Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Updated
Heroes it has become the epitome of unfulfilled potential. It's the poster child for a series with an amazing and disappointing first season, and everything else. The exception has been the highlight of Season 1, the series highlight, and the episode that raised the television hero, “Company Man.” Focusing on Jack Coleman's HRG (Horned Glasses) throughout the episode was so successful that everyone involved submitted the episode for Emmy consideration.
Every Season Led to Company Man
The entire first season of HeroesColeman's HRG worked on the fringes with his partner, the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis), who kidnaps the powerful, kills them when necessary, and uses The Haitian's ability to erase memories when needed (including a brutal request for how a man meets his dead wife). The revelation that he is Claire Bennet's (Hayden Panettiere) father, Noah Bennett, complicates the whole “save the fanatic, save the world” mission. Then Heroes put in another twist, by revealing that HRG was not a bad person, he was a company man.
Ex-officer Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) and Ted (Matthew John Armstrong) break into Noah's home and kidnap him, along with his entire family. Between the present day setting and flashbacks to Bennett's early days with Primatech Paper Company (including Christopher Eccleston as a first partner, just before he became a Doctor), it is clear that as much as Bennett is a company man, his true loyalty is to his family.
In one episode, everything we knew about “The Boogeyman” goes out the window, and HRG, Noah Bennett, becomes the complex heart of the series. If all the others Heroes managed to develop the cast as well as the first season did Bennett, it will be remembered as a landmark television series, rather than one of the most disappointing series of all time.
Heroes Were Never This Good Again
Jack Coleman manages to sell Bennett's genuine fear and concern for his indestructible daughter when he rushes into the house to stop the exploding Ted. Two scenes later, a ruthless, calculating hunter makes a choice to save Claire from the Company, and in the process, sacrifices his life. It's the kind of performance that, in 2006, we haven't seen in a show about superheroes. Smallville he was going to get there, but everyone knew that was a show about Superman. Heroes it was an unknown amount, and unlike young Clark's adventures, it was a cohesive series.
“Company Man” became the blueprint for creating each show in the syndicated series. It furthered the story of the tale, changed the audience's perception of Noah Bennett, and emphasized Claire's importance not only to her powers, but also to her now mysterious parentage. It stayed Heroes to succeed, and the 17 episodes of the first season, renewed the growing audience crying for answers to the mysteries of the show.
In September, it will be 20 years since the start of this program Heroes. Although overshadowed by the rise of the Arrowverse and the MCU's various streaming shows, it was the first attempt to take superheroes seriously on network television. The first season was appointment viewing, and despite Marvel's best efforts, you could argue that “Company Man” is still a superhero television classic.
Heroes now streaming on Netflix.
