Heroes: The Truth About Charlie

Fans who’ve been watching this show from the beginning don’t agree on much, but I think it’s safe to say we see eye-to-eye on at least one issue: we want this show to be as good as it was during season 1.

The writers and producers behind “Heroes” seem to actually be aware of this sentiment and - for better AND worse - have been happy to comply. After a mostly-disastrous second season (the writers’ strike was definitely a factor), season 3 brought the “Cold Wars” episode which played like an unofficial follow-up to the classic, HRG-centered “Company Man” episode from the show’s freshman season.

Monday night brought the show’s most shameless, “please watch and remember the good times” nostalgia-fest with “Once Upon a Time in Texas” and the return of Jayma Mays (pictured, right) as Charlie, who’s real super power is being absolutely adorable.
Here’s my problem. When I say that I want the show to be as good as it was in season 1, I don’t literally mean that I want the show go back to season 1 plotlines. (In fact, the overuse of the time travel device is, in my opinion, the biggest thing that has absolutely killed the show!) What I want is a return to the excitement, danger and “what’s going to happen next” feel of season 1. By repeatedly going back to the show’s glory days, “Heroes” is effectively sabotaging any chance it has of becoming a good show in the present.

That being said, I definitely enjoyed seeing Hiro interact with Charlie, as well as season 1 Ando (different haircut) and season 1 Sylar (aka Brain Man).

I’m not really sure why Hiro all of a sudden decided he could change the past and stop Sylar from killing Charlie (didn’t he accept the futility of altering the future when he failed to save that roof jumper in the episode called, um, “Acceptance”), but I went along with it because that’s just what we have to do with “Heroes” these days.

I liked the white hat/black hat joke, and I REALLY liked seeing old-school scary Sylar (although he WAS much scarier when he barely spoke at all during season 1). Initially, Hiro succeeded in saving Charlie’s life AND convincing his old self (“moron”) to make her fall in love with him, but then he learned Charlie would soon die of a brain aneurism.

Re-enter Sylar, who fixed the aneurism in exchange for Hiro’s knowledge of the future. However unlikely this deal really was, I rolled with it because I can believe that season 1 Sylar would be vain enough to want to know how he dies because he’d be convinced he could prevent it. Also, Quinto’s acting during the scene where Hiro tells him that he dies alone with no one mourning him was brilliant. (This guy is simply too good for this show now.)

By the way, while all of this was going on, we got a thoroughly unnecessary subplot with HRG and a partner who was blonder, whiter and decidedly less Haitian-y than the one we knew from season 1. She was played by Elisabeth Rohm and she tempted Noah into having an affair. I get that the writers wanted to show us that the shady, kidnapping season 1 Noah was a good guy that cared about his family. However, I didn’t NEED to see this character retroactively put in a positive light. I’m not saying he was cheating on Sandra, but I like the idea that he wasn’t as good a person then as he is today and this flashback somewhat robbed him of the transformation he’s undergone.

Oh well, at least this storyline introduced the phrase, “going Haitian” (having your memory wiped) into the lexicon. (Speaking of which, can we get a Jimmy Jean-Louis cameo – I mean we saw Isaac Mendez last night!)

After a brief bout of ungratefulness for Charlie (she was peeved that Hiro exchanged her life for all the people Sylar goes on to kill), Hiro and Charlie got their happily ever after. That is until Evil Butterfly Man Samuel kidnapped her and stranded her in time. (Samuel and his shady whatever is really getting to be a nuisance at this point.) I'm guessing she'll stay lost in time until Mays can get a break from "Glee" to shoot more scenes.

Turns out Samuel needs Hiro to join him so he can undo a terrible wrong – it appears that several weeks earlier Samuel was responsible for the death of…Mohinder! So, let me get this straight: a solid portion of this season has been dedicated to SAVING Mohinder’s life?!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So what’d you think of this episode? Why are Samuel’s people dying? (“Our family’s getting smaller, and our graveyard’s getting bigger?) Was Claire really THAT well endowed in season 1? (Nice to see the iconic cheerleading uniform again.) Finally, is it true what they say - once you “go Haitian”, you never go back?