Heroes Final Episode - Review

Awww...they love each other.

Heroes - Final Episode, Season 1
Monkey Rating: 3 Opposable Thumbs Up (out of 5)

Last night was the season finale for Heroes, and I’d like to start off with a fairness disclaimer: expectations were high. Not just for me, but probably most regular viewers. We’d been led through some ups and downs throughout this first season, and we wanted things to end on a high note - which isn’t necessarily a triumph of good over evil. The bad guys could have won, but if it was riveting then we would have been just as satisfied, right?
That disclaimer out of the way…the finale was a disappointment. There was so much potential here. So let’s review the good and the bad:
SPOILERS AHEAD

The Good
* Sylar was his usual kickass self. No mama’s boy in this episode. He was cocky and evil. Bravo.
* Mr. Bennett also hit his typical high notes. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: he’s the best character on the show, mutant or not.
* Simone’s Dad was an interesting character. He’s able to see into multiple points in time. Hopefully they’ll explore that in Season 2.
* Molly, the “tracking machine”, made reference to one mutant she doesn’t want to locate - because he can see her back. That sounds awesome! That’s another season 2 plotline that I’m looking forward to.
* In the final battle Hiro, as he’s being chucked by Sylar, teleports while he’s flying. That was fun to watch.

The Bad
* The final battle was a major disappointment. Peter and Sylar are battling it out in the plaza. I’m thinking, “This is gonna be cool.” Sylar strikes first blood, then the psycho bitch comes over hits Sylar with the parking meter. WTF?? Then, it gets worse. Peter, with all of his powers to choose from, decides to use…his fists?? No invisibility, no flying, no hot hands, no telekenesis. No, he just starts punching Sylar, who doesn’t use his powers, either. What is this, “Every Which Way But Loose”? YOU’RE FREAKING SUPERHEROES. What, did the special effects geek make a Taco Bell run while they worked on this scene?
* Nathan comes to save Peter - and the world - by grabbing him and flying away. They exchange “I love you’s” before he flies away with him. Awww, that’s nice…if we were watching Georgia Rule. This is a superhero show, not a group therapy session.
* “The future is not written in stone,” said Claire. That’s profound. I know she’s a 16 year old girl, but come on. The writers couldn’t come up with something better than that? Not only is it a shallow comment, it’s been used in the Terminator movies and probably somewhere before that. Why didn’t they just go with, “The future is later, dude.”
* DL, the wall walker, didn’t die. What a disappointment. I wish he could walk through the wall of the TV studio and out of the show forever. Wouldn’t that be cool?
* Did anyone else catch the little spark of chemistry between Molly (the “tracking machine”) and Micah (the 8 year old DeVry graduate)? She says the elevator doesn’t work, but he just puts his little mitt on the button and summons the car. She gives him a little smile. Whatever. That was completely unnecessary, but I’m nitpicking.
* Hiro denies his responsibility to save the world so he can go save his friend, while his father urges him not to. Why didn’t they just shoot the scene in Yoda’s swamp? Come on - everyone knows Luke left the Jedi training to go save his friends at Lando’s sky pad.
* NOT ENOUGH CANDICE THE SHAPESHIFTER. I can’t overstate that. She’s the hottest girl on the show - if you got it, flaunt it!
* WAY too much of Nikki/Jessica. Once again, a psycho bitch is not a hero. She doesn’t need to learn to control her powers - she needs a restraining order. It won’t be long before she’s chucking DL’s belongings out on the front lawn and letting air out of his tires while he’s at work.

So, Heroes is done for the season. I’ll be writing a Season 1 Review shortly, including highs, lows, and what I think should happen in Season 2. So stay tuned.