Heroes Review Blog

Written by Tim Kring
Directed by Adam Kane

For many former and current fans of “Heroes”, Tim Kring has become the true villain of the series. Not only did he cave to network pressure and alter his plans for the series late in the first season, subsequently delivering a horrible first season finale that started the downward spiral in quality, but he has cast the blame for his own mediocre creative decisions onto others. This has led to writers and producers being fired. Even the best creative minds from the first season, such a Bryan Fuller, were unable to come back for very long.

The unfortunate truth is that every volume of “Heroes” starts out with potential and promises. It seems like that potential is never realized, and those promises are empty PR. This season is a perfect example. The season started off with enormous potential, especially in terms of the new characters and a streamlined approach to the storytelling. There were several episodes that were quite strong, and the character of Samuel was an early highlight.

Unfortunately, the execution never seems to be as edgy and daring as the producers, particularly Kring, would like the public to believe. Claire’s foray into homosexuality was more about sensationalism and press than it was about a progressive character turn. The death of an original character was all over the press, but turned out to be less a shock and more an extension of the third season finale, leaving fans feeling underwhelmed (especially when it was announced to the press weeks before the fateful episode aired!). And after more than a dozen episodes building towards a massive finale, this episode comes up remarkably short, even by “Heroes” standards.

The stage was set for Sylar, a character that is about as irredeemable as it gets, speaking atonement for his atrocities. Peter, a character in search of a purpose, was ready to help take down Samuel, who was preparing to kill thousands in public view. And there was Noah, also adrift, seeking a way to protect mundanes from “Specials” and metahumans from mundanes. All of this taking place within the confines of the carnival, where dozens of metahumans had gathered, seeking safe haven and family.

In other words, the writers had set the stage for Sylar to sacrifice himself to take down Samuel, a man with amplified powers and an ever-escalating desire to unleash them, and for Peter to take his place as the leader of the largest “family” of metahumans revealed to date. Noah, having ties to the old Company, could have set up the community’s security force. Add to that a potential public unveiling of the “Specials” in the process, and it would have indeed ushered in a “brand new world” for the series.

Instead, what did we get? Sylar delivering some of the most overwrought, on-the-nose dialogue the series has ever seen, showing a less convincing brand of redemption than ever before, and surviving to ostensibly go bad yet again should the series continue. And Peter, after all but taking down Samuel himself, showing little to no interest in what comes next. And don’t even get me started on how Hiro’s character arc came to nothing, as he barely factored into the final battle.

The only thing that did happen was the unveiling of the metahumans to the public, and even that was poorly handled. Could it have taken any longer for Claire to get to that platform? And the media seemed rather muted in their reaction to a young woman apparently committing suicide on live television!

Even the resolution to the Charlie plot element seemed to be a copout. While it’s understandable that Jayma Mays would not be available, given the popularity of “Glee”, that’s something that the producers should have taken into account before opening this particular door in the first place. Sure, this resolves that part of Hiro’s past and forces him to see the error in attempting to “fix” the past, but didn’t he already learn that lesson?

The biggest problem was the execution of the finale itself. The producers of “Heroes”, particularly Kring, have never understood that the finale of a given volume should bring the story to a rousing climax. It shouldn’t be less impressive than episodes halfway through the arc. While Kring did manage to factor Samuel’s ability into the finale, something that was not at all a sure thing, the implementation of that ability amounted to shaking the camera. After seeing buildings and towns brought to ruin, that just doesn’t cut it.

The finale does end on something of a cliffhanger, but I could see how this might serve, however poorly, as a series finale. And let’s be realistic: the chances of renewal are not as good as some might want to hope. One could argue that Claire’s decision at the end of this episode brings the overall arc of the series to a relative close. While I would be vaguely interested in seeing where the writers might take things in a fifth season (glutton for punishment that I am), I don’t see any lingering plot elements that demand exploration.

The unfortunate fact is that “Heroes” has lost relevance in the public domain. The show that once rivaled “Lost” as an example of a crossover genre success has fallen apart due to a distinct lack of long-term vision. For a season that was all about redemption, the failure to achieve that goal creatively may be the most potent argument to bring the series to a close.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 5/10

(Season 4 Final Average: 6.3)

Written by Adam Armus and Nora Kay Foster
Directed by Allan Arkush

Perhaps because of the scheduling, which has involved fewer and shorter breaks, this season has seemed to be cut down to the bone. In reality, it is only a few episodes short of the average network television season. It occurs to me that the slower pace has also made it feel like the season is shorter, because in an overall sense, less ground has been covered.

The pace has been a mixed blessing. In many cases, it actually allowed for character exploration, which is one of those things that always fell short in earlier seasons. Some characters motivations have been a lot more defined as a result. On the other hand, many of the characters have already long since worn out their welcome, and what begins as deliberation can devolve into stagnation.

