Claire and Gretchen make their way to the carnival. In hopes of finding a place for Claire to fit in, they decide to spend the night at the carnival at Samuel's insistence.
Peter is determined to find Nathan and get rid of Sylar forever. Despite Angela's concern, Peter leaves to find Nathan only to be ambushed by Sylar at the hospital. The two spar until Peter's newly gained power (from the Haitian) disables Sylar's abilities. Peter tortures Sylar until Nathan comes back.
Noah confesses his feelings for Lauren when one of Samuel's henchman attacks the pair. Noah and Lauren are unharmed, but the multiplying man leaves with Noah's files.
Upon seeing the carnival's benevolent acts, Claire's conviction begins to falter. When a human attacks Samuel, Claire drives the man away and displays her power. At the end of the night, Claire decides to spend the weekend at the carnival and Gretchen leaves.
Nathan confides in Peter that he is losing the battle with Sylar. The brothers go to the rooftop where Nathan first displayed his power. Despite Peter's insistence on Nathan's existence, Nathan jumps off the rooftop and Sylar's persona takes over.
(This is the last Heroes for 2009. After a one month break, Heroes returns on Jan 4th at 9/8 Central, after the return of Chuck)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
More ratings info...
This was posted on http://www.9thwonders.com/. Interesting:
Yesterday, someone at NBC Universal replied to an inquiry I made and explained to me where the Spotlight section is now and where the TAMi should be.
After loading http://www.nbcumv.com/, you go to "Network/Programs" and then to "NBC Entertainment". There is then a big flash window that displays ads for three NBC shows on its first page. The Spotlight section is on the second page of that window.
Currently, the second page has another two ads for NBC shows and an ad for the "Weekly TAMi posted on October 7, 2009". However, when I click to download the TAMi, I'm taken to a non-existent page.
I've replied about this, and will post here what I find out.
UPDATE> My contact confirmed that the link was broken and that it should get fixed shortly. In the mean time, I was forwarded the TAMi file, so here's the relevant data for Heroes (also posted to HeroesWiki):
Season Four (as of 10/07/09)
Airdate--------Episode(s)---------Mobile / VOD / Downloads------ISV-----------Television-------Total
9/21/09--Orientation / Jump, Push, Fall-------228,484-------4,386,597------12,089,000---16,704,081
9/28/09-----Ink----------- ---------------------113,402---------1,879,620-------8,441,000----10,434,022
Season Average------------------------------------170,943-------3,133,109------10,265,000----13,569,052
Season Total----------------------------------------341,886-------6,266,217------20,530,000----27,138,103
TWENTY-SEVEN MILLION VIEWERS!!!!!!
Source: http://boards.9thwonders.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=69658&view=findpost&p=858484
Yesterday, someone at NBC Universal replied to an inquiry I made and explained to me where the Spotlight section is now and where the TAMi should be.
After loading http://www.nbcumv.com/, you go to "Network/Programs" and then to "NBC Entertainment". There is then a big flash window that displays ads for three NBC shows on its first page. The Spotlight section is on the second page of that window.
Currently, the second page has another two ads for NBC shows and an ad for the "Weekly TAMi posted on October 7, 2009". However, when I click to download the TAMi, I'm taken to a non-existent page.
I've replied about this, and will post here what I find out.
UPDATE> My contact confirmed that the link was broken and that it should get fixed shortly. In the mean time, I was forwarded the TAMi file, so here's the relevant data for Heroes (also posted to HeroesWiki):
Season Four (as of 10/07/09)
Airdate--------Episode(s)---------Mobile / VOD / Downloads------ISV-----------Television-------Total
9/21/09--Orientation / Jump, Push, Fall-------228,484-------4,386,597------12,089,000---16,704,081
9/28/09-----Ink----------- ---------------------113,402---------1,879,620-------8,441,000----10,434,022
Season Average------------------------------------170,943-------3,133,109------10,265,000----13,569,052
Season Total----------------------------------------341,886-------6,266,217------20,530,000----27,138,103
TWENTY-SEVEN MILLION VIEWERS!!!!!!
Source: http://boards.9thwonders.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=69658&view=findpost&p=858484
S4E11:Thanksgiving
It's a rocky Thanksgiving for the Bennets, the Petrellis and the Carnival, as the chips start to fall.
Ratings Trends Hopeful For Heroes??
Short term (4 week) ratings trends indicate the renewal prospects for Castle, The Good Wife, Heroes, Parks & Recreation and Law & Order have improved.
Since I am keeping individual show episode ratings this season (unlike in past years when I just relied on Nielsen averages), I’d been meaning to look at short term ratings trends explicitly at some point (instead of just eyeballing them). I meant to start including them in the regular posts this week, but the Nielsen power outage delay made that impractical. However, in preparation for next weeks posts, I set up the spreadsheet and did the calculations for this week, so I figured I would post them (not color coded).
Remember that on a season average basis, an Index of below 0.92 has in the past indicated a scripted show is in danger of cancellation. On a short term Index basis, I haven’t checked the history. And to be honest, there’s likely more in these numbers than I’ve drawn out from my cursory scan, but shows with 4 week Indexes over their season Indexes would seem to have improving chances. Whether that turns out to be the case, we shall see.
Since I am keeping individual show episode ratings this season (unlike in past years when I just relied on Nielsen averages), I’d been meaning to look at short term ratings trends explicitly at some point (instead of just eyeballing them). I meant to start including them in the regular posts this week, but the Nielsen power outage delay made that impractical. However, in preparation for next weeks posts, I set up the spreadsheet and did the calculations for this week, so I figured I would post them (not color coded).
Remember that on a season average basis, an Index of below 0.92 has in the past indicated a scripted show is in danger of cancellation. On a short term Index basis, I haven’t checked the history. And to be honest, there’s likely more in these numbers than I’ve drawn out from my cursory scan, but shows with 4 week Indexes over their season Indexes would seem to have improving chances. Whether that turns out to be the case, we shall see.
(since this is HEROES centric, we'll limit it to NBC shows)
Program
Renew/ Cancel Index
4 Week Renew/ Cancel Index
Renew/ Cancel Index
4 Week Renew/ Cancel Index
Law & Order (F), (P)
0.54
0.63
Trauma (P)
0.69
0.75
Mercy (P)
0.71
0.71
Parks & Recreation (P)
0.75
0.85
Community
0.83
0.85
0.83
0.85
Heroes (P)
0.92
0.99
Law & Order: SVU (P)
0.97
1.09
30 Rock (P)
1.14
1.25
The Office (P)
1.56
1.71
The blue Renew / Cancel Index numbers are calculated the same as they always have been. A show’s season average adults 18-49 rating divided by its networks season average adults 18-49 rating. The 4 week Indexes divide a show’s 4 week running 18-49 ratings average by the networks running 4 week ratings average. The number of repeats during a short period can cause misleading results. Not sure if I can do something simple to show that or not.
