Season 3

[TRu]

Talk about episode 3x07 "Eris Quod Sum" here!

[Manderlin]

Arthur to Peter: "Until you change that attitude, your grounded!"   

[D Rok]

o ya that one had me rollin!!!!!!!

[Limping Rocket]

AWESOME !!!

[xcessev]

Translation please... What does the title mean??

[GoldenGait]

Quod Sum Eris means "I am what you will be" and is a very old, Latin phrase used traditionally on gravestones.  Which is just an awesome title: it invokes such a feeling of foreboding. 

I'm quite impressed with the literary, poetic, and cultural references they've been making with this season's titles.  Thinking back to season one, we had a bunch of Duh Titles: Homecoming, Parasite, 0.7%, Run!, Five Years Gone, Hiros, etc.  Season two was only slightly less banal: Four Months Later, Fight or Flight, Powerless, Cautionary Tales, etc.  This season we've had a reference to Yeats for 3x01, a nod to chaos theory at the turn of the century (1890-1906) for 3x02, a line from a Hindu epic poem and a quote from a nuclear scientist for 3x04, a reference to a 70s science fiction movie and a early 20th century poem written for a dying father for 3x06, and now this Latin headstone inscription.  Very cool.  I'm loving this extra depth!

GG

[aries]

Very interesting, is it Monday yet?

[xcessev]

Thanks GG

I agree with you that there have been  VERY good thought provoking  titles this season.
I think that overall the entire writing of the show has improved dramatically...probably because season 2 was such a wash due to the strike

[xcessev]

p.s. I knew that this was most likely a Latin phrase but I semi-toyed with the idea that it might be some type of scrambled word code...

MUSE OR SQUID, anyone ?!

[TRu]

Still 1 H 30 M to go for me!

Share your thoughts on the episode people!

[GoldenGait]

I know I already posted something about the meaning of this episode's title, but after a few days thought... I have more thoughts on the subject.  :-)  So please excuse a brief reiteration of the main points before I get to the rest of my review.  As I said before, Eris Quod Sum means "I am what you will be" and is a very old, Latin phrase used traditionally on gravestones. Which is just an awesome title: it invokes such a feeling of foreboding. Are they referring to sons becoming their fathers? Peter or Sylar into Arthur, and Matt into Maury? Are they making a specific reference to death (especially since they showed us the "death" of four main characters in this hour)? Are they referring to the millions of people with no current abilities who will soon purchase the serum and become what the heroes are?

Very nice use of exposition: Peter's set of flashbacks of his father was a nice way to reiterate the storyline without the exposition seeming forced. And I loved Arthur's, "Son, until you change that attitude, you're grounded." Kind of cheesy, but enjoyable nonetheless.

The reveal of Elle in the Bennet's house, twitchy and barely in control of herself, was well done. I wasn't expecting that at all. I liked her unflinching attempt at electrocuting Claire, as well as how Claire dragged Elle towards the front door by her hair (cat fight!). I felt so bad for poor Elle, strung out and OD'ing on her own power, and just looking for a kind father figure to tell her everything's going to be all right. Also, did anyone else notice the two Wizard of Oz references in this scene? Lyle stops Elle in her tracks by throwing a bucket of water on her, and the final line of the scene was Elle's, "Okay, Dorothy. Let's go see the wizard."

Arthur's, "Have you met their mother?" explanation for why he faked his own death was funny. Now that's what I call an acrimonious split. But what I want to know is why Mohinder took Maya with him? Haven't they only known each other for a couple weeks? Couple days? I didn't believe his profession of "feelings" at all. But it's time for the Happy Dance! Maya doesn't have a power anymore! She can go home!

Angela's "Make Mommy proud," was creepy, but goodness: the way the door flew across the room as Sylar twitched two fingers and escaped was cool. That's one of my favorite Sylar moves: the conservation of movement badassness. (My two favorites of all time were his flinging of HRG against the wall of his cell--"That was for the haircut,"--and the way he flipped the police van that Ted was being transported in.)

