ad4m22412 – Upon This Rock
Welcome back, everyone. Good Christmas break? Remember where we left off? Well, Claire is staying at the carnival with Samuel, Hiro has had his brains tampered with (again), Mohinder is locked up in a mental home, Ando is marrying Kimiko, Bennett is on his way to scoring with Lauren, Sylar is back, Peter and Angela are frowning lots, Emma is utterly irrelevant to the plot, Tracey is off on a mission continued in the equally incomprehensible comic series and nobody has any idea what’s going on.
Fittingly, the episode opens with Claire picking trash with a pointy stick. Symbolism – it’s a bitch. Her part of the episode sees her trusting Samuel, distrusting Samuel, finding out that Samuel plans to do something in a desert valley nearby, and finally trusting Samuel but not wanting to stay. It drags out for the whole damn episode.
In other stories, Hiro has returned to Japan to get Ando to help him with something. Unfortunately, Samuel’s interfering with Hiro’s brain, along with that tumour, have left everybody;s favourite comic relief character speaking gibberish. Luckily, Ando deduces what he wants and the two head off to Florida – to rescue Mohinder.
Meanwhile Emma is seduced by Samuel, who finally reveals what her power can do: act as a siren call to other specials. This brings in a man who can bring nature to life at a touch, setting up the episode’s big CGI moment – a valley full of grass.
To say that it’s a disappointment is an understatement, like saying you were a little upset when the Hindenburg exploded with all your family on board. Admittedly, it’s at a much quicker pace than it was before, but the only ongoing mystery is what Samuel is up to. Frankly, it’s not enough to keep viewers hooked. What if the biggest mystery was how Samuel is going to get to the point where he is ludicrously powerful?
As this pathetic story arc limps towards it climax, we’re all left scratching our heads and remembering just how bloody good it used to be. Where did this show go so wrong?
2 stars
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