Monday, November 23, 2009
S4E12: The Fifth Stage (Preview)
Samuel starts to see his vision take shape — H.R.G. is greeted by some unexpected visitors and Samuel's grand plan begins to come to fruition. Meanwhile, Peter struggles to accept the truth and takes extreme measures to get what he wants. Elsewhere, Claire's journey leads her to an unexpected destination...
S4E11: Thanksgiving (Recap)
Before touching Parkman’s hand and no doubt ending up with unintended consequences in Heroes Season 4 Episode 10, Nathan decided that he doesn’t exist any more because he’s becoming Sylar. Meanwhile, Suresh had his own trouble. He wasn’t killed, but he was locked up in the nuthouse.
Samuel’s got his hands on the film that he wanted now. He’s watching the part where he’s being born, a disaster waiting to happen.
Hiro wants to know where and when Charlie is. Samuel is not ready to play just yet, and Hiro can’t make him since it’s not like he can just kill the only person who knows where to find Charlie. But smile, it’s Thanksgiving.
HRG runs into Lauren at the supermarket, where he checks out some yams before inviting her for dinner.
Peter goes to visit his mom, who says that Nathan’s dead body was a shapeshifter, and Parkman is unbalanced and can’t be trusted. Not buying this story, the question is simple. Is Nathan really dead? Yeah, Nathan would like to know the answer to that, too.
Claire’s surprised to find that her dad brought a date. No, not a date. Just an old friend. Mom will understand.
Hiro is not quite ready to enjoy Thanksgiving. First of all, they don’t celebrate that in Japan. Second, Samuel is a liar liar pants on fire. If he did fix the past, though, that would lead some to believe that Joseph should still be around. They fail to realize that Samuel’s goals were more selfish than that. That said, Lydia wants to go back to eight weeks ago so she can see what happened to Joseph.
Angela tells the boys that they really did see Nathan’s body, although his mind still lives on in his current body.
As if Thanksgiving dinner isn’t awkward enough, Sandra’s boyfriend Doug suggests going around the table and saying what they’re thankful for. This can only end badly. When they get to Claire, she’s just not feeling it. She’s thinking about dropping out of school.
Back to the night Joseph died. He warns his brother that he has the power to kill millions. Because of that, he has to be controlled. It’s then that Samuel learns that Suresh was instructed to burn the film. Furthermore, a man from the government is coming to take Samuel in. Well, that’s about all that needs to be said before Joseph gets killed by his brother, which Lydia and Hiro witness.
Doug tells Claire this will all blow over. Stuff like this happens to everyone. Really? So she grabs a knife and slits her arm. Perhaps a visit from Gretchen will cheer her up.
Nathan informs his family that Sylar’s in there with him. Then a freaky light show happens. No need to get an exorcist, though. Sylar’s back. What’s for dinner?
Samuel just learned that the person who killed his brother is there sitting at the table. Edgar speaks up… Samuel is the one who murdered Joseph. The time traveler saw it. Hiro denies seeing anything. Perhaps, then, Edgar killed Joseph. Before Samuel can make Edgar suffer the same fate as his brother, Hiro freezes time, telling Edgar he has to run away to live to fight another day.
Sylar finds out that Nathan’s not so dead after all. He can control Sylar, just like Sylar controlled Parkman all that time.
After her visit with Gretchen, Claire tells her dad she’s going back to school. What she’s really doing is taking the compass she stole from him and seeing where it leads.
Peter promises his mom that he’ll find a way to get his brother alive again.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Heroes Season 4 Episode 12 The Fifth Stage, which airs Monday at 8/7c on NBC.
Samuel’s got his hands on the film that he wanted now. He’s watching the part where he’s being born, a disaster waiting to happen.
Hiro wants to know where and when Charlie is. Samuel is not ready to play just yet, and Hiro can’t make him since it’s not like he can just kill the only person who knows where to find Charlie. But smile, it’s Thanksgiving.
HRG runs into Lauren at the supermarket, where he checks out some yams before inviting her for dinner.
Peter goes to visit his mom, who says that Nathan’s dead body was a shapeshifter, and Parkman is unbalanced and can’t be trusted. Not buying this story, the question is simple. Is Nathan really dead? Yeah, Nathan would like to know the answer to that, too.
Claire’s surprised to find that her dad brought a date. No, not a date. Just an old friend. Mom will understand.
Hiro is not quite ready to enjoy Thanksgiving. First of all, they don’t celebrate that in Japan. Second, Samuel is a liar liar pants on fire. If he did fix the past, though, that would lead some to believe that Joseph should still be around. They fail to realize that Samuel’s goals were more selfish than that. That said, Lydia wants to go back to eight weeks ago so she can see what happened to Joseph.
Angela tells the boys that they really did see Nathan’s body, although his mind still lives on in his current body.
As if Thanksgiving dinner isn’t awkward enough, Sandra’s boyfriend Doug suggests going around the table and saying what they’re thankful for. This can only end badly. When they get to Claire, she’s just not feeling it. She’s thinking about dropping out of school.
Back to the night Joseph died. He warns his brother that he has the power to kill millions. Because of that, he has to be controlled. It’s then that Samuel learns that Suresh was instructed to burn the film. Furthermore, a man from the government is coming to take Samuel in. Well, that’s about all that needs to be said before Joseph gets killed by his brother, which Lydia and Hiro witness.
Doug tells Claire this will all blow over. Stuff like this happens to everyone. Really? So she grabs a knife and slits her arm. Perhaps a visit from Gretchen will cheer her up.
Nathan informs his family that Sylar’s in there with him. Then a freaky light show happens. No need to get an exorcist, though. Sylar’s back. What’s for dinner?
Samuel just learned that the person who killed his brother is there sitting at the table. Edgar speaks up… Samuel is the one who murdered Joseph. The time traveler saw it. Hiro denies seeing anything. Perhaps, then, Edgar killed Joseph. Before Samuel can make Edgar suffer the same fate as his brother, Hiro freezes time, telling Edgar he has to run away to live to fight another day.
Sylar finds out that Nathan’s not so dead after all. He can control Sylar, just like Sylar controlled Parkman all that time.
After her visit with Gretchen, Claire tells her dad she’s going back to school. What she’s really doing is taking the compass she stole from him and seeing where it leads.
Peter promises his mom that he’ll find a way to get his brother alive again.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Heroes Season 4 Episode 12 The Fifth Stage, which airs Monday at 8/7c on NBC.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Thanksgiving Dinner: Heroes Style
The cast talks about the Thanksgiving episode....and their own Thanksgiving experiences.
