Heroes Season 3 Episode 24

This episode is Sylar's. The title, "I am Sylar", is most cleverly picked; these are the exact words he telekinetically carves into his forearm to remember who he really is.



His power to turn into someone else is starting to bite him in the ass, making it very hard for his DNA and mind to come back to his own self. The most amusing - and disturbing - aspect of the episode is that he turns into his own mother... the one he killed with scissors on Season 1.



At the same time, Micah is on the run, and the people at Building 26 finally catch up with him. If not for Sylar's sudden interest in Micah's plan, the other would have surely been caught. We shall wait and see what becomes of this.



As it is, Micah introduces our favorite serial killer with a new idea to think about: he could save all of them (the specials). And what better way to do it than become the man he already chose on Season 1: Nathan Petrelli.



In the meanwhile, Matt had become a full-time daddy, and although he probably owes Hiro and Ando for that, he is more determined to have his family back together than fighting for the big cause. By the time Matt gets to Janice and is about to take them to safety, though, he is reminded once again that he used to be a cop - and that he used to want to do the right thing no matter what...



Hiro and Ando have their own superhero issues; Ando is a little sour about Hiro's plans to use him as bait and a possum, but in the end the two finally resolve their problems - only to find that Hiro isn't exactly in prime condition.



Petrelli family, in the meanwhile, is trying to decide what to do about Sylar posing at Nathan.



Nathan's comment to that is one of the best, after he flies to DC to face-off with the serial killer: "Get out of my body."



Sylar is just about to get to his surgical main act before Danko bursts in, taking Nathan out. (No love between those two, it seems.) Sylar has his own plans now, though, and after Danko realizes that, he plunges a knife to the back of Sylar's head, assuming that would do the trick.



Well, it doesn't. Tough. Perhaps Sylar picked more from Claire than he thought possible. He is truly special now...



I am very hyped about the season finale next week. Peter took after Nathan, we know as much, and looking at the promos, there seems to be a lot coming our way!

Or 'the one with the homage to Richey Edwards'. Did ya see that pain-inducing, self-mutilating episode title reveal? Bet that would've hurt more than '4REAL'. Anyway, 'I Am Sylar' is a vast improvement on '1961'. The episode shows considerable promise because it actually drives its myriad narratives forward in a variety of exciting ways. Hiro and Ando finally get to do something of consequence in their attempt to gain access to Building 26 and it's all mired in some wonderful, meaningful character development that's been a long time coming. Hiro's mysterious nosebleed is unexpected and shocking too, leaving the viewing genuinely intrigued to see what happens next. Sylar's story is also engaging. In fact, it's generally excellent. There's some superb dialogue, fantastic acting and really interesting beats in his confusion with the development of his shapeshifting ability and, like the Japanese boys' story, it's mostly unpredictable. The return of Gabriel's doting adoptive mother is a lovely touch and plays beautifully, demonstrating yet again why, when written right, the brain slicer is the best damn character in the show. And what's more, we get Micah in the mix too which is always a treat. Even the Petrellis get a fairly decent plot this week as Nathan confronts his doppelgänger and nearly snuffs it. All good, then? Well, almost. If only it weren't for Matt Parkman's uninteresting dalliance with his ex-wife which essentially runs around in circles and does nothing. He's gonna help take down Danko, he isn't, oh wait, he is. It smacks of filler and sadly, illustrates just how thin this whole 'fugitives' story really is. Thankfully, this doesn't detract too much from the quality of the hour, although the jury's out on the closing scene in which Sylar heals from the only thing that can kill him. This kind of thing never bodes well. Time will tell though and for now, I'll make do with this being the best damn episode of Heroes in ages.

this week is as good as any other, i've given it a 9 because its great but not as good as heroes can be. Throughout the episode you constantly here how Sylar, who is currently strugling with his new shape shifting power, can become President by using Nathens apperance. This future has alredy been seen, when Hiro traveled to the future to discover New York blown to pieces. But anyway the comedy duo Hiro and Ando are up to their usual tricks with a few surpises along the way. Also in this episode we see a mercifull side to Sylar we havnt seen in a wile when he comes face to face with Rebel. How long can the Mercy last for? MUST SEE!!

Sylar's scenes are the best of the episode, the rest of which is unimpressive.





Hiro and Ando had hoped that meeting his son would make Matt more willing to fight, but the opposite happens – he's afraid of getting killed and leaving his child without a father. I love Hiro and Ando but Hiro does everything like he's living a comic book and his latest idea is just one of those ideas: capture some agents and make them tell the location of their 'secret lair'. The encounter does have an interesting side-effect, something Hiro has never tried before – if he's touching someone, they don't freeze. I figured that out ages ago! Hiro's got a side that I don't like, he doesn't appreciate Ando, mistreats and condescends to him. Here he deliberately lets Ando get hurt just to accomplish his goal. Don't know why Ando puts up with it. How do the agents not notice that suddenly one of their own is Asian with glasses until they're back in the van?! Surely they know who they're hunting and didn't click that the disappearing guy was maybe Hiro, who can freeze time? It's unclear whether Ando actually killed them or just stunned them – I'm hoping the latter given how casual they were afterwards!





