(S04E17) Forces are starting to converge at the Sullivan Bros. Carnival as we get closer and closer to the finale -- two weeks away now! After last week's stunt where he wiped out an entire town, the "family" at the carnival is understandably a little wary of Samuel. He did, after all, erase a small town killing hundreds of people. I'd give him a wide berth.

Maybe if I was invulnerable, I'd be more willing to get closer to him. Claire certainly has no reason to be afraid, right? She stumbled upon her father's plans regarding taking down Samuel and shutting down the carnival for good. Like Edgar, she is concerned about Noah's plans to break apart the family. Noah, as usual, is bull-headed and stubborn. I'm just not sure under what authority he was acting throughout this episode.

As for Sylar, we saw him at the Parkman house. And we know how powerful Matt is. Maybe, just maybe, this psychopath can be taken care of for good. Not hardly.

(S04E15) Doesn't it always come down to a girl? I'm not sure why I didn't see it.

This week saw many of the pieces coming together for the endgame coming soon between Samuel and whatever band of heroes Noah can put together to take him down. But then again, Noah's not the only one gunning for Samuel at this point, is he? Other than Sylar and Tracy, we touched base with just about everyone in the cast, and for the first time in a long time, this series is starting to feel the same way it did during that exciting first season, when it had three times as many viewers.

If you were irritated trying to keep up with Hiro's bizarre "geek culture" speak, you'll be pleased to know that it comes to an end this episode.

(S04E13) Samuel's plans are coming together as he finally tracks down one of the last pieces he knows to make his utopian dream of a home for people with special abilities a reality. At least that's the snowjob he spends most of the episode feeding Claire. And in typical Claire fashion, she remains just as conflicted and confused as she always is.

Speaking of confused, remember when Hiro spouted off some nonsense and then disappeared last time we saw him? I thought maybe it was a reference to something I'd forgotten -- it happens -- but instead it was just the first sampling of whatever that dude did to his brain. It takes Sam's "swiss cheese memory" from Quantum Leap to a whole new level.

(S04E09) This week on Heroes, the action picked up right where it left off two weeks ago, with Claire and Gretchen facing off against the invisible sorority sister, Rebecca. We also checked in with both iterations of Sylar, the mind one trapped in Matt's body, and the body one hanging out at Samuel's carnival. Only neither was staying put for long.

The remainder of the episode took us back to the hospital where we could hang out with Peter and Emma. Nine episodes into this new season and I'm still not really sure where they're going with the Emma character. As a character, she's just not that interesting, and even less interesting is her ability to see sound as colors. Since they're clearly making no moves toward she and Peter becoming a romantic item, I find myself really wondering why I should care.

(S04E06) If there was a theme this week, it's about nurturing and guiding people with abilities. We followed up with Sylar, now in the nefarious embrace of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival, as well as Peter and Hiro, and by extension Emma. The quest to save Hiro's life from the brain tumor that's killing him even affords Noah the opportunity to atone for his cold past by providing support to a former kid he and the Haitian had "visited" back in his Company days.

We got some very nice character moments this week. I like Hiro in the role of mentor to Emma, as it gives him a focus for his crazy optimism. Plus, we got to see how stopping time makes a magic show even more awesome -- I know that's the kind of crap I'd be doing with that ability. Screw saving the world, watch me make this woman vanish.

(S04E05) I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but sometimes I wonder if we don't have more people reading TV Squad than Heroes has viewers. And so I want to keep reminding fallen fans who may have jumped ship over the past two not-so-great seasons that things are going much better this season.

There's a better balance in each episode than there's been. In the past few weeks, we've been sticking to mostly three storylines per week. This time around, we checked in on Peter, Claire and Sylar (after his unearthing last week). They're allowing the characters room to breathe and be themselves, rather than just rushing into the next adventure.

It was character growth and development that I'd missed the most, and we're finally getting it. Zachary Quinto was fantastic this episode, and even Hayden Panettiere showed an inkling of range. Oh, who am I kidding, she was as wooden as ever, but that's why we like her ... right? That kind of looks like a cardboard cut-out up there, doesn't it?

(S04E03) Let's talk candidly. After all, it looks like you and I are the only ones left watching this show. Remember the good old days when Heroes was the top-rated show on NBC and all the talk at the proverbial water coolers? It feels like it was only three years ago.

It's a shame that it looks like this ratings erosion is a permanent one, as tonight was a good installment. Unless things turn around immediately, it's a pretty safe bet this will be the last volume of Heroes. They need to sneak in some stunt casting or film a live episode or whore the stars out to all the talk shows relentlessly if they want to save the show. If they want to.

The Heroes casting reports just won't stop. Yesterday, we learned that Prison Break's Robert Knepper would come on board as a new villain. Now, Star Wars baddie Ray Park is in talks to appear in the show's next season for a sizeable arc.

As Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Park famously wielded a double-bladed light saber to slice up Liam Neeson. He showed his goofier side as Toad in the original X-Men film and recently as a Skywalker Ranch security guard in Fanboys. We still don't know any details about Park's role on Heroes, but some Interweb bloggos are convinced that he'll play the "Knife Thrower" described in Heroes' recent casting breakdowns.