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Heroes Rundown Chapter 13: "Dual"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:43:45 PST

"On the sixth day, God created man in his own image. Now it's up to us to figure it all out." Thus begins (in an opening narration by Sylar instead of Mohinder, which I think is a nice change of pace) the final episode in this Heroes volume, "Villains." As has been the case in many of the chapters of this volume, the episode explores what makes people good or evil, heroes or villains, etc. etc. etc.

Sylar plays a little psychological murder game with the foursome he's locked inside Primatech (Claire, Meredith, Angela, HRG), trying to make them kill each other. Meanwhile, Ando, Daphne and Parkman work to bring Hiro back to present-day and Nathan and Peter have differing opinions on what to do with the formula. For more on this episode,

Nathan comes upon Peter gazing upon their father's dead body. He tells Peter that he's going to finish what their father started, even though Peter thinks no good can come from it. Peter punches Nathan out and heads down to the lab.
At Primatech, Sylar traps HRG, Meredith, Claire and Angela in the building and talks to them over the PA system: "You did this to me. And before the night is over, I'm gonna prove to you, one by one, that you're all monsters. Exactly like me.".
Meanwhile, present-day Hiro, who is stuck in the 16-years-ago-past, recaps some things for us while gripping the pole and chatting to a pigeon. "I lost the formula. I failed my father. I lost my destiny."
Mohinder's infection has spread to his lungs and he hopes the formula will cure him. Peter, Flint and Knox burst into the lab, all of them planning to destroy the formula. Flint explains that with the formula, they're not so special anymore. Knox goes to keep an eye on Nathan so he won't interfere with the lab destruction.
Daphne speeds through the lab, stealing the one dose of the formula that Mohinder was holding. She gives it to Ando who injects himself even though Parkman (quite logically, really) wonders what if Ando doesn't get the exact power he wants?
Hiro climbs his way back up to the apartment where he talks with his child self and asks the younger Hiro to find a piece of paper of his father's with numbers and figures on it.
Claire would like to give the tempermental Sylar "a good spanking." Wouldn't we all, Claire? Wouldn't we all.
Sylar tells Claire that he'll let her, HRG and Meredith walk out alive if Claire will murder Angela. Otherwise, Claire is endangering HRG's life. She promises Sylar that if he hurts HRG she'll hunt him down and kill him.

Ando tries to teleport, repeating that he's the master of time and space. Parkman tells him to scrunch his eyes gently because he doesn't want to go back to the Stone Age (ha!). Rather than time travel, however, Ando got the power of supercharging other peoples' powers. They figure out that supercharging Daphne's speedstering causes her to travel through time.
HRG tells the Level Five guys that whoever brings him Sylar will be granted freedom, though he tells Meredith that they're actually bait for Sylar. Puppet master guy, Doyle, tries to control Sylar, but that doesn't work out so well for him. Sylar injects Meredith with adrenaline and then Meredith can't control her fire. Sylar shuts HRG in a room with her and has left him a gun with one bullet in it. Claire ultimately works with Meredith and HRG to shatter the glass and free them from the cell.
Nathan tells Knox that everyone always roots for Peter but in the end he always winds up losing. He starts a fight with Knox which Tracy ends by freezing and then shattering Knox. Tracy thinks that as a politician, Nathan can't recover from a disaster like this one, PR-wise. She says they can start over, but Nathan ends up firing her.
Older Hiro finds the formula just as Kaito walks in, notices the open safe and grabs his sword, calling Hiro a thief. Hiro finally holds up the formula, saying that if he destroys it then it can't be used. He tears it in half before disappearing. In that moment, Daphne and Ando bring Hiro back to the present. Daphne and Hiro then go to Pinehearst where Hiro punches Tracy in the face and grabs the formula.
Speaking of the formula, Flint and Peter are still trying to destroy the lab. They tip over a giant tub of the stuff, some of which reaches the knocked-out Mohinder and his scalies go away. Flint goes to set the place on fire, but Nathan hits him with a metal thing, then hits Peter with it - repeatedly. Flint sets the room ablaze anyway, but then Peter injects himself with the formula and crashes with Nathan through the window and flies them away to safety. Nathan wants to know why Peter saved him and Peter says it's because Nathan's his brother and he loves him.
Angela says Sylar's a hero because he killed Arthur, but Sylar's not having any of her nonsense. He says she's not her mother and she confirms this. She says she wanted him to work for the Company. She saw that he was "flawed, weak, malleable. Someone I could manipulate because that's what I do, because you're right. I'm a monster, too." She says she knows who his real parents are. He starts to force her to tell him but just then Claire gets him in the back of his skull, and he goes down. Claire goes back to the cell to save her mother, but HRG and Meredith tell her to run. As they do, Meredith unleashes her fire and Primatech is set aflame.
Tracy picks up Mohinder in her car.
"Each one of us is capable of both the dark and the light, of good and evil, of either, of all. And destiny while marching ever in our direction can be rerouted by the choices we make. . . by the love we hold on to and the promises we keep."
We get a glimpse of "Fugitives," which picks up three weeks later. Nathan is in D.C. explaining that he wants to round up all these special people and put them someplace where they won't be a danger to anyone. As he leaves the car, he thanks the President.

