Review: Heroes Reborn (Season 1, Episode 6)

The first thing that has to be said about this episode is that it got dark, surprisingly so. From the very second that it starts, we meet our characters in situations that have never been presented to us before. No longer are they the innocent victims who we know and love, instead they are the perpetrators.

The episode begins with two torture scenes, both of which show our characters pushing their principles to the side as they desperately seek information. Noah, Quentin and Taylor interrogate Harris in an attempt to find out where Hiro is, while Carlos tortures James Dearing in order to discover where his nephew has been taken. This sudden change in the depiction of our characters is very important, as it marks the evolving tone of the show, from the relatively light and childish storylines of the past, to the new, gripping stories yet to come. These scenes also highlight how desperate the characters are becoming, increasing the pace and suspense of the show.

Noah and Quentin’s story once again overlaps with Miko and Ren’s, as both teams attempt to gain entrance to the fortress, eventually becoming allies against their shared foe, Erica Kravid. Yet they are not the only characters who cross paths, as Luke and Malina also run across each other while on the run from their individual demons.

The excitement that viewers felt waiting for characters to meet was a key driving force in the original Heroes, and it seems that similar tactics are now being used in the spin-off. While I have previously discussed how being too much like the original show did Heroes Reborn no favours, I’ll admit that this specific storytelling technique is very effective in both shows.

The audience can’t help but feel a growing sense of empathy towards Luke, who redeems himself not just by helping Malina, but by cutting off ties with his wife. Indeed, we feel immense compassion after he sends a rather heartbreaking voice-mail to his spouse, and then tries to commit suicide. All of these actions highlight how much Luke has changed, as he has certainly had the greatest character arc so far. Few viewers would have foreseen his character becoming one of the good guys, suggesting that the scriptwriters do have at least some imagination.

As Miko and Ren are key players in this episode, it is unsurprising that the audience sees a lot of Evernow. Unfortunately, the more I witness Miko’s powers, the more I feel that it just doesn’t work within the show. I just can’t get on board with his ability to transition between virtual reality and the real world. While I admire this original concept for its modernity and links to Hiro’s ability to travel through time, it doesn’t seem to fit very well and actually jars with the rest of the show.

One of the major surprises in store for the audience this week is the implied deaths of all the evos that Erica Kravid had been keeping prisoner. This can be seen when Taylor returns to Renautas headquarters to search for her lost love Francis. The absence of any evos here implies that they have all been killed. While this scene was disturbing in what it sought to show the audience, Eve Harlow (who plays Taylor) failed to give the scene any real emotional depth. Her crying seemed forced and I found myself watching the scene with very little interest or empathy.

On a lighter note, the romance between Tommy and Emily shines in this episode, and we see them transport to Paris in an attempt to temporarily escape the craziness at home (the adoption bomb). While the other characters face danger and frighten us with tense scenes and painful losses, Tommy and Emily make us smile with their innocent love. Yet despite the sparks between them and the adorable romance on the screen, Tommy remains twisted from his experiences, more bitter and harsh than ever, which is evidenced when he tries to take on the French army outside the Eiffel Tower. This anger filters into their relationship, resulting in their ever first fight.

Yet another bombshell in this episode comes when Noah and Quentin finally face Erica’s mad scientist and find out that the machine we have watched them use in the last few episodes is not just any machine, it’s a time machine. Thus we discover that Erica is even more insane then we had given her credit for. Further still, it seems that in order to release Hiro and stop this machine, a key character in the show must die.

One of the highlights of this episode was undoubtedly when Hiro Nokamura finally returned, arriving in the nick of time as per usual. With the return of this fan favourite character, we can only hope that the show has even better episodes yet to come. 

Heroes Reborn airs on Tuesdays at 9pm on 5STAR.