By: Dave Clark
Well...with a deep sigh I moved on from the amazing events of Heroes season one and into the slow decline of season two. The show picks up about four months after the finale of season one. A lot of the plot deals with The Company that Noah Bennet worked for and its obsession with the Shanti Virus. The founders of The Company are made known throughout the first few episodes as they're being hunted down and assassinated one by one by a mysterious villain. The issue with this season stems from a lot of open ended plots and the writers moving on rapidly from storylines. In fact, Peter eventually travels to the future where he sees the results of this virus outbreak. He doesn't travel alone, however. He brings his new Irish girlfriend with him and summarily leaves her in this future as well.
There are a few bright spots in this season. Nicholas D'Agosto joins the cast West Rosen, a love interest for Claire Bennet as she begins a new year in a new high school. He would soon discover her regeneration abilities while being a creepy stalker and floating outside her window...see, he can fly. Her birth father could also fly. They secretly begin an affair that would have them sneaking around behind her father's back, the same father who had abducted West very recently and has made him paranoid and vengeful.
Also joining the cast is David Anders. He brilliantly portrayed the villain Sark on Alias and was equally awesome as the near immortal Adam Monroe/Takezo Kensei. He began as Hiro's mentor and childhood hero and quickly became his nemesis as Hiro betrayed Kensei when he accidentally traveled to the past. He inspired Kensei to be a hero and not a drunk, but Kensei was far too selfish to maintain this facade and eventually turned evil as his first opportunity. Anders channels the comedic and dramatic sides of his villainous characters flawlessly as another significant bright spot in this otherwise mundane sophomore season of Heroes.
Finally, Kristen Bell joined the cast as well. She turned down a role on Lost to join the cast of Heroes (a role that would eventually go to the lovely Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Staples Lewis). I'm a huge fan of Bell and was glad to see her back on my television after Veronica Mars had been unjustly canceled. She portrayed the extremely eccentric and confused character Elle Bishop who has the ability to manipulate electricity. She plays a key role within The Company as it's also revealed that her father is the current head of The Company, played by the magnificent Stephen Tobolowsky.
The season itself, wraps with more cliffhangers and intrigue as it segues into its third season. We find Niki trapped in a burning building that explodes, Elle Bishop saves a few of our beloved heroes from the super evil Sylar, who regained his abilities by using Claire's blood and Nathan Petrelli is shot during a press conference by a mystery shooter, that gets revealed almost immediately in the season three premiere. I've been harsh on this season as it was a big letdown from the magic of the first season, but there were moments that I really enjoyed and still recommend this season to anyone who enjoyed the first season. That will, however, be difficult to do when I review season three...until next time!
Did you guys enjoy season two? Would you have rather seen Kristen Bell on Lost? Are you excited for Heroes: Reborn?