Broken Frontier

After the last two installments of Heroes, there’s a whole lot to keep track of. Characters have been killed off, unexpected alliances have been forged and long buried secrets continue to be unearthed. Fortunately, the number of storylines in play as we near the conclusion of the “Fugitives” storyline never seems overwhelming. It may not maintain as strong an audience as it did in its inaugural season, but Heroes is still a worthwhile show even when it trips over itself now and then.

The latest episode, “Turn and Face the Strange” is all about setting up the season’s final three episodes, meaning viewers looking for instant gratification will likely be disappointed by the sheer amount of build-up. But the pieces are in play for one hell of a season finale.

At the conclusion of the previous episode, “In Asylum,” the murderous Sylar had obtained a shape-shifting ability, giving him the power not only to evade capture by the government but to royally mess with his enemies. Last week, Sylar murdered a shape shifter who had taken his form before he died. Danko, now in league with Sylar, has convinced everyone that he was the one to take down the super-powered serial killer. However, Noah Bennet doesn’t buy it. To screw with Noah’s head, Sylar poses as his wife, Sandra, instigates an argument and calls for a divorce. Sylar even forges Sandra’s signature on the divorce papers, which tips Noah off that something is amiss when the handwriting doesn’t match that of his wife. Once he realizes that Sylar is now a shape shifter, Noah goes on the warpath. He tracks down and shoots who he thinks is Sylar disguised as one of Emile Danko’s men, but the transforming baddie plays dead in a pool of simulated blood (“just for effect”). Noah’s convinced he’s now a murderer and goes on the run. This entire turn of events is incredibly well staged and is easily the strongest part of this week’s installment.

Another character out for blood in this episode is Matt Parkman, who intends to kill the woman Danko cares for most to avenge Daphne’s death. It was interesting to see a character that is typically so pure taken to this breaking point, but thankfully the writers do not take him over the edge. Instead Matt takes this woman, Alena, to Danko’s home to show her what kind of man she’s fallen for. Matt again threatens to shoot the girl but restrains himself. Danko has no such restraint, pulling out a gun and shooting Matt on the spot. The bullet stops mid-air.

Yes, Hiro and Ando arrive to save the day, with baby Matt Parkman in tow. While it’s important that Matt be introduced to his infant son, Hiro and Ando’s babysitting road trip is pretty weak. We learn that baby Matt’s ability to grant people or objects power (earning him the nickname “Baby Touch and Go”) has a second component, in that he can take powers away when he’s upset. This requires Ando to keep the baby entertained by making faces for an extended period of time. This is apparently supposed to be hilarious, but it’s hard not to be saddened instead by how wasted these two characters are.

The episode concludes with the Petrelli family—Angela, Peter, Nathan and Claire Bennet—meeting up at a mysterious grouping of buildings called Coyote Sands. Grabbing shovels, they uncover a skull with what looks to be a bullet hole in it. Later joined by Noah, Angela tells the group that this is where their story “really begins.” This mysterious development could be the game-changer that this series will need to win back viewers for its upcoming fourth season.