Yesterday, I emphatically said that I wasn’t going to watch the Heroes “Villains” finale, having gone cold turkey on the show after what I saw as some major problems with the storylines (especially all the time-travel) this fall.

Well, I relapsed. I watched the episode. Partly because I needed to write this Aftergasm, but mostly because, as a true Heroes fan, despite my misgivings, I know that a Heroes finale has the potential to hold many surprises, and I hoped they would be good ones.

This episode took us along on three different stories: Ando, Daphne, and Parkman attempt to save Hiro and destroy the Formula, Peter and Nathan battle it out over the fate of the Formula (and their relationship), and—in the most suspenseful arc—Sylar plays a deadly game of cat and mouse by locking HRG, Claire, Angela, and Meredith inside Primatech.

“Dual” did hold one happy surprise for this viewer: the story in Primatech was spectacularly paced and well scripted (except maybe Claire’s quasi-creepy threat to “spank” Sylar). With all these volatile characters trapped in one building for the full episode, the writers were able to take their time and pare down the dialogue and action in a way that we haven’t yet seen this season. Without being bogged down by any Formula or time travel trappings, it’s a truly gripping sequence about human desperation, and—for both Claire and Sylar—what being part of a family means. We see Claire stepping up and making some tough decisions, and (for once) HRG lets her make them alone.

Unfortunately, I cannot be so enthusiastic about the other arcs in this episode, but the good news is that it’s not because of the characters. I blame the Formula and the Catalyst, elements that, through their names alone, have detached our characters from the human drama and trapped them in a muddled, mystic “Twilight Zone” world of vials and glowing orbs of light. Nathan and Peter deserve something a little more urgent and visceral to fight about. And Hiro needs a real human evil over which to prevail. Now that “Villains” is over and the new chapter, “Fugitives,” is about to begin (kicking off February 2), we can see that evil will have a face in the next chapter. And I couldn’t be happier about that. Especially because that face (at least for now) appears to be Nathan’s.

“Fugitives” promises to answer many burning questions (no pun intended, Meredith) that were posed during this chapter, and bring the show back to the characters. Bryan Fuller himself said as much in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, and his work as a consultant will begin to show through around episode 19 of this season. Among the questions that we hope will be answered when Heroes returns:

Who are Sylar’s parents? Will he make it out of Primatech alive?
Why does future-Ando kill Hiro? Will this event still come to pass, and if so, which (if either) of them is evil?
What happened when Peter injected himself with the Formula? Did he only obtain the power of flight, or did he get all his powers back?
What’s going on with Hiro? He still doesn’t have his powers back—will he ever?
On that note: is this the end of time travelers on the show? Sure, Ando can supercharge Daphne back in time, but neither can go back alone. That’s a little different than the solo “master of time and space” abilities that Peter and Hiro had.
And the big question: who is really a hero, and who is a villain? From all the mixed alliances this season, it’s still impossible to tell for sure.

Fuller has also given us some juicy hints for where “Fugitives” will lead us, including:
Matt’s wife Janice will be back… with a superbaby.
The characters will get back to their real lives. We’ll see Peter as a paramedic, and Claire looking for colleges.
We will “get away from the world of formulas and quasi-magic.”
When asked if the cast will get trimmed: “People will die. And some will return.”

While I still have issues with where Seasons 2 and 3 have thus far taken the show, I am now decidedly hopeful that the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next will mark a significant shift in the dynamic on Heroes. I was pretty harsh on the “Villains” arc yesterday, but I did say the show is salvageable. And it’s comforting to hear from Fuller that among the Heroes writers, “everybody knows what needs to be fixed and everybody is sort of rowing in that direction.”

So, though wary, I’m back in. I have enough faith in Bryan Fuller to help fulfill his prediction: “I think people who have been critical of Heroes will come back.”

Best in Show

Best Quote: “Pikachu?! Excuse me...” - Hiro, offended enough when Tracy calls him a Pokemon character that he punches her in the face.

Best Scene: The fight scene between Hiro and his father, Kaito Nakamura. Gotta love bringing back the Kensei sword, and props to Hiro for facing near certain death to destroy the Formula... even if he does fail.

Best User Comment: "why on earth after someone breaks into your office and steals your secret formula then rips it half wouldnt you change your combination some time during the next 16yrs??!! doh!" -MistressH, who does a great job of pointing out how basic logic gets thrown out the window when too much time travel happens on Heroes.



-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: Entertainment Weekly
(Image courtesy of NBC)