Brother's Keeper

Season 4, Episode 10, Aired
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8.8
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As Matt continues his battle to resists Sylar's mental domination, Tracy struggles to control her ability and Samuel learns how to tap into the full power of his.
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Fan Episode Reviews (17)

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  • "To the rest of the world I'm Nathan Petrelli, Pete. But every time you look at me - the way you're looking at me right now - you're gonna see Sylar."moreless

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By oxana, Jan 06, 2012
    "To the rest of the world I'm Nathan Petrelli, Pete. But every time you look at me - the way you're looking at me right now - you're gonna see Sylar. Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me I'm wrong Pete."

    I was hoping for more Peter - and I got just that. Wonderful interaction with Milo (Peter) and Adrian (Nathan), and they really took huge strides into uncovering the truth. Honestly, I don't even care what they're doing, as long as they are together in a scene. It's always interesting.

    The story had some glitches, and for some reason I didn't fully understand what exactly it is about Samuel that everyone's so afraid of. Well, knowing his power, and imagining that he manages to amp it up, I can picture it, but... oh well, doesn't matter. We'll see where that particular storyline takes us. (Unless they totally forget about it at some point.)

    It was nice to see Mohinder again, and to see where he so suddenly disappeared. It seems that although Hiro sometimes manages to be quite nave and childish, he also has an effective imagination when it comes into handling problems...

    The "bonding" between Tracy and Claire wasn't all that awesome, especially when Mr. Bennet stepped into the room; it was just so clich how he smiled at them, asking how their day had been, Claire's foot melting on the table between them. Sure, it was supposed to be funny, but it has happened so often with those people...

    I'm eagerly awaiting for the next week's episode. Family issues in the Petrelli family loom on the horizon (Bennet household doesn't interest me all that much), and it seems Samuel isn't that cool and collected as we thought. It will be interesting to see where Sylar is reciding, too, and how he is planning to emerge and win his body back.moreless

  • The truth about Samuel

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By entil2001, May 30, 2011
    This season of "Heroes" has been uneven, but in many respects, success or failure has been dependent on the treatment of Samuel Sullivan. That character has done more for this season than almost any other element, and as such, one would expect the same would be true for this episode (and the season as a whole).

    So it is a bit unfortunate that the time has finally come for Samuel's motivations to become clear. As much as it was necessary for the good of the season arc, since it begins to answer some of the pressing questions about Samuel and his activities since the season premiere, it also feels a bit too simple. It renders Samuel a less compelling villain to have him searching for more and more power.

    Essentially, Samuel has an ability that is somehow amplified by the presence of other metahumans. This makes him tremendously dangerous. The fact that he was basically the brother with more ambition than wisdom makes it very clear that his temper would be an issue. Tying Samuel's story into the revelations about Coyote Sands was a nice touch, and it does explain where Mohinder has been all this time.

    I've liked the slow and measured pace of the plot, if only because it gives the writers more time to delve into the characters. But I now have to wonder if Sylar was trapped within "Nathan" and Matt's mind for so long because the writers needed to pace out the revelations about Samuel first. With Samuel's amplified ability now revealed, I get the feeling that his time is short.

    After all, Sylar is sure to get his body back sooner rather than later, and he will very likely retain some knowledge of the carnival. He will want to get back to it, and since Peter has a compass, that seems the most likely means. If Sylar discovers the true nature of Samuel's ability, right down to how it can be amplified, there's little doubt that he would want that power for himself. It would be like the ultimate fix.

    This is not necessarily a bad thing. If this is going to be the final season, then it would make sense to have Sylar take control of the carnival (right down to killing Samuel and taking on his appearance, for example), and forcing the familiar heroes to band together to take him down, once and for all. Maybe, if the series comes to an end, the writers will finally have the excuse to deliver a fitting bloodbath of an ending.

    For now, the trick is getting the characters in place for whatever climax the writers do have in mind. I can only assume that is the point of the subplot with Tracy and Claire. As much as I bought Claire in her pseudo-Buffy role at college, I have little interest in her latest angst. For that matter, Tracy has been all over the map this season, and I never liked her anyway. It's clear they're meant to go to the carnival before long.

    I'm glad that they gave "Nathan" a little more screen time, since I think the actor deserves a better sendoff. I was expecting his inevitable exit to come in this episode, but I suppose the writers intend to drag it out a bit longer. That said, it should be interesting to see how Peter handles the truth about "Nathan", as well as how Matt intends to get out of the mess that Sylar has made of his life. Could Matt's apparent sacrifice have been foreshadowing?

    Perhaps the most egregious element of the episode, however, had to be Hiro's decision to place Mohinder in a mental institution. Never mind how that was supposed to work exactly; the writers fudged a number of details to ensure that Mohinder would be out of play until they needed him. It's the fact that Hiro's solution to his own problem was no better than Samuel's decision to trap Charlie in some unknown time and place. Hiro's character arc has been horrid this season, and that's taking into account how much of the character's development had been erased by the third season.

