This is a little behind, I know. Last week’s episode of Heroes was in many ways completely different from any episode before it.  The characters acted differently, the themes discussed were radically altered, and above all it made better use of music than the show has to date.

Now, Heroes has music. Or, to put it more correctly, Heroes has thematic musical accompaniment. As in, Heroes has that background audio track that highlights the mood that the current scene is setting. When the the few bars of the “Heroes Theme” start up, the audience knows something new is happening, and its the variation on the theme that drives home exactly what Tim Kring and Co. want the audience to feel. However, before Into Asylum, Heroes had never really made use of external music, at least not as noticeably as in this episode.

There were two instances where external music was heavily displayed, but I’m going to focus on one of them. Most notably, the song “Runaway” by Del Shannon (iTunes link). Having that song playing in Danko’s car when Sylar pops up to try and form a partnership to catch fugitive Heroes is a fantastic use of external media. I thought it was double plus good that the song was being played in the rain, because that song has always been associated with the rain for me. That could be just my thing, though. However, while it complemented the moment well, this use of a song not part of the “Heroes Theme” stable is odd, and seemingly more fitting for another show. A show radically different from Heroes.

Supernatural, from Season 1 up to the point where I’m currently watching (Season 3 Episode 4, I think), uses a corral of spectacularly-fitted Classic Rock tunes to highlight the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the Winchester boys. It’s a large part of the joy, at least for me, in watching Supernatural. Seeing this kind of musical pairing in Heroes made me pause for a moment, but as soon as I let go of my notions of how a Heroes episode “should” go, I found myself enjoying those moments of Heroes as much as I enjoy Supernatural. And lately, that’s really saying something.

Why this radical shift in Heroes style? My guess is that the producers, writers (I didn’t really say anything about the writing, unfortunately, but the ideas in this episode were off the beaten path and yet interestingly refreshing), and directors of Heroes are trying something new to see if they can reignite some of that Season 1 passion. I say, bring it on and bring on my of it. This season has, especially in the first half, been so wrapped up in the details of itself that it lost site of the big issues it could be dealing with. Changing the formula might not work in the short term, but the end effect could be a heroically better show.