"Villains" is over! Heroes returns Feb. 2.

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter 12: "Our Father"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:37:33 PST

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.

To chat about this episode,

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.

Photos courtesy of NBC

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

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:44:33 PST

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.

To chat about this episode,

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.

Photos courtesy of NBC

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

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:35:04 PST

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,"

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. . .

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter Eight: "Villlains"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:39:31 PST

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,

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.

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Fans: Are You Still Watching This Season?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:30:25 PST

There's some high drama going on behind the scenes on Heroes: Two of the show's executive producers Jeph Loeb and Jesse Alexander are leaving Heroes, with everyone citing the age-old "creative differences" as the cause. According to Zap2It, the two "have been with the show since its first season two years ago and were heavily involved in day-to-day production. Whatever geek cred the show still has, however, could take a hit with their departure."

I'm still loyal to the show, but to be honest, I don't blame the guys if they were the ones who wanted out. Do you think the show is as good as it used to be? Will you continue to watch this season?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter Six: "Dying of the Light"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:30:13 PDT

This week's Heroes starts with Mohinder going on about how "in every journey, the traveler must ask, 'what's the right path taken?'" We get more of the same ol' themes of heroes vs. villains, choosing good over evil, etc. etc. My favorite part of this episode is when Parkman verbally high-fives his turtle.

If you know what I'm talking about and want to chat about it,

It really was impossible to believe Hiro could have actually killed Ando, and here we find out what really happened: Hiro stops time, goes to a magic shop to grab a collapsing knife and fake blood, returns in time to explain the whole thing to Ando, and the two fake Ando's murder for Daphne and Knox. Hiro tells Daphne he's a villain like her. Daphne tells Hiro to find the "precog," Usutu.
Claire wants to find Meredith, and Sandra Bennet insists on coming with. "Your father always said, one of us, one of them. I'm the one of us." Eric Doyle's ability truly upsets me. The whole circus theme paired with the loss of free will . . . it makes me nauseous. Meredith says she'll never love him and he insists she will.
Adam Monroe is brought to Arthur Petrelli who clutches Adam, takes his power, and kills him. And now, Arthur is up and at 'em.
Parkman, carrying the caged turtle at the airport, asks the turtle to give him a sign. When he sees Daphne he says, "High-five, Turtle." Daphne tells Parkman a bit about Pinehearst, he in turn explains that they are soulmates.
Nathan and Tracy go to see Mohinder and Tracy shows him her icy power. Mohinder injects them both, talking about how he followed his father's research for years but never got anywhere until he thought for himself. Nathan and Tracy pass out. Later, strapped to a table, Tracy tries to earn Mohinder's trust: "I know what you're thinking. You didn't mean for this to happen. You try to fix it but everything you do just makes it worse." Mohinder responds to this and takes her hand, like a fool, and she freezes his arm. She frees herself and Nathan but then Mohinder throws a table at them.

