BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
Season 4 Episode 9
“The Hub”
Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Paul Edwards
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

Twelve Cylon models
Seven are known
Four live in secret
One will be revealed

So we get to see what became of the damaged base ship and all on board—particularly President Roslin—and it’s a doozy.


It turns out that the Hybrid is panicked, thus her sudden jump (merely the first of several), and it’s revealed shortly that the Hybrid is panicked since she’s detected that Natalie is no longer on-line (if that’s the correct term).
The Eight in the Hybrid’s chamber soon determines that the Hybrid is jumping towards the Resurrection Hub, so the mission still looks like a go.
During each jump though—in the interstice between points in actual physical space—Laura meets the deceased Elosha (I’ve missed her), in an apparently deserted Galactica. She’s then shown that the only people here are the Adamas and Starbuck, gathered around a cancer-ridden Laura on her deathbed.


That alone was such a heart-rending idea: of finding a dying Roslin in an empty Galactica.
Elosha tells her that she doesn’t really love anyone, that she hasn’t, in effect, opened herself up to anyone (a sentiment echoed when Baltar insists that one can communicate with the Hybrid, if one focuses on her, which Roslin seems incapable of doing).
Then, as the Hybrid continues to make repeated jumps, Laura’s tutelage at Elosha’s side unfolds over the course of the episode.


Meanwhile, Helo finds that the Eight in the Hybrid chamber, curious about Athena and her hybrid child, accessed Athena’s memories when she last downloaded. So basically, this Eight has Athena’s memories up to that point, when Helo was forced to shoot her so she could download back to the Cylons, and retrieve Hera.
Later on, there’s some tension between the Galactica pilots and the Cylon pilots, but the pseudo-Athena makes a speech about needing to rely on each other, particularly once the Hub has been destroyed, because at that point, everyone will be in the same boat in the mortality sweepstakes.


Also, Roslin gives Helo express orders to take D’Anna to her (and her alone) once she is retrieved. Helo tries to argue that this isn’t what was agreed upon, and isn’t honest, but Roslin claims that this is about the security of the human race.
Roslin says this is what the Cylons would do, in my place. And Helo counters, No, not all of them. Not the Eights.
Roslin says she can’t afford sentimentality right now, and she can’t afford Helo to be sentimental either (“Captain, you are not married to the entire production line…”).


Over at the Hub, Cavil de-boxes D’Anna himself, telling her of the civil war, and trying to convince her to help end it.
Cavil claims to be uninterested in the identities of the Final Five, as he still firmly believes they aren’t meant to know them.
D’Anna ends up killing Cavil, making Boomer run for the proverbial hills.

The attack on the Hub commences, during which, a number of events take place:

We see the jumping of the dying Pike back to the Fleet (which then of course, led to the Fleet finding the debris of this very battle).


Helo and the pseudo-Athena find D’Anna, taking her back to the base ship.
When they get on board, Helo reveals the change of plans, telling the pseudo-Athena that he may not agree with it, but he’s only following orders.
Disillusioned, pseudo-Athena lets Helo go on his way, with D’Anna.


While preaching/ranting to a Centurion, an explosion wounds Baltar severely, and he’s bleeding heavily when he’s brought to Laura, who tries to attend to his injuries.
Under the morpha haze, Baltar makes mention of his guilt, which has now been lifted from him, by the mercy and love of God. In an amazingly tense scene, Laura asks after the nature of this guilt, and Baltar admits to his culpability in the annihilation of the human race.
Mary McDonnell is amazing here, as she absorbs the shock of what she’s suspected for the longest time: that Baltar is guilty.
Baltar asks her to pray with him, but instead, she undresses the wound and allows it to bleed freely, ignoring Baltar’s pleas.


But the Hybrid jumps again, away from the battle, and Laura is taught one more lesson, as she witnesses her own death, and Adama’s heartbreaking reaction.
Elosha tells Laura that she needs to learn to love, and that even a bad man can feel guilt just as much as a good man. The moment of Laura’s conversion is astounding, as is her desperation when the jump ends and she scrambles to stop Baltar’s bleeding.


