Heroes: Daddy Issues

Has there ever been a show that felt as busy as "Heroes" does, but didn't make you feel like anything was really happening?

I mean, there were certainly a lot of scenes, characters, action and even some forward movement involved in last night's installment "Eris Quod Sum" (which very roughly translates to "You will become that which I am"), but none of it made much of an impact. It feels like this season keeps building up to something big, but my fear is that once we get there, we won't even realize we've reached this volume's climax because the show rarely takes the time to slow down and catch its breath (that's why it's not a bad thing that the show is off next week).

The latest episode was bookended by Hiro and Ando consulting with the African precog before consuming some nasty paste and going on a spirit quest of their ow — sorry, I got bored just writing that sentence. If Masi Oka sued the producers for defamation of character for what they've done to Hiro this season, is there any way he loses?

In between, we delved deeper into the Petrelli family saga as Arthur (pictured, left) continued to get stronger and recruit people with abilities for Pinehearst.

Last week I wondered if a powerless Peter would be more interesting and the answer is "not really." We got another scene where he acted indignant toward a parent (this time it was dad, instead of mom) before he got "grounded." At least he provided some (unintentional?) comedy courtesy of his laughable escape attempt. His plan was to take the railing off the stretcher he was handcuffed to, hide in the corner and charge at his all-powerful dad. I can't believe that didn't work!

Sylar/Gabriel continues to be a lot more compelling as he escaped from level 5 thanks to a psychic push from his comatose mom and rescued Peter. Of course, that was before he was captured himself, persuaded by Arthur that Angela tried to drown him when he was a baby (we don't doubt this, right?) and threw Peter out of a seven-story window. Peter survived, but I felt like the show pushed the point that Sylar softened Peter's fall way too much for the benefited of us, the stupid audience. Once Peter questioned his own survival, we understood — by the time Arthur expressed doubts to Sylar about Peter's survival, it was too much, especially when you consider Sylar is likely positioning himself as a double agent with Pinehearst and needs Arthur's trust.

I also enjoyed seeing Sylar mix it up with Mohinder, who's been constantly tormented by Sylar. It was also kind of a kick to see Mohinder actually be able to fight back. Despite the fact that Mohinder is working with a shadowy company to find out the nature of super powered beings (again!), I like him at Pinehearst (and not at Central Park kidnapping drug dealers) where he might potentially have to work with Sylar.

The most interesting thing about the Petrelli story was that Arthur revealed his plan was NOT to give everyone abilities, as we saw in the future. That leads to the question of what Arthur's plans really are, as well as when and how they go awry. Ok, maybe that was the third best thing. The second most interesting thing was how Arthur coldly killed Maury, who actually showed he cared about his son (a little). Unlike Adam Monroe's death, which was quick and lame, Maury's death was quick but helped establish Arthur's character as a man who gives little thought to killing someone. The most interesting thing, of course, is that Arthur took Maya's powers away, which means we're pretty much done with her and she's likely to pack up her tank tops and be gone for good.

Not to be left out of the Petrelli family saga, Nathan (with Tracy) decided to pay his dad a visit after spending what seemed like a really long time in Mohinder's lair. H.R.G. (did he really need to tase that guy in the cocoon — hadn't he suffered enough) and Meredith stopped by to clean up the mess and set up a funny line from Tracy about Claire's three parents. I know the show can feel scattered at times, but I was actually enjoying the period when Nathan and Tracy were discovering their powers on their own, and I'm not really sure I want them involved in the Petrelli Family Drama (alternate title for "Heroes").

Claire had her own hands full after receiving a visit from an out-of-control Elle. The idea that some "Heroes" can't control their abilities is interesting and hasn't really been revisited since Atom Bomb Ted in season 1. The two had a brief fight, but I'm still not entirely buying Claire as a badass. I was actually more impressed by the fact that her brother Lyle finally did something cool (dumping that bucket on Elle). Hayden Panettiere and Kristen Bell are strong actresses, but I wasn't really buying their bonding session, especially within the context of the silly airplane scene. They decided to go to Pinehearst to cure what ails them, but after Peter fell from the building, Claire picked him up and took him to safety. Meanwhile, Elle decided to stay at Pinehearst — because if I see someone get thrown from a building window, I immediately want to go into that building.

It doesn't seem like Parkman and Daphne will be going into that building anytime soon, since they're presumed dead. Parkman used his power to trick Knox (who feels like he has to remind us he feeds off of fear every week) into thinking he'd killed them. After falling for Hiro's blood packet trick, maybe Knox's superhero name should be Easily Bamboozled Man.
This was after Daphne had hesitated to kill Parkman per Arthur's orders herself. Although I was strangely ok with Parkman being dead (his ties to other characters are flimsy at best), I thought his creating that illusion for Knox was a neat little twist. However, the idea that Daphne is still really working for Arthur was one twist too many.

So what'd you think of this episode? Does Meredith have to do the little fireball-on-her-palm thing every time she enters a room? Why does Mohinder want to keep his powers (at the expense of his complexion)? Finally, what do you think Arthur is really up to?