Daphne goes to Sylar's cell and tells him that the man she works for likes Sylar the way he is. Aww. She gives him the Pinehearst card and hightails it. I can't decide whether of not to trust this new trying-to-be-different Sylar. His change of heart seems awfully abrupt this season. Clearly, Peter is having similar suspicions.
Ando and Hiro get to Africa and Hiro goes into Usutu's home, asking for "Mr. African Isaac." Usutu knocks Hiro on the head with a shovel. More than once. So, Hiro decides to do things "the old-fashioned way": hide and wait for him to come back. Usutu finally talks to Hiro and shows him a painting with "the villains you seek" and the Pinehearst helix symbol, and he tells Hiro he can take him to them. There is also a painting of Peter hugging his father.

Stupid Claire! Ugh. Even Sandra Bennet knows that they need a plan and can't go barging into Doyle's puppet lair. But Claire doesn't even listen, and then she and both her moms are under the control of the creepy puppet guy. I do, however, like that Doyle calls Claire "Barbie." He tries to make Claire kill Meredith but there's no bullet loaded in the gun. Ultimately, he gets the gun in Sandra's hand and she pulls the trigger on Claire, who obviously regenerates and knocks out puppet guy. HRG shows up and praises Claire's actions as "impressive." She just looks at him and walks away. HRG then turns to Meredith and says he could use her help.
Daphne goes to Mohinder, tells him that her company is already doing what he's trying to do: give people abilities. She says they need his help. "To do what?" She shrugs. "Save the world?" She comes upon Tracy, Nathan and all the nasty slime webs.
Sylar instructs Peter to look inside Angela's head to find out what's going on, and it kinda seems like Angela punches him with her eyeball, which I think is one of the more entertaining aspects of this episode. Peter draws the Pinehearst symbol. Then Peter beats the snot out of Sylar. "All this power? I'm the most special." He puts Sylar in a coma. He comes upon his father who coaxes Peter into an embrace - and then robs him of all his powers. Not so special now, eh Peter?
Aww, Daphne and Parkman want to save each other from Pinehearst. Parkman insists he can protect her, but Daphne says simply, "No. you can't."

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter Five: "Angels and Monsters"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:30:46 PDT

They love to keep it all in the family on Heroes these days, and this week's episode is no exception. This week we got some daddy-daughter issues, a little mother-son drama, and the appearance of yet another member of the Petrelli family (and a powerful one, at that). It's all about the fam, and in each family, there are "angels and monsters."

Also, I'm glad I wasn't taking a shot every time someone said "monster." Jeez, we get it. Anyway, wanna talk about Heroes? Well then,

The episode starts out narrated by Nathan, which I think is an interesting choice: "I've been given a second chance. Touched by God, I gotta believe that he has a purpose for my life. . . So why am I filled with self-doubt, plagued by demons, real and imagined? . . . Am I an angel or a monster? A hero or a villain? And why can't I see the difference?" And there we have the theme for the night.
Linderman is super manipulative with all his talk about God, playing upon Nathan's recently renewed religious devotion: "God resides within, the answers will come." Sadly, it all kinda dissolves for Nathan when he finds out that God didn't exactly give him his powers - his mommy and her co-workers did.
Sometimes this show makes me laugh, like when Sylar readjusts his sickeningly broken neck. Peter, now all full of "the hunger" and rage, snaps Sylar's neck and then tries to open Angela's head before Sylar knocks him out.
Claire's birth mom, Meredith, sets off to find Claire who is on her mission. But at the end of the episode we see that Meredith is trapped in the puppet-filled house of one of the creepiest special people we've ever seen on the show: Eric Doyle, who controls her every movement. This power is so sinister and so upsetting to me.
Claire pays a visit to Stephen Canfield, a guy who creates vortexes that make people disappear. Claire is all sorts of accusatory at first, and Stephen is all suspicious, asking Claire if she's with a company called Pinehearst. Soon, Stephen explains to Claire that he didn't mean to kill a guy, and now his family won't see him, so, Claire tries to help him get in touch with his family. Just then, however, HRG and Sylar show up, Stephen freaks out and creates a vortex in the middle of the room before slipping out the door. After seeing a lot of pained expressions on Claire, HRG and Sylar's faces as they avoid getting sucked into the vortex, the vortex disappears.
At this other company (not to be confused with The Company), Pinehearst, Linderman instructs Daphne to recruit a few key special people, which Daphne does, but she ultimately tells Linderman she's not too keen on recruiting. He gives her one more to recruit: Matt Parkman. After this conversation, Daphne finds out that she can see Linderman but he's "not really there."
Hiro and Ando ask Adam Monroe for help. Adam calls Hiro a "Japanese Nazi." He brings the dynamic Japanese duo to a bar where he succeeds in getting Hiro knocked out and then makes a quick getaway - only to be kidnapped by Knox, the fear smeller. Hiro tells Knox and Daphne that he wants to join them, that he and Ando are "badasses." Knox doesn't think Ando's so necessary, however, and he hands Hiro a sword, saying, "You kill him? You are badass." Hiro says sadly that he "must make some sacrifices to save the world," and stabs Ando!
Mohinder's back makes me feel like vomiting, even while the rest of him is so wonderful to look at. When Maya discovers Mohinder's victims all covered up in slimy web-like crap and pinned to the wall (but not dead, apparently), she tries to help one of the people before Mohinder finds her and gives her a slime cocoon. It's so disgusting. How can someone so beautiful create something so gross? Anyway, at least now Maya's been silenced, so that should satisfy the Maya haters in the audience.

