In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
Tonight, on a Very Special Heroes, it's five years in the future and all hell has broken loose. Apparently, it was Sylar who exploded all those years ago, both Micah and Ando were killed in the blast, and the remaining Heroes are all bitter and hunted. Past Hiro meets up with his future bad-ass self and they determine that they have to get Hiro back to the past so he can kill Sylar and stop the bomb. But before they can send him back, Matt shows up and captures Past Hiro because he thinks he's really Future Hiro and Future Hiro's a terrorist. Also? Matt works for Homeland Security, which is a fancy name for Nathan's Dirty Henchman since Nathan is now, in fact, the President. Nathan's kind of a dick in the future and he's partnered up with Mohinder, who seems to have been tasked with finding a "cure" for the Heroes. But he's getting nowhere with his research, and Nathan's getting antsy. So he wants Mohinder to start annihilating all the Heroes as a precautionary measure because Heroes are pains in the ass.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Texas, Bennet and Hana Wireless are running a Hero relocation program, complete with fake DNA identification methods. Bennet no longer wears his signature horn-rimmed glasses, so he's clearly kissed the OWI goodbye. Future Hiro and Ando show up on Bennet's doorstep after going to Vegas to try and find Peter. Peter's there, but he's invisible and dating Niki, and he's also really, really super hot. And has a big-ass scar on his face. Which only makes him hotter. Niki doesn't want him to help Hiro and Ando, so he doesn't, which is why they go to Texas to ask Bennet for help locating Peter and all the other Heroes.
Bennet's too busy trying to SAVE Heroes to round a bunch up just for Hiro's purposes, and he's also trying to keep Claire from getting captured. She's a waitress at the Burnt Toast Diner now, and she's about to get married, so she doesn't seem to keen on hitting the road yet again just because her daddy is paranoid. She could do worse than listen to her father, though, since Parkman shows up at his "office" in order to capture the second Hiro. But Peter shows up and (hotly) saves the day and teleports them outta there. When Bennet arrives, it becomes clear that he's worked out a twisted deal with Parkman that Parkman quickly terminates after learning where Claire is. And by "terminates," I mean "puts a bullet in Bennet's brain." Matt picks up Claire at the diner and takes her to see her real father.
After Nate orders Mohinder to kill Past Hiro, he heads off to the Petrelli Palace to see his super-powered daughter. He gives a snotty speech about not needing any more powers, now that he has Claire and that's when we see blood appear on Claire's forehead and realize that Nathan isn't really Nathan, he's Sylar and he didn't blow up all those years ago, it was really Peter, and now Sylar's basically bent on world destruction and Hero-cide.
Finally, Peter teams up with Future Hiro and Ando to bust Past Hiro out of his temporary prison before Mohinder can stick him in the neck with a needle. Just when we think Mo is going to kill the poor guy, he sticks The Haitian Sensation in the neck instead. He helps Hiro to escape, but not before Parkman shoots Future Hiro. And then Sylar shows up, and he and Peter get into a Battle Royale, and Mo and Ando have to convince Past Hiro to suck it up and get his shit together and get back to the past already so they can get on with the business of killing Sylar. In the end Hiro makes it back and they're primed and ready to put a sword through Sylar's heart. Amen. Want more? The full recap starts right below!
Previously on Heroes: Bennet, Matt, and RadioacTed escaped from the clutches of Evil Eric Roberts and decided to bring the OWI down on their own by heading to New York to destroy the Hero Trackerâ¢; Sylar killed Peter with a shard of glass to the brain stem, but Claire removed it and brought Peter miraculously back to life; Linderman dangled the presidency in front of Nathan and, it would appear, Nathan took the bait, because now all he has is visions of sugarplum Oval Office interns dancing in his head; and finally, Hiro and Ando leapt forward five years into the future and met up with none other than Future Hiro, who seems kind of perpetually pissed off and glowering. Maybe it's the soul patch.
The previouslys give us a rundown on how Peter saved the cheerleader, but what if, just what if, he didn't manage to save the world? That's right -- what if they didn't stop the bomb from blowing up Manhattan? "Tonight," says the previouslys guy, "Hiro travels five years into the future to a world they hope they never see."
We open on Hiro, entering Mystery Sock's loft again, with Ando in tow. They walk around, see the strings with the pictures and articles pinned to them and ask the same questions they asked at the end of the last episode. The chyron tells us that it's five years in the future, in case we haven't been paying attention like ever. Future Hiro appears and he and Past Hiro have their war of words again. "You." "Me?" It's very exciting.
