Tips in "Genesis"

Considerations in “Genesis” (S01E01)

1. The episode involves the recurrent theme of existential matter:

a. Who am I?

b. What’s the reason for my existence?

2. Diferent characters go through strong changes and persuit answers:

a. Claire Bennet: knows about her ability and she’s looking for answers involving family and powers.

b. Peter Petrelli: doesn’t know about his ability and he’s looking for answers involving purpose and his potential.

c. Nathan Petrelli: running away from answers and only worried about the elections.

d. Mr. Bennet: a mysterious man that appearently has more answers than it seems.

e. Hiro Nakamura: looking for answers in the the matter of using and controlling his powers.

f. Niki Sanders: running away from her life and longing for answers to her crisis involving life, debt and personality.

g. Mohinder Suresh: looking for answers involving his father’s death and research.

h. Isaac Mendez: looking for answers concerning his life and paintings about the future.

Recurrent Symbols in “Genesis” (S01E01)

1. Eclipse: usually connected with the idea of darkness and light. It is a moment of darkness and mysteries.

2. Cockroaches are shown various times and point to survival throughout the series.

Getting deeper into the episode

1. Hiro Nakamura doesn’t have control over his power. Teleports to New York and into the future: November 8th. He appears in the same place that Peter Petrelli appears when he teleports do the future in Volume II, without having control over his abilities either (S02E06). Both of them – Hiro and Peter – discover a future destruction scenario: Hiro learns about a nuclear explosion in New York and Peter about a worldwide pandemia started by a virus.

2. Hiro starts his always present sayings that describe the journey of the real hero. The first one we see here:

“Every hero needs to discover his mission. Then he will be tested and will do great things.”

3. It’s interesting to notice that for two characters – Niki and Hiro – time passes in a different way for different reasons (while Hiro has the special ability to bend time and space, Niki has a particular problem involving her multiples personalities).

4. Angela steals socks. In Volume V, she reveals why she steals socks referring to her sister Alice. For Angela it meant that she had simple ways to take care of Alice.

5. Angela, just like Mr. Bennet, knows more than it seems. They are a father and a mother that will have important rolls in the series despite their discreet beginning.

6. Claire saves a man from a fire incident involving a train accident. The cause of this accident is revealed in a future episode. Claire’s biological mother and uncle – Meredith and Flint – caused the accident while they ran away from Primatech Company’s employee Thompsom (S03E08).

7. Claire tells her mother Sandra that she loves her. Peter says the same thing when talking about Nathan with his mother Angela. Declaring love is a recurrent theme involving Bennet’s and Petrelli’s family. It usually appears in key moments in the series (like in the closure of every volume, especially with Peter and Nathan).

8. The “duels” between Mohinder and Mr. Bennet begin here. While talking in the taxi with Mohinder, Mr. Bennet refers to Mohinder’s name as a common Indian name, like Smith or Anderson. These two names reminds us the movie The Matrix in which we see the rivalry between Smith, an agent, and Mr. Anderson. In Heroes, we see Mr. Bennet as an agent and Mohinder as the one looking for answers, just like Mr. Anderson in The Matrix.

9. Since the beginning of the series we can already see two attributes that points to the famous character of Superman: the man behind the glasses, Clark Kent, can be seen in Mr. Bennet and Nathan Petrelli as the one who can fly. We can also see Peter as someone who has parallels with Superman (various abilities, for instance). Throughout the series, different attributes from Mr. Bennet and Nathan Petrelli will complete each other, showing more similarities to our well-known Superman.

10. Discreet connections between different and supposedly distant characters start to be shown: Isaac and Claire (tv and paintings), Isaac and Nathan (tv), Niki and Nathan (tv), Peter and Isaac (Simone and paintings), Niki and Ando (Ando’s computer shows Niki’s website), Mr. Bennet and Peter (Mohinder’s taxicab), Claire and Peter (Mr. Bennet as the father that connects her to the “specials world”, who gets Mohinder’ taxicab just like Peter) and so on. This reality already presents that they’re all connected.