Helo arrives with D’Anna, and smartly, acknowledging that she’s the only Three left in the entire universe, uses her knowledge of the Final Five’s identities as leverage for her safety.
She says she won’t divulge the information till she’s safely been transported to the Fleet.
(Though not before a singular fake-out moment of shock as D’Anna makes Laura think that she’s one of the Five. At least, it seems to have been a fake-out. I mean, I was leaning towards Laura being the last, unrevealed Cylon. If it isn’t her, who is? One of the Adamas? Starbuck, after all?)

We then rejoin Adama, on his lone vigil, as the base ship arrives, and the beautiful reunion between Laura and Bill, where Laura finally says, “I love you,” and ol’ Rockface half-jokes, “About time.”


So, great lead-up to the midseason finale, and a big part of why this one works so well is that, unlike Baltar’s conversion, Laura’s feels more genuine, the emotions distinctly more palpable.
And, even though both were presented as arcs that moved through an entire episode, this particular arc seemed more potent, more believable.
I’ll cop to the possibility though that this one works better for me since I’m emotionally invested in Laura and her fate, whereas I still can’t be bothered to give a rat’s a$ about Baltar. (Sorry, Gaius, but as it stands, you’re in better hands with Laura than you are with me…)
And it’s not that I can’t forgive the poor schmuck, but that I still can’t feel any remorse from the sodding bastard. It still feels like he’s leading us on, the way he always has.


Now, it’s not as simple as saying Mary McDonnell is a more genuine performer than James Callis (though I feel an argument could be made for that point).
I think it’s more that Baltar doesn’t seem to be a character made to be sympathetic (at least in the beginning), unlike Laura, who is diagnosed with cancer from the miniseries’ first episode.
But then again, the events of Season 3 made me care for Tigh in a way I’d never have anticipated from BSG’s early days.
Of course, Tigh didn’t cause the deaths of untold millions…
I dunno. I guess I’m still decidedly anti-Gaius.

Oh, and it’s great to see Lucy Lawless back.

COUNTDOWN: 11.

FRINGE
Season 1 Episode 2
“The Same Old Story”
Written by Jeff Pinkner & J.J. Abrams & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci
Directed by Paul Edwards
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

“Massive Dynamic is one of the ten largest economic entities in the world. Our weapons technologies shape the Defense Department’s strategies. Our investments sway the markets and make or break presidential elections. Overseas, we have responsibilities traditionally sacred to the state: the right to direct private armies, to manage global affairs into stable equilibrium.”


Now, while a certain amount of fun was had with the short-lived Threshold, if there’s a show that’s to be crowned a successor to the late, great X-Files, it’s quickly looking to be Fringe, as it continues to display an excellent mix of speculative science and creepy horror.
And, as if to solidify that X-Files connection, X-alum Darin Morgan clambers on board as consulting producer on Fringe, which makes me a happy camper and even more eager to see what future episodes hold.

The episode’s main plot involves a serial killer/government super soldier mash-up, and writers Abrams, Kurtzman, Orci, and Alias and Lost alum Jeff Pinkner (also one of the show’s producers now) open the hour with a cracking prologue that recalls everything from Humanoids From The Deep to It’s Alive.
Of course, it really isn’t some killer mutant baby that gets born, but the horror movie echoes were welcome nonetheless. (I could have done without the subsequent Aliens–ish nightmare sequence though.)
We also get some fodder for the show’s main throughline (apparently, both Broyles and Massive Dynamic’s Nina Sharp are on a committee concerned with investigating the Pattern; this shadow cabinet, another bit that recalls The X-Files) as well as an intriguing allusion to Peter’s “medical history.”
Oh, and apparently, Dunham and company are a “new team,” and there’s a passing mention of a previous team. Hurm…


Anna Torv continues to impress, as does John Noble, who again, is the show’s MVP, nailing the script’s primo stuff (the seat warmer bit is hilarious) with apparent and enviable ease.
Joshua Jackson however, is still a tad shaky. Why a genius with an IQ of 190 (a fact repeated in this episode) would resort to using the term “magic old man baby” is a little beyond me… He just can’t seem to shake the ghost of Pacey.
At any rate, this one’s a winner and strengthens Fringe’s credentials as one of this season’s triumphs.
Bring on next week’s weirdness!