Sylar's shapeshifting isn't working the way he thought it would, his body is changing by itself. Is this because the power is new and he hasn't mastered it yet or an actual problem with the ability? Sylar again shows that mysterious ability to appear and disappear, they've never explained where he got that and he's had it since we first saw him attack Claire. Sylar proves he is incapable of being ordinary or even trying to fit in, announcing to the world he is back. He really is cracking up, talking to his dead mother! The ability to shapechange has it's downside, especially when your body's got a mind of it's own: by being able to be anyone, it's hard to remember who you really are.





Danko's knowledge of 'Rebel' is puzzling – I can understand how they found Micah, but how did Danko know about his machine ability? "No electricity means no machines." To know that, Danko would have to know who Rebel is and what his power is – how would he know that? Sylar's encounter with Micah is just as odd – Micah suddenly starts talking about how Sylar's 'lost' himself – how would he even know that?! Not to mention, way random when you're alone with a serial killer! And what's this "You can save us all." bit? Micah's Rebel storyline was somewhat useful before, I don't understand why they've bothered reintroducing it, it's pointless now as far as I can tell.





For whatever reason, Sylar doesn't kill Micah and even helps him escape. He explains it as having too many powers already. This was something the writers dealt with efficiently with Peter by removing his ability, a character who can have unlimited powers is unstoppable and therefore boring. They dealt with Peter before that happened. I'm pleased to see the writers have finally realized the same problem they had with Peter they also have with Sylar, which is probably why they've introduced the 'flaw' in his latest power, to show a downside to having too many abilities.





Danko might have had a fairly stable partnership with Sylar before but with Sylar's current instability, he's completely unpredictable which Danko is finding out. This is great because Sylar was getting a little boring for a while – playing by the rules, stable partnership with Danko, being a good boy. That's not the Sylar we know and love – he's supposed to be unpredictable, dangerous and psychotic and it's nice to have him back. I do love Sylar here – all angsty, mysterious and brooding. Take it a step further and Sylar is actually harboring Micah! Who witnesses Sylar having a schizophrenic conversation with his mother. He killed her because she rejected him but he brought her back because she's the only person who ever loved him.





Matt's decision to take little Matt back to Janice is idiotic! They already tried to grab him from that very house last time and Matt takes him back there?! Rather have Janice meet them somewhere and go into hiding.





It was Micah's idea that Sylar become Nathan! Rifles Nathan's office and finds enough DNA to shapeshift. I always love the feeling of family the Petrellis have and Nathan's office is the same as their homes – photos everywhere. Love Nathan's face when he watches Sylar on tv. All it will take is one shake of the hand and Sylar becomes president! I had forgotten about Sylar's ability to know the history of objects and it lets him into Nathan's head. Unfortunately, wasn't anything we didn't know. I did freak when Sylar started to cut his head though I'm not sure that getting tranq'd by Danko was any better, but at least he's alive.





Some final unexpected events: Hiro suddenly can't freeze time, gets nosebleeds; Mohinder's been captured; Claire, Angela and Noah got caught at a roadblock; Danko stabs Sylar in the head with a knife which doesn't stop him… The entire episode was pretty mediocre then all the good stuff happens in the last two minutes!





Heroes is suffering from a serious lack of imagination right now, they should have followed Supernatural's example and gotten new writers to bring in fresh ideas. I love the series, even when it's mediocre, and am thrilled it's renewed for another season, I'm loyal to the end, but it has gotten stale recently and needs fresh blood. It can be so much more! That's why episodes like this one are so disappointing.





A disappointing episode though there was all the juicy Sylar stuff. I can only hope that the finale lives up to what it should be because as the second last episode this was mediocre.

This is a Sylar centric episode so Zachary Quinto gives it his best. The whole process that he goes through with his shapeshifting ability is amazing. Sylar's mother comes back when Sylar goes through a fight inside of him.


Hiro's story is also quite interesting although a little bit old. The frienship between Hiro and Ando is having some tense but in the end it all works out. The important thing here is how Hiro becomes ill when he overuses his power something which will be the main point of Hiro's arc in Season 4. The same thing goes for Matt which he will be trying to protect his family in Season 4.


The shocking finale of this episode is how Sylar can't die (well he can but all be explained in the final chapter of this volume). Also Sylar and Danko will be going head to head.

