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‘Heroes’: Claire’s crisis and daddy Petrelli revealed

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Ah, good ole’ ‘Heroes.’ Watch the birdie up here while the other hand picks your pocket.

Seems Matt Parkman’s (absent this episode) poppa Maury is back, leading many heroes and villains around in a maze using masterful misdirection and the image of Linderman. All the more jolly when we find that he is not the ringleader. It’s Mr. Arthur Petrelli, father of Nathan and Peter, husband (or ex) of Angela. Running the show all from a bed where he lies immobile, ordering around the likes of Daphne and Knox. Though heavily promoted (to the dislike of some) that was the last five minutes of the show -- let’s talk about the rest.

The hunger has made Peter crazy. He kills Sylar, then goes after mom. Dutiful son Sylar heals himself and knocks out Peter. Not sure how they’re going to resolve this, but it’s one of the more interesting storylines.

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Claire is showing her high school age. She goes after one of the few villains who can actually hurt her. Worse, Steven Canfield can make her disappear altogether by pulling her into a mini black hole! Cool power, by the way. Poor guy, though, commits suicide (as far as we know) instead of being forced to kill Sylar by HRG. Sylar is definitely playing with HRG’s brain when he tells Claire that her father will never understand them -- but there’s more than a hint of reality in the statement. Claire knows it, she’s not totally clueless. Sidenote: Claire’s birth mom, Meredith, goes after her and is now in the clutches of Eric Doyle, whom we’ll call the puppet master until we know more.

Another not totally clueless woman, despite previous encounters, is Maya. She quickly figures out something’s wrong with Mohinder. Was it the unnatural strength, peeling skin, blood stains on the floor, or coccooned people in the lab that gave it away? Maya could’ve blinked and taken him and everyone else in the room out with her black tears, but she chose not to. Great control, good morals, but now you’re in a coccoon, too. And Nathan and Tracy are about to pay Mohinder a visit.

Speaking of Nathan -- so he’s not REALLY a genetic hero. He and Tracy were more or less created by the Company. Tracy: ‘You think God gave us these powers?’ Nathan: ‘If he didn’t then who did?’ Tracy: ‘A doctor in Reseda, California.’ Big deflation there, and that, along with his Linderman sightings and his conniving mom, could change Nathan’s Christian course.

Hiro and Ando have let Adam Monroe loose on the world, though for only a little while until Knox grabbed him. They provide comic relief, but sometimes their bumbling makes me cringe. And Hiro’s over-the-top devotion to being a hero is a huge flaw to exploit, as a dead Ando (for now) can attest to. No doubt he’ll go back in time, but to be able to kill him the first time is a pretty serious breach of friendship. We’ve seen where this can lead.

Is Sylar the problem with the show? Zach Quinto is a great actor, but could his character be dragging down the show? TV Guide’s Senior Critic Matt Roush says no, though the well-phrased explanation by Kelly H. makes you pause a bit and wonder.

Ratings encouragement? NBC put out a press release touting its DVR numbers, which basically increased the show’s premiere rating by 20% in the 18 to 49 demographic. So, the slide was not as bad as many thought, but it was still a far cry from the soaring first season numbers.

In case you missed the episode, here’s a quick scene:

-- Jevon Phillips

Photos: NBC.com

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