Heroes 1.8: "Seven Minutes to Midnight"
Written by Tim Kring
The past few episodes of “Heroes” have been transitional in nature, ramping up the various plot threads towards the inevitable confrontation with Syler and the apparent rescue of Claire by some of the other “heroes”. Transitional episodes are often tricky, as I’ve mentioned before, because a lack of resolution leaves the audience with the impression that the episode is “unfinished”. But sometimes the process of generating tension works well enough that the episode is greater than the sum of its parts.
In this case, we have several plot threads advancing all at once, widening the scope of the story while giving the overall universe more definition. In particular, new “heroes” are introduced with connections to the main characters. Eden turns out to be something of a siren with a hypnotic voice, which fits the look and feel of the character very well. Charlie has developed an intuitive version of eidetic (“photographic”) memory, as well as a quick rapport with Hiro. Either Mohinder has an ability to see through time in dreams, or the young boy in his father’s file has that ability and is helping him. While this could be seen as a dilution factor for the series as a whole, each introduction helps to shed light on the “heroes” phenomenon.
This episode also brings the plot closer to two crisis points: the attack on Claire and the destruction of New York City. The impending attack on Claire helps to bring a number of plot points to light. It’s now clear that Mr. Bennett has been studying the emergence of the superhumans for well over a generation, and he has developed a means of bringing out a latent ability, perhaps as an initial step towards allowing individuals to gain more control over their powers. The implication is that Mr. Bennett knows that something is happening and he’s part of an effort to control its progress by any means necessary.
This ties into Matt’s attempt to find common ground with Ted, the unstable “nuclear man”, because both men seem to have enhanced abilities after their run in with the Haitian under Mr. Bennett’s employ. Ted has serious control issues, and it’s not hard to imagine that he will accidentally explode in the middle of New York City, causing the future event that Hiro is trying to prevent.
Overall, this episode begins the process of peeling back the layers of the story while setting the stage for a confrontation in the next episode. Syler is striking out again, and this time, there are forces in place to prevent his success. This may be a transitional episode, but the rising tension gives the story more than enough heft.
(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: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
The past few episodes of “Heroes” have been transitional in nature, ramping up the various plot threads towards the inevitable confrontation with Syler and the apparent rescue of Claire by some of the other “heroes”. Transitional episodes are often tricky, as I’ve mentioned before, because a lack of resolution leaves the audience with the impression that the episode is “unfinished”. But sometimes the process of generating tension works well enough that the episode is greater than the sum of its parts.
In this case, we have several plot threads advancing all at once, widening the scope of the story while giving the overall universe more definition. In particular, new “heroes” are introduced with connections to the main characters. Eden turns out to be something of a siren with a hypnotic voice, which fits the look and feel of the character very well. Charlie has developed an intuitive version of eidetic (“photographic”) memory, as well as a quick rapport with Hiro. Either Mohinder has an ability to see through time in dreams, or the young boy in his father’s file has that ability and is helping him. While this could be seen as a dilution factor for the series as a whole, each introduction helps to shed light on the “heroes” phenomenon.
This episode also brings the plot closer to two crisis points: the attack on Claire and the destruction of New York City. The impending attack on Claire helps to bring a number of plot points to light. It’s now clear that Mr. Bennett has been studying the emergence of the superhumans for well over a generation, and he has developed a means of bringing out a latent ability, perhaps as an initial step towards allowing individuals to gain more control over their powers. The implication is that Mr. Bennett knows that something is happening and he’s part of an effort to control its progress by any means necessary.
This ties into Matt’s attempt to find common ground with Ted, the unstable “nuclear man”, because both men seem to have enhanced abilities after their run in with the Haitian under Mr. Bennett’s employ. Ted has serious control issues, and it’s not hard to imagine that he will accidentally explode in the middle of New York City, causing the future event that Hiro is trying to prevent.
Overall, this episode begins the process of peeling back the layers of the story while setting the stage for a confrontation in the next episode. Syler is striking out again, and this time, there are forces in place to prevent his success. This may be a transitional episode, but the rising tension gives the story more than enough heft.
(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: 2/4
Final Rating: 8/10
posted by John Keegan | 15:44
1 Comments:
I always love your reviews, Entil. Come share the Heroes review on the Heroes forum at http://forums.delphiforums.com/RicochetFans/start
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