'Heroes' Ends its PTR Reign

OMG!!  They killed Elle (or rather, Sylar did)!  I don't know whether to be totally bummed or totally happy.  Bummed because this means no more Kristen Bell on Heroes or happy because I'm finally free of this show!  It has been rough this season (and not all that good last season), but I was hanging on out of loyalty to Kristen.  Well, no more.  So unless something HUGE happens and the show completely turns itself around, this will be PTR's last post on Heroes.  I will be refocusing all of that Heroes energy on Chuck instead.  

I didn't think for a minute that Claire was dead.  And then when they showed Sylar die as well, I started to suspect that once the eclipse passed, powers would return and those who had "died" during it, would come back to life.  Unfortunately (or is that fortunately?), this didn't apply to Elle since Sylar killed her after the eclipse had passed and their powers had returned.  The writing was on the wall for this one from the beginning.  When you lie down with dogs...

Adios Heroes.  I will miss you, but it will be the season one you and not the way- too- wrapped- up- in- your- own- mythology shell of your former self that you have become as of late.  Call me if you turn things around and return to the show you once were a couple of seasons ago.  I won't be waiting by the phone, though.

'Heroes' Pulls the Strings

I took the week off from writing about Heroes last week because I needed to re-access my commitment to the show. I still haven't decided whether or not I'm going to continue to write about it every week, but I thought that this week's episode was strong enough to warrant a write-up because I actually have some positive things to say about it. First, as usual, the Claire story line is the best, most engaging, and interesting of all of the heroes' stories. And last night's Puppet Master nail-biter exemplified why she seems to get the best material. Obviously, the best outcome to that intense game of Russian Roulette was for one of them to shoot Claire (while being under the Puppet Master's control) because she can't die. So, it was bang, bang, bang, bang and Claire's not dead, but surprising the Puppet Master with a bop over the head and a quick call to HRG. Now that she has orchestrated her first villain round-up, HRG is thinking that he may want to take this show on the road because he could use Claire's help in capturing the others on the loose.

The other interesting story is the Speedster and her struggle with good and evil as she rounds up the villains for her boss. She doesn't want to do Pinehearst's bidding, but she has no choice for some reason. I'm curious to find out about that reason. And speaking of Pinehearst, the symbol for the company is clearly that weird "f" insignia that we've been seeing since season one except it has been turned on its side and paired up with a mirror image of itself. Could this represent the two halves of the formula that give the heroes their powers? Only Mr. Petrelli knows for sure.

I'm still hating the Mohinder story and the Peter one isn't much better. I like Hiro and his sabbatical to Africa and I'm curious to see where things lead now that he has found "the pre-cog." But, my interest in this show is hanging by a very delicate thread. I will continue to watch for now, but I can't say how much longer I'll continue to dedicate space here at PTR to it.

Future 'Heroes'

There comes a point in every show when the story crosses the line into the crazy. Traditionally, this moment is known as "Jumping the Shark." Ladies and gentlemen, we may have hit that Jump the Shark moment on Heroes. I don't want to jump the gun on this and certainly, jumping the shark is not a term I just throw around, but this week's episode has me VERY concerned about the future of this series. Especially since this outing was all about the future. The entire hour was beyond bizarre and completely lost my interest. Future Claire kills Future Peter and then goes on a quest to kill Present Peter?? Sylar's making waffles with Mr. Muggles?? An entire town suffers a nuclear explosion after Sylar implodes while fighting Future Claire and her band of evil (good?) doers?? WTH??!!

The only story that has me interested right now is Mohinder's poor decision to give himself a power. Of course, Maya has nothing to do (again) except run around in skimpy shirts and question Mohinder's judgment. I don't know. I think this show needs to focus more on the present and quit jumping between it and the future or it's in great danger of getting caught up in its own mythology. If that happens, I'm out. As we all know, Lost has the monopoly on mythology on my couch and there just isn't room for any more. Let's hope Heroes turns things around. Fast.

A Surprising Alliance

There's no way that letting Sylar out in the real world with someone who doesn't have any powers is a good idea. I mean, this has disaster written all over it. Just ask Weevil Jesse. I guess we won't be getting any more Veronica Mars reunions. No doubt that HRG is a pretty powerful guy even without any special powers, but he's no match for Sylar. Sylar's "urges" are too strong and I'm just not sure that HRG is going to be able to find his weakness and exploit it. Unless, the Haitian is able to block all of Sylar's powers the way he blocked Hiro's and speedy girl's powers at the German movie theater. Then, HRG stands a chance.

