A New Hope

I didn't have much time for a full one but here are my thoughts.

I was scared going into this episode. I was hoping things would be better and you know what? Better. Much better. Heroes still isn't what it should be -- the last season and a half of mediocrity left NBC's super-power-hour at the bottom of a pretty big ditch -- but the "Fugitives" arc shows some promise.

Why?

1) A slower pace. For the first time in a long time, it didn't feel like Heroes was jumping around like the Bourne Ultimatum editor on a trampoline. We got to register everyone's desire for normalcy -- Mohinder back behind the wheel of a cab, Peter's new gig as a paramedic, Matt and Daphne's life as a proto-couple -- in a manner that didn't seem like a race.

2) A new threat. It's not the Company. Or Sylar. Or Sylar working for the Company. Or a new Company with Sylar picking up some extra hours. Goodbye Primatech and Pinehearst. Sure, the black-camo'd government spooks hunting heroes is right out of X-Men 2, but at least it's something different.

3) Hiro, minimized. It's kinda nice seeing the Once (but annoying) King of Heroes bucked down to a mixture between Alfred and Q. And it's refreshing to see Ando using "the Ando-Cycle" to pick up strippers. Some people are motivated by the need to Do the Right Thing. Others are motivated by their pants. To each his own.

Sure, the show still wears its influences very much on its sleeve -- right down to the very Lost-y tease for next episode ("The plane crash that will change their lives forever") -- and Claire wears too much lipstick, but I'm feeling excited over it all over again, which is how I felt about Season 1. With only a month and a half until the Bi Awards cutoff, Heroes better bring it.

Spoilers Time!

Lost:

1. The finale is nuts. There is at least one death and also that big "game changer." That one death is a huge shocker and will require lots of kleenex.

2. The format of the show is completely changing thanks to the events in tomorrow's sure-to-be-awesome finale.

3. Three main actors might not be in every episode next season.

Grey's Anatomy:

1. Isaiah Washington has been taking meetings in New York and Los Angeles in search of a new job that would take place during the coming TV season, so it certainly appears that Isaiah's Grey's days are over. Insiders at ABC say that "not everyone will be coming back" to Grey's this fall, and although T.R. Knight's fate was also left hanging in the balance after the season finale, it seems like he will be back. However, Isaiah looks to be a goner. It kind of makes that scene of Cristina ripping the shackle off her neck while sobbing "I'm free" and the Chief's lecture to Burke that he's "disappointed" in him this year all the more poignant.

Heroes:

1. Both Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) and Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) are series regulars next season. The question regarding Peter is not, did he survive? It's, can he swim?

2. Hiro will starts next season in 17th-century Japan in the midst of a war, and it takes him about 6 episodes to get back to present-day NYC. And by the way, those last few minutes of tonight's finale are the first few minutes of season two's premiere.

3. Next season begins four months into the future, and two of the main characters are in deep despair—one having completely lost his memory and the other having developed a major drinking problem.

Nip/Tuck:

1. Not only are Christian and Sean dipping their toes into showbiz, the entire series is diving into the world of Hollyweird. There will be a new major recurring character who plays a hit TV show runner (like Damon Lindelof or Tim Kring)! They're also bringing in a powerful studio exec, who lives a bit of an alternative lifestyle on the down low.

The Heroes Come Together

That was a very satisfying season finale. In episode 23, "How to Stop an Exploding Man," everything and everyone came together. And yes, the bomb did go off and Hiro got it together and killed (or attempted to kill, it seems) Sylar. After being made to believe it would be Sylar a few times, Peter was the bomb, not Sylar. Peter's dreams and Isaac's visions all came true. Nathan redeemed himself in an awesome way. Niki finally integrated her two selves and her power. The organization's plan completely fell apart, as it should have. Most of the main storylines were laid to rest and a few new threads were created for Volume 2. For now, let's look at last night.

One of things that made me happy last night was the conclusion of the Niki/Jessica storyline. Niki finally accepted that she is as strong as Jessica and was able to access her power. It was awesome to finally see her kick some ass. For once, when she looked into a mirror, she only saw her reflection, no more Jessica. Finally, she was reunited with Micah and D.L.

H.R.G. came to his senses and did not kill Molly as we all thought he would last week. Instead, he, Mohinder and Parkman helped her escape. Not to mention the blatant attempt to set up next season's villain:

Molly (after Parkman asked if she can really find anyone just by thinking about them): "Almost anyone."

Parkman: "Almost?"

Molly: "There's one that I can't."

Parkman: "Who is that? Is it someone bad, like the Boogeyman?"

Molly: "No. He's a lot worse."

Parkman: "Why don't you want to find him?"

Molly: "Because when I think about him, he can see me."

Scary, huh? I feel bad for next season's characters, because if everyone underestimated Sylar, imagine how dumb they'll be around this new villain.

Angela Petrelli offered her indestructible granddaughter Claire "a place to belong and a family." But, in another of the best moments of the finale, former cheerleader Claire coolly whispered "I already have a family" before lunging out of Nathan's office window and faceplanting into the sidewalk stories below. Of course, Claire being Claire, she nonchalantly stood up and strolled away to assist in the final fight.

Meanwhile, Peter had passed out after getting angry over discovering Nathan's betrayal. During his blackout, he somehow was able to view a conversation between the now-dead Mr. Deveaux and his mother. There he found out that she had been on everything all along. For some reason, Deveaux saw him, but no one else could. Thy really didn't explain it much: Peter: "Is this a dream? Am I time-traveling? Or are you doing this?" Deveaux: "It doesn't really matter what it is, now does it?" Well, then, I guess it doesn't matter. The scene did give us these precious insights concerning Peter: "Your heart has the ability to love unconditionally....In the end, all that matters is love." This made sense in the end as you'll find out. So H.R.G. manages to wake up Peter and tells him it's time to face Sylar. In another great moment, we finally discovered H.R.G.'s first name: Noah, another in the line of Heroes' biblical names.

Now came the big showdown between Sylar and all the heroes. I was expecting a whole lot of action and a badass battle between Sylar and Peter. But, that didn't happen. It basically consisted of the following. First Sylar telekinetically choked Peter. Then he telekinetically through H.R.G against a wall. Next, he again telekinetically grabbed a parking meter and was going to hit him. Niki jumped into the battle, seized it, and used it to kick the crap out of Sylar. Then Peter must have gotten Niki's power and used it to give Sylar a couple of well deserved punches before Hiro ran Sylar through with a sword. At this point, Peter has gotten too emotional and started to go nuclear. "Turns out you're the villain, Peter. I'm the hero," Sylar cryptically cooed. Hiro was going to help but Sylar threw him across the entire plaza. And then his body disappeared.

So Peter is ready to blow when Claire arrives. But she can't shoot him! Although Peter was willing to sacrifice himself, his brother flew in to help him out. Literally. He said did love his brother and that "You saved the cheerleader so we could save the world," Nathan told him before sacrificing himself to hoist Peter up, up and away to safely explode somewhere among the stars. All this "All You Need Is Love" talk was the emotional climax of the episode and of the season. Nathan will always be there with his brother at the end. And he was, arriving at the last second to fly nuclear Peter into the atmosphere, sacrificing himself. These two brothers, who love each other so much, realizing that they're going to die together, one of them redeeming himself at the last minute — was a an extremely emotional and character-driven moment. Peter's whole flashback sequence suddenly made sense. In the end, no superpower would help. It was all about love.

