The Insider: Contributed by mrichenthal

Discuss "Villains" in Our Heroes Forum!

mrichenthal — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:47:44 GMT

After a week off, Heroes returns with a unique look at its past tonight. The episode titled "Villains" delves into a series of flashbacks that shed more light on various character and developments. As always, we'll post a detailed recap soon after the episode airs. In the meantime, talk about the latest twists and turns in our Heroes forum...

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Heroes Caption Contest XLVI

mrichenthal — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:54:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone that sent in an entry for last week's Heroes Caption Contest. The feature is becoming more and more popular every week. Who won? Check it out now. Ready to top last week's number of responses, readers? Then take a look at the photo below. It's a scene from "Eris Quod Sum," featuring a Bennet family in peril. What is each family member thinking and/or saying? To submit a caption, click on the headline above (Heroes Caption Contest XLVI), scroll down and have fun. You may enter as many times as you'd like and your responses will go live instantly. We'll announce the winner next week. Good luck!

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Justin Baldoni Cast on Heroes

mrichenthal — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:12:52 GMT

Readers have been clamoring for exciting Heroes news - and here it is! An Everwood alum is coming aboard the show, as sources have told Michael Ausiello that Justin Baldoni - who portrayed Emily VanCamp's boyfriend on the late, great WB series by producer Rina Mimoun - is joining the cast of Heroes as Alex, a Southern California surfer who works at a comic book store. Baldoni will appear in a minimum of two episodes.

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Tim Kring Goes for the Kill

mrichenthal — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:30:40 GMT

Our site has received a number of comments that focus on its recent negativity toward the show. We greatly appreciate the feedback, but do feel the need to clarify: The Heroes Fanatic staff loves this series. Granted, we get frustrated by certain story lines, but we tune in every week, we take the time to write episode guides, post photos, quotes, etc. We wouldn't do so if we didn't enjoy what Heroes had to offer. Still, it's also our job to report the news - and there's no getting around the fact ratings are down 21% from last season, a pair of producers have been fired as a result, and two leading entertainment publications (TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly) have questioned whether the show will even be around for a fourth season. It would be irresponsible of us to turn a blind eye toward these developments. Even Heroes creator Tim Kring is aware the show needs a change. He recently tole E! Online that a couple characters will soon die: "There are a couple more deaths planned," Kring said. "Someone you have come to know will not make it to the end of the season." Who do you think this should be? Which character would you kill off? Mohinder Hiro Parkman Tracy Elle View Results

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How Would You Fix Heroes?

mrichenthal — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:45:19 GMT

Heroes is broken. This is difficult for even the most loyal fan to debate now that the series has fired a pair of veteran producers due to low ratings, poor budgeting and critical lambasting across the Internet. With those problems in mind, TV Guide has offered a few solutions for the show. To wit: PROBLEM: The Heroes have no lives. SOLUTION: Make them go into hiding again and live "real" lives. Season 3 has consisted of a series of fool's errands. Hiro tries to infiltrate the bad guys, but why is unclear. Claire decides to go rogue and round up the Level 5 bad guys. Nathan mostly mopes and takes the vague advice of a spectral Linderman, as if he's a trusted advisor. The Heroes need to re-enter "real" life, with jobs, spouses, and mortgages. Remember when Peter was a nurse? It added a certain human dimension to his character that no number of scars or overwrought parental confrontations can. Sounds sensible to us. How about you? HOW WOULD YOU FIX HEROES? Let us know in our Heroes forum. Hiro looks as confused about season three as most viewers have been.

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Heroes Spoilers for November

mrichenthal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:29:51 GMT

As Heroes takes a week off, here's what viewers can look forward to over the next month on the show. Here's a sneak peek at upcoming story lines on the series, character by character: Sylar: Fans recently learned that Sylar has a son in the future. "People might wonder where that son came from," Zachary Quinto said to Entertainment Weekly. "And maybe there's some information [coming up] that leads in that direction." Hiro: This character is about to encounter Arthur Petrelli, who makes a mess of his mind and forces Ando to teach him anew how to be a Hero. Claire: Will be partnerned with Elle for the duration of November. Elle: "I like how they're delving into Elle's past. You see she has compassion, she does struggle with her choices," Kristin Bell says of the upcoming look at her past. Look for Elle to have an unexpected connection with Sylar. The Petrellis: Cristine Rose wonders, "Where did it all go wrong for Angela that she'd be willing to kill her children and vast amounts of people?" The actress promises that viewers will soon find out.

