Heroes Rundown Chapter 12: "Our Father"

Here we are, Heroes watchers, the second to last episode before the finale of this volume, "Villains." This week, Hiro and Claire have traveled 16 years back in time, and they interact with their parents and their past selves. Meanwhile, the cruel side of Sylar is back in full force, and Nathan sees firsthand what is being planned for the future at Pinehearst.


Hiro and Claire watch as 16-years-ago-Kaito gives HRG the baby Claire to raise as his own. This is, as Kaito says, "Not a request." It's kind of cute seeing Hiro and Claire together. Hiro's mother is dying and she wants to make arrangements for the catalyst. Hiro watches his mother cure a sick dove and says with awe, "My mommy is a healer."

Bad Sylar is totally back. He tells Arthur he's not going to help him anymore and then sets Elle's body on fire. Poor Elle! She and Sylar were my favorite couple on TV for a minute back there.

Nathan tells his father he's taking over Pinehearst. "You wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to make me if you didn't need me." Tracy walks Nathan down to an area where they're keeping soldiers, and explains Arthur's (and her) plan: "We'd like to call it 'intelligent design.' . . . When we perfect the formula, we get to choose who gets what power, and we've chosen the best."

Claire goes to see her mom of 16 years ago on the first day of having adopted baby Claire. It must be weird to hold yourself as a baby. And change your own baby self's diaper. Later, HRG comes home and he knows Claire is lying about who she is. Claire tells HRG that this baby Claire is going to need him to protect her, and that the Company will want to do something to her but he shouldn't let them because his little "Claire Bear" is "fine just the way she is." Awww. . .

Mean ol' Sylar takes the power of a woman who can tell when people are lying — on her birthday. That's just sad.

Nathan chats with one of the soldiers, wanting him to be sure he knows what he's getting into with this program. The soldier believes that if he were more than human, he could be a better Marine, he might have been able to have saved his fellow soldiers in Iraq.

Sad! Kaito doesn't think Hiro is responsible enough for the catalyst. He tells his wife that Hiro "will never amount to anything" (harsh!), which Hiro (er, both versions) overhears. The present-day Hiro (who thinks he's 10 years old) tells his dying mother of 16 years ago that he's her son. His healer mother helps Hiro regain his memories. He tells her what he's been up to (saving the world — twice!) and she assures him that she always thought he was meant for greatness. Hiro convinces her that he should get the catalyst, "the light." He says he is strong enough to protect it. So she gives him the light, after which Hiro murmurs, "You showed me what it means to be a hero."

Funny line from Ando after having sped to New York with Daphne: "I like teleporting more. Less windy." Ando, Parkman and Daphne track down Isaac Mendez's sketches for a final issue of 9th Wonder from the bike messenger in New York.

Angela has asked Peter to kill Arthur, so Peter and the Haitian go to find him. On the way, Peter and the Haitian have a heart to heart and the Haitian offers to kill Arthur, but Peter says it's his responsibility.

Arthur shows up in the 16 years ago where Claire and Hiro are talking. He steals Hiro's abilities and the catalyst, too. Then he sends Claire back up to present day with a message: "Tell Angela it's over. I won." Hiro is now stuck 16 years in the past — with no powers. So, Ando decides he should get the teleporting power so he can go back in time and save Hiro. He just needs the formula . . .

Arthur infuses the formula with the catalyst and Mohinder injects the concoction into a Marine.

Peter and the Haitian reach Pinehearst and Peter holds his father at gunpoint, but Arthur doesn't think Peter can bring himself to kill him. Just as Peter shoots the gun, Sylar appears and stops the bullet from reaching Arthur so he can ask him if he's really his son. Arthur insists he is, but Sylar can tell Arthur is lying and he makes the bullet go into Arthur's head.

The Marine reacts to the formula which has given him enhanced strength. He "feels good."

Next week's episode, "Duel," marks the last chapter in this volume of Heroes.

Heroes Rundown Chapter Eleven: "The Eclipse, Part Two"

Ah, what the eclipse tooketh away, the return to normal sunlight has giveth (giveneth?) back. The heroes (and villains, I guess) regain their powers after a harrowing eclipse, and everyone has learned a little something about him or herself. I really liked that spooky gray-light that the eclipse cast on everything. It added an element of drama that perhaps has been missing lately on Heroes.

Peter and the Haitian are still in the forest and Nathan has been taken in by Haitian's brother Baron Samedi. Peter reiterates that all this is happening (the eclipse taking away their powers) to test their resolve, and that "maybe that's a good thing." He and the Haitian return to where Nathan is chained up and has been babbling on to a girl about wishing he'd protected her. Peter and the Haitian free the woman and Nathan, and after a bunch of fighting the Haitian overpowers his brother. He's a real. . . wait for it. . . hero.

