Gay.com Column: "Heroes": Where in the hell was Bell's Elle?

She came, she fried, she called someone daddy. And then she disappeared.

Did anybody else miss Kristen Bell on yesterday’s episode of “Heroes”?

Written as an intriguing mixture of perkiness and malevolence, her character Elle was the bright spot of last week's episode. And although it was her first appearance of thirteen contracted episodes, Bell proved to be worth the fortune the network must have coughed up.

So far, press releases have indicated that Elle has ties to our existing heroes. While her involvement in Peter Petrelli’s supposed death is likely to be revealed soon – the character having been shown already to be on a mission to locate him – other tidbits parceled out will probably take longer to pay off, such as her connection to Noah Bennett’s past.

But, for the moment, her superpower of lightning bolts and the mysterious identity of her father – both of these have been enough to stir up some serious speculation. Does the sassy blonde have any other powers up her devious sleeve? And if her father – who sent her to locate Peter Petrelli – is indeed part of the morally gray Company, is it someone we’ve met already or a puppet-master still in the shadows?

More importantly, who is Elle exactly? Bell has hinted in interviews that a twist about the character is in store, and many have poured forth suggestions about the nature of this statement. Since the character is being portrayed currently as on this side of evil, does this mean she’s actually a younger and sassier version of Bennett – who was similarly thought to be bad at this stage of last season’s “Heroes”? Or is reverse psychology the name of this character’s game? With the magnificently creepy Sylar likely to take a backseat – actor Zachary Quinto having landed the part of Spock in the upcoming “Star Trek” film – perhaps Elle is stepping up to take over the mantle of Villain?

So many questions, but luckily we have time. Although she was sadly missing from yesterday's episode, with twelve more appearances of Bell and Elle in the remaining months, fans of the actress and character will no doubt be satisfied. And that’s a good thing, since the show’s pacing and storylines to date have been uneven at best. But – notwithstanding last season’s anti-climactic finale – the show writers have proven themselves capable of tying up storylines, so we can all hope that this is still the case.

And that, of course, Elle is somehow the knot that everything culminates in finally.

Support Kristen Bell by watching “Heroes” every Monday on NBC, at 9 pm / 8 pm central.