In a programming choice that still baffles me, the Heroes Reborn series went on hiatus ten episodes in. Then, with only three shows left, they came back before most of the other shows that went on winter break. The show’s ratings aren’t the best, and there’s a lot of doubt about it coming back after the initial thirteen episode run. Maybe NBC is burning off the episodes. 

Continuing from several of the odd cliffhangers they did, Luke and Malina are still trying to find Tommy. Noah has vanished, leaving behind his trademark horn-rimmed glasses, but no body. Since there are potentially two time-traveling teleporters running around, I’m not terribly worried about him. I suspect he’ll be back, probably in the proverbial nick of time. Luke and Malina go shopping, Luke rearming himself. He’s still much better with pistols than his power, and the guns are more reliable.

The Legion of Harris is all over the place. Some of them are with Quentin and Phoebe, hunting down Malina. Quentin, who seemed fine with his role as a bad guy the last time we saw him, now seems to be having doubts. Phoebe, however, is dead certain that they are on the right side, and seems to have no remorse over hunting down and killing Evos. Maybe her conscience went into shock after she helped kill so many in Odessa.

In the future at Gateway, Tommy and Katana Girl meet and compare notes. She’s starting to go all sparkly and transparent- I guess her programming is breaking down. In Tron terms, she’s de-rezzing. Eventually, she prevails on Tommy to send her back to the past.

Erica, proving to be the understanding boss she always is, is threatening Otomo. She wants him to rebuild the Eternal Fortress to re-imprison Hiro. We haven’t seen Hiro in a while, and I sort of thought he was dead, but Erica’s worried about him anyway. Since Erica keeps threatening Otomo, I’m guessing his power doesn’t translate on her machines, much like Hiro’s.

At SunStone Manor, various factions are colliding. Carlos and Farrah are trying to rescue Carlos’ nearest and dearest, including his nephew and priest. Taylor and the Hero Truthers are trying to free Myka, a character from the original series whose power over computers is even more important now than it was five years ago, given how much further we’ve moved into the digital age. There’s a Harris squad running around, and Parkman seems to be going his own way, looking out for himself. Needless to say, it’s a mess out there. Rene, the power-canceling Haitian from the first series, shows up as well. I seem to remember Noah killing him earlier in the series, but that was before he and Hiro “stepped on butterflies” and reset some aspects of history. Maybe Rene came back.

Yet more Harris’ are running their version of a speed-trap, using Erica’s Evo-detecting goggles to watch for their prey. Soon enough, they find Malina and Luke, and there’s a chase through a corn field. Quentin and Phoebe are there, too, and we see Phoebe use her power in ways I don’t believe we’ve ever seen before. It was an odd time to show a new power.

Erica spins more lies as she reunites Tommy with his girlfriend Emily and his mother. Tommy’s mother is suspicious after so many years on the run, and isn’t buying Erica’s story about what’s coming or why. Erica later introduces Tommy to Richard, her resident tech geek.

The Battle of SunStone Manor goes into over-drive. There are casualties on both sides, as well as small victories. Carlos gets his suit back, giving him an edge in the fighting. Further complicating things, Tommy’s power sent Katana Girl here, instead of a place either of them had been before. This is against my understanding of Tommy’s power, but it does set up for an epic Harris vs Katana Girl fight.

The SunStone crew does finally free Myka. Myka does his own version of going viral, exposing a lot of Erica’s secrets and lies. If there wasn’t so much going on, Erica would be spending a lot of time brooding about revenge, and possibly answering questions from multiple law enforcement agencies.

The episode ends with a major cliffhanger and some set up. There are several different groups of people converging on Odessa. No doubt there’s going to be a major collision of these forces. And, for a final image, the sun finally belches out the huge solar flare that is going to either doom humanity or let the Evos save everyone.

What I liked: Tommy is too smart to be under Erica’s sway for too long. Erica finally had some serious set backs. I liked the Katana Girl/Harris fight. Malina is very dedicated to fulfilling her quest.

What I didn’t: I didn’t like some of the character deaths. I don’t understand bringing it back for three episodes. And they are either contradicting themselves or using the time travel to change things and being confusing about it.

I’ll give this one a low 3 out of 5. Maybe they already know they’re cancelled and the solar flare cooks the Earth in the finale?