Arthur's using his own son to test Mohinder's formula? That's cold. And I was wondering how long it would be before we were treated to a Sylar/Mohinder battle now that both of them are a little more evenly matched, and especially now that their outlooks on life, morality, and the use of abilities have undergone... rearrangement. But I was a little disappointed. Sylar just doesn't fight back anymore. These showdowns are no fun if Sylar just lays there and gets pummeled. This did clear up something for us all, though: Sylar is Arthur's son. No mystery Baby Daddy here.

"...Reminder for passengers to turn off all electrical equipment!" Funny line, fabulous character scene for both of them, but who in the world thought it would be a good idea to put that girl on a plane? Dumb. That's the one mode of transportation that I would think would be immediately ruled out when planning this little Sisterhood of the Traveling Powers road trip. Which is what it should have been. A road trip. On the ground. Still, aside from that, I loved the scene. Kristen Bell really impressed me in this episode. Kudos, babe.

Maury's dead? Maury's dead? Whoa! Where did that come from? I was super confused at this point. So Angela's latest vision is completely rewritten now, right? Two of the villains are dead. After a moment I let Maury's death go, but when Matt and Daphne both apparently bought the farm, I had to cry foul on theirs. No way was this actually happening. Not that I minded the obvious false-plot; I figured there would be a decent explanation. I could even have gone along with both Maury and Daphne being killed (easily and boringly), but Matt was too much. And once this bout of fake character deaths is over, Heroes, please quit it. Ando, Maury, Daphne, Matt... We're just not getting faked out anymore. This is turning into The Boy Who Cried Wolf. (I'm putting Maury in the "fake death" category because of all the other fake deaths this week, and because I think Maury made Daphne see that in order to convince her Arthur meant business. I bet he's still manipulating her into recruiting Matt.)

I liked the suspension of Sylar in Arthur's office and the revelation that Angela tried to drown Baby!Gabriel. (If we can trust a single thing Arthur says.) But once again--what's with the fake deaths? You're not going to kill off Peter, and trying to make us believe it as the cliffhanger before a commercial break was just silly. And to expect us to believe that he fell that far and not die? I thought it was pretty obvious immediately that Sylar had tossed him out the window and then buffered his fall with telekinesis in order to save his brother. Still... Kind of cool. I'm curious where they're going with Sylar's allegiance here.

Ohhh... Bring on the exposition with Tracy, Nathan, HRG, and Meredith. I understand the relationships of this show are a little convoluted and complicated at this point, and I understand that new viewers are probably totally confused by all the heroic inbreeding there seems to be, but I didn't like Ali's delivery here about Claire's family. Exposition is often necessary, but there is a way it can be done that doesn't seem obvious, awkward, or heavy-handed. This attempt was all three of those. But speaking of awkward, the three-way "Soooo....." look between Tracy, Meredith, and Nathan after HRG walks away was actually very funny.

I liked the first few moments between Peter and Nathan when Peter revealed that their father was still alive. But just the first few moments. The acting continued to be good, given what was scripted for them, but Nathan took the news of a resurrected father amazingly well. "Seriously? Dad's alive? Nah. He's dead. Really? Are you sure he's alive? Huh. Okay." Little more confusion here was necessary. And does Nathan know Sylar's their brother, too?

Bits and Pieces:

    * Turtle sighting!
    * Daphne just looks so tiny next to Matt! They don't look like a good, believable couple. Not visually, anyway.
    * No more flame-in-the-palm gags! Just stop. I'm getting really bugged here.
    * Wow. Tiny Hiro clip this week. I'm guessing next week will be Hiro's vision? I'm on board.

To wrap up my review this week, I have a slightly off-topic funny finding to share with you. I was doing some research on neonatal amniotic band syndrome and I ran across a 2000 article in the Archives of Diseases in Childhood called "Fetal acalvaria with amniotic band syndrome." And the author of this commentary on the non-genetic causes of a rare birth defect? Dr. Chandran Suresh. :-) Not kidding, look it up! (True, it would be cooler if that "n" wasn't at the end, but still, I got a big kick out of it.)

