S4E7 Strange Attractors

Matt tries to get rid of Sylar; Claire and Gretchen get hazed; H.R.G. and Tracey team up to save a teen from the consequences of his unchecked ability.

With CBS in Reruns, Claire and the Carnies talke advantage

These are last night numbers for 8-9 ET:

At 8 p.m. ABC was first with a 3.4 for “Stars,” followed by Fox with a 2.6 for
“Dance.” NBC was third with a 2.5 for “Heroes,” CBS fourth with
a 2.3 for repeats of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Accidentally on Purpose,”
Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “El Nombre del Amor” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for
“One Tree Hill.”

As you can see, Heroes is really closer than one would think, with only 0.6 separating Heroes and the D-List Dancers.

Heroes also remains NBC's top Monday show, with Truama slipping to 1.9, and Leno wishing he'd never left late-night at 1.3.

The who story is here: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Overnights_50/With_CBS_in_reruns_ABC_rises_to_No_1.asp

Heroes - Episode 4-7 Review

By Matt Basilo - October 27, 2009 Email the author
If there was ever a “filler” episode of Heroes, this was it. However, “filler” is decidedly different from “stalling,” so I’ll chalk this up as the lesser of two evils. Normally episodes such as these are a necessary evil when it comes to properly pacing the season, however with such a large cast with so many stories going on, it’s admittedly a bit tough to defend.

I suppose if there was any “A” story, it was Sylar’s continued haunting of Parkman. I will admit that I found it somewhat funny that this entire time Parkman has been pretending to be a recovering addict, and then in the end alcohol ended up overcoming his proverbial demon. And, actually, I enjoyed the climatic reveal that Sylar had officially taken over Parkman’s body. However, I can’t help but be disappointed that they’ve really missed out on the fun dichotomy of Sylar’s consciousness living in Parkman’s body, and Nathan’s consciousness living in Sylar’s body. Instead, we’ve just got this massive overexposure of Sylar. He is just all over the place.

But man, did I ever cringe when Parkman called Mohinder.

I’ve repeatedly stated that Ali Larter is the weakest link of the Heroes cast. For whatever reason, they just can’t make any of her characters work in the series. But, as I’ve noted, I’ve really, really enjoyed this progressive bond between her and HRG (yeah, you heard me). After all, these are pretty much the only two characters who are expressing the “redemption” portion of this volume. They’ve been a pretty fun pair. And, for the most part, I still feel that way. However, this whole thing with Tracy getting drawn to the carnival is a tad too reminiscent of what we saw last season, with Tracy joining up with that volume’s lead antagonist, Papa Petrelli. As I’ve indicated with Sylar, we don’t need to see the same characters having the same struggle over and over again.

And that’s why I continue to dig HRG – he’s one of the few characters that legitimately seems to grow as a person. I buy that he wants to make up for his past mistakes, and I thought his performance this week was really strong. He genuinely wanted to help Jeremy, and you could really feel HRG’s pain when he discovered Jeremy’s body.

Not much to say about the Claire/Gretchen thing, except that four girls seems like an awfully small pledge class, doesn’t it? Seriously, though, I was a bit relieved we didn’t have to sit through Claire and Gretchen going through some super duper awkward phase where they avoid each other and pretend like nothing happened for a gabillion episodes. No, I don’t think Claire will end up being a lesbian, but I was glad she handled the situation with such straight forward maturity.

I’d hate to sound overly negative, but I’m having a lot of trouble getting into this whole carnival thing. Personally, I’m more interested in the redemption aspect of this season, instead of force feeding a plot point that will eventually bring the characters together. This is one of the cases where the build has been a bit too slow. We’re a few episodes in, and I feel like I have no real understanding of who these people are. Or their motivations, for that matter. They may be manipulative, but are they decidedly evil? And without that distinction, I don’t find myself particularly invested in who does and doesn’t decide to join them.

What I think we need is a “Company Man” type episode that focuses solely on the carnival crew. And we need that soon.

Matt Basilo has been writing for Inside Pulse since April 2005, providing his insight into popular television shows such as Lost, 24, Heroes, and Smallville. You can visit his blog at [a case of the blog].

