Screen cap from Heroes: Company Man
© NBC

Mania Grade: A+
Episode: Company Man
Stars: Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, Ali Larter, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Milo Ventimiglia, Jack Coleman, Leonard Roberts, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar
Produced by: Adam Armus, Jeph Loeb, Tim King

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"Heroes: Company Man"

OK, I may have to take a break from reviewing Heroes for a while.  After all, how many ways can I come with to say just how good each episode is from week to week?  I actually won’t stop reviewing it though, because solid television like this needs to be written about and discussed because it doesn’t come along all that often. 

This episode changes our perspective somewhat as a part of the series.  Before we knew no more about HRG and “The Company” than our heroes, but now via flashback, we know a great deal about HRG but most of what we learn wasn’t shared with the rest of the characters.  It’s not unheard of in this series as we always remember what the Haitian has made so many characters forget, but it’s a more dramatic plot device in this episode than in previous installments.   

In “Company Man” Ted and Matt pull a B&E at HRG’s house in search of some kind of clue about the mysterious man and the company that he works for.  While checking out a laptop computer, they discuss taking HRG hostage at the paper company.  Just then Mr. Horn Rimmed Glasses shows up at the house with his family.  Matt’s instinct is to leave but Ted convinces him to stay and take the whole family hostage.  Matt is a good guy who just wants to understand what’s happened to him while Ted is a man nearly out of his head from killing his wife with this new ability and he wants revenge along with answers.  So, they do take the family hostage and a series of events splits Ted and Matt up with Matt going to the paper company to retrieve information (and tranquilizers to be used on Ted) about Ted and Matt while Ted watches over the family.  Matt wants answers but he sees that the whole situation has spiraled out of control and he wants to end it before someone who can’t heal gets hurt. 

So, we end up with the unlikely duo of Matt and HRG.  Matt reads HRG’s mind and begins to understand that while HRG works for a shady organization that may be responsible for the new abilities he and Ted have gained HRG is also a caring man who has worked his whole life to protect Claire from this company.  HRG’s caring for Claire has made him conflicted over what he’s been doing, but only just now I guess because it wasn’t so long ago that he was ready to cut some of these special people open.  While it may have just fully manifested itself the conflict within HRG has been growing inside him for years as we learn from multiple flashbacks.  We see HRG as a dedicated member of the company ready to protect the world from the changes in the human species.  We also meet his first partner, Claude, the invisible man.  The first point of conflict from HRG comes when his boos (Eric Roberts) orders him to kill Claude because he’s been hiding one of these special people they are charged with hunting down. 

My favorite zinger in the episode is the reappearance of Hiro’s father.  “The Company” appears to be run by a multinational group of wealthy men, and Hiro’s father is at the center of it.  When Claire is taken as a baby after her mother dies in a fire he orders HRG to adopt the girl but not to get too close because if she manifests abilities she will have to be turned over to the company.  In the scene, we also see a young Hiro looking just as awkward as he does now.  So, while we know so much more about HRG, Hiro’s father is much more of a mystery than originally appeared to be and so is his influence over Hiro’s mission.  Is he really Hiro’s father or was Hiro adopted similarly to Claire?  If he’s Hiro’s father does he have special abilities?  Just how familiar with Hiro’s mission is he?  I’m so glad to see him playing a more important part in this series! 

This is the most character focused episode of the series so far trimming the fat of the Mohinder story, the Nikki/Jessica story, and most importantly the endlessly dragging Hiro story.  Don’t get me wrong he’s one of my favorite characters; I’d just rather not see him than to see him doing nothing of importance as far as the overall story or doing no character development.  We’ve gotten some tidbits of development from him but mostly he’s just been treading water for way too long. 

Matt and Claire both have abilities better utilized in defensive positions.  It was interesting to see both of them in this episode using those abilities to protect HRG’s family from Ted.  Matt ends up working with HRG through his mind reading ability and Claire’s scene at the end where she has to tranquilize Ted while he’s in full nuclear mode was fantastic.  The look of this episode was also phenomenal.  It may have been because I was watching the episode in HD but I have to say that the black and while was some of the most beautiful I’ve seen on a television series.  It served the purpose of having a historical feel but it also had a real indie comic book feel to it too.  Claire’s make up and the closing scene special effects were also well done for a television series.  Everything about this episode was top notch and really raises the bar for the series.