Heroes Season 4   Starring: Greg Grunberg, Milo Ventimiglia, Jack Coleman, James Kyson Lee, Zachary Quinto, Hayden Panettiere, Ali Larter and Adrian Pasdar Universal Playback RRP: £44.99 82768979 Certificate: 15 Available 04 October 2010

Samuel Sullivan is the leader of a mysterious carnival clan with powerful and potentially dangerous new abilities. Could Sullivan and his comrades create a new threat for Peter, Claire and the rest of the Heroes and their current attempt to live normal lives...?

Season four of Heroes was originally broadcast between 21 September 2009 and 08 February 2010. Sadly, and somewhat surprisingly, this is the last season of the show. While season four represents one neatly packaged story arc, the ending only wraps up the Sullivan Carnival storyline, as far as the main Heroes characters are concerned a lot of questions are left unanswered. This is a shame, especially for fans who have watched the show from the start and even the network's planned special, that was due to tie up those loose ends everything, has now been shelved.

Season four revolves around a new threat. Samuel Sullivan (Robert Knepper) is surrounding himself with those with abilities. Travelling around America with his carnival, Sullivan offers a safe haven for those who are unable to cope with their abilities in the real world. But his actions are not entirely selfless, for Sullivan's power grows stronger with each person he manages to attract to the carnival.

I have to admit I thought that putting the "freaks" in a carnival was a bit of sloppy bit of writing. It's been done to death in show's like The Simpsons (which itself was a parody) and Carnival and in countless movies. But to be fair (no pun intended) the idea works here as what better way is there to keep your ability hidden from the general public than by joining a travelling fair?

The regular heroes pop in and out with their own storylines. Hiro discovers he's dying and decides to travel through time righting the wrongs of those he's encountered in the past; Tracy is having a hard time controlling her powers; Claire is attempting to fit into normal society; Peter is coming to terms with the loss of his brother; Matt is fighting with his mind thanks to having a trapped Sylar rattling around in there; and Sylar is struggling with his identity.

Extras include extended/deleted scenes for most episodes; Deconstructing Sylar (19 min, 53 sec interview with actor Zachary Quinto, executive producer Adam Armus and creator Tim Kring); Milo Speaks (5 min, 17 sec interview with actor Milo Ventimiglia who plays Peter); Sullivan Brothers Design Gallery (2 min, 25 sec look at the design of the carnival); Heroes Revolution (10 min, 19 sec look at the Heroes new media division which produces online content); Genetics of a Scene (Behind the scenes look at the filming of a number of key segments from the show); and Tim Kring for the Fans (4 min, 01 sec message from Kring, who gets a chance to talk to fans about the cancellation of the show).

It's a shame that the show is left hanging like this, but this is still a collection worth buying.

8

Darren Rea