Jack Coleman aka HRG
Heyden Pennetiere aka Claire "The Cheerleader"
Ashley Crow aka Sandra
Meanwhile, at the Carnival
Jack Coleman aka HRG
Heyden Pennetiere aka Claire "The Cheerleader"
Ashley Crow aka Sandra
Meanwhile, at the Carnival
'Heroes' tumbles to 5.1 million
Heroes hit a new series low Monday night, according to the latest viewing figures.
The 8pm instalment pulled in just 5.07m for NBC, down around 280k on last week's performance.
It was beaten in the hour by CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally On Purpose, which logged 8.44m and 7.76m at 8pm and 8.30pm, and Fox's House, which had 12.95m. The CW's One Tree Hill was last for the hour with 2.63m.
At 9pm, Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory put in 14.07m and 13.49m respectively. Trauma interested 5.16m for NBC, 7.8m watched Lie To Me on Fox, and The CW's Gossip Girl had 2.24m.
ABC's Dancing With The Stars averaged an impressive 18.74m between 8pm and 10pm.
At 10pm, CSI: Miami took 13.49m for CBS, 10.86m tuned in for ABC's Castle, and The Jay Leno Show grabbed 4.46m for NBC.
The 8pm instalment pulled in just 5.07m for NBC, down around 280k on last week's performance.
It was beaten in the hour by CBS comedies How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally On Purpose, which logged 8.44m and 7.76m at 8pm and 8.30pm, and Fox's House, which had 12.95m. The CW's One Tree Hill was last for the hour with 2.63m.
At 9pm, Two And A Half Men and The Big Bang Theory put in 14.07m and 13.49m respectively. Trauma interested 5.16m for NBC, 7.8m watched Lie To Me on Fox, and The CW's Gossip Girl had 2.24m.
ABC's Dancing With The Stars averaged an impressive 18.74m between 8pm and 10pm.
At 10pm, CSI: Miami took 13.49m for CBS, 10.86m tuned in for ABC's Castle, and The Jay Leno Show grabbed 4.46m for NBC.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
S4E10 Brother's Keeper (Full Episode)
Still holding Charlie, Samuel sends Hiro back in time to do some dirty work, and Sylar finally gets his day of reckoning. Or does he?
Monday, November 16, 2009
S4E10 Brother's Keeper (RECAP)
Original Air Date: Nov 16, 2009
Brittany D. – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com
Dear NBC: Let’s not spoil your biggest cliff hangers of the season anymore in your previews for the next week’s episode, okay? It’s just a helpful suggestion!
Hiro is still trapped in the circus, and it’s because Samuel wants him to go back in time eight weeks ago to get Coyote Sands research film from Mohinder before he destroys it. We flash back to nine weeks ago and see that Mohinder is in India teaching, and he has a girlfriend who urges him to trash all of Chandra’s old research, and Mohinder obliges. Of course he goes and gets it once his girlfriend goes to bed and watches a tape reel labeled ‘Samuel’. In it, Chandra says that when more than one person with abilities is in the same room with Samuel, it causes his ability to increase in power. From the research, Mohinder is able to create a compass like the one Samuel has. Mohinder’s girlfriend says that if he disappears, she won’t wait for him. So of course…
…Mohinder goes to carnie town and talks to Joseph, who tells Mohinder that he’s kept Samuel in the dark about his ability, that he’s never told him how powerful it could be. He advises that the reel should be destroyed, and we cut to see Samuel eavesdropping on the entire conversation. He confronts Mohinder in a hotel room, demanding to know what was on the reel, but Mohinder says he’ll never tell. Samuel smashes a rock and flings the remains into Mohinder’s body and leaves, but Hiro has already appeared on scene and fitted his old pal with a bullet proof vest after switching out the reels. Mohinder says he won’t disappear for eight weeks so that Hiro can get Charlie back, so Hiro somehow gets him into a loony bin in a padded cell wearing a straight jacket, where the doctor’s mistake him for another patient and dope him unconscious.
Giving the reel to Samuel, Hiro doesn’t get Charlie back right away, and Samuel leaves to go meet with Tracy.
Nathan/Sylar is back in D.C. and Peter is with him, trying to figure out why he can’t remember a week of his life. His mother apparently smoothed things over at the office by telling everyone that Nathan was simply on vacation, but the Haitian shows up to tell Peter the truth about his brother. The Haitian gives Peter directions to a storage facility and tells him to GO ALONE, but no one in this show ever listened to directions, so of course he takes Nathan. In the facility, they find the real Nathan’s dead body. Nathan/Sylar touches his dead body and has a flash of Sylar and Matt. After figuring out that Matt is in a hospital, Peter and Nathan go to Midland and Peter heals him. Matt tries to tell them what happened, but Sylar takes over Matt’s body and tells Nathan that with a touch, it can all be over and he can be whole again.
A touch happens, but it’s just a brush, and Nathan flies away with Peter after accidentally knocking him out. He flies them to the Grand Canyon…or some Canyon, and Peter tells Nathan that he’s not leaving him alone, and they fly off together. Meanwhile, Matt is healed and mind warping a cop into giving him his clothes so that he can escape the hospital. Back in Peter’s apartment, Nathan has a sad moment when he realizes that all Peter is going to see when he looks at him is Sylar, but we never really establish what’s going on inside his head with Sylar being there.
Tracy is contemplating running away to join the circus while drinking coffee in a diner, when she gets so agitated that she accidentally freezes her coffee mug. She goes to Bennet’s but instead of finding HRG she finds Claire. Tracy’s power is going haywire, and she keeps freezing things. She freezes the steaming hot bathwater she was in, then accidentally freezes Claire solid. She breaks off Claire’s foot while trying to move her to the tub, but Claire heals and unfreezes and they share a good laugh. Tracy explains that she’s really thinking about heading to carnie town, and Claire tells her she should do it, if she thinks that’s what’s best for her. HRG walks in with groceries, sees Claire’s still frozen foot on the table (she’s since grown a new one) and asks how their day was. It really was the best part of the episode.
(Have not seen, but this is what Heroes has been sorely missing, humor and sight gags based on the abilities).
As previously mentioned, she does meet with Samuel, hoping to run away from her old life to a place where she’ll be accepted.
Okay, bottom line – I want to stop time hopping and get to the bottom of these two story lines of Nathan/Sylar and Samuel. Can I please just get Sylar back to his badassness? No more of this Nathan stuff. And unless the Samuel story line is going to be wrapped up in a really cool twist, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to have much more to offer. And, sorry Hiro, but I’m pretty sure that Charlie is somewhere else: a place called FOX on a show called Glee.
Brittany D. – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com
Dear NBC: Let’s not spoil your biggest cliff hangers of the season anymore in your previews for the next week’s episode, okay? It’s just a helpful suggestion!
