When Sean and Noel asked me to cover Heroes this week (NBC still hasn't been restored to Sean's neighborhood), the first thing I did was head to NBC's press site to find a post photo/witness the future horror I was about to inflict on my eyeballs/earballs/soul. But I found something wonderful, something that could possibly change the way I watch this season of Heroes.
Bubbles was coming.
Yes, it appeared Andre Royo, my favorite character from one of my favorite shows of all time, was going to be swinging by–as someone with powers (ahem, abilities) no less.
Sigh. Poor, poor Bubs. Royo's appearance fell into the Heroes formula for failure, and basically summed up everything that's wrong with the show this season.
Let's start with the obvious: His character has no purpose–Claire tracks him down because she's, like, so rebellious now, and…actually, I'm not all that clear as to what drove her to read Daddy's files and find/possibly kill the evildoers found within. (Sure, she said as much in that sweat lodge two weeks back, but at this point, how much do we trust the words coming out of her mouth? And remember season one, when she was one of the only characters who could pull off the corny lines with some semblance of conviction?) But regardless, she's here and ready for blood. Only she's so easily swayed by Stephen, and sympathy rears itself almost immediately.
But then Sylar and HRG–even the "previously on…" voiceover guy calls him that now–show up, and we're at problem number two with season three: too much arbitrary drama. Stephen freaks out, creates a vortex and walks off like there's not an endless wormhole of emptiness and despair in his living room. HRG yells for his daughter for a while, then some more, then Sylar vanishes, possibly forever. Nah, he grabs Claire's hand just in time, and what a hand grab! It was enough for him to feel the "pain I've caused" by all the near–brain eating and such. And you know he's genuine, because earlier he admitted that he's "trying."
Which brings us to the conclusion and point number three: As Sean's pointed out in the past, the show changes fundamental traits of its characters willy-nilly, to better serve the individual scene they're currently shooting. So here we are, a stand-off at the carousel between Claire, Stephen and HRG, who is begging for the creation of a vortex to suck Sylar into oblivion. (Wait, doesn't he have super hearing? How did he miss that?) Only this time, Claire doesn't want Sylar sucked into a vortex–but wait, didn't she just resent her father a few minutes ago because he was working with such a monster? And this is the catalyst that shakes her to believe HRG doesn't see the heroes as human, because he's willing to go to great lengths to protect his family from bad guys? Remember? His "thing?" Plus, why is Sylar, of all people, able to egg her on? I guess, sure, he cut off her head and massaged her brain with his nuclear hands, but he had the decency to replace her scalp. If this isn't the fastest onset of Stockholm Syndrome ever, I don't know what is.