Without a doubt, Heroes has got to be one of the best shows in television. There are very few shows out there that I make sure I see the night that it plays, and am on the edge of my seat waiting for what happens next week.
Speaking of next week, we seem to hit a climax of sorts, with the central characters finally coming together, and finding out what the whole “Save the cheerleader, save the world” prophecy means. Mark me down for psyched.
I think this past week’s episode was highlighted by two characters (and for very different reasons): Hiro and Mr. Bennett. In addition to adding some very effective comic relief, Hiro is a fantastic example of somebody who recognizes that he was given a gift, and that he needs to do something helpful with it (much like Peter). Hiro has been confronted with many situations in which he shouldn’t use his powers and does (mostly due to peer pressure), and where he should use his powers but doesn’t. It’s nice to see that he’s becoming aware of the responsibility that goes with his abilities.
Mr. Bennett, on the other hand, keeps me guessing. Much like I had suspicions that Eden would betray Mohinder, I have had a sinking feeling that Bennett may not be “evil,” per se, like he’s been portrayed. When Claire told him she was almost raped, his compassion and love for her was undeniable. And in this past episode, his desire to protect her seemed genuine. Indeed, he may not be “the face of evil” afterall. Nevertheless, who he is and what his motives are remain a giant question mark.
Eden was also an unusual character this past week. When it was revealed that she was in cahoots with Bennett, it seemed she was evil and betraying Mohinder. This week, she didn’t seem evil in the least. She seemed to care a whole lot about helping Isaac, and appeared to be very bothered when she was forced to break her promise. However, they were definintely hinting at the possibility of her having abilities as well, which begs the question: What can she do (I’m thinking it has something to do with mind manipulation, hence why she was shown whispering to Isaac)?
In the past I’ve criticized Mohinder’s character, accusing him of being inconsistent. I now take that criticism back, as we learned a great deal about his past, and his relationship with his father. It seems that Mohinder was never a believer of his father’s theories, and was even ashamed by them. Because of that fact, I don’t really have a problem with him suddenly finding it hard to believe that these people exist. The question remains, however, of who killed his father. Was it Bennett? Does Bennett wear a watch?
We’re also learning a lot more about Sylar, including that he seems to be killing off each person with abilities, and has his sights set on Claire. Why is Claire’s apparent death so significant? Hopefully we’ll find that out next week.
This episode was particularly interesting because many of the central characters either appeared very minimally, or not at all. Claire was only in a scene or two, and Peter, Nathan, and Niki were completely absent. While I like all of those characters (well, I no longer dislike Niki), I find this to be a very high compliment to the show. Much like The 4400 and Lost, it’s an ensemble cast that does not rely on a select few castmembers.
Without a doubt, I am looking very, very forward to next week when the central characters finally come to meet each other. It was actually strangely surreal seeing Claire and Peter come in contact with each other in the preview. Count me excited.
