Watchmen

So, as many of you know, Jeffery Dean Morgan is my future husband and I do heart him oh so very much. Add all his hunky-self to a much anticipated comic-book film adaptation that is overloaded with sex, violence and masked heroes and anti-heroes and you've got my kind of party. BYOB and I'll see you at the theater this weekend! Click here for JoBlo's review of Watchmen and check out J.D.M. in all his chillingly sexy glory below. *swoon*

Lost - The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham - 2/25

Oh, LOST gods, you are cruel masters indeed! There we sat, watching Jeremy Bentham's story unfold, confident in our knowledge of the how, when and why of his inevitable death and you pulled the metaphorical rug right out from under our metaphorical feet. And that's not the only rudely withdrawn rug that caused us to stumble around blindly like the morons we are, oh no. What we thought we knew about Abaddon's future role on the show was dashed to poo, seeing as he was

SPOILER WARNING!!



dead by the end of the episode! I guess he does have that long-standing appointment with The Pattern that he has to keep (this is a cleverly placed Fringe reference, in case you didn't pick up on that). And what about our long-held belief that, though obviously still trending on the dark-side, Ben is slightly less wicked than one Charles Widmore? What are you trying to do to us, LOST writers? Make us doubt ourselves?! Thank you, but I already have low self-esteem. So, were we wrong all along? Is Charles Widmore actually the lesser of two evils and Ben is actually the FREAKING DEVIL INCARNATE?! I'm thinking...yes.

Talk About Kicking a Man When He's Down!

All LOST episodes, especially the ones this season, are practices in intense and complex storytelling that more often than not leave the viewer emotionally fizzled, sizzled and...something else that ends is "izzled". Meaning, as a fan and after watching an episode of LOST, you are left feeling emotionally fried and/or emotionally charged. This episode blew, like our favorite freighter, all the previous episodes out of the water. Not only was I left with the worry that my face would stay frozen in this expression forever, but I also felt slightly nauseated. Jeremy Benthan's death scene was not only completely different from what we were lead to believe it would be, but it was ten times more horrifying and believe me, I was pretty sure it was going to be horrible anyway. And all this for someone I don't even really like and caused by someone whose actions shouldn't have been surprising in the first place. John Locke has never been my favorite character. He tends to whine, run on and on about destiny and he always gets himself into trouble. He is easily manipulated, which often reminds me of Nathan Petrelli from Heroes. For these characters, the end always justifies the means and I have personally always been against that theory. As for Ben, I'm shocked at myself for being shocked at what he did. As I have written before, the audience is just as often lead astray by Ben as the characters on the show are. Even so, the scene will be forever imprinted upon my memory as the most pitiful and horrifying murder/betrayal I have witnessed in a long time.

Nice to See You Again, Mr. Abaddon. Will You Be Staying Long?

Though Matthew Abaddon has come off as slightly creep-tastic in the few previous scenes we've had with him over the course of LOST, we couldn't help but wonder at his hidden role in the greater Island scheme. Is he good, evil, or gray? Who side is he really on, Widmore's, Ben's or the castaways? What's his agenda and will he be important later on down the line? All the shady dealings and mysterious pop-ups seemed to hint at a greater purpose for Abaddon. So when we finally get to learn more about him in this episode, we were expecting a great reveal (perhaps accompanied by some trumpets and a tambourine). We were sorely disappointed.
First off, Abaddon came off a lot less creepy in this episode. Actually, there was really no "creep" at all. He was good-natured, friendly and helpful as John's chauffeur. His working for Widmore was an initial cause for concern, but it seems that he has worked with slimier things than Charles Widmore (see there, another clever Fringe reference). But, back to being sorely disappointed, as it turns out, nothing is as slimy as one Benjamin Linus. He came on heavier than a highly annoyed scientist-turned-spikalicious monster (my last Fringe plug-in, I swear!) as he splattered our kindly Mr. Abaddon across the back car window. We didn't even have to guess who the shooter was; the whole incident just reeked of Bug-Eyes. And there we have it. Our suspected greater purpose for the mysterious Abaddon turns out to be nothing more than a startling and bloody exit from the show. The words "ah crap" come to mind.

