Things just aren't looking good for Heroes. The show has been floundering in the ratings for quite a long time, and Monday night's episode, "Brother's Keeper," was no exception. With that episode, viewership for the series hit an all-time low, with only 5.1 million viewers. That's an even lower number than the same night's episode of Trauma, which gathered up 5.2 million viewers. And Trauma's already been canceled.

NBC followed up those two shows with The Jay Leno Show, which got 4.5 million viewers, perhaps pushed up by the guest appearance of New Moon star Taylor Lautner.

FOX was the real winner of Monday night, with House, their sure-shot show amassing 12.9 viewers, making it the most-watched show of the night for the network. It's follow-up, Lie to Me, gathered about 5 million less viewers, but was still a success for the network.

CBS was also on top of their game, with How I Met Your Mother reaching 8.4 million viewers and Accidentally on Purpose reaching 7.8, tying with Lie to Me. Big Bang Theory and CSI:Miami, both on CBS, both reached 13.5 million viewers. However, they weren't the most watched shows of the night.

That honor went to ABC's Dancing With the Stars, which got 18.8 million viewers. It was followed by Castle, which amassed 10.9 million viewers.

The CW's Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill both managed to get in roughly 2.5 million viewers.

What do you think this means for Heroes? The shows been in a steady decline throughout its fourth season, and things aren't looking any better now that they've once again hit a series low for ratings (and that wasn't the first time that's happened this season). I think it'd be a miracle if it gets a fifth season. Compared to the rest of the shows of the night (save for the CW's niche shows), it's just not holding up. You can crank up your "Save Heroes" campaigns now, if there are any to be had.

I guess the Heroes writers were going for the obvious with this episode title, instead of trying to come up with something more subtle.  The November 23rd episode is Thanksgiving-centric and our two main families (the Bennetts and the Petrellis) come together with some big confrontations (for example, the fact that Nathan and Peter now know what their mother did with Nathan's body and Sylar).  We've got 5 sneak peeks for you, along with a promo.

THANKSGIVING UNITES FAMILIES TOGETHER AND BRINGS NEW REVELATIONS

H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) hosts an untraditional Thanksgiving dinner. Elsewhere, the Petrelli family gets a surprise guest at their table. Meanwhile, Samuel (Robert Knepper) continues to hold Hiro (Masi Oka) hostage, as Lydia (guest star Dawn Olivieri) goes in search for the truth.

Greg Grunberg, Hayden Panettiere, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Cristine Rose and Milo Ventimiglia also star. Ashley Crow, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Madeline Zima, Ray Park, Harry Perry, Elisabeth Rohm, Andrew Connolly also guest star.

Email: clarissa @ tvovermind.com

Follow: twitter.com/clarissa373

Were you as confused as I was by the news that Adrian Pasdar was the actor who had been let go from Heroes?  We all saw Nathan die at the end of the last season and a lot of people, myself included, thought that he was definitely dead when Nylar got shot and Sylar regained possession of his body.  Apparently we were wrong.

The confusion over this was rampant (and a lot of people called out Heroes for the un-classy way in which Pasdar was fired – he apparently read about it in a script instead of being told face-to-face), so an executive producer (Adam Armus) has given an interview to SciFi Wire:

"We all know that Nathan Petrelli last year was killed, and his mind was put into Sylar's body and shape-shifted into Nathan," said Armus. "We made some commitments last year, and we've committed that there is going to be an epic battle between two characters and who's going to win and who's going to lose. That's something we've been planning all this year. So we know that someone has to lose."

"This whole Sylar-in-one-body-and-his-mind-in-another with Matt Parkman, all that's going to come to a head, because ultimately Sylar is going to win. He's ultimately going to get out of Matt Parkman's head and get back into his body," said Armus.

"Once Nathan and Sylar come back together, there is a battle for the life of that body. Who is going to be in control? And whoever loses is the one that dies," said Armus. "It's the knock-down-drag-out 'Who's going to win this body?', and it's going to be between Peter and Nathan/Sylar. And Peter's going to be fighting for his brother." And obviously not winning.

So it appears that Nathan will be returning (although for how many episodes we don't yet know) and he and Sylar will have to battle for control over Sylar's body.

This whole "teasing a death for Heroes" thing hasn't gone off very well.  A lot of people resigned themselves to Nathan's death and I think most people always suspected Sylar would eventually regain control over his own body.  I really miss Pasdar – I always thought he was a great actor and I liked his character – but I'm kind of sad about how this whole thing played out.

Email me at clarissa @ tvovermind.com

Follow me at twitter.com/clarissa373

Call Heroes the fast food of television: even through its very worst moments, it still manages to be greatly entertaining television. This label is most applicable to the second and third volumes (not seasons) of the series, which were mediocre at best, with only a few high points (puppetmaster Eric Doyle, for instance). However, I still tuned in every week — not because it was great television — but because I was entertained. Oh, and because there was always a hope that the show would get better, and that I would be vindicated in my dedication (and be automatically entitled to bragging rights when the show returned to its former glory).

While that's not quite the case yet, I have to say that Heroes is striving to move out of the fast food category of television and more toward the gourmet category. Volume four, "Fugitives," was the best volume of the series since "Genesis," perhaps due to the creative efforts of Bryan Fuller, who returned to Heroes after the cancellation of his other series, Pushing Daisies. Fuller's involvement definitely helped Heroes improve greatly; volume four was more concise and pointed on a central storyline, finally listening to the advice of critics. The future looked bright for Heroes as the fourth volume ended.

However, Fuller left only a few episodes into the fifth volume, accurately titled "Redemption." However, the quality of the series didn't decline at all; if anything, it improved, and is quickly on my way to becoming my favorite volume of the series, perhaps even above the groundbreaking "Genesis."

Most of this can be put to the fact that the series has become out the characters again, instead of the series being just another vehicle for cool special effects and superpowers. Now, the characters are taking front and center stage, and I'm loving it. And not just because the characters are the focus — because less characters are the focus.

In tonight's episode, "Once Upon A Time in Texas," only Hiro, Sylar, Samuel, Noah, and Claire appeared out of the main cast (not counting Mohinder's brief end-of-episode appearance). Out of those, only Hiro, Sylar, and Noah recieved any focus at all. The episode was very tight, as opposed to the epic scope of each and every episode of volume three, which featured on average about seven members of the main cast. The writers have caught on that we don't need to see Peter and Claire every episode, and I like it. It works, and it makes the show run that much more smoothly.

Another thing that works is the inclusion of Robert Knepper's new character Samuel. Even though he's appeared in almost every episode so far, we know very little about his character's background or history. In fact, the most shocking reveal we've gotten so far is that he killed Mohinder eight weeks ago (accounting for the much-needed break from Sendhil Ramamurthy's voice-overs). However, the character is a wonderful enigma, and he adds a great layer of mystique and macabre to the series.

However, that's not to say that season five couldn't stand to improve just a little bit. The lesbianism-for-guys thing with Claire is somewhat detracting from the storyline, as is uncertain fate of Nathan Petrelli. Is he or isn't he dead for good? Kristin says he is, but the lack of a concrete answer leaves two Sylars running around (one in Parkman's head and one at the Sullivan Bros. Carnival), and until the situation is resolved, we probably won't get much of a good answer.

Of course, ratings have been floundering for the four-year-old drama. It's even reported that NBC is considering giving Heroes the axe after the season's end, though at this point this is unconfirmed rumors (though it wouldn't be shocking if it did happen. "There isn't much happening with this show in terms of audience, and giving it a 'final chapter' feel is something the network is considering to help allow the show to go out with a bang," claims Airlock Alpha.

