In particular, the scene between Hiro and his mother was perfect. It covered a wide range of emotions, from funny to uplifting to tragic. It was well-written, well-acted and caused this hardened TV critic to shed a tear.

Part of that emotion could be that it reminded me of another TV hero who lost her mother: Buffy Summers. Every Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan remembers the sudden and heartbreaking loss of Joyce, Buffy's mom. The episode dealing with that loss, “The Body,�?is, in my opinion, the single greatest episode of television ever created and if you've never seen it, you owe it to yourself as a human being to do so.

That episode and last night's Heroes had a lot in common, mostly in the way the death of a parent resulted in an adult turning back into a child. While stuck in the mind of his 10-year-old self, Hiro kept calling her “mommy.�?But when she restored his memory, he became an adult again and called her “mother.�?Upon seeing her dead, he cried out, “Mother. Mommy.�?BR>
Hiro was reduced to a child once again, the exact same way Buffy did when she discovered her dead mother. Something as simple as that little word choice so perfectly captures the agony and grief anyone feels when they lose a parent, and it helped to make this moment on Heroes one I will never forget.

Best in Show

Best Quote: “Where is train station? I must use toilet. More waffles, please.�?- As sad as the episode was, my favorite quote was a hilarious one in which Hiro recited the only three English sentences he remembered from school. I don't know why Hiro loves waffles so much, but it's the kind of running joke I enjoy.

Best Scene: Hiro and His Mother. Nothing else even comes close, not even in the history of the series.

Best User Comment: "I would never want to change my baby self. thats just creeptacular."

Salutations, my little waffles.  Well, here have the penultimate episode of the "Villains" story arc, and unless they really get their act together, the volume title will have been a bit misleading.  I'd say there's only be a couple of cut-and-try, tried-and-true "villains", with too many heroes lingering in the grey in between.  "Villains" was to be their first true epic saga, and it's on the verge of fizzling out.  However, there's still next week to prove me wrong.  Let's begin. 

Parental Guidance Suggested:  Hiro and Claire appear 16 years in the past on the infamous NYC rooftop.  The scene starts off like last week's ending where baby Claire is given to HRG by Kaito Nakamura.  Claire only knows who Hiro is because Peter had told her about him.  However, since Hiro is in his 10-year-old form, he's only had one semester of English, and only knows how to ask where the train station and the bathroom are.  Oh, and "More waffles please!"  They spot little boy Hiro engrossed in his Gameboy as the exchange goes on.  Kaito tells his son to go see his mother (she is dead in the true present).  Anxious to see his mommy, Hiro secretly follows his past self, and Claire tags along.  

Little Hiro hugs his mom and Kaito warns him to be careful - mama's sick.  The parents speak to each other in English so that little Hiro cannot understand them.  It turns out she's dying, and most likely will not make it through the night.  She wants to know if arrangements have been made for the catalyst.  Kaito says that they are going to keep the catalyst in baby Claire, but Mama Nakamura wants to keep it in the family.  She thinks Hiro should be the carrier.  Absolutely not, says Kaito.  Little Hiro sees that their pet dove is very sick, so Mama gives the bird a little kiss, and suddenly it is the picture of health.  Great, another healer.  Seeing this, the time traveling pair knows why they came back.  Claire needs to protect her past self so that she will not become the catalyst, while Hiro needs to get his mother to use her healing power to repair his memory.  They split up when Hiro is approached by his father!  Kaito believes him to be their new chef, and orders him to the kitchen.  Hiro plays along.  

Claire travels to the Bennet's apartment, where new adoptive mother Sandra is having trouble opening the door and carrying baby Claire.  Our Claire assumes the alias of "Bonnie", niece to their neighbors, the Monicos.  She helps Sandra, who is feeling very overwhelmed, and "Bonnie" offers to help show the new mommy a few tricks.  Yes, Claire changes her own diaper.  Claire asks about her husband, and Sandra's afraid that her husband isn't any good with kids.  He's very work oriented and has just been promoted.  Claire assures her that she'll be a good mother and Sandra says she fell in love with baby Claire right away.  Claire tells her to never let her out of her sight - a statement that sort of scares, but Claire just means that kids can be a handful.  

Hiro is making a mess in the kitchen, trying to prepare a proper meal for his mother.  From the other room, he overhears his parents talking (in Japanese this time) that the baby Claire will be brought to them soon.  Mama still insists that she thinks Hiro should be the catalyst, but Kaito will have none of it.  Hiro is too irresponsible, always reading comics and burying his face in his video games.  He's too much of a child, but his mother says to just give him a chance.  Just then, little Hiro sees big Hiro eavesdropping.  Little Hiro says that his father is right, and there is a shared moment of low self-esteem.  

Meanwhile, Claire is giving advice to her past self, warning her of the evils of sharing your juice boxes with 5th grade boys, when HRG (minus the glasses) comes in.  He's angry that some strange girl is watching the baby.  Sandra tells her that she's just a neighbor offering to help, but HRG can see that Claire is lying.  The Monicos don't have a niece.  Uh oh.  Claire admits she's just there to protect the baby.  Sandra doesn't follow, but HRG reminds her that she cannot ask questions about the baby.  Sandra leaves and Claire tells HRG that she knows he's a Company man, and that he doesn't want a baby.  HRG asks if she's "one of them" and a mind reader.  Good guess, but not quite.  Claire continues, saying that he believes the Company could come at any moment to take the baby away, and to not love her, but she's going to be with them for at least 16 years, and he will come to love her as his daughter.  The phone rings and she tells him that it is the Company, calling to ask him to bring them the baby.  They want her just for a minute, but she's fine just the way she is.  She says think about his little "Claire Bear".  HRG smiles - he likes that nickname.  He picks up the phone and immediately hangs it up.  

