Mike Ansell/NBCKristen Bell returned to Heroes, and not a moment too soon. Villainy is on the rise, our heroes are in a bad way, and we needed a little dose of our favorite blond with a bad attitude, especially when certain major publications (ahem, E.W.) are predicting nothing but doom and gloom for this series as a whole.
So, did last night's episode help or hurt the direction of Heroes?
Read on for your chance to weigh in, plus the skinny on what went down—and exclusive scoop on what lies ahead...
WHAT WE LEARNED:
Elle's Out of Control: Apparently, ever since she accidentally overloaded the circuits at Level Five and released all the villains, Elle's wandering in the wilderness, and becoming ever more…disconnected. She's been overcome by her power, she's in terrible pain, and we're starting to get the sense that her pain is not just physical. Will she find help at Pinhearst with Papa Petrelli? If my reliable heebie-jeebie scale of 9 out of 10 goosebumps is any indication, Daddy Dearest is way evil, so I wouldn't bet on it.
Peter's Out the Window: Sylar has a million ways to kill, and "I'm going to do them all to you," he told Arthur. So clearly he did the right thing by gently throwing Peter out that window. (If only Lost's John Locke were so lucky!) Not only did Sylar fulfill his promise to Mama Petrelli to get Peter out of Pinehearst, he also saved his life and kept him out of Arthur's reach. Now throwing your brother out a window to save him is convoluted, to be sure—kids, do not try this at home!—but I do believe the dark child is going undercover to undermine Arthur.
Maya's Out of Here: Looks like Maya's pilgrimage to the States wasn't a waste of time after all—it just didn't work out the way she planned. Arthur Petrelli took her power, and now he has the evil black bug eyes. I predict fewer tears from Arthur, but the question remains: Will he absorb the sudden Brooklyn accent this Dominican Republic native somehow magically developed in the past few episodes? (Sorry, but that plot flaw was getting on my last nerve!)
Oh, and sidenote: Sorry for leading you astray that Maya would be killed. I heard she would be "taken care of" in this episode, and, well, we all know what that usually means on this show, so my mind automatically made that leap. My apologies.
WHAT'S TO COME:
- You know how Elle channeled her overly abundant electricity into Claire? Later this season she'll do the same thing to a male character, only this time it will have some distinctly sexual overtones. Talk about good vibrations! As for next new ep (airing Nov. 11), we'll get to know her when she was an agent in the field, and we'll meet her partner.
- The next ep is flashback-tastic. (Don't worry—as I promised, we will settle into the present eventually, just hang in there until Vol. 4: Fugitives.) We see what really happened to Arthur Petrelli, and whodunit. Was it Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with the candlestick? My money's on Mr. Green in the library.
- We see Sylar eat his very first brain. OK, he doesn't technically eat them—"Claire, that's disgusting"—but you get my drift.
- Matt Parkman was buddy-buddy with villains back in the day. Any guesses as to which baddie he once knew quite well?
SOUND OFF:
Personally, I found tonight's episode to be the most compelling so far this season. (Clear indication: This is the first week my husband made it all the way through without falling asleep...And yes, we are geriatric and like soup.) The story seems to have a much clearer direction now, with two distinct sides (Mommy Petrelli versus Daddy Petrelli), and the housecleaning of the cast should streamline the series all the more, which was seriously needed. If things continue in this direction, I personally will keep tuning in.
But...what about you?
Many of you (more than 300 to be precise) sounded off on last week's Does Heroes Need Help? story. Does tonight's episode change anything for you? Is the show getting better? Worse? More of the same? What needs to be fixed? Please take a moment to post in the comments...
—Additional reporting by Jennifer Godwin