Hiro is still trapped in the circus, and it’s because Samuel wants him to go back in time eight weeks ago to get Coyote Sands research film from Mohinder before he destroys it. We flash back to nine weeks ago and see that Mohinder is in India teaching, and he has a girlfriend who urges him to trash all of Chandra’s old research, and Mohinder obliges. Of course he goes and gets it once his girlfriend goes to bed and watches a tape reel labeled ‘Samuel’. In it, Chandra says that when more than one person with abilities is in the same room with Samuel, it causes his ability to increase in power. From the research, Mohinder is able to create a compass like the one Samuel has. Mohinder’s girlfriend says that if he disappears, she won’t wait for him. So of course…
…Mohinder goes to carnie town and talks to Joseph, who tells Mohinder that he’s kept Samuel in the dark about his ability, that he’s never told him how powerful it could be. He advises that the reel should be destroyed, and we cut to see Samuel eavesdropping on the entire conversation. He confronts Mohinder in a hotel room, demanding to know what was on the reel, but Mohinder says he’ll never tell. Samuel smashes a rock and flings the remains into Mohinder’s body and leaves, but Hiro has already appeared on scene and fitted his old pal with a bullet proof vest after switching out the reels. Mohinder says he won’t disappear for eight weeks so that Hiro can get Charlie back, so Hiro somehow gets him into a loony bin in a padded cell wearing a straight jacket, where the doctor’s mistake him for another patient and dope him unconscious.
Giving the reel to Samuel, Hiro doesn’t get Charlie back right away, and Samuel leaves to go meet with Tracy.
Nathan/Sylar is back in D.C. and Peter is with him, trying to figure out why he can’t remember a week of his life. His mother apparently smoothed things over at the office by telling everyone that Nathan was simply on vacation, but the Haitian shows up to tell Peter the truth about his brother. The Haitian gives Peter directions to a storage facility and tells him to GO ALONE, but no one in this show ever listened to directions, so of course he takes Nathan. In the facility, they find the real Nathan’s dead body. Nathan/Sylar touches his dead body and has a flash of Sylar and Matt. After figuring out that Matt is in a hospital, Peter and Nathan go to Midland and Peter heals him. Matt tries to tell them what happened, but Sylar takes over Matt’s body and tells Nathan that with a touch, it can all be over and he can be whole again.
A touch happens, but it’s just a brush, and Nathan flies away with Peter after accidentally knocking him out. He flies them to the Grand Canyon…or some Canyon, and Peter tells Nathan that he’s not leaving him alone, and they fly off together. Meanwhile, Matt is healed and mind warping a cop into giving him his clothes so that he can escape the hospital. Back in Peter’s apartment, Nathan has a sad moment when he realizes that all Peter is going to see when he looks at him is Sylar, but we never really establish what’s going on inside his head with Sylar being there.
Tracy is contemplating running away to join the circus while drinking coffee in a diner, when she gets so agitated that she accidentally freezes her coffee mug. She goes to Bennet’s but instead of finding HRG she finds Claire. Tracy’s power is going haywire, and she keeps freezing things. She freezes the steaming hot bathwater she was in, then accidentally freezes Claire solid. She breaks off Claire’s foot while trying to move her to the tub, but Claire heals and unfreezes and they share a good laugh. Tracy explains that she’s really thinking about heading to carnie town, and Claire tells her she should do it, if she thinks that’s what’s best for her. HRG walks in with groceries, sees Claire’s still frozen foot on the table (she’s since grown a new one) and asks how their day was. It really was the best part of the episode.
(Have not seen, but this is what Heroes has been sorely missing, humor and sight gags based on the abilities).
As previously mentioned, she does meet with Samuel, hoping to run away from her old life to a place where she’ll be accepted.
Okay, bottom line – I want to stop time hopping and get to the bottom of these two story lines of Nathan/Sylar and Samuel. Can I please just get Sylar back to his badassness? No more of this Nathan stuff. And unless the Samuel story line is going to be wrapped up in a really cool twist, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to have much more to offer. And, sorry Hiro, but I’m pretty sure that Charlie is somewhere else: a place called FOX on a show called Glee.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Kate Vernon Becomes a Hero
It seems that sci-fi fans can expect a familiar face on a hit NBC series sometime this season. Heroes star Greg Grunberg revealed on his Twitter account today that Battlestar Galactica alum Kate Vernon will appear in Heroes sometime this season.
Kate Vernon from BSG is now on #Kate Vernon from BSG is now on #Heroes -- can't wait for you guys to see her. The 5th!! -- can't wait for you guys to see her. The 5th!!While it wasn't clear what kind of role Vernon would be playing in the series, yesterday Grunberg posted a picture of Vernon and new Heroes castmate Robert Knepper, who plays the nefarious Samuel, ringleader of the mysterious Carnival. We're not sure if this means Vernon will be the latest member of the Carnival or not.We'll be sure to keep you posted on any and all updates on Heroes and Kate Vernon's new involvement in the series as well.
V S1S2 There's No Normal Anymore (recap)
http://www.hulu.com/watch/108493/v-recap-theres-no-normal-anymore#s-p1-sr-i1
GET TO KNOW YOUR NEW ALIEN INVADERS — ER, NEIGHBORS!
In advance of the main course of recap, I offer an appetizer platter of observations — three things we learned about The Visitors in last night's V.
THEY'RE EARLY! Gone-native alien Ryan (Morris Chestnut) — needing a patch for the painful rip to his human skin suit sustained during last week's ill-fated resistance confab — sought help from a fellow incognito ET named Angelo. As the mechanic-cum-surgeon squirted Fasting Acting Miracle-Gro Flesh gel into Ryan's gash with a Flash Gordon cocking gun, their conversation turned to the monolithic star destroyers parked in Earth's atmosphere. Newsflash! Those mothers ain't supposed to be here… yet. The timetable was accelerated. Why?
THEY'VE GOT THEIR OWN GITMO! Marcus (Christopher Shyer), second in command to alien leader Anna (Morena Baccarin), tortured a would-be member of The Resistance at an undisclosed, dramatically lit location. The Vs' version of water-boarding: stripping you down to your bulging cod piece, then strapping you to a giant porcelain birdbath (or bidet; you choose) and casting illusions of your worst fears on your tummy. In this poor rebel's case: snakes. The lingering question: Is Anna aware of these clandestine renditions and black site beat-downs — or is Marcus running a conspiracy behind her exquisitely dressed back? Bolstering the latter possibility:
ANNA AND MARCUS DON'T SEE EYE-TO-FLUTTERY EYE ON HOW TO SERVE MANKIND Anna had a sharp exchange with Marcus while flipping though a holographic catalogue of Earthly couture. She selected a white kimono and coolly noted, '''I'm told in Japan this both conveys the respect of tradition and the allure of submission.'' Marcus: ''I'm not sure that's the message you want to send.'' Anna shot him a withering gaze. ''You still don't understand humanity.'' Talk of ''submission'' is the kind of thing we'd expect to hear from diabolical reptilian monsters intent on dosing mankind with paralyzing kindness and then eating us alive for dinner. But if you believe as I do that Anna is a sincere reformer determined to improve our woeful condition, we could also interpret her to mean that engaging Earthlings and coaxing them to change requires tact and deference. Regardless, Marcus didn't agree. My guess is that he regards humanity as a planet of damn dirty apes that need to whipped and rifle-butted into being obedient little monkeys. Schism! Shades of: The Jacob/Man in Black debate about rehabbing and managing unruly, sinful man in the season finale of Lost. [This recap's obligatory forced Lost connection has now been fulfilled.]