Hiro has prepared a plate of waffles for his mother - it's the only thing he knows how to cook.  She says that is her son's favorite food, but she's not hungry at the moment.  After taking a good look at her new cook, she says that he looks familiar.  A mother can always tell - he admits that she is his mother.  Hiro admits that he's a master of time and space, and has come back in time.  He also tells her he loves her very much.  She knows that she is dying, and it is a gift to be able to see her son all grown up.  She wants to know all about his life, but Hiro can't say - he needs her to heal his mind because his memories were stolen by a bad man.  She kisses him on the forehead and Hiro is back to his old self.  He remembers everything, including how much he misses her.  He tells her that he's saved the world twice, and needs to do so again.  Also, he has finally gained his father's respect and is a true hero.  She can see this to be true - she always wanted to give him the catalyst, and Hiro says that if he is given "the light", he will defend it.  She agrees.  It turns out that up until now, she's been the human host for the catalyst and she begins to glow.  She passes the "glow" to Hiro, but in doing so, she has given up her own life.  Hiro has to watch his mother die.  More on Hiro and Claire to come.  

See You In the Funny Pages:  Matt, Daphne, and Ando arrive in New York City (via Daphne's super speed).  Ando much prefers teleportation to running - it's less windy.  The trio is at a bike messenger depot, looking for a package left by the late Isaac Mendez.  The package has been there for a year, and the dispatcher says there's no way to know where it could be.  Matt presses him, saying there must be records or something.  The guy lies, saying that NY state regulations forbid him from sharing that information.  Matt knows this isn't true because he's a cop.  He's going to have to poke around in the guy's head.  Yup, he knows about Isaac's sketches, and it turns out this guy's dirty - he's skimming off the top.  The guy cracks and says that the sketches are in the back.  Ando asks why Daphne, the so-called "nemesis" has been so helpful for Hiro.  Matt interjects with his usual "she's a good person" routine.  Just then, the dispatcher bolts out the door on a bike (he even put on his helmet!) and tries to get away.  Daphne makes quick work of him by appearing in front of him.  The man goes flying and agrees to help out.  

The dispatcher found the pictures in the locker of a former employee.  It seems that every fanboy in the world has tried to get these from him, so they must be worth a fortune.  He gives them the book and the trio immediately doesn't like what they see.  The cover of the unpublished 9th Wonder has Hiro on the cover, with the headline "Hiro - Trapped in Time."  They read on.  They see Claire standing on the rooftop and we dissolve to 16 years ago.  Hiro finds Claire and (in English) tell her that he got his memories back.  They can go home now because he's got the catalyst.  Suddenly, Mr. Petrelli appears!  He telekinetically slams Claire against the wall, and pulls Hiro toward him.  He's planning to take both the catalyst and Hiro's powers!  Hiro is sucked dry and thrown over the edge of the building!  Arthur tells Claire to deliver a message to Angela - he wins.  He places his hand on Claire and send her back to the future.  He disappears, and we see that Hiro has not fallen to his death.  At the last moment, he grabbed onto an empty flag pole and is hanging on for dear life.  Back to the trio reading the comic, they see just how Hiro is trapped in time.  There seems to be only one way to save Hiro - if Arthur Petrelli can truly make a formula to give people powers, they need to create a new time traveler to go back and save Hiro, and the new traveler should be Ando!

Band of Brothers:  Day has come, and Sylar is still at the Costa Verde beach.  He is covered in Elle's blood when his cell rings - it's Arthur.  Arthur wants to know where Claire is, but Sylar doesn't know.  Sylar outright defies Arthur and tells him that he knows he is not his father, but thanks to Elle's address book, he's found himself a veritable buffet of powers to grab.  First on the list is Sue Landers.  Arthur tells him to come back, and Sylar says he will, but when he's ready.  He hangs up and pours lighter fluid over Elle's body.  He stands and, fittingly, uses an electrical spark to set the body on fire.  He gives Elle a proper goodbye.  

At Primatech, Angela gives Peter a gun and sends him and the Haitian to Pinehearst.  She wants a bullet in the back of Arthur's head - thanks to the Haitian's powers, he'll finally be vulnerable.  Arthur is too powerful and he must be killed.  He's a monster who has tried to kill his own sons.  Peter hesitates, but ultimately does take the gun.  

Nathan arrives at Pinehearst and is greeted by Arthur and Tracy.  It appears that the Department of Defense is on board for their little project.  Arthur tells Nathan that there are many opportunities for him here, and he agrees - they need a leader with vision, and that someone isn't Arthur, it's Nathan himself.  Nathan is taking over, and Arthur isn't happy about this - after all, he gave Nathan his powers.  Tracy says Nathan is right, that having a senator as the legitimate face of the company is exactly what they need.  Arthur doesn't like it, but agrees to go ahead with it.  

Tracy walks Nathan through the halls of Pinehearst, and he's none too pleased that she has been working behind his back.  She insists that she did it for him - if they are to make the world a better place, he must become the President, and she needs to be at his side.  He asks where she is taking him, and she tells him they're working on a project they lovingly refer to as "Intelligent Design" - they get to choose who gets what powers, and the first batch to join the superpowered ranks is a platoon of Marines.  

Sue Landers is walking through her office, and everyone wishes her a happy birthday.  In her office is a delivery man who has a package to deliver.  Her mind goes a little wonky and she knows that this man is lying.  Yup, it's Sylar.  He uses his power to close the door behind her.  It seems that she's a human lie detector.  He "covets" her ability and torments her about her gift, asking if it "tingles" when she senses a lie, and that if she can truly trust anybody.  She knows something bad is coming.  He tells her this won't hurt - oops, he lied.  He gives her the old slam-and-slice.  After a moment, three of her co-workers burst in with birthday goodies.  They see Sue dead on the floor and Sylar covered in her blood.  Sylar sees their horrified faces and merely says "Cake?" with a glimmer of hope.  The door slams behind them.  Ha!

