Heroes - Landslide and How to Stop an Exploding Man

My journey through season one of Heroes reaches the end as I tackle the final two episodes. I'm reviewing these episodes as a pair as they fit together so well they could be a two parter. Most if not all of the main supporting characters make an appearance - off the top of my head the extended Bennet family and the Haitian are the most notable of those who don't. Of those that do some are from so early in the season that I forgot they existed. Everyone gets something to do (even if they are meaningless) and a moment to shine. Villains are killed off in the first episode leaving something of a vacuum for the finale which is more than made evident as Syler turns out to be a red herring.

Bennet and Parkman storming of the building is fun as is Niki and DLs rescue of Micah. Nathans redemption is a good moment which if anything is Heroes "free will is not an illusion" moment. However the writing is abysmal, Hiro's season long mission is to stab someone who survives and crawls off into a sewer and the overall conclusion of the explosion storyline doesn't deliver. However there is still enough fluff that it feels like a good ending to the series. Everyone is in the same place for the same time, we have a "will they survive" element for a number of characters and we're left with a number of questions including the future status quo of a number of characters. I rate the episodes 10 and 6 out of ten respectively.

The season as a whole has a number of issues the main one being that its too long and blatantly padded - you could cut ten episodes and lose nothing easily. The writing is poor in particular Niki's storyline after the first few episodes. The show is largely white washed on screen, you can't move for white cis guys and most of the characters who aren't white are killed off or underdeveloped.  

These issues drag the show down to a 7/10 as a whole against it however there are a lot of things to like, the writing does peak on occasions and we get stuff like the future episode and "save the cheerleader save the world". The cast is largely brilliant with notable mentions for Adrian Pasdar, Ali Larter and Santiago Cabrera. Hiro is a fantastic character and fun, he has a lot of the moments that stuck in my memory. 

In short this is a good but not great show with the frustrating caveat that it was so close to being great.

Heroes - The Hard Part

We're back to the present this week as we continue to build up for the finale. Its very much a logistics episode as most of the characters are moved or given motivation to get to New York. On the other side of things we get a look into Sylars psyche has he panics about his fate and visits his mother with alarming consequences. Hiro and Ando spend the episode observing Sylar and have to deal with the fact that a confrontation is building. 

Molly Walkers reintroduction into events is interesting (as is the potential confrontation with Parkman) and Mohinders trip to India mid season becomes useful as he is aware of Mollies illness from her own past. Micah gets a good scene where he tries to escape but is stopped by some intriguing aspects of Candices powers.

The weak point of the episode is the Petrellis spinning there wheels and watching Micahs parents trying to act in the same scene without throttling each other. Its a 6/10 episode and mostly logistical proceedings along with some good character stuff for Sylar.

Heroes - Five Years Gone

Heroes goes full X-Men this week as the show pulls a "Days of Future Past" by sending Hiro and Ando to the future showing us the aftereffects of the explosion which we've been building to all season. As astounding episode in which the fates of main characters are seen or referred to, some fates are most unexpected than others and we get a good swerve dealt by a certain villain.

No character has had much of a fun time in the preceding five years and we're given some surprising status quos. I'm good with the characters killed off before we arrive in the future as they garner sympathy such as Micah or are not very well acted characters such as D.L. There is a little bit of misogyny on show as in the future the female characters are only good for stripping and waitressing where the male characters have all the good fates or don't appear.

We go into the next episode with many questions, can Niki's family and Ando be saved, can they stop the explosion, what is radioactive Theodores fate to name but three. A strength in this episode is that it isn't afraid to pave way for future episodes as its clear we are heading into the final act of the season. Its an impressive 9/10 for this episode and it could easily have been full marks.

Heroes - .07%

Blimey after Linderman finally turned up on screen last week in the shape of Malcom McDowell they're getting their money out of him this week as he's rarely offscreen. Its all action this week as players are moved around for the final act of the season. McDowell is electric in this, he commands the screen in ways no other actor on the show can and treads the line of psychopath and villain with a jovial streak.

The regulars also get a good showing as Bennett masterminds an escape with Matt and Ted which results with Radioactive Ted finally on the way to New York. Claire gets to meet the Petrelli family which includes Angela stepping into centre stage. Micah's kidnapping by Linderman is a nice touch, especially using Candice in a way viewers will be slapping themselves for not noticing. 

