By John Keegan
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The first two episodes of the season opened up several new plot and character threads, and the question has always been how well that vast scope could be maintained. This episode may be the most overt sign of trouble, if my personal response is any measure. (Certainly, others have complained, but until now, I’ve been patient.)
It’s no secret that Tim Kring had originally planned to eliminate several first season characters in the finale, but caved to network and fan pressure. It’s also no secret that he wanted to introduce several new characters for the second season volumes. Thus far, the introductory phase of the season has been an exercise in melding old with new. The result is a massive cast that makes the huge ensemble of the first season seem tiny in comparison, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for depth.
At this point, it’s hard to tell what will become important. For example, the theft of Claire’s car in the previous episode felt gratuitous, a means of reminding the audience of the infamous Nissan Rogue. In this installment, we are given a partial payoff: Claire’s car was stolen by a fellow student who slipped south of the border and wound up with Maya and Alejandro. That connection will no doubt become very important in the future, especially as the war with the Company grows more dangerous.
It is far too early to draw any solid conclusions, but the connection between the Twelve, the Company, and Nightmare Man appears to be forming. Does a war with the Company mean war against the Twelve in some fashion? It would be interesting for the heroes to discover that they’re serving the interests of Nightmare Man without realizing it, especially considering Matt’s concerns about Mohinder’s role (and how cute was that argument?). Hopefully more information will be revealed on these connections soon, especially since this volume is meant to be relatively short.
West is written as a supposedly charming rogue in this episode, but the effect was closer to disturbing. He has no interest in accepting Claire’s feelings on the matter of her ability and he appears to be playing on her vulnerabilities. The twist regarding his past with Mr. Bennett is intriguing, as it only complicates the possibility of exposure, but the character is not at all appealing.
The story evolution is still built around Isaac’s paintings, which is a nice touch. The revelation about Mr. Bennett, particularly the involvement of Claire and some unseen figure, was unexpected and a great twist. It’s now clear that the paintings are not simply depictions of the Twelve’s systematic demise. With seven episodes left in this volume, one might assume that the six remaining paintings will be unveiled week after week, until the endgame is revealed for the conclusion in episode 11.
Niki and Micah return to the story after a short respite, and much like the first season, this is some of the less impressive material. At this point, it would be nice if DL were dead, if only to keep the story from becoming more cluttered! However, I get the feeling he is very much alive and waiting in the wings. All things being equal, this subplot has a lot to prove, because it just doesn’t seem to mesh well. (One minor point: did they get the date wrong on DL’s tombstone?)
The same could be said for Sylar’s return. It’s nice to see him struggling to restore his power, if only as a reflection of Peter’s situation, but something about those scenes left me cold. Perhaps it was the predictable demise of Candice/Michelle, one of my favorite minor characters from the first season, or the fact that Sylar’s situation is still sketchy. I was left wondering if Sylar should have remained dead.
I’m also not entirely sold on Peter’s subplot, especially since it feels completely disconnected from the rest of the story. It appears that Peter can use his abilities as long as he’s not consciously trying to harness them. That could have been very interesting if his amnesia had led him down a darker path, but he’s caught within this Irish mob subplot that refuses to get more interesting. His decision to set aside the box for a while feels like the writers’ way of holding Peter in their back pocket for later use.
Finally, we have Hiro, who continues to be the wacky, magical companion to the great white Kensei. I was far more pleased with the notion of Hiro being the true Kensei behind the legend, but perhaps the future evolution of this plot thread will overcome the annoying aspects. Hiro’s method of communicating with Ando is clever and suggests that other connections to the “present” will emerge. The trick with the 90 Angry Ronin was very funny as well.
In the end, I’m concerned that the scope is simply too wide for the writers to keep under control. Most of the subplots in this episode amounted to one or two scenes, barely enough to establish forward momentum. Structurally this makes the series very interesting, but for some reason, this episode felt scattered and unfocused. |
