TV Review: Season 3 Turns Into ‘Heroes: Smoke and Mirrors’

Posted by Adam Sweeney (adam@filmschoolrejects.com) on December 2, 2008

Heroes, NBC, Airs Mondays 9/8c

Episode: “The Eclipse, Part 2″ (Season 3, Episode 11)

Synopsis: The solar eclipse continues and reveals the heroes and villains for what they really are … heroes and villains. Who would have guessed that?

Review: I am no longer calling this season Heroes: Villains. It will from here on out be better known as Heroes: Smoke and Mirrors, because everything we have come to believe was true is now being revealed as a lie. Sylar (Zachary Quinto)  isn’t really a Pertrelli? Claire (Hayden Panettiere) finds out that she isn’t really H.R.G.’s (Jack Coleman) daughter? When did this show become a superhero version of Jerry Springer. I can see it now, “On today’s show we have Noah Bennet. Hero baby’s daddy … or is he?”

And thank goodness Claire is okay, they almost had me believing she was dead for a commercial break. Okay, no they didn’t. What was the point in even having the eclipse? Nobody was changed by it permanently. Daphne’s (Brea Grant) bout with cerebral palsy was the only revelation that really counted, so why not just show us a flashback sequence? There used to be a time that I watched this show without wanting to fast forward. That time is beginning to look like a back issue of a 9th Wonder comic.

As for the rest of it, I have asked this more than once this season, why are we setting up exposition about characters if all we are going to do is backtrack and say that it isn’t true? Is there a button on my remote control that gives me Hiro’s power so that I can go back in time so that we can start this season over and try to do it the right way? At this point I feel like I am running in circles like The Flash.

The one element of this episode that I liked was when Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) raised the question of what to do with super-powers. The analogy of being a hero to American military isn’t lost on me, and if George Bush was watching the show last night (don’t put it past him. I bet he sits at home wearing a Captain America outfit he got off eBay) then maybe he might have the bright idea to help stop the genocide happening in Darfur and other countries. You still have one more month Dubya! You can turn this thing around! As for Heroes, I don’t know how much time they have left … to appeal to me or the rest of their fans. The clock is ticking on the chance for the heroes to save their world … both on and off screen.

Up Next Week: In a quest to thwart Arthur’s (Robert Forster) plans, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Claire band together to travel back in time 16 years to when Kaito (George Taiko) gave baby Claire to H.R.G. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) join forces to finish off Arthur Petrelli for good — but Sylar has other plans for them. Elsewhere, in the lab, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) makes a major breakthrough with the formula that could change everything.

Read More: Heroes Recaps

Did you watch this week’s episode of Heroes? How do you think they can improve the show?


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  • Nevernude
    I agree with everything you've sed. The eclipse is one of the most pointless arc i have ever seen in a show. Why have an eclipse if its only purpose is to do nothing but relieve the heroes temporarily of their powers and then bring the powers bak just when it suits them. We all know Claire can heal, but the writers insist on getting her shot time and time again. WTF! also this whole "claire is special" thing just wont fly with me. All she does is heal. guess what...so can Sylar. and Papa Petrelli (since he stole peters power anyway). What makes her special?
    Also a new villian was introduced and dispatched in quick time. im talking about the Haitians brother. pointless. pointless. pointless.
    Mohinder keeps returning to Papa Petrelli even though he knows the man is all evil. Mohinder is a professor for chrissakes! how about crediting him with some intelligence!
    I am seriously hating this show more and more.
    I have a feeling Kristen Bell wont be returning to the show following her head-cutting demise.
    Neither will i.
  • agreed, except the killign Syler part, well maybe they should but it would have been better if they had left him as the mysterious unknown killer.
  • Andrew
    Yeah, exactly what I was thinking - that was some bullshit in the review!

    I mean we found out ages ago she's Nathan's daughter, and the Petrelli's were after her for half the first season - there was tonnes of stuff about her searching for her real parents.

    Jesus, did the reviewer only start watching this year?
  • So basically we have a reviewer who never watched season 1. Why exactly do you like this show then, hahaha. i mean season 1 was the only good thing about this show, so if you didn't see that, why are you watching?

