By Angel Cohn
This is the LONGEST eclipse ever. I looked it up. The average one lasts about 7 minutes. This one takes about two hours.
Mohinder has gotten a copy of the World Book Encyclopedia and is learning all about eclipses. He's also got an address for Maya, which is in NJ, and makes me want to leave the state. Flint is being a dick and flicking his Zippo so much that it gives me a migraine. Mohinder and Flint get in a scuffle, and surprisingly and quite implausibly, Mohinder wins. He heads off to see Maya (NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) but he chickens out because he's disgusting. Then he goes back to the lab, now that he's all scale-covered and gross again.
Peter and the Haitian run through the jungle during the full on eclipse (which they both look at, despite the whole burning retina thing). Peter wants to prove he can be a hero without his powers. Nathan is chained up, speaking French and having a discussion with some prostitute girls when he's interrupted by The Haitian's self-proclaimed "God" brother. But since God is powerless during the eclipse too, the boys are able to take him down. Peter sends Nathan and The Haitian and the prostitutes off, and he and his death wish stay behind to buy some time. But then The Haitian and Nathan sneak back and save him. God is about to unleash his deadly wrath as the eclipse comes back. Nathan gets kinda badass. Then The Haitian layeth the smackdown on his brother in some sort of sick Vulcan mind meld thing. Peter and Nathan are all about the brotherly love, for a millisecond. Until Nathan gets the crazy eyes and becomes irrationally excited about the prospects of giving people powers, so they can be awesome like The Haitian. Peter is, of course, against this idea. Nathan flies off. Peter's left alone in the dark jungle with nothing but a prostitute and a flashlight.
Matt looks like a moron and has to have Daphne explain using little words that she has cerebral palsy. Daphne takes off as soon as she's free of the crutches. Matt's back to doing the head tilting on her dad. There's some annoying conversation about a scarecrow. Daphne shares a moment with her dad, which I would find touching, if I cared about this storyline at all.
Hiro and Ando are at Sam's Comics, goofing around with Breckin Meyer and Seth Green (woo hoo!). Hiro scans some back issues of "9th Wonders" (which makes me wonder who is writing/drawing this psychic comic since Isaac -- the original author is dead). Breckin puts together the whole eclipse thing. Freakin' highly-educated doctor doesn't get it, but second banana at comic store totally figures it out. Duh. Hiro has a panic attack and doesn't want to grow up. Seth has to give him a pep talk, even though he doesn't believe that he's really the guy from the comic book. The nerd boys analyze the comics in all their glory for clues on how to get Hiro's memory back. Hiro blinks off to save the cheerleader -- his goal again, just like the good old days. He leaves Ando in the middle of the store.
Matt and Daphne come to the comic shop. They want more copies of the comic, but apparently that was the last posthumous Isaac issue. See, I don't buy that. Isaac's stuff always seemed pretty of the moment, but whatever. Then Seth tells the tale of a mythic bike messenger who has Isaac's sketchbook. Wonder if he's a speedster too, like Hermes!
Sylar and Elle do it (and by "it" I mean sex) at the House of Vortex. They talk about the chance to reinvent themselves. Then a laser from HRG's gun points at Sylar's head. which causes Sylar to start running around half naked. Elle gets shot. They make their way to a drug store, where they take some ace bandages and scare a hapless clerk. HRG is busy hunting down Sylar and Elle when he gets a call from Sandra saying that Claire's in the hospital. He's all kinds of pissed off. Sylar, or Gabriel, as Elle prefers, protects her and goes after HRG. They have a rockin' knock down drag out fight. It's kind of the best thing I've seen on this show in ages. It involves a box cutter. No! Not the hair! No! Not the throat. HRG's a total badass and slices through Sylar's jugular.
Claire is rushed to the hospital. The hospital is skeptical that she's never been sick. Claire complains that it hurts and Sandra pushes her to take some drugs. I foresee a very special episode where Claire gets hooked on pain killers and has to go to rehab. She starts seizing, which is actually pretty convincing. She even gets her chest cracked and "dies", but then the eclipse is over and she's magically alive again and they've got some 'splaining to do. They bust out of the hospital and head for home, where finally Claire gets to confront HRG. She's all angry that he's never around.
Then it all comes down to Casa Bennet. Sylar's alive, and he's got Sandra, and he's got his powers back. He and Elle want Claire, and a little bit of revenge against HRG. HRG says that the Petrellis aren't his parents, and Elle knows the truth. Dun-dun-dun. Just then Hiro blinks in, snags "bad man" (Sylar) and wooshes him off somewhere, comes back, and does the same with Elle. Sylar and Elle are on a beach together, which nearly leads to more sexytimes, until he slices her brain open. Hiro comes back again for Claire, says "save the cheerleader," and he takes her back to the day that she was foisted on HRG. It's almost like the show I used to like. Almost.
See what HRG himself has to say about this episode. Then come back on Friday for our full recap.