Heroes 1.18: Parasite review

Original US airdate: 5/3/07

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Written by: Christopher Zatta

Directed by: Kevin Bray

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Missy Peregrym, Ian Gomez, Eric Roberts

Rating:

The One Where: We get to meet Mr Linderman…

Synopsis
Hiro’s in Vegas, but his efforts to get past Linderman’s security are thwarted.

Bennet tells Thompson he has no idea where Claire is. Matt’s being used to read his thoughts but when they don’t free him he protests that they had a deal.

The Haitian tells Claire they must flee the country tonight. They’re supposed to head to Marseilles, but Claire loses him at the airport. She heads to the Petrellis, where Angela reveals she’s her grandmother. The Haitian’s there, too.

Nathan meets with the FBI. They’ve cut a deal – he’s going to wear a wire to help them bring in Linderman. An invisible Peter observes the meeting – apparently Nathan’s been in cahoots with the Feds since Heidi’s crash.

Mohinder has rumbled Sylar’s identity and slips him a knockout drug. When he wakes, Mohinder tortures him and says he wants revenge for his father’s death. Sylar turns the tables, though, and demands the list from Mohinder.

Nathan meets Hiro in Vegas and manages to get him into Linderman’s gallery, where he steals the sword, escaping with an assist from Ando, who’s disguised as a security guard. They teleport together, arriving in the apocalyptic future.

The NYPD question Isaac about Simone’s murder – and then she walks in, seemingly alive. But it’s Candice, the shapeshifter in the employ of Bennet. Candice later disguises herself as Mrs Bennet, exposing Bennet when he says that the company needs to be stopped for good.

Escaping Jessica, Niki warns Nathan that Linderman knows he’s turned. He knocks her out – at her insistence – and goes to meet Linderman, who’s in the kitchens of his hotel. Nathan’s poised to shoot him, but Linderman tells him he can put him in the White House.

Peter arrives at Mohinder’s apartment to find that it’s a trap. Sylar’s there, waiting for him.

Review
Oh, I cheered when Malcolm MacDowell turned up. There’s just something very special about his particular brand of spiky-haired, pug-nosed menace, and he brings a brilliant hint of manic evil to Linderman, making even the line “Now you can’t have any of my pot pie” sound like the last words you will ever hear. He’s another heavy-hitter thesp that’s making Heroes one of the best cast shows on television. Elsewhere we get a great scene of Mohinder going all Jack Bauer on Sylar’s ass – ooh, torture with a tuning fork – some winning Hiro moments (his accessing of the guard’s computer is way too convenient, though), some Mystique-styled action from Candice, some typically great reverses and reveals and a dark final scene that sees Sylar mercilessly attack Peter’s indie-kid fringe…

Dialogue
Nathan: “I’ve been known to eat zucchini when the mood strikes, but not as a rule.”

Nick Setchfield

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.