Ms. Hawkings as She-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named

So it would seem that Ben's loyalties can change at the drop of a hat...or the drop of a name. Was his plan to kill John all along, or did his scheming just not allow for John to meet Ms. Hawkings? How does Ben get from murdering Locke before he could get to Ms. Hawkings to shouldering Locke's mission and working with her instead? What is it about HER? Regardless, his ruthless murder of the pitiful Jeremy Bentham will forever turn the audience against him, if they weren't already looking the other way. And where are we looking? To Charles Widmore, of course. We don't know his game plan anymore than we know Ben's, but anything is preferable to the heart-wrenching strangulation of an already broken man. That's just plain MEAN. I may be repeating myself, but honestly, did you that scene?!!?


And to end this morbid session of LOST discussion, a cheery Lost Untangled, just for you, kind readers.




That's all for this week, LOST lovers! See you next week for the episode "LaFleur", which means "flower" in French. Interesting...

Dollhouse - So Far...

So, perhaps I am being presumptuous (ok, make that 'probably'), but I'm guessing you might be wondering my thoughts on Dollhouse. I followed the development and progress of this show since the very first whiff of it hit the Internet breeze. I, along with everyone else, know of its interesting origin story and its subsequent pre-production and production mishaps. Because there has been so much buzz on the show, its problems, its creators and its freaked-out fans, I've avoided writing too much about it. Also, via the stockpile of reviews for the first couple episodes, it's been reported time and again that the episodes slowly get better and I wanted the chance to watch at least a couple before committing my opinion to the World Wide Web. Since the first two have aired, I suppose it's time to do just that...

As stated in many other reviews, the second episode, "Target", was much improved from the pilot, "Ghost". The pilot was still good and it definitely left me wanting to watch more, but it really did seem to lack Joss' unique voice. There were tid-bits, here and there, and the morally vague and slightly creepy Topher is without a doubt a Joss original creation but the episode had a "pilot template" feel that overpowered Joss' distinct touch. That aspect of the episode was disappointing, but it had the network's grimy hands all over it and the result wasn't exactly unexpected. However, again I must press, the pilot was capturing (or was that just Eliza's shockingly short shirt-turned-dress?) and if Joss' intention with the last scene was to totally creep the audience out, then he succeed with ten gold stars. I had to keep myself from whispering throughout both episodes, "Who is that masked man?" and I certainly didn't expect such a mystery starting from the very first episode.

Speaking of the devil and taking a quick side-road: Who IS that masked man, er....naked man who left two dead bodies in his creepy, Indian-style wake? Luckily, the very next episode hands us a suspect on a lovely silver platter. Who's all for the naked, liking-of-the-Indian-style man being the dead-but-not-really-dead Alpha? I'm totally into that but there's one problem with my theory. If, when Alpha went rogue, he left Echo alive whilst carving up everyone else, why would he then hire the creepy boyscout to hunt down and kill Echo? Perhaps as a test, to see what Echo is capable of? To see if she's maybe something more than just another ordinary doll? Maybe.

Ok, back to the main road: If the pilot episode left me with a slight interest to see more, last week's episode left me with an raging desire to speed up time so that I can get to this Friday and see more. "Target" had a much more Joss-like feel and we were once again reminded why Joss is our Master. I love how we weren't made to wait long before we got some Dollhouse back-story and also the reason why the beautiful Amy Acker (love those hat-tricks!), aka Claire Saunders, has scars across her face. A rogue, serial-killer doll is an interesting twist to the show that I wasn't expecting at all. Another great part was the unexpected relationship between Echo and her handler, Boyd. Before that moment, I hadn't realized that I was fearful that Dollhouse would lack those intense, morally gray, complex and passionate relationships that I have long associated with Joss Whedon. "Target" soothed those subconscious fears by giving us a tiny glimpse of how Echo had changed Boyd's original impression of the "empty" dolls and how he'd come to feel about her since that first, indescribably innocent first meeting where Echo was programmed to trust him with her life. It had such a father/daughter feel to it and with myself being a daughter who loves and trusts her father above anyone else, it really hit a heart-chord.