As the penultimate chapter for this season (and quite possibly, the series), this felt a bit like writers’ room navel-gazing. For all the build-up in the previous episode, this seemed to take what could have been five minutes of a typical hour and stretched it to the breaking point. That it largely focused on everything that has been wrong with this season is both appropriate and unfortunate.

I’ll start with the Sylar/Peter plot thread. It appears I was wrong about the body swap that was suggested at the end of the previous episode. Instead, the writers went for the notion that time seems to pass much more quickly in Sylar’s dream-world, thus forcing the two enemies to spend years in isolation. The notion being thus: if Peter can eventually come to terms with Sylar’s professed restored humanity, then Sylar can be redeemed.

In essence, it’s a cheat. It’s a way to skip over the actual hard part of redeeming a character. And maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by that choice; the writers already played at having Sylar abandon his evil ways, and then completely undermined it in the third season. Even taking into account in internal influence of Nathan and Matt on Sylar’s psychological state, Sylar’s tortured character journey makes any attempt at redemption hard to swallow.

At this point, however, it’s still possible for the writers to do this right. They could have Sylar make the effort to do the right thing, realize that his impulses are still overwhelming his desire to change, and sacrifice himself to take down Samuel. It wouldn’t be redemption by any means, but it would give the character a chance to go out on a high note.

Though, to the eternal damnation of the writers, it would also mean that the oft-promised throwdown between Peter and Sylar would be negated by, literally, years of talking it out. And since the writers have done everything to avoid that scenario since the first season finale, the downfall of “Heroes” still traces right back to that decision to soften the ending, let Sylar live, and abandon the original intention of replacing the cast every season to keep the series fresh.

That might have long since eliminated the frustrations with Noah and Claire. Claire’s character arc has been more tolerable this season, if only because it was connected to Samuel’s plot arc, which has been the season’s saving grace. Noah, on the other hand, has been all over the map. Did we really need to tack on more information about how he came to work with the Company? Noah has already lost his edge in several ways, and these flashbacks only serve to further water him down. Instead of a character that embraced a world that is morally gray, Noah is now someone who was led astray by his grief and anger.

Even Samuel’s arc is pointing towards disappointment. I understand the argument that Samuel’s “earthquake” ability, taken to the extremes allowed by focusing the energy of his “family”, would probably be uncomfortable for many viewers in the wake of the tragedy in Haiti. And if the episodes were coming later in the spring, having been written after Haiti’s decimation, I would agree that the changes would be understandable and perhaps even justified.

But that’s not the case. These episodes were already in the can before the Haiti disaster, so it accurately reflects what the writers thought was a good resolution to the plot. They honestly felt that it would be a better payoff to replace a threat to destroy a major city by shaking it to the ground (the logical progression of Samuel’s escalating instability) with the Classical Music Concert of Doom. Apparently Samuel thinks that nothing will strike fear into the hearts of New Yorkers than thousands of people dying because of out-of-tune music. (There’s a joke about American Idol auditions or country/western singers in there somewhere.)

The fact that Emma was introduced very early suggests that the writers had something like this in mind from the start. So as the writers build Samuel up to be more and more powerful, and outright foreshadow that he could destroy cities in the Coyote Sands video and through his destruction of a small town, they know that they will never deliver! It’s the same formula that has plagued “Heroes” in each and every volume: build up the story towards a climax, and then undercut it as severely as possible…and then complain that the criticism from genre fans is unfair.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 0/4

Final Rating: 5/10

Written by Mark Verheiden and Misha Green
Directed by S. J. Clarkson

With the season rapidly coming to a close, this is really the first part of the three-part finale. A number of plot threads are left dangling by the end of the hour, and as a result, this episode lacks a sense of internal closure. On the one hand, this is understandable, given the serialized nature of the series and the intentions of the episode itself. But in light of some of the shortcomings of the season thus far, it also magnifies some of the issues.

Unlike the bulk of the season, where an effort was made to keep each episode down to a handful of major plot threads, the writers had to start pulling things together. The result is an episode that seems to be more scattershot than organized. The Samuel plot thread does dominate the landscape somewhat, which does provide the right kind of perspective. Nearly every other plot and subplot is designed to feed into some kind of final showdown at the carnival.

Unfortunately, perhaps as a function of budget, Samuel didn’t launch into some massive scheme to enforce the sanctity of his newly staked territory. He’s completely unstable, as has been evident for quite some time, but he seems to take his time to drive home the notion of war against the mundanes. To a certain extent, I understand the thought process. If Samuel is embracing his darkest impulses, and he knows that keeping his “family” close is vital to amplifying his power, then he has to ensure that they still see him as their leader.

That means making the vague idea of the external threat of the mundane majority and making it real and personal. Noah’s little plan played right into Samuel’s hands, but it’s likely that Samuel would have thought of something similar without that sort of convenience. Beyond giving his people a reason to support his anti-mundane crusade, it also gave him the perfect means of eliminating dissention.

