Keene Equinox

Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: A & E

When season one of "Heroes" ended, the show set the bar for great writing and acting. All the fans had high expectations for season two; expecting the same greatness as the previous season. That didn't happen. I almost stopped watching the show all together, but one character kept me hooked to the show-Sylar.

Talented actor Zachary Quinto plays Sylar, the show's skull slicing, power absorbing main villain. Sylar is such a good character and a great villain. Say what you want about Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) and the cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere), but Sylar makes the show.

What makes Sylar such a good villain is that he is an interesting character. If the villain is not an interesting character then the show kind of suffers. You can understand why he is a villain. He didn't have the best parents, and was not treated well by society. All of these aspects create an interesting and intriguing dynamic for Sylar's villainous ways.

The way the writers and Quinto portray Sylar add to the engaging qualities of his characters for me. Instead of going the generic root for villains and making them instantly evil for the sake of being evil, they made Sylar a villain you can empathize with.

You can see the buildup of him becoming evil. You watch as he transitions from the peaceful watchmaker Gabriel Gray (his real name) to the corrupt with power Sylar.

There is also a lot of mystery to Sylar and how he absorbs other people's powers. On the show, you see him telekinetically cut open the skulls of his victims and suddenly you see victims with part of their skull missing.

There is no explanation. The leading theory online is that Sylar eats their brains then gains their powers. Maybe we will find out the answer in the third season.

Another reason why I like "Heroes" is the writing. One of my favorite comic writers named Jeph Loeb ("Hulk," "Superman/Batman") is one of the writers for the show. Sometimes they borrow a little too much from the "X-Men" books, but they've made the characters original and interesting.

While Sylar kept me hooked, season two did not live up to expectations. I think Hiro (Masi Oka), who has the power to bend and manipulate time, spent too much time in ancient Japan and they tried to make season two's villain Kensei (a person Hiro meets in ancient Japan) way too complex. Hiro should have spent two episodes there at the most. Also, what was up with Claire's new boyfriend? Instead of coming off as mysterious and interesting, he came off as creepy and odd.

When you want to mack it on a girl, the first thing you don't do is ask her if she is a robot or an alien. Who the heck talks like that? When I saw that I thought the Hampstead Psychiatric Hospital was missing a patient that day.

What the writers could do to improve "Heroes" is have more action. There was too much talking in season two and not enough fight scenes. Another thing they could do is introduce one new character as opposed to the bombardment of new people in season two. Also, keep the plot simple.

There were too many twists and turns and way too many plot lines to follow. I found myself skipping over most of the episodes online expect for the parts with Sylar, Peter and Claire.

As you can see, Sylar is the reason why I watch "Heroes". He is the most interesting character and is played by a great actor. While the writing may not be as good as it once was, "Heroes" is still a show worth watching.



Keith O'Neil is a senior majoring in journalism. His views do not necessarily reflect those of The Equinox.

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