Heroes - "Landslide"

After twenty episodes of effortless storytelling, Heroes continues to struggle to find its way toward the big finale. Perhaps the set-up was too big, and now that they have to maneuver all the characters into their spots, it's proven to be more stage management than cinema.

From one scene to the next all we get are plot contrivances and coincidences rather than the character driven stories we've grown accustomed to:

• Peter and Claire just happen to run into HRG, Parkman, and Ted in Kirby Square.
• Sylar just happens to be listening in.
• HRG's incredibly lame escape plan for Claire.
• Peter forgets to use his cloak of invisibility until after the FBI have surrounded Ted.
• The police wagon that takes Ted apparently takes hours to get to its destination, travels without guard, and on a route that allows Sylar to intercept it without witnesses.
• So basically Ted's only reason for coming to NYC was so he could have his abilities stolen twice.
• Peter and Claire decide to drive from Manhattan to Nebraska along a route that just happens to lead them straight to the crash site of the police wagon. Where in New York is that supposed to be?
• Meanwhile, Ando and Hiro find a listing for Ancient Samurai Sword Repair in the Yellow Pages!
• And Hiro's dad just happens to be there, and he has the amazing ability to give Hiro samurai powers after just one lesson!
• But Ando takes a sword so he can go fight Sylar alone?
• Meanwhile back in Kirby Coincidence square, Parkman is really lame at sneaking past the guards, but luckily he spots DL and Nikki/Jessica.
• And HRG just happens to know where everyone is located in the building (who needs the Walker System when HRG is around?)
• And HRG knows how Thompson will sneak up on Parkman, but he doesn't know that Suresh will sneak up on Parkman, or that the Walker System is a little girl.
• Nor does he seem to care.
  

It just goes on and on. One stupid thing after another. There were, however, some highlights:

• The scene between Linderman and Heidi Petrelli, where he gave her his gift returned us to the effortlessness of earlier episodes. It was a surprising intersection between characters that made perfect sense once you thought about it. Also, since we knew what was happening but Heidi did not, we got to appreciate her transformation and dawning realization of the "miracle".
• It's kind of fun to think about how massively fat and disgustingly hideous illusion girl must look with all the hints that keep being dropped between her and Micah.
  
• The high body count at least kept you on the edge of your seat: Ted, Thompson, Linderman, DL (maybe). Parkman gets knocked cold during the mexican standoff between Suresh, HRG, and the little girl. Ando seems doomed.
• George Takei as Hiro's father was just superb.

Onward to the final chapter of volume 1! Please, just be decent. No musical montages, no Dylan songs, no hugging, no resurrections. Just keep to the promises you've been making all season long: ordinary people with extraordinary abilities.