Heroes favorites Masi Oka and Hayden Panettiere took some time out to talk about the upcoming season, specifically what’s going on with Hiro and Claire’s new college roommate.

Last we saw our favorite Japanese villain-fighter extraordinaire, he wasn’t faring too well with fighting off a sickness he acquired. Oka elaborated on his character’s hardship:

“Hiro let someone into his world. The first time he stopped time while touching someone—in that case, it was Ando—that was first time he froze time with someone else in that freeze-time world. That was started the adverse effect in Hiro’s brain. The power is meant to have a capacity of one. When you start adding Ando, Suresh, and other people into that world, it just a strain that’s put on Hiro’s brain.”

Oka also revealed that the dynamic between Ando and Hiro changes when Ando marries Hiro’s sister and harnesses his powers, “It always changes, but once Ando got his powers, it was more equal footing. It wasn’t more of a Batman and Robin; it became more of a Batman and Superman. There’s something to be said to be said about the familiarity of the characters and what the audience wants and expects, but we want the characters to grow.”

(Check out clips from season four after the jump!)

As for Claire Bennett, Panettiere briefly touched upon the surface of a seemingly-complicated relationship with a new roommate at school: “[Claire] is in college with a new best friend and roommate. She’s finally got what Zach was: a confidant. Somebody she can tell her secrets to; who she can trust. That’s a very delicate balance that can easily fall apart and one little misstep and her dad will bring Rene the Haitian to wipe their memories.”

What’s more is that there’s some sexual tension between Claire and her roommate Gretchen, played by Madeline Zima: “There’s a little bit of a flirting with the whole, ‘Are we friends? Are we more? Do I have feelings for you in that way?’ Where exactly it’s going, I have no idea,” Panettiere explained.

Cut down to a 19 episode season, hopefully the writers will be through with stretching story lines out longer than need be. Either way, I know that I’ll have my eyes glued to the small screen when season four airs next Monday, September 21, at 9 p.m. on NBC.

Video Source: Collider

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