People may think that this episode botched its chance to have a really kick-ass battle royale. However, it made sense. Sylar didn't do much because while he has all that power, we had never seen him try to defend himself against a whole gang of Heroes. I thought it made perfect sense that, in his arrogance, he was distracted and overwhelmed by everyone coming at him at once. This gave Hiro the opportunity to stab him.

Once it was all done. Everyone was safe. D.L., Niki, and Micah were together. Molly was safe and NYC didn't blow. H.R.G., or should I say Noah, and Claire were reunited and ready to head back to their family. Not everyone was safe. I would like to say that Parkman is dead because he was hit in the torso with four — four — bullets by Sylar. Did anyone else cheer when Sylar used his powers to shoot them back at him? Speaking of Sylar, it seems he isn't dead, judging by the trail of blood leading from where he fell to the sewer.

What about the Petrellis? Is it possible Peter would have just let Nathan drop him off in the atmosphere? Every time Nathan takes off there is a sonic boom- he might have let go of Peter and flown to a safe distance. You know Peter is still alive because he has Claire's power, granted he probably might end up re-entering somewhere over Canada but there is NO WAY the Petrelli's are done in. Those two boys are pretty much the tie that binds most of these characters together from the outset. They're alive- perhaps a little messed up- but alive.

And, at the end of the episode, we see "End of Volume 1." So Volume 1 has officially ended with a bang in the sky. We immediately see that start of "Volume 2: Generations." It started with an amusing bit where Hiro is transported back to 1671 Kyoto, right in the middle of a samurai battle potentially starring his childhood hero. We also see the omnipresent "Heroes" double-helix-esque symbol on their flags. Cue a solar eclipse, and we close out as we started, with Hiro looking up into the sky.

Show Summaries

Here are recaps of the shows I would have covered over the past week that I did not get a chance to do:

Ugly Betty: Our heroine tracks down her grandmother in Mexico and learns valuable lessons about fighting for love. Plus, Marc stands up for Amanda. I Really love how the Ignacious/immigration storyline played out now. It was boring but now I'm into it. The episode rocked as usual. Best lines:

1. Marc, to Amanda, after she broke their date: "Don't tell me you forgot we were gonna rent 300 and enjoy the mildly homophobic-slash-homoerotic content!"

2. Justin, complaining about the bad timing of the trip to Mexico: "Doesn't anyone care that I am understudying the lead in West Side Story? God forbid Joey Colano takes ill and I don't know my finger snaps for the rumble."

3. Willy, worrying about getting wrinkles from smiling: "You really can't see those lines can you?" Marc: "Nope. You're as dead on the outside as you are on the inside."

Grey's Anatomy: Meredith refuses to answer anything on the big intern exam. Plus, the Chief's wife is pregnant, and George gets a job offer. Good, but not great. I fear my favorite show is slipping??? I think today's season finale will reverse that.

Desperate Housewives: Susan and Gaby battle over the same day for their weddings. Plus, Edie manipulates Carlos, and Lynette gets some bad news. The show is starting to improve and I have even higher hopes for the season finale. I thought Mike's proposal was cute but predictable. I'm excited for Marcia Cross' return on Sunday. Who thinks Bree is pregnant?

Entourage: They are back to form! After the Amanda debacle, things are looking up. Johnny gets a hit show after getting depressed by the bad reviews. Plus Vince and E give Ari one more chance, and Turtle meets a girl! The ep rocked and I'm anxious to see how the Medellin movie will turn out after the risk Vince and E took in buying the script.

Dancing With the Stars: Awesome episode! Everyone really danced great. My favorite Laila did awesome and was so sexy. I also enjoyed Apolo's dance and thought it was very sexy. I felt bad that Ian had to go after scoring his first perfect score, but after the couples left, he and Cheryl were the weakest. Go Laila!

Heroes: The next to last episode ruled! Deep breathe, here we go. Hiro learned samurai skills from his father (although strange he did so fast) just as the good guys join forces against Linderman and Sylar. Nathan told DL and Jessica where to find Linderman. Once there, Linderman shot DL but DL managed to kill him by sticking his hand into his head, ew. Niki finally made a comeback. Proving my theory wrong, Micah's role was to fix the election so Nathan could win by a landslide. Also, HRG showed his badass side, killing Thompson. Will he kill little Molly too or use her to find Sylar. Speaking of Sylar, he got hotter...uh more powerful...by munching on Ted's brains and stealing his power. Claire and Peter are right on his tail. Next week, it looks like it will be one hell of a showdown of hotties with Peter vs Sylar. I can't wait.

American Idol: So I tuned in on Tuesday night expecting Jordin to rule the house. However, she was saddled by two crappy songs chosen by Simon and the producers. She picked things up with a replay of "I Who Have Nothing." Blake also struggled with the choices made for him. However, Melinda nailed it with 3 perfect songs, of course. It was obvious she was safe, or was she...we'll talk about that in a bit.

Veronica Mars: It's obvious I'm no longer digging this once glorious show. The network has completely killed it! First they changed the format and took away the mysteries, leaving only a mysetry an episode. Things are looking like the show will be cancelled and to be honest, I'd rather have it cancelled than continue in this sad state. So very, very sad. This show ruled.

Spoilers Time!

Dirt:

1. The show has been renewed for another season! It will be back in early 2008.

Grey's Anatomy:

1. You know that girl we saw in last week's previews, making googly eyes at McDreamy? Well, she is played by former Reunion star, Chyler Leigh and has been offered a multiple-episode arc for next season. I love her, and it seems she may be sinking her slutty little paws into Mer’s man.

2. The intern's first year will finally come to an end with the intern exam, a chief will be named, Christina and Burke will make it to the church, Meredith and Derek will face an uncertain future, and the triangle that is Callie, Izzie and George will become more complex. Plus there will be surgeries and sex. Lots of surgeries and sex.

Lost:

1. The game-changer involves Jack and someone else.

2. A fan favorite will sacrifice himself for the good of the rest of the Losties.

3. This week ww will earn who really is in charge of the Others and more about Jacob.

4. Some mysteries will be resolved by the end of the season: what was up with the guys in the arctic, Walt's ability to rejuvenate animals, the "magic box" idea. They also said that Patchy's resurrection will be explained within the next couple of weeks. The smoke monster will not be explained until the end of the series.

Desperate Housewives:

1. In the season finale, Susan and Mike are set to wed in the forest and it seems that Susan lured Mike there without him knowing they would get married. When Gaby rethinks marrying Victor, Milton (his father) convinces her to give his son another chance. Soon after she does, Gaby learns that Victor marrying her may all have been to do better in polls (married man seen with a Latina wife.)

Heroes:

1. The May 21 season capper will set up two big ideas for the second volume of Heroes, to be titled "Generations." The new saga will focus on putting the Heroes mythology in a grand historical context of superpowered family dynasties. It focuses on heritage, the family line, and the source of the powers. That means the "older" generation of heroes — including George Takei's Papa Nakamura and especially Cristine Rose's Mama Petrelli — should expect more screen time.

2. Instead of just a cheerleader or a city, "Volume 2: Generations" will concern a plot to save the entire planet. Also, Suresh will learn crucial info about his Indian past and his dead (or is she?) sister in the finale that helps set up next season.

