(S04E10) For some reason, while I was watching this episode I got to thinking: "What if this had been the second season of Heroes." Would it perhaps still be a top-rated show; one that NBC could rest its laurels and future on instead of Jay Leno? As with that first season, I feel that sense of wonder about what's going on, and things are really coming together.
That said, there is some sloppy thinking on the parts of both Tracy and Hiro this week. But there's also the continuing consolidation of power by Samuel, and finally an explanation of both why he's doing this and what Mohinder's been up to.
I'm going to admit to being wrong now. For weeks I've been saying that I haven't missed Suresh at all; that I would be just as happy if he never showed up. But his return and appearance (and even explanation for his absence) were handled so well, that I liked him all over again.
(S04E09) This week on Heroes, the action picked up right where it left off two weeks ago, with Claire and Gretchen facing off against the invisible sorority sister, Rebecca. We also checked in with both iterations of Sylar, the mind one trapped in Matt's body, and the body one hanging out at Samuel's carnival. Only neither was staying put for long.
The remainder of the episode took us back to the hospital where we could hang out with Peter and Emma. Nine episodes into this new season and I'm still not really sure where they're going with the Emma character. As a character, she's just not that interesting, and even less interesting is her ability to see sound as colors. Since they're clearly making no moves toward she and Peter becoming a romantic item, I find myself really wondering why I should care.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(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.
Everyone has an opinion about how Heroes has been the last couple of seasons. Even NBC. In the new promo for the show (two-hour season premiere on September 21), it seems that even the network knows it could be better. The clip is titled "Back At Their Best," Noah says the lines "you have to remember who you were" and "maybe we're looking for redemption," Tracey says "I'm back," the words NEW BEGINNING appear on a wall, and the song that plays in the background is "Second Chance."
Heroes fans who think the show has gone downhill would probably say this is the third or fourth chance, but we get the point, we get the point.
I've read a few things online about this promo poster for the new season of Heroes (larger version here) and people seem to like it. Me? I find it kinda boring, unless they're changing the show completely and making it a new version of The Mod Squad.
It really says nothing about the new direction of the show, but the video after the jump is fun.
Looks like NBC is really trying to relaunchHeroes. They have a whole new plot and series of characters (a weird carnival), and these videos seem to want us to get involved with the show again, and get to know the characters we love.
The Sylar and Claire videos give a good background/recap of the characters, but the "Heroes in Love" one doesn't really make sense (some characters aren't even on the show anymore, and the Matt/Daphne thing didn't really happen), but they're good promos. (Here's the trailer for season four.)
Remember when Heroes was about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities? Well, after the last few seasons of time travel, daddy issues and government interference, Tim Kring and the team are taking Heroes back to basics. They'll have regular jobs an regular lives. In other words, they remembered why we liked the show in that first season, so they're trying to recapture lighting.
So you've got our cast trying to live regular lives after all the excitement they've been through. Add in a traveling carnival with an earth-moving leader luring other people with abilities into his troupe and you have the premise for at least the start of the season.
Oh, and that lesbian-esque relationship between Claire and her new college roommate we've been hearing about. Well, have to get buzz somehow, right? And make Claire interesting. Nothing else worked so let's try girl-on-girl action.
(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 
(S04E02) Things are definitely getting interesting again. I'm glad 
(S04E01) Volume Five - "Redemption"
I've read a few things online about this promo poster for the new season of 
Remember when Heroes was about ordinary people with extraordinary abilities? Well, after the last few seasons of time travel, daddy issues and government interference, 
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