Meanwhile, armed with the knowledge that she can't die, Claire is taking matters into her own hands because she wants to hurt "him" the way he hurt her. I'm guessing the "him" she's referring to is Sylar, so I'm not quite sure how she can hurt him. This seems to be the catalyst that sends her down the dark path we see her on in the future. And from the promos for next week, it looks like we're going to see more of Dark Future Claire. Remember when she was just the cute, sweet cheerleader that they needed to save in order to save the world?

Matt is still stuck in the African desert and I'm beginning to worry that this story will become as long and involved as last season's Hiro-lost-in-time snoozefest. Strangely enough, his guide has the same paint-the-future power that the departed Isaac had complete with weird white eyes syndrome. Even stranger -- Matt was able to do the same when he put the headphones on while painting. What in the world is playing on those headphones?

Finally, Tracy/Niki/Whomever is trying to piece together the incredibly strange parts of her life and how they intersect with women who look exactly like her. This little journey took her to New Orleans and Micah (and a coffin containing Niki's body) and then to Los Angeles and a Dr. Zimmerman. She knocked on his door, but he didn't seem too surprised to see her. He just wasn't sure which one she was, and when she pressed him about the fact that he knew her, he told her that he created her!

'Heroes' Fights the Future

Was that the third season premiere of The 4400 or Heroes? Hard to tell. You know, I never put a lot of stock in those proclamations that the two shows were very similar, but last night’s premiere rang way too familiar for me to ignore them any further. Mohinder discovered that the formula that gives people special powers reacts with the adrenal system, so he used Maya to extract the substance and then planned to mass produce it so that everyone can have an ability power. All it requires is a little shot. OK, OK – the substance isn’t glowing green, but let’s face it, this is Promicin redo. Additionally, there seems to be a great risk in taking the shot as we saw Mohinder beginning to have a bad reaction to it. At first, he developed heightened senses, but by the end, he was peeling chunks of skin off of his back. Yuck! And this wasn’t the only Yuck! Factor of the night. I’m not very squeamish when it comes to Hollywood guts and gore, but that scene where Sylar stole some of Claire’s indestructibility power was downright NASTY! I actually felt my stomach starting to turn as Claire laid there with the top of her head lying on the floor and her brain exposed for Sylar to exploit. I’m re-grossing myself out just writing about it!

Now that Sylar has Claire’s power, he’s even more dangerous and he’s even more like The 4400’s Isabel. Some of his scenes last night reminded me so much of that show’s villainess who also happened to have many dangerous abilities. The weird thing is – after Sylar took some of Claire’s power, she ceased to be able to feel pain anymore. Glass pierced through her palm, but she didn’t even know it. This had her questioning once again whether she was even alive, especially after she learned from Sylar that she’s “special” and can’t die. Apparently, she’s “not like the others.” Kinda explains that opening scene where Claire tries to shoot Peter, huh? She repeated that line about being special and it seemed that Sylar’s revelation had lasting effects. Of course, none of that may ever happen thanks to Future Peter’s meddling. It’s called “the butterfly effect” and clearly, Peter never saw the movie because he was unaware that his interfering with one event changes the course of numerous other events.

Elsewhere, Niki is now Tracy and seems to be completely unaware of her former self, Nathan lives after taking several shots to the chest (thanks to Future Peter), and the governor of New York is tapping Nathan to be the junior senator from that state after seeing his miraculous recovery. Hmm… seems Linderman has far reaching effects even as a ghost (or figment of Nathan’s imagination). Hiro is dealing with a super-fast thief and the knowledge that Ando will betray him in the future (if Future Peter doesn’t interfere, that is) , Matt Parkman is lost roaming the deserts of Africa (thanks to Future Peter), and Elle is dealing with the sudden death of her father (another victim of Sylar). How awesome was that mini Veronica Mars reunion, though? Veronica and Weevil together again?! Too. Good. To. Be. True!! Finally, it seems that Mrs. Petrelli is hiding even more than we thought. Sylar is her son?! He’s Peter and Nathan’s brother??!! Oh boy!