Watching the second episode, I got the feeling that this show is going to be less about the sci-fi, doll-engagements and more about the morally gray practices and people of the Dollhouse and the relationships between them and the outside world. This, of course, was a stupid conclusion to come to, since I should have realized that already. Joss' shows have always been centered on the relationships between the characters and the characters themselves. They are always the best part of his shows and as far as I'm concerned, the reason why he has such a cult following. Joss' characters have always caused me to feel things deeper than any other characters on television. They have made me laugh harder, cry harder, scream harder and think harder than any other characters I have come across in my many years of watching television. I am very much looking forward to that again with Dollhouse.

Best Day Ever

Ever dwelling in the perfection of tv-land as I do, I couldn't help but think of the two clips from the recent Heroes episode, "Eclipse Part II", where both Hiro and Seth Green's guest character experienced their own individually-unique "best day ever". For us, characters not in a television show or movie but rather living real life as best we can, our own versions of our "best day ever" don't come around very often. Luckily for me, I got one yesterday which I would describe, not only as the best possible Sunday, but as a "best day ever".

For me personally, a "best day ever" must include two of my favorite people in the world, Tina and Katie. Fortunately, they both had the day off, so "check". It should also include movies, and/or television, chocolate and chill time. Since these gals are practically my very own soulmates, they were considerately A-OK with my "best day ever" requirements; "check". Since we've lately shirked our movie-watching duties and there are several potentially good films out right now, we decided on a Double Feature Day.

Our first movie pick was Inkheart. Now, Inkheart has not be getting the best reviews and it was only showing at a theater about 30 minutes out of our way but we were determined to see it. First, it stars Brendan Frasier, who will always be one of my favorite actors, no matter how many bad films he mistakenly plays in. Second, it's an adaptation of a young adult novel and we absolutely LOVE young adult novels (see: Harry Potter, Twilight series, House of Night series, Eragon series, etc). Third, its plot line is not only right down our alley, it IS our alley. A handsome and courageous man that can read characters from books right off the page into real life? A guaranteed happy ending? Count us in and save us some Rasinets cause we are so there.

My Inkheart Review:

Ok, so it's not exactly a shoe-in for next year's Oscars but it did it's job as an entertaining film and that's all I ever ask. The special effects were actually pretty good but that's the word of someone who knows little to nothing about special effects. They didn't distract from the movie by being horrible unbelievable so as far as I'm concerned, they were good. Brendan Frasier was excellent as always (yes, I know there are plenty of people that think he's a horrible actor, but I'm not one of them so if you're not a fan you can just move along, there you go, move along...) and as a surprise bonus, Paul Bettany also co-starred. Paul Bettany is one of the most underrated and under-advertised actors in Hollywood right now. I first fell in love with him when I watching him play Geoffrey Chaucer in A Knight's Tale. No one else could pull off such conceit and dignity whilst walking down a dirt road butt-ass naked. It was brilliant and I've loved him ever since. The addition of Helen Mirren and Andy Serkis also gave the B-movie some much needed weight. Both their characters were so over-the-top and classically dramatic that instead of coming off as unoriginal and ridiculous, they just added to the Disney-like, hilarious fun of the film.

I was fearful of a underdeveloped and choppy story-line, but the screenplay just barely kept it all together with a generally coherent narrative flow. With the addition of a couple flashbacks for back-story, it was enough to keep you in the story for the duration of the film. As suspected and assumed, the story was predictable and there was more than one time where the girls and I argued quietly about stupidity of certain characters' actions, but that's what makes B-movies fun.

Overall, I'm going with a B. The actors and plot-line can easily elevate a C-movie to a B-movie.

At this point in the "best day ever", I sort of felt like I was on an entertainment scavenger hunt... and time was running out. Our next film wasn't playing at the same theater and we had about 30 minutes before it started, with about a 30 minute drive to the other theater, give or take the appropriate speed limit. Luckily for us, the appropriate speed limit means little to me (shhh!!!). We made it to theater with time to spare for a quick dash to the concession stand and restroom. We were even more excited about this next film since, unlike Inkheart, it has been getting pretty good reviews: Confessions of a Shopaholic.

