On this episode of Heroes the Haitian came back, Angie got attacked by and invisible monster, Maya learned that she is cursed and possess an evil power that could destroy the devil and Peter found out that his name is… Peter. That’s all well and good but I think that this episode contained more than just the little fish hooks in the story line to keep us going. I think that this episode went a little deeper and asked the average viewer not to just watch but to absorb the messages and reflect back on ones life. I’d like to look a little beyond the fluff and delve into deeper meanings of out hero’s journeys and the messages that we can take with us.
First we have Maya who possesses a power that kills anyone that look into her black oozing eyes. It’s a little gross and scary, but let us look beyond her evil curse and concentrate on something more important, which is, the relationship between Maya and her brother. What does their relationship mean to the average viewer? One word comes to my mind and that’s family. See, bad things happen to all of us and some of us do bave things that we can’t control, like stealing money from your sick grandmother because she has a lot and she not using it so why shouldn’t I have it… um…. I know that when I’m down on my luck I look to my family for lots of things like, words of wisdom, comfort, and bail money. What I mean is that the whole point of family is that they are blood and they have no choice but to always be there for you. They can’t hide no matter how hard they try because the cops always find them when you’re in trouble. Lesson Learned: Don’t take your family for granted because they might be the only ones that have the power to control the demons that possess you or pay off the bookies that are looking for you.
Next we have Peter. He is lost and feeling alone. He doesn’t know who he is or how he ended up tied to a chair in a shitty pub in Ireland. But what I noticed this week is how Peter is using his powers differently than last season. In the past Peter had a hard time using the powers that he absorbed from others. It was like he was thinking too much or he wasn’t confident with who he was, (I mean he was a male nurse), which made him unable to use his power to the best of his ability. Now that he doesn’t know who he is, he is using his powers without knowing. By Peter using his powers without knowing, he is a much better man than he used to be. This is what I call “Doing without thinking.” This concept applies to anyone. See, when you don’t have confidence in yourself the natural abilities or talents that you possess can’t manifest. But if you can just forget what an actual loser you are you can accomplish things beyond your wildest dreams. Lesson Learned: Get lost and you will find yourself and then realize that nobody is looking for you.
Then we have Hiro who is determined to make Takezo Kensei the hero that he is destined to be. But what Hiro is really doing is becoming his own hero. Hiro is becoming the ultimate geek turned robust warrior god. After years and years of not getting laid and being seen as a failure in the eyes of most, Hiro has become the hero that he has idolized his whole life. The most interesting aspect of the whole thing is that almost everyone has at least one person that they admire or idolize, but in all reality all those attributes that one may admire in others are the same things that reside deep inside themselves. The only reason that most people fail to realize what amazing people they are is because they are afraid. Once a person gets over their fears, the person that they are meant to be is revealed. Lesson Learned: Be careful who you idolize because you may just waste precious moments of your life modeling your career after a certain “Pop Star” who you thought was going to be the next Madonna but just ended up being the next Courtney Love.
Last but not least we have Claire. Claire doesn’t just have perfect hair and teeth she also has rejuvenation ability, not like a really good cover-up with antioxidants and vitamins that would make the average middle aged consumer look ten years younger, but the ability to re-grow body parts. There is no doubt that Claire is special in more ways than just having magical powers she also possesses a fire inside of herself that wants to spread and help people who need extra skin. But despite that burning desire she has to keep her special ability a secret. See, Claire’s father believes that if people know about her special abilities her life would be ruined. And that’s okay. That’s what parents do - they protect us. But I think he’s being a bit pessimistic and overprotective.
This young lady has to be able to soar and realize her potential on her own terms. Claire might have to be in hiding now, but one day she will control her own destiny (well, if she is not killed by the likes of Syler or something) and she might be that person who changes the world. The point is, people like our parents, peers and others think they know what the best thing is for us, but the truth of the matter is each of us knows deep inside what the best thing for us is. Lesson Learned: Cut off a toe and see if it grows back! You deserve to see for yourself rather than taking someone else’s word for it.
The lesson that I’ve learned today and I hope you have learned as well is that sometimes you can find things in a television program that can help redefine your life. So the next time someone says that television rots the brain you can say, “ I disagree because I watched Heroes episode 2, season two and I learned things about myself and about life that could have never been learned in a book in an hour!” Heroes airs on Monday nights at 9pm on NBC
