Heroes “The Eclipse, Part 2” episode review

What bizzaro universe am I living in where Seth Green is a weak spot on Heroes?!

I don’t recall ever meeting a geeky girl who hasn’t been harboring a little crush on Seth Green ever since he played Willow Rosenberg’s were-boyfriend on Buffy. (Until he cheated with that were-hussy Veruca, anyway!) The man can make action figures cool and voices one of television’s most awkward characters. And if you think this wasn’t just an excuse to round up a bunch of funny Seth Green links, you’d be wrong. (Bonus 1992 Seth Green commercial for Nerf. Dope haircut!)

So why did I not like him on Heroes at all? Is it because the casting of him and buddy Breckin Meyer as comic book peddlers reeked of stunt casting for sweeps? Was it a little too meta having a geek icon on a show that used to be tailor-made for geeks? Not really. Once again, it was the horrible writing. Did Seth Green really beg to deliver yet another clunky speech about heroes in a bid to get a petulant time-traveler out of the bathroom? Hiro, who I am liking more now that he has the mind of his ten-year-old self, acts virtually the same as his older self. Only it’s less creepy and vaguely offensive to have Hiro act like a sexless Asian male stereotype when there’s a legitimate reason for his behavior. Why do the writers keep putting Hiro on the sidelines for the majority of a season? His popping into the Bennet house to teleport Sylar and Elle away was the first time he did anything of note this season, in this timeline. And the only reason I’m not rolling my eyes at the prospect of another jaunt into the past to visit his father is because Hiro’s dad is played by George Takei. Claire-Bear’s along for the trip, too, I guess to learn that her adopted dad really does love her. She’s so damn needy. Yes, HRG wasn’t at the hospital with her—he was slitting Sylar’s throat! For her! Now that’s fatherly love and deserves a little more respect.

I’ve been enjoying the surprising amount of onscreen chemistry between Sylar and Elle. They are damaged goods and it’s nice to see Sylar give a crap about something besides delicious brains and general villainy. Did he really kill Elle? It’d fit with the Heroes tradition of killing off only the best actors. It would be a damn shame to lose Kristen Bell’s talents. And Elle’s snarky one-liners.

A few other thoughts:

The actual direction of the last few episodes has improved. I’ve noticed a lot more cool transitions, interesting camera angles, and lighting. The eclipse made for some nifty murkiness that added a nice, dark tone to the evening’s events.

I still love the Haitian and enjoyed watching him fight his brother. I also like Nathan’s newfound sense of purpose to really do something with his abilities—and Senate position—to make the world better. But when did Peter become Rambo? When did Nathan for that matter? But Peter doing anything that’s not related to being an emo jerk is completely unbelievable to me.

Mohinder whooped some serious ass tonight! He’s almost worthy of a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. Almost. Then he had to go and visit Maya. I suspect she will be back as soon as Mohinder’s case of monster-itis clears up. God help us all.

We finally got to learn about Daphne’s secret past. I thought it was surprisingly touching, her scene with Matt and the scarecrow.

We’re nearing the end of the “Villains” volume. Does anyone care about the formula, Ando killing Hiro, Claire dying her hair brown, or even Arthur Petrelli anymore?

Heroes airs Mondays at 9 P.M. EST on NBC.