Mommy Issues

Hiro had the sword to Sylar's throat — his throat! — and he just couldn't do it. I know we all love the guy for being, well, lovable, and for being enthusiastic about his powers and genuinely wanting to make a difference. All that aside, though, he's going to need to step up if he wants to be anything more than a hero wannabe. Seriously, what's the point of having a sword, of going through all those hijinks to get said sword from the lair of a master criminal, if you're not going to use it?

Yet he wasn't the only one who had major hesitations in chapter 21. Hiro couldn't off Sylar, Sylar didn't want to off half of New York City (and neither did Nathan), Claire didn't think she could shoot Peter if worse came to worse and he started to go nuclear, and, though it hasn't happened yet, I don't think Parkman will allow his mates to kill Molly Walker once he realizes that she was the little girl he saved early on in the season. Between that and all the mother issues at play in this episode — Micah realizing that his mother might not actually be his mother or her assassin alter ego, a heartbreaking Sylar trying to get approval from his mum, and Mrs. Petrelli going super Angela Lansbury yet again on Nathan — it was a heavy one. The episodes are getting increasingly grim the closer we get to the end. The more I think about it, the less I'd be surprised if the bomb actually did go off. What direction would they take the show in if it didn't? Speaking of that, I'll tell you my new theory later.

I was surprised to feel myself gaining sympathy for Sylar, and I actually wish it could have lasted for more than one episode. After he came to the realization that he may be the one who blows up New York, a heretofore unknown good part of Sylar came to light as he experienced second thoughts. He called Mohinder and said, "I think I'm going to do something bad....I think I'm going to kill a lot more people. A lot more. I understood it before, the killing. I had a reason, to take what others didn't deserve. It was natural selection." When Mohinder asked him what he was talking about, Sylar replied, "An apocalypse, a massacre, half the city gone within an instant. They mean nothing. They're innocent. There's no gain, so why would I do it? What possible reason would I have for killing so many?"

Fair enough, though. I thought that maybe Sylar was going to repent and, in what would have been a very unforeseen development, try to stop the explosion from taking place. But then Mommy Gray came into the picture. A jittery, lonely-looking lady who collects snow globes, she apparently was one of the primary reasons that Sylar lost his mind and decided to try to collect special powers. When Sylar said, "Maybe I don't have to be special. That's okay to just be a normal watchmaker. Can't you just tell me that's enough?" she responded, "Why would I tell you that when I know you could be so much more? If you wanted, you could be president." (And oh, at least in a possible future, he will be.) So there you have it, folks: evil as the result of an overbearing mother. As Hiro said, "He's so sad," not even able to please his mother when he used his powers to basically create for her a giant snow globe in her living room. It was genuinely a beautiful moment, which made what followed — when Sylar accidentally killed her — that much more tragic. I felt bad for the guy.

So did Hiro, apparently, who punked out when confronted with Sylar's open throat (punked out so much that he couldn't even focus enough to keep time stopped, which is the only explanation I can imagine for how Sylar was able to freeze his sword). I have very little to say here other than that Hiro needs to get off this passive kick. For the entire hour, he literally just stood around and watched the man he was supposed to kill in order to prevent a great catastrophe! I think Ando should take over.

Because somebody needs to kill the "boogeyman," which is how Molly Walker refers to the man who killed her family. As she put it, "He sees into your soul, and then he eats your brain." And what a power she has, modest as she is. "It's not so amazing. They ask me where people are and I find them....I just think about them, and I know where they are." H.R.G.'s reference to the Walker method early on in the episode leads me to believe that this is how the company is now tracking people. According to H.R.G., the new method doesn't rely on isotopes. Instead, they can just find you. Little does he know that it relies on a little girl just like the one he rescued many years ago.

And is anyone else getting more and more freaked out and infuriated by Nathan and Peter's mother? The woman's as bad as Linderman but not as charming. Certainly as manipulative, however, as she seductively persuaded her son to go ahead with the bomb plot. "Your destiny, Nathan, is to set the course of history after this unspeakable act has occurred. And people will look back on what you do as the freshman congressman from New York, and they will thank you. For your strength, for your conviction, for your faith. In my day we called it being presidential....Can you be the one we need?" That last line, an echo of Future Hiro's exhortation to Peter when they first met in the frozen-time subway car, is particularly eerie, repurposed for a totally opposite reason.

So about this bomb. I was thinking after the episode last night that we may have been led to believe something that may not exactly be true. We are told from Isaac's paintings and the future visions that the bomb is a person. Everyone keeps saying that it's either Peter or Sylar. But what if it's neither one of them? Remember, Linderman and his people want this bomb to go off and they kidnapped Micah as part of their endgame. What if the bomb is simply a bomb? Micah has the ability to manipulate machinery so what if they kidnapped him to set off the bomb from far away? In the previews, they showed Micah on top of a building with his hand in the air. What if he is manipulating the bomb in another location and unknowingly causes it to explode? Could that be the shocking twist?

Spoilers Time!

Ugly Betty:

1. One of the inspirations for our American Betty, Angélica Vale of the Mexican telenovela La Fea Más Bella, guest stars in the May 17 season finale, playing the assistant of Betty's orthodontic technician. I'm told that getting Angélica here was pretty much a nightmare (they ran into major immigration problems, and she ultimately was only cleared for a very short stay). And when Angélica arrived, it turned out she had lost her Bettylicious getup (wig, specs, etc.) on the way up from Mexico, so Betty's production peeps had to frantically search for replacements. Still, it all came together and the doppelgeeker action is fantastic, along with the rest of the season finale, from what I hear.

2. Someone is going to die in the finale, and it is someone who is a part of Betty's family. Get ready to weep! Still, the good news is that in proper soap-tastic fashion, the writers have left a loophole through which they can bring this person back if he or she ultimately decides to return. And based on recent developments, he or she will want to.

Lost:

1. Five people are going to die! Yes, five! Definitely splurge on the adult diapers. We are going to be totally and completely freaked out. It's not so much the number, but the who.

2. Lost Spoilers offers us a summary of the spoilers Cuse and Lindelof revealed in the latest podcast: They will be revisiting the psychic's predictions for Claire in the future as well as Walt's abilities. The Others' obsession with children and pregnancy goes beyond the inability to successfully bear children on the island. The Other's definitely have an interest in children with special abilities. That's why they took Walt. There are two factions of The Others and are in no relation to the hatches/stations. They will be getting back to the statue before the show ends.

Heroes:

1. Nathan's fate and future is in question come season's end. Adrian Pasdar himself said, "There's a little bit of perhaps a separation between my ability to see them (Nathan's kids) and, uh...I can't really say too much."

2. Linderman is going to heal Nathan's wife (Rena Sofer in a wheelchair)!

Entourage:

1. Don’t get too comfy with Amanda, even though it seems as though Vince is in to her. Ari’s about to make his move and swoop Vinnie right out from under her. Er, figuratively speaking.

Grey's Anatomy:

1. Burke starts to have some serious reservations about marrying Cristina. And you're never going to believe whom he turns to for advice.

2. In the season finale, the interns take thier test, the new Chief is named, George and Callie make a big decision about their relationship, and Jane Doe is reunited with her family.

Five Years Gone

In chapter 20, "Five Years Gone," we jumped half a decade into the future to see what could come to pass if our heroes do not prevent half of New York City from being incinerated. This storyline owes a heavy debt to the legendary X-Men story "Days of Future Past," in which Kitty Pride travels through time to stop a disaster. And what a dark future this was. There's so much to write about that it necessitates the use of bullet points.