Sylar and Elle, getting it on. Sylar says the eclipse could be a good thing — a chance to reinvent themselves without powers — but then HRG comes at them with a gun and Elle catches a bullet in the leg.

In the Kansas comic store, Hiro and Ando ask for the latest issue of 9th Wonder, and Ando shows them that what they're saying shows up in the comic book. Hiro delightedly opens up a box of back issues. "Best. Day. Ever." Breckin Meyer suggests that maybe their powers will return once the eclipse is over, but Hiro is not happy about this. He doesn't want to grow up — "Not now! Not ever!"

The irony of Seth Green (I don't much care what his character's name is, he's just Seth Green) yelling "Everyone needs to grow up!" is pretty great.

Mohinder is all pissed off, but Arthur is feeling and vulnerable and paranoid without his powers, and won't let Mohinder leave. So, Mohinder beats up Flint and runs away. He gets to Maya's apartment just as the eclipse ends and he realizes his scaly things are back.

Daphne has cerebral palsy and tells Parkman she's a villain. When he protests, she insists he doesn't know her and can't help her. Eclipse ends, Daphne and Parkman get their powers back. Parkman tries to convince her she's a good person, she hugs her dad, feels better.

Hiro's having doubts about why he should bother being a hero, but Seth Green says it gives people hope. Then, in a slightly ridiculous move, Breckin Meyer deduces that, in order to get his memory back, Hiro has to bring Claire back to the point in time when Hiro is 10 and HRG is getting the baby Claire.

Having been shot while her powers are gone, Claire's "whole system has been infected" and the police are starting to become suspicious about her case. Claire is sad because she wished for her ability to go away, and now it's gone. "I'm not brave. I'm just a stupid teenager." Ah, the bummers of being a normal human being. The doctors work on her (gross! She's all ripped open!) while we see HRG angrily beating the snot out of Sylar and ultimately slitting his throat with a box cutter while Elle watches in horror.



So, now it appears that Sylar and Claire are dead, but there's no real drama in this show because we know they aren't going to turn out to be truly dead. That whole thing with Claire on the table feels like it was a waste of time.

Nathan is starting to think that his dad might be onto something. Give the powers to "the right people," and stop all the suffering in the world. He flies off into the night.

Claire and HRG have yet another chat about how crappy a dad HRG was to her before Sylar and Elle show up. Sylar needs to get Claire, and he starts to hurt HRG who suddenly tells him his parents are not Arthur and Angela Petrelli. Then Hiro shows up and grabs Sylar, Elle and Claire.

Sylar and Elle end up on a beach. Sylar is worried that HRG might be right about his parents. He says nobody really changes, and that they're both just damaged goods. Then he starts to open Elle's head! Sylar, nooooo!

At least they eventually explain the whole Isaac-Mendez-is-dead thing, saying that 9th Wonder book is the last posthumous issue. But Seth Green has heard a legend that one more 9th Wonder story exists. "The day he died Isaac Mendez bequeathed his sketchbook to a humble bike messenger. You find that messenger, and you find your story."

Arthur: "I think this eclipse showed us all exactly who we are: Desperate. Angry. And weak." He tells Mohinder to take care of the monster inside of him.
Hiro brings Claire back in time and together they watch Kaito Nakamura give HRG the baby Claire.

Hiro brings Claire back in time and together they watch Kaito Nakamura give HRG the baby Claire.

Heroes Rundown Chapter Ten: "The Eclipse, Part I"

This week's episode of Heroes shows "there's a moment in every war when everything changes. . . No matter how much we resist the change. . . in the end, we're never truly ready when it strikes."
Arthur sketches all sorts of death and destruction, and then the eclipse begins and the heroes are surprised to find their powers diminished. It's kind of funny to see the characters try to use their powers, tilting their heads or twitching their fingers, and nothing happens. It all looks so silly.

Anywho, to chat about this first part of "The Eclipse," read more.

In the intro, we see Arthur sketching his little heart out. He goes to Sylar and tells him to bring him Claire. Elle insists on going along and helping because after all, she was "raised to be a Company girl." Sylar asks, "You OK with this, Dad?" (Dad? Already?) Arthur calls the two of them "a good pairing."

