WRITER: Aron Eli Coleite DIRECTOR: Allan Arkush
CAST: Erick Avari (Chandra), Zachary Quinto (Gabriel Gray/Sylar), Masi Oka (Hiro), Hayden Panettiere (Claire), Greg Grunberg (Matt), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan), Jayma Mays (Charlie), Jack Coleman (Mr Bennet), Rena Sofer (Heidi), Nora Zehetner (Eden), Ali Larter (Niki/Jessica), Leonard Betts (D.L), Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah), Cristine Rose (Angela), Danielle Savre (Jackie), Ashley Crow (Sandra Bennet), Elizabeth Lackey (Janice), Kyson Lee (Ando Masahashi), Rick Peters (Tom), David Berman (Brian Davis), Graham Beckel (Hal), Ryan Alosio (Taylor) & Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian)
Hiro travels back in time to try and save Charlie's life and the backstory of all the heroes are revealed...In a similar move employed by Prison Break, last week's climactic mid-season episode (Homecoming) is followed by a flashback story that sheds light on the characters. Six Months Ago rewinds the plot thanks to Hiro's time-travelling attempt to prevent a murder...
With time reversed, the plot also finds Chandra Suresh arriving in New York, hoping to prove his research into super-powered individuals; a task that leads him to gifted watchmaker Gabriel Gray...
Elsewhere, Niki's alter-ego Jessica is born, following the arrival of her estranged father; Claire becomes a cheerleader; Peter celebrates becoming a hospice nurse; Adrian and his wife are involved in a car accident; and mind-controller Eden is captured by the Haitian and Mr Bennet.
Six Months Ago is a great deal of fun, and another prime example of Heroes throwing caution to the wind and answering numerous questions in a single sitting. It makes for a revelatory episode and, ultimately, time will tell if the producers are being foolish in revealing so much, so soon.
The most interesting of the half-dozen sub-plots is that concerning Chandra and Gabriel -- the man who will become the series' villain Sylar. Zachary Quinto is good as the young watchmaker, bringing a believable sense of jealousy when it appears he might not be "special", but can attain power through murder. Of course, his ability to know when things are broken and how to fix them (be it brains or watches!) proves otherwise!
The specifics of how Sylar attains the power of other heroes remains vague (he must eat brains, but even the writers can't bring themselves to say it aloud). As added amusement for nerds, evil Sylar is a dead ringer for Superman himself, Brandon Routh, while his occupation is that of Dr Manhatten's from Alan Moore's Watchmen.
Masi Oka has proven to be the most likeable actor on the show as time/space-bender Hiro, and while his overly-excitable shtick isn't as endearing after so many repeat performances, Oka still steals every scene he's in. Six Months Ago deepens his character through love interest Charlie, while the sad resolution provides the episode's heart.
Niki Sanders (Ali Larter; great) has the most interesting "pre-powers" storyline, surroinding a tragic family history with her father and dead sister Jessica. The eventual creation of Jessica as Niki's vengeful split-personality further muddies the water around her ability -- as it's the one power that could be explained through normal psychosis! Well, maybe not the extra strength...
The Petrelli clan are visited, during Peter's celebration at getting a nursing job and Adrian's dealings with the still unseen Mr Linderman. The Petrelli brothers aren't as interesting as they should be (more politics would be my advice -- I liked those campaigning scenes from Genesis), but the climax of their plot is good, if you ignore the goofy flying...
The rest of the cast are dealt with in broader, less interesting, strokes. For example, Claire becomes a cheerleader (why do nice American girls aspire to wave pom-poms?) and heals a slashed hand. The Bennet family's appearance does allow for a meeting between Mr Bennet and Chandra.(Erick Avari; stereotyped, but always entertaining.)
While Heroes answers many situational questions regarding the characters' lives, it still remains maddeningly ambivalent about the reason for these powers. I can just about accept Chandra discovering an "evolutionary leap" being made in the brains of some people, resulting in supernatural powers, but how does he know their names and whereabouts?
Also, we were led to believe that a solar eclipse was responsible for at least triggering these abilities -- so why do some people have powers months before the eclipse seen in Genesis! The specifics concerning Mr Bennet are also left vague; he meets with Chandra and plays dumb, yet is later seen interrogating mind-controller Eden with The Haitian present. Is Mr Bennet working for someone who made Chandra's discovery first?
Personally, I feel the writers are having problems explaining the foundations to the show's premise. I'm sure they'll find an adequate explanation surrounding these things given time, but for now the show's foundations are paper thin and open to nitpicking.
Overall, Six Months Ago is an essential mythology episode that answers a dizzying number of questions. Some elements remain hazy, or stretch plausibility, but this is a comic-book for the small screen, so what do you expect? Ultimately, it's a breath of fresh air to watch a show constantly change shape and not afraid to show its hand.