    Despite some of the flaws of this episode, the story is still holding my attention. I'm not happy that Samuel seems to be shifting into a typically villainous role, concerned only with the accumulation of his own power, when something a bit more nuanced might have been more satisfying in the end. That said, the story is still moving forward at a deliberate pace, and this season is still solid. This episode just didn't quite hit the mark.moreless

  • Nathan = Sylar, Sylar = Nathan

    10
    "Perfect"
    By drago174, Apr 05, 2011
    Great episode talking us truth about Samuel and his all thinking. Nathan ( Sylar) and Peter already knows the real Nathan is dead and Sylar is not dead. When N&P searching for truth Peter health Parkman so they really help SYlar back to his trully life. They think about that what they should did with that situation and we see in next episode which decision they make...

    Tracy has trouble with her power and she goes to Noah where she meet Claire... She not special freeze her and break his leg ... but Claire is of course immortal so her leg grow up and CLaire back to life :) At the end Tracy decided to join to Carnival. In episode we also have story about Hiro and Mohinder. Hiro want to save CHarlie so he must stop Mohinder before he destroy the movie about Samuels power . Hiro didn`t should rescue Mohinder but he did it. I am really curious what will be next ....

    mmmm

    Heroes rox now

    10moreless

  • If the writers simply had the courage of their convictions, instead of feeling the need to pander to self-imposed restrictions, they would create a far richer and more enjoyable show.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By screenagedkicks, Apr 05, 2011
    'Brother's Keeper' is something of a transitional episode, taking a selection of the show's core narratives and nudging them forward a few paces without really giving too much away. Thanks to 'Shadowboxing', Nathan has finally begun to catch a clue about what happened to him at the end of season three and it's certainly good to see all of the pieces finally slotting into place. The dramatic irony had begun to wear a little thin over the weeks, so now that everyone has the same level of knowledge, we can begin to get on with the pesky business of actually doing something with the plot. It's a bit of a shame that Peter's reaction to the revelation about his brother isn't a little more, shall we say, perturbed, as you'd think that the notion that the guy has been wearing the meat suit of a mass murderer would scare the bejeebus out of mostly anybody, but on the other hand, it's refreshing not to have to put up with yet another contrived grievance between the two of them. The scene in the hospital is nicely executed, full of unusual camera angles and cuts to convey the appropriate level of confusion and the moments between the brothers both atop the hills and in the apartment are nicely underplayed, successfully conveying both their bond and the overall horror of the situation.

    It's a bit of a shame that Matt is up and about with the greatest of ease, mind. Last week's attempted suicide was a thoroughly brave move and one that I'd hoped they'd have the guts to see through to a more satisfying conclusion. Instead, Peter heals him (well, who didn't see that coming?), Sylar leaves his body (and goes where? Intriguing!) and he regains control of his faculties, getting up and about and using his delightful powers with delicious glee. Perhaps if Heroes hadn't played the 'oh my God! They've killed x... oh wait, no they haven't' card so many times, this may not be so much of a problem. As it is though, it just irritates and sadly, this isn't the only instance of it in the episode.

    After having ended 'Once Upon a Time in Texas' with the jaw-dropping reveal that Samuel killed Mohinder, 'Brother's Keeper' retcons the whole situation and has Hiro save him. It puts a significant dampener on what is an otherwise rather neat little story. It's great to have Sendhil Ramamurthy back again, even if portions of his dialogue with his girlfriend barely even attempt to disguise their expositionary nature, and within a story that has significant bearing on the arc plot. There are some lovely touches in the inclusion of Chandra, the references to Coyote Sands and even a few odes to Lost (come on... skipping black and white video reels? DHARMA Orientation Films, anyone?), but all of this is secondary to the revelations about the source of Samuel's power, which turns out to be a rather pleasant surprise, as well as one that makes perfect sense. Whether the notion that he is recruiting the heroes so that he can become more powerful will degrade his character remains to be seen. He has been refreshingly grey so far, never veering too far either side of the limiting 'good/evil' binary and hopefully, this will continue in spite of the revelations. It's just a pity that Mohinder has to be rescued; that the impact of the previous cliffhanger must be completely annihilated. It really wouldn't hurt to take the road less travelled guys. And putting Suresh in a psychiatric hospital? Um, Niki, season one much?

    There is certainly much good in 'Brother's Keeper' - hell, even Claire and Tracey's sequences are actually quite nifty and play well for each character - but unfortunately, the writing staff can't seem to keep themselves from tripping over their own feet every so often. If they'd just have the courage of their convictions, instead of pandering to self-imposed restrictions, they would create a far richer, more enjoyable show.moreless

  • Wonderful to have Mohinder back! And the new info on Samuel is fascinating.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By whiteraven2005, Apr 05, 2011
    Angela's micro-managing her sons' lives again covering for Nathan's disappearance, sending the Haitian to erase memories but he hints about the truth about Nathan. Peter never keeps secrets from Nathan, the Haitian should have realized that. The Petrelli brothers can't be stopped, you'd think people would know that.

    Samuel's considerable power manifested before he was even born! Causing earthquakes. Mohinder recreated the compass, finding the carnival. Joseph knew about Samuel's powers but worked to keep his powers from him, and keep the powers he does have under control. Samuel wanted Hiro to rescue the film from being destroyed by Mohinder. So glad Mohinder is alive but putting him in a mental hospital is really horrible of Hiro.

    This is the first time I've actually liked Tracy. She's finally getting some depth to her a crisis of self-identity messing with her powers. Tracy will boost Samuel's powers significantly she's an elemental like he is.

    Peter doesn't want to believe Nathan is Sylar but Sylar's murderous impulses come from his primary power and Nathan has Sylar's powers.moreless
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