(Images courtesy of impawards.com [Fringe OS, design by FOX IN], variety.com, buddytv.com, and fringetelevision.com.)

LOST
Season 4 Episode 11
“Cabin Fever”
Written by Elizabeth Sarnoff & Kyle Pennington
Directed by Paul Edwards
(WARNING: SPOILERS)


“But you’ll understand soon enough that there are consequences to being chosen, because destiny, John, is a fickle b!tch.”
-- Ben

Hoo-boy!
Okay, Locke flashback first.
Turns out that John was a premature baby, brought into the world at 6 months because Emily got hit by a car as she was on her way to see John’s evil conman da. (Ironically enough, this installment is this season’s Mother’s Day episode…)
Apparently though, John was meant to survive, as he survived infections and other assorted medical troubles to emerge from the incubator, only to have Emily chicken out, thus resulting in him being put up for adoption.
But who should be at the hospital but Richard! Looking as young as he does on the Island present!


Years later, Richard visits John at a foster home, and says he represents a school for very gifted children. Richard has John take a test, asking him to choose from a number of objects those that he’s already owned.
John picks a compass, a small container of what appears to be sand, and, much to Richard’s disapproval, a knife.
This was apparently the wrong choice, as Richard quickly leaves, taking the objects with him.

Years later again, and John’s in high school and being bullied and beaten up. He’s told (by someone who I assume is the principal) that he’s been invited to a science camp in Portland, run by Mittelos.
But John says he isn’t a scientist. He likes sports and hunting and other physical pursuits. He’s told that he shouldn’t resist who he’s meant to be. He’s told that he can’t be a prom king, that he can’t be a quarterback, that he can’t be a superhero.
John says (and I’m sure you know what’s coming), Don’t tell me what I can’t do.

Years later again, after getting pushed out of that hotel window by his evil conman da, and while he’s still clearly despondent as he struggles with his physical rehabilitation, he’s visited in hospital by sinister Mr. Abaddon, who’s apparently the one who gave John the idea to go on the walkabout.
Abaddon tells John, You’ll go on that walkabout like I did, and you’ll discover who you really are, and when we meet again, you’ll owe me one.


And, back on the Freighter…
Keamy finds out it was Michael who told Ben all about him, and Keamy tries to shoot Michael, but his gun jams… (Guess the Island still needs Michael.)
Keamy breaks out Widmore’s second protocol, which apparently goes, “torch the Island.”
Gault sees this is all spiraling out of control, so he gives Sayid the Zodiac, so Sayid can start ferrying people to the boat. Desmond though, says he’s not setting foot on the Island again, and that he’ll wait on the boat for Penny.
So Sayid Zodiacs his way back to the Island.
Meanwhile, Michael tells Frank that Keamy’s on his way back to the Island to kill everyone on it. So Frank refuses to fly them back, to which Keamy responds by slitting the poor doctor’s throat and throwing him overboard, where his corpse will presumably float through some temporal anomaly so it can be found on the beach two episodes ago. (I just love this show!)
Keamy then warns Frank he’s ready to kill someone else if Frank doesn’t fly the helicopter.
Gault arrives and holds Keamy at gunpoint, but is distracted by some device strapped to Keamy’s arm. Keamy then shoots the captain, convincing Frank he does need to fly the helicopter.
But Frank surreptitiously places a NaomiPhone into a bag, which he later drops onto the beach as the helicopter flies over. (I assume Frank did this without Keamy noticing.)

On the beach, Jack (who is up and about against Juliet’s express orders to stay put, lest his stitches open up) finds the NaomiPhone, and thinks they’re being asked to follow the helicopter’s path.


