HEROES 3.3 - "One Of Us, One Of Them"

Writer: Joe Pokaski
Director: Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Cast: Adrian Pasdar (Nathan), Greg Grunberg (Matt), Zachary Quinto (Sylar), Hayden Panettiere (Claire), Ali Larter (Tracy), Cristine Rose (Angela Petrelli), Jack Coleman (Mr. Bennet), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter), Masi Oka (Hiro), James Kyson Lee (Ando), Jessalyn Gilsig (Meredith Gordon), Randall Bentley (Lyle), Ashley Crow (Sandra), Ntare Mwine (Usutu), Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian), Brea Grant (Daphne), Jamie Hector (Knox), Blake Shields (Flint), Francis Capra (Jesse Murphy), Ronald Guttman (Dr. Zimmerman), Ken Lally (The German) & Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah Sanders)

Hiro
You're telling us your plan? What kind of
overconfident nemesis are you?

Daphne
You're 0 for 2 against me, Pikachu.
That's just regular confidence.

Note: BBC Three are a week ahead of BBC2, so I will be reviewing episodes
at their pace. BBC2-only viewers should be wary of major spoilers.

The third episode is less intense than what proceeded it, but it's obvious the writers hope to win back audiences by ensuring a steady stream of action. I don't blame them for ensuring season 3 opens with a loud bang (in contrast to last year's slow tease that bored viewers), but I'm worried about good ideas being wrapped-up prematurely (body-trapped Peter) or wasting their potential (the weak supervillains).

It worked well last time, so I'm going to keep reviewing Heroes in a character-based format:

Mr. Bennet & Sylar: In a ridiculous development, Angela (Cristine Rose) decides to partner Mr. Bennet (Jack Coleman) with her "misunderstood" evil son Sylar (Zachary Quinto), to assist him in recapturing the Level 5 escapees. Yes, Sylar; the murderer who has killed dozens of innocent people and even performed telekinetic brain surgery on Bennet's daughter is now a conflicted "good guy".

Ignoring this huge strain on plausibility, the Bennet/Sylar team-up is actually quite enjoyable, as they arrive at the scene of a bank robbery being performed by the rampaging supervillains -- including Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), still trapped in the body of Jesse (Francis Capra). Bennet doesn't trust Sylar, but he realizes he has skills and a smart-talking confidence that comes in useful. The most annoying thing about this subplot is how utterly incompetent these supervillains are being written. I expected their escape to pose a significant threat to society and the secrecy of their fellow "supers", but by the end of this episode the majority are either dead or back in their cell! For a volume entitled "Villains", I'm disappointed.

Claire & Meredith: I don't really understand why Mr. Bennet has allowed his daughter's biological mom to become his family's guard dog, and this storyline does little to excite me. Here, pyrokinetic Meredith (Jessalyn Gilsig) allows Claire (Hayden Panettiere) to skip school and be "trained" for superhero duties -- which results in her scaring Claire into submission inside a superheated shipping container.

Hiro & Ando: It's great to see the old dynamic between Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) return, but their frantic quests grew tiresome in season 1, and their search for a top-secret formula might go the same way. Still, "speedster" Daphne (Brea Grant) is a likeable Roadrunner to Hiro's Wile E. Coyote, and the reappearance of The Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) was very welcome. This subplot takes place in a German cinema showing a Buster Keaton movie and, while not terribly exciting or tense, it was entertaining enough. I particularly like The Haitian because his power-draining ability forces the writers to be more creative, particularly in the case of time-travelling teleporter Hiro.

Matt & Usutu: The blandest subplot so far, although Usutu (Ntare Mwine) is ironically the best new character of season 3 so far. I really love his gently sardonic tone and mispronunciation of Parkman ("Pac-man"). Unfortunately, he's been lumbered with the Isaac Mendez role of foreshadowing the future with paint -- and while his African rock prints are aesthetically pleasing, I'm disappointed Heroes fails to realize that the weakest aspect of the show (beyond the proliferation of near-omnipotent characters), is its endless fascination with possible futures. Especially in light of how the writers fail to keep any semblance of logic. (Where for art thou, Caitlin? Still stuck in a possible future that failed to exist? My head hurts!) Precognition on Heroes is just a lazy way to instil a sense of urgency and direction in what's often a very unfocused series. I also fail to understand why temporarily giving Matt (Greg Grunberg) the same precognitive abilities (using drugs) is supposed to be a good idea.

Tracy & Micah: This was quite interesting. Tracy (Ali Larter) travels to Vegas to understand why she's the spitting image of dead Niki Sanders, where she meets orphaned Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) in church. It turns out Niki really is dead, but Tracy seems to be a clone created by a mysterious Dr. Zimmerman (Ronald Guttman). It was an explanation I had expected, but I'm intrigued to see why Zimmerman once created identical clones of Ali Larter. Actually, that seems pretty obvious! But how many were created? Why were they created? Were they intended to be a super-powered clone army of blonde babes? Hmm. This is perhaps the only subplot in season 3 that has my attention, away from the special-effects. Larter's faring much better with this character, and Tracy's ability to freeze things is at least unique in the Heroes universe.

Overall, "One Of Us, One Of Them" had its share of bad moments, implausible developments and disappointing resolutions. The fact it's twice as enjoyable as the equivalent season 2 episodes is its main saving grace, but I really want Heroes to surprise and invigorate me on an emotional level -- not just sugar-coat my popcorn brain. What we need is a radical, unexpected move -- like killing-off Sylar or Peter. It's all too safe and self-derivative right now.


8 October 2008
BBC Three, 10pm