Paul Drinkwater/NBC I’ve been told not to start off these columns with anything spoilery—for people who haven’t yet seen last night’s episode (so they don’t accidentally see info they don’t want to see on the main page), so let me start off by talking about all the things in the latest episode of Heroes that were not fantastic, edge-of-your seat surprises...
There was that one moment when Syla—er, no, that was amazing.
Then there was that phone call when Cla—wait, no, that was good, too.
Well, what about that scene where the invisible man pushed Pe—holy crap, no, that was unbelievable!
Oh, it's just too hard! So, please, my beloved tubers, for the love of all that is fair and just in the TV-scooping world, please just try and watch Heroes before you come to this section on Tuesdays, if at all possible. Honestly, I don't know how you possibly can wait to see it anyway, because (at least round here at E!) it's all anyone's talking about Tuesday mornings!
And last night was not an episode to be missed, what with all the plot twists and shockers galore, doncha think?
WHAT WE LEARNED
Nathan Is Claire's Daddy! Be honest. How many of you figured it out already based on the hints I'd given (that Claire and Peter cannot be romantically linked) and the promo showing his forearm. (Everyone knows Adrian Pasdar's sexy forearms! And the business shirt and gold watch sorta gave it away, no?) Still, I cannot wait for Nathan to put two and two together and realize that the cheerleader his loony bro has been trying to save all along is his own daughter. Yeowza! Good stuff. (And it happens sooner than you think.)
Sylar Rocketh Like No Other Hero Hath Rocketh: Sorry, maybe it's my thing for serial killers (sigh, Dexter), but Zachary Quinto is so phenomenally charismatic as Sylar, it's a little hard not to root for him, is it not? Make that man a series regular. Now.
The Story Changed: According to my sources, the original script for last night's episode had Sylar abducting the entire Bennet clan, and he had radioactive Ted by his side. (Hence, my wonky spoiler in yesterday's chat.) But I liked the way it turned out, with all the freaky-deaky Sylar and Mrs. Bennet action, didn't you?
Heroes Has Easter Eggs, Too! And the one last night was of the fun-fan-fact variety (not a clue to the overall mythology of the show). Keen eyes have pointed out to me that Kaito's limo has the license plate NCC-1701, the registry number of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek, which, of course, was George Takei's former home. I'm told coexecutive producer Bryan Fuller, who worked on Voyager, is a big fan of Takei, which is how he came to the show.
Peter Is Starting to Own His Powers—Sorta: He couldn't fly, but he could regenerate by wistfully thinking about "that sweet kid with the sad little smile." (Eww! That's your niece, you slimeball!) So, you might think his invisible sensei might be able to prevent the end of the world, but I have it on the highest authority (as do you—you've seen the paintings) that the future will include that scene in New York with everyone running away from Peter (except Nathan—and that's still important!) as Peter starts to explode. Gaaah!
I'm in Love with the Invisible Man: Does it count as cheating if your significant other can't see the indiscretion? Discuss below.
WHAT LIES AHEAD
There's More to Hiro's Dad Than Meets the Eye: "There is a twist to my character that no one will expect that is really quite extraordinary," George Takei told me exclusively in a little one-on-one phone chat. And sources tell me it has to do with who is bankrolling his character. Everything is interconnected!
A Hero Is Still Gonna Die: There's one person you probably think they would never kill off because of his or her special role on the series. But what if there were someone who could instantly absorb that person's special role? Crap—now I've said too much. Shutting up now!
I'll have more juicy scoop for you in my brand-spanking-new Vine show, including the word on who is gay. (It's not at all what you think.) My new Vine show is launching this Monday morning, right here in this Watch with Kristin section, so hang tight!