As much as I liked the concept, and the fact that this episode underplays the role of Vanessa in Samuel’s overall psychosis, there are definitely some flaws. Two things come to mind. While the carnies had little reason to listen to Claire, she might have mentioned the little fact that her father probably wouldn’t have shot her in the neck. Sure, they probably would have rationalized it anyway, but it bugs me when something that seems to be tagged as important is just dismissed.

The second issue is more a sense of where the story is going. Samuel has now aligned his flock behind him in a scheme to strike back at the mundanes. It’s been established that his power gets amplified in a major way when surrounded by fellow metahumans. So, with all that power, and the will to use it, Samuel appears to be preparing to…stage a concert where Anna will be duped into using her power to kill thousands.

At least, that seems to be the direction that this plot thread and the Peter/Sylar plot threads are heading, and if so, that is a rather disappointing way to end Samuel’s story arc. And this is especially true when one considers that Peter and Sylar seem no closer to that oft-delayed on-screen throwdown that was all but promised in the first season. If anything, the whole confrontation between Matt and Sylar seems to have been designed to allow Sylar to jump into Peter’s body.

It’s all just speculation, but after everything that has happened this season, it seems pretty obvious that Peter has switched places with Sylar, and is now trapped in the mental prison that Matt created. Sylar, armed with Peter’s body (complete with the built-in compass to lead him back to the carnival), will decide that maybe the carnival is the only place for him to be, so he won’t be alone. Matt will release Peter, who trapped in Sylar’s body, will be the one to try to save Anna, as seen in the visions.

But if that’s the case (and there’s nothing revealed to this point to suggest otherwise), then what is the point of Samuel’s ability? Is it just to make it that much harder for the “heroes” to take down Samuel once the Concert of Doom is foiled? Is it so that Samuel is so powerful that only someone like Sylar could take him down, leading to a “redeeming” sacrifice by Sylar? That would eliminate two problems at once, leaving Peter to take up the mantle of leadership. It just feels like the familiar “Heroes” shortcoming: a fairly interesting build-up that escalates into a drab, scaled-down resolution.

There is some hope that it could get more complicated and interesting. After all, there’s still the small matter of Hiro and his friends, and it’s not yet clear how they will factor into the equation. Considering how weak that character arc has been, however, I’m not sure I want to know. With only two episodes left in the season, that’s probably not the kind of attitude the producers are looking for from their loyal audience members.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Written by Oliver Grigsby
Directed by Michael Nankin

Much has been made of the fate of “Heroes” this season, and this episode may represent the most potent argument against renewal. The ratings were abysmal, even by this season’s low standards. The writing appears to be on the wall, but too many factors come into play. With NBC suffering a huge meltdown as a result of their idiotic Jay Leno experiment (which everyone with any insight into media knew would fail miserably), there will be a scramble to mitigate the damage. That could give “Heroes” a lease on fifth season life, even in a limited capacity.

Fans had better hope so, because it’s already been noted by members of the cast that the fourth season will be ending on a cliffhanger. It’s a remarkable display of hubris by the production staff. Why not construct a season finale that could provide resolution if the series ends, yet serve as a launching point for another story arc if the series survives? I suppose that would be asking too much.

It doesn’t help when the writers deliver an episode like this. There are four characters in the spotlight, and only one of the plot threads is particularly interesting. Two of them feel like another way to spin wheels, while the last doesn’t feel particularly earned.

Samuel’s plot thread speaks directly to his motivations, and this latest setback in life should be quite the turning point. I was fairly disappointed to discover that all his talk about creating a place for metahumans to live free of mundane society’s scrutiny was just a pretext for his desire to trap Vanessa in a fantasy world. I liked the notion that Samuel was trying to convince himself, and others, that his self-interested bid for power had a higher purpose.

But even if his reasons for proposing a metahuman haven were based on selfish reasons, that may no longer matter. Vanessa’s rejection is essentially a rejection by the “real world” for Samuel, and now he could be ready to create an enclave by any means necessary. In fact, his decision to destroy an entire town, committing mass murder, suggests that he will do anything to see his will fulfilled. This only adds to the speculation that Samuel will use his ability to create a metahuman haven, only to be taken down and replaced by Peter as a more stable and pragmatic leader.

I had thought that Sylar would make the perfect assassin’s weapon against Samuel, but this latest delaying tactic leaves me doubtful that the character will ever get solid treatment for long. Sylar was great in the first half of the season (one of the few highlights, for that matter), but this latest turn is disastrous. If taking away Sylar’s power is supposed to be the way to restore his humanity, why didn’t that work in the second season? As mentioned in previous reviews, the notion of a redeemed Sylar no longer makes sense.

