‘Heroes’: A ‘Cold Snap’ fells two
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We’ve seen this before on ‘Heroes,’ but has a major character really and truly been killed off in this ‘Cold Snap’ episode? Looks like it, and one more was thrown in for good measure.
We’ll see if it’s really beneficial for the show, but the suspense and anticipation has built up among fans. It’s also finally time to go full-fledged after Rebel, Hiro gets back in the game (yes!) and Angela Petrelli and Noah Bennet continue to be great characters without having flashy powers.
But it starts with Danko. In a semi-spooky opening, I really thought something huge was about to be revealed. Does Danko have a power too? Is that why he hates the heroes so much? But no, he just gets a gift-wrapped puppeteer in the form of Eric Doyle dropped unconscious in his living room by a (most likely) Sylar-shaped benefactor. Noah later asks Danko how he got him. Danko’s answer? ‘I’m smarter than the average bear.’ Points to Bryan Fuller for writing in a Yogi Bear reference!
It’s kind of amazing how Angela and Noah can have these full-on conversations in limos, parks etc. right in front of us (the viewers), yet we still have no idea what their overall plan/agenda is (at least, I don’t).
Rebel strikes, helping free Tracy Strauss by shutting down Building 26. I’m not liking Miss Selfish Tracy, though she does at least free Mohinder and Matt before fleeing. She and they should have definitely realized that they were being watched/tracked. Noah’s ‘Rebel, rebel’ line when the lights go out is classic too. Don’t tell me it didn’t remind you of the Hamburglar.
So, Tracy is stalked, and HRG gets to deliver another doozy when cornering her in a clothing store, saying, ‘It’ll be a big, fat cut to black’ if Tracy doesn’t help them get Rebel. She should be too smart to always let this tactic, appealing to her selfish tendencies, work on her. But it does every time. She leaves with a deal, and right behind her is ...
A growth spurt, a voice change and presto! -- a now teenage Micah. A teenage Rebel, actually. Angela’s and HRG’s conversations allude to the fact that they, or at least she, knows who Rebel was. I knew too, as did many of you. Wasn’t the hardest thing to figure out.
Swoosie Kurtz gets a quick cameo and a great line when meeting up with the on-the-run Angela Petrelli. ‘You look like you’ve been mugged, and the first thing they stole was your dignity.’ Awesome, and she even helps the dignified Angela out with a little cash. By this time, though, Angela is being tracked and needs saving.
Matt Parkman’s baby also seems to have a Micah-like power with electronics, but it turns out to be much more than that. We’re still not sure if Matt even knows about his kid, but Rebel does, and sent Hiro and Ando to protect him. Of course, the government knocks on the door, messing things up. As they’re about to be captured after Ando’s lame attempt at heroism, the baby touches Hiro. Powers back! Yatta! Kind of. Hiro is able to stop time but not teleport. One out of two ain’t bad, though, and he grabs lil Matt and shoves a time-frozen Ando out of harm’s way. As the most ‘heroic’ of the heroes, he needs to be in play, and it’s been a comedy of errors -- so to speak -- that he hasn’t been in action.
Micah knows they will follow Tracy, but not that she will lead them. As she says, she’s not his mom. Tracy is berated by Micah for being selfish (good for him), so Tracy, being Tracy, has to prove him wrong -- in a fatal way. But what a way for Ali Larter to exit the series, if that is indeed what happened. Creating a cold zone, flash freezing the soldiers, their guns, cars, the walls and floor, then ultimately herself to let Micah escape. Danko’s gunshot shatters her body, but she took her own life. Rumors of Larter’s departure have been swirling for a while, and I just saw the trailer for ‘Obsessed,’ her film with Beyoncé, so if she is indeed done, she’ll be fine.
Back to the show ... Angela Petrelli is surrounded and about to be captured when the prodigal son returns to save her. Not the one she thought would come, as Peter flies to the rescue. Did HRG really sell her out, as she mockingly advised him to do? Probably.
In a great turn, Matt Parkman sits at the bedside of his love, Daphne the speedster. She wakes up but decides to run away to Paris. Matt finds her quickly on top of a building. He flies there and proceeds to fly her around the Eiffel Tower, but she knows it’s not real. As he flies her to the moon, we go back bedside to hear the flat-line buzz. Very nice moment of telepathy as Parkman gives her a last, lasting memory.
You had to enjoy this episode. Things happened, moves were made and secrets were revealed. Larter’s Tracy Strauss was always supposed to be a wild card, but she followed self-preservation so closely that it made her a bit less interesting. With Micah back, will Monica follow -- both of them much better at using their powers? How will Matt deal with Daphne’s death and the discovery of his own child?
It’s good that there are meaty questions and anticipation again. Hopefully, the show can sustain this momentum. And we haven’t even talked full-on Sylar, yet.
-- Jevon Phillips
Photos: NBC / Getty Images