The 'Heroes' of Comic-Con

As LillyKat reported last week, lucky fans, bloggers, and members of the media attended the annual Comic-Con in San Diego. Producers and cast members from many of your favorite shows were on hand to answer questions and drop a few hints about their shows' upcoming seasons. Now, thanks to the folks at NBC.com, you can watch the entire Heroes panel online! Click on over to nbc.com to get all of the scoop on the new season.

Comic-Con 2008: 'Chronicles' Panel; Early 'Heroes' Season Three; 'Lost' Hints

By LillyKat
PTR Senior Staff Writer

We continue with our living - vicariously - through - fellow - blogger updates for the happenings of some of our PTR Faves on Saturday at Comic-Con 2008 ...

• Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles

The T:SCC panel consisted of Lena Heady (Sarah Connor), Thomas Dekker (John Connor), Summer Glau (Cameron), Brian Austin Green (Derek Reese), Richard T. Jones (Agent Ellison), Garrett Dillahunt (bad terminator Cromartie), and new cast addition Shirley Manson, who'll be playing some sort of high-tech bad gal in pursuit of the evil Turk computer (we remember her as the "I'm Only Happy When It Rains" lead singer of the band, Garbage, right?)

According to The TV Addict's report and Entertainment Weekly's recap, looks like season two will be a whopper.


*** SPOILER WARNING ***


- Cameron Lives!: Okay, so we knew that was going to be true otherwise there'd be no show. Still, it's good to actually confirm this. I mean, is Summer Glau not the Best.Good.Terminator.Ever?

- John Connor Beefs it Up: According to series creator, Josh Friedman, we're going to see a different John Connor this second go around. Although we here at PTR never quite viewed John as some sort of "mopey, PTSD-afflicted teen" (as EW describes), we do agree he was definitely under the thumb of ol' Sarah. Seems he'll be toughening up a bit as well as getting out from underneath mom's smotheristic approach to living. Not a bad thing, we think. But, we're hoping his "butching up" (as EW says) isn't going to take away some of his best qualities - which, for us, is his compassion and softer side. Part of being the leader of the free world is having a good balance of both. Then again, us girls here at PTR like the sensitive guys. Sue us, okay?

- Death Watch: Apparently, Friedman sprung it on the cast that one of them will die in season two. Doh! Let's hope it won't be some sort of who-shot-JR thing.




• Heroes Screens Third Season Premiere

In feeling as if last season's premiere let the fans down, series creator Tim Kring decided to give the lucky ones crammed into gi-mormous Hall H a surprise: a full screening of the third season premiere.

Like, how cool is that?

According to James Hibberd's The Live Feed, Kring is determined to make season three a strong one. And whilst some shows felt the creative sting of the infamous writer's strike (uh, see Cold Case), and turned in some less-than-stellar eps both before and after the strike, Kring said the break actually served to do the show some good from a creative perspective in addition to helping get fans ramped up for the new season.


*** SPOILER WARNING ***


(courtesy James Hibberd's The Live Feed):

- Kring wrote the episode "The Second Coming"; it's first entry in the show's fall book, which will be called "Villains."

- At least one character without powers will gain a power, and at least one character presumed dead is not.

- Hiro is given a new quest, and the premiere will also introduce a new “speedster" that Kring describes as Hiro’s nemesis.

- Maya has returned, and she has a minor part of the episode.




• Lost Drops Few Hints

Seems as though the Lost producers are taking a page from Where's Waldo? and Damages.

Again, according to James Hibberd's The Live Feed, when the fifth season begins, viewers won't quite know which end it up, or if they are watching a flashback or a flashforward.

Hmmm, sounds a bit Damages-esque to me.

Now, I don't actually watch Lost (that would be PTR Editor in Chief TVFan's domain), but I can say that if the Lost folks do anything near as good as Damages, viewers should be in for a treat.


*** SPOILER WARNING ***


On whether Daniel Faraday and the other Oceanic survivors on the Zodiac raft will survive last season's finale, it seems that Faraday did. But apparently a monsoon is coming, says executive producer Carlton Cuse says. Soooo, the others ... no so much, eh?