There are some good swerves as Mohinder and Peter are very nearly killed - theres a good little bit of tension with Peter that really works well if the viewer has forgotten Claires autopsy scene from earlier in the season. Sadly we finally say goodbye to Isaac as Sylar strikes and takes his powers. We've known its been coming since episode one and as opposed to then we now care about him. Santiago Cabrera is a firm favourite of mine and its interesting to see him in a low key early appearance - he does his trademark intensity on occasion but by and large its a different performance from what he's known for.

Another good ending as we pick up with Hiro and Ando in the future. Its very much an epilogue for the episode as its all about setting up next episodes events in the future. More nice use of the Isaacs apartment set and a good ending as we see future Hiro of the "save the cheerleader save the world" mantra. Its 10/10 from me and another sterling episode. 

Heroes - Parasite

 After last weeks intimate episode we have an all encompassing spiralling episode we're most if not all of the characters are in action. The good thing about spending an episode concentrating on a character is when you bring all of the others out they feel fresh and thats the best way to describe this episode fresh. We are able to pick up where we left some characters and for some its a case of "oh I forgot THAT was happening!"

Bennet feels different after last episode, he's gone from being a peripheral figure seen from other characters point of view to being more dynamic and intriguing now we know he has a stake in the events. 

Mohinder and Sylers plot is unsatisfying, the detective work has been done off screen. What we see is good but we needed to see the road that got them here. Very good cliff hanger though.

Hiro reaches the end of his mini arc, hooks back up with Ando in a punch the air moment and looks like he's being thrust into his next arc. All good and he's still the headline character for me.

Nathan has a lot to do, hooking up with a number of characters and he finally gets to confront Linderman in a memorable scene. Malcolm McDowell can command a scene from inside a sack under sea and he's a wonderful addition to the cast.

Isaac goes back to the heroin after shooting Simone and paints his fate which we've known since episode one. After getting to know him it feels different this time - it matters.

There is so much going on in this episode, a number of revelations, a number of characters in intriguing situations and still new characters being added to the mix. A full busy episode that gets a 9/10 from me due to a combination of well placed plots setting different characters up for future episodes.

Heroes - Company Man

After a Christmas break its back to season one of Heroes picking up exactly where we left off as Matt Parkman and Ted Sprague break into the Bennet household in search of answers. We see the scene we ended on last time from the opposing characters point of view. From this point onwards we get a tight intricate character study of Noah Bennet. Its astounding that I have no memory of this episode as its quite simply one of the best. Also I'm wandering into "bad fan" territory as I'd forgotten that Eric Roberts made an appearance - sharing two scenes with Christopher Eccleston giving us a mini Doctor Who and the Master confrontation.

The meat and bones of this story is the writing team singling out one character and doing a deep dive on them. In this case its Noah Bennet, we are told his back story in flashbacks and the episode sends him on a journey with a hart breaking ending. Even before the end of this episode I was looking at Noah differently and considering he's a major player on the show the ending has far reaching consequences for everyone. Everyone involved in this episode is on their A game and I hope somebody won something from this episode be it director or cast. 10/10 and without doubt this was a classic.

Heroes - Unexpected

 Blimey when did Matt Parkman become an engaging character? I know it was in the previous episode but does anybody have the timestamp down to the mini-second? After a rut we are in the thrust of some dynamic episodes, there is no wasted space and every scene is jam packed - just when you think things can't can any better Stan Lee turns up.

This is what the series does best, taking characters with different motivations and throwing them into situations then going with whatever sticks. We have the full range of emotions crammed into 40 minutes of TV. The only downside of this episodes is there are a few characters put in jeopardy that its hard to care about as they haven't been fleshed out enough, namely Simone and Sandra. In particular this episode I enjoyed Mohinder and Sylers mission - and screaming at Mohinder to start noticing the blatant signs about Syler.

We have a new character added to the mix this week in the shape of Hana Gitelman who appears to be based on the X-man Sage. She essentially puts together a mini field team for a mission in a nice homage to the X-men, setting up the cliffhanger and the promise of another intriguing episode next week. On another note I hope Ando hasn't been written out as his double act with Hiro is one of the best things in the series, 9/10.

