Heroes (Series 3) Volume 3 - Villains - Episode 13 - Dual

The final episode of Heroes (Volume 3): Villains comes to a rather undramatic end, as two brothers go up against each other, in order to ‘save the world’.

Picking up from last week, with Arthur definitely dead, Nathan feels disappointed rather than aggrieved. Peter thinks that his father’s plot to give people abilities is over but Nathan has other plans. He sees it as an oppourninty to continue their father’s work but with their own ideas. Peter refuses and the pair have a stand-off before Peter punches his brother. With Nathan out of action for a while, Peter heads to the lab and confronts the ever-deteriorating Mohinder, help arrives in the shape of Knox and Flint – but it’s Peter who they help, not Mohinder! The pair want to stop people from getting powers then proceed to destroy every drop of the formula they can find.

Meanwhile at The Company, Sylar has got in and put the place in lockdown, which traps Noah, Angela, Claire and Meredith. However before hunting them down, Sylar explains that he is only after Angela, after she had lied to him about being his mother. To combat him, Noah releases the remaining prisoners and tells them ‘whoever kills Sylar will be let free’. Which is quite a silly statement, considering they are already free! However, they don’t last long, as Sylar kills at least two of them, the other - Meredith’s ‘boyfriend’ the creepy ‘puppet-master’, briefly had control of Sylar but ultimately failed in his attempt. Sylar would go on to stab Meredith with adrenaline, which made her lose control of her power (fire) and locked her in a cell, where she would be joined by Noah, not long after.

Another person who is trapped is poor Hiro, who is still in the past. After he gets himself from the flagpole, he persuades his younger self to help him find the formula and destroy it, before it can do any damage in the future.

Meanwhile back in the present, Daphne, Matt and Ando arrive at Isaac’s studio-cum-Mohinder’s lab, which doesn’t contain any hint of Mohinder. The trio quickly come to the conclusion that the only way to help Hiro is to get hold of the formula, which Ando agrees to inject himself with. With Matt being sceptical, Daphne speeds off to Pinehurst and steals one of the injections from Mohinder’s hands. Ando injects himself and after a while, realises that he has no time travel ability, just red sparks that emanate from his hands. However, after a moment where Daphne accidently travels back in time after touching him, we learn that Ando has a ‘supercharging’ ability, which enhances the quality of a person’s ability. Hence Daphne can run faster than the speed of light, which means she can go back in time!

Things aren’t going well for the two Hiro’s, as they are caught stealing the formula by their father who brings out a sword to threaten the older Hiro, who is masquerading as his cook! Hiro tries to explain but gets nowhere, so he rips the formula in two before Daphne and Ando come to take him away, just as Kaito is about to strike. But it’s no good, as we now learn that it was Hiro who spilt the paper in two in the first place. Even though Hiro goes on to destroy the formula in the present, which he steals from Tracy, surely Mohinder would have kept a copy or two?

Back at The Company and after separating Claire and Angela, Sylar bears down on the Cherie Blair lookalike and uses his newly-nicked lie detector ability on her. With her life hanging in the balance, she tells Sylar that she knows who his real parents are and the brooding murder is astonished when he learns that she’s telling the truth. Back in the cells, where Meredith is combusting with flames, Claire manages to get her Dad out but Meredith stays put and after just getting away, a huge flame engulfs the cell area. I wonder if Meredith is indeed fire proof? Noah and Claire find Angela and Sylar and Claire stabs the latter in the back of neck, which ‘shut down’s’ someone with the regenerative ability. I don’t think he’s dead – do you? The trio escape, just as The Company’s buildings blow up, thanks to Meredith’s flames.

Things are still being smashed at Pinehurst but as Knox goes to fetch Nathan, he is quite literally turned cold and falls to pieces – by Tracy. Nathan doesn’t feel thankful, so he ‘sacks’ her before going off to confront Peter. Mohinder is still sprawled out as Flint ignites the room, Peter sees no other alternative but to stab himself with one of last remaining formula injections and just about manages to fly and save his brother from being blown up. Nathan again, doesn’t seem thankful and lets his brother know that he wouldn’t have done the same and takes off. Mohinder also escapes and after sliding about in some of formula, it seems he’s cured of his infection. But as a scheming Tracy picks him up, where will this leave the troubled doctor?