What an episode .. I just love the character of Sylar he is very powerful that when he put the knife at the back of his head he didn't die !!! and now he got insane !! perfect .


and now he took Nathan's job and i really dont know whats gonna happened after all this haha I LOVE HEROES amazing really


i really loved when Sylar helped Mika i don't know why . but no one want to see Mika die in that why ,


i just wih that Peter get his all abilities back so we can watch a good fight between him and Sylar.

I Am Sylar is good for a lot of reasons. The story goes back a few hours to Sylar having a real identity crisis because of the shape-shifting power that he recently acquired. He begins to toy with Danko by allowing dankos team to know that he is alive unlike what danko keeps telling them. Zachary Quinto did a great job of acting in this episode. I really loved that Sylar didnt kill "Rebel" but instead helped him escape. I Am Sylar had quite possibly the most exciting final 10 minutes of any episode since the season one episode Homecoming. I love sylar and i loved this episode. I'm glad that Heroes is setting up for a strong finish for the season!

I'm not sure I can find anything negative to say about this episode, and I REALLY mean it. It did open a lot of questions at the end, but that's just they way it should be to really pull us in. The main positive was character development, especially for the title character Sylar. It was a very Sylar-centric episode that focused on the effects of his new power, shape shifting. In a nutshell, Sylar started having an identity crisis (which I'll admit, when I first heard about this I got worried), but they pulled it off brilliantly while keeping everything in character. I'm really glad they just don't have Sylar as a killer with no personality and characterisation, but quite the contrary, they explore his mind and we really get to see why Sylar is Sylar. And he's not just a sociopathic killer that kills everyone he comes in contact with. He has a soft spot (I guess) and that's what makes him such a great and interesting character. It makes him relatable (in a wierd and strange sense :)). The Matt scenes were really heartwarming, and even though they have him get over Daphne pretty quick, I like where his character is going. He just wants to be a family man. Which we also see is about to get him in trouble as he'll be willing to do anything to keep his family safe. The Hiro & Ando scenes served their purpose of being comical and serious at the same time. I glad they don't completely ignore the relationship of the two. It's easy for tv shows to show characters like that without the character development.





I'm glad the Sylar becoming Nathan was explained and it didn't become one big plothole. The plot in this episode really moved it along without being too overwhelming. Heroes is back on track and I have a feeling that next season, Heroes will see the success it saw in season 1. (or at least I really do hope so) I'll just end this review by saying way to go Heroes!


A perfect 10!

Hiro and Ando gave us humor and action, with a Hiro´s plan that put Ando in danger, but works well. Now it´s time to destroy the Building 26. Matt will do whatever it takes to protect his son and Janice. Nathan is responsible for their mistakes and confronts Sylar. As if that´s not enough, Zachary Quinto gave us a spectacular performance that reflects an identity crisis product of his new power. After saving Micah being captured by Danko, Sylar understood, by taking the shape of his adoptive mother, that he should be president of United States. Danko shoots Nathan and then tries to kill Sylar, but that´s not easy.


Great episode that promises a great season finale. Sorry for my english!!

I find it unfortunate that many people have ditched the show. While I definitely understand, I tried not to lose faith. Today, I feel like I was rewarded. What a creepy, awesome episode (the ending had that "wow..." type of shocker that we haven't seen in a long time). I do feel that Sylar is stealing the show now which may harm it in the long run, but I have to say I was very entertained with how Norman Bates-y Sylar has become.





To anyone that has given up on the show, maybe down the road (if you ever get into it again) you'll treat yourself to this episode.





Definitely a great episode, but I'm still afraid it will continue to be the "show to bash". Hopefully during the finale and the next season it can redeem itself in the fan's eyes.

The first Sylar-centric episode of this show focusses on the struggle of our favorite serial killer to retain his fleeting identity throughout the many changes due to his most recent shape shifting ability but what should've been a mess of Niki Sanders's proportions ends up a character study based on the many changed Sylar himself has experienced over the course of the seasons.





In fact, this episode excels on Sylar for the same reason it fails on Matt, because it doesn't deny those changes have been there shaping the character from the very beginning: while on Matt's case the writers choose to forget Molly on Sylar's case they actually remember Vivian, while on Matt's case the writers forget Janice's trespassings on Sylar's case they embrace his trespassings as part of who he is, while on Matt's case the writers forget Daphne on Sylar's case they actually remember Elle along the first time he felt empathy for another individual, empathy that allows him to save Rebel if only because at the end of the day Micah is just another orphan being hunted much like Sylar himself.

The past few weeks we've seen a tremendous improvement within my Monday night staple. The scripts have done a great job cleaning up the mess and looking towards the future. I loved watching Sylar's new shape shifting ability turn on him. I was pleasantly surprised that Sylar let Micah walk away. Ando and Hiro seemingly are not working or on the same page hence them being taken down instead of taking building 26 down. As a fan of the character Matt Parkman I loved watching the conflict between fixing the problem and having a real life with his son. I loved the look on Danko's face when he realized that it's going to be harder to stop Sylar. I hoping the season finale next week finish the clean up and gives us a great end with a spring board to next season....