Nor do I think that Hiro’s little trip into the depths of his subconscious will lead to any worthwhile permanent shift in the character. How many times has Hiro been pushed back onto his path, only to stray again when the writers need comic relief or need to take him out of the equation for a while? Hiro’s entire character arc this season has been about keeping him from being a challenge to Samuel as long as possible. Bringing back old characters is fun, but this is really nothing new or creative.

It’s ironic that I noted in a recent review that the kiss between Claire and Gretchen must have really been a rating stunt, given that the relationship has barely been discussed since that big moment. All of a sudden, Claire is admitting that her personal issues have been driving her to avoid her true feelings. This realization is so abrupt and complete that it feels like the writers wanted to get to this point without wanting to risk a more direct approach by building up to this point over time. Compared to the development of the Willow/Tara relationship on “Buffy”, this is laughable, and feels like a token attempt by Kring and/or NBC to mollify those annoyed by past mistreatment of homosexual characters.

The result is an episode that just didn’t generate much in the way of excitement. Samuel’s further descent into madness had its good points, since one could see things going badly from the start, but everything else has been seen before or felt disingenuous. As much as I want this season to live up to its potential, the writers keep missing the mark.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 1/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 5/10

Written by Rob Fresco
Directed by Roxann Dawson

I keep mentioning the pacing this season, but it really has been the difference in terms of the quality of storytelling. As much as it has brought the overall momentum down a few notches (often just short of flowing molasses), there is none of the frenetic chaos that used to be the hallmark of the series. I really get the feeling that the writers have thought the season arc through a bit more than in the past.

That doesn’t mean that this episode was a particularly good one. It just means that I understand the context of these events within the season’s format, and I’m still willing to be patient, despite the continual flaws. When the writers are dedicated to focusing on a handful of plot and character threads per episode, which is a response to one of the more pointed criticisms of the past, then it bears keeping the strengths of the season in mind.

This is a rough episode because the four characters/threads in focus are either mediocre or tedious. Bright spots are few and far between. Probably the best subplot belongs to Matt Parkman, who seemed to be written out once Sylar’s consciousness was ripped out of his body. His struggle to find a purpose and a place makes perfect sense, and it was good to see Grunberg get more material this season. (Though, after seeing Janice’s new haircut, I wouldn’t blame him for running from his family again. That was hideous!)

Unfortunately for Matt, much of his time was spent with Noah, who continues to be stuck in an annoying “emo” character rut, as he has been all season. I have the feeling that the writers have a purpose in mind for Noah, but the rest of the plot threads aren’t sufficiently far enough along to allow Noah’s development to take place. So we’re still forced to listen to him flail around about doing something about Samuel.

Trying to use Vanessa for that purpose was fine to a point, but Noah is still all about the ends justifying the means. Neither Noah nor Samuel gave a damn what Vanessa wanted; they saw her as something to use or possess. In Samuel’s case, it’s portrayed as evidence of his dangerous psychosis, but Noah’s activities were never really examined. It’s as if Noah’s ongoing indecision about his path in life has infected the writers’ treatment of him.

Speaking of one’s path in life, we get a little bit better sense of where Peter is going, and it seems to align with my predictions in the review for the previous episode. Peter could very well be the next leader for the metahumans, especially if they have a place they can call their own, and it would resolve his personal desire to make a difference and atone for past mistakes. I can even see his current acquired ability playing into that eventuality, should he have a dream where he assumes that leadership role.

I would also find it ironic yet fitting if he chose to keep his mother’s ability or otherwise decide to depend on it for guidance. He has been very critical of his mother and her choices, and rightfully so, yet he is willing to take unilateral action based on the information he receives from his oracular dreaming. It’s no different than what he has chastised his mother for doing, and it would be interesting to see him forced to address that hypocrisy. (The upside being that the cliché of romance between Peter and Emma seems to have been avoided.)

As always, the Hiro/Ando subplot was the weakest link. The competence of the asylum’s security force seemed to be proportional to the needs of the story, along with the applications of Ando’s ability. In fact, there has yet to be a solid explanation for how Ando’s ability is supposed to work; it’s been used for a lot more than super-charging other metahumans. Then again, the writers have been inconsistent with the level of Hiro’s control and health all season, too, so why change things now?

Ultimately, this just feels like more stalling. The writers clearly have something in mind for Hiro and Mohinder (and perhaps even Ando), but they need to keep them off to the side for a while. The subplot doesn’t seem to have a reason to exist beyond that purpose. And because it is only mildly amusing in and of itself, Hiro’s portion of the story is just frustrating.

It all boils down to something I’ve been saying again and again this season: the problem is the set of existing characters and the writers’ inability to find exciting new things for them to do within the confines of the status quo of the “Heroes” universe. The best material is connected to the fresh characters. If they get another season, they either have to kill off the dead wood, or sufficiently shift the state of play, so the existing characters have a fresh set of motivations to pursue and interesting to protect.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

Written by Jim Martin
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc

(Note: This review covers the second half of the two-episode event that aired on 04 January, 2010. A previous review covered the first half of the event.)

