresting, he's been on too many other shows before...it seems like a transplant actor.

[EvilSpaceAlien]

I really liked the deaf girl. It's the first new character in a long time that I've actually liked! I hope that the TPTB doesn't kill her, and that they writer her in a good way. But after recent events, I do not have a lot confidence in the TPTB anymore.

Otherwise this was a pretty solid episode 2.3/5

[trinity33331]

Interesting episode. I'm curious to see what the deaf girl's power will be. I don't trust Claire's room mate at all.

[Saquist]

Interesting episode. I'm curious to see what the deaf girl's power will be. I don't trust Claire's room mate at all.

Me too...but I'm sure she's never played the Cello before.
I also don't trust her...She's a blooming plot device.

I really liked the deaf girl. It's the first new character in a long time that I've actually liked! I hope that the TPTB doesn't kill her, and that they writer her in a good way. But after recent events, I do not have a lot confidence in the TPTB anymore.

Otherwise this was a pretty solid episode 2.3/5

Is it me or are they keeping Peter stupid no matter what he goes through. I mean COMEON...people learn not to be naive...you don't stay naive unless you're handicapped.

You'd think he'd know when he's being played...
That he can't trust a world at fact value full of people with these abilities.
He's like big sucker....just when I having hope for him they go right back into this crap...wow.

What really eats me:
Is they portray him in the future as decisive, heroic and powerfully in control.
The same is done with Hiro...but they keep them really stupid in the present with no progress at all.

How can they keep doing this year after year?

[AVFan]

Me too...but I'm sure she's never played the Cello before.
I also don't trust her...She's a blooming plot device.

So she's got the power to pick up and play musical instruments she's never played before? I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love that power, but that sort of thing isn't going to keep Sylar away from you.

And I agree about the roommate. She's going to screw something up horribly. I'm guessing another- "I'm doing this for your own good Claire" or something to that effect.

[Saquist]

So she's got the power to pick up and play musical instruments she's never played before? I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love that power, but that sort of thing isn't going to keep Sylar away from you.

And I agree about the roommate. She's going to screw something up horribly. I'm guessing another- "I'm doing this for your own good Claire" or something to that effect.

I don't know...you're no exactly sending off a flair with a talent like...instant musical aptitude. She can see sound. That has an application and advantage for those that can't see at all.

And that's a good call on clair's friend.
Real good call.

[entil2001]

After a less than impressive season premiere, the writing staff seems to settle in a bit with this episode. There are essentially four plot threads explored in this installment, and all of them have their point of interest. Some are handled better than others, but unlike the premiere, none of them are completely mishandled.

Claire’s new college life was not a highlight of the premiere, but it slips into a more comfortable niche in this hour. Perhaps this is the result of the choice to focus on Claire’s decision to trust Gretchen with her secret. She goes through a bit of a process to get there, but it seems like her discussion with Noah brought her wants and needs into focus. Claire is looking for someone that she can be open and honest with, and for now, that appears to be Gretchen. Having established Gretchen as being a bit left-of-center also laid the foundation for her to be an outsiders, and therefore someone also looking for a friend, not someone who is likely to spread the news.

Whatever doubts Noah might have had about restoring the Company are now a thing of the past. Claire may have decided that she needs a confidante, but Noah still considers anyone outside of his “circle of trust” to be a potential threat. He might ultimately trust Claire’s judgment on this (though experience and her track record should have advised him otherwise), but it has given him focus on the big picture.

Gretchen’s battle of wills with Claire may have ended well for the moment, but the other two examples of mind games are anything but benevolent. Matt’s struggle with Sylar is very well done, even if it is hard to watch. For just a moment, I was beginning to think that Sylar was going to weasel his way into Matt’s confidence by playing “good cop”. If there was an obvious way to get past Matt’s resistance, that would have been it. Instead, the writers provided crushing evidence that Sylar didn’t have to work past Matt’s resistance, because in all the most important ways, he already had.

I’m not sure where this is going to take Matt, nor am I sure that the writers have thought it through. Hopefully they have, because this is one of those dark consequences that should come out of the ill-advised “solution” to the Sylar problem in the third season finale. They all underestimated Sylar, and now they’re all going to pay for it. The question is how this will intersect with the other driving force for the volume.

Samuel’s decision to manipulate Hiro in the premiere, and Peter in this episode, seems to be based on a need to replace vital members of his own “family”. Samuel’s time-traveler is dying, so Hiro is the most obvious option. Samuel lost his brother, and Peter happens to have a similar ability. Samuel’s entire motivation seems to be built around doing what he feels is necessary to protect his own. In a way, he is a pseudo-Magneto in that respect.

