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Sylar finally meets his dad, and I'm extremely pleasantly surprised to see it's the completely fabulous John Glover, but Sylar discovers that Samson has terminal lung cancer, which kind of takes the air out of his plan to kill him. Sylar still continues to be completely whiny and a total loser and bore me beyond belief, however, but when his dad learns of his regenerative ability, it's no surprise when he attacks Sylar and tries to steal his ability. Sylar's too powerful for him, though, and leaves his dad to die from his illness. Well, that was worth six episodes.
Claire obviously isn't jazzed about Doyle showing up, nor is Sandra, but Doyle guilts Claire… into taking over Alex's job at the comic-book store as a front to help mutants while getting hit on by the entire cast of Chuck. The agents are still watching her, though, so she calls Bennet for advice about leading a double life, but he doesn't have too much wisdom to offer. She then gets a text from Rebel saying that the government has found Doyle, so she helps him escape and start over, although she realizes there are pros and cons to what she's doing, the biggest of the latter being that her free pass gets revoked.
Nathan and Danko are clearly becoming enemies, and when Nathan hears about Matt being in front of the Capitol Building with a bomb strapped to his chest, he goes to help him. Danko's plan is to set off the bomb on Matt's chest, and he's willing to sacrifice Nathan in that effort, but Rebel, it seems, blocks them from detonating the weapon. Nathan gets Matt to break through the drugs and use his power to read the minds of the soldiers on the scene and figure out how to disarm the bomb, and they do so just in time, but then Matt gets taken again at Nathan's behest. Afterward, Nathan tries to fire Danko, but Danko isn't all that ready to go quietly, especially when he broadcasts Tracy's declaration that Nathan's "one of us" to the rest of Building 26. Speaking of Tracy, she gets a message from Rebel telling her that help is on the way. Nathan and Bennet bitch at each other over the way the Danko thing has played out, and then Nathan goes to convince Tracy that he's still on her side, which he does just in time to get her not to tattle to Danko about his ability. Danko still is onto the fact that Nathan can fly, though, but Bennet tries to confuse the issue by suggesting to Danko that Angela was responsible for saving Peter. Danko goes to see Angela, who tells him that Nathan is normal. He doesn't believe her, but when she brings up an incident from his apparently extremely checkered past, he leaves, and then Nathan succeeds in getting him fired -- and replacing him with Bennet. Danko, however, tosses Nathan out a window and forces him to reveal his ability, so things are in extreme flux in Building 26, to say the least.
In the end, Hiro and Ando turn up to the address Rebel supplied to try to save Matt, and find… an infant. Don't even want to speculate on what that means, but also, when Danko comes home, Sylar is waiting for him, and agents invade the Bennet house, only to find Claire gone -- and, unbeknownst to them, in the hands of Nathan.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! We start with a replay of Claire opening the microwave from last week, but we skip the part where Doyle amusingly offered her popcorn to get to her ordering him to leave. Instead of closing her mouth like you'd expect, he begs her to help him, but then Sandra comes downstairs and is appropriately horrified. Doyle again entreats Claire to help him start over, as he just wants to "go back to being a puppeteer. Making people happy." Okay, which is it? Sandra informs him that there are agents parked outside their house, but Doyle updates her that Rebel sent a fake call that got rid of them for the moment. He wonders, though, why the agents haven't collected "comes-back-to-life Barbie," which is hilarious, and she somewhat guiltily admits she's got a "free pass," which is an expression I'm getting tired of hearing on this show, much like "save the world" and "Yatta!" Doyle asks if that means she'll turn her back on her own kind while they're out there being hunted down, and adds that agents burned down his theater. Can't say I really blame them on that front, particularly if they don't like their kids being emotionally scarred from creepy clowns and puppets. The part where he was inside when they did so is more objectionable, though. Claire starts to point out that he tried to kill them, but Doyle reverts to form and closes her mouth, and then telekinetically strings them up like marionettes, which never stops making my skin crawl. He seethes that she has no idea what it's like to be hunted, living on the street, and "to break into the home of the last person on earth you'd expect to help you, because she was your only hope." He softens and releases them, saying he's not going to force her to aid him, as that's not who he is anymore. He leaves, and mother and daughter stare after him in disbelief.At Building 26, Danko returns from his little errand, and when Nathan asks where he's been, he replies, "Dealing with the mess your brother left us." Nathan saves me some trouble by pointing out that said mess could have been avoided if he'd just released Matt and Daphne, but Danko says Peter got lucky, and looks aggressively at Nathan as he wonders how many people knew Peter was on that particular rooftop and thus were in a position to save him. Nathan chooses to answer the unstated accusation with a facial expression that makes it look like Danko just cut one, but regardless of whether that's true, it's not going to change the fact that Danko's on to him. On a technical note, though, they really shouldn't have set up this scene with Nathan at the top of some stairs and Danko at the bottom, because even though Adrian Pasdar isn't all that tall he still already looks fifteen feet taller than Zeljko Ivanek, and with the added height they've got a Gandalf/Frodo thing going on that's pretty distracting, not least because the thought of Ivanek as Frodo is making me laugh so hard I need a paper bag to breathe into. Nathan then gets a call, and after hanging up quickly, he turns the accusation around by saying that Matt was in Danko's custody, so what's he doing in front of the Capitol Building with a bomb strapped to his chest? Without waiting for an answer, he heads into a stairwell that's prominently marked "Roof Access," and maybe he figures that Danko already has him nailed on the flying issue, but you'd think he'd still try not to spell it out to the point where even a three-year-old, or Hiro, could point at him all "Frying man!"