Nathan sits down with one of the Marines.  He asks if the soldier knows why he's there.  He says he was told this is a program to make them better Marines, and that there's some sort of drug involved.  Nathan tells him that this will change his life, to which the Marine is glad.  He says that he has done two tours in Iraq, and during his last one, his squad was ambushed.  Out of the 12 troopers, only he and 1 other survived the attack.  He thinks that if he had been better, he could have done more and saved more lives.  Nathan thinks he's being too hard on himself, but what can he do - after all, he's only human.  

Peter and the Haitian are driving to Pinehearst, but are stuck in traffic (there's also a broken Earth painting on a building in front of them).  Peter truly believes that the world will be a much safer place if nobody has powers.  The Haitian disagrees, and merely says that the world is not safe with Arthur in it.  Peter always has the desire to save the world, and it is that same desire that might cause him to want to save his father.  The Haitian offers to be the one to kill Arthur, but Peter won't let him.  Much like how the Haitian had to confront his brother, this is something that Peter must do himself.  It is his responsibility.  Elsewhere, Sylar enters an elevator, covered in Sue's blood.  The other man in the elevator is freaked out.  Sylar asks if he's ok and the man lies.  Turns out the ability does tickle a little. 

Mohinder, Arthur, Nathan, and Tracy are in the lab.  Arthur transfers the power of the catalyst into a large vat of power formula.  "Ready to change the world?"  Downstairs, Peter and the Haitian take out the guards.  They're ready for action.  Back in the lab, Tracy wants to prepare 50 doses of the formula, but Nathan says to only begin with one at first.  Arthur senses something and says he needs to take care of an inconvenience.  In the next room, he greets Peter.  Peter pulls the gun on dear old dad and Arthur waves his hand, attempting to disarm him.  Unfortunately, his powers aren't working.  Enter the Haitian.  Peter says his father is going to destroy the world if he gives everyone powers.  Arthur doesn't believe Peter has it in him to kill him.  

Back in the lab,  Nathan's hand-picked Marine is strapped to a chair in an isolated chamber.  Tracy likes Nathan's pick - his All-American look will be good PR.  They wonder if they should wait until Arthur comes back, but he's not in charge, Nathan is.  Mohinder goes to inject the Marine, who is a bit freaked out by Mo's scales.  He says that he was merely the product of a failed test.  He injects the Marine, and he begins to twitch violently.  

The Haitian is struggling to hold back all of Arthur's power - Peter must act quickly.  Arthur dangles the golden carrot in front of Peter - let him go and he can give him back his powers with the formula.  That's it.  The Haitian collapses, Peter fires, Arthur swats his hand, and the bullet stops inches from Arthur's forehead.  Peter's cheek is cut, and Arthur is disappointed - how could Peter be his son?  Well, as it turns out, it wasn't Arthur who stopped the bullet or swatted at Peter - it was Sylar!  He demands to know if Arthur really is his father.  Arthur says yes, and Sylar's lie detector goes off.  He's caught in the lie.  Sylar tells Peter that he's no killer...but he is!  Sylar releases the bullet - Arthur is dead!  Sylar doesn't need to kill Peter because he's worthless to him.  He leaves, and Peter has the Haitian follow him.  Arthur's body glows and it appears the catalyst might be gone.  At least he had already supercharged that previous batch.  In the lab, the soldier finally stops twitching and breaks out of his straps.  He feels great.  He grabs the chair (which is bolted through the floor), throws it through the glass divider and the chair is now imbedded in the concrete wall.  "I feel good."  TO BE CONTINUED!

Some parting thoughts.  First off, we know that Hiro is going to be rescued one way or another, but I'm hoping that he isn't.  I would love to see Hiro have to live out those 16 years to catch up with the present.  Perhaps that's how we can finally, FINALLY get our badass Future Hiro from season 1.  Secondly, how was the Haitian able to keep Arthur's powers supressed even after he passed out?  And more importantly, why weren't Sylar's powers gone too?  Third, and most importantly, is Arthur going to stay dead?  No one EVER stays dead on this show, especially those with healing powers!  Last week Claire AND Sylar died, but when their powers returned, they came back to life.  A pesky bullet in the brain will only keep Arthur down until his healing ability (taken from Adam Monroe) kicks in.  Are they going to do what finally needs to be done to keep someone dead and decapitate the body?  I'm just saying, don't count him out. 

That's all for this time.  Next week - the final episode of 2008!  The last episode of Villains!  Lots of fast cuts!  And the brothers Petrelli go face to face - it is time (again) to pick a side!  Also, next week I will be including a "Holiday Reading List" - a list of comics/graphic novels to help enlighten you during the hiatus.   Until next time!

When I saw the episode title, I had a momentary flash of fear that Arthur Petrelli was going to turn out to be everyone's father.

Instead, he just turned out to be the father of a super soldier program. Clearly, Arthur's idea of making the world a better place by giving powers to mundanes actually meant making the world whatever he wants it to be and enforcing his will with his genetically engineered army. Who thinks this is a good idea?

For one thing, "the future" Tracy had Nathan come take a look at seemed to be entirely male. Where exactly do women fit into the new world order? For another thing, I thought there was no way to predict what kind of power a person would manifest when they were given the injection. If the power a person manifests really is linked to their personality in some way, it would totally make sense that the Marine sergeant would manifest super strength, since that's what he desperately wanted so he could save his fellow soldiers. If the power a person manifests really is a crapshoot, then I think it would be hilarious (in an ironic way) if Pinehearst's unit of crack Marines wound up manifesting powers like the ability to make their hair change color at will or something equally useless for being a super soldier.

