Heroes 1.6: "Better Halves"

For all intent purposes, this is the first transitional episode for “Heroes”. That means that this is a good test of the premise and the writing staff, because transitional episodes are typically hard to pull off. There are a few ways to make it work out well, and they all involve a focus on character. Give the audience some worthwhile character exploration along with the positioning of plot elements, and the episode should work out fine.

The main focus was therefore on Niki, a character that screams for clarification and development. A number of revelations are tossed to the audience, and many of them are probably quite new to the uninitiated. Fans of the “X-Men” franchise probably saw DL’s attack potential coming a mile away, but the depth of Niki’s psychological problem was somewhat unexpected. It now seems quite clear that Niki has always harbored a dark side, and the emergence of her ability (super-strength?) has taken that fractured personality to the next level.

In this episode, we see her conversing with her other personality, and afterward, switching from Niki to Dark Niki seemingly at will. To use another Marvel Comics analogy, Niki is not unlike Typhoid Mary, a foe of Daredevil in years past. Dark Niki has similar priorities (namely, Micah), but very little restraint of any kind. I like how Ali Larter manages to pull off the more innocent Niki and the more sultry Dark Niki, making them distinct with a slight shift in expression. (The makeup changes also help, but a lot is a matter of expression.)

This episode also gives us a better look at Claire’s father. While his actions still hold a distinctly sinister edge, he seems genuinely concerned about Claire. It’s almost as if he’s taking such extreme actions with the heroes we’ve seen because there’s something worse out there. It would be interesting to discover that he’s really working to counter Syler, but slipping into the “end justifies the means” mentality a little too far. That would add another welcome layer of complexity to the series.

Hiro comes to the realization that he’s not living in a comic book. Ultimately, it boils down to yet another comic book axiom: “with great power comes great responsibility”. Saving the world is wonderful, but it’s what you do when it’s not something so grand and vague that marks the true hero. I was also pleasantly surprised by the decision to make Ando the “everyday hero” type. These characters continue to be two of the best on the show.

Along the way, plot elements emerge, some of which were payoffs of well-constructed narrative. Eden turns out to be working for Claire’s father, which was not much of a surprise. Isaac becomes aware of the symbol that has been showing itself again and again, and now it’s even more clear that it resembles one side of a double helix. Claire’s father seems to have known about this genetic potential for superhuman abilities since the time of Claire’s birth. These are just a few of the ideas and clues peppered through the episode, all of which make the case for a solid transitional installment.

(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Heroes”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.com if you want to listen!)

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10