Heroes 1.21: The Hard Part review

Original US Airdate: 7/5/07

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Written by: Aron Eli Coleite

Directed by: John Badham

Rating:

The One Where: Sylar has a deadly reunion with his mother and the countdown to apocalypse inches closer...

Verdict: There’s some surprisingly clumsy expositional dialogue marring this one, and overall it feels like a bit of a placeholder as the season edges toward the climax point (all that Micah/Linderman stuff is unfolding painfully slowly). But it’s redeemed by some terrific character business between Sylar and his snowglobe-obsessed mother. Boy, there’s a world of dysfunction there. Doesn’t quite excuse the head-slicing, but... Elsewhere there’s an essential Hiro moment as he declares “Don’t worry, New York! We will save you!” Bless ’im.

Highlight: The way that the scene of Sylar creating snow to show his mother switches from magical to terrifying when the snowglobes begin to whirl and strike her in the face.

Fab FX: Not your typical FX moment, but there’s something especially lovely about the way this episode’s title floats above the ruined skyscrapers of New York.

Star Turn: Applause, please, for the frequently unsung Cristine Rose as Angela Petrelli. She’s brilliant. Just look at her unsettlingly icy delivery of “That’s my boy”.

Did You Spot?: Kirby Square is clearly a tribute to Jack ‘King’ Kirby, co-creator of such Marvel icons as the Hulk, Thor and the Fantastic Four. Can we expect Lee Avenue in a future episode? Or maybe even Ditko Drive, perhaps?

Best Line: “You travelled the world. Some of us only get to see it in snowglobes.” (Sylar’s mother)

Nick Setchfield

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.