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Executive Producers Fired from Heroes

mrichenthal — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:40:18 GMT

The first casualties of Heroes' poor ratings and inconsistent, confounding story lines have been announced. According to The Hollywood Reporter, executive producers Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb have been let go due to creative differences. The publication reports that Alexander and Loeb were let go because of NBC's frustration with the creative direction of the show. The series has also been produced way over budget, as each episode is costing more than the original price tag allotted to each hour. Poorly written story lines such as Hiro and Ando in Africa have cost two Heroes' producers their jobs.

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Heroes Caption Contest XLV

mrichenthal — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:00:06 GMT

Thanks to everyone that sent in an entry for last week's Heroes Caption Contest. The feature is becoming more and more popular every week. Who won? Check it out now. Ready to top last week's number of responses, readers? Then take a look at the photo below. It's a scene from this week's episode, featuring Arthur, Mohinder and an unconscious Sylar. What is each thinking and/or saying? To submit a caption, click on the headline above (Heroes Caption Contest XLV), scroll down and have fun. You may enter as many times as you'd like and your responses will go live instantly. We'll announce the winner next week. Good luck!

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A Look Ahead at "Villains"

mrichenthal — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:12:44 GMT

Heroes takes a week off on Monday - but it comes back strong on November 11 with an episode simply titled "Villains." In it, we'll get to know various characters from years ago. For example, here's a flashback that features Angela and Arthur as a married, happy couple. Amazing, we know. Villains Clip

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Greg Grunberg Spills Spoilers for Fugitives

mrichenthal — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:07:20 GMT

In a recent interview, Greg Grunberg talked about the upcoming volume of Heroes. It will be called "Fugitives" and here's what the actor had to say about the status of the chapter: “We’re shooting episode two of Fugitives right now. It puts us all in a Guantanamo Bay kind of a situation. We’ve all bagged and tagged and we’re on our way to being killed. What’s great about it is that we all have to work together. We’re all thrown into this terrible situation and have to work together to get out of it, find out who’s in charge of [doing] this and stop them. There’s a new character called ‘The Hunter’ and he’s coming after all of us.” As previously reported, The Hunter will be played by Zeljko Ivanek.

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Heroes Commentary: Let Them Die!

mrichenthal — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:53:09 GMT

Elle returned to Heroes this week. And while we're fans of Kristen Bell and of the character, our immediate reaction was an audible groan. After all, does the show really need more characters? In our latest critique of the show, we focus on some seriously tough love: it's time to kill off a few Heroes. Please, kill someone, Arthur. Make viewers actually afraid of you. Long-running dramas such as Lost and 24 survive for numerous reasons; but a major appeal of these shows is that they are unafraid to do away with significant characters. The killing off of major players has a double appeal: It ensures that the show doesn't get caught up in too many confusing story lines; It raises the stakes. Let's focus on the second point first: Heroes is a show about the fate of the world... yet not a single major character (no offense, D.L.) has been subject to that fate yet. Sure, Niki died last season in a noble act, but the show still felt obligated to bring Ali Larter back. For what purpose? Wouldn't it have been more effective to prove that these characters might perish in their efforts to save the universe? There's no drama remaining. Did anyone think Hiro really killed Ando last week? Or that Parkman or Peter had met their demise in the latest episode? This lack of intrigue ties into the problem that most critics agree plagues the series as a whole: there are far too many characters. This chapter is shaping up as a battle between Arthur Petrelli's villains and Angela Petrelli's heroes. And that's promising. But do Mohinder and Parkman really serve a purpose in the grand scheme of the show at this point? Mohinder, once again, is working for the enemy (seriously, for a scientist, the guy is a moron); and Parkman was relegated to Africa for a few episodes. Since then, he's befriended a turtle and formed a fragile alliance with Daphne, a woman he's intent on saving... because he saw some vision of a future we all know will never exist. If the show wants us to be remotely afraid of Knox, it would be nice to see him actually accomplish something sinister. So far, he's been fooled to think that Hiro killed Ando; and that he took the life of Parkman. If either of those events had actually come to fruition, wouldn't the stakes this season be instantly raised? Wouldn't a volume titled "villains" actually resonate more? As it stands now, I yawned at the notion that Daphne might turn on Parkman. After all, the series has given is no reason to think any of its characters' lives are actually in danger. Agree? Disagree? We'd love to hear feedback!

