HEROMAN - Episode 3

Although the last episode of HEROMAN finished by giving us the opportunity to see our new giant robot friend and his owner kicking some serious ass, if one thing was clear it was that the battle against the invariably evil Skrugg had only just begun.

So it goes then that this episode concerns itself entirely with the full force of the Skrugg invasion, as we see their troops landing on Earth and then laying waste to it as the populace flee in horror. Inevitably, even the armed forces are left powerless in the wake of the alien technology and firepower they find themselves facing, leaving nobody to stand in the way of the destruction of the human race. Apart from a certain boy and his toy robot, of course.


Speaking of Joey, his primary concern is to check that his grandmother is safe and rescue her from any immediate danger, a task which puts him into some sticky situations, some of which he manages to avoid before being left no option but to deploy Heroman and, once again, kick some serious ass. While Joey is playing out a role as a reluctant hero however, Lina's brother Will is trying to be a hero in a far more direct manner... and I'm sure we can all guess how that's going to turn out.

While the first couple of episodes of HEROMAN delighted in offering up their Saturday morning cartoon look and feel, I have to admit that this third instalment sees the series running the risk of diving headlong into full-blown cliché, with an alien invasion that pinches aspects of Independence Day and War of the Worlds but without anything like as much drama or excitement. Aside from that, we have our reluctant hero and our traditional American jock bully to add little in the way of innovation in the characterisation department. Still, even with these failings there's still a certain amount of fun to be had from the episode, and seeing Heroman himself strut his stuff is genuinely pleasing, helped along by some solid production values on BONES' part. As long as you aren't expecting some kind of unique and innovative take on the time-honoured alien invasion story, then there are worse ways to spend your time than with HEROMAN right now.