Heroes: Episode 2 “Don’t Look Back”
Picking up right where last week’s episode left off the show continues to explore the ramifications that their mysterious powers have on our heroes’ lives while still finding time to further the overall plot and introduce some new characters.
Mohinder Suresh meets a friend of his father’s and finds that the cockroach isn’t the only bug in his apartment. He also makes a discovery that may lead him to what his father referred to as “patient zero.” Suresh may not have any superpowers but Sendhil Ramamurthy manages to make him interesting enough that we’re never bored when he’s onscreen. He also has the perfect voice for delivering the philosophical opening and closing narration each episode.
Single mother and internet stripper Niki heads out of town with her kid, along with a couple of dead guys in the trunk. How did they get there? And what’s at the destination marked on the map she finds in the shiny new convertible? It seems her blackouts hold the answer. Ali Larter was one of the more recognizable members of the ensemble cast having had a major role in the first two Final Destination films and made a memorable appearance in Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. As mom on the run Niki Sanders she conveys the scared intensity of the character perfectly and I can’t wait to see where her story leads next.
We don’t really find out much about cheerleader Claire this week. We do get confirmation that her mysterious stepdad is aware of her indestructibility but then that was pretty much a given. Plus one of the other chearleaders takes credit for her heroic rescue last week. Clare Bennet could easily have been a Buffy clone but thanks to Hayden Panettiere she’s developing into much more than that. She’s one of my favourite characters on the show and not just because I like looking at young girls in cheerleader outfits.
Brothers Peter and Nathan come to terms with the shocking revelation that they can both fly. Peter is probably the weakest character but that has more to do with him being written as a whiney rich kid than any lack of ability on Milo Ventimiglia’s part and I’m sure we’ll see him develop into a more interesting character as the show develops. He’ll shortly be seen in Rocky Balboa as Rocky Jr.
I’ve been a fan of Adrian Pasdar since the short lived Profit in 1997 but Nathan is also underdeveloped. He’s very much the ‘ruthless politician’ stereotype but I have faith in Pasdar turning him into something more.
Matt Parkman is this week’s major new character. He’s a cop who can read people’s thoughts. On the plus side this allows him to find a little girl who’s the only survivor of a family murdered by Sylar, a superpowered serial killer. On the downside, it leads to his arrest for the crime. Greg Grunberg was a regular on Alias and has the likeable regular guy role down pat. Hopefully this part will see him stretching himself a little more.
Finally there’s Hiro, who finds that he’s not only traveled through space but time as well, five weeks into the future to be precise. Finding a comic created by precognitive artist Isaac Mendez that depicts his trip to New York along with other events yet to happen Hiro attempts to track him down. Sadly when he finds the artist his head has been cut open and brain removed (the trademark of Sylar). Things don’t get any better when the F.B.I. arrive and assume he’s the killer. There’s an exuberance about Masi Oka’s performance that turns what could have been an annoying character into the most enjoyable on the show. He’s the most enthusiastic about his new power and the potential to be a superhero and Oka conveys that perfectly, so much so that the audience are carried along by it too. This series was the first I’d seen of Masi and it’s hard to believe that Japanese is his second language. He’s that convincing. As well as being an actor, he also works as a visual artist for ILM, George Lucas’ effects company.
This week ends on a cliffhanger that manages to top last week’s. it’s a moment that leaves you stunned and waiting with anticipation for the next thrilling instalment of this epic tale.