We then fast forward 3 weeks into the next volume, called FUGITIVES and Nathan is in a meeting – with the President. Nathan tells the president about people with abilities and shows them case files of such people. Hiro, Micah, Mohinder, Tracy and Matt are all there but I wonder if Nathan included himself? Nathan tells the President that he wants funding for a centre to control these people and lock them all away, for the safety of the general public. The President agrees and lets Nathan know that he can have anything he wants….

It was an okay episode, not great but certainly passable. I was a bit disappointed though, to see how quickly Hiro found his way home. I felt that it could have worked for a few more episodes with him trapped in the past. I find his relationship with his father fascinating and I hope we get to see more of the marvellous George Takei, or ‘Gorgeous George’ as he is know to viewers in the UK, thanks to his jungle exploits! The relationship between Peter and Nathan has also taken a new twist, as the future that Peter saw could still happen. With Ando now having powers, it should be interesting to see how Hiro reacts to this. I wonder if Ando’s power can actually bring people’s powers back as well as ‘supercharging’ them? I also wonder if Peter has got all his abilities back after injecting himself, or it’s just the flying ability he’s got?

Overall, it was a good first half to the series and hopefully things can move up a gear when the other half arrives soon!

7/10

Next Time: We’ve not got long to wait for Volume 4! Heroes returns in February.

Heroes (Series 3) Volume 3 - Villains - Episode 12 - Our Father

A few of our heroes are no more after this penultimate episode of Volume Three: Villains, called – ‘Our Father’.

Following on from last week’s episode, Hiro and Claire are 16 years in the past, watching Noah who is handed baby Claire by Kaito Nakamura. Despite the language problem, Hiro and Claire decide to see their parents and we see for the first time, Hiro’s mother who is revealed to be the holder of the catalyst, which has been earmarked for Claire. But the grown-up Hiro manages to convince his mother that he is her older son and with his mother also having the ability to heal, she helps Hiro to get his memory back and gives him the catalyst. She then dies and an upset Hiro goes after Claire.

Despite being 16 years in the past, only Claire can be that annoying in both times! She manages to make friends with her mother and takes care of her younger self. In any other self-respecting sc-fi series this would be a paradox! But credit to Heroes for doing it different. Noah trundles in and at first is suspicious but Claire manages to persuade him that she’s no danger and he understands who she is.

Back in the present, Arthur is still getting things ready as Angela sends Peter and The Haitian to kill him. Yeah, thanks mum! Nathan has agreed to join Pinehurst but wants to run things ‘his way’. At first Arthur is reluctant but agrees, for now!

In New York, Matt, Daphne and Ando arrive looking for the last drawings of Isaac Mendez. After a run-in with the courier, they manage to get hold of the last sketches and learn that Hiro is ‘lost in time’. We rewind (or should that be forward?) 16 years ago and Hiro finds Claire and tells her he has the catalyst. They get ready to leave, when Arthur appears, takes the catalyst and Hiro’s ability and throws him off the roof. He also gives Claire a message to give to Angela, that he’s won and sends her on her way. Of course, Hiro isn’t dead – he’s stuck to a flag pole! But with no ability, he is indeed lost in time. Back to the future and the trio decide they must find the formula to try and get Hiro back.

Sylar, fresh from killing Elle and then acquiring another ability – a 'human lie detector', heads to Pinehurst to ask Arthur whether or not he is his father. Peter and The Haitian are already there and as Peter pulls the trigger, Arthur manages to overcome The Haitian’s power and stops the bullet in mid-air. Then, Sylar appears and asks Arthur the question. Of course, he lies and Sylar allows the bullet to kill Arthur. He then tells Peter he doesn’t need anything from him and proceeds to get himself more abilities. Peter sends The Haitian after him, to try and stop him.

In the lab, Mohinder is testing the formula, with the catalyst, on a group of Marine’s. He injects one of these, Scott and after a couple of moments, we learn that the formula has worked and Scott has gained the ability of super-strength.

It was easily a better episode than last week’s! It was nice to see the return of George Takei and Hiro’s back-story, especially with his mother. I’m disappointed to see the demise of Elle but isn’t it great to see Sylar back at his menacing best? I was also surprised to see Arthur killed off so quickly, I thought he was a great character. But in Heroes, the saying goes ‘Nobody is ever dead’!

8/10

Next Time: It’s the last episode for a few months, with brothers on opposing sides. Who’ll win the ‘Duel’?