GG

[aries]

I wouldn't be surprised if that is where Heroes came up with the Dr. Suresh's name.  The producer and writers of Heroes have put alot of research and thought in the show, they are brilliant.

Arthur Petrelli and Sylar were the stars of this episode.  Peter has such a tough fight all the time.  I loved seeing Claire and Elle together.  I wasn't sure, is Daphne really on Matt's side? 

Good show but it seemed too short, not enough of Hiro.  I'm looking forward to next week, it's gonna be a good one!!!   

[PhantomLord]

Before I begin, does anyone know why is there going to be a two-week break?

1st of all, Sylar, my favourite hero since season 1 (yes, I liked him even though he was a serial killer. The only thing I liked about him is that he was the only one who could fully use his abilities where he needed them). I think he didn't by that BS that Arthur told him about Angela. Come on, the guy originally "knows how things work", and he has a perfect memory, he just can't be stupid. Why would anyone believe a guy who pretended to be dead for almost a year? I'm also a bit disappointed that when Sylar tries to be good and suppress his hunger, he becomes a vegetable. Remember how he didn't even notice that Peter didn't have his scar? And he could not protect his son from Knox, who is actually a piece of cake for someone like Sylar. It seems like the writers are trying to say that only bad guys are smart (or you that if you're smart enough, you will be "on the dark side"). Cannot agree with that at all
I think Sylar plays his own game, he can quit almost any moment and I think he just enjoys being on the edge.
At the moment, I cannot see how Angela & Co are going to fight Arthur. Come on, the guy can kill anyone around him (with Maya's ability), he can teleport, he can see the future.Almost forgot, he cannot be harmed like Adam. And, most importantly, we always saw lack of communication between heroes, like Peter didn't tell Sylar or Nathan to never let Arthur touch them, I guess only Peter knows how strong Arthur is, but he won't tell anyone. Also, I'd find it logical for Clair to donate some blood for her uncle.

2nd of all, Clair. Clearly, whe will never be happy. She will not have cancer, she won't age and always remain young and s*xy and guess what? she's not happy about it. She just wants "to be normal". A message to Clair - a normal average person will be thrilled to have superpowers! So if you want to get rid of them - you're not normal already

"...Reminder for passengers to turn off all electrical equipment!" Funny line, fabulous character scene for both of them, but who in the world thought it would be a good idea to put that girl on a plane? Dumb.

That's what Clair is about, I'm not surprised here. It was a dumb thing to go to PineHearst from the first place, and it's not because we know what PineHearst is, but because Elle already worked for the "company" and when you deal with another company, they can treat you as enemies.
I feel guilty after criticizing, so I have to say that Hayden does a great job of showing a teenager blond that has issues
I cannot say I was surprised to see Elle, because really, where would she go? No family, no friends, she can't do anything to earn her living, she could not just disappear. I was surprised when Angela told her off. Despite of Elle's unability to get anything done right, she is not the kind of a person to have in the list of enemies. I really thought Elle was going to fry Angela after what she told her.

Code:

No more flame-in-the-palm gags!

Honestly. It's like Meredith is too afraid that everyone will forget what her power is. Come on, the audience is not that stupid If you're looking for a "thing" that makes your character rememberable (like Janice's 'Oh..my..god!') that's probably not the best solution.
Matt-Dafne. I cannot see how Dafne can trick Matt since he can always know what she's thinking about. I think this is probably the biggest stretch here, how can you trick a mind-reader, honestly?
Anyway, I really enjoyed the show, I know that the world will be saved, and nothing shows how it can be done yet. I really like that. The triangle between Nathan, Tracy and Meredith was awsome, although I cannot see why Nathan was so happy to see Meredith, she blackmailed him for $100k!! I'm really curious to see what happened between Nathan and Meredith long in the past.
What do you think about "the Formula"? I thought there were only two pieces of the formula, why can't they assemble them together? Is there a third part?

[scw55]

I just wanted to bring up the point of:

Meredith - Fire
Tracy - Ice

Opposing forces. Well, Ice is more cool and impressive than water would be. "LOL I R DROWNZ U WIT MA LAZERZ" Or "I soak you and you will suffer from a nasty cold!"