HRG assures Claire, "You can trust me, Claire, I wouldn't send anybody to Level Five that doesn't belong there." Sylar, however, cannot trust him as HRG tries to force Stephen to make Sylar disappear. Instead, Stephen screams, "I won't be a monster!" and makes himself disappear. After this, of course, Sylar is none too pleased with HRG, saying that "to you, I'm nothing but a monster. He doesn't see our humanity Claire, he never will." HRG comforts a confused Claire who murmurs, "He's a monster." Just in case we were ever unclear about this whole monster/angel, hero/villain theme.
Nathan and Tracy go to Level Five, where Peter has been put in a coma by Angela. Angela tells them about Dr. Zimmerman, who was "instrumental in the company's development of synthetic abilities. We used the technology on a number of infants. You were one of them Tracy, as were your sisters Niki and Barbara. And you, Nathan. We gave you your ability, too." She admits to Tracy that what the company did to her in the name of science is wrong and they need to stop the people trying to get the formula. Nathan and Tracy leave Angela and plan to find Mohinder, who is, at that moment, busy wrapping Maya in a cocoon of webby stuff in the corner.
Angela sees a man who frightens her, saying, "Hello, Angela. You can see the future. I can't have that. It's too dangerous." Angela insists that he won't succeed, she'll stop him. He replies, "Don't be ridiculous. You won't even be able to move." Last we see of her, Angela sits motionless at her desk.
Later at Pinehearst, Maury Parkman (Matt's dad), goes to see Arthur Petrelli who is laid up in bed, apparently unable to speak. Maury has a mental conversation with Arthur, and we hear Maury's side: "The team is coming together nicely. . . We're building an army, just like you. . . Right. Whatever you say goes, Mr. Petrelli."

Arthur freaking Petrelli?! They saved the best for last in this episode. What do you think of these new developments?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter Four: "I Am Become Death"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:42:08 PDT

In this week's episode of Heroes, we alternate between the present day and four years in the future, discovering what will apparently happen unless certain heroes take some action in the present day, stat. This version of the future is bizarre (especially Sylar's story!) and scary (cold-hearted gangster Claire). It will be interesting to see when/if/how it can be avoided. To chat about the goings-on in this week's episode,