So even with the redemption of a once must-see series, there is a possible end approaching. It's a Lost-ian redemption, for sure. But it's a redemption all the same.

A few weeks ago we reported on a story about a major death planned for Heroes.  E!Online's Kristen refused to name the victim and speculation ran rampant, since we were told that it would be one of the original, core characters.

Earlier today, Greg Grunberg insisted that the Petrelli brothers would be safe.  I myself had thought that Peter would be the one killed off, but Grunberg's statement seemed to disprove that.

Then Nikki Finke over at DHD said that Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) was the person who had been fired from the show.  Those of you who have been following the storyline know that Nathan died at the end of season 3, but Parkman and Mama Petrelli turned Sylar into Nathan.  Sylar recently transformed back into himself and Nathan disappeared, but there was always the hope that he would return.

Well, something got lost in translation, because Kristen is now confirming the DHD post:

Adrian Pasdar's Nathan Petrelli is the major character death happening on Heroes this season, and no, he wasn't told he was getting fired, he learned about it from a script.

But what about reports from fellow Heroes castmembers that the Petrelli brothers were definitely safe?

After Heroes star Greg Grunberg recently told a radio station that Nathan and Peter weren't the Heroes death, I doubled back with my source and he confirmed, "I know Adrian is getting killed off and was pissed about it because they didn't tell him…Greg could be talking about another death but I think he's probably covering and throwing fans off."

And of course, Greg certainly doesn't want to meet the same fate!

So there you have it.  Nathan is dead and I'm very depressed about this.  Especially since now it seems very anti-climactic and pointless, since Nathan already died and his disappearance a few episodes ago didn't seem like it would stick.  If the producers were hoping to shock us, I think they didn't do a very good job of it.

Last week we posted promo photos for the November 2 new episode of Heroes, where Hiro goes back in time to try and save Charlie.  Now we have a promo and four sneak peeks to share with you (thanks to NBC).  It looks like we'll be seeing Bennett's past, as well as his old partner.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN TEXAS HIRO GETS A SECOND CHANCE TO SAVE THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE – JAYMA MAYS RETURNS AS CHARLIE

When Hiro (Masi Oka) travels three years into the past, he has a second chance to save Charlie (guest star Jayma Mays) from the hands of Sylar (Zachary Quinto). However, Samuel’s (Robert Knepper) presence serves to complicate Hiro’s mission even further.

Elsewhere, H.R.G.’s (Jack Coleman) past is revealed. James Kyson Lee, Hayden Panettiere and Sendhil Ramamurthy also star. Elizabeth Rohm, Danielle Savre, Sally Champlin and Dawn Olivieri also guest star.

DVD ratings for week 3 of the fall season (Oct 5 – 11) are in and Smallville and Dollhouse have reached the top spot yet again.  For week three Dollhouse received a little more than 40% increase (it actually hit 50% increase for its premiere episode) which is definitely good news for the beleagured show.  Although the boost doesn't do a whole lot in regard to the actual overall ratings, for a show like Dollhouse, its certainly going to help.

The week 3 top ten (except for 2 Monday night exceptions) features shows that all air on either Thursday or Friday nights.  Thursday night features some of the best shows of the week, making it difficult for some fans of shows that cross networks.  Friday nights have been branded with the timeslot of doom, with much lower than normal ratings for most networks.  But regardless of the actual gains in overall viewership, the DVR news is good because it shows that some fans of the show are doing whatever they can to enjoy their favorite shows, and it just might help remind Fox and The CW that while these shows are on a less than appealing night, they're still being followed.  The top 10 consists of:

1. Smallville – CW – 44% increase from DVR
2. Dollhouse – Fox – 40% increase from DVR
3. Fringe – Fox – 36% increase from DVR
4. Castle – ABC – 32% increase from DVR
5. Numb3rs – CBS – 31% increase from DVR
6. The Mentalist – CBS – 30% increase from DVR
7. FlashForward – ABC – 30% increase from DVR
8. Vampire Diaries – CW – 29% increase from DVR
9. Heroes – NBC – 29% increase from DVR
10. FlashForward SP – 10/9 – 29% increase from DVR

Fox has indicated that one of the main reasons Dollhouse has yet to be canceled yet is due to its successful DVR ratings.  But whether or not these DVR ratings will be enough to give us more Dollhouse, or any of these shows for that matter, will remain to be seen.

You can see the full ranking at TVbythenumbers.com.

Jama Mays returns to Heroes and Elizabeth Rohm guest stars as someone with ties to H.R.G.'s past.  NBC has released the synopsis and promo photos for the episode, which you can view below.

HIRO GETS A SECOND CHANCE TO SAVE THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE – JAYMA MAYS RETURNS AS CHARLIE

When Hiro (Masi Oka) travels three years into the past, he has a second chance to save Charlie (guest star Jayma Mays) from the hands of Sylar (Zachary Quinto). However, Samuel’s (Robert Knepper) presence serves to complicate Hiro’s mission even further.

Elsewhere, H.R.G.’s (Jack Coleman) past with his Primatech partner (guest star Elizabeth Rohm) is revealed. James Kyson Lee, Hayden Panettiere and Sendhil Ramamurthy also star. Danielle Savre, Sally Champlin and Dawn Olivieri also guest star.

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HEROES -- "Once Upon A Time in Texas" Episode 408 -- Pictured: Masi Oka as Hiro Nakamura -- NBC Photo: Trae Patton

Email me at clarissa @ tvovermind.com

Follow me at twitter.com/clarissa373

Now that the lesbian kiss is done, Heroes can move on.  To Claire getting hazed into her new sorority with Gretchen and to wondering whether Nathan will ever return.  We've got the synopsis, a promo and promo photos for the October 26 episode to share with you.

THE HEROES ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THEMSELVES AND OTHERS WITHOUT THE USE OF THEIR POWERS

Matt (Greg Grunberg) goes to extreme measures to extinguish Sylar (Zachary Quinto), who continues to torment him. Elsewhere, H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) calls in a favor from Tracy (Ali Larter) to save a troubled young boy whose misfortunes resemble her own.

While Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and Gretchen (guest star Madeline Zima) are being hazed by their new sorority sisters, they realize pledging might not be their biggest problem. Robert Knepper also stars.

Lisa Lackey, Tessa Thompson and Rick Worthy guest star.

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HEROES -- "Strange Attractors" Episode 407 -- Pictured: (l-r) Jack Coleman as H.R.G, Ali Larter as Tracy Strauss -- NBC Photo: Adam Taylor

Sources: NBC and TVontheBrain

I don't know why I like Heroes. Maybe it's because amidst all the moments of stupidity, there are glimpses of genius shining through. And, after reading this spoiler from E!Online's Kristin, , I'm getting even more renewed faith in this once-brilliant show. So what's the spoiler?

Someone's gonna die. And if it's who I think it is, then Heroes will have won me truly over once again. Not because I hate the character; I love him. But because it will mean that Heroes truly intends to change and move forward, and stop with the silly comic-bookish elements. I'd probably be extrapolating a little too much from this singular event, but it would definitely be the biggest change to happen to the show since Zachary Quinto popped up a few episodes into the first season.

While Kristin was tight-lipped about the identity of the soon-to-be cadaver, she confirmed that the death would be4 a male member of the original cast, and that it would be "huge." "This is not one that will go unnoticed by even the most casual fan," Kristin assured.

So who does that leave? Well, honestly, when I think of Heroes, I think of three people. The first person is Claire, but due to her invincibility, it certainly seems unlikely that she'll get the axe. The second I think of is Sylar, because, well, he's the most interesting character on the show. Period. But thirdly is the character who I think has been the face of Heroes from day one — Masi Oka's Hiro Nakamura.