Having dazzled us last week with extravagant spaceships and enticingly exotic extra-terrestrials, V's second episode scaled back the pricy pseudo-cinematic ambition and shifted to a more sustainable gear — a Trust No One paranoid thriller like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, tailored for a culture coached to worry about sleeper cells in the suburbs. (Be honest: How many of you really sweat that?) Where the pilot was briskly paced and meaty with ideas, ''There Is No Normal Anymore'' was slow and small and missing much of the Big Picture musing on the Vs' global impact that gave this otherwise ho-hum alien invasion yarn its promising point of distinction. Yeah, there was a throwaway line here and there about an alien-inspired psychotherapy boom or geopolitical significance of the United States, but I wanted more, and I was disappointed. All week, ABC promoted V with the Muse song ''Uprising,'' which I thought was a perfect fit: this new V should be mythic and melodramatic, politically charged and comic book fantastic, brilliantly produced and raucously thrilling. Alas, ''… No Normal Anymore'' didn't quite get there. This show needs to be more interesting, more fun — Battlestar Galactica, but with less bleakness. (Not that bleak can't be fun. In fact, in my more pessimistic moods about V, I nurture the fantasy of NBC pulling the now-complete BSG out of mothballs and putting it up V. If broadcast TV is really that interested in politically charged, philosophically provocative humans vs. aliens sci-fi saga, why not show them — and V — how it should be done?)
For now, I watch on faith, buoyed by glimmers of hope. Elizabeth Mitchell can make me believe in anything. The Visitors — embodied by inscrutable Anna — continue to be a metaphor and mystery worthy of parsing and theorizing. My take: Anna is sincere about wanting to bring peace, love, and universal health care to the world — but her advisors are conspiring against her. (A lengthy elaboration of this theory, complete with time travel head-hurtyness, can be found at the close of this recap.) And has the subject of V's much-discussed political subtext shifted? Forget the Obama allegory. After last night, I'm now wondering if Anna = NaIve Commander-in-Chief and Marcus = Hawkish Vice President Who's Puppet-Mastering His Boss From His Secret Torture Chamber Bunker. I'm not trying to ruffle Left or Right feathers — I'm just saying that I suspect V is engineered to reflect the political energies of the whole decade, not just the past year.
NEXT: A priest and an FBI agent walk into a bar...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20318975,00.html
V S1E1: Pilot
Beginning now, we are expanding our scope to programs like Heroes that strecth the imagination and challenge the viewer. It is why we are inclucing shows like V. But remember, no matter what, this site will ALWAYS be HEROES F1RST!
..........................
The Visitors arrive and say they come in peace, though some are skeptical of their intentions.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/106763/v-pilot#s-p1-so-i0
..........................
The Visitors arrive and say they come in peace, though some are skeptical of their intentions.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/106763/v-pilot#s-p1-so-i0
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
However, when you add the DVR watchers...
Last post shows that Heroes last night hit a series low. But that is not the whole story.
For, though, Heroes has been languising in the 60's in the as-the-program-airs Nielsens, Heroes is the 10th most popular program on DVRs. SO when you add the DVR numbers to the season-to-date on-air numbers, Heroes total numbers shoot up 30.8%! That's the second biggest increase to on-air numbers in that top 10 (the biggest was FOX's Fringe.)
So...how do we get people to watch HEROES FIRST?
Full numbers are here: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Huge_DVR_lift_for_Fringe_and_Dollhouse.asp
For, though, Heroes has been languising in the 60's in the as-the-program-airs Nielsens, Heroes is the 10th most popular program on DVRs. SO when you add the DVR numbers to the season-to-date on-air numbers, Heroes total numbers shoot up 30.8%! That's the second biggest increase to on-air numbers in that top 10 (the biggest was FOX's Fringe.)
So...how do we get people to watch HEROES FIRST?
Full numbers are here: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/Huge_DVR_lift_for_Fringe_and_Dollhouse.asp
A series low.
It looks like the clock is ticking for our specials...
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with the 5.1 for “House,” followed by ABC with the 3.4 for “Stars.” CBS was third with a 3.2 for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.5) and “Accidentally on Purpose” (3.0), NBC fourth with a series-low 2.3 for “Heroes,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “El Nombre del Amor” and CW sixth with a 1.2 for “One Tree Hill.”
Full ratings for the night here: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Overnights_50/Fox_edges_out_CBS_for_a_Monday_win.asp
At 8 p.m. Fox was first with the 5.1 for “House,” followed by ABC with the 3.4 for “Stars.” CBS was third with a 3.2 for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.5) and “Accidentally on Purpose” (3.0), NBC fourth with a series-low 2.3 for “Heroes,” Univision fifth with a 1.4 for “El Nombre del Amor” and CW sixth with a 1.2 for “One Tree Hill.”
Full ratings for the night here: http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Overnights_50/Fox_edges_out_CBS_for_a_Monday_win.asp
S4E9 Shadowboxing
Claire courts trouble after the sorority attack; Matt vows to destroy Sylar at any cost; Peter helps Emma start a new life. (...and a network gets revenge?)
Monday, November 9, 2009
S4E9; SHADOWBOXING (RECAP)
Another week, another episode! Previously, Sylar switched places with Matt so that he’s in control of his body, Peter got a nifty new healing ability, and Gretchen was almost murdered by Rebecca who is part of carnie town.
Gretchen and Claire lie to their new sorority sisters when they freak out after seeing Claire heal and Becky disappear right in front of them. Their lie: That the hazing must have included drugging their water. Gretchen and Claire are left alone, and the former says that she is definitely not okay with trying to be killed. Claire calls her dad who brings along the Haitian and wipes the sorority girl’s minds while Gretchen stays alone in the dorm room. The Haitian tags along with Claire while HRG searches Rebecca’s room, and Claire gets to the dorm in time to see Gretchen packing a bag. It’s all just a little bit too freaky for her and she leaves; the Haitian following to make sure she’s safe. As soon as Claire’s alone, Samuel shows up.
Samuel tells Claire that it’s easier to relate to people when they’re just like you, which is why he started the carnival. At the same time he tries to recruit Claire, HRG is confronted by Becky. She tells him that he killed her father while she hid under the bed and watched the whole thing go down. She says that she wished that no one would find her and that was when her ability to turn invisible manifested itself, but she never understood why she couldn’t wish for her dad to be okay. In revenge, she’s going to hurt both HRG and Claire. Before she can, someone comes looking for her and she disappears. HRG leaves and makes it back to Claire’s dorm just in time to meet Samuel and hear his pitch to Claire.
