Prepare for Fallout on ‘Heroes’ Tonight
Not so long ago, it was common for prime-time television series to air straight throughout the fall and winter seasons, filling in holiday periods with strings of repeat episodes. Those days are now over for many shows, especially popular ones, replaced with two distinct “half-seasons”—initially a programming strategy for such basic-cable titles as Stargate SG-1 and Monk—separated by lengthy holiday hiatuses. Lost, Prison Break, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy are just a few of the series to recently go on break for December, and the NBC rookie hit Heroes will follow them after tonight’s mid-season finale, Fallout.
SPOILER WARNING: The following reveals important plot developments.
Few will deny that Heroes has experienced a spectacular debut season over the last few months. The superhero drama has consistently attracted and then retained fans in key demographics each week, and the momentum shows no sign of slowing with the eleventh episode. As is customary with planned interruptions in the broadcast schedule, executives have promised several unexpected developments in Heroes beyond the customary final-act cliffhangers, including what has become a common standby in the last episode before a hiatus, the death of a major character.
Though the concept of death is pretty murky on television, where deceased characters tend to have a way of remaining prominent in storylines long after their demise, fans still enjoy picking there collective brain in order to figure out who the departed will be. It’s hard to say for the latest Heroes episode, given the tight reins that network executives like to keep on such information. But the promotional voiceover at the end of last week’s tenth episode, Six Months Ago, forebodingly informed viewers that “a Hero will be lost” in the next episode. Subsequent TV promotions did not get more specific than that; yet the use of the word “hero” leaves no doubt that at least one character with a power will pass away by the time the credits roll tonight.
One online poll places D.L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), Eden McCain (Nora Zehetner), and Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) in the lead for death, while Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), and, of course, Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) round out the bottom three. Of the three favorite frontrunners, I would be most okay seeing prophetic artist Isaac go, simply because I feel the character is the least intriguing of the group.
E! Online’s TV maven, Kristin Veitch, goes on to clarify that “two Heroes actually die within the next few episodes. And producers are even planning a third!” Moreover, in Fallout, a surprising captor will hold a family hostage, and in addition to the death of a hero, there will be a sacrifice. All of the mayhem is starting to sound a bit apocalyptic, so I hope the plot holds back a little bit in order to save some fresh material for the show’s return next year on January 22. Incidentally, according to Kristin again, the reason the hero in question will die in the eleventh episode, instead of the originally planned seventeenth, is because of contractual issues.
For more on Fallout and the upcoming second half of Heroes‘ first year, read Kristin’s interview, This Hero Is Fly—and Full of Lip-Smacking Scoop, with actor Adrian Pasdar, who plays scummy flying politician Nathan Petrelli, earnest Peter’s older brother.
Casting News
Christopher Eccleston Arrives as Claude
Just two weeks ago, reports emerged indicating that British thespian Christopher Eccleston, the last Doctor Who in the new conception of the long-running series on the Sci Fi Channel, will join the cast of Heroes in a regular role. The December 4 issue of TV Guide elaborates on the nature of Eccleston’s character, Claude. Apparently, Claude is—get this—an invisible man who has “been living with his invisibility for many years and has come to grips with it.” He will also “become a mentor to Peter … and help [him] learn to use and control his powers.”
Those short excerpts reveal three interesting facts: Peter is not the character who will die tonight in Fallout, Peter will develop more than one power (note the plural form in the quote), and Peter will eventually become much better at using his abilities than he is right now. Other details about Peter in the latest print issue of TV Guide explain he will have “so much trouble absorbing the powers around him that he goes into a coma.” Looks like Claude won’t arrive a moment too soon.
Episode News
Official Fallout Summary
AS SHOCKING DETAILS ABOUT ISSAC’S NYC NUCLEAR BOMBING PREDICTION ARE REVEALED, THE “HEROES†FACE TRAGEDY AND BETRAYALS — The tragic events in Texas have sad, serious repercussions for many of the “heroes,†their families and friends. Meanwhile, shocking details about the moments leading up to Issac’s (Santiago Cabrera) predicted New York City nuclear bombing are revealed. Later, Issac’s newest painting has fascinating future implications for a hero in crisis. Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) takes the first steps along his new path. Matt (Greg Grunberg) and F.B.I. Agent Audrey Hanson (guest star Clea DuVall) pursue a break in the Sylar case. Horrified by Jessica’s recent actions, Niki (Ali Larter) makes a tough decision to protect her family. Jack Coleman, Tawny Cypress, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Leonard Roberts and Milo Ventimiglia also star. Ashley Crow, Thomas Dekker, Jimmy Jean-Louis, James Kyson Lee and Nora Zehetner guest star.
Preview
Video Preview for Fallout
Access Hollywood has a five-minute montage of assorted scenes from the mid-season finale available online. None of the included clips reveal anything explosively important, but if you want to stay in the dark for maximally effective dramatic surprises during the episode’s actual broadcast, it might be best to forego this sneak peak.
Missed or can’t remember an episode of Heroes? Full recaps are available for all Heroes episodes aired thus far at the Heroes Recap Index.
Heroes photo courtesy of NBC.
