Heroes Retrospective: Homecoming

1. Also known as "The One Where All Hell Breaks Loose", this episode serves as the climax to the "Save The Cheerleader" arc. It's worth pointing out, again, that this storyline lasted for five episodes, start to finish, and included foreshadowing, character development, action, resolution, payoff, denouement and the creation of new story threads. Pacing 101, ladies and gentlemen.

2. I like how this episode slowly progresses from high school melodrama to outright horror - we start with somewhat typical depictions of the popular/unpopular schism in high school, Homecoming intrigues, and a Very Special Episode aspect to Zach's last conversation with Claire (the "I'm finally finding out who my friends are" speech). By the end of the episode, a girl is horribly murdered and everyone's covered in blood.

3. In the blah area of things, the Hawkins family crosses the border from dull to actively irritating. Someone please explain to me why Micah only speaks Comicese, and blames his father for "leaving" when he earlier expressed belief in D.L.'s innocence? (Which means he was framed, which means he didn't "leave", he was ARRESTED, you stupid kid!) And why didn't the dumbass kid tell his father about Jessica before they, you know, drove a hundred miles out of Vegas?

4. "Homecoming" also stresses, in a very subtle way, how unreliable Isaac's paintings can be. Technically, everything he painted came true, but the ones that got the most attention were misinterpreted: the shadow chasing Claire in the stadium isn't Sylar, it's Peter. The dead girl in the Sylar portrait isn't Claire, it's Jackie.

5. Mohinder's subplot... ugh. Well, like I said, he basically ends up right back where he started, except now he has a list of the Heroes. It's worth stating, though, that there is absolutely no explanation why Mohinder was able to figure out Chandra's program here when he couldn't in New York, or whether Chandra actually did find Sanjog (wouldn't locating the boy have offered proof of his theories, so people would realize he wasn't really a mad scientist or something?). Big, big, big mess.

6. You know, I'm back to "Yeah, good thing they killed Simone" again. As this episode demonstrates, she didn't have much going for her - way too easily manipulated by Nathan, still wishy-washy on whether or not she believes Peter... eh.

7. PARADOX! If the old waitress that Ando talks to recognizes Hiro, why didn't she peg him when he and Ando first arrived? (Well, now that I think about it, maybe she wasn't actually there until after Hiro teleported away.)

8. Anvilicious moments aside, Zach's attempt to reach out to Claire is sweet, as is Peter's genuine attempt to console her about life after high school.