HRG winds up taking Samuel into custody (can he do that now? Where was he even planning on taking him?) so that he can get answers about the compass. In all likelihood, it points people in the direction of the carnival, but before we can find out for sure Becky shows up. She’s going to try and kill HRG, but Samuel tazers her. HRG literally pushes Claire to the ground, but she begs him not to hurt Becky and Samuel, and together they run away. Claire gives HRG that look. He walks her back to her dorm and that night she looks longingly at Gretchen’s side of the room. Did I mention she’d told her roommate that she was too important to lose and that everything’s been charged with what the writers hope is unresolved sexual tension? Yeah.
Sylar is taking Matt and his body to New York. Sylar taunts Matt, but it’s Matt who has the last laugh because he’s planted his service revolver in his suitcase. The metal detector goes off, and Sylar tries to use Matt’s ability. “You may be able to control my body but I will NEVER let you control my ability.” Sylar is taken into custody screaming that he’s a cop. Four hours later they’re on their way only to get a flat tire. Matt’s getting a little too confident in his razzing of Sylar though, and when a nice guy pulls over to help them, Sylar kills him. Matt rages that Sylar just killed a man, and Sylar turns the tables: “No, I didn’t. You did.” He tells Matt that he’s in charge and can kill anyone, anywhere, so no more roadblocks on the way to find Peter Petrelli for answers.
They stop at the Burnt Toast Diner and Sylar tells Matt that he tried to kill a waitress there once, and when Matt won’t tell him what happened to his body, he decides to start killing people. Matt finally relents at that prospect and tells Sylar everything while Sylar doodles on a napkin. Sylar says that now he’s going to find Nathan, then kill everyone involved with his body swap. Before he can do that, the police show up. Matt used his ability to make Sylar doodle that he was going to kill everyone. In order to keep HRG, Angela Petrelli et al safe, he makes Sylar motion to draw a weapon and the police shoot him about six times in the chest, killing him.
(THANKS, NBC PROMO DEPARTMENT FOR THAT SPOILER ALERT. SURE WAS NIFTY.)
There’s been a massive train crash, and Peter is going around saving lives, but every time he heals someone, it drains his energy. Emma watches the chaos in the E.R., and when doctors get to be too busy, she starts stitching a patient up, much to Peter’s surprise. She tells him he should stop using his ability if it effects him this way, and he scoffs that then he’d just be ordinary. She finally confesses to him that she dropped out of med school after her nephew drowned while she was babysitting. After she saves a little girl’s life, Peter convinces her to give med school another chance. When Peter gets home, Sylar/Nathan shows up, having woken up in carnie town with Nathan’s face and flying out before anybody saw him.
Gretchen and Claire lie to their new sorority sisters when they freak out after seeing Claire heal and Becky disappear right in front of them. Their lie: That the hazing must have included drugging their water. Gretchen and Claire are left alone, and the former says that she is definitely not okay with trying to be killed. Claire calls her dad who brings along the Haitian and wipes the sorority girl’s minds while Gretchen stays alone in the dorm room. The Haitian tags along with Claire while HRG searches Rebecca’s room, and Claire gets to the dorm in time to see Gretchen packing a bag. It’s all just a little bit too freaky for her and she leaves; the Haitian following to make sure she’s safe. As soon as Claire’s alone, Samuel shows up.
Samuel tells Claire that it’s easier to relate to people when they’re just like you, which is why he started the carnival. At the same time he tries to recruit Claire, HRG is confronted by Becky. She tells him that he killed her father while she hid under the bed and watched the whole thing go down. She says that she wished that no one would find her and that was when her ability to turn invisible manifested itself, but she never understood why she couldn’t wish for her dad to be okay. In revenge, she’s going to hurt both HRG and Claire. Before she can, someone comes looking for her and she disappears. HRG leaves and makes it back to Claire’s dorm just in time to meet Samuel and hear his pitch to Claire.
HRG winds up taking Samuel into custody (can he do that now? Where was he even planning on taking him?) so that he can get answers about the compass. In all likelihood, it points people in the direction of the carnival, but before we can find out for sure Becky shows up. She’s going to try and kill HRG, but Samuel tazers her. HRG literally pushes Claire to the ground, but she begs him not to hurt Becky and Samuel, and together they run away. Claire gives HRG that look. He walks her back to her dorm and that night she looks longingly at Gretchen’s side of the room. Did I mention she’d told her roommate that she was too important to lose and that everything’s been charged with what the writers hope is unresolved sexual tension? Yeah.
Sylar is taking Matt and his body to New York. Sylar taunts Matt, but it’s Matt who has the last laugh because he’s planted his service revolver in his suitcase. The metal detector goes off, and Sylar tries to use Matt’s ability. “You may be able to control my body but I will NEVER let you control my ability.” Sylar is taken into custody screaming that he’s a cop. Four hours later they’re on their way only to get a flat tire. Matt’s getting a little too confident in his razzing of Sylar though, and when a nice guy pulls over to help them, Sylar kills him. Matt rages that Sylar just killed a man, and Sylar turns the tables: “No, I didn’t. You did.” He tells Matt that he’s in charge and can kill anyone, anywhere, so no more roadblocks on the way to find Peter Petrelli for answers.
They stop at the Burnt Toast Diner and Sylar tells Matt that he tried to kill a waitress there once, and when Matt won’t tell him what happened to his body, he decides to start killing people. Matt finally relents at that prospect and tells Sylar everything while Sylar doodles on a napkin. Sylar says that now he’s going to find Nathan, then kill everyone involved with his body swap. Before he can do that, the police show up. Matt used his ability to make Sylar doodle that he was going to kill everyone. In order to keep HRG, Angela Petrelli et al safe, he makes Sylar motion to draw a weapon and the police shoot him about six times in the chest, killing him.
(THANKS, NBC PROMO DEPARTMENT FOR THAT SPOILER ALERT. SURE WAS NIFTY.)
There’s been a massive train crash, and Peter is going around saving lives, but every time he heals someone, it drains his energy. Emma watches the chaos in the E.R., and when doctors get to be too busy, she starts stitching a patient up, much to Peter’s surprise. She tells him he should stop using his ability if it effects him this way, and he scoffs that then he’d just be ordinary. She finally confesses to him that she dropped out of med school after her nephew drowned while she was babysitting. After she saves a little girl’s life, Peter convinces her to give med school another chance. When Peter gets home, Sylar/Nathan shows up, having woken up in carnie town with Nathan’s face and flying out before anybody saw him.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Charlies Gives Heroes Ratings Glee!