Future Hiro admonishes Past Hiro for being there at all, seeing as everything that's in the room shouldn't be there, according to him. Ando asks what happened to the city, and Future Hiro opens the window, showing the title card: "Chapter Twenty: Five Years Gone." He says the bomb went off, even though it was all supposed to change. "Five years ago, a man named Sylar exploded a bomb in the heart of the city, changing the world forever," says Future Hiro. He muses that he thought he had it all figured out, had it all beat, but by his tone, we have to assume that he has failed at his tasks. "I look upset," observes Past Hiro. Heh. "Go talk to yourself," says Ando. "No way!" says Past Hiro. "I scare me!" Hee. You scare me too, dude. Hiro convinces Ando to go talk to his future self and Ando reluctantly agrees.
Ando asks what all the strings and pictures are for and Future Hiro says that they're a map of the events leading up to the bomb. Past Hiro asks why he's done this and Future Hiro says it's so he could figure out the precise moment to go back in time and intercede to change the future. He finally found it -- October 4th, 2006. The day on the subway when all the light went blue and Peter and Future Hiro met. "Save the cheerleader... " says Future Hiro in English. "Save the world!" finishes Past Hiro. "Did he do it?" asks Future Hiro. "Did Peter save her?" Hiro says that Peter saved her, and Future Hiro says that this means Sylar never killed her and took her power. "Which means... you were able to kill him, right?" asks Future Hiro. Hiro's confused -- he didn't kill Sylar. Future Hiro says that this means he has to get Hiro back to the past as soon as possible, because he has to finish what he started and take Sylar out of the game. "On the day the bomb explodes, you need to kill Sylar," says Future Hiro.
"You kill someone?" says Ando incredulously. Hiro shakes his head furiously. But Future Hiro grabs a red string and says it's Hiro and that the Hiro string intersects with the black Sylar string on the day the bomb explodes. This is the day Hiro has to kill Sylar. Future Hiro stabbed him, but he regenerated, which is why he had to go back and tell Peter to save the world. This is... really starting to hurt my head. Past Hiro says he can't go back because he can't control his powers. Before Future Hiro can smack Past Hiro around with the butt of his sword and call him a whiny girly-man, a bunch of cops bust into the Superstudio and demand that everyone put their hands on their heads. Future Hiro grabs Ando and they beat feet outta there, while poor Past Hiro gets nabbed by the Haitian Sensation as none other than Matt Parkman comes sauntering down the stairs.
Matt has turned into a right git, it would seem. He has gray hair and his general demeanor is one of bitterness and irritation. Matt orders the cops to go after Hiro's friends and then declares that he wants to take Hiro in personally. Future Hiro and Ando escape into an alley, and as Ando removes his guard's shirt because he sticks out like a sore thumb, Future Hiro explains that the men who just showed up in the Superstudio are Homeland Security and they're taking Past Hiro to a special holding facility for terrorists. Ando's like, "Wait -- terrorists? What the?" He realizes that Future Hiro is, in fact, a terrorist. "After Sylar exploded," says Future Hiro, "the world became a very dark place. And that is why we need to change it. Get him back so we can kill Sylar!" Ando nods his head. "Then let's go get Hiro." Future Hiro says it's not that simple, that the Haitian Sensation, who's guarding Hiro, has a way of blocking powers. So they're going to need some help. "There's only one person who's powerful enough to get us through," says Future Hiro. "Peter Petrelli. We're going to Las Vegas." Ando's like, "DAMMIT! We just CAME from there! Why can't we go to Paris or Rome or something?!" But they just time-travel to Vegas and their adventure begins.
Total eclipse of the Heroes!
After the break, we're in a Vegas strip club, which is my second-most favorite place to be in Sin City. My first is the dollar blackjack tables on the old Strip, because that is some of the best damn people-watching EVER. Also? The dealers are all like fifty-year-old Taiwanese women who don't take no shit. It's awesome. The chyron says, again, some more, that it's five years in the future. Really? So... five years in the future they're playing old Goldfrapp songs in strip clubs? Interesting. Five years in the future must have a lousy music collection. Not that I don't love me some Goldfrapp, but y'all, this song is already like two years old. I mean, even going slightly more retro with Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" would have been better and, I'll have to admit, much funnier. Oh, well. "This is where we're going to find Peter Petrelli?" asks Ando, kind of surprised and, it must be said, pleased, to find them in a swanky strip club. "No," grunts Future Hiro. "This is where we find his girlfriend." Oh, I think we all know where THIS is going.
The boys take a seat and, sure enough, the announcer says that the stripper is "Jessica" and out comes Jessica, in a bobbed wig and a bustier. She looks damn hot, but a stripper she ain't. She kind of flings her body all over the stage and pretends to enjoy it, but it's pretty clear that poor Ali Larter is like, "You bitches better not get any close-ups of my ass or I am calling my lawyer." "Maybe the future is not so bad!" says Ando enthusiastically. Future Hiro doesn't respond, choosing instead to glower at Jessica's writhing form. He keeps staring at her until she picks up on his creep vibe and makes eye contact with him. After her show, she walks over to them with her long blond hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail and a black silk robe wrapped around her body. This club, by the way, looks a far sight better than that gig Niki had as a stay-at-home stripper. It's fairly classy as strip clubs go. And, judging by the fact that she parks it at their table and demands that they give her $500 just to speak to her, I'd say she's making a killing here.