Over with the cabin hunters, Locke has a dream where he meets dead Horace Goodspeed (Doug Hutchison), who John sees building the cabin. Dream Horace tells John to find him, so he can find the cabin.
John then leads them to the mass grave where the Dharma corpses are, and finds a map of the cabin in the pocket of Horace’s overalls. They then trek to the cabin, and when they get there, both Ben and Hugo opt to let John enter the cabin by himself.
Inside, John sees Christian (who admits that he isn’t Jacob, but that he’s representing him), and Claire, who seems to be acting very strangely, casually claiming, I’m with him. (This is so not the Claire we know and love…)
John’s confused by Claire’s presence (as are we), but Christian says, The Boat People are almost here. Ask the question that really matters.
John asks, What do I have to do to save the Island?

Later, John exits the cabin, and when Ben asks if he was told what needed to be done, John says, He wants us to move the Island.


Ho-kay… move the Island…
Riiiight…
And what is up with Claire?! Did that exploding house back at the Barracks do something more to her than just knock her for a loop? Is she really (like her father) now one of those dead people other people still see? What about Des’ “Claire and Aaron get on a helicopter” vision?! Did Charlie sacrifice himself, not in vain exactly, but not for the person he thought he was doing it for? Graaarrr!!!

With all the neat stuff in this episode though, arguably the most tantalizing scene here is the test Richard gives Locke.
And the interesting parallel between Richard apparently sensing something special about Locke, in (perhaps subconsciously) the same way Locke sensed something special about Walt…
And next up, in what appears to be yet another temporal anomaly, the season’s two-part, three-hour ender…

COUNTDOWN: 37.

(Images courtesy of ABC, ew.com, and usatoday.com [Keamy].)

PUSHING DAISIES
Season 1 Episode 3
“The Fun In Funeral”
Written by Bryan Fuller
Directed by Paul Edwards
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

We kick off with a flashback to Ned’s time in private school, immediately following his mother’s death, where he quickly establishes the whole one-minute window deal by experimenting on some CGI fireflies.
We then settle down to the heart of this episode’s matter: Louis Schatz (Brad Grunberg, real-life brother of Heroes’ Greg), brother of Lawrence (also played by Grunberg), suspects foul play in his brother’s death, and hires Emerson to get to the bottom of it.
Here are the facts: the dead Schatz brother was caught pilfering family heirlooms from the funeral home’s clients, a crime which was made public, causing a furor and an avalanche of hate mail demanding items back. Louis suspects that Lawrence was murdered by one of the disgruntled family members.
What no one knows, except for Emerson and Ned, is that Lawrence was the unfortunate living being-in-close-proximity when Chuck was not returned to her deceased state after the one minute window.

Emerson tries to get Ned to interview Lawrence without Chuck present, but she manages to be at the morgue. When Ned sees who the dead body is though, he panics and rushes out. Annoyed, Emerson makes it clear to Chuck what keeping her around cost. Chuck, confused and guilty about the circumstances of her return from the dead, keeps her emotional distance from Ned.
Later on though, Chuck says she’d like Ned to talk to Lawrence, and she’d like to be there too, so Ned can apologize, and she can say “Thank you.” (Emerson, of course, wants to be there so he can find out where all the family heirlooms are, so he can make some kind of profit from all of this.)

When they talk to Lawrence though, it turns out that it’s Louis who knows where the heirlooms are, and the whole investigation was to throw suspicion off him. Chuck also finds her father’s watch in Lawrence‘s possession.
Emerson is just getting down to planning Louis‘ surveillance, hoping he’ll find out where the loot is, when Louis is discovered in The Pie Hole’s refrigerator, now just as dead as Lawrence. In a panic, Ned calls Emerson, who says someone’s framing Ned, and that that someone already probably called the cops.
Cue cops knocking at The Pie Hole’s door.
So Ned touches Louis, and they tell him he’s gotten into Heaven, but Heaven’s about to close in a minute, so he’s got to hustle. Ned, Chuck, and the reanimated Louis scramble to Emerson’s car, which he pulls into the Pie Hole’s back alley. They also manage to find out that Louis choked on his food when he was once again accosted by an irate family member demanding a Civil War heirloom be returned. The minute runs out though before they can find out where the loot is hidden.