Jayma Mays boosts 'Heroes' ratings
Tuesday, November 3 2009, 12:16pm EST
By Dan French, TV Reporter
Jayma Mays' return to Heroes helped to boost the show's ratings, overnight viewing figures show.
The episode, which saw Hiro travel three years into the past to try to save Charlie from the hands of Sylar, pulled in 6.2m for NBC in the 8pm hour - the best figure for season four so far. The previous high of 6m was achieved in the 'Redemption' opener.
After Heroes, Trauma and The Jay Leno Show logged 6.2m and 4.3m at 9pm and 10pm respectively.
How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally On Purpose put in 9.1m and 8.5m for CBS during the 8pm hour, then 13.6m watched Two And A Half Men at 9pm. The Big Bang Theory followed at 9.30pm with 12.7m.
Over on ABC, a two-hour episode of Dancing With The Stars managed 16.2m at 8pm, then 9.7m tuned in for Castle at 10pm.
One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl interested 2.4m and 1.9m for The CW at 8pm and 9pm respectively.
Fox's coverage of the World Series Game 5 averaged 17.1m between 8pm and 11pm.
(All this shows that Heroes is not fully in the grave yet, that with solid FOCUSED stories, the show can survive and thrive. -Don)
Tuesday, November 3 2009, 12:16pm EST
By Dan French, TV Reporter
Jayma Mays' return to Heroes helped to boost the show's ratings, overnight viewing figures show.
The episode, which saw Hiro travel three years into the past to try to save Charlie from the hands of Sylar, pulled in 6.2m for NBC in the 8pm hour - the best figure for season four so far. The previous high of 6m was achieved in the 'Redemption' opener.
After Heroes, Trauma and The Jay Leno Show logged 6.2m and 4.3m at 9pm and 10pm respectively.
How I Met Your Mother and Accidentally On Purpose put in 9.1m and 8.5m for CBS during the 8pm hour, then 13.6m watched Two And A Half Men at 9pm. The Big Bang Theory followed at 9.30pm with 12.7m.
Over on ABC, a two-hour episode of Dancing With The Stars managed 16.2m at 8pm, then 9.7m tuned in for Castle at 10pm.
One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl interested 2.4m and 1.9m for The CW at 8pm and 9pm respectively.
Fox's coverage of the World Series Game 5 averaged 17.1m between 8pm and 11pm.
(All this shows that Heroes is not fully in the grave yet, that with solid FOCUSED stories, the show can survive and thrive. -Don)
Monday, November 2, 2009
S4E8: Once Upon A Time In Texas (recap)
From http://www.hitfix.com/:
When "Heroes" deals with ordinary people dealing with extraordinary abilities, the results are hit and miss. But when it deals with the intricacies of time travel, it almost always rushes headfirst into a brick wall of fail. Tonight's episode, "Once Upon a Time in Texas," shows another version of the fateful day before Peter Petrelli saved the cheerleader and (temporarily) saved the world in Season 1. What transpired tonight was unfortunately little more than another example in the ever-expanding saga of "Hiro Never, Ever Learns."
The best part of tonight's episode? (Besides learning Samuel killed Mohinder, singlehandedly turning him from the show's villain to Ultimate Champion?) Charlie calling Hiro out for his selfish behavior in trying to go back in time in order to save her life. We (as well as Hiro) already know about her aneurysm from Season 1's "Six Months Ago," in which his original attempt to save her life lost to her brain clot. How that death means she's alive in this particular iteration of the past is anyone's guess, as "Heroes" has never much subscribed to the "whatever happened, happened" theory that "Lost" tends to espouse. Theirs is more, "whatever happens this week, happens this week."
Attending to Hiro's potentially apocalyptic lovelorn mission is Samuel, sent back in time by a dying Arnold to make sure Hiro doesn't render the time-space fabric asunder and create the type of horrific world in which dogs and cats cohabitate. (Mass hysteria, I hear.) Samuel intuits the loopholes created by Hiro's meddling, and helps the Nakamura correct those errors so that Hiro can achieve his dream of living happily ever after. What follows is a complicated set of cause-and-effect, by the end of which roughly eight Hiros were one step behind the other, each making sure to pick up the slack left by the previous iteration. It's like "Primer" with subtitles and Knight Rider t-shirts. No wonder time travel gives Hiro and Arnold tumors: I'm developing one just trying to understand what's going on.
Hiro's plan to save Charlie? Tease Sylar with tales of the future in exchange for the removal of Charlie's aneurysm. I must confess that seeing pure, unadulterated, Season 1 Sylar again made me more than a little happy. The way he mentally toyed with Charlie early in the episode reminded me a touch of Adelle Dewitt in the latest, greatest episode of "Dollhouse," slipping in menacing threats amidst nominally banal conversation. But I don't need to pour through my Season 1 DVDs to know that Sylar at this point was more of a "slice first, ask questions later" kinda guy. While I enjoyed Hiro using his power to counter Sylar's telekinesis, Sylar's agreeing to help Charlie reeked more of weekly plot need rather than consistent characterization. Would a later iteration of Sylar agreed? Probably. But that Sylar's a long way from the Burnt Toast Café.
Similarly, Charlie's forgiveness of Hiro for his "selfish" actions in saving her at the expense rang false. Her earlier condemnation? As mentioned before: totally accurate, and completely earned. Charlie would be unable to live with the guilt, and would want to distance herself as far from him as possible in the aftermath. Hiro's stunned to learn this, somehow forgetting her peace with death in "Six Months Ago" in much the same way that Hiro always, always forgets the most important warnings about his God-like abilities. Rather than accept the (borrowed) moments they had, Hiro has now condemned her to a life quite literally stuck in time. What time? Only Samuel knows, using Arnold's dying breaths to put her somewhere only he knows in order to control the younger, more powerful time manipulator. (My guess? In the plague-filled future along with Peter's Irish girlfriend, Caitlin. OK, that's not so much a theory as fanfic. But the line's sooo close, you know?)
So Hiro's now stuck working for Samuel, undoubtedly a hell for him. And since I had to spend nearly a third of this episode watching Elisabeth Röhm's Lauren making moon eyes at Noah Bennett, I can speak about hell from a personal perspective. I'm guessing her character is single because she thinks things like "handing a guy a motel room key 37 hours before his daughter is destined to die" is a smooth move. I'm not the biggest Röhmaniac or anything, but I don't think any actress could have taken on this character and made it non-groanworthy.
Now, I'm all for filling in the gaps through the clever revisiting of familiar scenes. But seeing Noah Bennett recontextualized so brilliantly in "Company Man" made this particular iteration all the more painful. I get that the stress of his dual life made his home life difficult, and clearly these flashbacks were designed to foreshadow the domestic problems that he faces in the show's present. But would the same man that begged (and then forced) Isaac to paint the future high then spend precious Sylar-seeking minutes telling a fellow Company employee the equivalent of, "It's not you, it's me"? Exactly. All filler, no killer.
