Debutante Heroes writer knocks it out of the park

by Kirsty Walker

Doom and gloom forecasts, ratings plummets, rumours of stars wanting to move on…it’s been a difficult few months for fans of Heroes, brought crashing down to earth by naysayers from the mid-summer high of season 3 opener ‘The Second Coming’ being screened to rapturous applause at Comic-Con. 6,000 people left Hall H at the San Diego convention center assuring those disillusioned by the mis-handled and strike-affected season 2 that their show was back and better than ever. Now, as Oliver Grigsby’s episode ‘Shades Of Gray’ airs, we can confidently say that our show IS back, and that the final few episodes of volume four will renew viewers’ faith in the franchise.

Aside from a post-script where Ando and Hiro appear to rescue Matt Parkman’s baby son, ‘Shades of Gray’ has a narrow focus which allows the shows strongest and most engaging players to snap their fingers at their audience, stirring them from the multi-strand patchwork which has seen some viewers turn off suffering from plot confusion. We have Sylar (Zachary Quinto) finding his Dad (a stunning guest turn from Smallville’s John Glover) and re-assessing his goals, and we have Nathan and Danko drawing swords with Claire and Noah Bennet caught in the middle. The dialogue is crisp and the action jogs on at a steady pace, cutting the recent tendency for characters to talk in rooms at length. As nice as ‘Cold Wars’ was, it slowed the progress of the series and, dare I say it, was a little unnecessary. ‘Shades of Gray’ gives us closure on Sylar’s road trip, breaks the tension between Danko and Nathan and affords Claire (Hayden Panetierre) the character development that she sorely needs, which means we can finally see an end game begin to form and start to get excited about the end of the season.

Grigsby has a lot going for him as a writer, he’s young, he’s been on the series staff from the beginning and he’s been able to cut his teeth on some excellent graphic novels. He’s in the enviable position of having a thorough knowledge of the text, and the balls to bring it back to basics. What Grigsby brings to the table is a shot in the arm, and an episode which is reminiscent of the best of the first season. Why this treasure wasn’t writing from the start of the season is a mystery, but if the powers that be have any sense Oliver Grigsby will be in the first team for the season four that some thought they wouldn’t get.

You can listen to The List podcast for ‘Shades of Gray’ now.

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