NBC/Adam TaylorWant to know what to expect from the final two episodes of Heroes? Need to know what we can all look forward to in next season's new volume, Redemption?
Of course you do, which is why Team WWK has been pounding the pavement for you and we've come back with tons of exclusive Heroes dish direct from executive producers Tim Kring and Bryan Fuller and star Greg Grunberg.
Who's dead?
Who's alive?
Which two faves fight in the finale? And which characters are coming back next year?
Here's the very latest, very juiciest scoop from the guys who know Heroes best:
Tonight's Episode: Tim Kring tells us that this week's and last week's eps are a bit of a loop: "At the end of the last episode we saw that Sylar was impersonating Nathan Petrelli, and tonight's episode 24 explains how he got to be Nathan Petrelli at the end of episode 23. It sort of rewinds a little bit." And despite the face-swapping confusion, Nathan and Sylar do go head-to-head before the end of the season. Says Kring, "You will see a face-off. You can feel the two lines converging toward each other, very much, in the next episode. There's still Building 26 and Danko to deal with, and those bad guys to put down, and then the whole stopping of Sylar's nefarious plan. All of our characters are involved. The season finale is the best episode we've done in a really, really long time."
Bad Matt? According to Greg Grunberg, "The last two episodes are absolutely huge. My character is asked to do something, and does something, that is incredibly dark and results in the demise of another character. It's not expected. It's pretty sick. Torture is involved. It's someone we all know. It felt great to tap into my dark side."
The Old Ones: Based of the success of last week's "1961" episode, look for lots more in season four about young Angela, Alice and the rest of the Company founders in their idealistic youth. Says Kring, "We didn't plan on it until we saw how good '1961' came out. We all fell in love with those actors who were playing the younger versions of them. We are devising season four to go back to that timeframe, since lots of interesting things happened at the beginning of the formation of the Company. I found it a really effective way to dig into the mythology of the show."
The Path to Redemption: For us fans, season three isn't done yet, but the writers are already back working on season four, and according to Bryan Fuller it really will be a brave new era for the show. Bryan tells us, "Fugitives was such a dark chapter in the history of Heroes, so we look at Redemption as a unifying theme for next season. We're going to see redemption for all of the characters in one respect or another. Our goal going into season four is taking every character and making that character's story evolve into an entire series. We just want the smorgasbord of Heroes to be as satisfying for everybody." Smorgasbord or no, among those Heroes getting a special treatment next year is Masi Oka's Hiro Nakamura. Bryan Fuller says that, "The Hiro story for season four is the best story we've ever come up with for Hiro. It's so emotional and exciting and adventurous."
DEAD OR ALIVE?
Daphne Milbrook: Sadly, Brea Grant is really gone and really not coming back. Kring tells us, "Alas, poor Daphne. She has met her demise. There are always ways of breaking time and space, but she is indeed dead."
Claude and Adam: Fan favorites Invisible Claude and Adam Monroe are also not likely to appear any time soon. Despite rumors that Adam might back in the finale, Kring says, "We felt like we killed him in a very satisfying way, and there really had to be some finality on the show, or else we lose all credibility. His death by Arthur Petrelli was pretty hard to come back from, so, as far as him being alive in the present-day story, that's a tall order."
Tracy Strauss: On the other hand, Ali Larter's Tracy, while seemingly dead, does return. Says Kring, "It looks fairly dire for Tracy Strauss' character, except if you stop and rewind the last couple of seconds when she was melting down the grate you may see some indication that the impossible could happen with that character." Bryan Fuller spills, "I think Ali was so underused on this show, and watching the show as a fan, I was frustrated because Ali Larter is a really good actress, and she's really engaging. So I was glad to write an episode where we get to focus on her character, because I adore her, so it's fun to write for somebody that gets you excited about the story." Will Ali be playing Barbara when she returns? "No," says Bryan. Can melted, shattered Tracy really come back together? "Watch the finale," replies Bryan. Mark your calendars, kids.
Are you still onboard with Heroes? Will you be watching the final two eps? Post in the comments!
Get full episodes of Heroes at Fancast.
Heroes airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
—Reporting by Jennifer Godwin, Natalie Abrams, Carrie Borzillo-Vrenna