Heroes has become shorthand for unfulfilled potential. It’s the poster child for a series that has an amazing first season and a disappointing, well, everything else. The exception has always been the highlight of Season 1, the highlight of the series, and the episode that elevated superhero television, “Company Man.” Putting the focus on Jack Coleman’s H.R.G (Horn-Rimmed Glasses) for an entire episode was such a success that everyone involved submitted the episode for Emmy consideration.
The Whole Season Led Up To Company Man
For the entire first season of Heroes, Coleman’s H.R.G was working in the margins with his partner, The Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis), abducting those with powers, killing them if needed, and using The Haitian’s ability to wipe memories when needed (including a brutal application of how a man meet his deceased wife). The reveal that he’s Claire Bennet’s (Hayden Panettiere) father, Noah Bennett, complicates the whole “save the cheerleader, save the world” mission. And then Heroes layered on another twist, by revealing H.R.G. wasn’t a bad guy, he was a company man.
Former officer Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) and Ted (Matthew John Armstrong) break into Noah’s home and take him hostage, along with his entire family. Between the present day scenario and flashbacks to Bennett’s earliest days with the Primatech Paper Company (including Chirstopher Eccleston as his first partner, right before he became The Doctor), it’s clear that as much as Bennett is a company man, his real loyalty lies with his family.
In one episode, everything we knew about “The Boogeyman” goes right out the window, and H.R.G., Noah Bennett, becomes the complicated heart of the series. If the rest of Heroes was able to develop characters as well as the first season did Bennett, it would be remembered as a landmark television series, instead of one of the most disappointing series of all time.
Heroes Was Never This Good Again
Jack Coleman is able to sell Bennett’s real fear and concern for his indestructible daughter when she runs into the house to stop an exploding Ted. Two scenes later, the ruthless, calculating super hunter makes the choice to save Claire from the Company, and in the process, gives up his own life. It’s the type of performance that in 2006, we never saw on a show about superheroes. Smallville would get there, but everyone knew that was a show about Superman. Heroes was an unknown quantity, and unlike the adventures of young Clark, it was an ensemble series.
Jack Coleman’s Finest Work
“Company Man” became the blueprint for creating an individual showcase out of an ensemble series. It moved the overall myth arc forward, changed the audience’s perception of Noah Bennett, and stressed the importance of Claire through not only her powers, but her now mysterious parentage. It set Heroes up for success, and 17 episodes into the first season, rejuvenated the growing audience clamoring for answers to the show’s mysteries.
September will mark 20 years since the debut of Heroes. Though it’s been 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 can argue “Company Man” is still the highlight of superhero television.
Heroes is now streaming on Netflix.
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