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He is Sylar, and I don’t care. This week “Heroes” achieved a milestone that was unfathomable: two weeks after airing perhaps the stupidest episode in its history, we got served one of the most boring hours of television this season. Way to go! If this series was on the bubble, that bubble burst last night as far as I am concerned.

This episode had absolutely no point. We learned the Sylar has an identity crisis and some mommy issues. The problem is we knew that before. Nothing new was provided. One may argue that seeing Sylar morph into his mother was intriguing, but the CGI wasn’t all that great.

Plus, this was too reminiscent of Norman Bates in the classic movie “Psycho”, who is the Godfather of all those with twisted mother issues. While Zachary Quinto is a fine actor, there’s only so much he can do with material that’s been outdated since 1960. Sorry Mr. Quinto, but when it comes to dressing up like your dead mother, whom you killed, and having conversations with her, you’re no Anthony Perkins.

I guess I should say something about the Matt Parkman reunion with his wife, but why? I have always liked Greg Grunberg, but his character development has been incoherent this season, and the blame for that falls squarely on the writers. Just a couple weeks ago he was pining over Daphne because he had a vision they had a relationship. Now he’s trying to get back with his wife after a couple phone calls.

Then there’s Hiro and Ando, who compare themselves to Batman and Superman. They could only wish. Both of them are naïve to the point of annoying, and Crimson Arc is the wimpiest hero nickname since Paul Reubens was called The Flaming Spleen in the 1999 superhero spoof, “Mystery Men”. At least that was supposed to be funny.

While I wouldn’t call this episode unwatchable, it really was a waste of time. Nothing relevant was provided. It was filler, and for a series that has been in ratings freefall since its freshman season, they can’t afford to waste screen time. Viewers have been fleeing this show for a reason. “I Am Sylar” exhibits every symptom of what has gone wrong with this show: poor writing, slow pacing, a lack of action, marginal acting, and incoherent character development.

What Worked

I have nothing positive to say about this episode. Believe me, I have tried to come up with something good to say, but I just can’t.

What Didn’t Work

The pace of this episode was way too slow. I’m not saying that every episode has to have all out action, but this episode was all talk with little action. I don’t mind a little philosophizing here and there, and character studies can be meaningful. The problem is, we already know enough about Sylar, and turning him into a modern Norman Bates with powers is utterly unoriginal. Develop a new villain already. Sylar has been overused and played out.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

“Heroes” airs at 9:00 on Mondays on NBC. “I Am Sylar” was written by Kay Foster and Adam Armus. It was directed by Allan Arkush.