Heroes - Run

 Now this is more like it! Run is a proper fun episode and it feels like the series has climbed back onto the horse. This episode is so good Matt and Nikki two characters whose storylines were collapsing under the weight of boredom together and it works! Its taken them forever to get Matt away from the police force and now they have he's already been put in interesting positions whilst also being able to use his powers in the field.

Nathan Petrelli and the stuff with Claire is also engaging while the stuff with Mrs Bennet is very worrying indeed. As well as this we get a brilliant arc set up with Mohinder and Syler that is proper panto yelling good - if you weren't yelling at Mohinder to look in the kitchen you're watching this show wrong. On top of all this after treading water for two episodes Hiro & Ando are back to doing fun stuff with a storyline that feels like good farce. Closing things off we get another fun cliff hanger as Nikki is given a new target in the shape of Nathan. Brilliant stuff and the show needs to be more like this and less like the previous few episodes 8.5/10.

Heroes - The Fix and Distractions

 Due to time issues just a few notes on these episodes:

Heroes is a show that has left an impact felt in shows today, however one of the main lessons that has been learnt is editing and season length. This is not a 20+ episode a season show and should be done in ten or thirteen episodes if their not doing a monster of the week format that lends itself to the format. The pace is killing the show and some storylines have been spinning for weeks.

The narration is getting worse with each episode.

Christopher Eccleston is a tough watch, as far as I know its the first thing he did after Doctor Who and he looks like he's had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His hyper performance is reminiscent of Sylvestor Mccoy losing it while sat on the table in the Silver Nemesis documentary. Also notable is the fact Chris has a bit of the Braun Strowmans about him which was widely rumoured during his time at Cardiff.

Hiro and Ando's story should have been done in one episode, its cute but feels like the writer is writing down at us.

Noah and Syler have been booked perfectly so far, we get some 50/50 booking these episodes but its good booking and raises both to main even level.

Matts storyline is a mess, if the producers didn't want to explore what happens when a rank and file cop gets powers don't give them powers. 

Nikki, Jessica, D.L. and Micah is dead in the water, its dead there is no life to it and it needs to be put against the wall and given a blindfold and cigar.

Isaac and the thought and effort that goes into the paintings is the best thing about these episodes. When we eventually reach the events he paints there is still a surprise or two to be had.

Claires storyline comes across well and we get another guest actor who would go on to reach fame in Glee. The cliffhanger to "Distractions" with the Nathan Petrelli popping up unexpectedly is good 

In short these episodes are largely unwatchable with some of televisions worst bad habits with the odd good thing to remind you why you're watching. 1/10 and needs to improve.

Heroes - Godsend

"First episode done and its time for my thoughts on Heroes - Genesis,

Its a strange watch in 2020, these days we're used to super powered antics on streaming services and in the cinema but back in 2006 we were still two years away from the Robert Downey Jnr and Jon Favreau kicking the MCU into life. The big shows of the day from my POV were Lost and a newly returned Doctor Who so super hero wise we're in uncharted terri..."

* KNOCK KNOCK *

"Hello?"

"Hi Umb0g0, its me Claire Bennet. I better take over this weeks review as due to an administrative mix up you've had your memory wiped..."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure thats not meant to happen to later in the season around about the time the second arc of the season begins and we get some good character episodes."

"Yes you mentioned that in the latest review as well as how it takes some of the characters between two and six episodes to get from location to location when my dad turns up all over America in the same episode." 

"Jolly good, I hope I mention Mrs Petrelli saying she's going to get the best Doctor available and then Christopher Eccleston popping up later in the episode."

"You did, you said this was another good episode improved by various characters crossing paths and being repositioned for the next with a new purpose. Also that Linderman is popping up everywhere and proving to be a very interesting off screen character."

"Brilliant, lets give it 8/10 and get my memory unwiped for the next episode."

Heroes - Fallout

We're still in the aftermath from events two episodes ago but after last weeks side step this is the episode with the titular fallout. Various characters find their status quo shifted and motivations are set up for the next story arc. There is a sense of change in this episode as various characters yet to properly cross paths finally meet. Most of the characters find themselves in Texas this episode due to the events of "Homecoming" and it helps the production feel consistent. Sadly some second tier characters are written out of the show but with the increased presence of Syler and Bennets team this is understandable.

