Review: Heroes - Trust and Blood

I'm glad to see the writers finally get it. After the excessively overwhelming start to the last volume, the season finished up with some solidarity and clarity, making it actually a decent finish. And so far this season, the show is just as awesome as it ended last volume. This episode was somewhat of a filler episode as it kind of outlined what the season will be about. THIS is the volume that is all about choosing a side and declaring heroes and villains. The plane crash has drawn the attention of the military who, in their typical coverup fashion, are there to clean up the "mess." Mohinder, Hiro and Parkman splinter off and come across a trailer where Parkman sketches four visions of the future, one of which includes the death of Daphne. But how could that be if she's not there? Cue cutsceneof Ando and Daphne talking. Daphne convinces Ando that Hiro can't be dead because Ando kills him in the future. The two of them speed to Arkansas, the site of the crash. That's when things get out of hand. Claire is once again given a free pass and is about to be taken away when Daphne races in and brings her outside. At this point Mohinder, Hiro and Parkman have gotten back to the crash. Hiro notices Ando, and then all of them see Daphne and Claire. As Daphne is reveling in the recognition that Parkman is alive, she leaves herself wide open to be shot, fulfilling Parkman's prophecy. This leads to one of the awesomest scenes in all of Heroes. Parkman goes apeshit and turns all of the armed men against each other, killing them all. This gives them a chance to make a break for it. But where is Peter you ask? Peter and Traci are off on their own and think it will be a good idea to bring Nathan back into the fold. Traci calls Nathan and offers her Peter in exchange for her freedom. Which is kind of tricky because at the time its unclear as to whether Traci really intends to go through with the deal or not. We also get an explanation regarding Peter's power, in that he can only hold onto one at a time. The meet is arranged and Nathan approaches Traci about the exchange. Traci initially prepares to freeze Nathan so they can use him as leverage, but Nathan convinces Traci otherwise, which of course buys time for the calvary to arrive. Mr. Bennett has a shot on Peter after he grabs Nathan, however the touch gives Peter the ability to fly off. Traci however is apprehended. Sylar is next door to his father's house. He awaits the arrival of the family (a single mom and delinquent son) at the house, where he intends to torture them in front of the lone guard that he left alive to get information about his dad. This of course foreshadows that the son has some power as he fights back Sylar's repression ability and "microwaves" the cup that Sylar was holding. Sylar then learns that the son hates his mom, and has his new Pyro sidekick. The two of them venture off in search of Sylar's dad as Luke (the son) promises to take Sylar there. So let's regroup. Peter has rejoined Mohinder, Hiro, Ando and Parkman and the five of them decide that all bets are off and they will take a stand and fight the mutant registration act by any means necessary (scored heroically by dramatic hero music in the background). Claire is back at home where she receives texts that she can fight back as well from a mystery texter. And Sylar is on the road with Luke in search of their fathers. Nathan is doing damage control and reinstituting his plan starting with Traci. Fantastic. That's really all I can say. This season has really stepped it up a notch and I feel like, again, the writers really get it. This volume has a much more mature feel to it and the number of characters is being kept to a minimum. And Sylar has been let off the leash, which works wonders for the show. The storylines may be a little Civil War-ish, but hey, that was an awesome series so I can't really argue here. People are dying on both sides and its hard to say who is really good and who is really bad. All I can say is keep watching and enjoy the ride. Overall score: 92 out of 100