Upon hearing about a Civil War heirloom, Chuck recalls one of the hate letters mentioning just that, a letter written by Wilfred Woodruff. So they know who inadvertently caused Louis‘ death, and who attempted to frame Ned.
First though, they attempt to get Louis‘ body back to the funeral home, where he died. The place is all locked up though, and they break in through a basement window. Emerson however, gets Winnie the Pooh-stuck, much to Chuck’s amusement.
There’s minor panic as Ned bumps into a number of cadavers in the basement, though he quickly touches them again.
There is, however, someone else in the basement: Wilfred Woodruff (That ‘80’s Show’s Eddie Shin), who has found his family’s Civil War saber (there’s also a funny flashback to show us how an Asian-American connects to the Civil War).
Apparently, Woodruff was there the day Lawrence died, and seeing Ned run out of the funeral home, simply assumed Ned had murdered Lawrence (thus, the frame-up). A duel ensues, Woodruff armed with the saber, Ned, with some funeral home equipment.
With a little help from Chuck and Pooh-stuck-in-the-window, Ned wins the duel, and finds the loot.

Chuck then takes it upon herself to match hate letters to missing family heirlooms, and sets about gift-wrapping each item so it can be returned. Emerson also sees the error of his ways… and vows to lose some weight.

In the episode’s subplot, Olive sees Ned and Chuck kiss (through a sheet of plastic wrap) and gets light-headed, inadvertently becoming the object of Alfredo (Find Me Guilty’s Raul Esparza) Aldarisio’s attention. Alfredo’s a traveling salesman who sells homeopathic cures for all sorts of illnesses, including depression.
When Chuck is given some samples of Alfredo’s wares, and upon discovering from Louis Schatz that her aunts spiraled back into depression just as the Darling Mermaid Darlings were about to make a splashy comeback, she decides to anonymously bake them a pie, and mixes a few drops of happiness in the recipe.
But when The Delivery Boy (Malcolm In The Middle’s Victor Z. Isaac) sees the address is out of his regular area, he refuses to deliver it. Feeling sympathy for the pie and its intended recipients, Olive takes it upon herself to deliver the pie herself.
She then meets the Darling Mermaid Darlings, and is regaled of tales of their dead niece Charlotte, who happened to be the childhood sweetheart of the “Beaver Boy” next door, who grew up to be a Pie Maker.
That’s when it all clicks in Olive’s head: now she believes that Ned faked Chuck’s death, and that there’s some nefarious reason behind the conspiracy.
And in her fixation on Ned, Olive remains oblivious to the attention being paid her by Alfredo…

If you frequent the Iguana, you know I love Pushing Daisies, and this episode’s no exception.
Sure, this one’s got some defects (the motivation for the frame-up seems a little muddled, and just how did Chuck get into the funeral home anyway, given that the door was supposedly locked and Emerson Pooh had jammed up the window?), but the writing continues to be funny, and the romantic tension is still both taut and touching, and the stylized look of the show remains some of the best eye candy primetime TV has to offer.
Oh, and Jim Dale’s narration is just plain brilliant.

(Image courtesy of pushing-daisies.com.)

HEROES
Season 2
Volume Two: Generations
Chapter Three: “Kindred”
Written by: J.J. Philbin
Directed by: Paul Edwards
(WARNING: SPOILERS)

So it turns out that Ricky wants Peter to help with a heist at a local bookie’s. But while the plan’s being discussed, Peter picks up on a stray thought from Will (Star Trek: Enterprise’s Dominic Keating), who’s planning to screw everyone and take the money. Peter announces this, but of course, Ricky takes Will’s word.
Peter then tries to access his powers, shirtless of course, to better lure Caitlin into his personal gravity. Caitlin meanwhile, keeps Peter’s powers a secret and takes to calling him “pretty boy.”
The heist goes off without too much of a hitch, and Peter uses his TK to move an armoured truck to facilitate their escape. Conveniently enough, Caitlin is again the only one to witness Peter in action.
Back at the pub, Will tries to take the money, shooting Peter in the process. But the bullets are spewed out by Peter’s body, and he uses his TK to nearly strangle poor Will. Caitlin gets Peter to stop, and Will scampers off into the night.
Ricky sees all this, and takes it in stride, grateful for the save. He hands the box over to Peter, and gives him an honourary tattoo (a Celtic-inspired design) to signify his new status as a member of the family.
With the box now in his hands, Peter is still reluctant to open it, due to his fear that he may not like who he really is. And though Caitlin assures Peter that he’s a “good soul; I can tell” (I’m sure she tells that to all the shirtless, superpowered Americans who come through the pub’s door), she eventually asks him if he’s happy with who he is right now. Peter says “Yes,” and he leaves off opening the box for another day, as they go into liplock.
Meanwhile, the “Godsend” sigil is momentarily revealed to be an element hidden in the design of the tattoo, before disappearing, leaving Peter’s skin apparently untouched…

