December 16, 2008 - I think last week's episode, "Our Father," would have made a better way to end Volume Three of Heroes. It had a strong emotional pull, an effective look into the past, some kick ass moments with Sylar and a frightening glimpse at what may be in store for a future filled with super heroes. But instead of ending there, the volume ended with "Dual," which was an episode with some interesting ideas but clunky execution.
Each segment suffered from the weak storytelling and a lack of believability in the characters. This lack of believability stems from the paths taken in the episodes that preceded this. It's been my big complaint all season, that characters make choices to service the plot instead of making logical decisions based on character. Nathan, for one, made no sense to me. He was shot moments before revealing he had powers, then he was born again, then he was out to stop his father, then he was out to fulfill his father's dream. The reasons for all these changes of mind were weak or nonexistent and it made his actions in this episode fail to resonate.
Why he suddenly hated his brother so much that he would have refused to save him from the burning building is beyond me. I just don't get it. But now that he's in this state of mind, he can kick start Volume Four by turning in his brother (and the rest of them) into the government. The "Fugitives" idea seems like a great next step, but the process by which we've reached this point has been less than satisfying.
Other interesting ideas that surfaced in "Dual" included Peter siding with Flint and Dixon to destroy the formula and the lab. Peter was doing it to save the future, the others were doing it to remain special. In those moments, with Mohinder put in danger, you couldn't tell which side was good and which side was evil. But, again, the execution prevented the idea from reaching its full potential.
Sylar trapping Claire, Noah, Meredith and Angela inside Primatech was another interesting concept that never really made much sense. Sylar's speeches were meant to be deep and existential, but it all kind of sounded lik e gibberish. When he finally got around to setting up some difficult choices (save yourself and kill Meredith; save your grandmother or your father) there's little tension or drama. Part of this was due to there being no real sense of where people were. Sylar was broadcasting from some undisclosed location, Meredith was with Bennet one minute, roaming the halls alone the next. I also found it ridiculous that Mr. Bennet released some villains from Level 5 as bait, but then apparently never left Level 5. So, again, we had some interesting ideas, but poor execution.
Ando injecting the formula in an effort to save Hiro was a huge step for the character, so it was too bad the whole thing was sort of treated as the comic relief of the episode. Elsewhere, the episode lacked any emotional reaction. Sylar gets a shard of glass in the sweet spot in the back of his head, but you can't invest yourself in the character being dead. Even minor character Meredith could have survived the huge fire she started. The series has established that there's always a way out of any given predicament. If anything makes this episode worthy of being a Volume finale, it's the hint of what's to come in Volume Four. And it's not necessarily the fact that the heroes are now going to be hunted -- or that Worf is president -- it's that things can start anew. All the problems people have had with the first half of season three could all be forgotten with an incredible, mind-blowing second half. Can it be done? We'll have to wait until February to see.
6.6 out of 10
