Writer Bryan Fuller (“Pushing Daisies”) breathes needed life into NBC’s science fiction series, “Heroes,” this week by digging deeper into the personal lives of Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Tracy (Ali Larter). Of course, there’s bound to be lots of skeletons buried in the closets of these two alpha types, enough to satisfy the dramatic requirements of any good TV serial. Nathan now recalls that his family covered up a girlfriend’s accidental death and wiped his memory. He now remembers what happened only because he is actually Sylar (Zachary Quinto), the shapeshifter. Of course, the girl’s mom promptly ends Nathan’s life once she learns of his involvement. But in true hero fashion, and just in time for Halloween, Sylar/Nathan rises from the dead in scene that reminds one of “Carrie,” when Sissy Spacek’s hand reaches from the grave.
Tracy, on the other hand, wants her job working for Gov. Malden (Bruce Boxleitner) back, but she somehow forgot that part of her job description requires tending to her boss’ sexual needs. Once her employment duties become clear to her again, she ditches the job.
These storylines act as a welcome departure from the “save the cheerleader, save the world” theme that “Heroes” regularly falls back on. As we learned, the cheerleader can save herself. Moreover, their fictional world remains as dangerous as ever. But writers don’t fully abandon the idea that heroes should actually help people. In “Acceptance.” Peter prepares for another crusade to save someone or fix something, and Hiro (Masi Oka) continues to alter events through time-travel, hoping he can save lives.
In an interesting turn, “Acceptance” now calls into question whether Sylar is a hero or an anti-hero. As Nathan, he wants to do good things for people, right wrongs, and reconnect with humanity. But his behavior is inconsistent with his ghosting Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg). My money is on Sylar becoming one of the few true heroes of the series.