Ando hands her the cash and tries to re-introduce himself and Jessica's like, "This is how you're wasting my time?" Future Hiro finally says that they need to talk to Peter because it's important. She says the war's over and they lost, so what's the point? Future Hiro says it's about killing Sylar, and Jessica's up in a flash, grabbing him by the throat. "You say that name again and I will break your neck," she spits at him. He says nothing and she kind of backs off, her eyes getting a look like, "Damn, did I just do that shit AGAIN? Wait, am I Jessica? Or Niki? Is my hair gorgeous? It is? Well, then. Guess I'm Jessica!" She starts to walk away, but Future Hiro asks if she knows where Bennet is. She says he's rustling cattle in Texas, and walks off. Ando sadly waves after her. Hee.
Jessica walks over to the bartender and asks how the receipts are, so I think this is actually HER bar, or at least she's not just a stripper. The barkeep says it's been a good night and puts down two glasses of scotch on the bar. It soon becomes clear that she's not double-fisting; the second glass is for Peter, who materializes to her at the bar. And, might I just say for the record, that he looks all sorts of hot. He's darker, older, and really super dangerous-looking. Dayum. His hair is slicked back and he has a gargantuan scar running across the front of his face. He asks what the hell Future Hiro wanted and Jessica says that he's still trying to stop the exploding man. Peter just says that Sylar's dead, what more do they want? Jessica says she shipped 'em off to Bennet, so he can deal with them.
They turn to look at the TV on the wall that's showing footage of day of the explosion. "Of all days, huh?" says Peter. "Today is just another day," she says. "You lost your son, Niki --" "It's called letting go," she snaps. "Maybe you should give it a try. Or would you rather go off with your buddy and fight the pain away?" He looks at her tenderly and leans in. "I'm not goin' anywhere," he says, kissing her. They share one super hot kiss and then she moves off into the club. Peter looks back at the TV as it's showing a shot of Sylar to more bomb footage. He slams his drink and then uses his TK to pull the plug on the TV.
Homeland Security -- Bargain Basement Wing. Seriously, where the hell are they, in the storage room of an IRS office? Hiro's trying to explain to Matt and the Haitian Sensation that this is all one big misunderstanding. Matt runs off Hiro's background and his special talent for teleportation and time-stopping, and then continues down a list of things like prison breaks and attacks against U.S. interests. Hiro's totally confused. He gets even more confused when Matt states that two years ago, Hiro killed a lot of good men when he raided a science center in Raleigh. Hiro says that he's not a killer. Matt tries to read his mind and learns that Hiro honestly doesn't remember killing people. Matt says that men like Hiro and Sylar have ruined life for the rest of the Heroes, making them live in fear and captivity, making them choose sides. "Tearing families apart," says Matt. "I would never tear a family apart," says Hiro. Matt grabs him and tries to read his mind again, but all he hears is, "I just want to be a hero." Aw.
Matt says to Hiro that he's not sure what game he's playing, but he's going to get info out of him one way or another. Then he steps outside and gets on the phone to someone and says that they have Hiro in custody. The someone on the other end of the phone is Nathan; he's convinced that the Heroes are up to something and he needs to know what it is. Matt says that Hiro doesn't remember the last five years, and Nathan wonders if it's not a trick or an illusion or something. Matt says there may be something they've overlooked and Nathan orders him to rip the truth out of poor Hiro. "If you can't do it, I'll get someone who can." "Yes sir, Mr. President," says Matt with not a little animosity. We then see Nathan, standing in the Oval Office, asking his secretary to "Send in the Professor." And in walks Mohinder, sporting a scruffy beard and a pair of glasses that are doing him quite a few favors. What is it about the future -- did they all just get hotter? Every year I age I just get meaner, not hotter. I need to teleport over to THEIR future!
Mohinder shakes Nathan's hand as Nathan informs him that they've captured Hiro in Manhattan. Mo thinks this is great news, but Nathan's not so sure. He wants Mo to head to New York and find out exactly what's going on with the prisoner. Then he reminds Mohinder that five years ago, they, together, allowed a man to blow up in New York. "Soon after, we sat down in my office -- do you remember?" "Of course," says Mohinder. "We made a pact to eliminate such danger at any cost." Nathan points out that billions in research has been spent and they're no closer to a cure for the DNA aberrations. The problem is, says Mohinder, that the mutation is hard-coded into their DNA. "It's like they're a separate species. We cannot change who they are, Mr. President." "We've outlawed their breeding," says Nathan. "We've confined their movements. We police them. We track them. Their attacks continue. Their population is increasing exponentially." Wow. So the future is a city state with Heroes as the hunted minorities? That's kind of sick. Nathan's pissed that the Heroes are still running rampant and he wants Mohinder to put an end to them once and for all. "In your original assessment, you posited a potential solution," says Nathan. "Extinction." Mo's like, "Uh, yeah, but I wasn't SERIOUS about that!" Nathan quotes Mohinder's words back to him, saying that the Heroes wouldn't be the first species to be made extinct in order to preserve the survival of another. Mo argues that he was talking about the natural order of things; what Nathan's talking about is genocide.