Sources: The TV Addict, PopWatch Blog and The Live Feed

Bell to Play 'Heroes' Once Again

This installment of Best! News! Ever! is from People.com:

Kristen Bell Returns to Heroes

She’s back!

Kristen Bell will return to NBC’s Heroes in September as part of a new multiple episode arc, PEOPLE confirms exclusively.

The actress reprises her role as Elle Bishop, an agent of the Company, who harnesses electricity to zap her opponents.

“I’m just happy to be electrocuting people again!” she tells PEOPLE.

Fans can see Bell in the season premiere on Sept. 22.

The actress has also just wrapped the Disney film When In Rome, which will be released next year. – Cynthia Wang



Phew! I was starting to get a little nervous.

Previewing 'Sarah Marshall'

'Tis the season for giving, so PTR is giving you the gift of *NEW* Kristen Bell. You're welcome. First, new Kathryn Morris video and now this! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Anyway, the former Veronica Mars star (and current Heroes shocker) stars in the big screen's Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The film, about a man (How I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel) who takes a trip to Hawaii to forget his ex-girlfriend (Bell), but winds up in the room next door to her and her new boyfriend, is from the same people who brought you Knocked Up and The 40-Year Old Virgin. Here is an early look at the official trailer:


Forgetting Sarah Marshall is scheduled to hit the big screen this summer. For more on the film, visit www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com.

Two 'Heroes' Fall

Why do shows like Lost and Heroes string us along all season (or in Heroes' case, half a season) with mediocre plots and so much mythology that I'm not even sure the writers understand it all -- just to wallop us with a kick-ass finale that leaves our heads spinning and our hearts wondering why we ever doubted this show??!! Why, I ask! It's just not fair. And with the continuing writers strike spelling out a bleak TV future that includes the looming sensation that most shows may not finish out their seasons past the 12 or so episodes they have in the bank, it makes this week's spectacular Heroes finale even more bittersweet. I'm psyched that they ended "Volume II" with a HUGE bang, but bummed that I might not get to follow the story until Fall 2008 at the earliest. Moving on because if I don't, I'm going to get all depressed over the current condition of this TV season. Did anyone else find themselves literally hanging on Every. Single. Moment?? It's no secret that I usually find this show's multi-story formula to be its biggest weakness (too many stories + too many characters = total viewer confusion), but this week, it worked in this episode's favor. It built up the suspense and had me glued through the entire hour. Every story was intense. Every story had real emotion. And every story advanced the plot and cleared up a lot of ambiguous elements from the first half of this season.

The promos promised that two heroes would die. The writing has been on the wall all season for Nicki, so no surprises there (although, the manner of her death was a shock -- I was so sure the virus was going to get her since Mohinder was distracted with Sylar). Nathan, on the other hand, was a shock for me. Of course, you can never be too sure that characters are actually dead on these sorts of shows, but assuming the older Petrelli bit the bullet last night (and in a very unsettling manner), you can go ahead and paint me shocked. I never liked Nathan, so no love lost on his passing, but I am a bit unnerved that the two dead heroes are two original heroes. Oh hell, I'm just glad my girl Kristen Bell survived to shock another season.

I really wish they had killed Sylar. I really HATE him! I know I'm supposed to and all, but I think I hate him more than the writers want me to (he has NO redeeming qualities). I was so hoping Elle would electrocute his evil butt. Even Adam, Mr. Let's- cleanse- humanity -with- a- horrible- infectious- virus, has redeeming qualities. Plus his motives, while totally whacko, at least make some sort of sense and he seems to be motivated by good versus Sylar's evil. A bit misguided, but still, he believes he's doing what's best for the world. Looks like he'll be spending those next 400 years six feet under, though. Let's just hope that the wait for the next new episode of Heroes is a little shorter.

'Heroes' Saves One of its Own

I have to admit - I didn't really think that Heroes' HRG was dead. He's just too integral a character to kill off this early on in the series. I didn't, however, think that they would bring him back to life by the end of the episode. His "resurrection," if you will, did make for an interesting final moment. In fact, all in all, I liked this week's outing a lot. It focused on a couple of stories instead of the show's usual several-a-week format. It's just too difficult to follow when they try to stuff 10 pounds of potatoes into a 5-pound sack, and that causes me to lose interest -- fast. Even Lost, for all its faults, sticks to one character's story at a time each episode. Anyway, it seems that Claire in more vulnerable now that The Company has her father. He's not able to protect her and there's no way The Company isn't going to exploit him. It's no secret that Claire's story is my favorite, so I'm excited about the possibilities here.