Hiro has been such an endearing and innocent character on the show that his death will certainly tug on plenty of heartstrings, even to those fans who only tune in every few weeks. And it's been set up in such a way for the past group of episodes that if the writers weaseled their way out of it, it would probably prompt me to sever ties with Heroes forever.

So who will be the one to die? I certainly hope it's Hiro, even though I love him. It'd certainly be one of the greatest moments of the show, if done right, and would indicate that Heroes is at least trying, if not succeeding, in getting better.

If you're a bit spoiler-shy, especially to breaking news about character deaths on NBC Heroes, now would be a good time to stop reading this post.  Although, obviously, we're not going to be giving you any names, the implications are there, as is the speculation.  So here it goes…

Thanks to an exclusive from Kristin at Eonline, we have the following information about a major, upcoming death on Heroes of one of the original cast members

Sources over on NBC's Heroes confirm to me that a major death is in the works, and this is not one that will go unnoticed by even the most casual fan.

It is huge.

So who is it?

Well, you know how these things go…We can't come right out and name any names. (Unless someone can hook me up right quick with the Witness Protection Program?)

However, I will tell you that this leading character is a male, and he is not necessarily pictured above. (He might be, he might not be.) And he is one of the original cast.

And you thought Hayden's same-sex kiss was surprising, eh?

Clearly the producers are pulling out all the stops this season in an effort to ramp up storylines and pull out a big watercooler-worthy surprise.

But I have to say that I, for one, will miss this guy. Big-time.

Source: Watch with Kristin

So, let the guessing begin…One of the top guesses, I'm sure will be Hiro, but I'll have to say no way on that one.  He's the obvious choice and it really wouldn't be a shocker at all, considering his health issues, bloody nose, etc.  No, if they're actually trying to surprise us, Hiro should be safe.

Next up is Sylar, who's always a possibility when these "death" spoilers pop up, but I just don't see this one either.  You see, Sylar thinks he's Nathan, and so if they kill off Sylar, then Nathan's character is gone as well.  While this is certainly possible, it seems like two major, original character deaths might be more than they'd want to give us at this point.

Nathan, well…he's already dead, so I don't see how they could kill him again, so he's out as well, I guess.  That leaves us with Parkman, Peter, and Noah (HRG).  I think any three of these are very viable candidates though I'm leaning more toward Peter or Noah, as they seem to be more major impacts in my opinion.  Either character dying would be a sad story turn in my opinion, simply because both of these characters have so much future-story potential.  Of course, that's assuming that Heroes has a future beyond this season, which I'm not anywhere near convinced will happen.

So what's your guess?  Who's going to die?

WOW!  Huge cliffhanger in last week's episode of Heroes, right?  Is Nathan gone for good now that Sylar is back?  I hope not, but we'll have to wait and see.  In the meantime, we have a sneak peek for you for Monday's brand new episode of Heroes.  Gretchen starts freaking Claire out.  Check them out below.

SELF-DISCOVERY ROCKS THEIR WORLD AS OUR HEROES ENCOUNTER NEW ABILITIES, TRY TO RECALL PAST LIVES AND STUMBLE UPON AN UNEXPECTED KISS — MADELINE ZIMA, DAWN OLIVIERI, DEANNE BRAY, TESSA THOMPSON, ERNIE HUDSON, RAY PARK AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNER LOUISE FLETCHER GUEST STAR

Samuel (Robert Knepper) prepares for new additions to his family, while Lydia (guest star Dawn Olivieri) warns him of the consequences. Claire (Hayden Panettiere) discovers that her roommate Gretchen (guest star Madeline Zima) may have a hidden agenda. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) finds an unexpected way to connect with Emma (guest star Deanne Bray), who would prefer to stay distant. Elsewhere, a different side of Sylar (Zachary Quinto) emerges as he desperately tries to remember the person he used to be. Masi Oka and Cristine Rose also star. Rachel Melvin and Jack Wallace also guest star.

Show Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Jack Coleman, James Kyson Lee, Dania Ramirez, Zachary Quinto, Cristine Rose

Heroes "Acceptance" was probably the best episode of the series in sometime.  No, seriously – I mean it.  It was even moving at some points.  I even got into the silly Hiro-subplot of the week where the man-child time jumped in a fruitless attempt to prevent a suicidal guy from photocopying his butt and ruining his life – ultimately teaching the hapless jumper that living with his mistake and facing it head on was the answer.  An epiphany, and not one of the Jon Gosselin variety.  This one was real!  The motif was distributed evenly, with each character having a cathartic moment and resigning themselves to destiny.  The wowzer: Sylar/Nathan's new set of powers is helping him uncover repressed memories.  Result in a sense of ratings: none.

None-the-less, the episode was a sobering moment for anyone who sees Heroes as being in steady decline.  Another sobering fact, however, is that "Acceptance" was written by Bryan Fuller – the writer once heralded as Heroes' best chance for survival – who abandoned the show for unknown reasons.  Cynics will no doubt point this fact out when weighing the odds of any more corner-turning episodes.

While we are enjoying – or not – our moments of clarity,  what does the raw data say about Heroes "Acceptance."

The bottom line was around 5.4 million live viewers, and when you are one of the big three nets that number pretty much kills any chance of finding a demographic win significant enough to spin away the stink of death.  Heroes seems to be terminally locked in sub-par numbers.  Will the rest of Heroes staff lock on to the thoughtful metaphorical writing of Bryan Fuller, causing the mighty hard core of fans to lure back the absent masses of Heroes-doubters?  It seems unlikely.

If you are looking for an opinion on next week's episode, check out Craig Byrne's review of "Hysterical Blindness" at Heroesite.com

Previously on Heroes, from the abysmal ratings it looks like I was the only one who watched, but it's all recapped right here.  Time for our weekly montage o' heroes!  Gretchen, Claire's college buddy who witnessed her Jump/Push/Fall test last week, bangs on Claire's door trying to get her to talk about the incident.  Parkman stares at his 30 Day Powers-Free chip and spots Sylar in the mirror.  He pulls his gun and turns, but of course he only sees his own reflection.  Peter sticks yet another news article glorifying his heroic efforts on the wall.  And that's it.  No voiceover even.  Wow, that was fast!

Samuel & Lydia, of the circus people, now warrant their own title card.  Lydia preps herself for tattooing, but Samuel tells her the ink he's preparing is not for her.  He's found someone to replace Joseph (the man whose funeral opened last week's episode).  Sam is going in search of this replacement to see if he's "worthy."  Samuel forces himself into a suit and slicks back his hair, the better to blend into the normal world.  With that creepy face, voice, and mannerism, I don't think you could sneak Robert Knepperin anywhere.  Samuel refers to the late Joseph, his brother, as his "compass."  That's interesting since Samuel has a compass tattoo and Noah Bennet was nearly killed for a compass last week.  Revealing our chapter title and creeping me out, Samuel sticks his hand into the jar of ink and absorbs it into his fingertips.

Peter Petrelli apparently wakes up before his alarm clock.  I even that greatly. As he brushes his teeth, he hears a knock on the door.  He's been served with some sort of lawsuit related to his super heroics.  It happened to Superman, it can happen to you.

Emma, a blonde we've never seen before, does NOT wake up before her alarm.  To the contrary, she's awoken groggily by a bed shaking alarm, flashing lights, and a hungry cat.  She pops iPod headphones into her ears, which seems to be a ploy, because I'm pretty sure she's deaf.  She glances at her sink, where water is dripping out of her faucet and landing with..a sparkle.  I'm not sure how to describe it, and it's a very subtle effect.

