My biggest complaint about the last episode of Heroes was that everyone was mainly treading water - nobody did anything new, the individual stories were completely disconnected, making for a disjointed narrative, and with the exception of a couple of surprises, we didn’t learn much at all. I was very concerned that we were heading into a full-on sophomore slump for Heroes.
I definitely felt that this week’s episode remedied some of those problems. For starters, we found out that Sylar did survive Hiro’s attack, although he was wounded so badly that he’s lost his powers. He’s being nursed back to health by the shape-shifter, who conveniently looks like a completely different woman, owing to the fact that the actress who originated the part is now starring in “Reaper.” Of course, Sylar can’t escape his brain-eating instincts for long, and he kills her, forgetting that she was the only one helping him. We also find out that Niki is suffering from the hero-destroying virus and has turned to the Company for help. I guess she’s forgiven them for sticking her in a eugenics experiment and then kidnapping her son.
Meanwhile, several heroes seem to be trapped in other movies/TV shows. Peter is starring in an episode of “The Black Donnellys,” helping the Irish brothers pull off a heist, and then joining the “family” rather than confront his past. He’s still having powers show up randomly, and I personally can’t wait until he finds out he’s nuclear. Claire is hanging out in her very own “Superman,” as Hottie McFloaterson torments her with his knowledge of her secret, then whisks her away (literally) to his Fortress of Solitude…er, the California coastline, for some adolescent bonding. And Hiro (whose storyline is still the best) has found himself in “The Last Samurai,” as he helps an outsider embrace Japanese ideals and become a hero in a new land. Along the way, he also manages to work in yet another time-travel cliche by writing notes for Ando in the future.
But more than anything, this episode was the one where the characters start gettin’ it on. Claire and West are in Godsend puppy love, while Peter has fallen for the sister of his new “family.” (I can’t imagine THAT ending badly.) And Hiro, ever the hopeless romantic, has fallen for the woman destined to be Kensei’s wife. Now that romance is in the air, expect it to further complicate our heroes’ lives.
PG-Rated