My Confessions of a Shopaholic Review (short-ish):

Adorably cute, it brought to mind all the great aspects of The Devil Wears Prada, without coming off as a complete copy-cat. Isla Fisher brought her amazing Wedding Crashers A-game and did not disappoint. Light and fun, this was movie knew how to make fun of itself and also it's star. There is nothing better than watching a gorgeous woman making a fool out of herself in front of a gorgeous man. It had all the elements we chicks love in our "chick-flicks"; a drop-dead handsome hunk of a man, stupidity, romance, failure followed by success and of course, a happy ending. Throw Joan Cusack and John Goodman into the mix as the kooky parents and you've got yourself a masterpiece. But then again, I'm easy to entertain. Honestly, the biggest pull of the movie was the ever dashing Hugh Dancy, who long ago stole our hearts as the knight Galahad in King Arthur. Even Clive Owen's cloudy presence couldn't hide Dancy's charm and he's been a favorite of mine ever since.

Again, this is no Oscar-worthy film but I doubt it was aspiring to be and whatever it was aspiring to be, you can be certain it hit its mark.

Overall, I give it an A.

Our entertainment scavenger hunt had one last stop: my place for Buffy (we are still working our way through Season 6...nearly there!)

and the Hugh Jackman hosted Oscars. At this point, I could have already classified the day as "best day ever" but as it turns out, this years Oscar ceremony was one of the best I've seen in recent years and that really has all to do with Hugh Jackman. The Academy could not have chosen a better host to liven things up. Again, I really am easy to please when it comes to entertainment (I'd be a horrible critic) and I applauded and giggled along with every musical performance. Hugh Jackman is a highly effective entertainer, whether he's on stage, on screen or simply sitting down for an interview. I tip my hat to you, sir. You're not afraid to make yourself look stupid so that your audience can laugh. Besides, you are SUPER sexy.

So, there you have it. My version of the "best day ever". Feel like chiming in with your best day ever? Sure, go ahead. I'll listen...........

Lost - "316" - 2/18

Before we start digging into another astounding episode of LOST, let's check out the Lost Untangled video for last night's episode. That way, we can have some fun visuals to go along with my endless LOST ramblings. Start-a-gigglin'!




Now that we've had our fun, yet educational video time, let's talk about the big stuff, by looking at all the little stuff...cause that's how LOST rolls...

The first scene opens and, akin to the time-traveling Islanders, we're immediately transported to 5 years in the past, when we were watching the very first scene of the pilot episode of LOST. Down to the close-up eye shot and the fancy (did I mention sexy?) business suit, Jack Shepard opens his eyes to find himself on the Island. And just like that, we have our old Jack back; the Jack who takes charge, who cliff-dives (beautifully, might I add) to save a screaming friend and who is the best man he can be (mainly, not a bearded, drugged up alcoholic). The main difference between that old Jack and our new and improved Jack; this new Jack is ready to face his destiny. He's slowly and painfully changed from a man of science to a man of faith.

46 Hours Earlier...



"We're all convinced sooner or later, Jack".

Our small group of Jack, Ben, Sun and Desmond join the mysterious Ms. Hawkings in Dharma's off-Island station, The Lamp Post (if you read Doc Jensen's column from this week, you'd know that The Lamp Post is yet another literary reference to C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia; the lamp post "guided" the children into the world of Narnia). Who knew Dharma had off-Island stations? Not me, that's for sure. Anyhow, as the audience shuts their gaping mouths (seriously, how totally awesome is that station??!!!) and attempts to "pay attention" to the suddenly mysterious-turned-school-teacher, Ms. Hawkings, we're given some very rare pieces of Island information. As a surprisingly excellent storyteller, Ms. Hawkings tell us the history of the Lamp Post and how the O6 can find their way back to the Island. Here's the breakdown:

* The station was built by Dharma to FIND the Island.

* A "very clever fellow" thought to use a specific equation, along with the pendulum, to discover where the Island will BE, not where it IS (or WAS).

* This "very clever fellow" discovered that the Island was always moving.

* In order for the Non-Islanders to get back, they must recreate, to the best of their ability, the original circumstances that landed them on the Island.