The previous episode focused on Samuel, Claire, and Hiro, and managed to give two out of the three subplots a reasonably compelling treatment. This episode focuses on Noah, Claire and Peter, and Sylar and Samuel, and only one of those subplots manages to be interesting. And frankly, even that is debatable.

Sylar is finally back together in one piece, but as usual, the writers have figured out a way to keep him reined in, so the rest of the characters can be moved into position in the meantime. The writers seem to have looked back on three and a half seasons of inconsistent characterization of Sylar’s psychology and ability and cherry-picked the aspects they wanted or needed. So while it is once again acknowledged that Sylar doesn’t need to kill to acquire new abilities, his rationale for killing is framed in a more convenient manner.

The third season made a very big deal out of the notion that Sylar’s ability itself was the driver behind his homicidal ways. He had an insatiable hunger for power, overriding his sense of morality. This was directly tied to his ability, and not his psychological state, when Peter acquired Sylar’s ability and struggled with that hunger himself. In fact, when Sylar was trying to be “good”, it was all about overcoming his “addiction”.

This season, and particularly this episode, it has been all about Sylar’s choice to kill for power. It’s much closer to his original depiction in the first season, thankfully, but it reminds the devoted viewer that Sylar’s characterization has been a mess. And that being the case, it’s hard to accept or anticipate what kind of internal shift is causing Sylar to once again come up short in the bloodthirsty department.

The implication seems to be that Sylar cannot simply erase or ignore the imposition of Nathan and Matt’s memories on his psyche. However much he wants to believe that he is the same as he was, there are subconscious limitations built into his software, holding him back. In effect, Sylar’s murderous drive is mitigated by Nathan and Matt’s moral codes. The nice thing is that this new status quo for Sylar has a well-established cause. The bad thing is that it seems awfully convenient.

If Sylar is eventually meant to revert to his old form, then this is just another delaying tactic, a crutch that the writers have been abusing with Sylar, Peter, and Hiro since the second season. It might allow the story to build for a little while more, which may be necessary to give the climax the necessary gravitas, but it’s transparent by now.

The alternative is that the writers intend for this to be Sylar’s means of redemption. Unable to kill anymore, Sylar could find himself forced to integrate with the rest of the metahumans. Either that, or he may be forced to side with the “heroes” against Samuel. Regardless of the intention for such a “redeemed” Sylar, it would display a complete lack of understanding of the meaning of redemption. People are redeemed by internal choices and subsequent actions. If Sylar is forced by subconscious remnants of Nathan and Matt within his psyche to change his ways, then he is limited in spite of himself, not out of a conscious desire to change his ways.

The solution may be some sort of middle ground. Samuel alluded to something like that when he said he was a villain, but that’s not all he has to be. It’s the very thing that keeps Samuel interesting and worthwhile, but it’s hard to argue that such an approach would work for Sylar anymore. It was already attempted in the third season, and it felt contrived. Sylar is much better when he is simply evil. So the problem is this decision to hobble Sylar in a way that can only be, in the end, unsatisfying and frustrating.

As much as I acknowledge and appreciate the fact that Nathan’s death leads Claire to help Peter overcome his reckless ways, I was annoyed by the lack of a solid next step in the process. It seemed rather obvious that Claire was going to turn to Peter to help take down Samuel, but that moment never came. Instead, Claire just helped Peter see the light. Given her previously established lack of wisdom, that felt contrived, but it also seemed to be a missed opportunity.

It could be that Sylar’s arrival at Claire’s dorm room is meant to be a surprising twist: that Claire’s ally against Samuel will be Sylar instead of Peter. I could almost see the logic in this, if this were meant to be the end of the series. Sylar has a vested interest in being with the carnival “family”. Samuel made a reasonable case for it in this episode. Sylar could gather all the abilities he wants, and without the ability to kill, he could be a surprisingly good (if ruthless) leader, since he would have a reason to protect his “investment”.

After all, if the tedious Noah/Edgar subplot proved anything, it’s that Noah’s penchant for forcing a solution to the metahuman problem on the metahumans, however well-intended, is not going to work. The Company didn’t work for a reason. For every metahuman willing to integrate, there will be those who resent the implication that they must hide who they are. Yet, even so, there must be those willing to police those metahumans who refuse to integrate or separate themselves from the mundane population.

But even if Sylar was to become the solution to the Samuel problem, I don’t think he could become the leader of the “family” for very long. The “family” would see him as just another Samuel, and the “heroes” could never trust him. So I think this is where Peter’s long-established role as Sylar’s opposite number comes into play. If there is a strong argument for Samuel’s dream of a “promised land” for the metahumans, but a new leader of the “family” would be needed, then Peter feels like a fairly logical choice.