I was cynical when Bryan Fuller was coming back to Heroes. After the crap that took place during Season 3 Volume 3, I had severe doubts that the series could turn itself around. This episode is what Shades of Gray should have been, a much more in depth look at Sylar, and a catalogue of his mental break down. He's always been a very interesting character and now he's evolved from serial killer to psychotic in a nod to Psycho, he plays both the part of mother and killer. His powers seem to be turning against him, his empathy touch and shape shifting seems to be causing him to lose his grip on reality. I think Danko is pretty much finished but I can't wait till next week to see what happens next on the season finale, and who bites it in the end. Rest assured that now that Fuller is back and he and the rest of the writers have a chance to start from the beginning to the end we'll see a truly great Volume 5.

So for the first time in a really long time, we see Sylar losing control of his powers. It was interesting to see since now that he can shape shift, his inability to fully control it makes things interesting. This episode focus on Sylar, showing a side to him that has been hidden for a long time. And the biggest shock comes at the end, when Danko stabs Sylar in the back of the head when he is trying to rebel. Even more shocking was that Sylar gets up and takes the knife out. Not sure how they figure that works, but they really are pulling legs to make this season finale a big one. I really liked this episode, though the Hiro's power working with Ando was strange, and Sylar being able to get up after a stab to the head seems like a stretch, I am sure it will be explained soon enough. Great episode, and I look forward to seeing the last two episodes.

The Norman Bates moment with Sylar shapeshifting and impersonating his mother was just incredibly well written. What is going to happen with Nathan though? But I think the real question here is, where is Heroes really going? What are we looking at? I think the writers need to get their lucky pens, sit down together and look for some congruency in the storylines, otherwise we're looking at constant weekly episodes of cheap thrills. It's practically a new show every week about unrelated stories lately. The show should regain, recreate a direction. I absolutely love that Micah is back, now with a sexy new adolescent voice. However, there are so many other storylines unresolved, loose ends that need to be tied up, so the show regains its flow. Otherwise, great episode. I think it's enough of evil Sylar, he should become more benevolent in his actions, and the goody-two-shoes heroes should behave more naughtily, like it used to be in Volume Three: Villains.

This episode is fantastic.This episode's (I am Sylar) main focus is Sylar, obviously. It turns out Sylar's having a bit of an identity crisis, his newly acquired shapeshifting power getting the better of him when he wakes up as Agent Taub.





The Psycho Norman Bates moment with Sylar and his shapeshifted mother was incredibly well written, with the alternate personalities and Sylar finally giving in to his mother, it gives the same creepy atmosphere the movie has. When you actually realise they're not flashbacks but shapeshifts you are like woah! That is messed up.





Seriously well done to the writers. Alluding Sylar to Norman Bates was a really good idea.





Hiro and Ando moments served their purpose of being funny and serious at the same time, I especially liked the way Hiro got Ando detained (i'm a sadistic person i know, but it was funny). They really need to explain the nosebleed next episode.





Matt Parkman still baffles me. First, he forgets Molly ever existed, he somehow gains the power to paint the future, Daphne dies and now he doesn't even remember she exists and nows he's back with his cheating ex-wife. What. The. F***.





How Sylar survived that stab to the head baffles me, Danko probably missed the sweet spot or it might have been a screw-up due to the Shapeshifting.





They better follow up with a really epic finale, i'm tired of the cycle of having really awesome episodes followed by lame duds.

This was the Sylar-centric episode we were all waiting for. I feel sorry for the people that stopped watching. Let's go back 18 hoours before he steals Nathan's identity. Sylar has an identity crises, and shape shifts into his dead adoptive mother for adivice. It was afully child-like, yet psychotic, showing how crazy Sylar truly is. That morning he was up as another person, showing a rarity that Sylar cannot control a power he stole. In a attempt to remind himself of who he truly is, he kills someone and writes on the wall "I Am Sylar". It was epic. Danko is getting his suspicions, but knows Sylar is helpful to him. Micah was on the verge to being captured this episode, but Sylar faked his death. I did not ever expect Micah and Sylar to have scene like this. I don't feel like going into more detail, but the rest is worth watching, including scenes like Hiro getting a head injury when attepting to use his power, Mohinder being caught, the reunited Parkman's being attacked in there own home, and Sylar becoming Nathan to get access to the president.





Series classic.

Oh My God!! This episode is the S@%t!!


