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Heroes 3.7: "Eris Quod Sum" |
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Tuesday, 28 October 2008 |
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By John Keegan
Visit Critical Myth for an archive of John's TV Review archives, with more than 1100 entries.
| While I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’ve given up on “Heroes”, I will say that the third season has been a disappointment to this point. The third volume, “Villains”, has been a massive retread of both the first and second seasons, which was one of the first things the producers promised it wouldn’t be! This particular transitional episode started out confusing and just got worse over the course of the hour, so I doubt it will change anyone’s mind.
This episode was all about rearranging the pieces on the board, and setting up the sides of the battle to come. It’s clearly a matter of Angela vs. Arthur Petrelli for control over the future of the metahumans, and there’s plenty of potential for casualties in that war. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen them yet, and the writers have already shown a lack of will to pare down the ever-expanding cast.
Playing the apparent double agent in this scenario is Sylar, who is still flying high on the wings of mental instability. He seems to be a little too willing to accept that his mother, who he didn’t even know about several days earlier, loves him and finds him special (more special than his brothers, in fact). Sylar’s road to semi-heroism has been a disappointment, because the writers had to fudge the source of his ruthless killing streak to make it a viable concept.
It doesn’t help that the story has been lurching forward in fits and starts. This episode is a perfect example; there were several scenes that left me wondering, “When did that happen?” Characters were making decisions based on the needs of the plot, not consistent internal motivations, and that made it hard to reconcile the direction of the story. (For example, why in the world would Claire and Elle be stupid enough to fly on a plane when Elle is shorting out?)
Mohinder, Elle, and Daphne (I finally remembered her name) all seem to be working for Arthur, though for different reasons. At least those reasons seemed to make relative sense. Mohinder wanted to cure Maya, and got his wish, even if it meant losing her. Now he wants to cure himself (though I suspect Arthur’s “cure” is really just a ploy to get Mohinder to finish the formula). Elle is desperate and morally out of control, so her choice was no shock. And Daphne is new enough to make her choice hard to argue.
I suspect Nathan and Tracy will end up in Arthur’s cadre as well, if only because of Angela’s dreams earlier in the season. Nathan has been nutty since the shooting, and Tracy has wanted to rid herself of her ability since she discovered it. I suppose the question is whether or not Arthur will use them first to accomplish his will before taking their abilities. Since he set up Nathan as his political puppet, I imagine that will continue.
Angela’s side is in complete disarray, since the Company is hardly the best basis for a heroic fighting force (since they were the villains once upon a time!). Then again, they did have the right technology and systems in place for controlling and containing the metahumans over the years. Which means that Angela’s side might be just as bad, if not worse.
The final solution to the current crisis might be found in between the two current options, which once again means that Peter is in the perfect position to become a leader. Usually that would make me groan, but now that he has no ability to speak of (for the moment), it might actually lead to some character development. Granted, it’s a longshot, but I take hope where I can find it.
Of course, I could be completely wrong, since the story tends to take unexpected turns on a weekly basis. It is both a strength and weakness of “Heroes”, much as it is the best and worst element of shows like “24” and “Prison Break”. There’s a thin line between inspiration and desperation, and right now, I’m not sure which one applies most to this series. |
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