Heroes s1:7 review

We've just about caught up now - so how does our Tony think that Heroes is shaping up? He's tuned in to BBC2 to find out...

Okay, let’s get the big coincidences out of the way first. Last week, Peter and Isaac couldn’t work out where ‘the cheerleader’ was, because one of the paintings was missing. Why was it missing? Because Little Miss Not-Super-At-All Simone sold it. This week, we find out she sold it to Mr Linderman. Yes, the Mr Linderman that Niki stole from, and who made her sleep with Nathan, the politician that he’s blackmailing.

Elsewhere, Micah makes an out-of-order payphone work, just by touching it. While it figures that he’d inherit his parents’ genes, and would have some powers, wouldn’t they be the same powers his parents had?

However, these are small criticisms of an otherwise strong episode, which kicks off with an emotional scene between Peter and Charles Deveaux, Simone’s father. Charles is still lying in bed, dying, and the two men say “I love you” to each other. After this creepy, puke-inducing declaration, Peter tells him he can fly (not that Charles can fly; that’s just cruel). The old man doesn’t believe him, so Peter jumps out of the window and floats off.

Then he wakes up. Ah, it was a dream, and judging from his other characteristics, probably a wet one at that. Apart from his apparent love of old men, this scene raises one important question. Why does Peter Petrelli still believe he can fly? He knows he can fly when he’s around his older brother, and he knows he can see the future when he’s with Isaac. He’s also the only one who didn’t get frozen in time when he met Furture Hiro. Obviously he takes on other people’s powers, but clearly he’s yet to meet anyone with the power of common sense.

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Other than that, I have to say he was significantly less irritating this week. And I’m sure his floppy hair was much less floppy – more of a flop, flop than a flop, flop, flop.

Nathan, meanwhile, is entertaining a journalist who’s writing a story on him. We get to meet his wife too: a rather attractive lady, who’s wheelchair-bound, thanks to Nathan. We’re led to believe that if she were to find out that he’d been laying more bets in Vegas, she’d lose the will to live and wouldn’t ever walk again.

Unfortunately for Nathan, the Columbo-like journo at the dinner table begins questioning him about his transgression. But Peter saves the day by claiming to be mad and stating that ‘the blonde’ was, in fact, his shrink. Nathan does a little jump for joy, and agrees to ask Mr Linderman for the painting. However, after successfully arranging for its delivery, he tells Peter that he couldn’t get the painting. At this point, Peter should ask, “Well, can I just go there and have a look at it then?” Instead, he just accepts defeat. What a pussy.

Elsewhere in the Heroes universe, Claire gets her tape back, only for her brother to watch it, and promptly shit himself. And Fat Matt discovers that his partner’s been taking their relationship a bit too far, by having a go on his wife. Showing a bit of spine for once, Matts punches him in the face before storming off, probably to the local doughnut shop.

Probably the most interesting development this week though, was the introduction of a Theodore Sprague, who has the ability to emit high levels of radiation. His wife is dying of cancer, which is probably due to this power, and he accidentally killed a doctor who he was arguing with. It seems when roused, he pretty much literally explodes. And on that, er, bombshell, I’m off to type ‘Hayden Panettiere swimsuit’ into Google Images.