Although Heroes has become very boring as of late, with no real developments and no actual drama (for a drama series) this episode has was really a work of art.. I always argued that Sylar was the most interesting character of the show, and lately the only real reason for anyone to watch the show (for me), and it is episodes like this one which prove my point exactly.. Zachary's smeagle/golum 'impersonation' was perfect, the multiple sides to his character were refreshing.. For me the only thing missing from the show now is an actual nemesis for him; i mean with Peter's powers gone (and yes i consider them gone considering what he had and what he has) and Hiro's much weakened ability there is no one there to actually challenge him.. One of the 1st seasons' most 'want to watch' moments of the Sylar vs. Peter fight and hopefully in time we will get that..

As someone who watched the pure concentrated liquid awesomeness of the first season, only to see the show slowly loose its edge and luster and turn into The young and the Restless with superpowers, it thrills me to no end to see Heroes regain its footing and deliver punch after punch to the smiling face of viewers once again. "I Am Sylar" was a terrific episode that turns the series resident baddie into a fully round three dimensional and unpredictable character -- will he be the one to save them or damn them? I don't know and that's the best part.

This episode was riveting, action packed, and loaded with suspense. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride blindfolded. You feel like it's going one way then wait, Oh, nope let's go the other way. This never know what to expect writing is what made us all fall in love with the show to begin with. Parkman reunites with his ex, Nathan confronts Sylar about impersonating him, Hiro and Ando continue trying to save the world, and Sylar shows us just how crazy he really is; I mean honestly could this episode have had any more in it.





The bottom line is that if you haven't been watching for a while you need to start again. This has made all of the mediocre episodes worth it. I just hope that it continues.

The build-up for the season finale is just great. I wish Monday were here already to catch the finale.


Sylar going through an identity crisis was bound to happen. Even though he understands how things work, there comes a time when not every power is easily understood. He should be depowered so he can be humbled for a while. Why should Peter be the sacrificial lamb. There was a little humor in Sylar's excuse for not killing Micah. He stated that talking to machines would be overkill. It is true in a way. But he wouldn't have much use for it being that he works with Danko in finding and killing evolved humans. I think that he should be killed off.


Nathan has his mind in a good place to take the consequences for what he started. Problem is that he isn't the one who can stop Sylar. That is something that only Peter can do. Pete is the only one who is strong enough to fight Sylar. Let Peter copy Sylar's abilities and let them go at it. Dank needs to be killed, he is just annoying. Good thing Matt is going to back to Building 26 to finish what he started.


Hiro and Ando need to stop bickering and work together or each one go their seperate ways. Ando can be dangerous with his charging power. Look how he caused Hiro to nosebleed while trying to stop time. Next weeks's season finale should prove be the best episode up until now.

This episode was brilliant to say the lease. It seems Sylar's new power is raising havoc with him. Slowly he losing control of it and his sanity. I loved the scenes where he was turn into his mother and talk to him. It reminded me of Norm Bates. I feel Tim Kring might have been paying respect to Alfred Hitchcock. This is my theory. Anyway, I always felt Sylar was fighting a split personality. Part of him is being driven to find the heroes and absorb their powers. It is like a drug. Once you start, you cannot control yourself. You need and want more. Another part want to be good and break away from this destructive path. Two parts fighting to control on being. If you think of it, how easy would it have been for Sylar to have Mika killed (after taking his ability of course.) Instead, he helped Mika. Can you imagine what thought Mika had when he watch Sylar turning into his mother and turning back? Things did not work out exactly the say Danko had expected when he stabbed him in the neck with his knife. Sylar fell, got up, pulled out the knife and said "That hurt!" I wonder if Danko's days are now over.





Another wonderful part was when Hiro and Ando come to terms with their abilities. No longer does Ando want Hiro to treat him like a sidekick. Instead, he wants Hiro to treat him as an equal and to consult with him all his plans. Hiro agrees, but then collapses. His head is hurting and he is bleeding from his nose. Perhaps getting his powers back comes with a deadly price. Hiro (since season 1) has become my favorite character on the show.





I was happy to see Matt back with his ex. Personally I hope they get back together. I feel if they can work out their problems, they make a nice couple. I know they are only characters in a TV show, but looking past that, I do hope they do get back together.





I echo the feelings of others that is a shame people stopped viewing this show. This show offers so much. Comedy, action, drama, action, adventure and mystery. It has all the right elements and each show is perfectly orchestrated to keep us (the loyal viewers) wanting more.





I read one review on another site that the person does not like the show due to the fact there are too many villains in series 3 and not enough action. They are tired of the back stories. I know people have the right to their opinion, however, without the back stories and character development and story line going on. What would you have? Nothing. I very much hope for a season 4. I read that NBC has no plans in canceling the show. The 4th season might have 18 - 20 episodes, but it depends on viewer ship. If the head of NBC feels that not enough people are watching it, sadly it might not come back. I hope this is not the case. This information comes from the president of NBC not second hand information. Another thought is that they might give them a date when to wrap up the show. Much like was done for LOST. This way Tim Kring and his staff can bring the show to an end, and answer all the questions we might have. Hopefully this show will continue. It is just too good not to come back.