· Peter was the bomb, and he went off, earning his wicked scar; half of New York City was destroyed; and Nathan rose to the presidency, charging the Department of Homeland Security (apparently under the auspices of Parkman and the Haitian) to hunt down those with powers. He is protecting his brother (who's shacking up with Niki, ickily sleeping with her second Petrelli brother) by blaming the whole thing on Sylar.

· Except that Sylar (having killed and absorbed Candice, the hot Catholic-schoolgirl-skirt-wearing woman) has killed Nathan, assumed his identity, and moved into the White House. That was quite the jaw-dropper.

· Ando has died, and Hiro, afflicted by guilt and sadness, has lost his joie de vivre and become a "terrorist." (Remember, one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter.)

· H.R.G., in an agreement with Parkman, is working to turn in dangerous individuals who possess powers while providing harmless ones with new identities.

· Claire is hiding in plain sight in Midland, Tex., ready to marry some local busboy.

But then time-traveling not-future Hiro showed up and all hell broke loose. Parkman killed H.R.G. and future Hiro and Hana Gitelman; Mohinder killed the Haitian; Sylar killed Claire....Luckily it's all like a dream, because for all this not to happen, said future Hiro, not-future Hiro has to go back in time and kill Sylar, stopping him from setting off the bomb. Thing is, as far as we know, Sylar doesn't explode — Peter does. So is Hiro going to have to kill Peter?

The metaphors and political parallels at play in this episode were everywhere. There were the ongoing 9/11 references, such as Nathan/Sylar giving his speech in a Ground Zero-like hole in New York City, the way that Nathan/Sylar's administration tries to use fear and the memory of tragedy to its own ends ("At first the world will mourn," says Nathan/Sylar about his genocidal plan. "They'll be united in grief. Then they'll just be united"), and the co-opting of Homeland Security to wreak havoc on American lives. I was also pleased and shocked by Nathan/Sylar's line acknowledging that he's both president and something more: "I'm the leader of the free world...I'm the most special person there is." If that isn't a damning critique of unchecked executive power and arrogance, I don't know what is.

High marks, too, for the scene that cut back and forth between President Nathan/Sylar's speech on the five-year anniversary of the bomb and the fight to spring Present Hiro from the detention facility. When Future Hiro, Ando, and Peter walked into that office building all badass-like, I thought, "It's going to be like that scene in The Matrix,"i.e., awesome. Except it wasn't really. Save for some bloodless sword slashing and a guy flying through the air, Peter's "I haven't had a good battle in a long time"' statement didn't live up to its promise. What's with that? I mean, can't they give us a little more action? I'm not asking for 24 here, but a few seconds of not really intensely acted or staged fight scenes don't really stir the blood. Let's have some blood stirring!

Overall, I thought the episode was very interesting, providing a few answers while raising entirely new ones. If Hiro knows what he has to do now and can travel back and forth in time over and over, isn't the whole future we just saw null and void?

Spoilers Time!

Grey's Anatomy:

1. Studio insiders say the first hour of Private Practice’s pilot (which airs as a Grey’s episode in May) is close to completion and is so "fearlessly good" it’s the most likely of all ABC pilots to receive a pickup.

2. Regarding George and Izzie, their secret will stay hidden from Callie for at least a few more weeks, though she knows something's not right.

3. Cristina and Burke really are going to make it to the altar in the season finale, and the wedding will be everything Cristina did not want, including the big dress, having bridesmaids, and writing her own vows.

4. In a few weeks, the interns will take the biggest test of their careers, their first-year medical exams

Heroes:

1. Mastermind Tim Kring says that for season two, "There are plans to add one new, one big character next season." The character is female—to even out the gender ranks a wee bit. Tim also said that those Heroes who remain are likely to stick around, 'cause he's changed his m.o. "I thought Heroes was going to have an ever-shifting cast," he says, "but the cast hit in such big ways that now the challenge is to figure out how to use them all and still fold in a couple of new people, because I still think that the origin stories are the most fascinating, in some ways."

2. Regarding Nathan becoming president, sources are saying that visions from the future are not always as they seem.

3. Thrown five years in the future, Hiro and Ando discover that people with extraordinary abilities are not only widely known about -- after the destruction of New York City and the deaths of millions -- but are being registered, imprisoned, hunted and even killed as "terrorists." As the President takes his first step towards a "final solution," the pair get swept up in what could be the "Heroes" final battle and encounter a range of new and darkly familiar faces.

Lost:

1. There's a lot going on as far as that mysterious visitor from last week. She is a major twist to the plot. Supposedly, there will be a shocking moment when she tells Hurley the fate of the real (wtf?!) Oceanic Flight 815.

2. We'll definitely see more of Sawyer and Sayid working together. Plus, sounds like Penny's dad, Charles Widmore, may be seen again.

3. There will be a showdown in the season finale. Yhe beach occupants divide into two camps: one run by Jack and the other Sawyer or Locke. It seems that Jack will definately be facing off against one of them. The survivors will also have another showdown with the Others and the origins of the Dharma Initiative will be explained.

Desperate Housewives:

1. Susan will marry Mike, and Gaby is rushing into a big wedding extravaganza with just-elected mayor Victor. But all, unfortunately, is not well on Wisteria Lane: Lynette (and not Susan as previously believed) finds out she has cancer and Mike's shady brother Terry moves in, which opens the door to a new mystery to solve in 2007-08. Bree fans will be happy to know that the hostess extraordinaire will be back for the season finale on May 20.

2. It seems that Ms. McClusky came home from vacation and found her husband dead on the couch. Since it was 2am, she decided to wait until morning. However, when she looked through his desk, she found that she was not named beneficiary of his estate, but his first wife. So instead, she stuffed him in the freezer so that she can keep the money.

Fighting the Future

Welcome back! It has been a long and particularly painful hiatus, stretching all the way back to March 5th!

First I need to clear up two statements I made in the last TV Watch concerning the final two minutes of that cliff-hanger show. I think it's pretty obvious now that Mohinder did not die and Peter did not get the scar referred to by future Hiro early in the season. Perhaps I was too excited about seeing Mohinder bite the bullet — it's not like I'm the only one who finds him kind of a bore — and the adrenaline affected my judgment. Consider this a correction.

Now, on to tonight's episode, ".07%." Could that be the percentage of people watching who believed that Peter might actually die? Of course he didn't, resulting in a very suspense- and emotion-free segment devoted to grieving over him. (Did anyone else wonder how the hell Mohinder managed to get a dead body out of his apartment, into a cab, and then into a rich person's ritzy town house?) I was, however, simultaneously thrilled and repulsed by Grandma Petrelli's response when Nathan asked, "What do we do?" "We hide it. Until after the election." Cold. Blooded. She seems to have known a lot for a long time and possibly has powers of her own, though it's interesting she avoided giving a direct answer when Claire asked, "So you're like me?"

The Petrelli family is in deep. To find out how deep, you should probably check out the NBC.com online graphic novel War Buddies. (None of these comics are particularly well written, but they are full of important background and filler information.) The short of it is, Linderman and the now dead elder Petrelli were soldiers who met on a covert mission during the Vietnam War. When an ambush took out their crew, Linderman (who, as we now know, has the power to heal) saved Petrelli with his gift, but the two later had a falling-out and Petrelli was discharged from the military. In later years, Linderman made up with Petrelli and brought him into his fold.