Claire whines about being the catalyst. Angela tells her to just stay out of harm's way. "But I can fight! I can do more, I can be more!" Ugh, shut up, Claire. HRG appears and takes Claire to Stephen Canfield's house, where Claire whines some more and argues with her dad like a brat. The HRG-Claire relationship used to be so cute but now it's just annoying. Then HRG starts training Claire.

Mohinder's all up in arms because Arthur hasn't cured him yet. And eww, over the course of the episode, Mohinder gets grosser and grosser until he's in his own slime cocoon. Then he disgustingly slithers out of his cocoon thingy and finds that his scales are gone.

Daphne calls Hiro a spaz but Parkman says he's "a walking do-over," and he wants to find him. Hiro and Ando show up at the door, and Ando says Parkman has to fix Hiro because Arthur erased his memory. You know, 10-year-old Hiro is not that different from the way they usually write Hiro's character, sadly. Daphne freaks out, Parkman tries reading her mind (how much would it suck if your boyfriend could read your mind?), and she flees to her parents' house in Kansas.

Elle uses a rental car guy to ignite Sylar's anger and his "hunger."She says they're all trying to make him into something. "Who are you really?" Later, Sylar and Elle drive off in a snazzy red car in search of Claire.

Tracy is still in cahoots with Arthur, hoping to make it into the oval office, but she's growing uneasy as she starts to see all that Arthur is capable of. He wants her to go to Paris Island, the marine training facility because, Arthur says, "Every war needs an army." Angela appears in the doorway and Tracy gets up to leave, saying, "No rest for the wicked." Ha, Angela: "I guess not."

So, Claire was a sad little girl because her dad went on lots of trips. Yawn. Soon, Sylar and Elle come in but neither of them can use their powers. Still, Elle gets ahold of the gun, tries to shoot HRG but Claire jumps in the way of the bullet. HRG picks her up, just like in Arthur's sketch. He brings her to their house where he and Sandra treat her "flesh wound."

Hiro teleports Ando and Parkman and himself to Kansas in search of Daphne just before the eclipse starts, which depletes all the heroes' powers. In Kansas, Daphne's dad won't let him see her. When Parkman tries to read her dad's mind, he looks at Parkman, puzzled. "Why are you turning your head sideways?" Ando explains to Hiro that Parkman can't use his powers. "This is a part of the Hero's Quest," Hiro says. "Can you triumph without powers?" Hiro throws corn at Parkman until he goes back to Daphne's house.

Nathan and Pete fly off to find the Haitian, but they fall to the earth as Nathan loses his power to fly. They then begin a trek through the forest. Nathan spots a doll tied to a tree and Peter explains they're like "messengers. Prayers for salvation, redemption." The two brothers start quibbling: Peter doesn't want to be treated like an "idiot kid brother," and Nathan says he should try earning his respect. Then Peter accuses Nathan of being Arthur's puppet. It turns out Peter's sore because in the future Nathan chooses their dad over him.

Hiro and Ando set off to find the next issue of the comic book. At the comic book store they find Breckin Meyer and Seth Green.

Mohinder's scales, abilities — all gone. So, he looks up Maya (again with the Maya?). He starts to leave, but Arthur doesn't let him.
Peter wants to help the Haitian find his brother, but of course, Arthur has other plans for them. He manages to have Nathan captured.
Parkman tells Daphne he loves her, then walks into her house and sees that without her powers, she is in leg braces, on crutches. This is what Arthur saved her from, apparently.

OK, Elle popping Sylar's shoulder back into place while he roars made me laugh, I admit. She says without their powers they can't take what they want anymore. "Says who?" Sylar says huskily. He grabs her and kisses her, as HRG watches them with a sniper gun.

As always, to be continued. . .

Heroes Rundown Chapter Nine: "It's Coming"

In case you somehow didn't notice, the promise of an eclipse is a consistent theme in this week's episode of Heroes. The opening narration explains that when the moon passes in front of the sun, apparently anything is possible (really, anything?). "It's power is undeniable. . . It's meaning unknowable."

In the next two episodes, "The Eclipse Parts I and II," we'll find out what happens, exactly, but for now all we know is that "it's coming." Yeah. To chat about this week's Heroes, read more.


In Africa, Hiro snaps out of Arthur's mind grip and thinks he's 10 years old. He teleports himself and Ando to a bowling alley where they make his favorite waffles. Ando then has to explain to "10-year-old" Hiro that he has a power, like a superhero. When Hiro re-figures out how to use his power, he uses it to play pranks on people.