Heroes is officially back. It started with the last couple episodes. They rebooted. They took a step back. They put other actors into play to reinvent the storyline and it's like the show has been regenerated. Now, normally I do think too many shows do tributes to things rather than come up with their own ideas. But, you know what the Norman Bates and his mother thing with Sylar is dead on perfect. He is a serial killer and the more you emphasize that fact, the more you are going to nail exactly how Sylar should be portrayed on the show.





I like the way they are slowly rebooting Ando and Hiro too. I love the Batman/Superman comic book references. And it's good to see Hiro back with his powers in a more controlled stay in your own time kind of way. I'm glad to see Matt putting down the fake paint brush and picking up his son. The phony Daphne/Matt relationship is officially over. And he actually used his powers intelligently and realistically for a change instead of depowering him when the plot calls for it.





And the Rebel/Sylar encounter was wow! Sometimes you interact characters that normally don't and you get some magic out of it. They did in that case. I can't wait for next week. This show is getting good again.

"I am Sylar" is another great episode, it started slow, The episode takes place eighteen hours early from last weeks episode and it slowly builds up to Nathan/Sylar's press conference. I thought the episode picked up after about ten minutes I really enjoyed the scenes with Hiro and Ando it was great seeing them work together with there powers and there was some nice little twists here like when Hiro betrays Ando but then reveals it was all part of his plan to get to building 26 and then finally Hiro falls ill. I was shocked at the final scenes with Nathan and Sylar, Then Danko turns up and tries to kill Sylar by stabbing him in his weak spot. Sylar is somehow unaffected by this now I don't know what to think about this is Sylar invincible and will he kill Danko after what happened I was shocked by a lot of stuff in this episode and it lefted me wanting more Heroes, I can't wait for the finale but still I am struggling to think of what could happen in the finale.

Heroes has had its issues the past few years. They started small and grew until w ended up with Villains. Fugitves was better, but the beginning tended to go from good to bad to the same extent Sylar did in Volume Three. Then Shades of Gray and Cold Snap cam around, and it was clear the show was getting back on track. There have been set backs along the way, take the not-so-popular Into Asylum (which I happened to like.) But for the most part, Heroes has been getting better, and I am Sylar is just another fine example of this.





We begin 18 hours before we left off, as Sylar discovers that his ability is beginning to have a mind of its own, forcing Sylar to question who he really is. We got to see more great nods to season 1, such as Sylar writing "I am Sylar" on the wall in blood, an reference to early season 1. We also got to see the return of Virginia Gray in a much more disturbing role than before. I think it was important for Sylar to dig into his mother's past as he tried to remember who he was, and seeing his psychotic conversations with himself was genius. It's clear now that Sylar really has lost his mind, as he developed fractures in his personality, similair to the way Niki/Jessica/Gina did in Seasons 1/2. It was good to see the writers referencing the show's continuity, a good sign following the changes to it in last week's brilliant 1961. Sylar did a lot in the episode, even saving Micah from the agents. The Sylar story peaked as Nathan arrived to stop him from meeting the president, but of course Sylar tried to kill him. Thankfully, Danko stepped in and shot Nathan preventing Sylar from killing him.





We got other strong stories, but none as great as Sylar's. I am Sylar was a great set up for next week's finale.





Final Score: 9.3

Sylar having identity crisis thanks to the shape-shifting. Interesting physical and mental exploration of how shape-shifting might have unintentional side effects. This allows Danko to regain a bit of power over Sylar. But is this consistent? Or is this another retcon of Sylar's mental instability? His decision to go rogue again, based on some "madness", doesn't quite make sense in light of the gambit to hide in plain sight. But taken on its own, it's an interesting concept.





Sylar is still obsessed about where he came from, despite supposedly getting over it. Nice ties to the first season and Sylar's complicated relationship with his "mother". It makes a kind of twisted sense that Sylar would turn to his "mother", the woman whose approval he sought for so many years, in his attempt to find direction for his life. It's the remorse that doesn't quite ring true.





The irony is that Micah is right. Had Sylar gone down a different path, he could have been the leader of the metahumans and protected them from whatever threat humanity might pose. But given his issues, it's more likely he would turn out to be like a Magneto as opposed to a more enlightened leader. Why Sylar wouldn't take Micah's power seems a bit odd if he wasn't convinced to change his ways, however; he certainly wouldn't be squeamish about killing a child, after everything he did. It just seems designed to further Sylar's internal conflict. It is interesting to see, however, how Micah's influence pushed Sylar to take over Nathan's life.





