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With the fate of the series hanging in the balance, this episode was pivotal. It was time to pull out all the stops. It was time for a “shock and awe” campaign. It should have been a tension-filled roller-coaster ride to the final battle between Sylar and Samuel.

So, imagine my surprise when the episode took its time to blissfully allow for a fake-out tearful good-bye scene between Noah Bennett (Jack Coleman) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere); for Parkman (Greg Grunberg) to debate with Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Sylar (Zachary Quinto) whether or not the five years of incarceration in Sylar’s mind had truly made him rehabilitated; and for Hiro (Masi Oka) to find Charlie (Jemma Mays) and reminisce about the good ole days and whether they could still have a future.

This just did not feel like the right time and place to explore those stories. Instead, this was the time to rally the troops and take down Samuel (Robert Knepper). Samuel received his comeuppance, but it was not as expected. It was much tamer and less satisfying.

Was it truly Peter’s destiny to tackle Samuel while Hiro took all those with abilities to a safe distance away? Was Sylar even needed to help Emma (Deanne Bray) when all she had to do was flick her fingers and it sent Doyle (David H. Lawrence) flying? With Samuel seconds away from mass destruction and the death of thousands, would not his loyal family at the carnival rallied on their own and stopped him? After all, they each had some pretty amazing abilities as well. Surely, Eli the Replicator (Todd Stashwick) and Edgar the knife-wielding speedster (Ray Park) would have intervened, or even the two-faced puppet-master Doyle would surely not have allowed Samuel to continue to destroy and kill at whim. Thus, were Sylar, Peter, Noah, Claire and Hiro even needed at all?

There was a lot of creative interweaving of storylines used to try to justify why they all were needed. But, in the end, it was really about one thing: once everyone saw who Samuel truly was, they would have left him alone anyway. His grand plan was nothing more than a demonstration of his demented desire to demonstrate his superior god-like ability to destroy the world and those who lived within in it. It was evil and insane. But his Achilles heel was that he needed others with abilities for his power to work. It simply made no sense that he would endeavor to kill everyone when he needed them so desperately.

What Worked

One of the better moments was when Tracy (Ali Larter) finally appeared to save the day. Alas, it was too short of an appearance and she was left behind while the other heroes went to stop Samuel.

It was also about time that Emma developed a back-bone and stood up to Samuel and refused to participate in his nefarious plan to use her ability to lure unsuspecting specials within his power-zone. Another nice twist was the revelation that it was actually Doyle, the puppet-master, who was pulling the strings when he forced Emma to play the pied piper’s song on her magical cello.

Loved that knife-wielding speedster Edgar finally turned to Noah for assistance in unmasking Samuel before the entire carnival – especially since Samuel killed his beloved. Thus, making the reveal of Samuel’s evil heart all that more satisfying.

And it was about time that Hiro was finally able to say good-bye to Charlie. This time they were not separated by her murder, but rather by time. Samuel had trapped Charlie by simply leaving her in the 1940’s. Thus, she was an 85 year old woman by the time Hiro ultimately found her. It was a sad and poignant realization that Hiro had to let her go. After all, Charlie already lived a lifetime and did not want to erase the lives of her children and grandchildren by agreeing to have Hiro re-set the time-clock. This then freed Hiro to return to his destiny as a hero, for as Hiro softly said to himself, “Destiny calls.”

While not entirely believable, it was cool to see that the five years of isolation perhaps altered Sylar’s self-perception from monster to hero. When Doyle told Sylar, “You’re like me,” Sylar angrily lashed back, “No – I’m a hero!” It seems that Sylar has found another calling – or another addiction to feed -- rather than being reviled and abhorred by all, he now just wants to be the savior of them all.

What Didn't Work

There was so many wasted opportunities to turn this 4th season finale (and possibly series finale) into the epic finale that the show deserved. Too many of the heroes felt redundant and superfluous, and those that could have been useful were missing. Where was the Haitian (Jimmy-Jean Louis) who could nullify Samuel’s monstrous power? Where was Dr. Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) ? Why did they bring back Tracy to rescue Claire and Noah only to leave without her? Tracy surely would have been a great ally to have for the confrontation with Samuel. And why send Sylar to rescue Emma when he would have been equally as effective against Samuel and Peter could have gone to rescue Emma?

While it was great to see Lauren (Elisabeth Rohm) play a part in the rescue of Noah and Claire, was she really just there to call the chopper and bring in the news crew at the end? Plus, did we really buy into the idea that Sylar could be redeemed from his villainous ways into becoming the hero of the story? Why would Matt choose to sit this out and send Replicator Eli in his place for the showdown with Samuel? Why would Noah spend his dying moments trying to explain his lifetime of regrets to Claire, rather than just telling her how much he loved her and was proud of her? Plus, Noah was always a man with a plan. He should have known that Lauren would not abandon him and would be along shortly. Did he not know his partner at all?

It was also weak that his dying wish was that Claire hide from the world and never reveal who or what she was. There were just too many questions that went unanswered, including when it came down to the wire and it was time to deal with the villains. There simply was no way that Doyle could have controlled Sylar for very long when Sylar had already figured out how to mimic other’s abilities without cutting open their head. Thus, why was it necessary for Sylar to rescue Emma in the first place when she demonstrated with a twitch of a finger that she could knock Doyle off balance? Sylar would have perhaps been better served confronting Samuel. That was the showdown everyone had been waiting for.

And did Samuel’s plan actually make any sense when he declared, “And so I make this pledge to you: tonight, once and for all: we pull back the curtain and reveal ourselves for who we truly are. After tonight, we will be respected!” That was the promise Samuel made, but he really just wanted to draw all those with abilities close to him in order to make himself all powerful so he could kill thousands of people. Such a desire was diabolical and insane. As Noah noted, all they all had to do was “walk away and he’s powerless.” Thus, Samuel was nothing without them all. Why kill them all if he needed them?

What we wanted to see was a demonstration of power by our heroes: strength and fearlessness. There should be no regrets, no hiding. It was further anti-climatic to watch Peter and Emma embrace without a hint of their growing attachment; to see Sylar grinning so foolishly after merely tying up Doyle in a strand of lights; and for Claire to heedlessly climb the Ferris wheel only to hurl herself to the ground with the camera crews capturing all of it on film. Thus, when Lauren asked, “What is she doing?” and Noah replied, “Breaking my heart,” we could all relate. And Peter wisely noted, “She’s going to change everything.” For once the world knows about the specials, it will be a witch-hunt; and Sylar’s optimistic, “It’s a brave new world” comment was a unsettling summation of it all.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

"Heroes" stars Jack Coleman, Greg Grunberg, James Kyson Lee, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, Cristine Rose, Milo Ventimiglia, Robert Knepper, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Zachary Quinto.

"Brave New World" was written by Tim Kring and directed by Adam Kane.