| "Once Upon a Time in Texas" | |
|---|---|
| Heroes episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Nate Goodman |
| Written by | Aron Eli Coleite and Aury Wallington |
| Production code | 408 |
| Original air date | November 2, 2009 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Once Upon a Time in Texas" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-sixth episode overall. The episode aired on November 2, 2009. [1]
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed.(August 2015) |
Hiro Nakamura arrives three years in the past to save the love of his life, Charlie Andrews. Shortly after arriving, Hiro encounters Sylar, who proceeds into the diner. Charlie pours coffee for her would-be assassin, who startles her after Sylar reveals he knows about her aneurysm. Hiro watches from afar, wondering how he can stop Sylar. Meanwhile, in the present, Samuel Sullivan is worried for his dying friend Arnold, who has the ability to manipulate space-time like Hiro, and intends to have Hiro replace him. When Samuel wonders where he could be, Lydia reveals that Hiro had loved Charlie before she died, correctly deducing Hiro must have gone back in time to save her. Samuel asks Arnold one last time to be sent back, and appears by Hiro. Samuel warns Hiro of the implications to history he could cause by saving Charlie. Hiro asserts Charlie is that important to him, and promises to keep everything else in balance.
Noah Bennet is also at the diner, oblivious to what is about to happen, meeting with his partner, Lauren. The two seem to have been together for sometime, with Lauren taking the initiative and offering a key to her motel room. Noah is reluctant, but takes the key, as he is more worried about his daughter Claire Bennet's fate in the upcoming homecoming game. After meeting with Isaac Mendez to see his paintings (the same scene from "Seven Minutes to Midnight"), Lauren comforts Noah, briefly kissing him, before they awkwardly leave. Later, Noah meets with Claire, where they share a nice moment together before she leaves to go cheer with the other cheerleaders. Noah sees Lauren at her motel room, but explains he can't do this, saying he truly loves his family. Lauren understands, but Noah also explains he needs Lauren's help to deal with Sylar and Claire. Later, Noah receives a note from Lauren explaining she had her memory of their meetings wiped by the Haitian.
Hiro successfully stops Sylar from killing Charlie by stopping time, and moves his body into the cargo space of a bus. However, after returning to the diner, Hiro realizes by having Charlie not die, he will never go back in time to save her in the first place, thus never falling in love with her. Hiro meets with his past self, convincing him that Charlie is dead and that he must go back in time to save her to preserve the space–time continuum. He also orders Ando Masahashi to wait in the diner for his eventual return. Finally, Hiro meets with Charlie, and convinces her to come away with him. As they are about to leave, Charlie begins rambling off random facts, and Hiro realizes she must be dying from her aneurysm. Realizing Sylar could save her, Hiro rushes off to find him, though Sylar traps him with his telekinetic powers and demands to know who he is. Hiro thwarts Sylar's attempts to kill him by stopping time, and offers to tell him about his future in exchange for helping Charlie. Sylar grudgingly agrees, and successfully fixes the blood clot in Charlie's brain. Hiro explains to Sylar that he will gather many abilities, and that he will die alone after being stopped by Hiro and others like him. Hiro says he wishes to help him, but says Sylar must continue on his path, teleporting him out of the diner and into an alleyway. Sylar overhears the cheerleaders' chanting, foreshadowing his attempt to kill Claire. Later, Charlie chastises Hiro for saving her, saying he had done it for selfish reasons, and for not stopping Sylar. Hiro talks briefly with Noah in the diner, but is then surprised by Charlie's return. She thanks him for saving her life, and the two make up with a kiss. She leaves the diner with Hiro following, but when Hiro exits, he finds Charlie gone and Samuel standing outside. Samuel reveals he has taken Charlie, suggesting she is back at his carnival in the present time. Hiro angrily demands to know where she is and Samuel tells him he must retake control of his power and bring them back to the present if he ever wants to see her again. Grabbing Samuel, Hiro manages to teleport them to the Carnival in the present. Samuel shows him Arnold, who has finally died, after his last act of trapping Charlie somewhere in time. Samuel explains he is keeping Charlie as a way to get Hiro to do what he wants; Hiro asks what he must do, to which Samuel says he must correct the wrongs in his life, starting with one event eight weeks ago. In a flashback to that time, Samuel is shown apologizing over the motionless body of Mohinder Suresh.
