Recently we told you about the major death that was happening on Heroes this season. The only clues we were told were that it was one of the original characters from the first season and it was a male. Well, it looks like the actor has been named, and if it's true then it doesn't make any sense at all.
(S04E08) As promised, this week's episode of Heroes took us back to the heydays of the first season. Back when this was a world of wonder filled with new and exciting characters and mystery. Their futures lie before them, and it all centered on Charlie, the poor waitress that Hiro failed time and again to save back then.
Now that he's working on his bucket list before he kicks it, the time has come to head back three years and try to undo her death by Sylar's hand. Which means we got to see HRG, Claire, Hiro, Ando, Sylar and even Isaac as they were three years ago.
The question was whether or not he could change the past and save Charlie, when he failed to before. Furthermore, could he do so without changing all the subsequent events that had happened. He'd already had a taste of success with Ando and his sister, but this sojourn had much higher stakes.
I think we all saw this coming. Ratings for the show have continued to slip since that magical first season, and I think the network (and many fans) have gotten sick of the "this season will be different!" promises.
Actually, I think the show has been good this season. Oh, the first couple of episodes meandered and were rather frustrating (Hiro time traveling again? Sylar wandering around again? Matt seeing visions?), but since they've shown how Samuel is involved in the Claire plotline and in the HRG plotline and Zachary Quinto is back full time, it has come together more.
It's no secret that Heroes has been slipping in quality and in the ratings since the end of its first season. Things have improved a bit this year thanks to Robert Knepper's fantastic turn as manscara-wearing carnival boss Samuel Sullivan. Watching Sylar torment Matt Parkman with some Tyler Durden-esque head games has been a hoot too.
But, as we TV critics like to bring up every now and then, the current season isn't nearly as good as that great first season. Maybe that's why Heroes is taking us back to season one, sort of, with the Nov. 2 episode, "Once Upon a time in Texas."
The ep follows Hiro as he travels back in time to try to change the events of season one's episode 8, in which he fell in love with Texas waitress Charlie, played by Glee's Jayma Mays. Fans of the show know that Hiro was unable to save Charlie from Sylar's clutches even though he tried more than once. Will he be able to change history this time?
(S04E07) We'll have to wait until next week to see Hiro try to save Charlie. This week, we stayed with Noah and Jeremy, checked back in on Claire and Gretchen, and saw how Matt was faring with his unwanted head-guest. And things didn't really go well for any of them.
The series is really finding a nice stride, for those of us left to enjoy it. I'm racking my brain trying to think of ways to inject a sense of excitement into the show to lure some of its wayward former viewers back. Who could they cast for an arc on Heroes that people would have to tune in to see. Summer Glau? Jennifer Aniston? Bill Cosby (he has the power of slow dancing)?
They're keeping things pretty simple now, not stretching us beyond three storylines per episode, and the sense of excitement and wonder really is back in a way I've not seen since the first season. I'll not go so far as to say this is the Heroes of old, but it's a helluva lot better than the Heroes of lately.
(S04E06) If there was a theme this week, it's about nurturing and guiding people with abilities. We followed up with Sylar, now in the nefarious embrace of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, as well as Peter and Hiro, and by extension Emma. The quest to save Hiro's life from the brain tumor that's killing him even affords Noah the opportunity to atone for his cold past by providing support to a former kid he and the Haitian had "visited" back in his Company days.
We got some very nice character moments this week. I like Hiro in the role of mentor to Emma, as it gives him a focus for his crazy optimism. Plus, we got to see how stopping time makes a magic show even more awesome -- I know that's the kind of crap I'd be doing with that ability. Screw saving the world, watch me make this woman vanish.
Kristin over at E! is reporting that a "major death" is coming to Heroes, probably to boost ratings (good luck with that). All he'll say is that the character is male and it's a member of the original cast.
That's actually a lot of info. Who do you think it will be? (I'm assuming it's not Nathan, for obvious reasons.)
(S04E05) I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but sometimes I wonder if we don't have more people reading TV Squad than Heroes has viewers. And so I want to keep reminding fallen fans who may have jumped ship over the past two not-so-great seasons that things are going much better this season.
There's a better balance in each episode than there's been. In the past few weeks, we've been sticking to mostly three storylines per week. This time around, we checked in on Peter, Claire and Sylar (after his unearthing last week). They're allowing the characters room to breathe and be themselves, rather than just rushing into the next adventure.
It was character growth and development that I'd missed the most, and we're finally getting it. Zachary Quinto was fantastic this episode, and even Hayden Panettiere showed an inkling of range. Oh, who am I kidding, she was as wooden as ever, but that's why we like her ... right? That kind of looks like a cardboard cut-out up there, doesn't it?