Matt's still kind of dazed from the drugs, but gets less so when a SWAT team shows up and orders him to disarm the bomb. He tries to protest that he was set up, and then Nathan swoops in (not literally, he did that off-screen) and tells the team leader he knows Matt, and he can get through to him. The guy grants him five minutes, and Nathan approaches Matt and tells him that he didn't sanction this setup. Matt doesn't believe him, so Nathan invites him to read his mind, but his attempt fails, which Matt attributes to the drug with which Danko injected him. Whether it affected the power directly or merely had the same result by inhibiting Matt's ability to do a silly head-tilt is for you to decide. Nathan tells Matt he's going to have to trust him...
...and back at Building 26, Asian Tech With Speaking Lines calls Danko over and says they may have a problem. Danko wonders, again, how Nathan got there so quickly, and if I didn't know what happens later in the episode I'd in turn wonder if he's not as smart as he thinks he is. Anyway, Danko says that if Nathan wants to play hero, he can be a martyr to his own cause, and orders Asian Tech With Speaking Lines to detonate the bomb. Not sure it's realistic that Asian Tech With Speaking Lines wouldn't even bat an eye at murdering a U.S. Senator and his own boss, but maybe Nathan cut in front of him in the coffee line that morning or something. Anyway, the guy gets everything ready, and as he pushes the shiny red button, we go to the title card. Tease, tease, tease.
When we return, Matt is panicking, but he gets a stay of execution when a message comes up on Asian Tech With Speaking Lines's monitor that he's been kicked out of the system, presumably by Rebel. Bennet has arrived, and after surveying the scene for a moment, which includes taking in a live news report that speculates that Nathan knows Matt personally, asks what's going on, but Danko's too busy watching over Asian Tech With Speaking Lines's shoulder...
...and back at the scene, Nathan suggests to Matt that he read the minds of the SWAT team, as they've got to be thinking about how to disarm the bomb. Another approach might be for Nathan to ask, "Does anyone know how to disarm the bomb?" but perhaps he rejected it as too obvious. Matt tells him the drugs are starting to wear off, and after a "this wire/no, THAT wire" exchange that played funnier in the promos...
...Asian Tech With Speaking Lines gets the bomb back on line, and tries again...
...but they've succeeded in ripping out the correct wire, and Matt tosses the deactivated bomb away. Matt sighs in relief, but when he turns around, Nathan clocks him in the face, knocking him out. Nice glass jaw on the security guard! With the ambient noise drowning him out to everyone but the viewing audience, Nathan apologizes, but says he can't have him using his power. I'm guessing he's referring to whatever the big secret was that she shared with Nathan at the end of last episode, even though that's weird because he just invited Matt to read his mind like three seconds ago, but again, he could just be referring to the goony head-tilting. Also, this time they succeeded in averting the disaster foretold by Matt's painting. Funny how that only seems to happen with explosions that threaten to kill off series regulars.