Columbus Day Numbers

Full details:

Time Net Show 18-49 Rating/Share Viewers (Millons)

8:00 FOX House 5.0/13 12.91
CBS How I Met Your Mother 3.5/9 8.61
ABC Dancing With the Stars 3.3/8 16.10
NBC Heroes 2.4/6 5.64
CW One Tree Hill 1.2/3 2.62

8:30 CBS Accidentally on Purpose 3.0/7 7.83

9:00 CBS Two and a Half Men 4.6/11 13.89
ABC Dancing With the Stars 3.7/9 16.82
FOX Lie to Me 2.8/7 7.81
NBC Trauma 1.8/4 5.52
CW Gossip Girl 1.2/3 2.51

9:30 CBS The Big Bang Theory 4.8/12 12.78

10:00 CBS CSI: Miami 4.0/11 12.94
ABC Castle 2.4/6 9.99
NBC The Jay Leno Show 1.5/4 4.91

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You can see TV ratings from other recent Overnight ratings reports here.

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All numbers are Live+SD.

Nielsen TV Ratings: ©2009 The Nielsen Company. All Rights Reserved.

Claire & Gretchen: Concentrated

Here is the C&G part of last nights Heroes....without all of the other stuff.

The bleeding has slowed....but there's still bleeding.

Can to kissing lesbians....at least one superpowered...save Heroes? We'll find out next week.

Meanwhile, Heroes continues to struggle on Monday nights. I don't know what it would take to move the show to a less competitive night, but at least the bleeding has slowed. Last night's overall numbers were only .03 less thna last week, and in the 18-49 demo, the numbers have not changed.

As a matter of fact, Trauma did better in Heroes old spot last night...though not by much.

It is appreant that Heroes is no longer working on Mondays at 8/7. Still it is one of NBC stronger performers, it can move to, say Tuesday or Friday nights and possibly do better. (I mean, do we REALLY need 2 hours of The Biggest Loser?)

Here's the wrap up from hitflix.com:

Fast National ratings for Monday, Oct. 5, 2009.

The season is young, but a Monday pattern is emerging: "Dancing with the Stars" makes ABC nearly unbeatable overall, but FOX and CBS are happy to battle for demographic supremacy.
Among adults 18-49, FOX won the night with a 4.1 rating, just ahead of the 3.8 for CBS. ABC wasn't far behind with a 3.6 rating in the key demographic, leaving NBC in a distant fourth with a 1.8 rating. The CW's 1.0 rating trailed.

Overall, of course, ABC averaged an estimated 15.7 million viewers to go with a 10.1 rating/15 share. CBS was a solid second with a 7.2/11, with FOX's 6.2/9 close behind. NBC wasn't really all that competitive in fourth with a 3.3/5. The CW's 1.5/2 was fifth.

ABC dominated the night's first two hours, starting at 8 p.m. with a 11.4/17 for "Dancing with the Stars." FOX's "House" was second with a 7.6/11 and won the hour in the 18-49 demo with a 5.1/13. CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and "Accidentally on Purpose" finished third, averaging a 5.1/8 between them. "Heroes" had a 3.3/5 overall and a 2.3/6 rating in the demo. The CW's "One Tree Hill" trailed with a 1.5/2 overall.

"Dancing with the Stars" held steady at 9 p.m. for CBS. Second place overall went to CBS' "Two and a Half Men" and "The Big Bang Theory," which averaged a 8.0/12 overall and barely won the hour with a 4.4 rating in the demo. Two struggling dramas -- FOX's "Lie to Me" and NBC's "Trauma" -- battled for third, with FOX's entry holding steady with a 4.7/7 and NBC's new drama slumping to a 3.6/5. The CW's "Gossip Girl," featuring guest appearances by Tyra Banks and Hilary Duff, didn't get much of a lift and was fifth with a 1.5/2.

CBS moved into first at 10 p.m. with a 8.5/14 for "CSI: Miami," which also did a 3.9 rating in the demo. ABC's "Castle" was second with a 7.5/12. Third place, as per usual, went to NBC's "The Jay Leno Show."

S4E5: Hysterical Blindness (NBC Promo)

This trailer is notable for a few reasons. For one, NBC's Voice-of-Doom Promo Guy is nowhere to be found on this. The other notable thing is coming up.

First we have Emma walking backwards into the path of a bus. Peter goes into Speedster mode and saves her and does the prerequisite "what-the-hell-are-you-doing" thing.

Is it me, or does Emma seem a bit too old for our Peter?

Well, Sylar is back from the dead....thanks ClaireBear....only now he's pretty much Gabriel...and in trouble. He's taken in and questioned.

Hell Ernie Hudson, welcome to party. Last time we saw you you were Ghostbuster #4. Hint...you should have brought along your backpack.

Any the BlackBuster get telekinesis'ed by 'Ol 'Sy. I feel there will be some serious double work for ZQ, for there is still Sylar-in-the-head for Matt.