The major moments of the episode are the Haitian making a stand that will affect Claires relationship with her father and the cliffhanger which leaves us with questions about Peter. This is a strong episode, this is the traditional "slow issue" after a major cross over, a time to reflect and aim for a new direction. That said there is a lot going on and I'm very sorry to see the death of Eden who is the definition of a character that had legs. 9/10

Heroes - Six Months Ago

This is an absolutely beautiful episode based around the idea that Hiro goes back into the past six months instead of one day. As Hiro tries to save Charlies life we get various snipets of what other characters were up to at the time and how some of them came to be in the situation we found them in six months time. This is Zachery Quintos as we see the origins of Syler and the hand Chandra Suresh has in setting him on his path albeit inadvertently. 

This episode would go on to create a trope in Superhero shows where we would get an episode set earlier in the season from a characters point of view. Its easy to forget how influential this show is. On top of that this is perhaps the best directed episode thus far - even Nathans flight is handled well! This is both a technical and narrative home run. It gets a 10/10 from me.

Heroes - Homecoming

 Here we are nine episodes in and since this show is going with the comic motif we get the end of the first arc. This is such a good episode as everything thats been built up through Isaacs pictures come to fruition with regards to Claire. There are quite a few twists and turns with some good writing, last episode Hiro was written out of the rescue attempt and this leaves Peter as the only would be rescuer on hand with powers - but his are dependant on others! Its a good build up to the homecoming sequence with lots of character fluff with Claire and her school friends. Theres also some good stuff bubbling under with other plots which gives us things to look forward to in future episodes. Mohinder in particular coming to the decision to return, encounter with the dream child and finding of the list may have been the main plot in most other episodes.

We get to see a painting of Isaacs at the start of the episode that looks like Peter is going to die and its quite good how he gets out of the situation in the end. Syler though looks brilliant, he's so overpowered and it looks like nobody can be a match for him. As the arc ends we get to see repercussions of acts taken as early as episode one and one characters fate is badly telegraphed but fitting. There is so much going on in this episode that is set up for future events that I'm sat here typing this up wanting to see the next episode already. We have so many questions at this point; Is Hiro going to save Charlie? Whats going to happen to Peter? What is Bennet going to do with Sylar? What is Mohinder going to do with the list? Who will win in the ongoing D.L Vs Jessica debacle?

We have had a fantastic arc and we move forward onto our second arc in high spirits. 

Heroes - Seven Minutes to Midnight

I've been looking forward to this episode since my re-watch started. The episode at the diner is one of the most talked about moments and Charlie the waitress (played by Jayma Mays off of Glee) is one of the most memorable characters. She just has something about her that gives off a friendly pleasant vibe, its good casting as we care about this character before she meets her fate despite the short amount of screen time. On the other side of things this is the first episode where Sylar is played by Zachary Quinto and we get our good first proper look at him.

Mohinder being back home in India adds a worldy feel to the episode and his situation is intriguing. He's got a lot of decisions to make and the dream sequences are visually interesting. Matt Parkman continues to be infuriating as he keeps screwing up any chance of forward progression in the plot by being a clunker head. The interrogation scenes are done very well with added frustration that red tape is keeping the police from knowing whats going on.

Bennets part of the episode is so satisfying, we see his base of operations and some of the facilities he has on tap although we don't know who he works for. We get a vague explanation, but its one to take with a pinch of salt. Very much like last week we get another character seen from anothers point of view - this time Claire through Bennets eyes. We also see more of Eden who seems to have the power to influence people (Maxwell Lord!) which explains what Mohinder is doing back in India and how she nabbed Isaac so easily.

 

Something that this episode has that no other has had is that every group of characters has a solid location to base there actions around this episode. Most other episodes have characters drifting from one set to another with no solid base while this episode has the diner, Mohinders office, LA Police HQ and the paper factory. Sometimes one character will have this but not all and its a TV basic that Heroes largely doesn't do and suffers from.

In short this is my favourite episode so far, characters are growing, new ones being introduced and I'm invested in their fates. Also another blooming brilliant cliff hanger and it looks like Hiro very much like the TARDIS off of Doctor Who takes the scenic route instead of the quickest one.

Heroes - Nothing to Hide

 We're seven episodes in and its time to address the elephant in the room, the narration that is usually at the start and end of the episodes does not work. If anything it comes over as David Brent and is getting more farcical every episode.