And now Linderman is working his charm on another Petrelli, dangling the prospect of the White House in front of Nathan. Linderman laid out a particularly Machiavellian ends-justify-the-means plan. The bomb will destroy New York, and he will use his considerable influence to make sure that Nathan ends up in the White House. As Linderman put it, "I said that people needed hope, but they trust fear....This tragedy will be a catalyst for good, for change. Out of the ashes, humanity will find a common goal, a united sense of hope, couched in a united sense of fear. And it is your destiny, Nathan, to be the leader who uses this event to rally a city, a nation, a world." Nathan rightly balked at this offer, but will he continue to do so for long? When the future seems so explicitly laid out, when something seems to be your destiny, how can you fight it?

Sadly, Isaac chose not to, and for that he died. I hoped against hope that he would survive, despite seeing the guy's head sliced open in one of the first few episodes. As Isaac said, the future was too big for him. Killed in a particularly Christlike way — the crucifixion imagery here was none too subtle — he bravely said to Sylar, "It's all right. I finally know my part in all this. To die here, with you. But not before I show them how to kill you. And stop the bomb. I finally get to be a hero." Does anyone else think that he drew Sylar's death into the final issue of Ninth Wonders — or in that sketchbook he gave the messenger?

But did Isaac take the coward's way out? Hiro, God bless him, is not having any of that "the future is written, nothing can change it" nonsense (probably because he can jump around in time). Despite seeing an obliterated New York City, he decided to go back and see where mistakes were made. Instead, he ran into Future Hiro at Isaac's studio.

As usual, a lot to ponder and not enough space to fit it all in. Briefly, though, I still hate Candice (is there any logical reason for her to dress like a Catholic-school stripper?), loved Parkman's putdown of H.R.G. ("Oh my God, you're middle management"), and can't wait to see Jessica throw down when she discovers that Linderman has snagged Micah. I also can't wait for next week's five-years-in-the-future episode, mostly because it's so odd — when was the last time a show in its first season pulled a crazy alternative-future story line like this one?

Spoilers Time!

Heroes:

1. Tawny Cypress, who plays Simone, is not off the show for good. Far from it! Even though she was "killed," Simone is coming back, along with her father (Peter's patient), in the season finale. It turns out she has abilities of her own, and as a source put it, "There are people on the positive and negative side. And Simone is on the negative side." According to another source, "[Simone and her father] may have some ties to some other characters that we had no idea about before."

2. Episode 21 is all about Sylar. According to creator Tim Kring, "We learn about his home life and where he came from, and after that episode, your opinion of him may change."

Lost:

1. Not much revealed. One thing though, it's finally getting to be Lord of the Flies time and it's going to be good.

Entourage:

1. Busy Philipps from Dawson's Creek shows up next week to give Turtle a little lovin’, but ultimately, they just aren’t compatible. However, Turtle does land a steady lady this season!

2. Ari does ultimately wins the war over Vince but Carla won't go away that quickly. The boys are happy with her...for the time being. As for Ari, you see a kinder, gentler side of him next week. For all his abuse directed at Lloyd, he actually does care about him, and there is a line he won’t cross. Even if it means losing major business.

Brothers & Sisters:

1. There definitely is an engagement in the family before the end of the season. So, here's hoping it's Kitty and the Senator! Rob Lowe states that he will be on the show until the end of the year. And then we'll just have to see what happens with Senator McCallister. We're going to watch the presidential candidate hit the campaign trail, of course. He's going to be courting the press, kissing babies and visiting wounded war vets.

Desperate Housewives:

1. Edie's got her heart set on Carlos and continues to scheme for him at least through the end of the season, if not longer.

Spoilers Time!

Veronica Mars:

1. The jury is still out on our girl. There had been rumors that the show has been cancelled. However, according to creator Rob Thomas, "That's simply not true. I'm the one who called them. I didn't say we were canceled. We're not." Rob is hard at work on his season-four pitch, which sounds mind-blowingly good as you saw a few weeks back here on the blog. The CW would be completely moronic not to pick it up!

Lost:

1. The Lost finale will be the finale that everyone will be talking about all summer. Not Grey's. Not Heroes. Rumors are rampant that Lost's season-ender will "change the show for good"— possibly in sort of an Alias-y Super Bowl episode kinda way. So get ready.

2. The upcoming episode "D.O.C." explores Sun's pregnancy, and I'm told the initials in the title stand for "date of conception." So I'm guessing we'll get answers regarding the baby's father. The flashbacks in the episode include more scenes with Sun's father, Mr. Paik.

Brothers & Sisters:

1. Emily VanCamp (Rebecca) is now a series regular. Producer Greg Berlanti says that: "She's gonna be around, so we're gonna have to kill off a few people at the end of the year to make space for everybody! No, I'm kidding. You know, she definitely is, in fact, a Walker. It's not a fraud, and that's important to know. But I think the obvious thing would be to sort of try and integrate her in a happy, healthy way and make her one of the family. We really don't take that route. There are a lot of surprises coming up for her character in terms of just who she is. And you know, the person who knows the most about her is the person the Walkers trust the least, and that's Holly. In some ways, [Rebecca's presence] will make them relate to [Holly] more. But mostly, it just drives them all crazy that they have to continue to be associated with [her and vice versa]."

2. Dave Annable says that Justin may just ship off right around season finale time. But before he goes, Greg tells me he gets quite chummy with his new sis, Rebecca: "Justin is sort of the family member who takes the lead in terms of bringing her into the fold. Partially because he’s closest to her in age and partially because his sense of going back to the war and going back to Iraq makes him a little bit more determined to make his family whole before he leaves. We definitely get into what the family dynamics were and how can they be shifted now that there’s a new member."

Grey's Anatomy:

1. The death of someone close to Meredith is not her father, but someone pretty close. The really wretched thing is that it will be Meredith's fault. Or, at least, it will be perceived that way.

Ugly Betty:

1. We meet more members of the Suarez family before the season ends. In fact, I think we may be taking a trip to Mexico.

2. Before the end of the season, we meet Nikki, Alexis' sexy and fearless ex-girlfriend, who works for an extreme sports magazine. Word is she's hanging with the Meade boys again, but now that Alex(is) is no longer "available," she starts getting close to Daniel.

Heroes:

1. The symbol on Niki's back, Isaac's paintings, Hiro's sword and Mohinder's computer mean certainly is a good mystery. According to creator Tim Kring, a third meaning for the Heroes symbol soon emerges, in addition to the description of the symbol as either a helix or a combination of two Japanese characters.

Spoilers Time!

lIf you don't want to know whats coming up in a few shows, don't read.

Grey's Anatomy:

1. Hector Elizondo does play Callie's dad, and yes, he is in the spinoff setup episode, but no, Hector is not involved in the spinoff itself, as had been reported in many outlets. So, Mr. Torres and Addison are not running away together. However, she'll have her eye on the sexed up receptionist, hottie Sean Faris.

2. The death of someone very close to Meredith brings her and McDreamy closer together—and tears her apart (again) from her father.

3. George and Izzie are really in love. There are also rumblings that Sara Ramirez (Callie) might not be coming back as a series regular next season.

4. Cristina and Burke are headed for the altar! They'll have a full-on traditional wedding with the big dress and bridesmaids and everything—at the insistence of both her mother and Burke's mother.