If someone had given me a detailed character description for Kristen Bell's Elle, I never would have believed that she could pull it off. "BUT, she's too cute, " I would have uttered vehemently. And boy would I have been wrong. She's fan-frickin-tastic in this role! She brings the right amount of fun, evil and even a little "Kristen essence" to a role that could easily have turned into an exploited bad girl cliche in the hands of another actress. Major kudos to Bell for knocking my socks off once again.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Catch a 2-day marathon of the first season of Heroes on cable's MOJO November 23rd and 24th. Visit www.mojohd.com for more.

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

Claire's Killer Cheerleading Tryout

Oh my gosh! We were this close to no longer having Claire as the infamous cheerleader! Boy, that lie she told her father would have been a lot bigger. If she hadn't made the squad, the guilt would have been too much. Truth is, snotty head cheerleader didn't put her on the squad because she wasn't "extra ordinary" enough. Well, she showed her! Claire and West came up with a plan to publicly humiliate her using their respective powers. I have to admit, it was pretty funny and it wasn't like snotty head cheerleader didn't deserve her suspension. While Claire's busy giving cheerleaders their due, her father's busy in Russia getting a former business associate to spill the location of Isaac's other foreboding paintings. I never thought about using The Haitian's memory-killing power as an interrogation tool, but it worked! And just in case we were getting a little too used to HRG's softer side, the writers were sure to remind us that he has an evil one as well. After getting the location, he shot his former associate point blank and made it look like a botched robbery. Apparently, erasing the man's memories wasn't enough because The Company could trace it back to him. When they finally got to the paintings, they weren't able to make much sense of them -- yet. Stay tuned...

Elsewhere, Hiro made a huge wrinkle in time that may not be easily fixed. He gave in to his feelings for the swordsman's daughter and kissed her. Even worse, she figured out that it was he who she had originally fell for under those cherry blossoms. Turns out, Kenzai is definitely the jealous type! He enlisted the help of Whitebeard's army to capture the princess and her father. Hiro, you're supposed to be ensuring that history happens as planned, not rewriting it! Meanwhile, Maya refuses to listen to her brother's advice regarding Sylar (BAD idea, Maya!!) and Mohinder just got a new research partner: Nicki (or is it Jessica? Hard to tell). And then there's Peter's bizarre discovery in Montreal. Who's Adam? Is he the same Adam that Bob had a folder on and warned Mohinder about? Interesting...

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

'Heroes' Tolls its Bell

The most highly anticipated moment of the new season (according to PTR, of course) finally happened this week: Kristen Bell is officially a hero! Only, she's not exactly what I would call a hero. Sure, she has an awesome power (she's electrifying!), but she's not exactly using it for good. As she put it on the phone to her "daddy," "Ok, I killed him. So what?" Looks like someone missed the whole "right from wrong" lesson as a child. Bad girl or not, I like Kristen in this role. She's wicked in a fun way (blame her unmistakable charm) and I think she's really going to stir the pot a bit. Contrast her to Matt's horrible father. Clearly, he's not using his power for good either, but he's also not making any exceptions for family. Seems daddy dearest can read minds too, but he's honed his power enough to actually control others' dreams or rather, nightmares. Molly's "Nightmare Man" has lived up to his name. It also looks like he may be the murderer Matt and Nathan are after.

How cute was the Micah/Monica story line?! It seems that her power to master whatever she sees isn't limited to television. She played the piano like a pro after watching Micah do it and then jumped rope like a champ after watching some neighborhood girls. Monica may be hesitant to accept her new ability, but Micah's calming nature and history with various powers are helping her adjust. Of course, that dynamic may be interrupted with Mohinder knocking on her door.

Elsewhere, Peter's about to go on the run with or without Caitlin, Nicki resurfaced at The Company, Hiro's trying to NOT re-write history, and a murderer is still on the loose. Things keep heating up on Heroes!