Bar that its a largely good episode this week, even characters not involved this week feel present through their absence. What has happened to Isaac? Mr Bennet feels present through the use of Claire. Sylar and Linderman who we haven't met yet continue to make noises in the wings as they await their big entrances with Linderman in particular making a very interesting non appearance.

Hiro and Ando's appearance is possibly the highlight of the episode, they appear in the background of DL and Micahs storyline, make an impact and then politely scoot off. Its like they're making a guest appearance in their own show.

I love the fact that in the radioactive guy we meet someone with a proper dangerous alpha power and he's just going about his own life. The fate of the wife is tragic and very X-men. Matts part of the story continues to move at a snails pace.

Niki as a character is struggling, it feels like the writers are confused but I like the idea that Micah seems to know more about Jessica than he was letting on to Niki. 

Nathan and Peter are largely side lined this week as we meet more of the extended Petrelli family. Peters dream comes over as a potential power that he's picked up from someone else and I like how we get some insight into the fact Nathan is not interested in any aspect of their powers. It leads somewhere as we get the Linderman revelation.

Claires plotline feels a little lazy.

For fun heres an example of the characters and their powers;

Peter - Rogue.

Nathan - Eric Gibb.

Hiro - Nightcrawler.

Isaac - Destiny.

Niki - Hulk / Dr Jekyll.

Claire - Wolverine.

Matt - Professor X.

DL - Kitty Pryde.

Micah - Forge.  

Heroes - Better Halves

This is odd episode, everything feels a little bit off and the episode feels out of place or at least out of order. Nikki and Claire are the prominent characters this week and to put it bluntly neither are served well. Claire gets to meet her biological parents and it is atrociously written and acted. However revelation involving her father keep this subplot intriguing. 

Erin, becomes a little bit more interesting this week as we find out she works with Mr Bennet. Away from Nikki and Claires part of the episode the only other thing that happens is Peter and Isaac noticing that he paints in the style of a comic book artist. Which bearing Isaac is a comic book artist is about as surprising as a sunset.

Oh my god Nikki's stuff is awful this week, but its amusing to find out that the actress submitted this episode to get nominated for an Emmy. We meet D.L. properly this week and he also has a power - to phase through solid objects, much like Peters flying it does not translate well to screen and is hysterical. The main fault of this part of the episode is that we saw Nikki's powers first hand two episodes ago and this episode plays out like its meant to be a reveal. As we hear about this "woman" who set D.L. up the viewer immediately knows its Claire.

This episode feels like it was written be someone who hasn't seen or has any knowledge of previous episodes. Theres a lot of low key good stuff in this episode but its obscured by a lot of in your face rubbish and gets a 4/10. 

Heroes - Hiros

 Beware spoilers...

"Save the cheer leader - Save the world"

They finally said the thing!

10/10

Heroes - Collision

 Beware spoilers...

One of my favourite tropes when reading comics was the crossover or when two characters who didn't often meet crossed paths. This is the theme of this weeks episode as our cast of characters who have mostly been kept isolated from each other begin to intermingle. We get everything from teases as some regulars pass each other in corridors and full blown meet ups. Bar Mohinder and Nathans brief altercation I enjoyed this aspect of the episode in particular the ending which was a surprise. We get another good cliffhanger which leaves the viewer cursing the time they must pass before viewing the next episode and one of the best compliments I can give this show is that its rivalling Lost with the cliffhangers.

Claire gets a lot of action this episode, I enjoyed seeing last episodes cliffhanger from a different point of view. After escaping from the morgue she decides to take down her would be rapist/killer Brody - who I only just realised this episode is played by Matthew Lanter off of Timeless. Its good to see a character using potentially passive powers so aggressively. There's a lot of character stuff as she's reluctant to make a fuss and is only moved to so by hearing of another victim.

We get answers about Nikki's powers this episode - she's a Jekyll and Hyde character by the look of it. She takes on a stronger grittier persona when she blacks out - think Hulk without the CGI. We also get more teases regarding Linderman who remains tantalisingly off screen yet is connected to the Petrelli family.

Mister Bennet continues to be of interest despite remaining low key this week, despite the theme of the week involving characters crossing paths he has done the most interacting as of this point. He still does a bit but its hidden in the shadows and doesn't get much screen time.