Nathan thinks it's more self-defense than shameless murder and they need to put an end to this. Mo points out that Nathan's one of them. "Am I supposed to march you off to the gas chambers as well?" "I'm thankful for the secrets you've kept," says Nathan. "But let's be honest. I can fly. I'm hardly dangerous." Wow. Knowing what we know about the end of this episode, this scene is even MORE chilling. Pasdar's doing an awesome job of channeling here. If you don't know what I mean because you haven't seen the end of the episode, dude. DUDE. So awesome. Nathan turns to Mohinder and asks if he gave him five, even twenty years, would he be able to reverse it? Mohinder, of course, says he wouldn't be able to. "Then we need to start thinking about Plan B," says Nathan. Chills.
Meanwhile, Matt's decided that kicking the shit out of Hiro is the best way to jog his memory. Because Future Matt is a fucking Neanderthal. But his method is failing miserably. Hiro asks why he wants to hurt special people like them. Matt gets a call from someone and learns that Mohinder is at the Superstudio. He heads off to meet with him and orders the Haitian Sensation to watch over Hiro. Although... wasn't the Haitian Sensation working with Bennet and Ma Petrelli to save Claire? What the hell is he doing now capturing Heroes and rendering them powerless? This hardly seems to be a continuation of the path he was on just a couple of episodes ago. This future sucks. At the Superstudio, Mohinder looks at the timeline with a stunned expression on his face as we zoom in on a card from Primatech Paper Company.
Cut to Primatech Paper Company in Odessa, Texas. Bennet's sitting with a family of three, a mother, a father, and a little boy. He's no longer wearing his signature horn-rimmed glasses. I don't know what this means, but maybe it's that he no longer works for OWI and is kind of on his own? He tells the little boy to press his finger to a pad of paper and if it turns red, he's "one of them" and he'll get captured, but if it turns blue, he'll be free to go. Of course, it turns red, because the boy's a Hero. Hana "Wireless" Gitelman moves forward and hands the father an envelope with new identities and back stories for all of them. They're going into hiding. "How do we know when we're safe?" asks the mother. "You don't," says Bennet. "Not ever." He grabs a box full of vials and says that the boy should always keep a refrigerated sample of what's inside in a thermos that he carries with him at all times. He opens one of the vials and drops some of the liquid on the pad and it turns blue. Bennet tells the boy to be vigilant and always on the lookout. The boy says he will. Hana escorts them out, and Bennet stops the father. "Do whatever it takes to protect him." The father nods solemnly and follows his family out the door.
Once they're gone, Bennet goes to meet with Future Hiro and Ando. He tells them that he refuses to locate Heroes to help them get into Homeland Security. "These people trust me to keep them hidden! You're asking me to do the EXACT opposite!" "I'm only asking you for the ones I brought to you!" says Future Hiro. "D.L., Candice, Molly Walker. And they'll all be safe when we succeed!" Bennet won't help. Ando steps forward and says that Hiro saved Claire's life. Bennet's confused. Future Hiro explains that he told Peter Petrelli to save Claire from Sylar at homecoming. "My friend tells me he did it," says Future Hiro. "Claire's alive. Isn't she?" Bennet considers this, then takes a piece of paper with the Heroes' names on it from Future Hiro and tells them to sit tight while he sees what he can do.
Superstudio. Mohinder's trying to explain to Matt that each string represents a particular person, but Matt's too busy grunting and scratching himself to pay attention. He just wants to get back to kicking Hiro's ass. Because that's a much more productive use of his time. Mohinder says this is a living map of the past, and Matt asks why a terrorist would be so interested in the past. Because he's not just a terrorist, JACKASS. He's a time-traveling, teleporting terrorist! God, PAY ATTENTION. Mohinder says that maybe Future Hiro thought he could change the past. At this point, it becomes clear that neither Mo nor Matt actually know that Hiro's a time-traveler; they only know he can teleport and freeze time. But Mo supposes that if Hiro can bend space, then he can also bend time. Lord -- have they not been watching this damn show?
Mohinder picks up the last comic that Isaac ever drew and comments that Hiro being able to time-travel isn't any stranger than being able to read minds, and Matt just smart-asses that it is, actually, MUCH stranger than that. Because Future Matt is a fucking half-wit. Mo asks if Matt's ever wanted to go back and change his past; put his life on a different path. Matt bitterly responds that he used to be that guy, but not anymore. But apparently, Hiro's still that guy. Mohinder excitedly goes to the strings and picks out to specific moments on the timeline that were important to Hiro. One is the bomb, the other is-- Mohinder stops. He reads the sticky on the picture of Hiro and Peter meeting in the subway car. He realizes that this is the day he received his father's ashes.
