I didn't hate everything about Heroes last night. In fact, I sort of liked quite a lot of it. This is very difficult for me to admit, because I preferred abjectly hating Heroes. But now I find myself liking large chunks of it and, God save me, I may have enjoyed the Claire storyline most of all.

I'm not about to give Heroes a gold star and say all is forgiven. It's not. If anything, the general quality of last night's episode is simply proof that we should be critical of the show when it's bad because it's capable of being good.

This episode of Heroes had four basic storylines. The most boring, as always, involved members of the Petrelli family. Nathan and Peter's petty squabbling is the same brotherly feud we've seen before. Maybe it's just me, but Peter doesn't really have a side. He's the one who befriended Adam Monroe and took Sylar's power, causing him to temporarily go psycho. Nathan has occasionally been manipulated by others, but he sees the error of his ways and didn't let Linderman control him for very long.

The other dull story involved Arthur roughing up Mohinder. I always support Mohinder getting beaten up, but Arthur is the kind of guy who's much scarier with less screentime, and the biggest problem Heroes made with this character is giving him way too much time on screen.

However, there were parts I fully enjoyed. Despite the totally nonsensical nature of Elle (she goes from wanting to save Sylar to wanting to kill him to wanting to make out with him at the drop of a hat), I love the chemistry between Zachary Quinto and Kristen Bell. I also loved HRG calling out his daughter on being a weak, spoiled brat.

It was the ultimate catharsis for someone like me who dislikes Claire. Much like with Meredith on Grey's Anatomy, I like her best when other characters are calling her out on what a terrible person she is. HRG did that with Claire, and he also got to kick some ass, reaffirming my belief that Noah Bennet is the best character on Heroes.

Finally, we had the dopey Hiro story, which is improving if only because the characters are smart enough to realize 9th Wonders will provide all of their answers. It's a bit like cheating, and the show really has to find a way to stop it, because the comic book reveals their futures. It's exactly like the movie Spaceballs, where Dark Helmet watches the VHS copy of the movie he's in to find out where Lone Starr is going next. Actually, Mel Brooks stole that from himself when Hedley Lamarr attended the premiere of Blazing Saddles in Blazing Saddles.

The point is that the mere existence of 9th Wonders is a huge plot hole that the writers need to pave over. Hopefully next week Seth Green and Breckin Meyer can help them do that, because if there's anyone who understands meta-comedy, it's the men behind Robot Chicken

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Best in Show

Best Quote: “I hate heroes.” - Sylar, discussing his distaste for do-gooders. I know it's mean, but I couldn't resist laughing at this quote, given the recent sentiments about this show.

Best Scene: Sylar and Elle Trying to Kidnap Claire. Was there a funnier moment than when Elle and Sylar both cocked their heads, reached out their hands, and tried to use their powers on Claire and HRG? They looked so sad and pathetic when they failed, and it opened the door for HRG to kick some major ass. If there's one thing I truly love about Heroes, it's how unbelievably bad-ass HRG is.

Best User Comment: "I love Elle, I'm watching the show again because of Kristen...and i'll stop if they kill her off." - Rosewater0, expressing a sentiment shared by many Heroes fans over how great the Sylar-Elle chemistry is.


Love it or hate it? Rant and rave about last night's episode - Comment Below.


-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of NBC)