Sylar shows up at some ramshackle house out in the sticks, and enters Taxidermy Central to find his father Samson, played by the wonderful John Glover in what I'm sorry to say is going to be a wasted appearance. Sylar introduces himself as his son, but Samson doesn't get up or even turn around as he asks what brings him all the way out there. Sylar tells him he abandoned him and killed his mother, but Samson is unfazed as he asks what happens now. Sylar replies that he's going to kill him, but when Samson finally turns to face him, he gets a rude awakening, as he's got a breathing apparatus and trachea tube, and Samson confirms what you're already thinking by saying he's got terminal cancer, so the prospect of Sylar killing him really isn't all that intimidating. For emphasis, he lights up a cigarette, and while Samson's not exactly CGB Spender, Sylar still feels overmatched as usual to me here.Asian Tech With Speaking Lines tells Danko that Rebel left no trace of being in their system, and Danko growls in response that he wants to know how he's getting in and who he is. From off-screen, Nathan pipes up that he would too, so he can thank him for saving them from a disaster. The two of them bicker a bit until Nathan gets down to brass tacks and tells Danko he's relieved of command, but Danko doesn't accept that, saying the President will want proof of wrongdoing, and his people won't indict him. Where's Moira Kelly in all this? Isn't she the big boss now? Nathan calls Bennet to his side, who obliges him after exchanging a meaningful look with Danko. When he judges they're out of earshot, he starts to tell Bennet he's planning to turn command over to him, but they're interrupted by Danko playing a recording of Tracy's declaration that Nathan is "one of us," and I'm glad the show followed through on using it. At the risk of repeating myself, I'm really heartened that almost halfway through, although far from perfect, this chapter is such a huge improvement over the last one. Between that and Dollhouse being better than I expected, the entire second half of the season feels like a recapper's Christmas. Nathan gives nothing away, diffidently asking if Danko has a point, but Danko doesn't back down either, speculating that perhaps the mission was compromised from the very beginning. He all but flat-out accuses Nathan of being a mutant, and says it looks like they're each building a case against the other. Nathan: "Let's see who gets there first." Tracy's voice continues to ring through the room as Nathan strides out, and Bennet watches concernedly into the commercial break.
Speaking of Tracy, she's being led down a corridor in shackles when a nearby computer screen flashes her a message: "Help is coming. Have hope." She looks like she's not sure if she's hallucinating, and with all the drugs pumped into her lately you can hardly blame her.
Elsewhere, Bennet is bitching Nathan out for showing Danko his hand prematurely, and says Danko's pushing his buttons so he'll make a mistake. If he were more familiar with Nathan's history, he probably wouldn't even have gone to the trouble. Also, when did Bennet come out, as it were, to Nathan? Oh, maybe that's what Angela whispered in his ear -- that Bennet was on their side. I was guessing it was something bigger, but that would make some sense. Anyway, whatever the situation, Bennet counsels him to take a play from Angela's book: "Keep your head." Always good advice when Sylar's on the loose. Nathan opens the door in front of which they've been standing, and we see they're at Tracy's cell. Er, why was she just moved? Maybe she needed some medical treatment from all the heat? We'll go with that. Nathan sits down and for some reason adopts a scholarly pose with legs crossed and legal pad at the ready, and he should have asked Bennet if he could borrow his glasses for a few minutes just to complete the look. He tells Tracy that some men are going to come in and ask her questions in a few minutes, and it may seem hard to believe, "but I still care about you." Tracy thinks she's getting off a good one when she replies, "That makes one of us," but that just makes it sound like she no longer cares about herself. But I'm not making fun, because when I recap in temperatures above ninety I tend to make even less sense than usual myself. Nathan says he's the same guy that saved her from that awful CGI bridge she was going to jump off, but Tracy doesn't buy that, and understandably so given that he recently told her she was never getting out of her cell, so he urgently whispers that she has to know that he's her last hope. His words hang in the air a moment before the door opens and Danko walks in and boots Nathan out. Before Nathan leaves, though, Danko sarcastically asks if he's worried he'll be too hard on Tracy, but Nathan mildly demurs: "Knock yourself out." Tracy looks worried at what that might mean, and the door closes...
...and then we cut back to the command center, where Nathan tunes in on an available monitor in time to see Danko ask Tracy what she knows about Nathan. Tracy silently beckons him with her head to come closer, but when he leans in, she kittens, "He was lousy in bed." Nathan's face is the perfect mix of "Oh good, she's not blabbing" and "HEY!" Danko refrains from slapping her, instead asking the more specific question of what she meant by the comment on the recording. "Does Nathan have an ability?" Tracy considers for a moment, but then firmly tells Danko she has no idea what he's talking about. And it's not like Tracy even has to trust Nathan -- I'd be surprised if she did -- but this is still her wisest move, because even after everything that's happened, Nathan seems like a better shot to get her out of there than Danko. Danko, beaten, turns to look at the camera like he knows Nathan is watching before walking out, leaving Tracy to stare through the fourth wall herself. I thought they taught you never to do that in acting school!