This kind of endpoint could even bring the arc for the Company to a logical and fitting resolution. If the Company failed because it tried to police the metahumans within the constraints of mundane society, then perhaps it would succeed as the basis for security of a metahuman community. It would resolve Noah’s mind-numbing season-long search for a purpose, and it could even give Matt a way to bring his life back into order. (And, should the series somehow reach a fifth season, it would force the writers out of their comfort zone.)

All of this is, of course, pure speculation, built around the weaknesses of the episode itself. These ideas are potential ways to make what takes place in this episode more palatable. The main problem is this apparent decision to hobble Sylar once again. His earlier appearances were much more entertaining because he was, in many ways, finally unleashed.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/2

Final Rating: 6/10

Written by Juan Carlos Coto
Directed by Ron Underwood

(Note: This review covers the first half of the two-episode event that aired on 04 January, 2010. This review was written without prior knowledge of the events in the second episode. A subsequent review will cover the second half of the event.)

“Heroes” returns from a brief winter hiatus to begin its final stretch for the fourth season (and possibly for the series). The events of the previous episode suggest that the season arc is shifting into its resolution phase, with about 6-7 episodes remaining, but the momentum doesn’t pick up much in this particular installment.

The writers have adopted a slow but steady approach to the fourth season, focusing more on character development and exploration than endless plot twists and turns, and the results are mixed. Generally speaking, this is a preferable approach, especially when the characters are fascinating. This is one reason why “Lost” has been so successful; at the heart, it is a show about complicated characters on a bizarre journey to redemption (or, in some cases, a lack thereof).

Everything about this season of “Heroes” boldly points to a similar mandate. As I’ve said before, the statement was a bit too bold. Redemption works when it is organic. If the audible has to be told that redemption is the goal, it’s not redemption. It’s self-serving rhetoric. But it has been toned down over the course of the season, and now the question is whether or not the characters are still interesting enough to carry the story. (And this has been an ongoing concern since the beginning of the third season.)

For my part, Samuel and the other carnies continue to be the saving grace of the season and series. Why? Because the writers do better with characters without established history. They can shape the character’s background to fit the immediate story requirements, and for the most part, it all feels right. Despite some hiccups along the way, Samuel has proven to be a complex character, full of righteous indignation and a dangerous level of self-deception.

I had hopes that Samuel would emerge as a true Magneto-esque figure, and one way or another, he’s serving that purpose. Whether it is all about his personal desire for power and control, he is still bent on creating a sanctuary for metahumans. To call on another typical comparison, Samuel reminds me very much of Jordan Collier from “The 4400”. I love how he’s calculating in one moment and solicitous the next, all while carrying the banner of providing a home for his people.

If Samuel’s character had been less nuanced, Claire’s reactions might have been too obvious. Instead, Claire seems to have come to the logical conclusion: Samuel’s goal is not the issue, but rather, his methods and personal agenda. The problem is that Claire has yet to communicate much of anything well, so it remains to be seen if these distinctions will carry over to Peter (who is obviously the one she will be turning to for help).

That said, this is the most interesting Claire has been in a long time. While the Claire/Gretchen kiss has proven to be little more than ratings fodder, as many feared, her interaction with Samuel strikes at the heart of the character’s inner conflict, tired as it has become. It doesn’t hurt that Hayden is still very easy on the eyes.

The other prominent subplot in this episode pertains to Hiro and his attempt to communicate to Ando, now that his brain has been scrambled. It didn’t take long to figure out that Hiro was trying to tell everyone that he needed to break Mohinder out of the psychiatric hospital, so it was a little frustrating when it was clear that the characters would take a lot longer to get to the same point. Hopefully this will be resolved in the next episode. Hiro’s geek-speak aphasia was amusing, but it was a minor improvement on what continues to be another disappointing plot thread for Hiro. At this point, it seems clear that the writers have no intentions of letting Hiro (or Ando) grow.

On the whole, the good elements of the episode outweighed the bad and tedious. I still consider this to be an entertaining show, even if it is occasionally frustrating. Much of that is due to the new characters and the storytelling opportunities they have generated. Even so, I doubt it is enough to bring back former fans of the show or earn it another season.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Written by Tim Kring
Directed by Kevin Dowling

This episode was a long time coming, especially given that the producers sent out a press release, detailing the final demise of one of the original characters. That the character in question was already technically dead was a bit of a cheat, and I’m still wondering why the producers would think that this episode should be framed as something extraordinary.

That’s not to say that the episode was bad. In many respects, it was a solid entry for the fourth season, continuing the slow and steady pace of the story. While a lot of people saw nothing worth following in the season premiere, I still think this season has been better than anyone could have expected. It’s not incredible, but I am enjoying many of the new elements and the format that has emerged.