Arthur tells Sylar that his hunger is not about killing, "it's about power." He says that he needs to access his empathy and then puts Sylar in a dark, creepy room with a very angry Elle, who repeatedly electrocutes him. So, I may just have Watchmen on the brain these days, but the parts when we see Sylar getting electrocuted from behind reminds me an awful lot of the moment in Watchmen when Jon becomes Dr. Manhattan. But anyway.

Everywhere people go, they see the image of the eclipse.
Does anyone actually sit through the commercials for those new heroes in the NBC web series? Anyone?

Turns out there's a third piece to the formula, a catalyst, hidden away in the blood of a human host. Kaito Nakumura was the only one who knew the identity of the host.

I think my favorite part of this show is now the Elle-Sylar relationship. They're weirdly cute together. Elle lashes out at Sylar electrically, for her father's death, shrieking "murderer!" She zaps him good, and then tells him to kill her. Sylar says he forgives her, but she must forgive herself. He then touches her, her pain goes away, and Sylar now has her power, too.

Parkman sees Usutu in the hallways of Primatech. He and Daphne come upon Angela. Daphne speeds over to Arthur, asks him to leave Matt out of it. Arthur mentions Daphne's past yet again and she relents.

I know it's been said before in the comments section here and I've always agreed: The dynamic between Claire and Peter (or rather, Hayden and Milo) just seems kind of icky. They're supposed to be uncle and niece to each other, but I keep expecting them to make out. Claire says Peter never should have become "my friend and my hero." Eeeeuck. Tough guy Claire tries to elude Knox and Flint but they grab her. Then Peter outsmarts them and he and Claire run away.

Nathan says everything he's ever done is because of his father, and he and Tracy go to see him. Arthur says he should have told Nathan what his role was in all of this, goes on about Nathan's destiny, Nathan's talent to lead a nation. "I am not afraid to admit that you have always been my favorite son. The one most like me. The strong one. We can save the world together. This can be our legacy, Nathan."


Hiro teleports himself and Ando to a comic book store, or "the source of all knowledge." There they see a 9th Wonders comic book. On the last page there's the eclipse image with the words, "It's coming."

Nathan: "He wants to give half the planet superpowers so that we can save the world together with me as president." Tracy wants people to know all about this stuff, but Nathan says the last time he tried to tell anybody anything like this, "my brother came back from the future and shot me. Twice." Nathan flies off. Tracy goes up to see Arthur, and tells him he has a PR problem. If he helps her, she will convince Nathan to be "the face" of Arthur's plan.

I couldn't decide if I liked that whole surreal segment when Parkman gets into that creepy head space with Angela and then Daphne and Arthur. I did like that Angela suddenly becomes the one in control, though I found it rather unlikely (even if a part of Arthur still loves her). Arthur allows her to come out of her mental shackles, as it were.

Yieeeck, Mohinder's test subject is gross. Mohinder kills him at the guy's request.
So, Claire thinks she's the most special one of all, carrying the catalyst for the formula. Mostly I hope she's not because Claire is grating on my last nerve these days.

In the end, we see Arthur, white-eyed, sketching something while a bunch of others look on. And you know what? I have no idea if anything happens after that because my DVR recording cut off! I'm going to seek out the video online, but sheesh!

Heroes Rundown Chapter Eight: "Villlains"

This week's episode of Heroes goes back a year, filling in some blanks and connecting some stories with others we've already seen. Is it wrong that I might've liked this episode more than the others recently because it includes bits of season one?

The episode goes back to show how some of the heroes became villains in the first place. As the opening narration explains when Hiro goes all white-eyed, "To fight evil, one must know evil. One must journey back in time and find that fork in the road where heroes turn one way and villains turn another." From there we see what Hiro sees — the secret goings-on in some of the heroes lives a year ago.

To chat about this episode, read more.

It's interesting: It used to seem like Linderman was the ultimate in evil villains but as it happens, Arthur is so much worse. Arthur tells Linderman he'll try to convince Nathan to keep his office from investigating "all things Linderman," and if it doesn't work Arthur will kill him. He then references Shakespeare: "When the son challenges the father, only one is left standing."

Turns out Meredith and Flint "fireball hands" are siblings and the Company's Mr. Thompson (Eric Roberts) hunts them down, takes them to the Company and tells Meredith she can become an agent for the Company or remain a prisoner. She hates the Company, but chooses the agent option over prisoner.

Wow, Sylar tried to hang himself? Elle walks in just in time ("showing up out of nowhere, like an angel") and saves him. "Forgive me," he says to her before starting to cry.

Nathan still wants to bury Linderman in "a very deep hole for a very long time," so Arthur is the one who causes the car accident in which Heidi is injured! That's some fatherly love. It breaks my heart to see Angela — who was once so much more innocent — trust in Arthur, who is such a jerk.