In Long Beach, Parkman and his partner are sitting in their van waiting for a warrant.  Parkman hands over his 30 Day chip and admits to using.  While Parkman's partner takes a phone call, Parkman and Sylar have an annoyingly long head argument where Sylar once again insists he's going to annoy him to death, or get his body back.  They finally get their warrant and head into the perp's house, via a nice door kick down.  As Parkman tries to clear the home in search of their drug dealer, Sylar keeps popping up to block his way.  Sylar actually proves useful, since he points out that the drug dealer is in the closet, and has a gun.  Interesting…it seems Sylar may have access to Parkman's powers?  Or, his own?

Noah comes to visit Claire at college, looking much better than the last time we saw him.  I love love love these moments with the two of them together.  They seem to brighten each other up.  Noah invites Claire to lunch and she accepts.  She goes to brush her teeth, and gets confronted by Gretchen in the bathroom.  While they talk, I realize the bathroom is co-ed.  Hhrmh.  I think not.  Gretchen tries her best to get the details from Claire about her super human put-back-togetherness but Claire denies everything.  Gretchen chases Claire back to her room, calling out possibilities such as Vampire, Alien, and Government Experiment.  Noah, who can't or refuses to take a hint from Claire, invites Gretchen to join them for lunch.

Parkman and his partner ransack the drug dealer's house while Sylar lounges on his couch, taunting Parkman to use his abilities to get info from the dealer.  Sylar is growing on me in this persona.  They're like a crazy person's odd couple.  I'm not sure which is Felix.  Parkman searches the bathroom, and Sylar tips him off again.  Parkman finds a stuffed rabbit on the floor.  Sylar voices the concern I immediately had when I saw the bunny.  This is not a drug house, it's a place where little girls have their innocence stolen.

Peter Petrelli tries to get some information  on William Hooper, the man who's suing him, from our deaf friend  She's some kind of clerical worker at the hospital.  She points to a sign that demands all requests in writing.  Peter thinks she's being a stickler.  He fills out the form (which took 2 seconds) and she prints off his requested information.  Peter notices her headphones are unplugged and she, nervously, knocks off her coffee cup.  When it hits the floor it sparkles, much like the dripping faucet.  It seems she's the only one that can see this strange effect.  Peter runs off to visit William Hooper in physical therapy.  When Peter walks into the room, we can see that William Hooper is actual Samuel.  Peter insists he's never seen Hooper before.  "Hooper" insists he was on a bus that Peter rescued.  Peter's positive Hooper was not on that bus.  Hooper tries to lay a guilt trip on Peter about taking care of his family and all the obligations he has that he can't keep up now that he's injured.  Peter, realizing what a mistake it is to talk to the plaintiff in a lawsuit against you without a lawyer present, leaves in a huff.

Emma (who totally IS deaf!  Yay me!) worries to her doctor about her strange sparkly vision.  Her doctor insists she's not going blind.  The doctor mentions it might be synethesia.  I saw a PBS special on that.  You can see music, or hear smells.  It's apparently common in people who've lost one sense.  Emma is not pleased at yet another thing that will make her strange and different.  I was also totally right about why she wears the headphones, so she won't have to deal with the annoyance of having to explain her disability 900 times a day.

Noah tires to introduce Gretchen and Claire to Indian food.  They don't seem excited.  Gretchen wins about a million bonus points for double entendres in this conversation.  Noah asks her what her major is.  She announces she's changed it to "Physiology and Biomechanics" from "Art History," since she's very interested recently in the human body and its capabilities.  Also because she wants a real job.  Ok, maybe I added that last part.  Noah wins a million bonus points for not being fooled one bit, and immediately realizes Gretchen knows more than she should.

Sylar continues poking and prodding Parkman, pushing him to use his powers to figure out what's going on at the dealer's house.  Parkman still insists he's not going to pry into the sleazeball's head, but that's before he finds a half finished kidnapping note.  Somewhere in this house is a kidnapped little girl, and Parkman's refusal to use his powers is all that's keeping her in danger.  I have a feeling Sylar is going to win this fight.  And I am totally right.  Parkman finds the girl upstairs in a room under the stairs, dead.  When his partner returns to find Parkman beating the dealer to a pulp, he stops him and demands Parkman explain.  Parkman tries to show him the girl's body, the kidnapping note, and the stuffed rabbit, but none of them were real.  The Ticking of Sylar's Evilness commences, and he announces, "I used your own power against you."  Ok, show.  I give you credit.  I actually thought at the beginning of the show that Parkman would never use his power for something as trivial as drugs stashed in the house.  It'd have to be something like a kidnapped kid in danger.  Then, when that's what actually happened, I thought it was a little convenient that it would happen so neat and quick like that.  Show, you tricked me twice!  Now we're even for the deaf thing.

Gretchen compliments the meal, which won her over, and excuses herself to use the facilities.  Bennet immediately goes into company mode.  He wants to call the Haitian to erase her memory, but Claire insists she's going to handle it herself.  She threatens to cut him out of her life if he calls the Haitian.  He seems to comply.

Peter reviews his lawsuit, and his partner comes to ask him what's going on.  A rumor around the hospital says that Peter's been causing the accidents, and then taking the glory when he saves them.  This is what happens when super heroes are too obvious about their powers!  His partner is not taking Peter's side on this.  He agrees that Peter's been suspicious and reckless.

Samuel breaks into Peter's apartment and inserts himself into the news clipping of the bush crash with his creepy ink finger.  He slips out just as Peter comes in.  Peter grabs the clipping and gets teary eyed when he sees "Hooper" front and center.

A Sprint Commercial tries to trick me into recapping it, but I'm smarter than that, Sprint!

Claire (in a terrible outfit that's ruining her cute hair) and Gretchen wander down the hallway trying to talk through their issues.  Gretchen reveals that she was bulimic in high school, so she knows what it's like to have a secret.  Claire decides she's tired of keeping her secret to herself and offers to tell Gretchen the truth.  Before they do that, I really hope they go into a room and close the door.  It's bothering me greatly that this whole discussion is right in a college dorm hallway.

Samuel, looking a little ill, wanders Central Park at night.  Peter zooms in behind him and offers his apology, since it's now obvious "Hooper" was on the bus.  Peter offers to make amends.  Samuel asks Peter if he's ever lost a brother.  Peter says no, even though we know he most definitely HAS lost a brother.  He instead offers his support as a former hospice nurse and they have a talk about grieving.  Samuel seems sold on Peter's worthiness, and shakes his hand.  He tells him he's dropping the lawsuit, and thanks him for everything.

Emma is having a sandwich in the park (at night) when she realizes she can see the sound of nearby musician as a red sparkly light.  The cellist walks away from his instrument for a moment and she, curious, walks up to it.  She picks up the bow and grins, watching the light stream as she plays.  She plays quite expertly and a crowd surrounds her, including the worried looking cellist.  Peter hears the music too and is drawn to it.  Emma glances up and notices the crown around her.  She nervously sets the instrument aside and runs into the night while Peter looks after her.

Samuel has decided to visit his childhood home, the carriage house of a large estate.  He stands behind a gate while a well dressed woman answers the door.  He reveals that is father was the butler, his mother the maid, and he recently lost his brother, but the woman of the house refuses to let him see the carriage house, since they're in the middle of a dinner party.

Gretchen and Claire giggle and bond over her ability.  Gretchen asks to see it in action.  Claire hands her a pair of scissors and offers to let Gretchen give it a try.  Gretchen nervously slices her hand and they watch as it heals.  Bennet calls Claire.  Before he can say hello she launches into a speech about her ability to handle the situation and her life.  He sweetly apologizes and calls her Claire-Bear (heee).  Claire comes back into the room and asks Gretchen to be her roommate.  Gretchen gladly takes the offer, over her current roommate that smells of pickles.

Back at drug dealer central, Parkman and his partner worry about the consequences of the vicious beating Matt gave to the dealer.  They both agree it's going to ruin Matt's life.  Matt tells his partner he's just not strong enough to stay sober, and uses his power to change his partner's memory.  Sylar warns Matt that every day of his life could be just like this, or they could go and find his body.  I know which option I'd take.

Peter and his partner arrive on the scene of a major disaster.  A fireman on the scene gives them the story.  A sinkhole swallowed a house, killing three people.  As the camera pans up, we realize it's the mansion of Samuel's childhood.  Speak of the creepy telekinetic, he's smirking behind a tree watching the whole scene.  As Peter approaches the house, he grabs his arm in pain.  The swirling compass we saw last week on Samuel's arm is now swirling on Peter's instead.  Looks like that handshake took.  Peter watches the compass swirl and Samuel smirks some more.

Next week:  Tracey's back, Bennet appears on mystical tattoo Lydia, Nylar recovers Sylar memories, and hopefully more people watch than just me!

Oh, my.  Whether you loved or hated the Heroes season premiere creatively, the numbers say that nobody really cared whether Heroes could achieve 'redemption.'  The fourth season of NBC's ailing franchise was D.O.A., dragging the peacock to a fourth place finish. Wow, season 4… fourth place… is there a numerologist in the house?  Wouldn't matter, because no matter how you dice those numbers nothing good can come of it.  I'll be charitable and say that the Heroes premiere was far from the cluster-frak of last season, but it was still bursting at the seams with trite MacGuffins, puzzling story choices, and a self-referential moment that was just… weird. (Kring's Crossing Jordan was a great series, having characters mention it in Heroes was difficult to process – it was as if they were recalling the good old days.)

Heroes started the night with 6.3 million viewers in its first hour, but slipped down to 5.8 million in its second.  Given the history of the show, that continue will show as attrition sets in – and the numbers are pretty consistent with where Heroes left off last season meaning this decline is terminal.  Let the "Save Heroes" campaigns begin.

House, on the other hand, brought the heat and actually grew from its first hour to its second, a trend that isn't so common on two-hour episodes.  House came withing 400,000 viewers of reality juggernaut Dancing With the Stars, which is showing some wear as well.  Here is how things worked out for the evening:

8:00 pm

ABC -"Dancing with the Stars" season premiere (17.4 million viewers, 11.0/17 households)
FOX – "House" season premiere (15.8 million, 9.2/14)
CBS – "How I Met Your Mother" season premiere (9.2 million, 5.7/9)/"Accidentally on Purpose" series premiere (9 million, 5.7/8)
NBC – "Heroes" season premiere (6.3 million, 3.9/6)
The CW – "One Tree Hill" (2.5 million, 1.7/2)

9:00

ABC - "Dancing with the Stars" (17.6 million, 11.3/17)
FOX – "House" (17.2 million (9.8/14)
CBS – "Two and a Half Men" season premiere (13.6 million, 8.5/12)/"The Big Bang Theory" season premiere (12.8 million, 7.8/11)
NBC - "Heroes" (5.8 million, 3.4/5)
The CW: "Gossip Girl" (2.1 million, 1.4/2)

10:00

CBS – "CSI: Miami" season premiere (13.8 million, 8.7/14)
ABC – "Castle" season premiere (9.4 million, 6.2/10)
NBC – "The Jay Leno Show" (5.7 million, 3.8/6)

Welcome to Volume 5: Redemption.

We open with the much hyped new crew of circus folk, all dressed in black and looking somberly over an open grave.  The eulogy serves as the Mohinder-esh voiceover over an opening montage o' heroes.  It starts with visions we're familiar with:  Peter taking a leap off the top of a large building, Claire falling to her not-death in the first season, Sylar enjoying his energy-powers, Nathan, Tracey, Parkman, and Hiro living their lives.  We start to see some new things.  Claire arriving at college, Noah spinning his wedding ring on a table, Parkman with an older baby-Parkman, Peter being a paramedic, and a few other quick shots.  The voiceover is about finding a way in a world that doesn't accept you, finding redemption.  "I say it's time to find our way back home again."  And with that, the eu-google-izer (Samuel) uses telekinesis to fill in the grave.  Then they all march back towards the circus.

Claire carries a small box with a cheerleading trophy into her new dorm room.  She's sporting a MUCH BETTER hair do this year that's not a wig, so I'm happy.  She's in Arlington, VA.  It looks like her roommate has had time to fix up her room with a Target-inspired aesthetic of pink and brown polka dots.  Claire's side of the room looks comparatively Spartan.  I hope she has more than that one tiny box to decorate with.  The dorm room looks dingy enough to be real, but is about 2x the size of a real one.  On television terms, it's totally authentic.  Annie, the new roommate, wanders in an introduces herself and quickly outs herself as a A-type overachiever.  "Annie's Trajectory" is a crazy poster board creation of Annie's life plotted out to ensure she's the youngest Governor in Massachusetts history.  My husband is convinced she's a hero in disguise and her super power is being obsessive compulsive and uppity.  A tip for you, it's not a good idea to insult a person who has access to everything you own by insisting they not let their "GED be a lifestyle choice." 

Tokyo, Japan.  We're introduced to cardboard cutouts of Hiro and Ando offering their services as "Dial-A-Hero".  Hiro sits intensely staring down two Mac laptops and a phone.  They lament the failure that is Dial-A-Hero.  Ando and Hiro reminisce over a photo Hiro had stashed in some papers.  Ando reveals his undying crush on Hiro's sister, Kimiko, and her undying hatred of him.  Hiro's sister storms in and gives them a tongue lashing for their irresponsible use of funds.  She's clearly still pissed that Hiro got the CEO job over her.  Ah, the trials of being female.  The Hero-Line finally rings and Hiro answers with, "Dial-A-Hero, how can we save you today?"

New York City.  Peter Petrelli is stuck in traffic riding shot gun in an ambulance on its way to an emergency.  He bails from the vehicle, finds an abandoned alley, and super-parkours his way to the accident scene.  He rips the door off a car that's been flipped on its side and gets to saving the dazed driver.

Back on campus, Claire heads into a lecture hall and is quickly summoned to sit next to Anal-Annie.  They're both testing for admission to an exclusive algebra class.  The professor reveals the complicated algebra they have to complete, and starts reading "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies."  As Claire starts her exam, she has a vision of a military type shooting her with a tazer, makes a grunting noise, and then exists the hall with a flippant: "This class isn't for me."  I'm REALLY confused, but I'll let it slide because of her great new hair.

Peter and his EMT partner rib each other over Peter's super-man life saving.  The driver was pregnant and had twin girls, all because Peter saved her.  Peter's not thrilled though, he wants to be faster.  EMT buddy tries to drag him out for drinks, but Peter seems obsessed with working every waking hour, saving as many lives as he can. 

In Tokyo, a little girl is worried that Muffin Man is stuck.  Muffin Man is a cat, Hiro and Ando's first client.  They argue about who's power is more useful for saving the little kitty, and decide neither one is a good idea.  "I'd burn the roof and kill the cat.  Never mind freaking the little girl out."  Hiro decides they have to do this "old school" and excitedly volunteers Ando to climb up and save the cat.  Ando shimmies up a pipe and reaches out for the kitty, snatching him up.  The cat returns the favor by scratching Ando's face.  Ando falls off his perch, and Hiro freezes him just as he's about to crash to the pavement.  Hiro totally could've frozen time and retrieved a non-lethal frozen kitty, but this works too.

Washington, DC.  Angela Petrelli (from NY) talks with Noah Bennet about Tracey Strauss, who's been running down a list and murdering people one by one.  They argue a bit about the ridiculous pretense they used to turn Sylar into Nathan.  Noah is working on getting the company up and running, but he doesn't think he's up for it since his life is in shambles.  Noah climbs into his car and sets his newspaper down.  He notices a story about mysterious drowning victims just in time for his car to start filling with water and sealing in ice.  Maybe he should've read that paper before he closed himself in a car-coffin of doom.  Someone unseen shoots the window out, and Bennet and his horn rimmed glasses come tumbling out the window.  The shooter is none other than Danko, who I'm surprised is still alive.  Danko offers to team up with Noah to kill Tracey before she kills them.  Noah declines (YAY!) and Danko threatens that he'll be back for him eventually.

Claire faces down the gauntlet of clubs and sororities looking for fresh meat.  She's rescued by a fellow freshman, a pale girl with long dark hair.  She seems immediately cool and I want to be friends with her, so good job casting department.  They discuss Claire's former life as a cheerleader and my new friend admits to trying out for cheerleading but not making the team because, "They said my cheers sounded like taunts."  I don't know why, but that line made me bust right up.  Gretchen Berg introduces herself to Claire.  Gretchen has heard of Claire, via the murder story from Odessa.  Claire asks for Gretchen's discretion in sharing the story, and she agrees. 

In Tokyo, Hiro flips Ando so he lands on his feet and unfreezes time.  They hand over the kitty and the girl praises them.  It looks like Hiro's powers are still on the fritz, because he's frozen himself now. 

Angela Petrelli is joined at her meal by Nylar (Nathan-Sylar).  Angela looks startled.  The voice is Nathan's, but the face is Sylar's.  Angela jerks awake in her car and enters the restaurant she just dreamt about.  This time, Nylar looks like real-Nathan and repeats the same exchange.  Angela is still visibly shaken.  Nylar stares strangely at the sushi spread in front of him and can't remember if he likes it or not.  Nylar admits that he's been taking stock of his life and feels like there's a lot of change going on with him.  Angela tries to play it off as a mid-life crisis.  Nylar, because somebody had to say it, calls Nathan out as being a "jackass."  He wants to reconnect with everyone close to him and be a better father, brother, and son.  The more they talk, the more it's obvious that Sylar is peaking through the façade and Angela is not pleased.

Parkman is hanging out with adorable toddler-Parkman in their house in LA when he receives a call from Angela.  She voices her concerns that Nylar needs "patching up" or "upgrading".  Nice.  Parkman refuses.  He's convinced something of Sylar rubbed off on him when he dug into his head like that, and he's not doing it ever again. 

Nylar's sitting introspectively in his office when he absent-mindedly uses telekinesis to pull his coffee cup into his hand.  He jumps back, shocked.  When he tries it again, it won't work.  Instead, he summons lightning between his hands.  As my own toddler would say, "Uh! Oh!"

Claire comes back to her dorm room to find Anal-Annie chatting with Noah.  Claire's half of the room is still pretty depressing looking.  She and Noah, though, ook as bright as Christmas at the sight of each other though.  Since Clair is back to using her real name and real identity, Claire shares with her dad that her new life plan is telling the truth-ish.  We'll see how long until that gets her into trouble.

We've finally returned to the Circus, The Sullivan Brothers Carnival.  A tall topless blonde wanders into the Samuel's tent, who drops ink onto her back and asks her to "Show me where he is."  A vision of Danko appears on her back as a tatoo, and she gives his name.  A dark looking man, Edgar, comes into the tent and is tasked with vengeance against Danko.  Edgar refuses, and Samuel stabs him with the tattoo pen.  The ink courses through his body and up to his neck to strangle him.  Samuel releases his grip and promises he'll never ask again after this one.  Edgar leaves looking defeated.

Noah is seated at a café when he's joined by Tracey.  She hasn't decided if he gets to live or not, but he was apparently #5 on her murderous list of revenge.  Oh!  That totally reminds me.  I need to finish up my murderous list of revenge so I can get started on my Trajectory poster.  Noah wonders how Tracey survived being blast into a thousand pieces.  She felt herself shatter, melt, and reconstitute intent on revenge.  Noah offers to help her get her life back and to get Danko off her path, a way to look for redemption for all those years of bagging-and-tagging.  Tracey turns him down for now, but I have a feeling she'll be back.

Noah meets Danko in a dimly lit warehouse.  He's trying to convince Danko to back off on Tracey, even though she didn't take his deal.  It seems Bennet is serious about this redemption stuff, which is good since that's the chapter title.  Danko is intent on killing, Tracey, "even if I have to suck her up in a wet vac to do it."  Noah offers Danko a real chance to start over with the blessing of the US Government.  This episode is full of refused offers, and Danko follows in kind.  The Haitian sneaks up behind him and palms his head like a basketball.  That's not racist.  He's Haitian; he plays soccer.  Anyways, methinks Danko is vacationing whether he likes it or not. 

Peter is returning from what I'm sure was a 92 hour shift to send a phone call from Nylar right to voicemail.  Peter pins up his latest rescue onto a bulletin board of newspaper clippings.  Well, aren't we self-congratulatory?

Danko is surprised in his apartment by Tracey.  He doesn't recognize her, and Tracey realizes Bennet had his memory erased.  Danko, cryptically, asks her if "he sent you to get it back."  Tracey is about to leave him untouched, but Danko wanders right into Edgar the carnie's ambush.  "You took something from us, now I'm gonna get it back."  Edgar is a speedster who slashes Danko to pieces with a large knife.  Tracey wanders in, and is attacked in kind.  She fights back and freezes his arm; Edgar jets off.   

Claire heads down to the first party of the season.  Anal Aniie is rocking Guitar Hero 3 all by her lonesome.  Claire finds Gretchen and offers a watered down version of the true story of her life after Odessa.  They bond over their mutual dislike of Anal-Annie and take a horrifically bad turn at Guitar Hero. 

Ando wheels poor Hiro around strapped to a dolly.  He's smuggled him into the office, and is doing his best to hide him from his sister.  Ando shakes Hiro, who finally snaps out of his frozen trance.  Ando catches him up on the craziness and notices Hiro's nose starting to bleed.  Ando insists he see a doctor, but Hiro admits that he's already seen one and the news isn't good.  Hiro is dying, maybe soon.  Ando asks Hiro if there's a point in time he can travel back to and undo whatever damage was done to make him sick.  Hiro actually does know the point in time, when they were tweens sharing a night at the carnival.  A fortune teller gave Hiro a fortune that he would be a powerful hero.  If he never got that fortune, he never would've chased obsessively after that goal.  Hiro is adamant that he will not change the past.  Ando is desperate to save his friend.  Mid-argument, Hiro freezes for a moment.  Then, he disappears.  He reappears back at the carnival, 14 years ago.  He time traveled without even meaning to. 

Back in the present day, Hiro's face appears on tattoo lady, Lydia.  She tells Samuel Hiro's name, and that he was at the carnival 14 years ago.  Samuel wanders over to an old man on oxygen, who worries that they're going to stop moving "after all these years."  Samuel asks him to do something, one more time, to track Hiro down.  They need his help to change the past.  Samuel asks the man to summon him back 14 years ago.

Claire comes back to an empty room and complains that Anal-Annie left the windows open.  I guess we won't have to deal with Annie's Analness anymore, since Claire discovers her bloody remains on the sidewalk beneath their room. 

In Los Angeles, Parkman trips over toddler-Parkman's toy in his dark house.  In DC, Nylar concentrates on his coffee cup, trying to get it to move.  Parkman looks for Matty, who's missing from his crib.  Nylar, who flashes as Sylar for a moment, looks in the mirror as we hear the ticking of Sylar.  Parkman turns around to find Sylar holding a screaming toddler Parkman.  Sylar proclaims, "Hi Daddy.  I want my body back."

Parkman demands Sylar put down Matty, who is finally quiet.  Sylar claims to be part of Parkman now, inside his head.  They hear Mrs. Parkman turn on a light, and Sylar yells "Catch" and tosses Matty in the air.  As she enters the room, Parkman realizes he's caught nothing but air, and looks down to see Matty sleeping peacefully in his bed. 

In DC, Noah resets a screaming fire alarm after destroying dinner in the toaster oven.  How do you ruin something in a toaster oven?  It only stays hot for a set period of time.  Sheesh.  He opens the bare refrigerator and pulls out a carton of milk, which was his only choice other than a bottle of mustard.  The bachelor life is not agreeing with him.  He calls Sandra, but a man answers instead.  He can't bear to talk to her and hangs up.  A call from Tracey follows, which is good because I'm sure he needed a distraction.  Bennet enters Danko's dark, creepy, and now bloody apartment and surveys the scene.

14 years ago, adult Hiro runs into tween Hiro as he desperately tries to time shift back to the present.  Twiro asks him to take a picture, and he agrees.  The photo he snaps is one we saw several times in this episode already, which is a little creepy.  He witnesses himself heading to the fortune teller, but still refuses to change his future.  Instead, he runs into Samuel who offers to be "great friends."

A grisly chalk outline of her roommate on the sidewalk below, Claire is being interviewed by police officers.  They show a suicide note, which they claim was on her pillow, but Claire knows was not.  Claire insists this was not a suicide, but the officer seems unconvinced. 

Ando is pacing in Hiro's office when Kimiko wanders in.  Ando tries to cover for Hiro's absence, but she's not buying it.  Ando tries the truth:  "He slipped out of space and time and now is most likely at a carnival fourteen years ago."  Shockingly, it works and she heads off exasperated.

Samuel admits to knowing Hiro's gift, and having a gift of his own, which he displays with a spinning compass tattoo.  Samuel tries to convince Hiro that he can make some changes to the past that won't have a dramatically negative impact on the future.  Hiro wonders if he could stop Ando from spilling his slushy on Kimiko, the point in time when she first started hating Ando.  He holds true to his code to not change the past, but Samuel forcefully and creepily forces him backwards as he insists he can right the wrongs of the past by taking a chance.  Samuel pushes Hiro in the path of the flying slushy, and he catches it on his shoulder.  Then, he flashes back to the present and asks if anything has changed for Ando.  If Hiro was thinking this through, which he rarely does, he'd realize that Ando would have no clue that anything had changed.  And he doesn't, but a cheery looking Kimiko wanders into the office.  Ando refers to her as Kimmy, and they kiss.  Hiro jumps excitedly.

Tracey catches Noah up on what happened to Danko.  Noah notices the specific nature of the wounds, all to the stomach.  Bennet puts a plastic baggie on his hand and digs into Danko's body, pulling out a key.  Ew.

Parkman suits up for work and gets all hyper possessive when he overhears the water guy, Roy, being overly-familiar with Janice and Matty.  He quickly apologizes, but still seems stressed.  He insists he has things under control, but clearly doesn't.

Bennet surprises Peter in his apartment and asks to talk.  Peter is also living bachelor-chic, since all his has to offer is water and mustard.  Bennet surveys Peter's wall-o-lifesaving and asks if he's using his powers.  Peter admits to using Mohinder's super strength to try to make up for all the misdeeds of their past.  Noah reveals Danko's key to Peter, which belongs to a safe deposit box.  Noah needs a partner who can hold his own against the speedster to protect him while they open the box.

Sandra visits Claire, who's hair is EVEN CUTER, and checks on her after the roommate incident.  Claire introduces Gretchen to Sandra, who joins them in her room.  Gretchen, the new voice of reason on this show, wonders, "Who maps out their life for the next 50 years and then throws themselves out a window?"  After Sandra leaves, Gretchen and Claire decide to prove Annie's death was murder.

While they wait for the banker with the safe deposit box, Noah tries to give Peter life advice:  "I'm alone, that's no way to live."  When the banker drops off the box, they discover it contains a broken compass.  The banker now contains significantly less blood, since the knife-wielding speedster has hacked him to pieces.  Peter super-chucks him into a wall and grabs his power in the process.  They have a crazy speedster knife fight and, surprisingly, Peter comes out on top.  Apparently super speed power came with knife training.  Edgar realizes he's losing and darts out of the bank.  Peter gets to work paramedicalling the dying banker.

At the hospital, after dropping off the banker, Peter discovers if he holds the compass it spins frantically, much like Samuel's tattoo.  Bennet wants Peter to keep working with him, but Peter doesn't want to complicate his life and endanger more lives.  Noah tells him goodbye and asks him to call his mother.

Gretchen shows up with an armful of books on forensics and joins Claire in the cafeteria.  Gretchen wants to try the "Jump, Push, Fall" test with a dummy to see if they can tell if Annie was pushed out the window.  Claire seems reluctant, but Gretchen is so excited it's contagious.

Parkman is attending a user's support group and trying to talk through his commitment to not using his "drug" (hero-powers), but Sylar interrupts him, trying his best to annoy him to death.  Parkman starts having outbursts at Sylar, who's invisible to everyone else, and freaks them all out. 

Hiro giddily skips through his office with Ando, asking if he hears wedding bells soon.  He admits to Ando that he's the reason they fell in love.  Ando says they fell in love when they had their first kiss that night at the carnival, which never would've happened if the slushie had fallen on her.  Hiro realizes his new mission must be to go back to right the wrongs of his life.  Ando seems concerns, since Hiro is dying, but Hiro thinks that's all the more reason to hurry with his quest.

Parkman is interrogating a suspect when Sylar interrupts yet again.  Sylar tries to provoke Parkman into reading the suspect's mind to get the name he needs.  Parkman freaks out and tries to argue with head-Sylar, and it gets too much for him when Sylar accuses Janice of cheating on him with the water guy.  Parkman throws a chair at head-Sylar, and the terrified perp gives up the name they were looking for.  Parkman's boss doesn't seem pleased.

Peter and his partner are eating in the ambulance waiting for their shift to start when a call comes in over the radio.  Peter sprints off at super speed and finds Bennet bleeding on a sidewalk.  He whispers to Peter, "He took the compass."

Tracey comes to visit Bennet, who is looking much better, in the hospital. He gives her the details on the safe deposit box and the compass.  He's realized it's too dangerous to do this alone, and needs to pair up with a hero to make this work.  Tracey wonders if Edgar is just trying to get his life back, and wants to find a way to help other heroes.  Bennet and Tracey appear to be bonding a bit, which they better not make romantic, because I miss Sandra.

Parkman comes home to find Roy the water guy there fixing their water tank.  Parkman walks him out, slips him a twenty, and uses his mind powers to convince him to start a new route and never come to the house again.  Sylar appears, ticking, and looking smugly at Parkman.

Claire, still awake well into the night, flips on her lamp and opens her window.  She glances around for onlookers, and tosses herself onto Annie's chalk outline.  She lands nearly dead-center, proving the jump theory.  It would apepar Annie may have killed herself after all.  She pieces herself back together, and finds Gretchen watching the entire thing from a window above.  I think that might be more truthfulness than she intended.

Edgar and Samuel discuss his run in with Peter.  Samuel is going to use Hiro to "replace" the old man in their group.  Samuel tattoos Lydia and sees Peter, Claire, and Sylar on her back.  What's next?  "We gather the rest."

Next Time on Heroes:  Gretchen calls Claire out on what she saw.  Bennet has to clean up Claire's mess.  Tracey returns to the Governor, in a towel.  Someone shoots something or someone.  Parkman crazies some more.  Good times.

Heroes needs to return to its season one glory in the worst way.   Seemingly, that is not only a fact – it's the talking point handed out to the Heroes cast before they recorded these soundbites to prep fans for the fourth season.  Heroes fans remain steadfast, while others have either given up on the show completely or are reluctant to believe the series can achieve 'Redemption.'  All of the hype and trash talk will come to an end for at least a couple of hours tonight when Tim Kring and Company unveil the recipe they have whipped together for their fourth inning.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say I'm a skeptic.  There are performances on the show that I am hopelessly addicted to – the sorely underutilized Greg Grunberg, Jack Coleman's H.R.G, and Zachary Quinto's Sylar – and whose presence guarantee that I will be tuned in every Monday, yet I can't visualize myself sitting at the end of any episode this season, mouth agape, marveling over how they finally recaptured the glory of season one. Particularly without Bryan Fuller.  Hopefully I'll be telling you how wrong I was come tomorrow.

“VOLUME FIVE: REDEMPTION” MAKES A SPECIAL TWO-HOUR DEBUT WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF A MYSTERIOUS CARNIVAL CLAN WHOSE INTENTIONS ARE UNKNOWN, WHILE FAMILIAR FACES ADJUST TO NEW STAGES OF THEIR LIVES THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE WORLD AND THEIR ABILITIES. ROBERT KNEPPER JOINS THE CAST. RAY PARK, ZELJKO IVANEK, MADELINE ZIMA, AND DAWN OLIVIERI GUEST STAR — Claire (Hayden Panettiere) struggles with adjusting to her new life in college when a mysterious death thrusts her into the spotlight once again. Elsewhere, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) continue their noble quest to help people by promoting their abilities. Angela (Cristine Rose) fears Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) will soon discover his true identity; while Matt (Greg Grunberg) is haunted by an unexpected visitor seeking something he has lost. Tracy Strauss (Ali Larter) and H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) join forces, looking for the key to unlock the motive behind a horrific crime. Meanwhile, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) uses his abilities for good, but he is soon called upon to aid an old friend. While the heroes adjust to their new surroundings, a mysterious carnival clan, led by ringleader Samuel (Robert Knepper), sets their sights on familiar faces. James Kyson Lee and Zachary Quinto also star. Rachel Melvin, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ashley Crow, Lisa Lackey, Assaf Cohen, and Saemi Nakamura also guest star.

Show Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Ali Larter, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Grunberg, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Jack Coleman, James Kyson Lee, Dania Ramirez, Zachary Quinto, Cristine Rose

Masi Oka as Hiro

Milo Ventimiglia as Peter

Jack Coleman as H.R.G

Robert Knepper as Samuel

Ray Park As Edgar

All eyes are on Heroes fourth season premiere later this month, but not necessarily in the way the craft-masters behind NBC’s ailing franchise may want. The question of whether or not Heroes can recapture its former glory is trailed by a very heavy, pulsing question mark. Last season saw Heroes live viewer numbers shrink below seven-million, and the franchise suffered relentless abuse from mainstream and arm-chair critics alike. However, at the core of all of the kvetching was a fanbase that was as galvanized as ever. Let’s face it, Heroes is far from dead if these six-million or so die-hards can convince the rest of the world that it is must-see-tv once again.

The first look at season 5 was promising, with new baddie Robert Knepper oozing a level of darkness not seen since Sylar stepped out of the shadows. Then there was that silly knife fight scene, with all of the crazy swishing sounds and low-budget Matrix stylization. Yuck. Hope that the schlock factor would be banished from Heroes was completely and utterly lost.

Now, though, NBC has released six clips that once again will fill your heart with hope for a Heroes rebound. Some excellent character work that reminds us of the very high caliber of acting talent that comprises the Heroes ranks, and more than a couple of bits of pseudo-comic intensity that flirt with Heroes’ long lost potential as a mixed medium of superhero-genre meets regular folk dramatics. I, for one, am hopeful again. As long as there aren’t too many swishy knife fights.

Heroes kicks off its fourth season September 21st at 8:00pm/est on your local NBC channel.

Ever since the last few episodes of Heroes' third season, we've known that Hiro's in pretty big trouble. His time travelling power is acting up, and he's started having severe nosebleeds, that, in the world of television, are never good for a character's well-being (think the time-travelling in Lost).

In a recent conference call with the media, Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, weighed in on his character's potentially deadly affliction. What does he want for Hiro? He just wants to make sure that the storyline does not "betray the audience," he says.

"I want to make sure we don't cheat death, like we have in the past and not give it the weight that is meant to be," Oka said. He wants "poetic justice."

And so do I. Hiro is a great, almost iconic character of modern television, and his death would be a great finality that the show has been unable to grasp up until this point. His death would be a great dramatic part of the show, and would break the hearts of a viewers in the same way that Charlie's death on Lost did: just the realization of inevitability. Here's hoping that the writers of Heroes make the right decision.

When Heroes returns on September 21, Željko Ivanek will be returning with it. The acclaimed actor, who appeared throughout volume four as Emile Danko, "the hunter," will be returning to the series for its first episode, though from the looks of the first promotional photos released, it might not be for very long.

A few of the recently released promotional photos from the first episode don't make it look like Danko's going to be a major fixture of volume five — or any other volumes for that matter. Instead, it looks like he's going to get a little cut up by Darth Maul's — sorry, I mean Ray Park's — new character Edgar, a member of the carnival and a wielder of some nasty-looking knives.

However, Danko is also seen sharing a scene with the Haitian, and he looks like he's in about the same shape as he was when he was cut up. This leaves us two clear options: either 1) the Haitian is working with Edgar and the carnival, or b) he saves Danko. I'm fine with either, though I would like to see Danko survive. A good anti-hero is hard to find, and Sylar can only last for so long.

You can't choose your relatives and you're stuck with them for life. On television, sometimes it's even longer than that. But, as in real life, some of the best drama comes from those you call family. They drive you nuts, get you into trouble and generally ruin your life. They are also the ones who have your back and who will stand by you when the chips are down. Brothers and sisters: can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em.

So which TV siblings have the best and worst relationships? Which ones make for the best stories? Who have stuck together and who have gone their separate ways? The following shows put the expression "blood is thicker than water " to the test.

Work Together, Play Alone

Some siblings spend more time together professionally than they do personally. It's a different dynamic when you have to deal with family in a at work; the rules change. You can't stop them from putting themselves in danger if that is part of the job description.

Sometimes a job interferes with a personal life, especially when it comes to medicine and law enforcement. Pagers go off at inopportune times and a patient's life becomes more important that a relative's personal crisis, causing bad blood. On the other hand, if a relative becomes a patient, all bets are off and procedures become optional because there are no rules when it comes to saving family.

Cops are just as guilty. If little brothers or sisters are at a crime scene, they have to be questioned just like everybody else with the added bonus of bosses telling you to use your personal relationship to get more information. Occasionally they can be guilty of the crime, leaving the cop torn between duty and family. Rarely, for instance, even if a brother is a suspect the cop is willfully blind to the clues. Because if she doesn't notice she doesn't have to do anything. And, really, who wants a serial killer in the family?

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Debra Morgan and Dexter Morgan, Dexter. Dexter has no problem helping his little sister advance her cop career by giving her insight into the serial killers of Miami. But all that free advice is going to stop when she gets through the rest of them and his name pops up on her "To Arrest" list because he doesn't want her job to interfere with his fun and games.