Now think for a moment. ZQ and Grunny on a soundtage. Together. Same scene. DEAR GOD, THERE HAS TO BE A BLOOPER REEL!

Back at college, Claire meets her new nemesis, a pert, my-crap-don't-stink Black girl name Becky who juuuuust found out that Claire was a cheerleader. From who.....? Retchen Gretchen, course.

Which brings us to the OTHER notable thing about this trailer. It's really appearant, so I won't mention it.....except it should have happened last season. With another actress (think of the letter between K and M).

With that in mind, the you know what was the phoniest you-know-what between two women I've seen. Especially since we understand La Hayden is sort of a fan of you-know-what. Still, I am warning to Madeiline Zima's Gretch, and I pray that they don't turn her into Lisa Sheridan. I kinda like that vibe of Claire's Daphne to Gretch's Velma.

What is also intresting is the end shots of HRG, Sy, and what looks to be Nathan in flight.

If you think Nathan's dead......don't bet against the Senator.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBcTnncs4wY

S4E4: Acceptance (Recap)

The cliché, “Those that forget their past are doomed to repeat it,” got a solid work-out in a surprisingly solid episode of “Heroes” tonight. Then again, once one saw the phrase “Written by Bryan Fuller” come on-screen during the opening credits, many a fan’s eye lit up from their dull, habitual gaze and perked up for the first time since…well, since Fuller last wrote an episode.

Is Bryan Fuller the answer to not only quality television, but global warming, the Middle East conflict, and Nickelback’s reign of terror atop the Billboard charts? Unlikely, despite what many a critic might have you think. But he knows how to breathe life into the characters of “Heroes” that eludes the majority of the show’s writing staff. His scripts take stale characters and invigorate them to the point where you remember when you couldn’t wait to see the outcome of the previous cliffhanger. And tonight’s episode, “Acceptance,” featured one hell of a cliffhanger.

I’m taking what they’re giving/Cuz I’m working for a living

Tracy and Noah find themselves in the unfortunate place of being unemployed during these tough economic times. And yes, they do seem to exist in our world, courtesy of a quick mention of the economy on Claire’s behalf. A simple move to place the show’s world into ours, it was a nice touch to remind the audience of the show’s original conceit: a look at super powered people in our own world.

Both are simultaneously overqualified and underqualified. Noah mockingly calls himself a “company man” (a nice shout-out to the show’s best episode, the Fuller-penned “Company Man” in Season 1), but reminds a supportive Claire that his vast experience in Primatech Paper couldn’t land him a job at Dunder Mifflin. As for Tracy: she’s got brains, but all Governor Malden cares about is going upstairs and “mak[ing] each other happy.” Apparently, Governor Malden learned his pickup lines from Borat.

Both characters are driven by their professional ambition, but both realize that the professions they have inhabited no longer fulfill them. In fact, their previous jobs disgust them. I could have gone without Tracy’s life almost literally going down the drain during an emotional meltdown, but overall I bought the connection between these two much more than in the volume’s opening hours. Tracy and Noah hopefully will have new purpose going forth, a prospect that seemingly frightens Big Bad Samuel. Good. I remember when Noah wasn’t Noah, but HRG. HRG used to scared me. Happy to see if he can do it again.

(Also, kudos to “Heroes” for containing scenes involving Claire that didn’t make me want to bang my head against the wall repeatedly. That’s a super power in and of itself.)

If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting/Time after time

Oh, Hiro. Season 1’s audience on-screen conduit to the fantastical has devolved into fanboy punching bag over the years. Too many antics, too much grating behavior, and too many times where he violates common sense in order to give the show some sort of conflict. So what happens this week? He gets humanized, and I feel for the character for the first time in ages.

Now, I’m not a fan of Hiro’s sudden desire to micro-manage the past in order to achieve results on an individual level. (See: “violates common sense.”) But since the show’s already sent Hiro down Route Sixty-Suck, presenting the potential futility of this tactic was a fantastic way to insert humor into Hiro’s storyline without making him a pathetic clown. His constant attempts to prevent a fellow coworker (Tadashi) from self-destructing fail, leading to 47 timelines in which Tadashi manages to photocopy his posterior using company property.

For Hiro, the answers lie in the past. After all, if one redirected Slurpee yields love for Ando and Kimiko, why couldn’t other redirections yield beneficial results? However, Hiro’s “Groundhog Day”-esque quest only ends when he accepts Tadashi’s intrinsic nature, not habitually fighting it at different points in the past. He correctly diagnoses Tadashi’s fetish as a cry for new employment, a revelation that sends Hiro to the one place he’s avoided: Kimiko’s office to tell her of his terminal illness.