I had a thought also. Arthur stole *all* of Peter's powers. Correct? But, Peter went into the future and learnt/unlocked Sylar's original power of Season 1 Villinary. So Arthur we asume unknowingly now has an unquenchable hungry which will ultimately destroy him. Is this the sacrafise Peter had to elegedly make? To be the carrier of a Parasitic Power?

[Save The World]

I just have to add my own AAAUUUUGGGGHHHHH!!!!! to Meredith and her palm flames.  If you're gonna do something to impress or scare . . . that just ain't gonna do it.  I was joking with my wife that she's only good for lighting cigarettes or as a literal human torch (lighting the way in a dark area).  Just plain frustrating.  FLAME ON for cryin' out loud!  That would get me psyched!  I'm beginning to think the only reason her apartment burned down 17 years ago (however old Claire is) is that she was lighting her own cigarette and fell asleep but forgot to turn her palm off.  Sheesh! 

Overall, I thought there were some good moments but it was a fairly awkward episode.  Some good lines, but some things that just made me go "huh?".
1) I know Claire's ticked at her dad, but come on.  The dude knows his stuff and can help her and Elle.  Why go to another "company" for answers?  Elle trusted Noah enough to go to his house, so Claire should trust him, too.
2) Come on, Elle!  I know your electricity flares up without warning, but let's take a plane!  There's NO danger there!  Sheesh. 
3) Nathan could have easily flown off to see where Mohinder went.  But no.  He just stands there and watches him escape.   
4) Nathan ignores not only his brother's warnings about their father, but also the cuts and bruises on his brother's body (due to their father) and goes to "kick in the doors" of Pinehurst and get some answers.  Wait a minute . . . isn't that what Peter tried with his umpteen abilities and . . . it didn't end well.  Nathan is going to fly in and . . . what?  Hmmmmm.
5) Matt the Mind Reader . . . is oblivious to what's going on.  It used to be that he just heard things no matter what.  Not he has to concentrate to hear what's going on in one person's head.  Doesn't make sense.  That or he knows what's going on and is going along for the ride.
6) Hiro's constant reluctance to go back in time to change things.  BUT wasn't it Future Hiro who said "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World?"  He'll make little blip moves, but  . . . grrrrr.

Things I did like:
1) Perhaps the writers finally listened to us Maya-haters (Sorry, Isaac Mendez) and found a way to get rid of her.
2) Arthur.  He's creepy and just plain bad.  At least that's how it seems.  Remember that's what we thought about HRG for almost all of Season 1.  His non-chalant killing of Maury . . . chilling.  But I am starting to think that perhaps that was all staged because Maury's seeming sudden concern for his son's well being was . . . well . . . sudden . . . and unexplained because of his harsh treatment of Matt last season.
3) Seeing the Heroes start to choose sides and Sylar kind of in the middle for right now.  Elle basically had no choice but to go to Pinehurst.  Her powers were out of control and she was kicked out of Primatech.  Not only did her father treat her poorly, but then Angela showed no sympathy for Elle that her father had just died, berated her for allowing the escape on Level 5 (and let's face it . . . she almost died as well), then kicked her out of the company.  So it was either go to Pinehurst or go throughout the rest of her life in constant agony.
4) Matt's little mind trick on Knox.  Really cool.

I agree that the writers are giving the main characters (with the exception of Sylar) an extreme lack of common sense and dim-wittedness.  They REALLY need to start having these people start using their heads more.  Anyone else think that they actually need to start hiring comic book writers? 

One last thing.  Arthur now has the two parts of the formula but they still can't piece it together?  They need Mohinder's help?  Am I getting that right?  Does anyone else get the feeling there's a third part to this formula?  Hiro has the key, apparently . . . and it sure as heck wasn't Adam.  Even though the next episode is a "flashback" perhaps we'll find out more about this.  Maybe a meeting between Kaito and Arthur that shows a falling out of some sort and Kaito taking a third piece from the forumla and hiding it somewhere?  The sword, perhaps?