I'm deeply relieved that Hiro got his memory back, because I honestly kept forgetting he was supposed to be 10. His 10-year-old self just wasn't that different from his grown-up self. I was really thrown by Hiro's interaction with his father in the past at first because Hiro has previously shown himself to be much more resourceful than that, but then about five minutes later I remembered, oh yeah, he's 10. That whole plotline was fairly pointless, so I'm glad it's over.

Nathan? I totally understand your desire to no longer be anyone's puppet, especially with the way you've been manipulated by your parents your whole life, but "anyone" means Tracy, too. Being independent doesn't mean letting Tracy run your life instead of Arthur and Angela. I'm just sayin'.

How is it that everyone in the world understands that Peter isn't a killer except for Angela? Heck, nobody even wants Peter to be a killer. The Haitian tried to talk Peter into letting him kill Arthur because he didn't want Peter to have to do it, and then Sylar of all people stepped in and drilled the bullet through Arthur's head in the end, because even Sylar knows that Peter isn't a killer. Even though Peter was convinced he was doing the right thing and really wanted to take responsibility for something important like everyone else in his family, the bottom line is that Peter couldn't even pull the trigger on his dad until the Haitian's life was in immediate danger. Peter is perfectly capable of hurting someone, especially to save someone else, but he has too much empathy for other people to just up and kill someone in cold blood.

It was good seeing Sylar back to his old self again. He may even be nuttier than before. He didn't even bother to clean up between kills this time; he was just waltzing around in broad daylight totally not caring that he was covered in the blood of multiple victims. I'm also vastly relieved that Sylar turned out not to be a Petrelli after all, even though I will miss his interactions with Peter. Sylar is much more interesting when he lets his psychoses out to play. And it does make more sense that he came by his psychological malfunction honestly through his completely batty mother.

Next week ought to be interesting.

HEROES: 3.12 “Our Father�?/STRONG>

So this week, lots of people did lots of things! Peter grew balls (kinda), and Sylar grew horns.

Ok, let’s discuss Sylar first, because as much as we’re seeing him as the uber bad guy right now, I’m honestly wondering if this all has to do with his daddy issues. If we recall, in season 1, he was ready to feel guilty for his past misdeeds until he accidentally killed his mother. After this, he spiralled out of control and started killing everyone in sight.

This season, Sylar is investigating his papa, and Arthur seems to be the number one suspect. Of course, Bennet had to change all that by telling him the truth, which made poor Sylar mad and go on a killing spree again.

Honestly, I think once he found out someone had the power to find out if someone is lying, that gave him the impulse to find out if Bennet was telling the truth. So he killed Elle because you know she wouldn’t have gone along with a random killing plan when there’s a mission to do (and because she’s repulsive–more on her later), and then went after the lying power. He was on his own issues mission which made him kill anyone in his way, and then he went to Arthur, who thoroughly pissed him off by lying. So then, “dead�?Arthur (more on that later) and now Sylar is spiralling again.

It’s kinda sad that so much is just on parental issues.

Meanwhile, the death count. We see Elle and Arthur have kicked it. I’m going to say supposedly. I’ve heard we’re killing off a hero and that a hero will appear dead and not actually be. Whether this is the same hero, I don’t know. Aka, if Elle isn’t really dead and she comes back, there’s still the chance she might be kicking it later anyway.

Here’s my theory. Elle is dead (yay yay yay) and Arthur isn’t. We killed off Adam Monroe for a reason, right? I suspect that once the Haitian stops manhandling Arthur, we’ll find him anything but dead. He has the power to live forever. Moreover, Peter was told to shoot him in the BACK of the head, not the front, so either way, I don’t think we’re done with Arthur. I don’t think there’s a way to bring back Elle (thank God) or her charred manly face, so I think it’s good riddence for her.

Meanwhile, I was slightly saddened by the turn of events for the trip back sixteen years. I loved the reunite with Hiro and his mother–fantastic. But the passing of the catalyst, which so quickly got taken away, was a little disappointing. I enjoyed seeing Claire and Hiro act together, though. That was great, and I agree with other bloggers that how have we not seen them in a scene together yet?!

And why did Arthur NOT TAKE Claire power? Her power is quite possibly the one that he’d want the most–unless we go back to the Adam Monroe thing. But clearly it could have helped him out in the end. He doesn’t seem to care to touch her sans catalyst which makes no sense in my mind.

Hiro’s launch off the roof seemed a little disappointing, too. Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE HIRO. But we really need to balls up. If you’re throwing a powerless guy off a building, KILL HIM. Clean up some stuff.

Meanwhile, we heard that maybe Ando will get a power to go back and save Hiro. Hmm. I don’t like this. First, do we know what kinds of powers people will get with this injection? They gave the soldier the lamest power of all: superstrength. It’s not like Ando can just go through a drive-thru and order a McTimewarp.

Plus, I like Ando as one of the few humans that are on a heroic path without powers. It’s just a good fit for him. I think it means more than giving him something.

And in case you’re wondering, I have heard that Peter will be getting his powers back soon. So will Peter Petrelli get his powers back?

Sources say: yes. But how?

''I could've been a nobody, instead of the monster I became.''

Villains are…difficult. From a creative standpoint, they're a bear. Your Big Bad needs to be smart-brutal-powerful enough to pose a legitimate threat to your hero, and yet he or she also needs to be saddled with some kind of fatal flaw that the hero can exploit to emerge victorious. They need to have depth of character, some can even be sympathetic, but you shouldn't ever forget that they are antagonists. They are the obstacle.