Isaac does some more painting this week and what we see is mostly related to Claire which creates a good bit of tension in Claires scenes. We see a good little bit of plotting this week, its been established he needs to shoot up with heroin to paint the future so it takes him out of the picture (do you see what I did there) when Peter comes knocking at the door.

I love the juxtaposition of this episode where the one person who can't turn their powers on in Peter finally meets up with Mohinder and can't prove himself genuine when almost everyone this episode is going big on using their powers.

I really enjoyed this episode and its getting a 9/10. I've not seen any of Heroes since the initial broadcast and I got excited near the end because I thought Hiro was going to say THAT line. But I'm still excited because the ending reminded me of an episode yet to come that I'm really excited for now. 

Heroes - One Giant Leap

 Beware spoilers...

This episode feels rather like Game of Thrones in that there are a lot of plot lines going on and we're only meeting up with each one for a scene or two. We'll start at the end this episode - thats a corking cliff hanger, waking up during your own autopsy is the stuff of nightmares and is a fantastic way to end a TV show. Contrasted with Isaac finding a drawing of Peter and Simone kissing under the red umbrella (a fantastic visual) this show really knows how to end an episode.

Hiro and Ando are lots of fun this week as they follow the events in the comic - plus its a good easy way for Hiro to prove he isn't just insane. I like the fact their action in the episode ends just as the comic does, it echoes those youthful emotions of finishing a comic and not having to wait to find out what happens next issue. It looks like they're going on a road trip across America, no idea why but it looks like they don't know either.

We don't find out whats going on with Nikki but her husband is being built up for a late to the party arrival in a future episode.

The big thing about this episode is Sylar making his appearance on the show. He makes a fantastic overpowered debut feeling like a Dark Souls boss turning up in a Stardew Valley game. Already we have questions, what does he want with the girl? why does he have a similar map to Chandra and what is his connection to him? 

We're left asking new questions including who is this mysterious character popping up at the bar wating Matt?

Good stuff and its another 10/10 from me.

 

Heroes - Don't Look Back

Beware Spoilers...

This second episode reaps the reward of the first episode and is a more satisfying watch as a result. The repercussions of Peter jumping off the building in the previous episode hits deep. Nathan is denying it happened so it won't affect his political career, the mother is distraught and Peter is broken as he doesn't think he's special and now believes Nathan is. I spoke about the flight scene in the previous episode being a dog but the hovering scene goes the opposite way and is beautiful. Also the sketch is a good clue to what Peters true powers really are and is one of the elements that make a re-watch fun.

We're learning a few things about Claire and her family such as the fact that she's adopted and her caring nature. Already theres a feeling Claire is going to be a big factor in the series.

Niki's part of the episode is perhaps the most intriguing - I'd forgot what a slow burn the road to finding out what her power actually is and its fun. She's blacking out, seeing and odd reflection, it looks like she's killing people and from the skulls that pop up near the end she may have killed a lot.

Mohinder meets a new friend and finds a flash drive full of his fathers work, we also get the first appearance of Syler recorded on an answerphone and he gets a mention in another plot line of the episode. Theres a feeling that the show is getting the hooks out ready to hold us down for the long haul.

Matt Parkman played by Greg Grunberg pops up near the end of the episode and I'd forgot it took him this long to show up. By far the regular who went on to be the most recognisable imo. He discovers a hidden girl at a crime scene due to telepathy and is promptly arrested by Clea DuVall of all people - her of Girl Interrupted, Ghosts of Mars and The Faculty fame. I'd completely forgot she was in this!

Hiro after teleporting to New York finds out he's in the future by about a month, finds the dead body of Isaac, is arrested, witnesses an explosion and promptly teleports back to what we assume is the present. Blooming eck Masi Oka is absolutely charming as Hiro and should be doing more things that I'm aware of.

A brilliant second episode, sometimes a show just needs to get a tricky start out of the way so it can do what its designed for. In this episode see character arcs connecting, see more of their lives. This is without doubt near perfect TV and if you plan on watching the show I'd sit through at least this episode until you decide if you're in for the duration of season 1. I have to call out the one fault in this episode, I had no idea the dead body Hiro finds in the future is Isaac. One small yet pivotal lapse as the first time around I only picked it up from dialogue in later episodes.