But did it need to be the result of such a torturous path of mental instability? If Sylar was smart enough to play detective to find the shape-shifter in the first place, wouldn't he be smart enough to see the possibilities that the ability would present? One could argue that this is some attempt to rationalize the bizarre inconsistencies in Sylar's characterization since the first season, but it undercuts what could have been a more satisfying direction for the character, had his grab for power been the result of cold and clinical planning.





Similarly, Matt's journey seems a bit more complicated than it needed to be. Matt didn't need to meet with his son and consider the dream of getting back together with Janice to realize that he should be fighting beside his friends. He already had plenty of reason to do so in the first place. For that matter, has it been that long since he was head-over-heels for Daphne? Maybe a couple of days? Matt's journey in this volume has been a bit hard to track.





Hiro and Ando are ready to assault Building 26, but like so much else in this episode, the road getting there feels like stalling until the finale. And of course, the tension between them returns, just as they're about to do something important again. Ando has a good point about Hiro's attitude regarding destiny, though I'm not sure "fascist" is the term I would use for it. That implies that Hiro has a bit more power and control than he has over the situation. It might be closer to the truth to say that Hiro is self-centered, and doesn't like the idea of sharing the spotlight.





The confrontation between Nathan and Sylar is cut short just as things are about to move forward. I'm not sure why Sylar wouldn't have simply killed Danko long before now; from the look of things, the shape-shifting ability has trumped the one simple way to stop Sylar, so it could finally be coming. Hopefully, this will be only a momentary pause in Sylar's latest plan. If not, it would render much of what happens in this episode moot, and enough of it was filler in the first place.

If you could transform yourself into anyone in the world…then who is the real you? That's the question haunting Sylar throughout this episode. Shapeshifting is an intriguing and unsuspecting Achilles heel for our favorite serial killer. Sylar should be thrilled to masquerade as anyone he wants-but he can't publicly appear as Sylar anymore since faking his death 2 episodes ago. The lack of self awareness quickly drives Sylar into a frenzy. Without purpose or human connection, he feels pathetic and futile just like his father. So great is his paranoia that Sylar morphs and talks back to himself as Virginia Gray in search of love and attention. The dual conversations between Sylar and his adoptive mother are some of the most interesting dialogues I've seen in "Heroes" yet.





These rare moments of vulnerability give Sylar just enough empathy to spare Micah's life when he pinpoints the location of Rebel. Thankfully, Micah doesn't give Sylar the entire "you could be a hero" lecture but makes a truthful comment: Sylar has the ability to save or destroy everyone. It's a tricky situation because Sylar wouldn't hesitate to kill a child but the loss would be too much for viewers. Sylar, still struggling with his identity crisis, lets Micah off with a warning. *Wipes brow* The scenes between these two are very delicate ground but handled beautifully in the script. Much better writing than last week's "1961". Having his obsessive crooning mother talk to Sylar is deliciously creepy. Any die-hard fan knows she's pushing him towards a higher goal-specifically the White House. In previous episodes Sylar has expressed jealousy towards other characters: Peter (for being special "like me") Mohinder (for having a father figure to look up to) and Claire (for being indestructible). Now Sylar fixes his attention on Nathan and taunts the elder Petrelli for his pampered upbringing and scandalous behavior. It's the perfect finishing touch we've all being waiting for since the "Five Years Gone" episode where Sylar takes the position as president. Sylar could've been a one-shot villain in season one but he's been fleshed out with such an intriguing and complex personality that I'm glad they've taken the time to show his different sides in this episode. Zachary Quinto is an incredible actor and displays such emotion with his facial gestures. He can shift from paranoid to powerful to sinister within the blink of an eye. Insomuch as Sylar can appear deadly and undefeatable, he is alone in the end. That is where the other Heroes characters have one advantage over Sylar: they have each other. "Fugitives" has proven trust and friendship--while hard to come by--have withstood overwhelming obstacles. (Of course we're one episode away from the finale so I should bite my tongue) Matt sets a heroic example when he chooses to stay behind and rescue his friends instead of fleeing with his wife and child. Hiro finally considers Ando as his equal instead of sidekick just before he becomes disarmed, leaving Ando to make a lone decision. It's a great nail-biting ending to set us up for the finale and I'm hoping it'll be worthwhile.

Finally, this show has gotten great again.





I must say that I was one of the many who felt that Sylar was starting to get old. Now I'm glad they kept him on, if only for this episode.





This season, Sylar has been through a lot. He searched for his real father, traveled with a kid for a little while (I kinda liked the kid, but I could tell he would get old), and lately he's been working for the Hunter. Needless to say, Sylar's motivations were starting to get a little muddled. Fortunately, this episode acknowledges it.