"I was with Peter Petrelli that day," he says. "On the subway. He said he saw a man who could freeze time." Matt wonders if this was Hiro, but Mohinder doesn't know. "He said he had a message for Peter." Mohinder kind of looks around at the strings as Matt repeatedly asks him what the message was. Mohinder starts to run up the stairs out of the studio, but comes back in to say, "Save the cheerleader, save the world." He looks down at Matt, who suddenly realizes he's standing right smack dab in the middle of the floorpocalypse. He steps back off of it and we flash to white...
... only to wind up at the only restaurant in Texas, the Burnt Toast Diner. I was wrong in the last recap -- the diner isn't in Odessa, it's in Midland. But still. Claire serves a couple of plates to counter customers and her hair is a dark brown, which actually looks quite pretty on her. She retreats to the end of the counter to watch a program about the White House. A young, handsome guy comes out to stand by her, and he comments that for someone who doesn't like the president, she sure does perk up whenever he's on TV. The guy calls her "Sandra" ["aw, her mom's name" -- Sars] and it would appear that they're in love and going to be married. She's forgotten to check out some place for the reception, and he asks her if she's getting cold feet. She isn't -- she's just been distracted, what with trying to stay off the government's radar and the whole hiding-from-bad-guys thing.
Speaking of hiding from bad guys, Claire's fiancé observes that the "creepy guy with the glasses" is back and he's sitting in Claire's section. Claire's like, "You think he's creepy NOW, you shoulda seen him with the horn rims!" She heads over to deal with her dad. He tells her immediately that someone knows about her and that she has to leave immediately. He brought a bag for her that contains ID and money, probably, although he doesn't say what's inside. "What am I supposed to tell Andy?" she asks. "Tell him nothing," he says. "Just go." Claire says she can't do that to him because they're getting married, and Bennet looks at her in surprise. "Have you told him?" he asks. "No," she says. "All I want is a normal life, Dad." He says he tried to give her that, but it's not safe there anymore.
Claire says she's been hiding for five years all over the country, and her father says that he brought her back to Midland. "Only after Mom left," she snips. Aw. That's sad. I would have thought they'd stay together through thick and thin! Claire's quip about her mother seems to hurt Bennet a bit and he says that he only wanted to keep Claire safe. A TV program in the distance announces that over two hundred undocumented Heroes have been rounded up in a coordinated sweep. It's been cited as the department of Homeland Security's most successful operation since the Linderman Act was passed four years ago. Nice little bit of continuity there, showing that Nathan and Linderman were actually partnered up back then. Claire looks up at the screen and then back at her father. "Enjoy your pie," she says, her voice dripping with disgust. But she grabs the bag he brought, so it appears she's going to listen to him about leaving town.
Future Hiro and Ando are watching the same TV program back at Primatech. Future Hiro is running down the roster of Heroes who are supposed to be helping them get Hiro out of custody -- D.L. can phase into the building and Candice can create illusions to distract the guards. Ando's all, "Hey, what about ME? What do I do, huh?" Future Hiro's like, "Just sit there and look pretty, okay? Oh, and get me a soda -- time travel is thirsty work, man!" But what Ando really wants to know is what is he doing NOW, like, in life, in the future. Is he married? Is he rich? Future Hiro refuses to tell him that because, well, time is a funny thing, dude. "The time-space continuum might implode because you were impatient!" Future Hiro says with a small smile. "So... my friend is still in there?" asks Ando. Future Hiro nods at him and starts to say, "There's something I need to tell you --" But Matt bursts into the room and tasers poor Future Hiro. The room fills with cops, one of whom grabs Ando.
Parkman walks up to Future Hiro and grabs his face, remarking that they already caught him, so what the hell is he doing there now? Just as he comes to the realization that Hiro really can travel through time, Peter materializes in the room, TKs a couple of guards, and stops time. He grabs Hiro's sword and gives a hatred-filled look to Parkman. Then he puts a hand on Future Hiro and a hand on Ando and teleports them the hell outta there. Awesome. Just an awesome scene altogether. It's really short, but it's supremely well done. And I don't even mind how much they're making Peter look like Neo with the long preacher's coat and everything. Don't mind at all!
After the break, we see Bennet, walking through Primatech, surveying the damage. "Your friends got away," Matt says snidely. "If they were my friends," says Bennet, "I wouldn't have called you, Matt." Oh, no. So Bennet's working with the bad good guys? Or the good bad guys? Or the... I have no idea. Bennet says that their deal was that he would turn the government onto the dangerous refugees and leave him alone to help the harmless ones. Matt says that it doesn't help that they're both harboring children of interest, only his isn't the president's daughter. Bennet says that Claire is getting married, and Matt throws him a half-hearted "mazel tov." Then he asks if Bennet's heard anything from Matt's wife Janice, and Bennet wordlessly hands him an envelope. Inside is a child's drawing of Janice and Matt's son, Matthew.