Villains have been hard for Heroes. On the one hand, you've got Sylar who �?for all of the liberties the producers have taken with him this year, from rehabbed father figure to Company stooge to wronged ''son'' �?still carries an authentic menace. (And, really, that's because Zachary Quinto has never given up on Sylar, even when he's been forced to do silly things like, you know, argue with his ''girlfriend'' at a rental car joint.) And on the other hand, you've got a series of disposable threats like Knox, Flint, Daphne, and the crazy puppetmaster dude. Even Arthur Petrelli was kind of an empty hat; he was granted too much power and not enough smarts to be entirely effective. (Wouldn't a smart man have just ''pushed'' Nathan into dropping any official investigation into Linderman? That way, Arthur would never have had to push Angela to forget the attempt on her son's life, and she, in turn, never would have poisoned Arthur in the first place. The shortest hop from point A to point B is usually the best.)

And so this third volume, ''Villains'' comes to a close; not with a bang, not with a whimper, just kind of an ''eh.'' Even when Heroes was on the money, back in the first season, it still didn't know how to stick the landing. Remember Kirby Plaza? The whole season built up to a fight that just kind of sat there; a couple of punches and blowed up Petrelli brothers. And this half-season ended with �?hey! �?a couple of punches and blowed up Petrelli brothers.

But before it ended, we got to spend some time in Sylar's House of Horrors. See, after offing Arthur Petrelli, Sylar went over to Primatech �?which always feels like it's across the street �?to execute the second half of Operation Fake Parent Trap. Through the cunning use of cordless phones and circuit boards �?and, yes, murder �?Sylar trapped Claire, Noah, Angela, and hot-bio-mom Meredith in the Company's compound. His plan: Turn them all into monsters, just like him. How? By stealing a page from Jigsaw's handbook and going all death-trap on Meredith and Noah. First, Sylar pumped Meredith full of adrenaline. Then he trapped the supernova-ing Meredith in a fireproof, bulletproof Level 5 cell with Noah…who had only one round left in his gun. Does he shoot Meredith before she flames on and save himself? Does he spare Meredith and commit suicide? Can Claire do anything but watch? That was a legitimately interesting moral dilemma…too bad neither person actually did much to get themselves out of it. 

(Can I just take a minute to air a little procedural grievance? Last week, Noah got the drop on Gabriel and Elle's love tryst with a sniper rifle equipped with a laser scope. Which, as a friend reminded me, you would never, never do, because when a bullet is fired, it doesn't travel in a straight line. It falls to the ground at the same speed as if you dropped your keys. It's called the parabolic arc. A laser sight can't compensate for that, but a scope can. Which is why snipers use, wait for it, scopes. This week, Claire is stalking around carrying a 12-gauge shotgun with one hand. If she pulled the trigger, not only would she not hit what she was aiming at because of the recoil, she'd probably also rip her arm off. Is it too much to ask for a little firearm consultation? If you're gonna put guns in your show, learn a little something about them. Okay, rant over.)

On to Peter, who once again found himself at odds with his brother's boneheaded decisions. With Poppa Petrelli dead, Nathan wants to carry on his father's legacy by continuing Operation: Powers to the People. I can't believe that Nathan almost busted out the ''If you're not with me, you're against me.'' Anyone thinking in such a binary fashion has no idea how to fix a world that's composed entirely of shades of gray. Yes, we're supposed to know this is true, and Peter is the voice of reason in this scenario, but why would a dude ostensibly as smart as Nathan buy that? How did such a simpleton ever get elected to public office? Oh, wait…asked and answered.

Peter moved on from a knocked-out Nathan to Suresh's lab, where Knox and Flint joined him in busting up the joint. At which point, the good doctor said one of the dumbest things in the history of Mohinder saying dumb thing. He's actually got the huevos to chastise Peter for working with ''bad guys'' to achieve his goal. This, coming from the guy who first went to work for the Primatech to save Molly and then did the exact same thing by going to work for Pinehearst to save himself.

This is all interrupted by Nathan, who beats down Flint and the powerless Peter with something out of the lead pipe family. Flint sparks up, sends the place up in smoke, leaving Peter just one way to save himself and his brother: he grabs one of Suresh's power syringes, injects himself, and flies Nathan to safety. 

Finally, Hiro. Or not. I've decided that I never want to hear anyone say ''Yataai'' again. I like Ando's new power, though it keeps him a secondary player. He's an accelerator. An amplifier. He makes other people look good. But he never looks good by himself. And Hiro, finally, after screwing up everything for most of the half-season, does what he was supposed to do. Or, actually, he was tasked to protect the formula, not destroy it. But I'll give him this one pass �?though, to think that someone didn't make a photocopy of it would be the height of stupidity.

At the end of the day, the list of players got smaller �?Knox, Meredith, Arthur, Flint, and, we're supposed to believe, Sylar �?but did anything really happen? Yes, both companies were left in flames, and Nathan decides that if he can't field an army of super soldiers, he'll round up everyone with powers, but it all just felt like…well, you know what they say about sound and fury.

''Villains'' ended as it began, with neither a bang nor a whimper. And I'm ending my run as your Heroes recapper as well. I couldn't tell you who'll be taking over when the show comes back post-Super Bowl, I'm glad I got to spend these few months with you guys. You are as passionate a bunch of fans as I've ever come across �?I can only hope this show once again becomes worthy of your devotion.

And, finally, two words I never thought I'd be typing: President Worf!