Lost:

1. This week, Maggie Grace (Shannon) returns, Sun goes all nutty and punchy on someone and someone else is going to die. Someone who is not that beloved by fans. Regardless, how this person dies is perhaps the most disturbing death ever.

2. It looks like there will be more action in Hurley's van. Producers are currently casting for a "Roger," a working-class janitor in his early forties who is bitter about his place in life but has higher aspirations. The notice says of the character, "He has troubled and complex relationship with his son; [he] finds himself caught up in a mysterious situation beyond his imaginings; [and the] actor must not be claustrophobic." Pretty sure this is the skeleton—"Roger Work Man"—from Hurley's episode.

Prison Break:

1. Sadly, more than one will bite the dust soon. I'm guessing it's Kellerman and C-Note, since both Paul Adelstein and Rockmond Dunbar have new jobs for the fall.

2. There will be a role reversal at the end of this season, with Michael in a prison in Panama and Lincoln charged with having to bust him out. Dominic Purcell says, "Everything is resolved. Everything. Expect a massive shock, the final one, a massive, huge shock."

Heroes:

1. The next death is April 23. It's the one that's been rumored forever, because originally, it was supposed to happen a little earlier. The Hero who will be killed is a series regular and has an important power that will live on in Sylar

2. Look for lots more Heroic relatives (like Shanti, Mohinder's sister) and family history next season, because the second season is called Volume Two: Generations, and it's all about the ancestors and descendants of the Heroes we know and love.

Heroes and Grey's Spoilers

Thanks to Kristin from E! Online for these great spoilers on two of my favorite shows!

Grey's Anatomy:

1. Someone close to Meredith is going to die. A family member. And it'll wreak havoc on Meredith's relationship with her dad.

2. George and Izzie will fall in love.


Heroes:

1. Adrian Pasdar (Nathan) says that the question of how Nathan's father died is something that gets answered in Chapter 22. It wasn't Sylar, but it's not what we were told. He turns out to be somebody we don't expect.

2. Also from Adrian, there's an episode (called "String Theory") that happens five years in the future, and it's a possible outcome of what situations now might dictate in the future. It's not a definite, finite reality, but it's a possibility."

Power Plays

Holy crap, what a cliff-hanger! I mean, wow. Last week's was clearly the best episode that Heroes has yet aired, but with us not having another one until April 23, I'm totally on the edge of my seat until then. I've grown to love this show more and more each week.

So let's get into it, starting with some leftover business from last week. H.R.G., our erstwhile villain — who might now be the character on the show that elicits my sympathy the most — cannot catch a break. To have Eric Roberts, playing Thompson, give H.R.G. the smackdown after he came back brainwashed with a bullet wound and his daughter missing was harsh. The biggest indignity must have been pairing H.R.G. with that new girl, Candice the shape shifter. She's got a hell of a mean streak and she is so hot while doing it. I loved the way she played with a grieving Isaac. Or the way that she probably deliberately wore a short skirt and high-heeled boots when she went to see the Bennets just so she could make the wife jealous? Or the way that she tricked H.R.G. (he is in trouble!) into spilling the beans about Claire? Mean, mean, mean. But what's going to happen? They're not going to kill H.R.G., are they? Especially since they just offed the show's second main character: more on that later.

I kind of glad Mohinder is the one that bit the dust. He was the weakest link on the show. We all guessed, from the moment that he and Sylar teamed up, that the junior Suresh probably wasn't going to make it until the end of the season. And just when I thought the supposedly smart scientist couldn't get any stupider, just when I thought he was going to ignore Sylar's continual creepy statements about not being lonely anymore, he came through in a big way and proved that science plus revenge equals really scary. I mean, Mohinder started pulling a Jack Bauer there, drugging Sylar, tying him up, torturing him with a tuning fork, stabbing a needle into his spine, and then actually trying to shoot his captive. I didn't think the guy had it in him. And, with the camera positioned behind Sylar's head, I thought he was a goner — until he stopped that bullet like Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, which is cool.

Alas, the bad guy got loose. And, in what was far and away the most convincing acting that Sendhil Ramamurthy has ever done on the show, once Sylar was free, Mohinder started to tremble like a child. Then — unfortunately — he got pinned to the ceiling. Bye-bye Mohinder. It was nice to have known you. And although the big cliff-hanger was Peter's forehead getting sliced open in his second encounter with Sylar (now we know where the scar that future Hiro spoke of came from), it's a given that he's going to survive. Even Heroes can't kill three main characters in three consecutive episodes.

And for all that excitement, the thing that thrilled me the most about this episode was that super-long scene between Nathan and Linderman. Behold, he was finally revealed as Malcolm McDowell. An inspired choice, I say. The man can play powerful, the man can play scary. I also found the following piece of dialogue one of the most interesting and insightful on the show yet.

Linderman: "There come a time when a man has to ask himself whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of meaning."

Nathan: "I'd like to have both."

Linderman: "Can't be done. Two very different paths. To be truly happy, a man must live absolutely in the present, no thought of what's gone before and no thought of what lies ahead. But a life with meaning, a man is condemned to wallow in the past and obsess about the future."

The following lines also sent a chill of excitement up my spine.

Linderman: "I can offer you more than just information, Nathan. You're going to win your election, I'll see to that. And two years from now, through a series of fluke circumstances, you'll find yourself in the White House, a heartbeat away from the presidency. A life of meaning, Nathan. Think about it. The choice is yours."

How awesome is that? Nathan in the White House? That line there was one of the first indications to me that the show might actually branch off in some interesting, unexpected directions in future seasons. I know he's going to be a congressman, but as the show progresses, if the existence of these heroes get out, it'd be fascinating to have one of them in a higher level of government than just being one of 435 people in the House of Representatives.

A question remains, though: How does Linderman know this? Is he screwing around with Nathan, taking advantage of Nathan's power lust? If that's the case, it was well played, because Nathan folded easily. Why does he have all of Isaac's paintings? He has to be in charge of the Company, the organization running this whole conspiracy, right? So much covered, yet so much left out. Was that Isaac, headless, in his final painting? What's the deal with Mrs. Petrilli? Does she — like apparently all the older people on the show — know much more than we thought? Has she known about her sons the whole time?

We have a whole lot to digest. We will have time though, until April 23rd!

Company Man

Just when we thought we had a handle on this show, Heroes completely flipped the script on us. There's no denying that last night's show was amazing. And it's probably just because the writers gave us so much to chew on, but I for one was completely geeking out, in an X-Files/Lost kind of way. After weeks of slooow, glacier-like plot development, there's so much to talk about from last night's episode.

Chapter 17, "Company Man," told us some of H.R.G's backstory. For much of this season, I've been torn between my belief that H.R.G. was a bad man and the possibility that he genuinely loved his family. It's been pretty much confirmed that, true to life's complexities, he's fully both. He's a man who is "comfortable with morally gray" and able to shoot a friend and partner, yet willing to risk his own life in order to shield the adopted daughter he's grown to love but didn't want in the first place. And for all his good there at the end, he's a man who's lived 15 years of his life doing "what I've always done — what I'm told." It struck me as the sort of unquestioned loyalty to one's superior that almost always ends in lots of people dying. Say what you will about Claude, but that glimmer of integrity he displayed when he told H.R.G., "I will not hunt my own people," made up for all the jerk-ish things he did in the previous episodes.