At episode's end, we're left with our first substantial glimpse into Samuel's actions: his apparent murder of Mohinder. Now, you might rightfully ask, "Does the show seriously want to think that this entire volume is about saving one of the show's most historically loathed characters?" It's doubtful that Samuel feels guilt over Mohinder's death, except as insofar as Captain Voiceover's brain probably contained the only cure for that which afflicted and eventually killed Samuel's brother, Joseph. If I have this right, Samuel needs Hiro to take him back to keep Mohinder alive so that Joseph may live. Which means more Mohinder is on the way. Plus more time travel. It's like a geeky, anti-Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
It's hard for this volume of "Heroes" to get much momentum if it's constantly skipping around in time. The past few weeks actually built up a little bit of steam, but this episode just stopped the whole mess dead in its tracks. If, as Charlie said, 300,000 people die each day, why does Joseph's matter so much? Is Samuel simply selfish, wanting his brother back by his side? Hopefully not. It's one thing to humanize a villain by giving him a recognizable motivation. It's another to make his concerns so small that watching him tear down the world to achieve it seems the height of overcompensating.
In short, We're risking going from "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World," to "Save The Brother, Save the Carnival." Not exactly the most compelling rewriting of history.
When "Heroes" deals with ordinary people dealing with extraordinary abilities, the results are hit and miss. But when it deals with the intricacies of time travel, it almost always rushes headfirst into a brick wall of fail. Tonight's episode, "Once Upon a Time in Texas," shows another version of the fateful day before Peter Petrelli saved the cheerleader and (temporarily) saved the world in Season 1. What transpired tonight was unfortunately little more than another example in the ever-expanding saga of "Hiro Never, Ever Learns."
The best part of tonight's episode? (Besides learning Samuel killed Mohinder, singlehandedly turning him from the show's villain to Ultimate Champion?) Charlie calling Hiro out for his selfish behavior in trying to go back in time in order to save her life. We (as well as Hiro) already know about her aneurysm from Season 1's "Six Months Ago," in which his original attempt to save her life lost to her brain clot. How that death means she's alive in this particular iteration of the past is anyone's guess, as "Heroes" has never much subscribed to the "whatever happened, happened" theory that "Lost" tends to espouse. Theirs is more, "whatever happens this week, happens this week."
Attending to Hiro's potentially apocalyptic lovelorn mission is Samuel, sent back in time by a dying Arnold to make sure Hiro doesn't render the time-space fabric asunder and create the type of horrific world in which dogs and cats cohabitate. (Mass hysteria, I hear.) Samuel intuits the loopholes created by Hiro's meddling, and helps the Nakamura correct those errors so that Hiro can achieve his dream of living happily ever after. What follows is a complicated set of cause-and-effect, by the end of which roughly eight Hiros were one step behind the other, each making sure to pick up the slack left by the previous iteration. It's like "Primer" with subtitles and Knight Rider t-shirts. No wonder time travel gives Hiro and Arnold tumors: I'm developing one just trying to understand what's going on.
Hiro's plan to save Charlie? Tease Sylar with tales of the future in exchange for the removal of Charlie's aneurysm. I must confess that seeing pure, unadulterated, Season 1 Sylar again made me more than a little happy. The way he mentally toyed with Charlie early in the episode reminded me a touch of Adelle Dewitt in the latest, greatest episode of "Dollhouse," slipping in menacing threats amidst nominally banal conversation. But I don't need to pour through my Season 1 DVDs to know that Sylar at this point was more of a "slice first, ask questions later" kinda guy. While I enjoyed Hiro using his power to counter Sylar's telekinesis, Sylar's agreeing to help Charlie reeked more of weekly plot need rather than consistent characterization. Would a later iteration of Sylar agreed? Probably. But that Sylar's a long way from the Burnt Toast Café.
Similarly, Charlie's forgiveness of Hiro for his "selfish" actions in saving her at the expense rang false. Her earlier condemnation? As mentioned before: totally accurate, and completely earned. Charlie would be unable to live with the guilt, and would want to distance herself as far from him as possible in the aftermath. Hiro's stunned to learn this, somehow forgetting her peace with death in "Six Months Ago" in much the same way that Hiro always, always forgets the most important warnings about his God-like abilities. Rather than accept the (borrowed) moments they had, Hiro has now condemned her to a life quite literally stuck in time. What time? Only Samuel knows, using Arnold's dying breaths to put her somewhere only he knows in order to control the younger, more powerful time manipulator. (My guess? In the plague-filled future along with Peter's Irish girlfriend, Caitlin. OK, that's not so much a theory as fanfic. But the line's sooo close, you know?)
So Hiro's now stuck working for Samuel, undoubtedly a hell for him. And since I had to spend nearly a third of this episode watching Elisabeth Röhm's Lauren making moon eyes at Noah Bennett, I can speak about hell from a personal perspective. I'm guessing her character is single because she thinks things like "handing a guy a motel room key 37 hours before his daughter is destined to die" is a smooth move. I'm not the biggest Röhmaniac or anything, but I don't think any actress could have taken on this character and made it non-groanworthy.
Now, I'm all for filling in the gaps through the clever revisiting of familiar scenes. But seeing Noah Bennett recontextualized so brilliantly in "Company Man" made this particular iteration all the more painful. I get that the stress of his dual life made his home life difficult, and clearly these flashbacks were designed to foreshadow the domestic problems that he faces in the show's present. But would the same man that begged (and then forced) Isaac to paint the future high then spend precious Sylar-seeking minutes telling a fellow Company employee the equivalent of, "It's not you, it's me"? Exactly. All filler, no killer.
At episode's end, we're left with our first substantial glimpse into Samuel's actions: his apparent murder of Mohinder. Now, you might rightfully ask, "Does the show seriously want to think that this entire volume is about saving one of the show's most historically loathed characters?" It's doubtful that Samuel feels guilt over Mohinder's death, except as insofar as Captain Voiceover's brain probably contained the only cure for that which afflicted and eventually killed Samuel's brother, Joseph. If I have this right, Samuel needs Hiro to take him back to keep Mohinder alive so that Joseph may live. Which means more Mohinder is on the way. Plus more time travel. It's like a geeky, anti-Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
It's hard for this volume of "Heroes" to get much momentum if it's constantly skipping around in time. The past few weeks actually built up a little bit of steam, but this episode just stopped the whole mess dead in its tracks. If, as Charlie said, 300,000 people die each day, why does Joseph's matter so much? Is Samuel simply selfish, wanting his brother back by his side? Hopefully not. It's one thing to humanize a villain by giving him a recognizable motivation. It's another to make his concerns so small that watching him tear down the world to achieve it seems the height of overcompensating.
In short, We're risking going from "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World," to "Save The Brother, Save the Carnival." Not exactly the most compelling rewriting of history.
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