NBC Photo: Adam Taylor This volume of Heroes began with Sylar scalping Claire and taking her power, and ended with Claire jamming a shard of glass into Sylar's skull and taking his power. All's fair in love and war, and our little Claire-bear is a fighter after all.
So is Sylar dead? And is anyone buying that they would write Zachary Quinto off the show? Anyone?
And what other Vol. III: Villains actions will have consequences in Vol. IV: Fugitives? Read on for the inside track...
WHAT WE LEARNED:
Most Petrellis Are Mostly Evil: Uh, did Nathan just go evil? Did Nathan just convince the president to round up all the people with abilities—including Tracy's biological nephew Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey)—and keep them under federal control? I guess that nicely sets up the Fugitives theme for the next volume. Run, Heroes, run! And man, even though Nathan probably has some wholesome reason for doing this, he's really going back to a Machiavellian mode that can't be good for anyone. Of Arthur, Angela, Nathan, Peter, Claire and imaginary/onetime Petrelli Sylar, only Peter and Claire are reliably "good." I hate to resort to quoting Bonnie Tyler, but I'm holding out for a hero on a show called Heroes.
Red Lightning's Not So Bad After All: Again, remember back when we thought Ando's red-lightning power was deadly? Well, turns out it's just awesome. Ando's the "power-up" gold coin for this video game—hang with him and whatever your natural abilities, consider them amplified a 1,000 times. (I wonder if regular human powers—like being Suresh-smart—are also amplified?) Can't wait to see how Ando's new skill overlaps with other Heroes' powers. For example, if you cross Ando with Tracy, can you stop the polar ice caps from melting and save the polar bears?
Sylar's a Hero? Angela is a pathological liar, but she did have a point about Sylar being an accidental hero of sorts. Arthur had successfully disarmed Peter, disabled Angela, and killed the likes of Maury Parkman and Adam Monroe. But against Sylar's psychopathic determination, he was defenseless. Scary, yes, but compelling. Another reminder that Elle was right to see something in Sylar. Sigh.
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WHAT'S TO COME:
Sylar's Not Dead: Yes, Sylar's healing power was deactivated, and yes he was in the exploding building when Meredith went kablooey, but no, he ain't dead. He'll emerge from the rubble and set off on a quest to find his powers. And Angela told the truth (believe it or not) when she said he was decidedly not the product of a humble watchmaker and a woman who collected snow globes.
That Death Reset: The death reset I've been promising was not Elle. The death I'm referring to has not happened yet, and after this episode I'm more glad than ever that the writers are giving the character a second chance—because she rocks.
Hiro on Hold: Even though Arthur took his native abilities, Peter can now fly, thanks to a timely injection of the formula. Hiro's powers, however, will remain offline for the time being. Good news for the anti-time-travel faction of the fandom!
Now, what did you think of the finale of Heroes, Volume III: Villains? Was it awesome, awful, or somewhere in between? And will you keep watching when Heroes returns next year?