Heroes Episode Review: Chapter 10 (1.10) Six Months Ago

Episode Title: Chapter 10 (1.10), “Six Months Ago”
Best Line: “You’re broken� I can fix it. It’s an evolutionary imperative.”
Best Moment: Discovering Sylar’s origin.
Rating: 5 out of 5

“Heroes” continued to reach new heights this week, as Chapter 10, “Six Months Ago,” takes us back six months into the past, to where the present storylines for many of the characters began. Not only do we get to see Chandra Suresh (Erick Avari) tracking down Patient Zero, a watch repairman named Gabriel Grey (Zachary Quinto), in order to prove his theories about evolution, it also gives us some unique insights into many of the key players.

In addition to Suresh’s research, audiences are given a glimpse into some life changing moments among the other heroes, including Peter’s graduation from nursing school, the car crash that left Nathan’s wife in a wheelchair, Claire’s admittance into the cheerleading squad, Niki’s one-year sober anniversary, and Matt’s failure on the detective’s exam because of his dyslexia. It is fascinating how each of these moments dovetails into things we already know about the characters in the present day.

The key to the jump back in time, of course, is our pal Hiro. At the end of Chapter 8, he had jumped back in time to save Charlie (the waitress in the Texas diner who ended up dead by Sylar’s hand). Hiro discovers, however, that he has jumped too far, and ended up six months in the past instead of the day before Charlie’s death. This unique situation gives the two a chance to know one another, and as he tries to convince her that he is from the future and that she is in danger, they begin to fall in love. But all of this becomes a hard lesson for Hiro about the limitations of his powers.

For most of the season, I have been evaluating the story in terms of comic books. Fair enough, considering the show’s storyline. However, in Chapter 10, the religious allegory cannot be ignored. Not only does Suresh appear to be a god-like figure ushering in the new era of human evolution, but other characters also appear to take allegorical roles.

For example, Sylar is the first to kill another “special” person. Why? Because he is jealous of the attention that Suresh is giving the others. If that’s not a Cain and Able reference, I’ll turn in my Master’s degree. And if Chandra is “God,” then what does that make his son, Mohinder? Will he become the savior of the heroes?

Then we have Mr. Bennett, or as he’s affectionately known, Horned Rim Glasses. Horned? Like the devil? Why didn’t I see it before? And note who Mr. Bennett recruits first: a scary dude who doesn’t speak and a woman who named herself Eden, another Biblical reference, and who controls other people with her words. It gives a whole new meaning to, “The devil made me do it.” All of this makes me worry about the consequences of Eden and the Haitian abducting Sylar last week at the end of “Homecoming”.

It’s possible that I’m reading way too much into this. Nevertheless, I think the statement being made here is that this is a new world with a new morality (to paraphrase something HRG said to Eden). The old ways are likely to be replaced by a new mode of thinking, and a need for new laws, both moral and civil.

If you were at all disappointed by “Six Months Ago”, it can only be because it wasn’t long enough. I was glued to my seat for the full hour and nearly cried when it ended. I can’t wait for more. How will I survive when it goes on break for the holiday?

(Also, for those who need to catch up, The Sci Fi Channel is running a marathon of the first six episodes on Wednesday, Nov. 29, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.)

Until Next Week,

– The FilmGuru