Even though Samuel lies, deceives, and kills as he deems necessary, his motivations make him a more compelling potential villain. Unlike Sylar, his reasons haven’t been muddled by constant retroactive revisions to his story. The writers have the chance to make him a sympathetic villain in the process. I get the feeling that he will be very much like Bester on “Babylon 5”, which gives me hope that he will continue to evolve in a strong and consistent fashion.

While definitely the weakest subplot of the episode, built around questionable notions of disability, Emma’s introduction had its moments. The scene in the park was lovely, and made up somewhat for the notion that a deaf person would be so isolated in the most diverse and active city in the world. The intersection with Peter’s story suggests that she will be drawn into Samuel’s web as well. It should be interesting to see how that plays out, and what function Emma is meant to fill in the story.

It’s a bit unfortunate that the premiere was as weak as it was, because this was one of the better episodes in quite some time, and there’s at least some sense of direction shining through. It should be interesting to see what the ratings look like. If the season is more like this episode and less like the premiere, the season might have a chance of gaining that titular redemption.

[Saquist]

It was an interesting perspective to see Emma relate her displeasure of the "sympathetic eyebrow" When a response is not just received consistently but expected, predicted and persistent, it has an effect of the psyche. Everyone is different and it's a fascinating turn to see someone lock on to that particular reaction.

I can say this, it has me thinking less reactionary to disable individuals.
Funny what awareness does.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

The best part of this episode was watching Sylar toying with Parkman.

[Saquist]

It was hard for me to watch because I knew Parkman has never been smart...nor has any of the other "heros" with powers to see this coming. Matt knew that Sylar could make him see what ever he wanted...why would he trust what he sees after that?

Originally I would say this is a character designed flaw but now I just think it's stringing.

[Matt G]

Saw the first three eps in one go.

1. Don't trust Gretchen as far as I can throw an elephant - reckon she killed the first girl and knew who Claire was all along.

2. Matt and Sylar is very interesting.

3. Carnival is hmmmm...too early to judge.

4. Deaf girl is sort of cool.

Reasonable way to start a new season but it isn't awesome...yet.

[garhkal]

I really liked the deaf girl. It's the first new character in a long time that I've actually liked! I hope that the TPTB doesn't kill her, and that they writer her in a good way. But after recent events, I do not have a lot confidence in the TPTB anymore.

Otherwise this was a pretty solid episode 2.3/5

It is nice that they finally have someone 'disabled' on the show, that is not just in the backround..

You'd think he'd know when he's being played...
That he can't trust a world at fact value full of people with these abilities.
He's like big sucker....just when I having hope for him they go right back into this crap...wow.

What really eats me:
Is they portray him in the future as decisive, heroic and powerfully in control.
The same is done with Hiro...but they keep them really stupid in the present with no progress at all.

How can they keep doing this year after year?

He does seen rather Naive, but that hopeless optimism is imo part of hsi character.

Matt’s struggle with Sylar is very well done, even if it is hard to watch. For just a moment, I was beginning to think that Sylar was going to weasel his way into Matt’s confidence by playing “good cop”. If there was an obvious way to get past Matt’s resistance, that would have been it. Instead, the writers provided crushing evidence that Sylar didn’t have to work past Matt’s resistance, because in all the most important ways, he already had.

I also laughted at how easily Sylar played Matt. You would think he would be more aware when he was getting played..

Samuel’s decision to manipulate Hiro in the premiere, and Peter in this episode, seems to be based on a need to replace vital members of his own “family”. Samuel’s time-traveler is dying, so Hiro is the most obvious option. Samuel lost his brother, and Peter happens to have a similar ability. Samuel’s entire motivation seems to be built around doing what he feels is necessary to protect his own. In a way, he is a pseudo-Magneto in that respect.

HE does seem like Magneto, doing what he needs to, to protect his own. BUT as for "sams brother being like Peter, i am not sure. He seemed to have several 'options' to replace the dead brother, including Peter.. heck iirc Sylar and Noah was on that potential list..
And didn't we get told at some point back in S2 (or was it S1) that Hiro was a one off for time travel powers??

While definitely the weakest subplot of the episode, built around questionable notions of disability, Emma’s introduction had its moments. The scene in the park was lovely, and made up somewhat for the notion that a deaf person would be so isolated in the most diverse and active city in the world. The intersection with Peter’s story suggests that she will be drawn into Samuel’s web as well. It should be interesting to see how that plays out, and what function Emma is meant to fill in the story.

I am thinking right now, they are trying to make her a Romantic interest for Peter, something to make him more stable and bring him out of his cut off lifestyle..