Back at the Bennet house, Claire has misgivings that she didn't help Doyle, and when Sandra opines that it's unreasonable for Rebel to "send psychopaths to [their] front doorstep," Claire agrees -- which is why she wants to take over Alex's job at the comic-book store so as to have a safer place to deal with her charges. Sandra's not thrilled, but she accedes to her daughter's request...
...so we cut to Sam's Comics, wherein a geeky guy is asking Claire if she has any retail experience. Claire sheepishly asks if a cheerleading bake sale counts, but she's unwittingly played a winning card here with the cheerleader mention, as the guy asks her if she can work Wednesdays, which is when all the new comics arrive. The guy then nerds it up for a while before asking what kind of hero she is, but when the question obviously has an emotional impact, he withdraws it. Claire starts to go, thinking she's blown it, but he's like, hello, you got the job, because every dude in the store has been checking you out since you walked in. We get close-ups of the customers for evidence, and two of them are guys who work in the Buy More in a non-speaking capacity on Chuck, a little touch that appealed to the extreme geek in me. Claire smiles uncertainly, wondering exactly how awkward all her upcoming conversations with horned-up dorks are going to be...
...and then Samson walks back in amid a cloud of smoke and gagging, and Sylar calls him pathetic, which pretty much confirms that they're related. Samson speechifies about life never giving you what you want before letting a rabbit out of its cage and then holding it in place while making a silly birdlike whistle that's supposed to be hypnotic, but ends up hilarious when he starts hacking all over the place again. Sylar's surprised that he has an ability, EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS ONE THOUSAND PERCENT CLEAR IN THE FLASHBACK OF SAMSON KILLING HIS WIFE, and Samson says he actually has a lot of them, even though he doesn't use them much these days. He realizes that Sylar has the same ability, taking other people's powers, which isn't precisely true, but at least they didn't say it was telekinesis, so I'm fine with it. Sylar pouts that his dad doesn't know him and they have nothing in common, and if he brings up fishing trips and that fucking red wagon again I will not be responsible for my actions. After some more turgid talk about human nature and blah, Samson tells Sylar he'll soon find his life is meaningless and disappointing, because there's no challenge in it. And after taking twenty minutes to make the point that Sylar will only find satisfaction by challenging himself, Samson has him stab the helpless and sedated bunny rabbit. I am begging you, show, fire everyone who has anything to do with Sylar and his storylines. I mean, I'm sorry for the hair and makeup people, but how much we need a clean break here cannot even be amply expressed.
At Building 26, Danko's watching a replay of Nathan's rescue of Peter, coincidentally filmed from the exact same camera angles as we saw on the show, as he asks Bennet if he came across anyone who could fly during his time at Primatech. Bennet says he did, and that information is in the files, and since it's clear he omitted Nathan's name from said records I just hope West is taking a semester abroad or something. Danko theorizes that certain names were missing, and when Bennet tries to justify that on account of Primatech being destroyed, Danko supposes that Bennet must have gotten close to the Petrelli family. Bennet: "The Petrellis were never exactly a warm and fuzzy bunch." How quickly we forget the brother-touching. Anyway, Danko comes out with it, saying they both know Nathan is hiding something, but Bennet shows why he's a master of obfuscation by dropping a file onto his desk while posing the question to Danko of who would want to save Peter. Danko opens the file to see Angela's photo, and while he thinks that she'd never betray her own son, Bennet replies, "A long time ago, I gave up trying to figure out what Angela Petrelli would or wouldn't do." That philosophy certainly would have made watching last chapter more bearable.
Bennet quickly shows his true allegiance by reporting to Angela what's happened. She's glad to hear that Nathan's come around to her way of thinking, but Bennet cautions her that he's sent Danko her way, and he's unpredictable and does his homework. Angela replies that she does as well, and then pulls a pair of socks out of her bag and holds them to her face. Random callback, but still: HA!