Mo returns from Haiti, much to Matt’s annoyance, since he feels he’ll need to keep an eye out for Mo while he does the deep cover stuff.
Mo moves into his new laboratory space, which happens to be poor Isaac’s loft. (Oh, look, recycled set!)
While there, he snoops around, and finds the eighth painting in the series of Isaac paintings-yet-to-take-place, and what should the image be but… (more on that later!)

Ando’s back to doing the sarariman thing at Yamagato (with a boss who does a fantastic job of looking constipated), when he notices writing on the hilt of the Takezo Kensei sword, a message for him to open the hilt, which turns out to be hollow. Inside, a bunch of teeny scrolls, upon which Hiro has apparently written to Ando from the past.
Segue into flashbacks from previous episodes, leading up to Takezo’s drive-by arrowing and regeneration.
Initially freaked-out by his insta-healing, Takezo comes around when he realizes that he’s not the only freak around (Hiro reveals his powers), and, better yet, he can become “richer than the Pope!” So Hiro, feeling he needs to force the hero issue, teleports Takezo to the place where he is to do battle with 90 angry ronin and retrieve the Fire Scroll.
Hiro waits for Takezo to return in Yaeko’s company, all the while mooning after her when she talks about the “gentle” Takezo (as opposed to the “brute” he sometimes is). Takezo returns, triumphant, and Hiro sees this as a successful mission, as Takezo has apparently succumbed to the whole “hero” thing.
Hiro says he should take his leave now that things look to be on the right track, and Takezo tries to dissuade him, saying Hiro is his “conscience.” But Hiro is steadfast. That is, until he sees Yaeko enraptured by the company of Takezo. Poor, love-smitten fool, Hiro decides he can stay for a little while longer.

And while I’m passably okay with the feudal Japan subplot at the moment, the whole Wonder Twins thing is wearing thin, and I truly hope this ends up being a pivotal, relevant thread.
Anyway, while in Mexico, Alejandro tries to steal a car in broad daylight (duh!), and is spotted by the cops. Chase ensues, which ends with Alejandro’s arrest. Maya goes to the jail, thinking to bail him out on their remaining $14.
Things go bad, of course, and Maya is about to be arrested herself when she uses her power. After being released from his cell, Alejandro calms Maya down, and saves the lives of the two cops and the American teen-ager who happened to be in the cell next to Alejandro.
Just as the Wonder Twins are about to make their great escape, the kid says he’s got a car, and they spring him too, and pile into the vehicle.

Then, in the first of two subplots that see the return of some familiar faces, we discover that D.L. died after all*, and Niki is about to leave Micah with some relatives, while she intends to go off to do something important and (what else is new?) mysterious.
Micah is brought to New Orleans, where he is greeted by (look who else just beamed down from the Enterprise), Nichelle Nichols!
We also find out that Niki has contacted Bob, and wants them to take away her powers. Bob of course, needs something in return from her (which he does not disclose, the big tease).