    Claire being adopted was one of the main storylines of the first season, please get a reviewer that knows what he's talking about.
  • Claire can naturally heal. Sylar stole her ability. I'm sure Adam would've been special too, if Mr Petrelli hadn't turned him into dust.
    Mohinder is a GD moron and I wish they'd kill him off already. I've hated his character since day 1. He's useless!
    Elle is still alive. I read some spoilers today. They never showed her dying. Sylar actually stopped cutting into her.
    I've been a huge Heroes fan since the 1st season. I'm willing to sit thru these bumps in the plot and see what happens.
  • lordbeagle
    Methinks Heroes needs a "Jump The Shark" episode soon...season 3 is a little bit better than season 2, but not by much. Introducing Arthur Petrelli this year as the main villain was great. But having the Petrellis as the main "family" don't sit well with me. Reminds me of the whole Summers family during the Mr. Sinister days. Turned me off from The X-Men for a few years. Season 3 seems scattered. They need to focus like they did in season 1. "Save The Cheerleader...Save The World" got me hooked from season 1. This year, "Villains" there was no surprises on who was on what side. Hiro actually becoming the villain and staying that way would've been a surprise. But nope, we get introduced to a few minor characters.

    "Campaigning to destroy Mohinder." Worst character ever. Rather be in a 3-way debate with Jar Jar Binks and C-3P0 on discussing who came first...the chicken or the egg.
  • As Andrew already said, if that is the message you were trying to get across then you didn't accomplish that goal, proof being I was the third person to get the impression you thought HRG was Claire's real father.

    "It will from here on out be better known as Heroes: Smoke and Mirrors, because everything we have come to believe was true is now being revealed as a lie"

    "Claire (Hayden Panettiere) finds out that she isn’t really H.R.G.’s (Jack Coleman) daughter? When did this show become a superhero version of Jerry Springer. I can see it now, “On today’s show we have Noah Bennet. Hero baby’s daddy … or is he?”"

    I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who didn't think you thought HRG was Claire's real father from these quotes. I realise it is hard for sarcasm to come across in writing, but it's really a stretch to find it in these lines.

    And I missed your policy where it says only post nice comments. I love your website and the fact that it seeks out participation from your readers, but you've got to accept the criticisms with the praise. I didn't realize I posted negative comments all the time, maybe I was being sarcastic anf it didn't come across.
  • I think all the problems with Heroes have been voiced, so I'll only voice my agreement. I'm nearly at the point where I have lost hope for the series recovering and sadly, I'm alright with that feeling. Perhaps at some point they will actually move forward and we'll find out the point of this season.
  • Harold
    They should've just left Claire and Sylar dead. For starters, that would make the story kind of interesting at least and would have marked a turning point in the show (Oh what's this? Plot direction? What a concept!). The editors or producers or whoever the hell is pulling all the strings really needs to get their act together and make something happen. Nobody gives a damn about the trivial things. Just stick to the plot line. Comic relief and the drama-fest can only carry it so far.

    Also, get the goddamn Haitian finally and make some sort of epic battle to stop Arthur Petrelli. Isn't that what the show keeps building towards every 3 episodes or something? What would've been so wrong with a showdown between the heroes and villains? Something would happen right? People would die. Viewers would get a little emotional. Picture perfect, no? Do they really need to cycle over the same thing each time? We KNOW Claire's got daddy issues. We KNOW Peter's insecure about... whatever. We KNOW that Sylar's crazy. This may be a bit redundant but there was a point when I wouldn't miss a second of an episode but now I'm pretty sure I can tell what's going to happen at the end of the episode after watching oh, like the first 5 minutes.

    The only thing that can make it any worse is if they planned to make a 'Heroes' movie down the line.
  • Gretchen
    The only subplot I've been following this season is Sylar's. Zach Quinto is the whole reason I'm willing to see the new Star Trek (on DVD). I liked watching Sylar struggle towards sanity & heroism, and it's very disappointing to see that end so soon, and frankly, so predictably. I never thought for a second Claire would die - she's the hot young blonde star, making her un-killable. There's been too many times this season I've said to myself, WTF?? I'll finish out this season 'cause I don't like leaving things unfinished, but I'm starting to think that's it.
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