In this future, everyone has an ability, but that also means people are using their abilities for evil. Future Peter says he knows that "all these people with abilities are going to destroy the world" because he painted that future. He needs present-day Peter to stop Mohinder from giving people abilities, and he needs to get Sylar's abilities. Future Peter can't do it because he "made terrible choices. Stepped on too many butterflies."
Tracy learns that she was one of three identical triplets: Tracy, Niki and Barbara. The three were separated and Tracy was given a formula, Dr. Zimmerman says, "that would make you incredible." At Tracy's probing for more answers, Dr. Z says "they" would not like him talking so much. Later, Tracy resigns from her job and attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, only to have Nathan swoop in and save her. She's glad to meet a fellow special person and they make out.
Future Claire tries to gun down both Peters, only managing to fell Future Peter who she brings back to a lab place where we see the blond girl from Parkman's future paintings, the speedster, Daphne.
Present day Hiro and Ando are trapped on Level Two. I love this: There aren't a lot of quarrels on TV shows that include the lines, "You know what I think? I think you're still upset that future me murders future you."
Nathan says that Linderman is the problem. Linderman: "You don't trust me? I'm hurt!" Linderman wants to help Nathan become president, saying that "this is the path to salvation."
I think Maya is in a scene but I'm not sure because all I can see are boobs. That dress, seriously? Anyway, Mohinder's rash is spreading, and he's becoming more aggressive. "The formula is transforming me, and I fear what I'm becoming." He later says that he "cannot reverse the process." Four years into the future, Mohinder has become a cloaked, shadowy creature, warning Peter not to make his same mistakes.

Also in this future? Daddy Sylar! Or, I guess, he's back to going by Gabriel. He has a little boy named Noah who clearly knows the future Peter and calls him "uncle." This is when present-day Peter discovers that he and Sylar are brothers. Sylar is reluctant to give Peter his ability, saying it's not just an ability, it's a hunger that he fights every day. . . "for him." Ultimately, though, Sylar says that if Peter can understand the "symphonies" of a watch, he can understand everything, and Peter acquires Sylar's ability.
In the future, Parkman and Daphne have a baby together and are raising Molly. Daphne wants to find Peter. Parkman tells his speedster wife to "slow down," but in the end Daphne joins slick, leather-wearing future Claire and the fear-reading guy to hunt down Peter.
Claire and her gang show up in Costa Verde, at the Bennets' old house where Sylar is living, and in the process of trying to kill, Peter they kill little Noah. Sylar flips out and causes a nuclear explosion. This apparently is tied into the title of this episode, which was taken from a quote by J. Robert Oppenheimer, "the father of the bomb:" "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
Later in this future, we see Nathan and Tracy - now the President and First Lady - as Nathan gives a speech about the tragic loss of Costa Verde.
Then Nathan seeks out Peter, who is being tortured by his niece, Claire. Heroes is just one big messed up family. Claire hunts down her uncle (twice), then plans on torturing him. Peter and Sylar are bros which means Sylar and Nathan are bros and Sylar is Claire's uncle because Nathan is Claire's father. Sheesh. Nathan tells Peter that one man cannot save the world, it's everybody's responsibility. The two brothers argue some more before Peter's newly acquired hunger makes him try to slice open Nathan's head.
In the future, Parkman's wife Daphne apparently dies from the Costa Verde explosion and Parkman wants to stop this from happening. Usutu tells Parkman to find his "totem," a spirit guide to lead him on his journey. (Ha: "Carl Jung. Analytical psychology. You don't read much, do you?") Parkman decides on the turtle and starts to (slowly) follow it.
By now, Hiro and Ando have made up and the Haitian has brought them before Mama Petrelli. Angela says she needs to find the formula, which can turn normal people into "people like us." She says that "they" have both parts of the formula now. She says someone has been manipulating them. She tells Hiro, "You have the key to unlocking this entire mystery." Hiro: "I do?"
So, they dig up Adam Monroe. Who is, understandably, a little mad.

Who do you think is making a shocking appearance in next week's episode?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Heroes Rundown Chapter Three: "One of Us, One of Them"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:36:14 PDT

"What kind of person are we? Does the hero, or the villain inside us, win the day?"

