Broken Frontier

With “The Eclipse: Part 2,” it’s evident that Heroes is finally on the right track once again. This episode aptly combines humor, intensity, drama and a dash of action while juggling multiple storylines more successfully than just about any other this season.

As most viewers could have probably guessed after last week’s episode, the power-draining effects of the solar eclipse were merely temporary. The eclipse could have been a throwaway gimmick but, particularly in this second half of the storyline, it was a way for the show’s writers to explore the frailties and previously unseen strengths of Heroes’ ever-expanding cast of characters, super-powered or not. Claire Bennet—whose healing ability has prevented her from ever building up her immune system—is brought to the brink of death when a gunshot wound (courtesy of Elle and bad guy-turned-good guy-turned-bad Sylar) becomes infected. Claire’s normally powerless adoptive father Noah, driven by revenge over what happened to his “Clairebear,” is finally able to beat the tar out of Sylar, and actually goes so far as to slit his throat with a box cutter. Of course, Sylar brought back to life just minutes later when the end of the eclipse triggers his healing ability, but there’s an important lesson to be learned: Don’t mess with HRG (Horn-Rimmed Glasses, for the uninitiated).

Peter and Nathan Petrelli’s trip to Haiti to track down the Haitian has them face-to-face with his brutal warlord brother, who calls himself Baron Samedi. Samedi—who normally has impenetrable skin—locks up our favorite flying politician and it’s up to Peter and the Haitian to save the day. They of course do, and the Haitian saps his brother of his powers and kills him following the eclipse. The whole affair seems like a storytelling diversion, and there have been a lot of those this season, but seeing what someone like Samedi is capable of gives Nathan a new sense of purpose. If people like him and his brother have these powers, don’t they owe it to the world to right its wrongs? How can they allow injustice when they have the power to stop it? It was a great character moment, and a welcome use of one of the classic conundrums in superhero lore.

Speaking of superhero lore, the series’ resident expert on the subject, Hiro Nakamura, is still hanging out at a Kansas comic book shop with his best bud Ando and the store’s two owners, played by guest stars Seth Green and Breckin Meyer. You see, both of them are fans of 9th Wonders! , the comic penned by Season One’s deceased oracle Isaac Mendez. The two have difficulty keeping from geeking out when flesh-and-blood comic book characters begin marching into their store, and it's fun seeing them analyze back-issues of 9th Wonders! to help Hiro plan his next move. If made into recurring characters, Green and Meyer—whose names in the show are Sam and Frack, respectively—would be a phenomenal way to keep this series tied to its pulpy inspiration.

Oh, and for those of you who were sick of this season’s “warm and fuzzy” Sylar, it’s clear by the end of this episode that the show’s best baddie is back. And if anyone doubts his convictions, his final and apparently deadly encounter with Elle cements them pretty firmly.  Or does it? As always, it’s the questions that keep us watching. Here’s hoping the answers are just as compelling.