Heroes

Heroes has always been a good show. Since the beginning you just felt the potential, and as the weeks went by Heroes let a little more of its brilliance show. Tonight’s Heroes, ‘Company Man’, was the Zenith. Not only did ‘Company Man’ pay off by finally revving the ‘Heroes’ engine on all cylinders, it actually exceeded what anyone would have thought possible. After tonight, ‘Heroes’ cements itself as part of the new golden age, and one of the best shows on television. Serialized drama's take note:  The new text-book has been written.

‘Company man’s brilliance is in its mix of device (twists and denouement), it’s portrayal of sacrifice and tragedy, and that mysterious sense of an epic playing field vibrating beneath its surface. In a day where the only comparable show, LOST, spoon feeds its audience mere nuggets of tenuous information that defy a place in a larger picture, Heroes explodes with information at a pace that satisfies your need for answers, but makes the larger picture all that much more interesting.

This Heroes is essential H.R.G’s episode, who he is, what he does, and what his limits are. Until now, H.R.G was very much a Jack Baueresque character. He seemed to serve a purpose greater than any one’s life, even his own family. That perception, as it turns out is wrong.

The basis for the episode is that Ted and Matt have taken the family hostage and are demanding answers from H.R.G. He avoids them at first, and during that segment we get background. Flashbacks show how H.R.G was hired by Thompson (Eric Roberts), and blow us away with a startling revelation. One of the men at the top of the organization that H.R.G works for is none other than Hiro’s dad, Mr. Nacamara, played by George Takei. It is Mr. Nacamara that forces H.R.G to take Claire as a baby, entrusting him to report in if she ever manifests powers. The second she shows powers, she is to be brought to the company.

Matt begins to silent take H.R.G’s side as Ted loses control. Ted wants to shoot one of the hostages to prove they are serious so H.R.G is able to communicate to Matt telepathically to shoot Claire because she will heal. This works and Ted is convinced that they are going to go to Primatech to get files that will prove H.R.G is up to no good.

Matt is totally complicit to H.R.G at this point, convinced that Ted is going to go nuclear. So they go to Primatech and enlist the aid of the Haitian. It turns out that the Haitian has been hiding Claire along with H.R.G to prevent the company from getting a hold of her.

In H.R.G’s flashbacks we learn that Claude was once his partner, and at one point Claude had hidden one of the specials. When this was discovered, H.R.G was ordered to kill Claude. Such is the code of the company. So we see that H.R.G is in a little bit of a jam where Claire is concerned. We also see a lot of what he has been doing lately in a different light. He’s not an oppressive meanie at all, he just wants to keep his family together.

In the end, they get back to the house and make a little bit of progress at cooling Ted’s heels. Primarily, they want to convince him that H.R.G is not giving people powers, only finding people who are predisposed. Before they can completely calm him though, Thompson shows up and shoots Ted, which naturally sets him off all but good. Thompson gets a good first hand look at Claire’s ability when she goes into the burning house to save H.R.G and tranquilize Ted, so now all bets are off.

Back at Primatech, H.R.G and company now have control of Ted and Thompson has been convinced that it was the Haitian who was hiding Claire’s ability all along. H.R.G is off the hook as far as a death sentence is concerned, but now he must deliver Claire. Matt, meanwhile, is being looked at as a potential new recruit for the company. Will he accept a position? That we will learn later on, in another episode. Thompson wants to know when H.R.G will be bringing Claire in. H.R.G says, now.

On the road, H.R.G pulls over and meets up with the Haitian. He has no intention of bringing Claire to them, and the Haitian is in on his deception. The Haitian shoots H.R.G, at his order, to make it look like he kidnapped Claire, and the two hit the road.

Just a fantastic episode that just kept you reeling all the way through and spun you out one last time for good nature. If anybody, *cough* LOST *cough*, needs instruction on how to produce a perfect episode in a modern, sophisticated serial… this is it. Heroes ‘Company Man’ is a modern classic.

(Images Courtesy of NBC.com)

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer