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Heroes Round Table: "Upon This Rock; Let It Bleed"

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What did you think of this week's episode of Heroes?

As you might expect, the TV Fanatic staff was less than thrilled with a two-hour episode that barely moved the plot. Do we really not know Samuel's grand plan, with just five episodes remaining this season?

We focus on this problem, along with a few others, in the latest edition of the Heroes Round Table. As always, reader feedback is encouraged...

Hiro's storyline... seriously?!?
M.L. House: My mother always taught me if you have nothing but insulting things to say about the demise of a character and the repetitive way in which a show has utterly destroyed what once made him great, don't say anything at all.

Dr. Shepherd: At least Ando was able to interpret Hiro's ramblings, right? Makes this instance of his incoherent immaturity at least have a point, as opposed to when he thought he was 10 years old.

The Barnacle: Can we even call this a storyline? The heretofore admirable character was featured for approximately 17 seconds, which are 17 seconds of my life I can never get back.

Heroes RT

What is Samuel's grand plan?
M.L. House: I really can't believe the show has ruined the interesting character creator by Robert Knepper. The writers can't find the balance between keeping someone mysterious and moving a plot along. Seriously, what has changed with Samuel and the carnival since the season premiere? We STILL don't know what he actually has in mind and the season is over in a month!

Dr. Shepherd: He wants to recruit a slew of Heroes for nefarious purposes. We don't need the exact plans yet. Sometimes it's better to show, not tell, and I've been intrigued by how well the series is dragging out this mystery.

The Barnacle: I assume he's been recruited by Al Gore to save the environment and turn everything green, right?

Who do you miss more: Parkman, Mohinder or Tracy?
M.L. House: Tracy. They are all pointless, but I liked staring at her at least.

Dr. Shepherd: Parkman. Greg Grunberg is one of the better actors on the show.

The Barnacle: I miss chicken pox more than any of these characters.

Do you want there to be a fifth season?
M.L. House: Honestly, not really. I've lost faith that Tim Kring and company have a clue about how to write at this point. He's admitted in past interviews that characters have goten out of hand and he doesn't know how to write a plot-driven show. Seriously, THE CREATOR ADMITTED THIS!

Every episode feels like a bunch of disconnected storylines - Peter is saving random people; Hiro is babbling; Claire is at the carnival; Mohinder is locked in a hospital - that may come together in some seemingly dramatic way at the very end... but that won't make up for a season's worth of nonsense.

Dr. Shepherd: Yes. The show just needs to cut loose everyone except HRG, Peter, Angela and Claire. Keep the characters and storylines tighter and there's still hope.

The Barnacle: Yes, under one condition: the show should follow the outline of 24. Each season, there's a new global or national threat and the heroes must band together and stop it, Jack Bauer style. It's an incredibly simple concept and is incomprehensible the series hasn't done this.


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Hiro's storyline... seriously?!?
M.L. House - I totally agree with this ridiculous story line. I mean you have Nathan who's involved in politics and they could of developed some type of interesting story line involving that. But to come up with Hiro talking like a child again! And Ando their just to interpret him. I think they might of killed off the wrong character!


I dont think there is much mystery to what is going to happen later in the storyline. While the writing has turned into a VERY drawn out string of seemingly random events (which I personally think is largely due to the fact they didn't have as much material to work with as they thought, at least at the beginning of the season) the overall directive remains clear if you actually watch. Samuel's power is amplified by other's with abilities and he has been collecting them together. The dialog and shots suggest Samuel is attempting to create a permanent place where people with abilities can live and be free, but the exact manner in which he plans to carry this out is as yet a mystery. The only thing I wish the writers would do is focus less on the drama between characters and advance the storylines of Sylar and Samuel to recapture some lost viewers. I personally love the show and am not necessarily troubled by the pace, but I can see how most people would be fed up at this point (think how the episodes of Lost were for some time). Bottom line, the final episodes of the season have to deliver or the show is going to lose alot more than ratings.


While I love the show, Heroes' own wiki site shows the impending doom:

Neon glo

You guys forget we don't all think the way you do. I find plot-driven shows shallow and uninvolving. I LIKE seeing characters dealing with personal and interpersonal conflicts. But it's true the story is moving way too slowly. Still, Sylar IS now taking his shirt off on a regular basis. You guys look at Tracy. We ladies love the gorgeous psycho-killer.


Really, you don't know what Samuel has in mind? I think he is building a home for his people, creating a new city, possibly even intending to break a chunk of land off, and make his own country. Emma will break the land, Samuel will rearrange it to his needs, and the plant guy will make, well, plants for it.

Matt richenthal

We don't make up the ratings, Matt. Heroes lost 700,000 viewers after its first hour this week and is the lowest-rated drama on network television. If you have a source that says otherwise, please send it along.


Despite w/e the people at TV Fanatic say the point is LOOK AT THE RAITINGS. They actually have gone up by 1,000,000.