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

'Heroes' Soars to New Heights

Now this is the Heroes that I know and love! Finally, an episode that just blows me away completely from start to finish. And next week, KRISTEN BELL IS COMING!! I am so psyched for her arrival. But first, we have to discuss the awesome-ness that is this week's outing. As usual, Claire's story was my fave, but the others gave this one a run for its money. I'm such a sap, but I love all of her scenes with West and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we really can trust him. If anything happens to our little Claire Bear, well Daddy Dearest isn't going to take it sitting down. I'm not even sure that he's buying the cheerleading lie. Of course, it isn't like he's not harboring his own secret life: the paintings, the Haitian, Mohinder and on and on. He didn't leave his past life behind -- why should Claire?

And then there's everyone's favorite villain Sylar who somehow turned up in Mexico. Problem number one - he's a homicidal maniac; problem number two - he knows about Maya and Alejandro's powers. Of all of the hero powers, I'm pretty sure that this one is the worst for him to "steal." It's sorta a toss up between this one and all the others, though. I can only imagine what he has planned for our favorite fugitives.

Micah is "re-wiring" cable systems in New Orleans so his cousin can watch the latest wrestling match on PPV while his other cousin is deciphering her ability to absorb whatever she sees on television. BTW, how awesome would that ability be??!! By my count, I'd be able to interrogate intimidating suspects ala Lilly Rush, make clever, witty comments ala Veronica Mars, hide my repressed sexual tension for my FBI partner ala Bones, coach a high school football team to a state championship ala Coach Eric Taylor, and burst out in song about "Guy Love" and "Everything Comes Down to Poo" ala JD and Turk. How awesome would my life be??!!

Finally, Matt and Nathan are working together to solve the recent murders of the founding fathers/mothers of the hero powers. Turns out, Matt's dad is one of them. This means he could be in danger, but in his case, it's more likely that he's the one creating the danger. According to Molly, Matt's dad is the "nightmare man" - the one that she feared last season because he can see her when she's honing in on his location. Matt couldn't let it go, Molly used her power to locate his father, and now she's in grave danger. Nice one, Matt!

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

A Powerless Sylar Returns

I have to say, I wasn't too thrilled to see Sylar alive last night, albeit stripped of all of the powers that he collected last season. And I kinda cheered when he tried to take his hostess' power and it didn't work. Sylar is SO last season! Actually, he's such an incredibly horrifying villain that I was very content to assume he was dead and gone forever. And can you believe he's on the Lost island??!! I know I'm not the only one who thought of Lost when they zoomed out on Sylar's new "home." We can only be so lucky to have his location as remote and undetectable as the gang's on Lost. Oooh, do you think Molly will be able to locate Sylar with her power? As if that poor girl doesn't have enough to worry about already. And then there's her caretaker, Mohinder's, discovery of the 8th painting. Looks like HRG isn't long for this world if the future goes as planned. Not surprising since the hooded figure seems to be eliminating all of the original members of the company.

Elsewhere, things just got a little easier (and a little more complicated) for Claire. In an impressive display, West finally revealed his power to her. Now, Claire has someone she can be herself with and share her secrets, BUT she also learned one of her father's. He kidnapped West awhile back. Of course, we already knew that HRG was in the abduction business because we saw him take Matt Parkman last season. No worries, Claire -- that's in HRG's past. The new HRG works at the copy store and leads a boring life, except for that little espionage project he's working on with Mohinder. Meanwhile, Hiro's still somewhere in time ensuring that history isn't rewritten and falling in love in the process and Peter is a full-fledged member of an Irish band of thieves and falling in love with their sister. Oh, and Nicki and Micah finally resurfaced in New Orleans! Unfortunately, DL wasn't quite as lucky. It's just another day in the life of our favorite heroes.

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

Claire Pretends She's Not one of the 'Heroes'

So, four months later and the heroes are trying to get their normal lives back and pretend that they're not walking around with a special power. Easier said than done for some of them. Take Claire -- new school, new friends, new identity, and yet, she's having a difficult time putting her old self behind her. So much so, she called her birth father Nathan for advice. Bad move since Nathan is busy trying to drink away what happened and the loss of his brother. So, Claire continues to feel isolated at her new school and in her new existence, BUT that could all change very soon. It seems that her only new friend, a boy who asks her whether she's a "robot" or an "alien," is hiding his own unique ability. Like Nathan, he can fly and he's onto Claire's "alien" tendencies as well (blame her need to attempt the double tuck off the landing or her conversation with Nathan). Me thinks Claire won't feel lonely for long.