Ah, yes. The hero/villain question at the heart of Volume Three of Heroes. In this week's episode we get more of the scoop on who Tracey is (or rather, who she's not), Angela Petrelli insists that Sylar has simply been "misunderstood," and the pairing up of HRG and his new partner turns out to be surprisingly awesome. And then there are the Claire, Parkman, Hiro and Peter storylines, so to chat about it

Angela Petrelli gets all maternal on Sylar, telling him she never should have given him up for adoption, and now she's going to take good care of him. She pairs Sylar up with HRG, saying that Sylar has has just been misunderstood and needs structure. HRG: "So your solution is to send the psychopath after the psychopaths."
The escaped Level Five guys go into a bank and raise hell. One of them formulates a plan to lure HRG to the bank and take his revenge on him.
Uh-oh - Mom showdown. (Also, I love it when hero and non-hero life life collide: "Um, we don't smoke in the house"). Claire says she was hoping her mother would teach her how to fight so she won't be the victim all the time. Her mother tells her, "There are some things you can't fight, Claire." She then tortures her daughter into telling her the truth about why she wants to get bad guys. Claire screams, "To hurt him, okay? To hurt him like he hurt me!"
I like how the African guy, Usutu, makes Parkman's name sound a little like "Pac-Man." "It's your spirit walk, Pac-Man, not mine." Usutu paints images of Parkman (Parkman and Molly, Parkman getting thrown out the window by Jessica, etc.), just like Isaac Mendez used to paint scenes of the future. But then there is a painting of Parkman with a woman and a baby, which Usutu says isn't the future anymore. "The future changed."
Sylar wants to know if Angela is really his mother; it seems like Angela's really getting to him. I like it when Sylar feels stuff. He says he thinks HRG is right, he's just a killer. Angela: "No, it's not your fault, it's your ability, there's a hunger that you cannot control, it's made you that way. But we're going to fix that." Later, HRG says to Sylar, "You do realize she's playing us, right? This is all one big game to her."

Hiro, Ando and Daphne all end up at the movie theater where the Haitian is getting back the half of the formula for Angela Petrelli ("Given recent events, Mrs. Petrelli thinks it wise to keep her half closer to home"). Daphne tries to drive a little wedge between Hiro and Ando, which Hiro immediately recognizes: "Don't listen to her, Ando. She's trying to divide us. It's villainy 101."
Ha! I really enjoyed watching Sylar cop an accent and take charge of the hostage situation with the cops. I don't just love to hate him in this episode, I really like him.
In New Orleans, Tracey sees Niki (who looks just like her) lying in a coffin. She meets Micah (poor Micah!) who looks up Tracey's old records, which have some key similarities to Niki's. They get a name: Dr. Zimmerman. When Tracey visits Dr. Zimmerman she asks, "Do you know me?" Dr. Zimmerman: "Know you? I created you."
The campy piano music of the Chaplin movie is perfect for Hiro and Ando's bumbling mission to get the briefcase from the Haitian, which Daphne promptly swipes.
Peter gets out of Jesse's body and disappears into the future. Meanwhile, the real Jesse is back in his own body and he advances on HRG, only to be stopped by Sylar. HRG yells at Sylar, saying that he told Sylar to stay put. Sylar: "You told me that to make sure I wouldn't, didn't you?" Sylar then traps Jesse in the bank and slices open his forehead, telling HRG he can't fight it. "It's the hunger."
Claire's mom: "You gotta learn to save yourself before you can save the world." But Claire is still intent on getting the bad guys, and drives off with a Primatech box.
Parkman sees a painting of him carrying the woman who was holding the baby in the earlier painting, and he asks if he can stop this future scene. Usutu brings Parkman to his house (where a turtle climbs over the 9th Wonders comic book, ha). Parkman eats some stuff, then puts on Usutu's headphones and gets the milky white future-seeing eyes, like Isaac Mendez and like Usutu.
Nathan is sworn into office, which Tracey misses altogether. Later Nathan is seen reading the Bible (Genesis).
Hiro and Ando are now at Level 5! There, the Haitian asks HRG if he's being replaced (by Sylar). HRG: "Only for a while. Just until I find his weakness. And then I'm gonna kill him."

In the preview for next week's episode, Sylar is wearing an apron and kissing Mr. Muggles! This episode was fine and all, but I look forward to seeing that.

Photos courtesy of NBC