What did you think? Are Sylar and Arthur really dead, or just gone to fight another day? Why didn't Hiro tell his father who he really was? Surely, Kaito's seen weirder stuff than time travel. And if people get the powers that they want, what did Mohinder want to be that he turned into Cobra Commander?

Flame on, Heroes!  Now, in your best dramatic voice, let's talk about the episode that will change things forever!  Or at least until February when the show comes back from hiatus.  We got a (weak) conclusion to Volume 3 and the painfully obvious set up for next year's Volume 4, "Fugitives", but not everything was a complete bust.  Grab a hold of Ando, because it's time to supercharge our brains. 

Do You Like Scary Movies?:  Sylar has the priviledge of giving us this week's pointless opening voice over, talking about the choices we all have to make.  Very original.  Inside of Primatech, HRG and the ladies (Claire, Meredith, and Angela) are packing munitions for their raid of Pinehearst when they see a bevy of dead guards.  The lights go out and the windows are closed off with metal bars.  Over the PA system, Sylar announces to the quartet that there's no need to storm the gates of Pinehearst - he's already killed Arthur Petrelli, but now he wants to show them all just what sort of monster they turned him into.  When this volume comes out on DVD, please don't play a drinking game where you take a drink every time someone says "monster" or "different" - you'll die of alcohol poisoning before the 2nd commercial break.  

HRG hands Claire a shotgun and they're off to find Sylar.  Sylar, by the way, is needlessly taunting them over the PA system.  He says that they're all villains.  Claire reminds everyone (including the audience) that even though Sylar has got her healing power, there's still a weakness to it - stab him in the base of the brain and keep whatever you've got in there, and he'll stay dead.  Sounds like a plan.  Sylar isn't afraid - he can heal from anything except a broken heart.  Ugh.  HRG and Meredith bust into the control room, only to find that Sylar isn't there.  Seems as if he's hunting them.  

Claire and Angela are taking refuge in the office.  Claire attempts to use the phone but the line is out because the building is in lockdown.  Angela says that all Sylar is doing is throwing a temper tantrum and playing into it will only work him up even more.  Then, the phone rings - it's Sylar, calling from his cell phone as he walks the halls.  A quick note - the dead guard who Sylar steps around happens to be played by the owner of the comic shop I frequent, so that was pretty cool.  Anyway, Sylar eggs Claire on by saying that she can get what she wants and become a Company agent just like her dear old dad, and all she has to do is kill Angela and everyone can go free.  He reminds her that Angela is a horrible woman, one who was willing to destroy New York City and even attempted to kill her own husband in the name of "the greater good" - is she really worth protecting?  When she asks why he's doing this, Sylar reminds them that he was made into a monster (drink) by her dad and Elle, and now he wants to get his revenge.  Claire cocks the shotgun and blows the phone away.  Take that!

Meredith and HRG enter Level 5, and Meredith isn't so sure that this is a good plan.  HRG says that they need help, so he unleashes the inmates, including our old friend Eric Doyle, puppeteer extraordinaire!  The inmates are given an offer - whoever brings HRG the head of Sylar wins their freedom.  Meredith isn't happy about this, but HRG assures her that the best way to catch a shark is with bait.  Later, Meredith is wandering around on her own (always a good move) when she sees an arm on the floor.  Yeah, just an arm.  With metal fingers.  The arm belonged to Danny Pine, the homeless veteran Meredith captured on her first Company mission.  A glass bottle rolls on the floor toward Meredith, and she reads that it contained adrenaline.  Suddenly, Sylar strikes!  He knocks her gun away and he's about to deliver the kill strike when he's stopped in his tracks - he's now under the control of Doyle!  Doyle is mad - Meredith is his!  His to love, and his to kill.  Creepy.  Sylar can't move, but his powers are just too strong.  He does something to Doyle's mind, making his nose bleed and ultimately pass out/drop dead.  Meredith goes for her gun, but Sylar stabs her in the chest with a syringe full of adrenaline!  Now Sylar's got just one more thing to do.  

HRG goes back down to Level 5, still on the hunt when he sees a flash of fire coming from in a cell.  Meredith is cowering in the corner, her powers completely out of control.  We learned at the start of Season 3 from Mohinder that the adrenal gland controls everyone's powers, so naturally an injection of adrenaline would cause an overload.  Sylar appears behind the glass and slams the door, locking HRG and Meredith in the cell together.  Somehow, he's removed all but one bullet from HRG's gun, and tells him that he's going to need it - in order to save his own life, he'll have to kill his adopted daughter's birth mother.  It's a sick choice, but after all, he deserves it for turning Sylar into a...well, you know...

Meredith's fire is getting harder and harder to contain.  Claire can see the cell on a monitor and freaks out.  Naturally, Angela says something bitchy, but Claire's had enough.  She makes her way through the halls to get to Level 5 when Sylar shows up.  He grabs her and tells her she has the choice to save daddy or save granny.  He knows, of course, she'll save her dad, but it is useless.  He lets her go and Claire runs to Level 5.  Outside of the cell, HRG gives her the keycode to unlock the door, but the console has been ripped out.  Good thing dad has another plan - he has Meredith unleash as much heat onto the bulletproof glass.  After a bit, it starts to give.  HRG takes a shot at the glass, but it is no use.  Seeing that there's no more time, Claire tells them to stand back, and she dives through the glass (the heat has weakened it enough).  HRG climbs out, and Meredith says she has to stay behind.  Claire promises to come back to get her, but first they have to go stop Sylar.  