Meanwhile, Hiro is busy changing the course of history with his time-traveling. He thought he was saving his hero from a few arrows through the armor, but he inadvertently prevented the warrior from saving a village of people, marrying the sword maker's daughter, and who knows what else. Now, he's on a mission to correct the wrongs he caused. LOVED, by the way, that his hero was an Englishman (Alias' Sark) and Hiro was completely caught off guard. Great scene! What Hiro doesn't know, back in the present, someone is killing off members of the organization that created these heroes and their latest victim is his father. It looks like Nathan and Peter's mom is next. And speaking of Peter, it seems he didn't die after all. He showed up in a cargo crate on a dock in Ireland naked and completely unaware of who he is or what he was a part of (reminiscent of the rebirth of The 4400's Jordan Collier). And then there was the latest hero -- Maya and her brother Alejandro. The two are trying to get to the US from South America, but Maya seems to have a little problem with keeping the people around her alive. I'm curious to see how she fits in to the plan and to find out the truth about her power. I think we better buckle in again because this looks like another unpredictable season!

Photos courtesy nbc.com.

'Heroes' Rings Bell

File this under BEST. NEWS. EVER!!! From Yahoo! News:

Kristen Bell to appear on NBC's 'Heroes'
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER, Associated Press Writer
Mon Aug 20, 4:13 PM ET

DETROIT - Kristen Bell is going from solving mysteries to being a part of one. The 27-year-old actress, who starred for three seasons as teenage detective Veronica Mars on the now-canceled show of the same name, will appear in a multi-episode arc on NBC's "Heroes" this fall.

"This was not easy to pull off. But since we're an ensemble show, with many arcs playing out through the year, we found a way to jump into a small window in her schedule," Tim Kring, the show's executive producer and creator, said in a statement Monday.

Kring said Bell's character, Elle, will appear in October and will be "a sexy, intriguing, mysterious young lady" who will commit a terrible crime, but it won't be clear whose side she is really on.

"Heroes" won't be the Detroit-area native's only TV work this fall.

She's providing the voice of the narrator (something she also did on "Veronica Mars") for the CW's new "Gossip Girl."

Bell also has some big-screen projects in the works, including a turn as the title character in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," a comedy produced by Judd Apatow ("The 40 Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up").



Well Kristen fans, we may have missed out on seeing her on Lost, but seeing her on Heroes this fall is just as awesome!! (Photo courtesy Kristen Bell:: Online)

UPDATED: Read Kristen's exclusive interview on her new role (HINT: she has "a really awesome power," but she can't spill the beans and the best news -- she's committed to 13 episodes!!) , turning down Lost and the possibility of a Veronica Mars film with TVGuide's Mike Ausiello.

'Heroes' Fall in Season Ender

I know I always went on about what a waste of a character Nathan Petrelli was on Heroes, but Peter, I liked!! Damn these intrigue shows and their incessant need to kill off characters! I swear if Lost kills off Juliet tomorrow night, I'm so over these types of shows. Anyway, I'm not entirely convinced that we have seen the last of Nathan and Peter Petrelli. Fingers crossed for Peter. In other Heroes happenings, Niki, DL and Micah are reunited while Claire and her dad are heading home to be a family again as well. And then there's Hiro, who seems to be stuck in medieval China just as a battle is about to break out. Luckily for him, the pending clash was eclipsed by the unusual solar event. Still, how did he end up here and why is one of the warring tribes carrying a battle flag with that mysterious Heroes "f" on it? Clearly, it's all connected. I have to admit, I'm intrigued for next season.

Speaking of next season, things seem to be looking a little gloomy in the bad guy department. Silar appears to have survived his run-in with Hiro's sword. The ending shots showed what I presumed to be his blood trail leading to the sewer cover. Plus, Molly had a chilling prophecy about another evildoer. It seems this one uses her ability against her. When she thinks about him, he can see her. Talk about your creepy Peeping Toms! I'd be lying if I said that this little revelation alone had me hooked for another season. So, it was a jam-packed season finale, which is how these things seem to go. I'm not a big fan of this overcrowding method because it just feels like someone shoved 10 pounds of potatoes into an 8-pound sack. It makes it seem like we have been a bit short-changed. Of course, Heroes is not the only show guilty of this crime, just the latest. Overall, though, I enjoyed this one and found myself pretty shocked more than once. A solid end to a solid season.