I don't know if this really counts as a spoiler since NBC is showing the scene in promos, but something happens to Claire tonight that you might not expect. Here's an extended, behind the scenes look at the filming of the scene. Good plot or just attention-seeking cheese? (Not sure if this is how the scene will air tonight or a web-only remix.)
I still don't trust Claire's new friend. It's almost as if she killed Claire's roommate so she could get to this moment. Or maybe I just want there to be more to this story than "Claire's roommate killed herself suddenly."
[Watch episodes and clips of Heroes and other shows at SlashControl.]
(S04E04) What are you doing with your life? Are you happy with what you do every day, 40 or more hours a week? If not, then you're not truly living your life, you're living someone else's. Only when you realize that this life is a gift and it's so much shorter than any of us can possibly realize, can you truly start to live for yourself. Take a risk. Do what you want. Do what makes you happy.
That's pretty heady stuff, but it was apparently on the Heroes writers' minds tonight, because that's exactly what this episode was about. And it turned out pretty well. There were moments of true growth for several of our characters, some good and some probably not so good.
(S04E03) Let's talk candidly. After all, it looks like you and I are the only ones left watching this show. Remember the good old days when Heroes was the top-rated show on NBC and all the talk at the proverbial water coolers? It feels like it was only three years ago.
It's a shame that it looks like this ratings erosion is a permanent one, as tonight was a good installment. Unless things turn around immediately, it's a pretty safe bet this will be the last volume of Heroes. They need to sneak in some stunt casting or film a live episode or whore the stars out to all the talk shows relentlessly if they want to save the show. If they want to.
The NBC show dropped 46% from last season's one hour season opener. Which reminds me, Heroes should never be two hours long. Last night's first hour was boring as hell, and then the second hour was more interesting but still muddy, frustrating, and all over the place.
In other ratings news, Housedid really well, CBS came in second, and Dancing with the Stars didn't do as well as people thought it would (or it usually does).
(S04E02) Things are definitely getting interesting again. I'm glad Heroes went with a two-hour premiere, because it wasn't until the end of this hour that we had enough to really grab our attention again. As expected, Samuel Sullivan and the Sullivan Brothers Carnival are right at the heart of the mystery right now.
There's another mystery brewing at Claire's college. Or maybe there isn't. Could what happened with Annie be as straightforward as everyone seems to want us to believe? But now that's the least of Claire's problems, due to her little impromptu experiment.
This episode focused primarily on four main storylines, and it progressed very smoothly for it. It wasn't too confusing, and I came out if it with a sense of confidence that there's a plan for the season. I'm still not sure if it's accessible enough for new viewers, but you never know. Maybe people are smarter than I give them credit for.
A new volume and new faces ... on the show, that is. At this point, I think it's a bit of a pipe dream by NBC to think they can nab new viewers. And as much as I was hoping they'd make this as accessible as possible, things are still pretty hopelessly complex. The situation with Nathan/Sylar alone is enough to make any new viewer change the channel. Maybe see how House is coping with life in the asylum.
On the other hand, Robert Knepper has joined the cast as Samuel, the leader of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, and I couldn't be more excited. No matter how ridiculous Prison Break got over four years, Knepper was just deliciously villainous as T-Bag. And he's just as enigmatic on camera here.
Tonight's premiere is a two-hour extravaganza, including the first two episodes of the new season. Look for my review of the second hour in a separate post.
Recently we told you about the major death that was happening on Heroes this season. The only clues we were told were that it was one of the original characters from the first season and it was a male. Well, it looks like the actor has been named, and if it's true then it doesn't make any sense at all.
Sources are telling Airlock Alpha that NBC is asking Heroes producers and writers to come up with a finale for the show.
It's no secret that Heroes has been slipping in quality and in the ratings since the end of its first season. Things have improved a bit this year thanks to Robert Knepper's fantastic turn as manscara-wearing carnival boss Samuel Sullivan. Watching Sylar torment Matt Parkman with some Tyler Durden-esque head games has been a hoot too. 
(S04E03) Let's talk candidly. After all, it looks like you and I are the only ones left watching this show. Remember the good old days when Heroes was the top-rated show on NBC and all the talk at the proverbial water coolers? It feels like it was only three years ago.
The ratings for the first Monday of the fall TV season are in, and it's not looking good at all for Heroes.
(S04E02) Things are definitely getting interesting again. I'm glad Heroes went with a two-hour premiere, because it wasn't until the end of this hour that we had enough to really grab our attention again. As expected, Samuel Sullivan and the Sullivan Brothers Carnival are right at the heart of the mystery right now.
(S04E01) Volume Five - "Redemption"
The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more
Meet (half of) The Blanks: Scrubs' Sam Lloyd and Philip McNiven
Seth Rogen is back as B.O.B. for Monsters vs Aliens Halloween special