Sylar is indeed lost and pretty much has been since he killed his mom. If you think about it, that's kind of true. He went to his mom in the first season to try and give up his life of murder, but all he got was MORE reason to murder. He tried to blow up NYC, he spent some time in recovery, he worked for a company, then another company, and then he freelanced for a while. His path is indeed very much unpredictable and amidst it all, he's lost his sense of self.





Throughout this episode, he desperately tries to find it. Should he play lapdog to the black ops hero hunter? Should he be the savior to the other heroes? In this episode he plays with both, but can commit to neither. He kills a random dude that was being hunted, but is constantly annoyed with being ordered around. He saves Micah, but then tells him to run away or he'll kill him.





Now he wants to be President, and he can probably do it, too. Of course everyone wants to stop him, but there's still no way of knowing exactly what he would do if he became President. Would he use his power to save the heroes or wipe them out? Would he just become a good President? Would he do what he did in the first alternate future we saw? This ambiguity will make the last episode very interesting.





So Sylar really made this episode, but he's not the only thing going on.





For those who haven't been paying attention, it seems the writers have spent much of this volume nerfing the heroes as much as possible. Peter was broken, now he can only hang on to one ability at a time. Sounds fair. Hiro's ability could literally make all of the plots irrelevant. Now he can only stop time, he can't travel through it or teleport. However, now they're taking it a step further with Hiro's nerfing in this episode. Poor guy. On top of that, he acts like kind of a jerk to Ando. If I were Ando, I'd probably kill him in an alternate future too.





Meanwhile, Matt is reunited with the family he inexplicably left in between the first two seasons. Personally, I loved Matt's dynamic with his wife in the first season. Despite their bickering, they had a great chemistry that just wasn't replicated with Daphne (though I did like her). It's also good to see that some of the female cast is returning. My only gripe with this is just that Matt seems to claim that he didn't know his son existed. I'm not sure what he thought was going on when he read his wife's mind in the first season and he said "We're going to have a baby!" Or when he had the mind trip in the second season and was worried that the baby wasn't his. I suppose he could be happy to know that the baby was in fact his (as evidenced by the freaking powers) but he seems to be amazed that the baby exists at all. Whatever, I'm just happy to see the writers finally acknowledging continuity.





I guess that's what I'm enjoying the most about this volume. They're starting to cut the bull that plagued the last two volumes. Characters are being nerfed, plot threads are being picked up and tied up nicely, and character development is finally back as the main focus instead of stupid apocalyptic plots. On top of that, normal humans have a presence again and actually pose some kind of a threat.





Now with one episode left, here's what I'm hoping happens: The heroes try to stop Sylar, but then Sylar explains that he would use the Presidency to stop the black ops projects, and so the heroes have to decide whether or not they're willing to let a psychopath take the highest office in the land for the sake of their own survival. Also, there is going to be a hero death in the last episode and it will indeed be someone who has been around since the beginning. We know it can't be Claire and it probably won't be Sylar (though now would be a good time to end his character). It probably won't be Peter because if they planned to kill him, we probably would have seen a lot more of him this volume. It might be Nathan, but given how much they've been hinting at it, it would be a bit too obvious. Hiro and Ando won't die because they're confirmed for the next season. Micah will probably be fine too. Matt is supposed to partially cause the character death, so it can't be him. Angela seems a likely target, especially given her copious character development in this volume, and I have to say that her death would upset me greatly since I adore her character. Mohinder could die, but it seems unlikely since it wouldn't really affect anybody. HRG is too awesome to die, plus he's not really a "hero". So it seems like it will probably be Angela or Sylar, maybe Nathan. We'll see though.





Also, I really hope the rumors about Claude's return are true.

As before, I don't think this show as any more to offer except for Syler...so the name for this episode was fitting...this whole show should be around Syler. I liked his encounter with rebel and the same with Nathan. The rest of the characters are not interesting...who gives a crap about Hiro and Ando...their characters haven't developed since season 1...





I'm glad we didn't see much of Claire...they should hide her until the finale...and Peter...same thing. Matt is getting back to himself which is good, he is a good actor and deserves better writing. I really believe that most viewers are gone and that the people who are giving 8,9,10 are the same 20 viewers that this show is left with...

I have to say Sylar is completely nuts , and that's good.I didn't find his mother appearing a brilliant move but it wasn't bad eithier. He saves Micah showing there is still some kind of common sense in him, or he just didn't want to overload his powers. He survives Danko literally backstabbing so he is almost indestructable. Something interesting happens when he turns into Nathan , he looks like how Nathan would be without the " Angels" and the whole "Demons" side , so maybe they are not that different. We have ahead what could be a great season finale , and if they play it right ; Heroes can regain lots of its fanbase.In order to do that they need to show a real change and present a great , unpredictable final showdown , I really hope they do that cause I hate seeing this show suffer from bad reviews and lack of inspiration.