Claire leaves the comic-book store and the nerds therein, only to find those two agents from last week parked outside and watching her so conspicuously that even Scott MacIntyre would feel the power of their stare, so she dials Bennet and asks for advice on how to lead a double life. Bennet's like, kind of too busy leading a double life to answer that question, although he does use her old pet name in saying he loves her. Suddenly, the van roars to life, but after it passes Claire by, she gets a text from Rebel, who tells her the agents have found Doyle at a certain address, and begging her to help. Claire gets a determined look on her face...
...and in an alley, the woman has chased Doyle down and yells for him to put his hands over his head. He slowly turns and replies -- wait for it -- "Whatever you say," before forcing her hands into the air. Doyle's one of my favorite characters, because whoever writes his lines hits the exact campy tone that I would hope to take if I were a villain in a superhero piece. I think I watched the old Batman series too much as a kid. But seriously, how could she be so dumb as not to just zap him with a stun gun? Did she sleep in and miss a briefing? He moves her arm such that the gun is now positioned to shoot her in the temple, and breathes that he should kill her, but he just wants to go back to the way his life was. He settles for throwing her head into a wall and knocking her out, but then her partner appears and menaces him with a stun gun (see how that works?). There's a sudden flurry of blonde hair, though, and someone grabs his leg and tosses him over a railing, also knocking him out -- and when Doyle looks, he breathes, "Barbie." Claire returns his gaze, still not without reservations......Danko meets Angela at a restaurant where she is going to town on some oysters and asks for her help, but she rather too innocently says that everything she knows about the people he's looking for is in the Primatech files. Danko smiles, sits, and points out that Elle, Hiro, Matt, Peter, and Claire all inherited abilities from their parents. I think he doesn't know about Angela's ability based on the fact that she said Nathan was protecting her, and he's still trying to get confirmation about Nathan, so he's got to be referring to Arthur in Peter's case and Meredith in Claire's, in case that was unclear. Angela responds that genetics is a very complex subject, and suggests that in Nathan's case, "these things" might have skipped a generation. He tells her straight-up that he doesn't believe her, but Angela has the waiter refill her champagne as she informs Danko that Primatech employed dozens of men like him, men who do the awful things other people refuse to do, and while that makes him useful, it also makes him expendable. Danko's unimpressed until Angela brings up "that incident in Angola" in 1997 -- "all those civilians lost, tragic. I'm surprised you survived, actually." Danko's face goes dark and menacing, without which the scene would frankly be pretty campy, not that I'd necessarily mind, as I think I've made clear. Before he leaves, he compliments Angela on her resourcefulness, when he should be commenting on how big her lips look as she goes in to Hoover another victim. I'm surprised she doesn't crunch a few shells for emphasis. When he's gone, Angela gives us a smile practically dripping with girlish glee, and I'd think that was a little much if I believed she was on her first bottle of bubbly today.
Oh, Lord, that Sylar storyline is STILL going on, as he adopts the voice of an eager six-year-old in telling Samson that he fixes watches, and he took that up because he thought it would make his father happy. Samson points out that Sylar has a need for connection, but when he says that people will only disappoint you, Sylar asks if that's why he killed his wife and abandoned him. Samson says he doesn't even remember, as it didn't matter to him. "So few things do." Sylar then cuts himself while working on the rabbit, and when he heals in front of Samson, you can practically see the light bulb go off over his father's head. Sylar mentions the "cheerleader in California" from whence he got the ability, which I guess is leaving it open for Samson to track down Claire among the million other cheerleaders in the state, before snarking that he guesses that not everybody dies. Samson breathes that that only means Sylar's got that much longer to suffer before having a coughing fit and then sending Sylar for something taxidermy-related. However, once Sylar's across the room, Samson telekinetically sends a couple arrows into him, pinning him to the wall, and he smiles that it's amazing how the desire and hunger come right back. There are many words I would use to describe the return of the "hunger," but "amazing" is not one of them. Anyway, Samson does his little hypnotic bird-whistle or whatever, and Sylar's vision clouds into the commercial break. Wow, will the hopelessly boring and long-winded immortal guy get his head cut open? I can see why they chose this spot for an act break!
