|
“Good and Evil…” [Heroes] |
|
Monday, 01 October 2007 |
By Frederic Germay
The reason why “Heroes” continued to enthrall me for the first season was because of the epic scale of the plot. Sure, the characters were intriguing in their own respect, some were even a joy to watch (Sylar and Hiro), but in the end it all came down to preventing Peter from turning New York into post-nuclear chaos. Despite the fact that only .07% of the world’s population would have been affected, the writers still managed to make the buildup to that final moment feel exceptionally global and potentially cataclysmic.
Unfortunately, this season is seriously lacking in that department. I had hoped that the writers would have established a clear, definitive, and epic plot by now, but it seems as though we are being teased with glimpses of potentially new plot threads. As for the central plots concerning the virus and the mysterious eight paintings, they aren’t nearly large enough to regain the worldwide captivation and awe that the first season received. However, they are interesting enough to retain what viewership “Heroes” has left, but I would hope that these plots will develop more devastating consequences to emphasize the need for success, and therefore increase the suspense of the viewers.
Despite my criticisms of the storyline, I will patiently remain with the series until it has reached its conclusion. That being said, it would be grossly inaccurate to claim that the current plots have no value. The plot of the mysterious eight paintings has re-entered the center of the “Heroes” story, and now the mystery has been revealed…with more mysteries. However, some of the now-revealed paintings have potentially predictable explanations. The painting with Mohinder (I believe) and the smoking gun should mark the inevitable outcome of his partnership with the undeniably shifty Jessica (I do believe that it is Jessica, not Nikki that Mohinder is dealing with).
West’s involvement with Mr. Bennet’s approaching demise seems to be mere misjudgment. Although there is bound to be friction between the (given their past history) two when they finally meet, I highly doubt that West would kill Bennet. After all, there isn’t really any confirmation that it was, in fact, West in that painting. It could be Sylar, Peter, or even this mysterious Adam… Anyways, the negative effect of the painting on Mr. Bennet is unmistakable. The fact that he would resort to psychological torture and murder to conceal his presence and save his own life shows that, out of desperation, he is resorting to his old ways. Old habits die hard…
The rest of the episode is relatively minor, except for the revelation that Sylar doesn’t really care for Maya, as he promised to murder the two of them as soon as he regain his powers from Mohinder. That may provide yet another possible explanation of Mohinder’s smoking gun – perhaps he tries to kill Sylar! Concerning the other minor plot developments, one has to wonder whether this ‘Bob’ guy is really affected by Mohinder’s humanity, or he is up to yet another one of his sleazy company schemes. I have to admit that the gift of the iPod with all those videos on it to Monica was quite the weapon.
Overall, this was a good, not great, episode. The dialogue could have been better, and the relevance between the Takezo Kensei storyline and the present storyline needs to be enforced, or at least explained. The acting, with a few exceptions (Noah Bennet), was subpar, but what carried the episode was that the story actually began to unfold, which further defined the plot. I give this episode a 7/10 |