* John's body will act as a substitute for Jack's father's body, adding another important parallel to the journey back.

So, this new knowledge (which was VERY helpful, here's an apple for you, Ms. Hawkings) brings up several questions, the most immediate being, WHY does it have to be like that? Why the parallel circumstances? At the same time, it gives us the real reason why everyone (Richard, Ben, Ms. Hawkings) were adamant about bringing back everyone from the Oceanic 6. The attempt could fail if they were missing anyone.

We find out that "316" is the new "815" and we're therefore given the purpose of the episode title. Ajira Flight 316 will be the flight that takes them back to the Island and our small pieces of Ajira fall into place.

After story time is over, events move quickly, persistently pulling our O6 + 1 (and later another surprise guest) towards the Island and their individual destinies. And wouldn't you know it, we miss most of these events!

We watch as Desmond angrily gives his message to an oddly unresponsive Ms. Hawkings and watch as he storms out after Ms. Hawkings, ignoring a direct message from her own lost son, insists that the Island isn't done with him. We watch on as Ms. Hawkings tells Jack about John's death and we wonder why he seems to care so much, seeing as he has always hated John. We watch as Jack rages against his instructions, shocked that he can still, after all that's happened, be surprised and offended by the "ridiculous" events surrounding him. We watch as Ben jealously asks Jack about his secret conversation with Ms. Hawkings and we watch as Ben refuses to answer Jack's questions about the origins of Ms. Hawkings. We, and Jack, are handed yet another literary reference, this time with the Bible, as Ben walks out to full-fill "a promise to an old friend". As Jack sits, ignorant of Ben's intentions, we, the audience, rage at the screen because we are not in fact ignorant (for once) and know Ben is on his way to kill Penny. As our futile raging dies down, we are shown what seems to be an out of place and useless scene with Jack's grandfather...until Jack is given the one last thing he needs to make it back to the Island.

With two last highly emotional scenes, we are given the entirety of Jack's last day off-Island. Jack comes home to find Kate lying on his bed and as you watch what you think is a re-connection of the two lovers you can really only think two things; "Yippie! Kissy time!" and "Wow, Kate looks like hell. Something REALLY bad must have happened". The next morning you get a awkward "morning after" vibe coming from Kate and a pitifully peaceful vibe coming from Jack. The scene leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth and with Kate's line of "We're on the same plane, Jack. It doesn't make us together " later in the episode, you realize that what you thought was a reconnection, was actually...well...not. With the way Jack looks at Kate, with such love, and with a rapidly approaching reunion between Kate and Sawyer, you can't help but feel pity for poor Jack.

Our last purely Jack scene is the most intense and emotional one. Struggling to overlook the "ick" factor that comes from Jack changing a dead man's shoes, this scene really hits home how very scared and lost these people are, a feeling that is reinforced when we catch sight of Hurley and Kate at the airport. Even Jack chuckles over the sad irony of it all, as he finally accepts the fact that John, even in death, has gotten what he always wanted from him; a leap of faith.

But this is ALL we are shown. We are allowed to follow Jack's story from the dock to the airport, but we have no idea what happened to everyone else during that time. We are missing five stories; Kate's, Sayid's, Ben's, Sun's and Hurley's. In the end, they all end up on Flight 316, even the ones who were the most fierce about staying behind. Some viewers might have experienced a "WTF?" response to this development, but I for one think it was genius. By skipping over most of the stories, the writers allowed for a smooth flow of action, moving the story forward and giving the audience what they want most; to see the Non-Islanders back on the Island. It also gives them a pretty setup for future flashback episodes that will tell us the individual stories that we missed.

Alright, let's wrap this sucker up with some quick final thoughts:

- Even as Jack chuckles over his ironic destiny, I chuckle over the convenient fact that John has the same shoe size as Christian. Coincidence? I think not.

- Is it just me or does the Island seem to have a "Adult Swim...FOREVER" sign on it? Not only do pregnant mothers die on the Island, but now Kate and Sun have left their children to go gallivanting through the jungle? What's wrong with this picture?