Matt asks if Bennet ever wishes he took a different path, and Bennet says, "Every day." Then he tells Matt that he did right by his wife and son -- that he didn't have a choice. Matt says that he appreciates everything Bennet's done for his family. And that's when Bennet walks past him and sees Hana on the floor with a bullet in her head. Matt then grabs Bennet and throws him down on a desk. Cops surround them and hold Bennet down. "What're you doing?" asks Bennet. "I'm ending our arrangement," says Matt, cocking his gun and holding it up to Bennet's head. He goes on to say that he can't go back to the president empty-handed, so Bennet had better tell him where Claire is. Unfortunately, Matt can read minds, so he quickly gets Claire's whereabouts from Bennet's brain and... shoots him. NOOOOOOO! That's like shooting Spy Daddy! Nooooooo!
Luckily, we switch to Claire before we see the actual shooting, but still. Claire's at the diner and she's looking at the ID package her father gave her. She rushes over to Andy and says she wants to elope. He says she's crazy. She says she probably is, but she has her reasons. And she promises to tell him everything. He realizes that she's serious, so he agrees to elope right then and there. They kiss and he goes to get his things. She's so happy that she starts pouring coffee for everyone at the counter. She moves over to a man whose coffee cup is upside down and asks him if she can get him something. He lowers the menu in front of his face, and it's Matt. "I don't know, Claire, what's good?" he says with a smirk. Because Future Matt is a smugly murderous asshole.
Bargain Basement Superhero Cell. Mohinder's taken over questioning Hiro, and he starts with, "Save the cheerleader, save the world." "How do you know that?" asks Hiro. Mohinder describes the day on the subway and says that he and Peter were on their way to see Isaac Mendez that day. He pulls out the final comic and shows it to Hiro and says that, even though Isaac could paint the future, and his work is remarkably accurate, history didn't happen like the comic; Hiro didn't kill Sylar. "You're trying to change the past," says Mo. "Trying to stop Sylar, is that it?" "If you could save millions of lives," says Hiro, "wouldn't you?" Mohinder just stares at him, realizing that Hiro might be talking about himself, but he's also talking about Nathan's Plan B.
Cut to Future Hiro, passed out on a table back at the strip club. Peter keeps staring at Ando. "Is that really you, Ando?" asks Peter. "Why are you so surprised to see me?" asks Ando. "He didn't tell you?" asks Peter. "What?" "You're... dead." Aw. The bomb got Ando too. Peter asks Ando if he remembers how Hiro used to be, so full of hope and optimism. Well, after Ando died in the bombing, Hiro basically became Future Hiro; dark, angry, and brooding. Peter thinks that Ando's the reason Future Hiro became so obsessed with changing it all back. "He wants to save you," says Peter. A door opens in the distance, and Niki/Jessica enters. Okay, it's really Niki, but we don't learn that here for a few more minutes, so I'll just call her Jessica until we get the definitive proof. Jessica takes one look at the scene before her and turns right around and walks out. Peter goes after her.
Superstudio of Superheroes. Mohinder is explaining to President Nathan about Future Hiro's plan to kill Sylar before the explosion. "You actually think he can make that happen?" asks Nathan. "I do," says Mohinder. "I mean, think about it. Without Sylar, the world would never have considered these people to be dangerous. None of this would've ever happened. Imagine the possibilities. If he kills Sylar, he can change the past." Nathan's not interested in changing the past. He wants to change the present. And that involves killing all the Heroes. Nathan's going to announce that Mohinder's developed a treatment to reverse the Hero DNA. Mohinder's like, "So, what? You're going to lie?" Nathan's like, "Well, DUH." "The world will cheer," says Nathan. "And what happens when people start dying?" says Mohinder. "I'll say you made a mistake," says Nathan. "A fatal error. At first, the world will mourn. They'll be united in grief. And then they'll just be united." Mohinder looks at him like, "Okay, bitch crazy." Nathan wants to know if he can trust him and if he's with him on this. Mohinder says he is as Matt enters and announces that there are two Hiros.
He explains that they caught the younger one and he wants to eliminate him, just to be safe. Nathan says that Mohinder should do it instead. Mohinder looks horrified. But Nathan cocks his head at him as if to say, "Uh, did you not just declare that you were WITH me?" Mohinder swallows hard and says he'll take out Nakamura. Matt then says that Hiro's not the only thing he found in Texas. Cut to the Petrelli Palace in Manhattan, where Claire is standing in front of a roaring fire. Nathan enters and says, "I thought you were dead. You have no idea how important you are to me, Claire." Claire says she's just a waitress, but Nathan says that isn't true and tries to embrace her. She pulls away from him and spits, "You made everyone afraid of us!" He disagrees, saying that he made everyone aware of them and that fear is just a natural response. "We're special," he says. "Who are you to decide who's special and who's not?" she snaps.
