Heroes season 3 episode 6 review

Heroes still needs to disappear into a phone box and come out with a super-plot.

It’s entirely coincidental I’m sure, but every TV show I’ve seen this week has been about forms of mental illness and insanity. Chuck was ‘mad-dog’, John and Sarah Connor visited the therapist, and Fringe is just plain nuts anyway. But after watching the latest Heroes season three episode entitled Dying of the Light I began to wonder if it was me with a screw loose for watching this rubbish. But hell, let’s recap this week’s super-lunacy on Heroes.

Hiro saves Ando, like it was entirely obvious he would, yawn. Adam is taken to the immobilised Arthur Petrelli who then kills him by sucking the life-force out of him, resulting in Papa Petrelli being significantly more mobile. Scratch one immortal character, and introduce another!

Meanwhile his dastardly plan to create an army of super-humans progresses, with Daphne sent to intercept Parkman. He’s a truly amazing hero Parkman, because he can get back from Africa without any resources, and despite not being able to distinguish between a turtle and tortoise he’s managed to bring a live animal through customs without anyone noticing. Yes Tim Kring, those are called ‘details’, and they obviously bore you.

Nathan takes Tracey to Suresh, assuming he’s that nice placid doctor from seasons one and two, and not channelling Jeff Goldblum from The Fly. Big mistake, they’re potentially matching wall ornaments.

Daphne springs Flint and Sylar from level 5, who then releases Peter for good measure. Hiro and Ando go to Africa to abduct cool African-dude Usutu. They try this as a not so cunning plan to get in with the PineHearst villains, except he’s a pre-cog so it fails predictably, if amusingly. Actually this is a theme in this story, unprepared people blundering in.

Which is exactly what Claire and Sandra Bennet do trying to save her real mum Meredith from Eric Doyle, the puppet master. They attempt this in the style of an all-female Hiro and Ando duet. Mrs Dumb and Miss Super-dumb. This scene ends with game of Russian roulette that’s entirely without tension because Eric Doyle doesn’t know Claire’s power. If only he could monologue!

Sylar takes Peter to their mother who resides now in some type of coma, suggesting Arthur Petrelli has more than the life/power sucking power. Are Peter and Sylar ready to become Murtaugh and Riggs in Super-Lethal Weapon 5, and crack this case? Err…no. Peter is now Dark Peter and turns on Sylar, returning him to level 5. Bastard.

Tracey overpowers Mohinder-fly with her cooling touch, but she fails to leave promptly. Daphne blows out Parkman when it started looking like they might get together, but the caged reptile remains loyal to him. Peter goes to confront Pinehearst and meets his father who he assumed was dead, one papa-hug from him and he’s got no powers! He’s the final person blundering into something this episode.

If I’m feeling gracious this isn’t quite as much as mess as the previous Heroes, but its sill not cleared its head and straightened its tie.

Best bits: Brea Grant (Daphne) has the cutest nose, ever. The light in Robert Forster’s (Arthur Petrelli) eyes from the electrical power is uber-sinister in the closing shot.

Worst bits: Lack of real continuity, Mohinder-fly, telegraphed twists, Hiro and Ando stupidity.

Check out our review of episode 5 here.