Heroes: Season 3 Cheat Sheet

It seems like the characters on Heroes are increasing by the minute.  Here’s a rundown of the newbies, our old favorites and the few we lost since Season Three began.  I’ll hit the most current points so you can jump right back in when Heroes comes back next week.  And don’t forget to check out this season’s Poptimal recaps to get the in-depth look on what you may have missed.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Arthur Petrelli is one of the Company’s founding members and now, the evil head of Pinehearst.  He’s Peter, Nathan and Sylar’s father and has the ability to steal powers.

Daphne Millbrook a.k.a. The Speedster made a living as a thief, now works for Pinehearst and has super-sonic speed.

Knox was a criminal who was imprisoned in Level 5 and has enhanced strength, which is bolstered by fear. He’s currently a Pinehearst henchman.

Usutu a.k.a. The African Isaac paints the future on rocks and has the power of precognition.

Flint is a Level 5 escapee, now works for Pinehearst and has the power of pyrokinesis.

Eric Doyle a.k.a the Puppet Man worked at an old marionette theatre and has powers like a puppet master. He was recently caught by Noah and Meredith and assumed to be in Level 5 lockup.

Jesse Murphy‘s body was used by Future Peter to imprison Present Peter. He was also a Level 5 criminal and had the power of sound manipulation.

The German was a criminal locked up in Level 5. He, unsuccessfully, tried to rob a bank earlier in the season and had the power of magnetism.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Elle was last seen entering Pinehearst and leaving new pal Claire behind. She’s on a mission to get her powers under control again.

Claire went to Pinehearst to see if someone could help her with her powers. Luckily, she finds Peter and retreats before she puts one foot inside their doors.

Peter has escaped Pinehearst and his father and is waiting to see what Nathan will do now that he’s aware their father is alive and has a dangerous plan.

Nathan is ready to bust down some doors at Pinehearst and get to the bottom of everything Peter’s told him about Arthur and his grand design.

Tracy is still stuck with powers she wants to be rid of and confesses to Nathan that she used to work as a consultant for Pinehearst.

Sylar, who has flip-flopped so many times that it’s hard to keep up, has joined forces with Arthur. Is he a villain again or undercover?

Arthur has put together a pretty strong group of villains, including Sylar, Mohinder, Knox and Flint. He’s also stolen some strong powers, including all of Peter’s!

Angela is still in a coma at Level 5, unable to help the opposing cause.

Matt believes he and Daphne are on the same side, fighting Pinehearst, and he goes looking for some Primatech backup.

Daphne is trying her hardest to dupe Parkman into believing she’s not still working for Arthur, and she’s doing a good job. What is Arthur holding over her head that has her so scared?

Hiro is on an Usutu spirit walk to discover the identities and powers of the Pinehearst villains he’ll soon be up against.

Ando is being the best sidekick ever. He still has yet to betray Hiro.

Noah is working with Claire’s bio-mom Meredith Gordon to capture the villains who escaped Level 5. Recently, they gained first hand knowledge of what Mohinder was up to in his lab.

Mohinder is working with Pinehearst to perfect the formula that will be able to give anyone abilities. Could his own mutations be cured?

Maya is unable to trust Mohinder and, newly powerless, leaves Pinehearst to make amends for all the harm she caused in the past. Looks like she’s gone for good.

FROM DUST TO DUST

Maury Parkman, killed by Arthur

Adam Monroe, killed by Arthur

Jesse Murphy, killed by Sylar

The German, killed by Knox

SEASON THREE OBSERVATIONS

Many Heroes storylines were sidelined after the crippling 2007-2008 writers’ strike. Remember the Shanti virus that was supposed to wipe out 93% of the human population? It was wrapped up in a neat little box with Peter incinerating the virus so that it was never released. And in a fire, Niki died to save her niece Monica, a character who we haven’t seen since. Those of us who are still tuning in have forgiven the writers for the rapid wrap-up of the  “Generations” arc and looked towards Season Three to renew the series.

The “Villains” arc should be self-explanatory. I know I was excited to see the forces of good battle evil again. I was even more excited to see this done on a grander scale. Instead of spending the season following our favorite characters working together as heroes to fight a common cause, we’d be treated to the development of two different factions, coming together to fight each other. So far “Villains” has held up to its end of the bargain, but it’s taking its sweet time doing so.

The build has been slow, and with so much focus on different versions of the future, it’s been extremely hard to follow. Is the future Hiro sees the same future as the one Peter visits? Isn’t the future being constantly changed with the choices Hiro, Peter and others make as they become aware of the future they are trying to prevent? Will we ever see what a better future is supposed to look like? The future is always in danger! Are we expected to just get a glimpse of the future every season and try to prevent what happens? This method seemed a lot more intriguing when we were viewing Isaac’s paintings one at a time and attempting to “save the cheerleader, save the world.”

What this season has accomplished is a better understanding of the viewers’ desire to see our heroes interact and cooperate from episode to episode. We didn’t have to wait to the end of this season for our heroes to find one another. They’ve been crossing paths and sharing information, helping each other out of tough situations and backstabbing and changing sides. This has also lead to greater, more intense fight scenes, and it can be assumed this will only continue to increase as we get closer to the season’s culmination.

I look forward to the conclusion of the “Villains” arc and seeing if it will live up to its name. Currently, the “Villains” have the upper hand and that’s what I would expect. How our favorite heroes fare by the end of it all is what I can’t wait to find out.

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Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC