Well, it’s not just a low-level single with a strange video from Coldplay’s X&Y anymore; it’s also the 21st ‘Heroes’ episode of the season. If you haven’t watched it yet, be warned: it’s nothing like last week. In fact, it only further proves why “Five Years Gone” (Or “String Theory”) was a mistake for the show; while it was an exhilirating hour, there was no way that this episode could live up to it. Last week was a terrible tease, not giving us the real climax, and now it yanks it all away with Sylar spending time with his mother, and a series of go-nowhere plots that failed to really advance in the process. It’s not this episode’s fault, it was actually not a bad filler episode for the series, but coming after last week’s action-packed episode it just pales in comparison.
For those who haven’t watched it, and perhaps wish to be spoiled, head to YouTube for the Canadian Preview for Next Week.
For those who haven’t the recap remains. Sure, it’s a bit slower than last week, but setup is an important step to any process, and the stage remains well set. What took place, and what exactly is the hardest part? Read on to find out.
There’s been rumours over the past week regarding Lost’s future, and 
Heroes deserves to be on the list for being the most unabashedly science fiction-esque of the three series, and certainly moreso than anything else on television today. The world of superheroes, of comic book universes, is something that has remained mostly out of network television realm in recent years; you’d have to go back decades to find shows like Superman, Batman, the Green Lantern, etc. in order to find a time when these types of shows were on the airwaves. And, much as superheroes have changed over those years, so has their television shows. Heroes comes to the table with intriguing powers, apocalyptic futures, and a collection of characters which bend the normal rules of human logic to a wonderful degree. In essence, it’s science fiction television for a new generation.
However, the problem is that Heroes hasn’t yet had time to really establish itself, so it is incapable of placing higher on this list. While it certainly has proven a sensation in this its first season, I’ve talked at length in the past as to whether it can continue on this path to success. Also, although I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, I don’t think the show has proven itself capable of balancing normal television drama with its science fiction elements. Any good piece of science fiction needs to be able to both present abnormal themes and events and, when the time calls for it, create human drama that remains relevant and real to the viewer. For me personally, outside of Company Man (Dealing with the backstory of the pictured Mr. Bennet), Heroes had yet to do it. This is why, for now, Heroes must remain on the lower end of the Science Fiction hierarchy. The future, however, could prove more kind to the series.
Where you’ve seen her before: She played Francie on “Alias”.
Where you’ve seen him before: He played the titular character on UPN’s “Kevin Hill” and ABC’s “Daybreak”
Let’s face it: NBC has had a tough season. It’s at record lows in terms of key demo ratings, even with Heroes boosting Monday’s fortunes. It has critical hits, but colossal ratings failures, in Friday Night Lights and 30 Rock, and you might even through Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and The Black Donnellys in there. These shows are all the doing of new head of TV Development Kevin Reilly. With only one success under his belt, he’s clearly under pressure to change the network’s fortunes. And, extending an existing success to an extra half hour is a way to get an extra boost in 18-49 within their lineup, which would take off some of the pressure Reilly and NBC President Jeff Zucker are feeling.
And, as we’ve learned in the past, the first reaction of any network in a time of struggle is to take their existing successes and make them more substantial within their lineup. It’s why we have Law & Order: Criminal Intent, it’s why Joey replaced Friends, and it’s why we had to live through a time when The Apprentice: Martha was on the air. And those were all great successes, right? My point is that I think this is a bad precedent to set in terms of dealing with your network’s lineup.
Cultural Learnings 