Once Upon a Time in Texas
Encyclopedia
"Once Upon a Time in Texas" is the seventh episode of the fourth season of the NBC
science fiction
drama
series Heroes
and sixty-sixth episode overall. The episode aired on November 2, 2009.
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 his. 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, subsequently causing them to return to 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
.
in Back to the Future). He also compares his relationship to Charlie with Crono and Marle from the video game Chrono Trigger
.
, now best known for her role as Emma Pillsbury
on the Fox show Glee
.
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. 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." IGN
called it "a decently told tale... of course, a little more action would have been nice." 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."
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.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
and sixty-sixth episode overall. The episode aired on November 2, 2009.
Plot
Hiro NakamuraHiro Nakamura
is a fictional character on the NBC fantasy drama Heroes who possesses the ability of space-time manipulation. This means that Hiro is able to alter the flow of time. Previously, his ability allowed him to teleport, stop time, or travel through time, but recent events in the series have prevented...
arrives three years in the past to save the love of his life, Charlie Andrews. Shortly after arriving, Hiro encounters Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
, who proceeds into the diner. Charlie pours coffee for her would-be assassin, who startles her after Sylar reveals he knows about her aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
. 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
Noah Bennet
Noah Bennet, also known as the man in horn-rimmed glasses or simply Mr. Bennet, is a fictional character from the NBC drama Heroes played by Jack Coleman. The role was initially recurring, but became regular as of the 11th episode...
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
Claire Bennet
Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis" on September 25, 2006...
's fate in the upcoming homecoming game
Homecoming (Heroes)
"Homecoming" is the ninth episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes.-Plot:The episode begins with Claire and her friend Zach walking into the high school amphitheater with lunch as Claire's former cheerleader friends wait anxiously for the results of the Homecoming...
. After meeting with Isaac Mendez
Isaac Mendez
Isaac Méndez was a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Santiago Cabrera, he had the ability to paint the future.-Genesis:...
to see his paintings (the same scene from "Seven Minutes to Midnight
Seven Minutes to Midnight (Heroes)
"Seven Minutes to Midnight" is the eighth episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes.-Plot:Mohinder returns to India to scatter his father's ashes. He debates whether to return to his job as a college professor...
"), 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
Ando Masahashi
is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction television drama series Heroes, portrayed by James Kyson Lee.The character was billed in a recurring role during the first season, and was promoted to series regular in the second...
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 his. 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, subsequently causing them to return to 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
Mohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a PhD in parapsychology...
.
Cultural references
Hiro uses the catchphrases of two other time-travellers: "Oh boy!" (Dr. Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap), and "Great Scott!" (Dr. Emmett BrownEmmett Brown
Doctor Emmett Lathrop "Doc" Brown, Ph.D. is a fictional character and one of the lead characters in the Back to the Future film trilogy, in which he is the inventor of the first time machine, which he builds out of a DeLorean sports car...
in Back to the Future). He also compares his relationship to Charlie with Crono and Marle from the video game Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
.
Reception
"Once Upon a Time in Texas" was watched by 6.2 million viewers, the best figures for Season Four. This was attributed in part to the return to the series of Jayma MaysJayma Mays
Jayma Suzette Mays is an American television and film actress, and singer. Mays' most prominent roles include that of Emma Pillsbury on the American television series Glee, recurring appearances on Ugly Betty and on Heroes as characters named Charlie.- Life and career :Mays was born Jamia Suzette...
, now best known for her role as Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury
Emma Pillsbury is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Jayma Mays, Emma has appeared in Glee from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009. Emma was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan...
on the Fox show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
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
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
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. 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." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called it "a decently told tale... of course, a little more action would have been nice." 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."
Despite the mixed reception, the episode was tied with "Tabula Rasa
Tabula Rasa (Heroes)
"Tabula Rasa" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes and sixty-fourth episode overall. The episode aired on October 19, 2009.-Plot:...
" in first place on TV.com, both episodes sharing an 8.8 over 10.