- In a totally Ben-like move, Ben risks everything to fulfill a grudge. If we were perhaps thinking that Ben actually had the O6's interests at heart above his own self-interests, this move slapped our hands and called us silly children. We'll never learn. Plus, did no one think to ASK Ben why his face looked like a smashed cherry pie? I mean, HELLO!

- Sayid seems to have picked the part of Kate to play in LOST's theater production of "Creating the Original Circumstances". It's a musical.... Watching as a handcuffed Sayid is marched by his adorable New Amsterdam alum to his plane seat, we are again hit by major deja vu. Wasn't that Kate's original part?

- Hurley seems about as happy as a fat guy on a deserted island to be back on a plane headed towards a...deserted Island. And...per Brett's insistence, is that Charlie's guitar he's hanging onto for dear life? If so, how'd he come by that? Plus, it's nice to know that at least SOMEONE is concerned for the well-being of the other passengers (that will all probably die in this return-to-Island attempt). It's sad that Ben's "who cares?" attitude seems to be radiating from all the other O6 passengers, but hey, there's nothing like the wrath of spurned destiny.

- What do you suppose it's like to walk onto a plane that you know and hope will crash? That can't be the best feeling in the world, now can it?

- Who else jumped WAY up outta their seats when Frank's voice came on the plane's intercom? Not me, but Brett certainly scared the holy hell out of me when he did. Still, the reaction was totally justified and may I say, I heart Frank. Who else is cool enough to deadpan "We're not going to Guam, are we"? That man is the essence of cool, seriously. But I like him better with the beard.

- John's letter: "Jack, I wish you had believed me, JL". Short, sweet, down to the point. Not what I was expecting, nor I would guess, what Jack was expecting, but still, it works. I think it's safe to say that we, and Jack, wish he had believed him also.

- So, our people are on-Island again but where is the plane? Where is everyone else? And why is Jin in a Dharma suit? It seems that Faraday isn't the only one who infiltrated the Dharma Initiative.

- Welcome, new people! How would you like to join us on this fun, yet often times deadly Island? Theme park rides include time-travel, hatch exploration, and the instructional class of "How To Out-Run a Flaming Arrow". We hope you enjoy your stay!

Whew, that was A LOT to cover. I hope I didn't bore anyone to death! So, what did you think? Love it or...as if it's a possibility, hate it? As for me, this show can do no wrong. Until next week, LOST voyagers!

LOST Untangled

If you're "lost on LOST", bored at work, or if you just need a little giggle, check out ABC's official LOST Untangled video below. Not only is informative, but it's hilarious to boot. Yes, I said "to boot" and no, it's not Canadian.

Check out the video below to hold you over until this week's LOST discussion. Tonight's episode is titled "316" and no, I have no idea what that means, but good ol' Doc Jensen has some mighty fine theories and a brand new Totally Lost video to keep you giggling all day long...

Heroes - Building 26 - 2/16

So, what's the word, gentle readers? Is it...ambiguous? As in...morally ambiguous? Yes indeed, I think it is. Is this the word that keeps popping into my mind while I watch Heroes every Monday night? Yes indeed, I think it is.

Now that I'm finished having fun with Microsoft Word's thesaurus, let's begin this week's Heroes breakdown and discussion...

1) What we now know:

- Even after several years of parenting a "special" and even more years parenting a normal child before that, Noah has just not caught onto what I like to call The Rebellious Teenager Effect. Mainly, that when you tell your teenage daughter, whether she is "special" or not, to NOT do something, she is going to feel a irrational and often times disastrous desire to do the opposite. Now, if you are a smart and cunning parent, you'll be able to catch what I like to call The Look. Mainly, the look on Claire's face when Noah had the audacity to tell her what she was GOING to do. If, as a smart a cunning parent, you see this look cross your teenage daughter's face, you'll know she has no intention whatsoever of following your instructions. Luckily for Claire and Alex (our comic book nerd "target"), Noah has too much on his mind to be a smart and cunning parent. He's too busy being a smart and cunning morally ambiguous bad guy.

