Sean is still dealing with his NBC issue, so I'll be handling things for the foreseeable future (at least until this volume is complete). He'll be missed around these parts, but I'll do what I can to keep things in line.
So let's get one thing out of the way right up-front: Last week there was a lot of chatter about Marionette Guy, and what exactly the show would choose to do with him. Was he in a one-off scene and would vanish forever? Was he a villain now? Or, like Stephen last week, would he do his darndest to infuse the show with some much-needed freshness, but find himself furthering an already tired story line only to be out by credits time? We all know the answer to that question, now don't we? And not a surprising answer at that.
But I don't want to harp too much on the Bennett family and the tension Eric Doyle exposes–nay, drags to the top, kicking and screaming–between Claire's feelings towards her spunky, power-packing real mom and her decidedly more normal, though still fringe foster parents. Nor is there much to say about Mohinder, who, truly, does nothing. And I certainly want to steer clear of desperate Parkman trying to score with a 15 year old (or whatever) because he saw it in a future dream he had in "Somewhere in Africa."
Because something cool happens in "Dying Of The Light"–something I don't expect. And I haven't known what that's felt like since Parkman's dad trapped Matt and Nathan in their own nightmares in season two.
Arthur Petrelli takes Adam Monroe's hand, sucks away the ability to heal, grabs his feeding tube and yanks it from his throat. It was as if he's been watching me watch Heroes this whole season from his surprisingly elaborate bed–seen my anger, my shouting, my frustration bordering on rage–and said, "Enough of this horse shit!" in defiance. Sweet, uplifting defiance. Then, later, he gives his son a hug, his own son, and steals his power too. Needless to say, this guy is a bad-ass, and I'm genuinely curious as to what he's capable of.