Tv Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Episode 19)

Episode 19 - .07% - *** out of 4

Big plot points included.

After it's super-sized hiatus, Heroes finally returns with an episode that....doesn't actually accomplish a whole lot. Sure, there are some big plot developments toward the end of the episode, but personally this kind of felt like a filler episode to me.

First the good points. Once again Claire's dad is the most interesting character. Having been captured by his own organization he devises a telepathic escape plan with Matt Parkman. It's a suspenseful plotline, provides real stakes for the characters, and has some inventive displays of superpowers.

I also like Linderman's inclusion in the storyline. After months of people mentioning his name ominously, Malcolm McDowell has managed to turn this potentially one-note villain into a complex character. His speech, in which he puts the upcoming New York disaster into context (it's only killing .07% of the population, but will lead to positive world changes), brings to mind the moral gray areas Claire's father has travelled through as well. His decision to bring Micah into the mix might actually mean that Nikki's storyline could get interesting in the near future.

The mediocre storyline follows Isaac's final stand against Sylar. Essentially playing into the prophecies of both his own paintings and also Hiro's time travelling journey to New York, Isaac dies at the hand of the superhero serial killer. I wanted to feel like this was more of a shocking plot point, but frankly I haven't been able to muster much care for Isaac since the story began. I'm sure this isn't the entire end of his character's arc (he hints that he has left clues for others), but it certainly feels like closure. What bothers me most about this death, is that the potential conflict brewing between Peter and Isaac (over the death of Simone) has run it's course. They had a little fight, and that was it. What was the point of killing her off then (other than getting rid of a boring character)?

I was also mildly interested in Claire's meeting with Nathan, her biological father. It was an awkward scene, but one that managed to convey both Claire's disappointment, and Nathan's cowardice.

Now, as for the bad, I was vastly disappointed with the Peter's dead fakeout. After taking a shard of glass to the back of head, Peter dies. Of course, the audience knows that since he has Claire's powers all anyone has to do is take out the shard of glass and he'll be A-okay, but nope...instead we have to watch character after character mourn because Peter's dead. Suresh is sad, Peter's mom is sad, Nathan's sad, Claire's sad (until she finally smartens up and pulls out the glass). It's just tedious because the audience is twelve steps ahead of everyone else.

Also, I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think Suresh could really take out Sylar with what I will now dub as "The Bulletin Board of Doom!". The guy has like four hundred super powers, but not one can prepare him for the raw power of a rolling bulletin board? Uh huh.

With only a few episodes to go I'm worried that there isn't that much momentum. The "Let's Save New York" plotline really feels like an afterthought for everyone. I'm hoping that this will change quickly.