Season 2, Episode 7 - Out of Time

What was there not to like about “Out of Time”?

The two most popular complaints I’ve heard were addressed/not addressed in this episode. First, no Nikki and Paolo wonder twins. Hallelujah. Second, the stories are starting to intermingle again. I remember a lot of complaints during the first season that it was difficult to keep up with all of the storylines. That was rectified at the end of the season, but it reared its head again at the beginning of this season. Finally, seven episodes in, the heroes are coming together again.

Mohinder, Parkman, Nathan, Bob and Niki are connected now. As Maury closes in to kill Bob, they all have to team together to hold him off. First, it was nice to finally see Bob flustered a little. He’s spent the whole season as this guy who is always in control, but here he was genuinely afraid of Maury…and for good reason. We got another dose of what Matt’s dad is capable of as he uses Niki’s memory of DL to send her after Bob. Finally, Parkman steps up and tests the limits of his abilities, locking Maury in his own nightmare and escaping with Molly. Niki uses the cure/Shanti virus to stop herself, which, I assume, will be the breaking point for the coming pandemic. And Mohinder completely sells out Noah, and seems to be fully aligned with the Company now.

In the future, Peter is separated from Caitlin, but reunited with his mother. She helps him to regain his memory (I’m still not sure what her power is…persuasion, maybe?) so he can finally become the hero that we’ve been waiting for. We find out that Nathan was killed in the first outbreak of the virus (first outbreak…maybe it comes in waves), and Angela convinces Peter to go back to prevent the outbreak. Before he can return, though, Caitlin is taken away into quarantine, and they are separated. So is Peter going to have to go back to the future to rescue her, or back to the past to prevent her from going in the first place. Ah, the mindfreak continues.

Obligatory Claire/West storyline. He forces himself into her house (creepy). He realizes that Noah “bagged and tagged” him a few years ago. When Noah realizes that they’ve been exposed, he orders the family to move, which royally pisses of Claire. While I’m really interested in the strain that’s developed in the family, I’m needing more from this storyline.

Finally, Hiro’s story comes to a conclusion. I was really digging this subplot during the beginning of the season, but it seemed to plod along and become more and more mundane. Its resolution was a great payoff. I’m sure that everyone had guessed that Hiro was going to be the Kensei of legend for a while now, but the really beautiful part for me was the deal about “cutting out his heart”. I wasn’t sure how it fit in when it was used last season, but it was really a beautiful moment here.

So, in stealing Yaeko, Hiro essentially drove Kensei to be a complete madman. Kensei vows to destroy everything that Hiro loves, which drives him to murder the elder Nakamura on the rooftop (confirmed by Greg Beeman in the latest Beaming Beeman update). And in the future, he is Adam Monroe, the man behind the scenes, ordering the deaths of the Twelve. I can’t wait to see a rematch between Hiro and Kensei.

Honestly, despite my love for this episode, it frustrated me more than any episode thus far. This season of Heroes has been more of a roller coaster ride than any other show that I’ve ever watched. I’m ready for them to get back to ranging from good to great, rather than from mundane to great, you know? Also, I’m concerned about the formula rut that the show seems to fall into. The heroes journey into the future to see a catastrophe, and then have to return to the present to avert it. I’d like to see a change, but with only four episode left before the potential second season finale, I feel like the show is running out of time.

Regardless, much improved episode over last week. A-