After a couple of episodes that seemed to take Samuel in the wrong direction, the writers brought him back on track. I think it’s entirely possible to cast Samuel as something of a Magneto analogue, especially given his ability, while still giving him a self-interested basis for his actions. Whether or not he’s invoking sincerity about leading his fellow metahumans to some sort of “promised land” for personal gain can be irrelevant, if the writers approach it correctly.

I keep thinking back to how Samuel was portrayed in the earlier episodes of the season: dedicated to his family, but willing to step over the moral line to achieve his goals. It’s possible for Samuel to demonstrate a balance, and it all has to do with his endgame. If he is willing to do all of this to gain enormous power, what comes next?

If it’s just a matter of gaining the power to have the power, then building a sense of community and family as a safe haven for metahumans is a reasonable means to an end. He could look at his current actions as the cost for everyone to get what they really want and need. As much as it seems like he’s borrowing from his brother’s playbook when it comes to using the carnival as a sanctuary for their own kind, Samuel could believe it what he’s doing.

At the same time, he could have much darker intentions. If he wants to create a place where metahumans can be themselves without a need to condescend to mundane human demands, that could be a prelude to forcing a state of independence. Samuel’s own words suggest that he might use his enhanced ability to make demands. That could be his endgame, and having soldiers like Eli and Claire would only help his cause. In that light, creating a “family” develops loyalty.

I still think that Sylar is likely to derail Samuel’s plans, especially now that Nathan is no longer a factor. It’s just a matter of how quickly Sylar can arrive at the carnival. Peter’s decision to let Nathan go may have made a certain amount of emotional sense, but Peter had to be aware that he was essentially letting Sylar run free. While I have some hope that a likely conclusion to the series at the end of the season will push the writers to deliver a solid battle between Sylar and the “heroes”, I’m not sure why Peter wouldn’t have used Nathan’s last few moments to absorb Nathan’s flying ability, carry Nathan/Sylar as far over the ocean as possible, and then let him drop.

That wasn’t the only illogical moment in the episode. Noah’s character arc this season has been less than interesting, even taking into account his potential relationship with Lauren, and this hasn’t changed. But why would Noah and Lauren be shocked when Eli just leaves with the files and doesn’t stick around to kill them? Eli plainly states that he is there for something and would prefer to take it without resistance. Maybe Noah and Lauren were still too distracted by their personal drama!

This is the last appearance in the series by Adrian Pasdar, which is probably a bit overdue. That took a little bit away from the overall impact of the final moments between Peter and Nathan, along with a surprisingly subdued approach to the scene. I must, however, give Pasdar credit for his final performance. His ability to switch between Nathan’s weariness and Sylar’s menace was a highlight of the episode, especially in counterpoint to Samuel’s careful manipulations.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Written by Adam Armus and Kay Foster
Directed by Seith Mann

Holiday-themed episodes have a tendency to play to nostalgia and tradition. They can be a cringe-inducing subset of the “very special episode” syndrome. The trick is to subvert the typical expectations that come with the territory. “Buffy”, for example, managed to do it very well.

This particular spin on the convention is broken into three parts, where the coming together at a family meal brings more than just the usual level of conflict and recrimination. The treatment of each Thanksgiving dinner is more or less a success, and has everything to do with the strengths of the characters involved.

The best material belongs to Samuel and his carnival family, as the truth about Joseph Sullivan’s death comes out. Suddenly Edgar’s displeasure with Samuel from the beginning comes into focus. Hiro finally gets to show a bit of backbone, even if he’s still mostly whining about Charlie, and one can only hope that this will lead to a permanent transition into a more serious character as a whole. (Especially since it is highly unlikely that we will ever see Charlie again.)

I still like Samuel, even if his motivations are now almost entirely villainous. Robert Knepper continues to give the character a sense of style and energy that has been missing from most of the cast for quite some time. Only Sylar seems to be given the same opportunity to stretch, and that had to be a concession to Zachery Quinto, to ensure that he remains on the show to the bitter end.

Speaking of Sylar, the Petrelli Thanksgiving dinner was a close second to the carnival festivities. While the carnival plot thread began to answer some lingering questions about Sullivan brothers, this plot thread took on the consequences of the third season finale. The emergence of Sylar brought on some deliciously evil moments, and I wasn’t entirely sure that Angela was going to survive the night.

It occurred to me, however, that the writers managed to sneak some muddled storytelling into the mix. When Peter needed to follow Nathan in the previous episode, he absorbed Nathan’s ability. But “Nathan” is really Sylar, programmed to believe that he can only use Nathan’s flying ability. The core ability is still Sylar’s innate ability to take on the abilities of others. So shouldn’t Peter have absorbed Sylar’s ability?