The pictures in this edition are courtesy of nbc.com. Click on over there for all of this season's episodes streaming for free.

Save the Girl, Save the World

This week on Heroes it was all about "Save the Little Girl, Save the World" because Molly has the ability to see the location of anyone she wants. Problem is, she had a deadly disease that blocked her ability, so she needed to be saved in order to stop Sylar. Mohinder lost his sister to the same disease, but his father had discovered the cure a couple of months too late. Turns out, Mohinder was the cure. He had the antibodies inside of him, which was the reason why his parents had him -- to save his sister. Of course, his purpose became even more important when he met Molly. Nice follow up with her since she was the little girl hiding in the closet earlier this season after Sylar murdered her parents. I'm curious to see how big of a role this little girl plays in the two final episodes of the season. Sylar seems to be growing more and more unstoppable, but I'm not convinced that he's the one exploding in the middle of New York City. How was he able to interrupt Hiro's time freeze at his mother's apartment? He killed his own mother (perhaps inadvertently) and didn't seem to mourn the loss. With each power, he's becoming more and more emotionally disconnected. His mother's disappointments in her son seem to be fueling this rage and need to feel important.

Elsewhere, Nathan is proving to be the true snake in the grass that I always believed him to be. He's such a waste of a character, and it's totally unfair that he got the flying power. He's in Linderman's pocket, and even though he's not in favor of Linderman's plan to blow up NYC in order to rallying everyone together, he's going along with it so far. Maybe it's the fact that he's a politician, but I just can't stand Nathan. Claire needs to high-tail it outta there, stat! Meanwhile, Micah seems to be in the most danger. He's in Linderman's custody and he's supposed to be the one who ignites into the bomb. Jessica and DL stumbled upon more evidence that seems to indicate that Linderman designed the heroes and chose who he wanted to give the powers to through a lot of extensive research. And things took a dire turn when Peter met nuclear man! Someone's going to blow, the only question is, who??

If you missed tonight's episode, you can watch it for free at nbc.com. The photo in this edition is courtesy of nbc.com.

'Heroes' Morphs into a Stronger Show

Heroes is the type of show that loves to up the ante. It started out with a so-so pilot, but soon cranked out some stellar hours that had us all hooked. But, that wasn't good enough because the critics still weren't convinced. No problem. Heroes comes back from the holiday-imposed hiatus and hits us with some outright awesome outings that culminated in last week's stellar look at the mysterious HRG and last night's incredible final episode until April. So many shocking moments, so many awesome revelations and an ending that will keep me guessing until this glorious show returns. I was dying to know what Missy Perigrym's power was going to be. I could only imagine what creative idea the writers were going to come up with next, but I never imagined that she would be able to morph into other people. It's so ingenious. It's just too bad that she's using it for the wrong team. First, she morphs into Simone in order to save Isaac from an extended stay at the local prison. Then, she becomes HRG's wife long enough to get the incriminating evidence she needs to get him in trouble with his company -- a bunch of people that you don't want on your case. Speaking of which, Linderman wants to offer Nathan the world. The only problem, we know that the strings attached are too much to bare. The question is, why does Linderman want to see Nathan's political career succeed? And more importantly, how does he know about his power? This all tracks back to the assertion that Linderman is somehow connected to these heroes.

Meanwhile, Claire found out that she and Peter can never date after stumbling upon her grandmother. Why does Mrs. Petrelli know The Haitian?? We know that she's connected to Linderman through her husband. Hmmm... Elsewhere, Isaac painted his own murder and Peter began to witness his as Sylar kicked his powers into high gear. I was shocked when Mohinder revealed that he had discovered that he was working with Sylar and not a hero. I really thought he shot him. Too bad. Now, Peter's life is in jeopardy and Mohinder's hangs in the balance (literally) until the end of April! The insanity!

If you missed tonight's episode, you can watch it for free at nbc.com. All of the photos in this edition are courtesy of nbc.com.


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