Heroes – David H. Lawrence restores my faith

It’s a tricky bit of business, reviewing shows on the internet. In the past, I’ve always steered away from shows that I wasn’t really a fan of. In part because it requires some attention to detail, but also because nobody wants to come to a site and listen to someone bitch about their favorite show every week. That being said, I’ve always been more than willing to call bullshit when things are going off the rails, like we saw last week with Heroes. That was easily the low moment of the show for me. This week though, the news is much better. I hesitate to say that Heroes is back to its season one form, but a number of stories took a turn for the better. That’s a good start.

First up, Nathan and the big government conspiracy. I’ve had issues with Nathan’s involvement in this right from the start, but it certainly looks like change has come. I didn’t catch it during the live chat, because I was watching the east coast feed over the internet. On further review, in HD, it was clear that Nathan flew right in front of Danko as he rescued Peter, so that particular cat is out of the bag, and Danko should be freed to raise all sorts of hell. And that is just what this chapter needs.

That, of course, led to Parkman being left in his iffy predicament, drugged and strapped with a bomb. It goes a long way to show that Danko isn’t messing around. As Nathan has reaped, so shall he sow. While I like that they got to the reveal on that painting so quickly, I can’t help thinking Parkman is pretty safe. He’ll likely come out of the whole thing without so much as a scratch. You know, a scratch, like the one Peter got when Danko shot him in the chest with a high caliber rifle… As Maxwell would say, “Missed it, by that much.”

Meanwhile, in the middle of nowhere, Sylar continues on his genealogy project. This one is a bit of a mixed bag. I really like the revelations about his father, that he sold Sylar, killed his mother, and shares Sylars penchant for the cutting of the foreheads. Whether or not that also leads to him gaining extra powers remains to be seen. And I do have to admit that knowing who will be playing Samson does make me much more anxious for the reunion. As Dorv said in the live chat, that is badass casting.

It’s also likely part of the reason for one of my minor complaints with Sylar’s current story. It feels like it’s dragging a bit. I’m reminded of Hiro’s eternity in feudal Japan, and that’s not a good thing. I was also just a little disappointed that Luke made it out of the diner alive. It really looked like we were getting the full tilt boogie Sylar back, but he’s gone just a little soft.

Finally, we have the goings on over at the Bennet house. Sure, we had Claire and Alex and the big getaway, but what really made those scenes for me was Sandra. I like the clear thinking, take charge Sandra. We should really see more of that, and just be done with the strange, detached, Sandra that pretends everything is normal. Normal left the building a long time ago.

The real showstopper though, came with the popcorn reveal. Did you think Eric was dead? Now he’s back, with a text from Rebel on his SPRINT phone. He even held it up nice and close to the camera so you wouldn’t get confused and think the puppetmaster might prefer something in a T-Mobile. Product placement aside, his reappearance sets the mind racing. What could have happened that he is coming to Claire, of all people, for help? Fortunately, according to David Lawrence, we’ll find out all about what is behind his return next week.

After the show I listened in on a Q&A David did with fans, and that was one of the things he revealed. I’ll get a post up in the next couple of days with more from the call. He took questions for more than an hour, so there is quite a bit to sift through to get into a postable form. The important bit, for now, is that with Danko finally off his leash, Sylar on the verge of his reunion, and Eric back in the picture, I’m finally really looking forward to the next episode. And I haven’t felt that way about Heroes for a while now. It’s a good sign for things to come. What did you think?

Clacked by Brett Love
on Mar 03, 2009 @ 11:00 EST5EDT