TV Review: Heroes - Episode 2 "Don't Look Back" - Page 2

I’ve been a fan of Adrian Pasdar since the short-lived Profit in 1997, but Nathan is also underdeveloped. He’s very much the ‘ruthless politician’ stereotype, but I have faith in Pasdar turning him into something more.

Matt Parkman is this week's major new character. He’s a cop who can read people's thoughts. On the plus side, this allows him to find a little girl who’s the only survivor of a family murdered by Sylar, a super-powered serial killer. On the downside, it leads to his arrest for the crime. Greg Grunberg was a regular on Alias and has the likeable regular guy role down pat. Hopefully, this part will see him stretching himself a little more.

Finally there’s Hiro, who finds he’s not only traveled through space, but time as well, five weeks into the future to be precise. Finding a comic created by precognitive artist Isaac Mendez that depicts his trip to New York along with other events yet to happen, Hiro attempts to track him down. Sadly, when he finds the artist, his head has been cut open and brain removed (the trademark of Sylar). Things don’t get any better when the F.B.I. arrive and assume he’s the killer. There's an exuberance about Masi Oka's performance that turns what could have been an annoying character into the most enjoyable on the show. He’s the most enthusiastic about his new power and the potential to be a superhero, and Oka conveys that perfectly -- so much so that the audience are carried along by it, too. This series was the first I’d seen of Masi and it’s hard to believe that Japanese is his second language. He’s that convincing. As well as being an actor, he also works as a visual artist for ILM, George Lucas’ effects company.

This week ends on a cliffhanger that manages to top last week’s. It’s a moment that leaves you stunned and waiting with anticipation for the next thrilling installment of this epic tale.

Article Author: Ian Woolstencroft

Ian Woolstencroft was brought up on a diet of John Wayne movies and Marvel Comics and still has a passion for both. Now as a blogcritic he finally understands what Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben meant when he said ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ …

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