She starts to leave, but he grabs her arm. "I'm the leader of the free world," he says. "For all I know, I'm the most special person there is. Lord knows I found enough power. Met a lot of special people. Like this girl named Candice who allowed me to become president. But I'm done." Claire starts to back away from him. "I just want to eliminate the competition," he continues. "I don't need any more power. Especially not after you." Claire turns to run, but Nathan waves his hand in the air and she freezes. He points his finger at her and she starts to bleed from her forehead. "Sylar... " she whispers as he morphs from Nathan to Sylar behind her. "I've waited a long time for this," he says with a smile. Oh, EW! Never mind that Claire should be able to regenerate just as Peter did in the last episode, this is still a totally creepy moment.
Back in the strip club, Future Hiro finally wakes up and Ando's waiting for him. He's looking at the sword and mentions that Hiro always wanted to be a Kendo master. "I studied in Tohoku, so technically, I'm a Battojutsu master." Ando's like, "Dude! Why you always gotta correct me?" Future Hiro says it's because there's a difference between the two, and Ando says what the fuck difference does it make? You still became a hero while I became... dead. He comments that Hiro's fought a lot of battles, and Future Hiro says he did; more than he cares to remember. Ando asks how they were, and Future Hiro says they weren't nearly as much fun without Ando. They smile at each other. Aw.
Meanwhile, in Jessica's dressing room, she's imploring Peter to remember what they promised each other. He remembers. "Then why can't you just let it go?" she asks. "Hey, I'm not the one who can't let go!" he says. "You're gonna call yourself 'Jessica' onstage night after night and act like nothing gets to you? We both know that's not true. That is not who you are." "It is now," she says. "You're gonna look in that mirror," he says, "but nobody is looking back but YOU. She is gone, Niki. D.L. is gone. Micah is gone. You have to accept your loss." So this is where we get confirmation that Niki is just Niki and not Niki/Jessica. She may have absorbed Jessica, or Jessica disappeared, but whatever, she's not split apart anymore. Niki says that Jessica was right -- she should just look out for herself and not get attached. Peter doesn't buy that. Niki asks why he's so anxious to leave her then. He says he has his own reasons and that he's not leaving her; he'll be back.
She demands to know what reasons he's talking about. "What makes you think you are SO important? That you have to FIX EVERYTHING?" "Because I do," says Peter. "Why? Why does it fall on your shoulders to save everyone?" she demands, shoving him. "BECAUSE IT WAS ME!" he hollers. "The bomb? It was ME! I killed all those people. I killed Micah." Niki doesn't believe him. She thinks it was Sylar. Peter says that's not true and that Nathan lied to protect him. He says that if there's a chance Hiro can undo all this, then Peter has to help him. "You walk out that door, you don't come back," Niki says with tears running down her face. Peter glances back over his shoulder... and then walks out. He moves through the club, TK-ing an ottoman out of his way. "Everything okay?" asks Future Hiro. "No!" says Peter. "Let's go fix it."
Awwww yeah.
Ground Zero (for the Sylar/Peter Bomb, not for 9/11 -- I just want to make that clear). Nathan/Sylar's giving a memorial speech in front of a crowd. Five bells ring out for five years of sorrow. Hiro hears this in his cell. Mohinder pulls out a syringe as Matt watches. Niki hears the bells as she watches the speech on TV at the club. She flings a glass at the screen. Nathan/Sylar continues speaking. At Homeland Security, Peter, Future Hiro, and Ando have arrived at the front desk, looking like Neo and Trinity in the lobby shootout. The security guards all freak out and back off. Alarms begin. Matt and Mohinder hear them in the room where they're keeping Hiro. Back downstairs, Future Hiro says to Peter, "Should we freeze time?" "Naaaah," says Peter. "I haven't had a good fight in years." Heh. Future Hiro and Peter start to kick some ass as Nathan/Sylar continues blathering on. All that's missing is the Propellerheads, y'all. Once they've dispatched their hindrances, Future Hiro says that upstairs, their powers will be blocked by the Haitian Sensation. Peter observes that they'll need to take out the Haitian Sensation so that Past Hiro can teleport out of here. Ando points out that there will be guards up there, waiting to take them out with guns. Excellent observation, Ando.
Sure enough, upstairs in front of the elevator, Matt's amassed a large amount of SWAT guys. Their guns are all pointed at the doors. Nathan/Sylar continues his speech the entire time, but everything he's saying is a big fucking lie, about peace and harmony and people coming together, so I'm not going to transcribe it because it's fucking Sylar and fuck him. I might need to swear more in there somewhere. He finally starts talking about the genetic code reversal treatment, and we see Mohinder readying the syringe for Hiro. Hiro looks terrified. Future Hiro enters the elevator downstairs and prepares to ride up. The Haitian Sensation and Mohinder make their way to poor Hiro. "The nightmare is over," says Nathan/Sylar. "The world is saved."