Hiro uses the catchphrases of two other time-travellers: "Oh boy!" (Dr. Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap ), and "Great Scott!" (Dr. Emmett Brown in Back to the Future ).[ citation needed ] He also compares his relationship to Charlie with Crono and Marle from the video game Chrono Trigger. [2]
"Once Upon a Time in Texas" was watched by 6.2 million viewers, the best figures for Season Four. [3] This was attributed in part to the return to the series of Jayma Mays, now best known for her role as Emma Pillsbury on the Fox show Glee . [3]
Critics gave the episode mixed reviews, with many comparing the state of the series now rather unfavourably to how it was regarded in 2006, where this episode is set. Entertainment Weekly called it the "least bad episode of the season so far", welcoming the chance to see Sylar once again as the "grinning malevolent villain" of Season One, but criticising the Noah Bennett office romance subplot as unnecessary. [4] The HD Room praised the writing of Samuel - "one of the show's more interesting characters" - and called it a "solid episode" that "should please fans of the show." [5] IGN called it "a decently told tale... of course, a little more action would have been nice." [6] The ending of the episode, which featured the first glimpse of Mohinder Suresh this season, attracted much comment, with more than one reviewer quipping that Samuel should not necessarily regard killing Mohinder as a mistake. EW said that a plot revolving around saving Mohinder's life would be "officially the worst idea Heroes has ever had." [4]
Despite the mixed reception, the episode was tied with "Tabula Rasa" in first place on TV.com, both episodes sharing an 8.8 over 10.
Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club rated this episode a C−. [7]
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes who is portrayed by actor Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras. Mohinder is attempting to find the truth behind the sudden death of his father, Chandra Suresh, and to continue his father's research of finding "superhuman" beings on Earth. In character, Suresh also provides many episodes with opening or closing dialogue, general philosophical musings in relation to the events that occur during the episode.
Sylar is a fictional character and a primary antagonist of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a super-powered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers. He served as the primary villain of the first season and then as a recurring antagonist. Over the course of seasons 2, 3 and 4, the writers depicted Sylar attempting at various times and under different circumstances to become a hero or curb his desire to kill, undergoing relapses at various stages. In the series' penultimate episode he experienced over three years of penitence in a mental prison, and later identifies himself as a hero in what became the show's series finale due to cancellation.
"The Line" is the sixth episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It aired on October 29, 2007 in the USA.
"Truth & Consequences" is the tenth and penultimate episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It aired on November 26, 2007. On its initial airing, it received 11.89 million viewers.
"Eris Quod Sum" is the seventh episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and forty-first episode overall. The episode aired on October 27, 2008. "Eram quod es, eris quod sum" is a Latin phrase that is often found on gravestones and translates as "I was what you are, you will be what I am".
"The Eclipse" is a two-part episode, consisting of the tenth and eleventh episodes of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. The first part aired on November 24, 2008, and the second part aired on December 1, 2008.
"Dual" is the thirteenth episode and mid-season finale of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and forty-seventh episode overall. The episode aired on December 15, 2008, as the conclusion to the "Volume 3: Villains" storyline. The episode, which was originally titled "War", is the final episode of the "Villains" story arc, and was the last episode to be written and produced by Jeph Loeb prior to his departure from Heroes in November 2008.
"A Clear and Present Danger" is the 14th episode and mid-season premiere of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and 48th episode overall. It aired on February 2, 2009. The episode is the beginning of Volume 4: "Fugitives". It marks the first time a season of Heroes has contained more than one volume. Originally, season two was planned to consist of three volumes, but was reduced to one volume due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
"Building 26" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the superhero drama series Heroes and fiftieth episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2009 on the NBC network in the United States, its country of origin. The episode was written by Rob Fresco and was directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.
"Turn and Face the Strange" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and fifty-sixth episode overall. The episode aired on April 6, 2009.
"An Invisible Thread" is the twenty-fifth and final episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and fifty-ninth episode overall. The episode aired on April 27, 2009. It marked the end of the Fugitives volume, as well as its 2008-2009 season run. It ended with a brief introduction to the next volume, entitled Redemption.
"Orientation" is the first episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and the 60th episode overall. The episode aired in the US on September 21, 2009. Produced and filmed as two separate episodes, the episode's title for the second hour was initially announced as "Jump, Push, Fall"; however, it aired as a single double-length episode.
"Tabula Rasa" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-fourth episode overall. The episode aired on October 19, 2009.
"Brother's Keeper" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-eighth episode overall. The episode aired on November 16, 2009.
"Thanksgiving" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-ninth episode overall. The episode aired on November 23, 2009.
"Let It Bleed" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, the seventy-second episode overall. It is the second episode in the 2-part mid-season premiere after the 2009 holiday hiatus. The episode aired on January 4, 2010.
"Close to You" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, and the seventy-third episode overall. The episode aired on January 11, 2010.
"Pass/Fail" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, and the seventy-fourth episode overall. The episode aired on January 18, 2010.
"Brave New World" is the eighteenth and final episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, and the seventy-seventh and final episode overall. With the show's cancellation three months later, this episode serves as the de facto series finale, although the Heroes world would return in the miniseries Heroes Reborn five years later. The episode aired on February 8, 2010. It marked the end of the Redemption volume, as well as the series as the show was cancelled on May 14, 2010 by NBC. It ended with a brief introduction to what would have become the next volume, also entitled Brave New World.