No wonder he's so bitter and suspicious of others. He and H.R.G. were pals before a major betrayal. That's just one drop of a tidal wave of backstory we were given here. Hiro's dad works for The Company, though who knows whether or not he is aware of Hiro's power come to think of it. The Devereaux building has some new significance to the whole plot (was Mr. Devereaux part of The Company?). And Eric Roberts cannot help but be cast as a skeezy bad guy. For a while there I was convinced that he was Linderman, until I saw the preview for next week but more on that later.

The first episode that eschewed the show's crosscutting calling card and focused totally on one plotline, "Company Man" also gave us the most extended special effects scene that the show had yet to offer, and it was so awesome. It was very intense, filled with awesome slow-mo shots and roars as Ted went nuclear.

I tried really hard not to tear up, but I couldn't help but get a little mushy in the show's last 10 minutes. While Heroes often reaches for the mythic and the epic, there was something genuinely stirring about H.R.G. going back to the spot where he betrayed Claude to have Claire watch the Haitian shoot him. With Eric Roberts looking to pair H.R.G. and the mind-reading Matt Parkman, Daddy Bennet had to convince his superiors that the Haitian took his daughter and erased his mind of all his daughter's memories. I was actually sad, and that might be the first time that's happened this entire season. Surely I'm not the only one, right?

So what did y'all think? While we've learned tons more, we still don't know why The Company is chasing down these people. Also, who else is involved in this conspiracy? And what was up with that preview for next week? Looks like we're finally going to meet Linderman, but more importantly, is Simone really alive? Did she pull a Claire and rise from the dead? Was that just a dream? I think I might be pissed either way, as I was getting used to the idea of Simone being gone.

Unexpected

Another great episode for this show. For one thing, this episode featured people actually using their abilities. It was also like a smorgasbord of dazzling manifestations of mutant aberration. Not only did Claude and Peter Petrelli do their cool invisible sparring routine on the roof of the Deveaux Building, but Peter later invoked both Sylar's telekinesis and Nathan's power of flight to evade the tazer-wielding H.R.G. Come to think of it, Episode 16 really was the younger Petrelli's time to shine, wasn't it? The way he got the drop on Isaac at the end shows the kid is really learning to master his various abilities. It's too bad his quick wits caused Isaac to shoot the woman they both love dead by accident. Oh well, collateral damage.

As if Peter's hot streak wasn't enough, Ted Sprague tended to the lawn at a cemetery and — finally, finally — Hiro got a little of his groove back, halting a bullet in mid-air and sending it back into the barrel of a gun. Unfortunately, this impressive feat was accompanied by the sad occasion of Hiro and Ando's breakup. Another reason I'm happy is I can geek out on the Stan Lee cameo. This event occurred a little more than halfway through and undoubtedly will be the source of much online commotion despite the fact that Lee is well known to be the Waldo of comic-book ventures (see the last Spider-Man, the last X-Men, and the last Fantastic Four). Owing what it does to X-Men and the Marvel Universe, Heroes was bound to pay the man his tithe eventually.

While we're on the subject of X-Men, am I the only person who thought Sylar sounded a lot like Erik Lensherr, a.k.a. Magneto, when Mohinder raised the idea of curing people of their abilities? "You make it sound like a virus or a plague," he said, his weird, narrow, Bert-like face showing something other than unabashed supervillainy. Some other cool stuff happened this week, too. Poor Claire. Her mom is doing pretty bad and her dad is responsible for it. I give props to Hayden Pannetierre for a great performance.

We also learned that the H.R.G. receives steady shipments of new pneumatic needles, which would be good if he was distributing them to heroin addicts, but since he's using them to inject mutants with radio isotopes, it's considerably less cool. And mind-reader Matt Parkman gave his partner a $40,000 diamond ring, which she promptly made him return — in case anyone needed a reminder that this is a fantasy program. Also, a mysterious, raven-haired beauty appeared whose talent seems to be that she can send instant messages without the use of a laptop. It seems she can tap into the waves from the net or something.

It appears that Peter and Sylar could be perceived as racing to master as many different abilities as possible. Could this all be building up to a giant catastrophic confrontation between the two of them somewhere down the line?

Run!

Chapter 15 in the Heroes saga, "Run!", was another great episode for the show. The one gripe I do have is regarding Hiro and Ando's plot. Hiro and Ando's bumbling antics felt pointless. It sort of made me dislike Ando and made me even more frustrated with Hiro for having what has now become a very prolonged crisis of confidence. I understand he needs his sword, but after last week's parley with Papa Nakamura, you'd think the guy was back on his game. I only complain because I love their story, and I'm tired of these two looking like buffoons. Ando, New York is going to disappear in less than two weeks, and you decide to run off with some woman? Shame on you! Also was the state gaming commission guy, the one from whom they stole the pink bag? I couldn't tell for sure. I just hope the writers link all this together with sword story. I also have to understand that there are still about 8 episodes left to tell the whole story.

Now on to the great parts. I'm glad they didn't feel the need to fit in all the characters in one episode, especially now that many plots are intersecting — Jessica and Matt, Nathan and Claire, Sylar and Mohinder. All in all, episode 15 saw many of our characters in moments of danger or disappointment or despair. Most obvious was Matt, who just cannot get a break. I mean, it's his first day as a bodyguard, and he has to protect Linderman's shady lawyer, Malsky (who apparently absconded with the money that he picked up from D.L.).

Learning at the last minute that the money-diamond exchange was a setup, Matt looked pretty competent there, until he got his ass handed to him by Jessica, who chucked him out of a window. Then his former colleagues arrived and, as usual, insulted him in their minds. Good for you, Matt — steal those diamonds. A man needs to feel like a man, and sometimes a criminal act is the only way to achieve that feeling. For once, I wasn't bored with his story. I also found it very interesting that Matt was able to hear Jessica arguing with Niki. This even surprised Jessica when he told her. Does that mean they can split into two people or something?

And how bold is Sylar? From a mousy watchmaker to a serial killer who can sit mere inches from his latest victim (donning his Ramones T-shirt seemed like salt in the wound) and straight-up lie to Mohinder — that's quite a character arc. It's like he gets a thrill from toying with people — Mrs. Bennett last week, Mohinder this week. It's frightening to think what's going to happen now that he seems to have persuaded Mohinder to take him on his heroes hunt. Is he going to string Mohinder along for as long as he can before killing him? And good luck to anyone who wants to try to put Sylar in a cage now that he can liquefy metal. H.R.G. is going to have to build some floating plastic prison, like the one they used to house Magneto in X2. That, or kill Sylar. Probably the latter.

And finally, poor Mrs. Bennett. The Bennett story line, as soap-operatic as it is, is also the most tragic. I mentioned last week how the Haitian's constant memory wipes on H.R.G.'s wife could not be doing her any good, and now it seems they've significantly deteriorated her mind. At episode's end, she was like an Alzheimer's patient, not recognizing her beloved Mr. Muggles or even Claire. I can't imagine H.R.G. doesn't love his wife, and it has to be killing him to know that he's done this to her. Just like it's killing Claire to know that her biological parents want nothing to do with her.