11. Being in the heights is a recurrent and one of the main subjects in the series. This happens with various characters. Most times they are in the top of a building. Besides that these theme and scenes have parallels with one of the most important messages that we see in Heroes. See the episodes in the series. It involves scenarios of doubts and need of salvation. This first episode – Genesis – shows the theme involving Claire, Peter and Nathan. Here we can see a kind of prediction of how the Volume I will end involving these three characters: salvation occurs in the context of family, which can be healed (futurely will see the phrase “save the cheerleader, save the world”). In this first episode just like in the last one of the volume, Peter needs to be saved. And his brother’s love and concern will be crucial and make a difference.

An existential matter (S01E01)

Sinopse: In October, 2006 some people started a process of self-discovery, manifesting super powers. A cheerleader called Claire Bennet regenerates. Isaac Mendez, a junky painter, is able to paint the future. One of his paintings shows a nuclear explosion in New York. A young japonese employee, Hiro Nakamura, is able to teleport e travel through time. A nurse called Peter Petrelli has visions and he is convinced he can fly. An indian professor and scientist - Mohinder Suresh - travels to New York to deal with the work of his murdered father. A mobster called Linderman sends some men to retrieve a debt from a mother called Niki Sanders, which faints and, after waking up, sees them dead.

A young nurse. A politician days before elections. A confused cheerleader. A mother willing to do anything to support her son. A geneticist that recent lost his father. A mysterious man with a horn-rimmed glasses. A junky painter. A young japanese guy. What they all have in common? They are looking for answers. And which one of us isn’t?

Heroes is more than a series. It has to do with our lives. It has to do with our planet. It shows a world in crisis. The chaos inside and outside of us. The need for salvation. The search for heroes. Heroes that save us.

In this context, some questions emerges: who am I? What do I exist for? What is the purpose of my life? There’s something inside of us that, in some way or another, move us into this quest. A quest to find answers to our deepests longings and doubts that we have.

It’s interesting to notice that the hebrew poetry has an invite for us. It’s an invite to consider the words of a book:

“For attaining wisdom and discipline;

for understanding words of insight;

for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,

doing what is right and just and fair;

for giving prudence to the simple,

knowledge and discretion to the young –

let the wise listen and add to their learning,

and let the discerning get guidance –

for understanding proverbs and parables,

the sayings and riddles of the wise.”

Proverbs 1.2-6

According to hebrew poetry, the invitation is to consider the words of this book. If so, we’ll gain direction. We’ll experience wisdom. We’ll have discipline. We’ll understand things that we were unable to. Besides all of that, we’ll get knowledge and prudence. When doubts rise, we’ll know how to deal with them. Riddles will be deciphered. Mysteries will be solved. Parables will be comprehended. And even when we need further explanations, we’ll know how to proceed.

After this initial consideration by the writer, it’s valid to think about the way for it that he presents:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,

but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Proverbs 1.7

The author invites us to the truth wisdom. And he says that the key to obtain it is the fear of the Lord. Hear His voice. Think about what He says. Honor Him. Doing so, the answers will come.

Do you have questions? Maybe you can find the basics and fundamentals answers to life in God. Like Peter and Claire, throw yourself from the heights (figuratively speaking, ok?) and discover more about you. Surrender your life to this quest. A purposed quest. An existential quest. You’ll discover someone who saves you from the great fall that involves you. And, before everything and anything else, we need to be salved.

Our existential motivation guides us in our life’s journey. What we yearn in life is defined by what we have inside of us. So listen God. Listen to God. He has the answers that we seek. But we really have to hear. Would it be so bad for us if we start listening to Him today?

NARRATION (S01E01)

Introduction: “Where does it come from? This quest... this need to solve life's mysteries for the simplest of questions can never be answered. Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we would be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. That's not human nature, not the human heart. That is not why we are here.”

Conclusion: “This quest... this need to solve life's mysteries. In the end what does it matter when the human heart can only find meaning in the smallest of moments? They're here... among us... in the shadows, in the light, everywhere. Do they even know yet?”

An Existential Matter

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