One of the SWAT guys asks Matt why they're just sitting there waiting; why aren't they bringing the fight to the Heroes? Matt says they'd lose; the Haitian Sensation is up here, so that's where they'll stay. The elevator dings and the doors open... but no one is inside. Matt enters and looks around, but yep, it's empty. Inside the room, Hiro tearfully says that he must go back to stop the explosion. Mohinder tells the Haitian Sensation to hold Hiro down. "I'm sorry," he says to Hiro... before he sticks the needle in the Haitian Sensation's neck! Ha! I mean, I like the Haitian Sensation, but right now, in the future, he's working for the bad guys, so I don't care that he winds up dead. Or out. Or whatever.
Mohinder unlocks Hiro's cuffs and pulls him to his feet. Hiro's all, "Why you let me go? Why you no kill me?" Mohinder shoves the Last Comic at him and says that he's supposed to save him. We see a series of panels that show Mohinder stabbing the Haitian Sensation in the neck with a needle. Mohinder opens the door and there's Future Hiro, dispatching a bunch of guards. How he actually got past them all isn't really explained. He's just there, on the other side of the door. He's about to go apeshit on Mohinder's ass, but Hiro steps up. "No! Future me! He good guy!" Hee.
Peter shows up and makes mincemeat of another guard. "Mohinder," he gruffs. "Peter?" says Mohinder, a bit of lust-light in his eyes. I mean, seriously. Ando runs in, and he and Hiro hug. Aw. Future Hiro puts an end to the reunion by saying that Hiro needs to go back in time right this minute. Hiro's worried that he won't go back to the right time. "I'll take you," says Future Hiro, reaching out his hand. But gunshots explode into Future Hiro's back. He goes down. Matt's in the doorway, shooting. Peter TKs the door shut. We fade to white...
... and fade back in on Nathan/Sylar lighting the eternal flame at the memorial site. Switch back to Matt, yelling at some SWAT guys to move it as he gets on his phone and calls Nathan/Sylar. Nathan/Sylar picks up, and Matt tells him that the Haitian Sensation is down. Nathan/Sylar asks about Hiro; Matt says they can't get to him because Peter is holding them off. Matt says that if they don't get reinforcements right now, Hiro will escape. Nathan/Sylar hangs up the phone and... jumps straight into the air. Clearly, the time for discretion has come and gone.
Back in the room, Hiro pulls a blood-spattered panel of the comic out of Future Hiro's pocket. I'm not sure, but I think it shows Future Hiro dead. Ando looks up at Hiro and says they need to get the hell outta there. Hiro's stuck on the whole future-self-being-dead thing. Peter's standing by the door and suddenly, a hand phases through and pulls him out. Out in the hallway, Peter goes sliding along the floor as Nathan/Sylar turns to Matt. "Get in there, Parkman," he grits. "End this." Parkman is clearly stunned. "Sir." Matt turns back to the door as Nathan/Sylar turns to Peter. "Brother versus brother," he says, walking down the hallway. "It's almost biblical." Peter says that his brother can't walk through walls, so who the hell is he? Sylar returns to his own form and says, "An old friend." Oooooooooh.
Matt continues to try and break down the door, even though Sylar is standing not FOUR FUCKING FEET AWAY FROM HIM. I'm really trying to figure out if Matt knows that Nathan is Sylar, or if he doesn't know and the writers are done caring if we think he's stupid. Inside the room, Mohinder grabs Future Hiro's sword and gives it to Hiro, saying that he has to get out of there NOW. Outside, Peter says that Sylar's going to pay for what he did to Nathan, what he did in Nathan's name. "What I did?" says Sylar, igniting his hands with blue ice. "When I killed him, he had already turned against his own kind." "Liar!" says Peter, igniting his own hands with red fire. The two men move toward each other to begin battle.
Back in the room, Ando implores Hiro to teleport back to their own time. The battle outside the door keeps threatening to break inside as Mohinder valiantly tries to keep the SWAT guys AND Peter and Sylar's war from getting in. Hiro says he can't go back in time. Ando says he believes in him. "I've seen the man that you become. You can do this!" Mohinder holds back the battle outside as Hiro finally believes in himself and grabs the sword. There's a flash of light as Mohinder screams.
When the light clears, we're with Hiro and Ando on the Superhero Superroof. It's five years in the past. New York's intact. Hiro pulls out the Last Comic and sees the panel where he's supposed to stab Sylar. "And now for the hard part... " he says, pushing up his glasses. Hee.
on Heroes: Only three more episodes left! And Hiro has to kill Sylar! And there's a new Hero and it's that little girl Molly! Woo!