Rumours have it that Heroes is going back to its roots, trying to overcome it’s fall in ratings by returning somewhat to some of its original concepts. As I sat down to watch the new episode, I couldn’t help but hope that this episode would be somewhat of a return to Season 1-style Heroes, back up to its previous level of amazingness.

And you know what? This episode, Trust and Blood, was a great first step towards achieving this goal. It was non-stop action, sharp turns that made me a little dizzy and intriguing enough to make me hang on.

The best sign: for the first time in a long while, my eyes popped open when I saw To be continued… on the screen indicating the end of the episode, and I actually wondered Already 40 minutes? Now that is a great sign.

The episode starts with the plane our soon-to-be fugitives are on crash lands, shattering on impact. Some of the prisoners have escaped – and scarily enough, are being pursued by quite heavily armed soldiers. Does this imply the demise of some of our Heroes? After all, that would be long overdue. Amidst all the chaos, Hiro’s determination to save the others is adorable on the one hand yet a little annoying on the other, as it seems so childish in its impulsiveness. Hiro doesn’t even have powers, and, as Matt explained it to him, the soldiers attacking them know what they are facing; they are ready for them this time.

Speaking of which, is Matt’s power increasing, or morphing or both?

The plot thickens as we have yet to find anything else out about Noah Bennett’s involvement in something he has yet again termed as being ‘complicated’. It feels like he represents all of us ‘normal’ people in ‘real’ life, people who don’t seem to have any power of their own and who tend to complicate things for themselves, basically excusing their involvement in anything less than kosher. It reminds me of a conversation I once had with a kid; I was trying to explain to him why I couldn’t involve myself in an activity, and, as he looked at me steadily with his big brown eyes, I came to realise that perhaps all these excuses really were as flimsy as they suddenly felt now that I was presenting them to a child. When I was done, he looked at me for a few moments, totally baffled, and said: “If you want to come, just come. Why do you make it so complicated?”

Ah, the joys of being young and innocent.

Which makes me wonder if Nathan and Peter ever were young and innocent brothers; and if so, how did it go from that to the present ‘brother versus brother’ showdown? And which side will their mother take? While Nathan is in touch with her throughout the operation, she seems quite distant – thoroughly insulted, actually, that she was left out of the loop. But that doesn’t seem to mean that she is accepting defeat, as we see in the full files she has in front of her at the end of the episode.

It’s too bad about Daphne dying, although her continuous mistakes in understanding the time continuum is a little bothersome. When was this? Well, after she and Ando arrive at the crash site, she reassures Ando that Hiro must be alive since Ando is the one to kill him in the future. However, that future is now moot, since things have changed because of it.

Of course, this depends on your point of view on the nature and capacity of time travel. Can we change our future, or are we doomed towards it? Will, whatever anyone tries to do, a man finally explode in New York after all, only a different one and for a different reason? Will Ando really end up killing Hiro, but perhaps in a different way, time and place? What is the point of free will if we have a fate we are predestined to?

Or perhaps it is much more complex than that. Perhaps it’s about the fact that most of us don’t really make the effort to change who we are; therefore, our actions are predictable and within a narrow range that do not vary much one from the other. If that’s the case, it means that Ando will end up killing Hiro because he will make, in any alternate future you might consider, a set of decisions uniquely his that will end up with the demise of Hiro.

Unless he makes a drastic change in the very nature of who he is, thus changing the entire makeup of his set of actions, thus not setting into motion a change of events that will lead to him killing Hiro.

This is perhaps what is really meant by ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’, and why it’s so difficult and why, even with all the great people out there trying so hard to make a positive change in the world, change isn’t happening anywhere near the level of exertions currently under way. It’s because we shouldn’t just act; we should change the very nature of the reason why we are acting, or risk setting the same chain of events that will end with our collective demise, be it with the best of intentions (ha ha, an Obama tie-in). The road to hell, after all, is paved with good intentions. Dean Winchester is the best example of that (ha ha, a Supernatural tie-in).

Fun moments

• Hiro, reassuring everyone (or perhaps mainly himself) that he is going to pay back for everything that he uses;
• The T-shirt Hiro picks out, on which is printed: “Rednecks are better lovers”`
• Claire calling Nathan Senator Sky-Boy;
• Daphne running into the tent, saying ‘Hi” to Claire then running back out with her, as if it was an everyday occurence.

More food for thought

• Mohinder: This is not your fight anymore, Hiro. Save yourself while you still can. Really? Isn’t a fight for justice, be it for a minority, still be a fight for all?
• Matt: This is nuts. I don’t want this. He doesn’t want what? Daphne to get shot, or to have this power? Having a power seems to be kind of like talent, is it not? You don’t choose to have a talent. But when you have it, don’t you have a responsibility to use it for the betterment of the world?
• Luke manipulates heat. He’s a microwave; could he become explosive, like an exploding man, perhaps in New York?
• Hiro’s accent is fading.
• Mohinder: Perhaps it’s to seek justice.

Matt: I don’t want it. What they are doing isn’t justice, it stupid, it’s blind fear.

Mohinder: If you don’t want to see them punished, then what do you want?

Matt: I want them to pay for Daphne.

Mohinder: Matt that’s not us, that’s not you.

And, last but not least, Sylar. He was really disgustingly gruesome in this episode, more so than usual. What he did to the agent? Disgusting. I don’t remember it being this much so before. I hope Tim Kring isn’t planning on trying to up the ratings with blood and gore!

I do still wonder how the Sylar story is going to tie into all of this. And the random thought did pop into my head as to what kind of father Sylar would be, that he can’t be lied to. That would be an interesting future if it ever happens.