We have arrived at the penultimate episode of the Heroes revival and, picking up where last week left off, find the world 16 hours and 48 minutes away from destruction as the first solar wave aka H.E.L.E. (Human Extinction Level Event) slams into the Earth. As one would expect, panic and hysteria are everywhere as the news delivered by Hero Truther spreads. Still, our heroes move to complete their destinies.
Even after the news has rightfully targeted Erica Kravid and Renautus as the baddie, Tommy still believes he can save people by working with her. They start by sending the first advanced group of people to the future but he eventually catches wind from one of the doctors that things aren’t looking too good and their previous estimates of how many they can save won’t be met. Tommy decides it’s time to have a talk with his mom and he finds her being led away by Renautus guards. It’s here that he taps into the second half of his powers, stopping time. His mother once again relays her concerns of Erica’s trustworthiness and, after Tommy shows her the future and expresses his own doubts, she offers him a mother’s support. “When the time comes,” she says, “you’ll know what to do. Have faith in yourself.” Tommy takes her advice and, with only eight hours left before H.E.L.E. hits, vows to wait for his sister Malina.
Meanwhile, the forgotten Ren arrives at Gateway, still not sure what Hachiro Otomo wants him to do. In a stroke of luck, he runs into Emily and, after a few words, they discover their connection to Tommy. The two make their way through to the Core, Gateway’s “Center of Everything” and exact duplicate of the world of Evernow.
As the unlikely duo searches for Tommy, Luke and Malina rush to rendezvous with the newest Master of Time and Space. To do that, they need to get Tommy’s attention and what better way to do that then get some airtime on the news. So, after a few hiccups, one involving Phoebe getting away but Quentin returning back to the light side, they go to one of Odessa’s more well-known shelters—Claire Bennett’s old high school—and call for Tommy to meet them there. One problem with this plan is that Erica Kravid will know Malina’s location as well. Not only Kravid but her newest henchman in Joanne, Luke’s wife (or ex).
As the trio await Tommy’s arrival, Luke catches sight of Joanne and tries to keep them out of her sight. When Tommy does get there, Hachiro Otomo captures him at Erica’s behest, Joanne ends up being incinerated by Luke but not before she shoots Malina…
Except it’s not Malina but Farah who, along with Carlos and Micah, have also arrived at the shelter. Farah’s in a bad way and Luke tells Carlos to take her to a hospital while he takes care of Malina. For his daughter, Otomo returns the now-captured Tommy to Renautus and the digital fortress where they once kept Hiro. It’s no surprise that, once his job is done, Kravid double crosses him and, unbeknownst to anyone, Ren and Emily watch in secret as the world’s last home is locked away…
The final frame is none of that though, rather Matt Parkman, hero turned villain screaming for help as, after using Taylor against her mother, gets the necessary watches for his family. But he will never reach them in time as he remains trapped, a reminder that oftentimes the bad guy gets exactly what he deserves…
Herospace
- Though a step up from last week, “Company Woman” still fails to deliver. Even one of the more interesting plot points—Erica’s flashback on how her daughter Taylor came to be and the probable seeds to distrusting Evos—can do nothing to support an overall disappointing hour of television.
- As mentioned, it was a good take to see a different side of Erica but too little and much too late. Her introduction to Casper and Primatech offered a little more ground for her rise to power but, with only a single episode left, we won’t have too much time to explore more of her history. Maybe if we would have gotten snippets of her story throughout, we may have been able to garner empathy for her mindset. And even as Taylor rejects her mother for the final time, the only emotion it draws up is ‘meh’.
- But a welcome ‘huzzah’ was expelled when Matt Parkman lay trapped in his car, a victim of his own choices. It says something that I found more sympathy towards Erica’s plight than Parkman; whether the writer’s aimed for this reaction, I’m not sure but either way, here’s hoping we never hear from Matt Parkman again.
- Otomo’s capture of Tommy was somewhat surprising though Erica’s double cross was not. While I get Otomo doing for his daughter, does he really believe it’s okay to put the entire world in danger for Miko and, more to the point, what in the blue hell makes him believe Kravid will keep her word? Yet we should be used to this by now: Heroes Reborn has been full of characters making the most insane decisions based on the sketchiest of logic. Thankfully, we have only one more installment before Heroes Reborn is laid to rest…
