Review: Heroes - Cold Wars

The ragtag crew of Parkman, Peter and Mohinder have abducted Noah. But to what end? Well to interrogate him. Parkman seeks to find a memory that will explain the recent turn of events while drugging him severely. Peter and Mohinder are flip flopping on the methods Parkman is using to get to the truth. During the interrogation, we're treated to a Sprint commercial. Actually, a series of black and white flashbacks. The first depicts a meeting between Noah and Mrs. Petrelli five weeks earlier. Noah is essentially forced into retirement (he even got a watch!) but has qualms about the whole thing. What's with this sudden remorse coming from Mrs. Petrelli? And why is Noah so gung ho again about the company when he's always wanted to be the father to Claire that he never was? I guess we're supposed to believe these complete reversals in character? The second shows Noah as the loving husband, at home enjoying retirement by doing a crossword puzzle (four weeks earlier). Until he is interrupted by one Nathan Petrelli at the door. One Nathan Petrelli that wants to pull on Noah's urge to continue the collection of mutants. You see, Nathan has this perverse notion that mutants still need to be wrangled and Primatech failed where his plan will work. Why is Noah questioning this motive? Just one week earlier he was hesitant to take the watch. But now he's ok with eliminating the abilities? He's the voice of reason? Within one week Noah has completely switched sides. And he has a veritable bonanza of weapons and information about the mutants. Peter promptly flies to a storage locker that Parkman solicited from Noah's mind and checks it out. What's inside? Everything that Noah had at his house. But someone is watching. Someone in Building 16, which we now know that is the name of the new Superhero Registration Act headquarters where Nathan's number one is getting sassy with his questions. Cue dispatch by Nathan to capture Peter as opposed to kill him. This is going to end well. The assault squad come face to face witha grenade as Peter merrily flies off through the tunnel. Now we're at three weeks ago. Nathan presents Noah to Building 26, and Noah brings up a few ground rules. Noah's notion of "one of us, one of them" is not quite as well received as he would've liked, which causes him to doubt his recent decision to enlist. Noah is intelligent to realize that he needs help with this because it wasn't what he signed on for. So he approaches Mohinder about an alliance to stop the program before it gets out of hand. The wheels are coming off among the trio. Parkman thinks Mohinder is going through a superiority complex because he doubts Parkman's motives. But its not that he doubting his motives, rather, he doesn't want Parkman to learn that Noah approached him. The lies are tearing the family apart! Noah uses his wiliness to try to escape until Peter returns. One week ago. Noah visits Danko at his new apartment in Washington, DC to try and clear the air. Danko is confident that he is better at Noah's job than he is. And that's all Parkman needs to know to send Peter on another mission, this time to confront Danko himself. The confrontation is being viewed by Nathan at Building 16 (doesn't Peter realize that if the storage locker is monitored then Danko's apartment will be as well?). Iny any case, Danko tries to turn the tables on Peter and make him out to be the bad guy for breaking in and aiming the gun at him. Danko is basically Senator Kelly from X-Men. But he's not an idiot, as he questions how Nathan got there so fast (raises the eyebrows). The inadvertent gunshot that Peter got off hit Danko's arm and apparently didn't phase him at all. Back at the hotel, the squad is making an assault seeking Parkman and Mohinder. Which, in true government fashion, is a methodical plan. Actually, they just bang down every door until they find the one they're looking for. Meanwhile, Parkman makes one more visit inside Noah's past. Noah is at Building 26 where Noah is tending the gunshot in Daphne's shoulder. Yes kids, she's alive. This freezes Parkman who is caught, until Peter flies down to grab him. The two of them fly back to Isaac's apartment. Does this place just not get rented anymore? And is it always ready for an artist to paint something? Parkman ends up painting another world destruction scene, only this time the scene is Washington DC. Mohinder's plan to stall them didn't work to well as he took out about two guys and was then taken out. Mohinder is approached by Nathan now with the intention of getting all the powers out of the mutants so everyone is normal. How does he approach him? By threatening their extinction. This episode was definitely a filler episode. We got some of the backstory as to why Noah got involved and why Nathan is plotting this all to begin with. The final meeting between Noah and Danko serves to establish Noah's commitment to the cause. Possibly. The mystery meeting between Noah and Mrs. Petrelli at the end pretty much establishes that Noah is now a spy. But for who? After this week we're really not much clearer on what is going on than we were last week. I understand stretching the plot out to last a whole season, but I fear that we may be hitting that midseason rut that the show has been hitting the past three seasons. Next week we have Danko breaking off the leash to look forward to. I liked how the season started with the rapid pace, but now the story is slowing things down greatly. We'll see how it all plays out, but it could start getting ploddingly slow again before you know it. Overall score: 87 out of 100