Heroes: Reborn ‘The Needs of the Many’ Review

Noah, Quentin, and Taylor infiltrate Renautus and find their plans are far more catastrophic than they originally thought. Meanwhile, Tommy makes a tragic mistake when he scrambles to save his dying mother.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

'The Needs of the Many' opens with the mysterious Malina once again. It would seem that her invisible friend has been training her for something massive coming to the world, but of course, no concrete explanation. They also haven't been clear on exactly what Malina's powers are. So far, all we've seen her do is control the Aurora Borealis and appear to be "reading" it as if she's looking into the future. In this episode, we see her grow an entire tree in a matter of seconds, just like Ian Michael's character from Heroes. Its entirely possible she has a series of different powers and she's more formidable than we might expect, but she definitely has one of the biggest roles to play in the upcoming event of which everyone seems to be so afraid.

Carlos' story is definitely starting to get good. Desperate to continue the vigilante work his brother was doing as El Vengador, he knows after the recent brutal beating he received via a super strong Evo, he can't go back into the field… not without a little upgrade! He manages to build himself an exo-suit capable of enhanced durability and strength. Where he acquired the parts or the technical expertise to create such a modern marvel is completely inexplicable, but it doesn't matter in the slightest. Its beyond cool and he definitely needs the extra firepower if he's going to tangle with any more heavy hitter Evos.

Tommy's story, on the other hand, has become a bit more tragic, if it wasn't tragic enough already. It was never explained who or what caused the car crash of which he and his mother were the victims, but that's the least of his worries. Managing to teleport both of them to a nearby hospital, the doctors tell him she needs a blood transplant. Despite running the risk of exposing himself as an Evo, he still insists on seeing if his blood is a match. When he finds out it isn't, he teleports to the nearest blood bank with her blood type and brings it back. His carelessness, however, did not go unnoticed. The doctor quietly tells Tommy his blood results triggered a national registry and the government is coming for him. Knowing his mother was in good hands, he attempts to flee, only to be stopped by a team of government suits who threaten the safety of his ailing mother without his cooperation.

The climax of the episode visits back with Noah and Quentin. Having taken Taylor at gunpoint and convincing her that her mother has nothing but malicious intent, they make their way deeper into the Renautus compound. She was beginning to question why Renautus was rounding up Evos when the original objective was to hunt them all down. The answer was far more twisted than she could imagine. In the sub-basement, they find what can only be described as an Evo farm; rows upon rows of people strapped to futuristic hardware, being pumped and scanned against their will. Among the captives, was Molly Walker. Noah alludes to the original Heroes villain, Sylar, and his MO of taking people's powers by digging in their brains and killing them. It would seem Renautus plans on not just using Molly's powers, but a whole arsenal of different powers at their disposal, taking the old Company policy, "one of us, one of them" to a whole new level. Molly, realizing she finally had a way out with Noah's arrival, takes his gun, and refusing to be a part of the genocide of millions, takes her own life in front of them.

'The Needs of the Many' had some intense moments, but focused more on everyone accepting the paths they've been placed on and moving forward. Most are realizing they have bigger roles to play and the paths they chose originally might lead them to ultimate ruin. They seem to be holding off on Tommy's part in the grand scheme, hopefully because it's the biggest one of them all and not because it's convoluted all to hell and won't make sense regardless. Carlos' seems to be the only storyline focusing on the superhero element, as well as the fraternal bond with his late brother, which is why he might be shaping up as the "Peter Petrelli" of this saga. Time will tell, but they seem to have a lot to say in a short amount of time, so let's hope Reborn can deliver on all the big turning points its been promising.