- Nathan Petrelli, it seems, is also too busy to be a smart and cunning father. He has too many problems of his own. Like say, possible mutiny from The Hunter's corner. If this episode showed us anything, it showed us an even more morally vague Nathan...and our anti-hero hero is obviously losing control of his own grand mission. Nathan has ever been the gray hero and every time we wish to celebrate him, he acts the villain and every time we wish to condemn him, he acts the hero. What he is doing now, his gathering up of "specials" in order to keep them controlled, is obviously, as my short-time favorite Abby Collins says, a violation of human rights and yet...that one death of an unknown office worker upset him greatly. An evil man; a villain who is out only for himself and his own ambition, wouldn't flinch at the death of a meaningless henchman...but Nathan does flinch. Perhaps The Hunter will unintentionally help our heroes by showing himself as Nathan's own reflection in the mirror. When Nathan sees that ruthlessly determined man as himself, will it show him that what he is doing is wrong?

2) What we still don't know:

- The biggie still: Who is Rebel? There are just so many possibilities that I refuse to do the guessing game. We know now that Rebel is in contact with others besides Claire, so that opens up even more possible suspects. I'm just going to let this one play out but you're more than welcome to give me your best guesses.

- What's Luke's real connection to Sylar's father? Is it just a neighborly friendship or is it more than it seems?

- What is Tracy playing at and what does she think of Nathan's obviously deteriorating control situation? Does she think she can prove that she is on his side by helping him get what he needs from Abby? Is that why she killed that guy? Or does she really think Nathan was trying to help her escape and that he will help her again? Hummmm...

- We may already know this and I just missed it but, what list are Nathan and team using to round up the "specials"? Dr. Suresh's old list, maybe?

- Is HRG really going to try to be a better person, a better husband and a better father? Is he being sincere or is he just telling Claire what she wants to hear? In my opinion, HRG is essentially a good person (I feel the same way about Nathan). He could have gotten mad at Claire for tattling on him, but instead he made it clear that he wouldn't be far if she needed him and that he loved her. I would like to believe that Noah is being sincere and that he is truly a good guy. It seems next week's episode will illuminate his true self for us frustrated viewers...and our heroes as well.

- How is Claire going to take her dad's disappearance? Will she worry for him and go looking for him or will she leave him to his fate?

3) Dude, I totally dig that:

- As always, Sylar. Particularly for this episode? Zachary Quinto in his stolen, black military get-up. Can anyone say "yum"? Serial killer or not, Sylar makes me VERY happy. Let's retrace my Sylar reactions. Following the scene where he leaves Luke stranded with the military henchmen: a small chuckle followed by "that's what you get when you hang with Sylar, kid". Following the scene where Sylar walks away from the nicely bloodied van (after I'm revived from my swoon), carrying the saved Luke over his shoulder: "ummmmm, ok...."? Sylar wouldn't be Sylar if he didn't possess that singularly unique flicking of humanity in that dead soul of his. It's one of the best parts of his character and why we just love to hate him.

- Totally digging Claire's potentially helpful purpose of helping out "targets". This will make her a useful part of the "specials" rising resistance and keep her from whining too much. It's also good practice for her becoming something other than an immortal victim.

- LOVED the last scene. Not only was I not even remotely expecting that, but it's a great way to turn the tables. However, I couldn't help feeling bad for poor Noah. He was already having a bad day and I'm sure his week isn't going to be getting any better anytime soon...

4) Seriously? Seriously?:

- The whole Hiro/Ando side trip seemed a bit excessive. Did Hiro really have to go halfway across the world to figure out that he can be a hero without having powers? Couldn't he have learned that lesson a little closer to home? And did he really need that lesson anyway? Hiro has always been good with taking his hits and working with what he's got. He never came off as someone who moped around and grumbled uselessly about his situation. It was out of character and that was one of the show's problem's last year.

- Did Claire really have to tattle on her dad? Honestly, was that necessary? How did that help the situation? All it did was hurt her daddy's feelings and make her feel guilty (I'm sure...). What possible help could an upset mother offer her? The only silver-lining I saw with that move was that now HRG would be out of the house and Claire can now hide Alex more effectively.

That's all for this week's Heroes, folks! See you next week, when we find out where HRG's loyalties really lie.