Sylar is still looking for answers.  He's cornered Angel, but rather than fight him, Angela compliments him.  He's killed Arthur, and that makes him a hero.  She's been right about him from the start.  Sylar isn't buying this - he demands to know if she is in fact his mother, and he'll know if she's lying.  Nope, she's not his mother, but she wishes he was - her sons have been nothing but a disappointment to her.  Uh oh - she's lying!  Sylar punishes her lie with a small cut to the head.  Ouch.  Ok, the truth is that she just wanted him for the Company.  He's a killer with a troubled past, making him easy to manipulate.  She's a monster too.  Sylar is going to finish her off when she claims to know his real parents...and she's not lying.  He's not the son of a watchmaker and a woman who collects snowglobes, but if he kills her, he'll never know who they are.  That's not good enough for him, so Sylar begins to choke her.  Just then, Angela is free - Claire has stabbed Sylar in the weak spot.  Dead.  For now.  The lights come back on, and HRG gets Angela out of the building.  Claire runs to Meredith who is still out of control.  Meredith says there's no saving her and she has to run.  Meredith goes supernova and Claire and HRG escape by the skin of their nose.  Primatech is no more.  HRG, Claire, and Angela watch the building burn to the ground. 

Electric Sliders:  Hiro is trapped in the past, clinging to dear life on the flagpole.  He's also lost his mind and confides in a pigeon that he's failed his father and lost his destiny.  In the present, Ando, Daphne, and Matt need to rescue Hiro right away, because he might accidentally change history.  They've gone to Mohinder's lab in hopes of finding the good doctor, because Ando is convinced he needs time travel powers to save his best friend.  Unfortunately, Mo's not there, he's at Pinehearst.  Daphne knows where he is because of her ties to them.  As Matt voices his protest, Daphne speeds away and steals a vial of formula from Mo's hands (more on this to come).  Daphne reappears with the vial in hand, and there's enough for one dosing.  Matt isn't so sure that Ando will get the power he wants, but he does point out that he and Daphne each got what (Matt wanted to be a better cop, Daphne wanted to be able to walk), so maybe he'll get what he wants.  Faulty logic but he does have a point.  Ando injects himself and passes out.  

Back to Hiro, he's successfully made his way across the flagpole and manages to pull himself up to the Deveaux Building rooftop.  Inside, he sees Little Hiro holding the healed dove.  He misses his mother, and Big Hiro knows how he feels - he's failed his father.  However, all is not lost, and he needs Little Hiro's help.  Together, they can save tomorrow!

Ando wakes up and attempts to use his new power.  Nothing happens.  Matt and Daphne coach him to do like Hiro does by squinting and concentrating, just don't try too hard or he might end up in the Dark Ages.  Still nothing.  Ando's mad and punches a table.  When he does so, his arm lights up red with electricity.  Yes, it's true, Ando has gained the power that Hiro saw in his quick visit to the future.  

Ando is having trouble keeping his new power in check.  Innocently, Matt touches Ando's arm, when Matt's powers freak out on him!  When he comes to, he says that he could hear the thoughts of everyone in New York City.  Daphne is concerned, and in anger pushes Ando.  In doing so, she disappears!  She reappears in the doorway, but she sees the scene we have just witnessed.  Matt freaks out, Daphne gets mad, hits Ando, and is gone.  Time catches up with itself and they want to know where she went.  Daphne moved so fast that she actually went back through time!

It appears that Ando's ability can supercharge others' powers too.  Daphne is freaked out, but Matt explains that Einstein's theory of relativity states that if an object is capable of moving faster than the speed of light, traveling through time is theoretically possible.  They now have the means to rescue Hiro, but Matt is ever the worrywart.  Before he can finish, Ando and Daphne are gone.  

The two Hiros have opened the safe containing the formula.  Kaito enters and wants an explanation.  Hiro claims to have been playing around with the boy, but Kaito isn't fooled - he sees the open safe and dismisses the boy.  He then grabs Kensei's sword and attacks Hiro!  He tries to defend himself with a loaf of bread, but sword beats bread.  Kaito has a kill strike in his sights and offers Hiro one last chance to explain himself.  Hiro uses this opportunity to tell him that the formula must be destroyed in order to prevent future destruction.  Hiro rips the formula in two and Kaito strikes.  Just then there is a red flash and Hiro is gone.  Kaito picks up the formula and sees that perhaps having it split up is the best way to protect it.  We're back in the present, and so are Hiro, Ando, and Daphne.  Hiro is stunned to see that Ando has powers, but he's also upset that he was unable to destroy the formula.  Good thing Daphne knows where it is in the present - she stole it for Pinehearst, so that's where it is.  She takes hold of Hiro and the two zip away.  More on them to come!

Welcome to the War:  Arthur Petrelli lies dead on the floor (for now) when Nathan enters.  He sees his brother standing over their father, and thinks that he was the one who killed him.  Peter assures him that he wanted to, but it was Sylar who was responsible for the kill (Not really - after all, he did pull the trigger.  Sylar just stopped and restarted the bullet).  Peter says that the formula must be destroyed, but he's too late - Nathan already has a dozen marines lined up to be given powers.  Peter accuses Nathan of just continuing their father's plan, but Nathan promises him that it isn't, it's their own plan.  They both want to make the world a better place, and this is how he's going to do that.  Peter says that he's sounding an awful lot like their father.  Nathan expresses his concern that Peter will try to kill him too (not counting Future Peter shooting him, of course), and Peter goes pull the gun on him.  It's time to choose a side.  Peter lowers his gun and hands it to Nathan, but then Peter punches Nathan in the face, knocking him out.  He takes back the gun.  

