Heroes: Season 4 Episode 19: Brave New World – TV Review

Last night’s episode of “Heroes” entitled “Brave New World” brought season 4 to a close and possibly the entire show. Samuel was ready to act on his plan to kill hundreds of people in Central Park, while Peter, Sylar, Claire, and Noah all worked to stop him in their own way. The episode took a page from season one, by showing all the “heroes” working together for a single cause. Even Tracy showed up to help, and she’s far from my favorite character. Whether it was the end of the show or the beginning of a new chapter, this was one of the better finales “Heroes” has had in a very long time.

The Players:

• Director: Adam Kane
• Writer/Creator: Tim Kring
• Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Zachary Quinto, Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere, Greg Grunberg, Robert Knepper, Deanna Bray, Elisabeth Rohm, Ali Larter, Eric Roberts, K Callan

The Shows Plot:

“Heroes” follows a group of regular people who discover that they have special abilities that separate them from everyone else in the world. Some choose to hide their gifts, others try to use them for evil, and a rare few choose to use their powers for a greater good.

Title of this Week’s Episode: “Brave New World” Season 4: Episode 19

Noah’s life hangs in the balance as he and Claire find themselves trapped underground, with oxygen quickly running low. Hiro begins to come to terms with decisions he’s made in the past, and is called into action to help the rest of the band stop Samuel from creating what would be a disaster. Peter and Sylar work to find Emma and bring the Carnival to its knees in a final showdown between good and evil.

The Good:

• Matt Parkman: Matt is one of my least favorite characters, but he actually came with some jewels during the finale. Not only did he get multiple-man guy to turn on Samuel, he also called Sylar out on his sudden change of heart. When Sylar said that Samuel’s plan to kill sounded like something he would have done back in the day, Matt replied with, ‘You say that like it wasn’t yesterday.’ Classic.
• Old Charlie: K. Callan was the older actress who played Charlie in this episode, and it was great casting. She was a spitting image of Jayma Mays [young Charlie], which shows that their casting department knows what they’re doing.
• The Ending: I found it fitting that Claire reenacted one of her infamous video stunts from season one for all the world to see. It was a throw back to the glory days of the show and it was a great ending to the season or series.

The Bad:

• The Action: Did the majority of Peter and Samuel’s battle take place between a mound of dirt? Last season we were trapped behind closed doors and this year we got cracked dirt. How NOT exciting.
• Ando’s Supercharge: I didn’t realize that we were in a video game and you could supercharge a person at your convenience. When Ando gave Hiro the extra “boost” he needed to transport the entire Carnival, it felt like it came out of left field. It was a random way of justifying his ability to move that many people at one time.
• The Dialogue: All of Sylar’s good guy dialogue sounded cheesy, and in my opinion he’s much better as a villain. He actually had one of the last lines of the show and stated that it was going to be a “brave new world.” Corny or clever?

Overall:

The “Heroes” season 4 finally wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but it did manage to bring together the remaining cast members for one last hoorah. We’re not sure if this will also mark the end of the series, but if so over the course of four years our greatest villain Sylar eventually turned into a hero, Hiro finished his quest, and Claire exposed people with abilities to the world. It doesn’t feel 100 percent complete, but if they end it on this note, I’d be content.

Rating: 7.5/10

Show Airs: Mondays at 9pm on NBC

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