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Heroes Spoilers: Flashbacks Galore!

mrichenthal — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:22:28 GMT

With two weeks until the next new Heroes episode, at least we have plenty of time to speculate about the future of the show. And thanks to Kristin from E! Online, we also have an idea of what to expect on the November 11 episode, one full of flashbacks to old days for many characters. For example... On November 11, we'll meet Elle before she was an agent in the field - and we'll meet her partner, as well. What really happened to Arthur Petrelli? Who was responsible? Stay tuned! Sylar will eat his very first brain. Yummy! Parkman was close friends with villains back in the day. But did he know it? And which baddies did he befriend?

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Heroes Round Table: Eris Quod Sum

mrichenthal — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:13:11 GMT

Welcome to our 17th Heroes Round Table. While fans of the show gather in the forums to discuss every character and story line, our staff comes together every week to analyze the latest developments from the latest episode. Topics in this edition include: Sylar's motives; Elle's return; and Maya's farewell. Let's get to the Q&A... Do you trust Sylar? A. Hiro: I trust him to continually change sides every episode, further clouding an already-confusing series of story lines. Milover: I actually do. As this chapter is proving, no character is purely good or purely evil. He seems to be turning toward the light. Timex: Not as far as he can throw Peter. Any final words for Maya? Timex: First off, I am very impressed with how quickly you picked up English. Maybe you can teach a class to other immigrants on how to learn English during the off season. Oh, and goodbye, you won't be missed. A. Hiro: Good riddance. Milover: I hope you find a peaceful beach hideaway and never come back. Ever. Never, ever come back. Will Daphne turn on Parkman? Milover: No way. He can read her mind, so he'll always be able to remain a step ahead. Timex: Didn't you see the future? They're married and have kids. I'm thinking she's going to be a good girl and get knocked up soon. A. Hiro: I doubt it. The expression on her face, even after her phone call with Arthur, was one of pained conflict. She likes Matt. Were you happy to see the return of Elle? A. Hiro: Yes. But can they please kill off Tracy, Mohinder and Parkman now that they have an interesting character to take their place? This show has to trim its roster. Milover: Not really. No offense to Kristen Bell, but the show has enough characters to keep track of already. Timex: Wow, I was nearly Forgetting Sarah Marshall until she returned. Now that she's back they better not let her go the way of Adam Monroe or I've lost two of my absolute favorite characters. So yes, I'm very happy.

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Discuss "Dying of the Light" in Our Heroes Forum!

mrichenthal — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:10:23 GMT

On tonight's all-new episode of Heroes, we learn more about Arthur Petrelli and life at Pinehearst. As always, we'll provide a detailed recap of the episode after it airs, complete with the latest quotes, pictures and more. In the meantime, discuss "Dying of the Light" with fellow fans in our Heroes forum...

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Zeljko Ivanek Cast on Heroes

mrichenthal — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:50:00 GMT

Zeljko Ivanek, fresh off an Emmy Award for his supporting role on Damages, will be join Heroes later this season. The actor will appear in a multi-episode arc as a character named the Hunter. Insiders say he'll be in charge of a man hunt on the season's second chapter, titled "Fugitives" and scheduled to begin in mid-January or February. Zeljko Ivanek has the look of someone in charge, doesn't he?

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Heroes Caption Contest XLIII

mrichenthal — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:55:51 GMT

Thanks to everyone that sent in an entry for last week's Heroes Caption Contest. The feature is becoming more and more popular every week. Who won? Check it out now. Ready to top last week's number of responses, readers? Then take a look at the photo below. It's a scene from this week's episode, which shows Sylar and Angela in some sort of tiff. What is each thinking? To submit a caption, click on the headline above (Heroes Caption Contest XLIII), scroll down and have fun. You may enter as many times as you'd like and your responses will go live instantly. We'll announce the winner next week. Good luck!

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Watch the Full Episode of Angels and Monsters!

mrichenthal — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:54:45 GMT

Did you miss this week's Heroes episode? Or do you wish to relive it and catch up on any developments you may have missed? If our weekly episode guide does not answer your questions, here's the next best thing: the episode itself! Indeed, we've posted all of "Angels and Monsters" online. Make some popcorn, sit back, relax and find out who is in charge of this chapter's villains RIGHT NOW.

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