Mohinder is still toiling away in his lab - he tells his trusty tape recorder that the infection has spread to his lungs and he'll be dead soon.  He believes that the formula can act as a cure to his "disease".  Peter storms in and says that the formula isn't a cure, it's a weapon, and needs to be destroyed.  Mohinder recalls the first time that they met, and Peter tried to convince him that people with powers do exist.  He admits that once he learned the truth, he coveted the power for himself, and now he has the chance to help others.  Just then, Daphne snatches the vial of formula right from Mohinder's hands (see above).  Mo thinks that Peter just did something to him, so he attacks!  Unfortunately for Mo, Flint and Knox show up and stop him.  They're siding with Peter, because if anyone can gain powers, it makes them less special.  Peter and Flint proceed to trash the lab so that no one can ever use the formula again.   Outside of the lab, the Super Soldier Marine finds Nathan on the floor - as of right now, none of the other marines have been injected, so he'll have to defend Nathan on his own.  Knox emerges from the lab and instantly snaps the marine's neck.  Knox is now working for the good guys.  

Peter and Flint continue to ransack the lab, but Mohinder warns them to be careful - the formula is highly combustible, which doesn't bother Flint because he can't be burned.  Mohinder warns Peter that Flint doesn't care about his safety, and that this is the kind of person they want to stop by giving powers to the right people.  Flint picks up Mohinder and throws him against the wall, knocking him out.  

In the other room, Nathan sits in his father's chair, playing with a solid glass globe as Knox watches over him.  Nathan says that Peter is a loser, and that by siding with him, he's "backed the wrong horse".  He's disappointed in his brother, yet feels sorry for him - every time he tries to save the world, he fails.  Knox thinks that Nathan is afraid of Peter.  "I'm not afraid of anyone" - Nathan smashes Knox in the face with the glass globe.  Knox returns the favor and bashes Nathan.  He goes to hit him again when Knox turns to ice!  Tracy arrives to save the day.  Knox shatters apart as he hits the ground.  

Nathan says that he has to stop Peter, but Tracy is more worried in protecting her boss.  If Nathan were to leave right now, there's no way to connect him to what is going on.  She doesn't want him involved in this mess.  He knows that he can't run away from this, but Tracy is persistent, saying that she's a realist, and this is what he hired her to do.  The answer is simple - Nathan fires Tracy. 

Tracy takes the formula from Arthur's safe when suddenly Daphne and Hiro appear!  Hiro tells her that it is his sacred duty to watch over the formula.  Tracy will have none of this and insults him by calling him "Pikachu".  Hiro doesn't like this - he apologizes and then punches Tracy in the face.  They grab the formula and speed away.  Inside the lab, Peter and Flint lift a giant vat and dump it onto the floor - it's the vat with the completed formula.  It spills out onto the floor and rushes over Mohinder's body.  It looks like Mo was right - the lesions on his face instantaneously heal - the formula has cured him.  Despite the fact that he has a head full of rocks, Flint recalls Mo telling them that the formula is combustible, so he feels it is time to start a little fire.  Peter tells him to wait to at least evacuate the innocent people in the building, but Flint is all bad guy.  Their argument is interrupted when Nathan hits Flint with a metal pipe.  Nathan then goes to Peter and punches him in the stomach.  Then without showing any mercy, he hits Peter in the legs, sending him to the floor.  Flint recovers and while on the ground ignites the formula.  The entire place goes up almost immediately.  Nathan is surrounded by flames and Flint is pissed off, and only Peter can save him now.  He spots a vial on the floor and injects himself with the formula!  Flint rushes to attack Nathan, but Peter flies in (literally!), picks his brother up, and they fly out the window.  

The brothers Petrelli land in a field, and Nathan is mad as hell.  He knows that he wasn't the one flying, and he cannot believe that after everything his brother talked about, he would inject himself with the formula.  Peter claims that he had no choice, and that he saved him because he is still his brother.  Nathan says that if the situation had been reversed, he wouldn't have done the same.  Nathan flies off into the night sky.  Elsewhere, Mohinder has escaped the inferno of the lab and is walking on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.  A car pulls up, and he sees his reflection in the window - his face is healed.  The window rolls down and it's Tracy - or is it?  Thoughts on this below.  Daphne and Hiro return to the loft and destroy the formula.  Ando and Hiro celebrate, and Daphne hugs Matt.  Looking over her shoulder, Matt sees Usutu standing in the doorway in front of him!  And thus concludes Volume Three.  

Fugitives:   Washington, D.C., three weeks later.  A limo is parked and we hear Nathan talking to someone.  That someone has a glass bearing the seal of someone very important (which takes away from the big reveal at the end, of course).  The person has a dossier filled with pictures and information of many different people - Tracy, Micah, Mohinder, Matt, etc.  Nathan says that the government has to get involved, and that these people are dangerous.  He had tried something previous that proved to be unsuccessful.  What is he asking?  Nathan wants to round these people up.  The man agrees.  "Thank you, Mr. President."

And there we have it.  Nathan Petrelli will secretly be hunting his own kind.   Although the preview for the next volume didn't show much, I must say the shot of the two people touching hands while confined and wrapped in hazmat suits was really damn cool.  A few things before we wrap up.  First of all, was it Tracy who picked up Mohinder, or could it be that a good samaritan was stopping to help a man, and that person just happens to be Niki and Tracy's other sister?  And what about Hiro's trip to the future at the start of the season?  Clearly Ando had these powers, but they believed that the destruction of Tokyo (and perhaps the broken Earth) was because people were given powers.  Is that still the case, or was the future in peril because of some other threat?  I'm thinking there is still the danger ahead of us.  Also, is Hiro de-powered for good now?  And last but not least, has Peter regained all of his powers (or at least his base power of copying abilities) or is he just a flyer now?  I'm thinking (due to laziness), he's got his original power back.  

 Senator Nathan Petrelli, I'd like to introduce you to Senator Kelly.  You two would hit it off quite well.  What are the odds of us seeing Sentinels next year?