Episode Report Card Erin: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Kissing a Fool. Or Two.
By Erin | Season 2 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.07.2007
Once there, Hiro realizes that Kensei's just cutting his arm over and over again to watch it heal. He tells Takezo that he's a hero too, and that he can travel through space and time. He proves this by blinking his eyes and instantly winding up on the opposite side of the tree Kensei's leaning on. He's also managed to take the knife right out of Kensei's hand. Hiro explains that some people think these powers are a gift from God; others think it's evolution. He tells Kensei that he can heal from any wound, and Kensei runs down a laundry list of potential wound-makers -- sword, snake, fire -- and Hiro confirms that he'll be able to heal from all of them. "This'll make me richer than the Pope!" crows Kensei, dashing Hiro's hopes that his hero will take the higher road with his powers. He reminds Kensei that he's supposed to defeat White Beard and the 90 Hungry Ronin. During the original viewing of this episode, I thought it was the 90 Angry Ronin, not the 90 Hungry Ronin, but I guess if the 90 Ronin are really that hungry, they're probably pretty angry too.
Kensei tells Hiro that, since he's so obsessed with his story, why doesn't HE handle White Beard and the Hungry Ronin and all the other stupid-ass tasks he has no interest in performing. Hiro says that Kensei has to stop walking away from his destiny, and Kensei just laughs that that no one's going to stop him from walking away, because no one can! "This is extraordinary!" He plops on his helmet, and Hiro puts his hand on his shoulder and blinks, whisking them away to the footsteps of the 90 Hungry Ronin. Or, you know, a TV studio somewhere with five green screens and some footage stolen from a 1970s samurai extravaganza. For real. HD rocks and everything, but boy does it ever point out some less-than-stellar CGI work.
Hiro tells Ando in his voiceover that he knew Kensei wouldn't become a hero unless Hiro forced him to do so the hard way. So he brings Kensei to the foot of the home of the 90 Hungry Ronin and tells him that he has to get the fire scroll that's at the top of the steps. 90 Hungry CGI figures pour down the steps and ready themselves to fight the interloper as Hiro zips out of the picture and back to safety.
Lizard High. Claire's crying angrily on the landing of some exterior steps. West approaches and says, "So I take it you're annoyed." Gee, no, jackhole. She's perfectly fucking happy that you tried to OUT her in SCIENCE CLASS. Claire turns and demands to know what it is that he wants from her. He wants her to admit she's different. "Okay, fine!" she snaps. "I'm a freak, alright? I am such a freak, in fact, that I have to tiptoe around this school pretending to be a brainless Barbie doll so nobody notices how different I am! Cause if they found out? I'd be carted off to some human zoo so I could be poked and prodded at for the rest of my life. So yeah, West, I'm different, and you can tell the world if you want to because I am tired of pretending to be someone I'm not." "Claire," he says, stepping closer to her, "shut up."