Returning character subplot two: Oh, look who’s in a dodgy blue screen beach. Sylar!
Apparently the rat bastard was dragged away during last season’s finale by (gasp!) Candice, the b!tch!
She’s now going by the name “Michelle,” and doesn’t look at all like Missy Peregrym (sigh). When Sylar forces “Michelle” to drop the illusion though, they turn out to be in some dingy hovel, and Sylar still has stitches from the impaling he received in the Season One finale.
Moreover, Sylar seems to have lost the powers he so painstakingly stole from all his Season One victims. And when “Michelle” tries to persuade Sylar that he needs her help (in a semi-awkward seduction scene recalling Mystique trying to get into Wolvie’s pants in X2), Sylar decides he’s going to start from Square One, today.
He bashes “Michelle” in the side of the head with a coffee mug, then proceeds to do his brain-eating thing (off screen, of course). We also see that, as was implied last season, Candice/Michelle was indeed overweight.
But when Sylar tries to use the illusion power, it doesn’t work, and frustrated, he exits the hovel, and we pull away to see it’s in the middle of a dense forest somewhere. (Didn’t recognize the geography, though the “Salvaje” clue outside the hovel makes me suspect this subplot may collapse into another one somewhere down the road.)

And, to address last episode’s cliffhanger, Claire tries to convince West that he didn’t actually see what he thought he saw. West of course, is dead certain he saw her cut off her toe, and that it grew back.
West makes Claire cry (the schmuck!), but then reveals to her that he can fly! (Taking off from school premises in broad daylight. Sure, students were in class just then, but there are such things as windows, doofus!)
Cue more dodgy effects and iffy flying bits. Later, on a beach somewhere, West and Claire get into a “who’s got the cooler power” debate. Claire then sees the tell-tale mark on the neck of someone who’s been abducted by the Company. And when she quizzes West, he tells her that he lost an entire day once, and the last thing he remembers before the lost day was a man with Horn-Rimmed Glasses.
(I’m gonna have to check at this point, but didn’t West see Mr. B in the parking lot, when he almost ran Claire over in Chapter One? Or were his eyes too locked onto Claire? And whatever happened to Claire’s car? Did we even file police reports? Or is that how far beneath the radar the “Butlers” need to stay that they won’t even do that?)
When Claire gets back home, she greets Mr. B, and gives him a loaded, foreboding look.
At the same time, Mo snaps the Isaac painting with his cell and zaps the jpeg over to Mr. B.
The image? A very dead Mr. B, shot through the eye, with Claire standing in the shadowed background, apparently being kissed by some shadowy figure or other. (Or at least, it looked like she was being kissed…)

Okay. Though I did appreciate the story Hiro was telling Ando, the “real” one, as opposed to the Takezo legends Hiro grew up with, and Hayden Panettiere continues to knock her scenes out of the park, the episode itself felt scattershot.
Again, as with some of the more problematic episodes from Season 1, this one seemed to have too many subplots, and some (like the Wonder Twins one) are quickly becoming tiresome. Honestly, what still keeps me nominally engaged with the plight of the Wonder Twins is Dania Ramirez’s performance. Clearly, she was underutilized in X-Men: The Last Stand.

On the plus side though, Mr. B is apparently getting sucked into the whole murder mystery (and here I thought the potential victims would be limited to the earlier generation of “heroes”), and there’s the implication that Claire will have something to do with his murder. I just hope that this subplot develops well, and the fact that Claire is being implicated in the murder-to-be, brings something interesting to my pet theory regarding the killer’s identity. (I am also taking Bob’s cue and being a tease at this point.)

I am concerned though that they’ve apparently kick-started 3 new subplots (the powerless Sylar; Micah in New Orleans; and Niki doing stuff for Bob), while still having all the others on-board, and with the post-Veronica Mars Kristen Bell still unseen.
Clear some of the board, people.

It’s also unfortunate that they couldn’t get Missy Peregrym back to reprise her role as Candice, since she’d already been shanghaied by Reaper. As a result, what was reportedly intended to be a multi-episode arc featuring a Sylar/Candice team-up, ended up being just another brain sandwich for Sylar. Sigh.

Oh, and no Granny P, Mrs. B, and Mr. Muggles this chapter. Boo! Hiss!

* Whether D.L. died as a result of the wound he received in Season 1’s tail-end, or some other occurrence in the four months which took place off-screen, has yet to be established.

(Images courtesy of comicbookresources.com.)