I had my fingers crossed that Claire and Nathan would meet this week and all three family members would reveal their powers to each other. Alas, Nathan — despite his mother's protestations — went to Texas to personally deliver a $100,000 check to Claire's real mother, though when offered the opportunity to meet Claire, he turned it down. I guess he knows that if he meets her, it would change his life completely. Well, Claire and Nathan might never get to meet if Jessica delivers on her second contract, which was revealed at the episode's end to be Nathan himself. That is going to be an awkward moment, Nathan coming face to face with the woman who gave him the best sex of his life only to have her try to kill him.

With less than two weeks in the show's time left until the explosion and 8 episodes left to show everything, I think things will slow down a bit until probably the final five episodes. We have to remember this is a show that needs to last for another 3 months so we should not get frustrated and just go though the motions. Next week looks great as "someone will die, and someone will fly." Hmmmm.

Connections

Wow. Nathan is a dirty whore. I knew I was right in my prediction last week that Nathan is Claire's real father. Which leads me to my very important point of the day: Nathan is a DIRTY WHORE.

He's cheated on his wife at least once (with Jessica), and it was with such little remorse that it's safe to assume that he's done it before. And now we find out that he hooked up with some woman from Texas, two heroes amazingly getting together (randomly or no?) and producing Claire. I'm super-curious as to what circumstances would have brought Nathan and Claire's mother together in the first place. She seems a little low-rent, and he's obviously the complete opposite. Still, I sort of like Nathan's moral weakness, his ambition, his selfishness, his ruthlessness — it makes those tender kiss-worthy moments he has with his brother more emotional.

This revelation should put to rest those "Peter and Claire should get together" threads that I've seen on various message boards. Ew. He's her uncle, which makes the fact that he saved her from Sylar — and vice versa — that much more interesting and affecting. It also strengthens the bonds between everyone on the show — Claire is connected to Nathan, who's connected to Peter, who's connected to Simone, who's connected to Isaac, who's connected to Hiro, and so on. Of course, Linderman's at the very top of the food chain.

Chapter 14 (titled "Distractions") really soared admirably, especially in the second half. In Hiro and Peter's case, family is what held them back from achieving their destiny, and family is what brought them closer to fulfilling their missions. When Hiro's father was inches close to packing him back on a plane to Tokyo, Hiro and his sister were able to persuade him to let Hiro go off and do his own thing — which he should have in the first place. Can you seriously see Hiro as an efficient manager, let alone an executive vice president?

As for Peter, he was inches close to believing Claude's noxious philosophy that people are "selfish, deceitful, and gassy." Yet when push came to shove, it was thinking of sweet Claire, who he still doesn't know is his niece, that saved his life. Wow, would Claude have felt like a jerk if Peter hadn't regenerated. The people Peter loves are not distractions. Who would've thought, a dozen episodes ago, that Heroes would be a more gripping family drama than Brothers & Sisters?

Yet the most tragic of the stories is still with the Bennet clan. Having inadvertently let Sylar out of his cage, H.R.G. almost lost his family, dashing into his home seconds before Sylar could end his wife's life. And H.R.G. was pissed ("Find him. He dies!"), so I can't wait to see what happens when the two cross paths again. And then, having barely saved his wife from a nasty death, H.R.G. had to erase her memory yet again. Her brain must be mush, and that's sad for her, but is anyone else a little sad for H.R.G., having to do these things and put up these facades around his family? What a lonely life it must be. It's funny how we were so close to finding out his first name. But, the writers were clearly screwing with us when they had Ms. Bennet say, "It's so funny how all of y'all call him Mr. Bennet. I've always just known him as —" before yelling at Mr. Muggles.

Then there is poor Niki, who first kills her therapist. Then, for some reason, Linderman arranged for her to be cleared of all charges. When she finally gets home, we learn that Jessica has completely taken over with Niki now trapped in the mirror. Why doesn't Niki just stay away from mirrors? Seriously, Niki, just stay away from reflective glass. I'm curious to see whether her two personalities are eventually going to come together into one super-strong person. I guess that won't happen next week as Jessica is on a full rampage and it looks like she takes out Matt (YAY!).

An Awesome Heroes

Chapter 13, "The Fix" (I like using the name every week because the show so clearly tries to construct each episode as if it were an individual comic issue) was a total placeholder. Watching last week's previews, I was excited for this week (apparently it takes very little to excite me for a Heroes episode), and watching next week's previews, I'm excited for next week. I hope, however, that they won't save all the good stuff until the last three minutes as they did here. And speaking of the last three minutes, is anyone else glad there wasn't a closing voice-over to end the episode? Those are just getting more mind-boggling by the week.

So yeah, a placeholder. It was definitely a time for parents, though, more so than in previous eps: H.R.G. and his continuing deception of Claire, who is on the hunt for her real mother and father; D.L. trying to be a good dad and coming up short; Hiro's pop making an appearance; and Matt finding out he's going to be one. Speaking of them, how is Janice still with Matt? I am growing increasingly bored with their storyline. However, I'm sure she's in some sort of state of disbelief about the fact that her husband is a mind reader. Also, is the baby even Matt's?

How hilarious were Hiro and Ando yesterday? It was funny watching them hide from their pursuers, yet I was confused as to how they first were completely surrounded by people hunting them down in an enclosed parking garage, yet they still ended up hiding undetected under a car. Did I miss something? Anyway, they got caught. I was happy to see Hiro run back for his dear friend and throw himself into what could have been a dangerous situation. They eventually discovered right at the end that Hiro's father, played by George Takei, was behind the pursuing. I have another theory about this, could Hiro's dad be the so far unseen Linderman?

Sylar was still in captivity and at the brink of death. I find it interesting that he was able to easily fake his death. Is that some sort of power he has? Or did he die, but fix himself? Who didn't cheer when Sylar confronted H.R.G. with that creepy "How's Claire?" line. I can't wait to see what happens with him. Also, what was that weird metallic shine on the back of Sylar's head? Speaking of H.R.G, I'm sure we all waffle back and forth in terms of what we think H.R.G.'s motivations are, but when he told his daughter, "Whether you're 16, or 32, or 64, I will be there for you. Always," I believed the guy. He seems to really be a good dad, despite the whole memory-erasure thing.

I also thought Peter's story continues to get more and more interesting. According to Mohinder, Peter is like a sponge and could get dangerous as he absorbs more and more powers. Does this mean Peter keeps the powers he absorbs and he just hasn't figured it out yet? I like the addition of the invisible man, Claude Rains. It's cool to see Peter have a mentor-type since it's clear his brother won't be filling that position. Peter's "I found you for a reason: I think you teach me how to stop this" is a typical Heroes line. It will be great to see Cluade help Peter and to learn more about him and how long he has had his powers.

I also like how Niki's story is moving along. I'm getting the impression that her power isn't having a dual personality and that she is just a little crazy. I think her power is her super strength that only comes out when the other personality emerges. I think she just needs to learn that she doesn't need to be Jessica to handle tough situations because she can do that on her own. I did get annoyed with D.L. though. He got so whiny about having to do things on his own, when Niki was able to make it on her own, something Micah made clear to him. Also, who didn't love it when little Micah started using his machine-manipulation power to rob ATMs?

Our Claire sure is a little Nancy Drew. After grilling the Haitian, she was able to have more information to assist her in finding her mother which she did right at the end. I got a little giddy when she told her she was her mother and more so when she lit that cigarette with her fingers. Apparently it runs in Claire's family. Next week, we learn the identity of Claire's father. When Claire's mother calls a man to say that their daughter has found her, I think that it will turn out to be Nathan.