Props to “Heroes” for showing us the introduction to that reveal, but not the actual revelation itself. The scene played more powerfully through Ando’s eyes that it would have up close, a moment of rare restraint for a show that not only tells instead of shows, but usually uses giant blinking neon signs when telling. After Hiro’s confession, his eyes go blank and he disappears, leaving Ando to clue his wife-to-be onto the source of Hiro’s malady.

Nightswimming…deserves a quiet night

Let’s liken Hiro’s decision to subtly change the past despite having first-hand evidence at just how catastrophic that could be to, say, a beer. Using that as our base point, Angela’s decision to cage Sylar inside the mental and physical likeness of her deceased son Nathan is a keg. A big, frothy, stupid keg of stupidity. I fashion Fuller for a whiskey guy myself that looked at the crappy keg and decided to kill it before leaving the show for greener pastures in the land of development deals.

In order to reboot Sylar’s brain into more of a Nathan-centric perspective, she brings a box to his office containing mementos from Nathan’s childhood. Since his shapeshifting ability works based on absorbing memories from physical objects, the mementos do a nice job of shoving actual memories into Sylar’s brain. Unfortunately for all involved, one of those memories details a dead woman floating in a pool, surrounded by chlorine and blood.

Turns out that woman is the daughter of Angela’s friend Millie Houston, a character briefly seen last season during “Fugitives.” Awesome to see Swoozie Kurtz used for more than a bizarre five minute scene. While Angela used the Haitian to wipe the actual Nathan’s mind from this memory, the Sylar-as-Nathan felt compelled to rip open the scab of history through what Peter calls “psychometrics” to triangulate his own guilt, reaffirm Millie’s long-held suspicions, and land Sylar-as-Nathan stabbed, shot, and buried alive thanks to a hit ordered by Mama Houston. Well, you know what they say about no good deed…

…but wait! Not unlike the poor in “Monty Python and Holy Grail,” Sylar’s not dead yet! It was cool enough when a hand stuck up through the ground, but to see Sylar’s face appear next? Groovy. Not sure if this means the end of Adrian Pasdar on “Heroes” or not, but it was a fantastic reminder of just how insanely cool the cliffhangers for this show used to be. I’m not sure any of this makes a lick of sense, but for the first time in a while, I’m just anxious for the next episode. It’ll probably bring me back down to earth, but at least for one week, I’m happy I’ve stuck with this show for so long.

What way is the compass pointing for you when it comes to “Heroes”? You sticking to the path, or have the circus already long left town?

Wireless Rec-connected?

Will Hana Giteleman be revived from the dead?

Possibly.

Well, lets just say that she could be available.

It all depends on what ABC does in the next few weeks.

TV By The Numbers crunched the figures on the first few weeks of the season. Now Stana Katic co-star on the romantic detective comedy Castle on ABC. Katic, as you know, also starred as Hana "Wireless" Gitleman, former Isreali soldier and mistress of all thing internet on Heroes.

Well, it don't look good for Stana. According to thier cancellation index, Castle may not make it to January.

Now we know that Hana "died" in an online graphic novel on www.nbc.com, but our little birdie says that a HUGE reset button may be thrown on Heroes before the Olympics.

So if Hana DOES come back, Stana Katic would be available.

Stay tuned....

Is Heroes Safe? Maybe

For the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about how to save Our Favorite Show.

Maybe we are panicking too soon.

TVBy The Numbers, which tracks primetime and ratings, has anylized NBC's scripted fare over the past few weeks. And despite falling numbers, TVByTN says that Heroes stands a good chance of surviving to 2011, along with The Office, SVU, and the new Chevy Chase comedy Community.

Not looking good is Mercy. And although it was not listed, Trauma may be in the crosshairs as well.

The two that look like sure cancellations are Ame Poehler's Parks and Rec and the original Law & Order, though out of respect for 20 years, NBC may allow it to stay on until May.

TV By The Numbers' Renew / Cancel Index predicts potential renewal or cancellation for scripted broadcast primetime shows for the 2010-11 season:

• Likely To Be Canceled By May, 2010(***)
• Some Danger Of Being Canceled By May, 2010(**)
• Likely to Be Renewed For The 2010-11 Season(*)

Program	Renew/ Cancel Index
Law & Order (F)	***0.45
Parks & Recreation	***0.68
Mercy	**0.86
Law & Order: SVU	*0.94
Community	*1.01
Heroes	*1.05
The Office	*1.46