Of course, that would put Peter back on a level that is too high for the good of the plot, and would prevent the logical solution to the Sylar problem: getting everyone together at the carnival for one big “Heroes” smackdown. I still firmly believe that Sylar is going to return to the carnival, learn the secret of Samuel’s power, and absorb it. If anyone can learn how to decouple Samuel’s earth-moving power from the metahuman-cascade effect, Sylar could. And then the question would be: how do all those heroes fight Sylar, when just being around him suddenly gives him a massive power boost? (On the other hand, it could be the one thing that keeps Sylar in check, because he would have to stop killing everyone for powers to preserve his new power source.)

At any rate, this leaves only the Bennett family dinner, and as usual, that is far less effective than the other two plot threads. Those stories had Samuel and Sylar; this has Claire and the same Noah that has been grasping for a purpose this season. The antics with Sandra, Lauren, and Doug did provide a lighter counterpoint to the darker elements in the other plot threads, but it just underscored how little these characters have been measuring up.

I will say, however, that the return of Lauren was a nice touch, and the return of Gretchen was a pleasant surprise. The writers are doing a nice job of treading a fine line with Claire and Gretchen. While they are technically not together as a romantic couple, there are clear undertones of chemistry between them. I suspect the writers will keep riding that line, so that the viewers can draw their own conclusions, but this is less exploitive than it could have been.

The biggest problem with the episode is that it didn’t move the plot forward overly much. This season has been all about the measured pace, but this brought the momentum down a notch. Nathan and Sylar could have had their final showdown already, and Claire didn’t really need more time to decide that she was going to find Samuel. Hopefully this is simply the prelude to a more active next episode.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10

Written by Rob Fresco and Mark Verheiden
Directed by Bryan Spicer

This season of “Heroes” has been uneven, but in many respects, success or failure has been dependent on the treatment of Samuel Sullivan. That character has done more for this season than almost any other element, and as such, one would expect the same would be true for this episode (and the season as a whole).

So it is a bit unfortunate that the time has finally come for Samuel’s motivations to become clear. As much as it was necessary for the good of the season arc, since it begins to answer some of the pressing questions about Samuel and his activities since the season premiere, it also feels a bit too simple. It renders Samuel a less compelling villain to have him searching for more and more power.

Essentially, Samuel has an ability that is somehow amplified by the presence of other metahumans. This makes him tremendously dangerous. The fact that he was basically the brother with more ambition than wisdom makes it very clear that his temper would be an issue. Tying Samuel’s story into the revelations about Coyote Sands was a nice touch, and it does explain where Mohinder has been all this time.

I’ve liked the slow and measured pace of the plot, if only because it gives the writers more time to delve into the characters. But I now have to wonder if Sylar was trapped within “Nathan” and Matt’s mind for so long because the writers needed to pace out the revelations about Samuel first. With Samuel’s amplified ability now revealed, I get the feeling that his time is short.

After all, Sylar is sure to get his body back sooner rather than later, and he will very likely retain some knowledge of the carnival. He will want to get back to it, and since Peter has a compass, that seems the most likely means. If Sylar discovers the true nature of Samuel’s ability, right down to how it can be amplified, there’s little doubt that he would want that power for himself. It would be like the ultimate fix.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. If this is going to be the final season, then it would make sense to have Sylar take control of the carnival (right down to killing Samuel and taking on his appearance, for example), and forcing the familiar heroes to band together to take him down, once and for all. Maybe, if the series comes to an end, the writers will finally have the excuse to deliver a fitting bloodbath of an ending.

For now, the trick is getting the characters in place for whatever climax the writers do have in mind. I can only assume that is the point of the subplot with Tracy and Claire. As much as I bought Claire in her pseudo-Buffy role at college, I have little interest in her latest angst. For that matter, Tracy has been all over the map this season, and I never liked her anyway. It’s clear they’re meant to go to the carnival before long.

I’m glad that they gave “Nathan” a little more screen time, since I think the actor deserves a better sendoff. I was expecting his inevitable exit to come in this episode, but I suppose the writers intend to drag it out a bit longer. That said, it should be interesting to see how Peter handles the truth about “Nathan”, as well as how Matt intends to get out of the mess that Sylar has made of his life. Could Matt’s apparent sacrifice have been foreshadowing?

Perhaps the most egregious element of the episode, however, had to be Hiro’s decision to place Mohinder in a mental institution. Never mind how that was supposed to work exactly; the writers fudged a number of details to ensure that Mohinder would be out of play until they needed him. It’s the fact that Hiro’s solution to his own problem was no better than Samuel’s decision to trap Charlie in some unknown time and place. Hiro’s character arc has been horrid this season, and that’s taking into account how much of the character’s development had been erased by the third season.

Despite some of the flaws of this episode, the story is still holding my attention. I’m not happy that Samuel seems to be shifting into a typically villainous role, concerned only with the accumulation of his own power, when something a bit more nuanced might have been more satisfying in the end. That said, the story is still moving forward at a deliberate pace, and this season is still solid. This episode just didn’t quite hit the mark.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10