Sunday 23 November 2008

TV Review: Heroes Season 3, Episode 9

The third season of Heroes has been in a downward spiral as of late, thanks to it's irritating inconsistency, poor writing and mind numbing pretentiousness. But, with Heroes there's always the chance that it'll pick itself up again. Hopefully episode nine “It's Coming”(here come the double entendres) would be the beginning of Heroes dragging itself out of mediocrity.

After a few minutes of Mohinder's inane babbling (why isn't he dead yet?) episode nine picks up immediately from where the previous episode left off, with Rafiki decapitated and Hiro being tortured by Arthur Petrelli. But, while Arthur is distracted by a painting of an eclipse, Hiro and Ando make their escape, only to discover that, after having some of his memories removed, Hiro believes he is ten years old. It's hard to say whether this is a bad move or a good one, because while it's incredibly silly, it's simultaneously charming and amusing, and so long as it isn't dragged out, it's still a welcome break from Heroes' drama.

At Pinehearst, Arthur decides to teach Sylar to access his empathy (which he apparently had all along, and isn't just a random plot device, honest), and give him the ability to obtain other powers without his signature zombie-esque brain trick. To do so, Sylar must reconcile with Elle, and after being electrocuted to the point where he is left conveniently topless, he absorbs her powers through empathy (Peter Petrelli style). While the effects in this scene are genuinely impressive, the reconciliation between the characters looks to be leading into yet another romantic sub-plot, and we all know how bad Heroes is at those.

Meanwhile, as Claire and Peter prepare to go on the run, they are tracked down by Knox and Flint. In an attempt to protect Peter, Claire assures him that she has a plan, which turns out to be chatting to Knox and Flint for a while, before jumping out of a window. Good plan, Claire.

Matt and Daphne search for help at the Company, only to find Angela Petrelli, still in her coma. As Matt ventures into her mind in a bit to free her, Daphne alerts Arthur of Matt's intentions, leading to a confrontation in Angela's mind. While the scene is fairly cleverly shot, it's upstaged by the poor romantic dialogue between Matt and Daphne, as the couple openly declare their love. It's predictable, borderline nauseating, and a harsh reminder of just how bad the Heroes writers are when it comes to romance.

While it's an improvement on the previous episodes, it's become apparent Heroes isn't learning from it's mistakes. It's insistence on romantic sub-plots, weak plot devices and slow development (why has the line between heroes and villains only just been drawn?) makes me wonder if the show will ever reach the standards of the first season. There isn't even Dania Ramírez anymore. Boo.

3/5

When did Daphne fall in love with Matt anyway? She thought he was a stalker two days ago.

Is trying to think of synonyms for "inconsistency"- tomdoodle16@live.co.uk

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