AirLockAlpha.com

This review may contain spoilers.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For one episode, “Heroes” evoked the strength of the first season in a pretty simple fashion; Hiro (Masi Oka) traveled back there.

The result was a solid episode, perhaps the best of the season.

Hiro’s attempts to save Charlie (Jayma Mays) run the gamut from touching to ridiculous, but this actually works in the episode’s favor. A truly love-struck Hiro is a likeable, sympathetic character. If he is willing to do something so foolish as to let Sylar (Zachary Quinto) try to heal his true love, well, viewers can write that off to love making him do crazy things.

Samuel Sullivan (Robert Knepper) of course has manipulated Hiro down this path to changing the past, and he manages to trap Charlie somewhere in space and time. In perhaps the biggest shock of the evening, it is revealed that Samuel had done something horrible to Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) eight weeks earlier.

Perhaps the biggest treat of the night was a surprisingly strong story that focused on a budding extra-marital affair between Noah Bennett (Jack Coleman) and another Company agent named Lauren (Elisabeth Rohm). This pseudo-romance took place three years earlier, and knowing that Noah’s wife eventually leaves him makes this story much more touching. If viewers were able to get past the obvious fact that Lauren was simply way out of poor Noah’s league, the story was well written and superbly acted by both. Even though Lauren had never a character before, the chemistry between the two was established quickly. I actually found it sad that she had her memory wiped by the Haitian.

That’s not to say the episode was perfect. It wasn’t. Sylar, who killed Charlie in the first place, now saves her with an improvisational brain surgery. Are there no limits to this guy’s power? Charlie’s reaction to being saved is a bit inconsistent, ranging from anger, to acceptance rather quickly, but we can write that off to brain trauma. And the carnival folk have become much more irritating than interesting. Still, I enjoyed the episode a great deal.

What Worked

The supporting cast was excellent. Elisabeth Rohm was terrific in her turn as Lauren. That would have been the highlight of the episode if it weren’t for the return of Jayma Mays, who has moved on to “Glee” as Charlie. Seeing Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) and Eden McCain (Nora Zehetner) again brought back good memories of the first season. I never understood why they killed of Isaac in the first place. The return trip to Texas also brought back memories of the engaging first season which now seems like a distant memory.

What Didn’t Work

The Samuel Sullivan story simply has not been engaging at all. I loved Robert Knepper in “Prison Break” but have not been able to warm up to him or the other circus folk yet. I’d say it’s still early, but with eight episodes down, a third of the season is already done.

So, Sylar is a brain surgeon now. That part of the story was a bit too bizarre to believe, but it was simply a plot device to cure Charlie. Still, the Sylar character, no matter what they try to do to make him seem different, has simply been played out.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Heroes" stars Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Ali Larter, Adrian Pasdar, Masi Oka, and Milo Ventimiglia. It airs Mondays on NBC. “Once Upon a Time in Texas” was written by Aron Eli Coliete and Aury Wallington. It was directed by Nate Goodman.

"Heroes" airs Mondays on NBC.