Heroes and villains

IT’S twice the drama tonight as the latest series of Heroes comes to a close with an action-packed double bill that might well change the show forever.

However, before fans can get stuck into the obligatory teaser for Volume Five: Redemption, there’s the small matter of another catastrophe to avert.

The penultimate episode follows on from last week’s adventure, which ended with Sylar – who had taken Nathan’s appearance – making a TV announcement about his intention to meet the US President.

Here, events flash back 18 hours as we see the lead-up to the news broadcast, and it seems the new shape-changing ability Sylar stole has resulted in unexpected consequences.

Going through an identity crisis, his own personality begins to be swamped by those he has taken, bringing him into conflict with Danko’s wish to keep the fact he is alive a secret.

Consulting faces from the past, Sylar realises that pretending to be Nathan gives him access to someone even more powerful – the President. Fearing Sylar could masquerade as the world leader, and do untold harm, Nathan and Peter set out to stop him, setting the scene for an explosive finale.

Jack Coleman, who plays Noah Bennet, says: “All I can tell you is that there’s a big payoff from the show where we go to Coyote Sands.

“It’s very much to do with the Bennet and Petrelli families coming together, and there’s a huge cliffhanger involving some of our major characters.”

As the series finale kicks off, things are looking bleak for the heroes, but as the Petrelli brothers prepare to confront Sylar, Hiro and Ando are on their own mission.

Hoping to take down Building 26, they face only one small problem; Hiro is suffering from painful repercussions for regaining his ability, and the task may now be beyond him. Unfortunately, the struggle to save the world is a dangerous one and not all of the heroes may make it back alive.

However, as Coleman explains, Noah is used to making the choices from which other people might flinch. “He’s a Machiavellian figure and thinks the ends justify the means. He does a lot of dark things that aren’t particularly good, but I also believe that in general, he means well.”

He thinks this volume may be one of the best yet. “I think we had some problems in the second and the beginning of the third season, but volume four is really strong and as good as anything we did in the first season.”

Fans will have to decide for themselves of course, but as these are two of the most gripping episodes yet, it certainly seems that Heroes is back on top form.

FUNNYMAN Johnny Vegas returns as ultimate slacker Moz in the multi-award-winning Ideal. A new series means new beginnings, and Moz attempts to give up dealing weed and promises new girlfriend Jenny that he will get a proper job.

However, he soon finds himself dragged into a criminal underworld of shootings, human trafficking and the mysterious Red Bag.

Jenny is in a coma and seems to the see the world as one big song-and-dance routine in a series of dream sequences, and Moz receives a string of visitors, all of whom believe they can snap her out of it.POLICE dramas are ten-a-penny these days, but tonight we say farewell to the cop show that was always different to the rest. The Shield has always stood out largely because the show centres on a team of crooked cops who spend more time breaking the law than they do upholding it.

Now, after seven exciting series, it’s time to say adios to detective Vic Mackey and friends.

Tonight’s episode – the first of a twopart series finale – finds officers in the Barn investigating a woman’s disappearance and the arrival of a major drug shipment.

Meanwhile, Vic attempts to secure his immunity by going after Beltran, and Shane becomes increasingly desperate as his situation worsens. Michael Chiklis stars.