It's no secret that Heroes has been slipping in quality and in the ratings since the end of its first season. Things have improved a bit this year thanks to Robert Knepper's fantastic turn as manscara-wearing carnival boss Samuel Sullivan. Watching Sylar torment Matt Parkman with some Tyler Durden-esque head games has been a hoot too. But, as we TV critics like to bring up every now and then, the current season isn't nearly as good as that great first season. Maybe that's why Heroes is taking us back to season one, sort of, with the Nov. 2 episode, "Once Upon a time in Texas."
The ep follows Hiro as he travels back in time to try to change the events of season one's episode 8, in which he fell in love with Texas waitress Charlie, played by Glee's Jayma Mays. Fans of the show know that Hiro was unable to save Charlie from Sylar's clutches even though he tried more than once. Will he be able to change history this time?
Sort of. It's unlikely that Hiro will be able to save Charlie (guest star Mays is only slated to appear in the one episode), but Masi Oka says Hiro succeeds in another way:
".. Hiro finally gets his long awaited kiss [pictured up top]. His dream upon the thousand cranes, the origami in his left hand, came true," the actor told TV Guide.
But Oka stopped short of promising a happy ending, and he likens the Nov. 8 ep to "Company Man," the great season one episode that shed some light on HRG's dark past.
I'm not expecting a return to season one greatness here – honestly, who would at this point? – but I'm looking forward to this ep. If it's really anything like "Company Man" that means we're in for a more focused, emotional and character-centric story. That sure sounds a lot better than watching Emma stare at pretty colors and run away from Peter again.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-27-2009 @ 4:59PM
Daniel M said...
I'm excited about this. This and that irish girl peter was with up are the only real chemistry i ever witnessed
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10-27-2009 @ 5:46PM
was a fan said...
Great first season. I don't see how they could ever re-create that - they blew all their great ideas in one season!
It's as if Lost had pushed all of their 'reveals' into the first season - time travel, eternally young characters, etc, etc, etc. A lot of interesting concepts, but once they're out there, it's hard to maintain the sense of interest and mystery - you either recycle the ideas endlessly, or you pile on more and more new 'reveals' until the audience is overwhelmed.
In both cases, you lose all the emotional involvement with the characters as the show is all about the mechanics.
They should have taken the first season's plot line and spread it out over 5 seasons. What a fun and engaging show that could have been!
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10-28-2009 @ 12:34AM
Ed said...
I love Hiro, but I sort of hope that he's the big, rumored death in this season. He hasn't really had a whole lot to add to either the carnival or the Peter/Sylar plot. In the last few episodes, he has sort of come to terms with his life. Being that Charlie was his original failure, the first person he wasn't able to save, it would be fitting if he dies in order to save her life.
On top of that, it could add an interesting new dynamic to the show if Sylar cracked open Hiro's head in the diner instead of Charlie's. I wonder if the writers would go as far as changing the history of the past two seasons or so by making Sylar "Master of Time and Space".
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10-28-2009 @ 10:36AM
Jake said...
Hiro is the most frustrating character. Since the first couple of plots involved present-day Hiro coming into contact with "Bad Ass Future Hiro," and then changing the future -- it has meant that Hiro is consistently thwarting his own development into a capable (and more interesting) character.
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10-28-2009 @ 1:47PM
JAM said...
The show is called "Heroes" not "Carnival Freaks." If the writers kil off Hiro, the only major character who has embraced the hero concept, it'll be the ultimate irony of the sad slide the show has made.
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