Also sad: Elle has feelings for Sylar! Sylar's happiness at the peach pie ("That's my favorite kind!") is so sweet. Elle wants the Company to back off of Sylar but HRG says they need to witness Sylar killing someone, and Elle needs to follow the Company's orders or else she's on her own.

Poor Angela! Arthur just gets in her head and makes her believe things, like "Nathan has to die." Linderman tells Angela he can heal the scars that Arthur leaves every time he puts thoughts in her mind and erases her memory, saying, "Arthur is betraying you in the most heinous way possible. He's going to kill your son." She slaps him and calls him a liar, but he continues: "You have to decide: Do you want to live in blind obedience, or do you want to know the truth?" She chooses the truth.

Meredith captures her first "special person" successfully (though for getting a blow to the head with a heavy metal fist, that dude she's working with recovers amazingly quickly), and feels accomplished. Soon, however, she discovers Flint has been taken in by the Company and he says he's going to be an agent, too. She thinks they're tricking him because he's dumb. "Remember what daddy used to say? God gave you a big sister instead of a brain." They try to escape, but Mr. Thompson finds them, and Flint jumps off the train. Meredith tries to escape as well, after setting the train on fire, but ultimately Mr. Thompson captures her again. However, as soon as she tells him she hates the company because they killed Claire in a fire, he lets her go free. I definitely did not see that coming.

It's so sad how Elle deceives Sylar, even when she doesn't want to. She introduces him to another "special" guy, Trevor, but when it comes down to Sylar getting the hunger and doing his brain thingy to him, Elle caves, electrifies him and tells him he doesn't have to do this. In the end, though, he tells her to leave and opens Trevor's brain as HRG watches.

Angela poisons Arthur! "I lied. It's not your mother's recipe." She is my new favorite character. "You were a visionary, but somewhere along the line you lost your soul." Nathan comes home and gets his father to the hospital where Angela and Nathan are told Arthur's dead. In truth, Arthur is alive and still has his power — but is now paralyzed. At his memorial service Angela instructs Nathan and Peter to "not idolize your father because he's dead. He wasn't a god, he was a man. Deeply flawed in ways you will never know."

Elle feels guilty about Sylar: "He had a soul, Bennet, he could have been saved." HRG, ever the Company Man, tells her simply that they're agents and they just have to follow orders. He then gets into a cab driven by Mohinder, goes to JFK.

Then the crazy ending! Hiro awakens/comes out of his spirit walk thing and finds Usutu beheaded (gross!). Suddenly, Arthur appears and grabs Hiro's head. Hiro starts screaming.

S3E8: Villians: Things to Watch Out for Tonight (plus additio...

Now tonight...what to look for:

Julia Robert's bro. Nice to see Eric back after a nice summer as Sal Maroni in The Dark Knight. Yes, he's back as Thompson, and he'll be training Firebug Merideth. Nice gig, Eric!
A LOT of plot holes will be filled tonight, we have been promised.
We find out who Meredith's brother is. HInt: The LA Angels are to Meredith as her bro is to the Dodgers.....
Sorry, no sapphic moments with eClaire tonight, but Sparky spends a lot of time with HRG.
No Speedster tonight, I'm afraid. (wahhhhhhh!)
This is basically a flash back episode. You might see one more person from S1.




Now for the SPOILERS!!!



In coming weeks

Claire and Sylar are paired off and are ordered to get Claire Bear. HRG's not happy.

Heroes lose thier powers (temporarily, I hope)

Seth Green and Bricklin Meyer will guest star

The Haitian has a brother. He may have the ability to raise the dead (several current employees at the CW are standing by thier phones!)(LOL)

www.spoilerfix.com says that Jason Baldoni, late of Everwood, will join the cast for two episodes.

And this is not a spoiler, but will someone please tell Claire Bear that Sylar is her uncle??

Just sayin'

Thanks for puttin' up

A moment in History!!!!!!

This is a moment in History, people. If you watch TV lastnight, then you know what I am talking about. We have the first African American Persident of the United States. This is one that I will tell my son about. I was talking to someone this morning, and I said something about Barack Obama being the first African American President and they said, why do you have to refer to him like that. He is mixed.... I said, "yes, he is, but the world doesnt see him like that..... They see him as a African American (Black Man), so that is how he is going to be referred to". That is the same way, Ashton(my son) is going to be referred to as..... But, Ladies and gentleman.... this is a moment in History, and Dr. Martin Luther King, would be proud..... So, with that being said..... Here is him acceptance speech....