When we return, Sylar, sounding both fuzzy and manufactured, asks his dad why he's even bothering with this, as he thought he'd given up, and Samson, who's sharpening his tools, responds with a nonsensical speech about "fighting hard" and "risking it all," like there will be anything to risk once he's immortal, and adds that he'll try to change the world, just to see if he can. He holds a large knife up to Sylar's head, which seems silly given that we just saw he's telekinetic, but either way, he can't seem to go through with it, and the reason becomes clear when Sylar's Theme Ticking kicks up, and then Sylar smiles evilly and knocks him back with his mind. He removes the arrows and sneers that his dad's a hunter, and yet he didn't know that he was playing possum. He wraps Samson's tubes around his throat, reducing Samson to begging, saying he needs that power. Might have led with the nice approach, guy. I think it's a little late for it now. Samson adds that it won't kill Sylar if he takes it -- "you'll be fine," he croaks -- but Sylar expresses his thoughts succinctly for once: "But so will you." Heh. When you're planning to roam the earth for all eternity, you've got to be pretty selective about who you choose to be around you for that long. Sylar says he got his answers and now knows exactly what he needs to do, just so you know it's an episode of Heroes involving Sylar, and Samson then downgrades his request in asking that Sylar just kill him, but Sylar takes the now-stuffed rabbit and leaves him to be eaten up by the cancer. Between the choking and his condition, it must be tough for him to get any words out, but given that this is probably the last we'll see of John Glover, I would have loved to see him gasp, "You're out of the will!"
At Building 26, Danko is looking at a picture of Tracy when Nathan appears, executive order in hand, and triumphantly tells him that the President didn't need that much proof of Danko's wrongdoings after all. He tells Danko he's finished, and when Danko tries to tell him that getting rid of him will mean getting rid of the team, Nathan's unimpressed, inviting anyone who's not on board to leave now. No one takes the bait, which I'm sure Danko will remember later, so Danko asks Nathan if he's really willing to "reset" the entire operation just because of him, and Nathan is basically like, "Yes." Danko leaves with some words of warning, and then Nathan tells Bennet that the President is eager to meet Danko's replacement. He beckons Bennet out...
...and they head to the elevator, with Nathan asking on the way if he's got a plan to share with the President, and Bennet responding that he does, and it's "a bit unorthodox, but it's tested." However, Danko then reappears, looking dark and threatening, and as he approaches, he tells Nathan that bureaucracy and rules of conduct don't apply in his world. He then pulls a gun on Nathan, and over Bennet's objections, breathes that he's seen what "these people" can do, and it scares him, but through it all, Nathan's never shown the slightest bit of fear. "I wonder, why is that?" After a look at Bennet, Nathan tries to bluster his way out of the situation, saying he doesn't have time for this and starting to walk away, but he stops in his tracks when Danko puts two shots through the window. Danko then takes advantage of Nathan reflexively looking back at the bullet holes to charge him, and the weakened glass shatters and Nathan goes through it. Danko looks down, a maniacally expectant expression on his face, and sure enough, Nathan stops falling halfway to the street below, and hangs in midair and stares balefully at Danko for a moment before flying off into the night. That was great -- Danko is a character the show has used very, very well, not to mention that Zeljko Ivanek has a way of upping people's game, acting-wise. Danko turns back to Bennet and asks him to tell him he didn't know about this, and Bennet's like, "Great -- not only do I get left holding the bag, but I don't even get to meet Mister Worf!"
In a crowded park at night, Doyle is waiting on a bench when Claire appears and hands him a manila envelope, saying his it's got his new identity and everything he needs to start over within, and that Rebel has erased every trace of Eric Doyle. Doyle asks if the fact that he spared the agent's life earned him her help, but she says it wasn't about him, but who she needs to be. He thanks her, and starts to leave, but when she asks if he meant the stuff he said about how he's changed, he just gives her a conspiratorial smile and heads off. Well, honey, you did ask.
Oh, Hiro and Ando are showing up in L.A. at Minute 56! I guess they were trying to figure out a way into the country now that they're presumably on every terrorist list imaginable. (Actually, this could be Hiro's money coming into play, so I'm not too bothered.) But this just means that the India plotline was absolutely meaningless to the season arc, and while it's not like I suspected otherwise it's a little disappointing to have it confirmed. Anyway, they're at a rather large-looking apartment or small-looking house, and some girl comes rushing out, annoyingly babbling about quitting and "the service" being slow to send a replacement, and when Hiro says they're looking for Matt Parkman, the girl's like, duh, and warns them he's a mess -- because, as we see, it's the baby Matt Parkman Jr. we're dealing with, who I'm guessing has an ability. The girl holds him out and tells Hiro to "take it," so it's just as well she's removing herself from her caregiving responsibilities, and after Hiro hilariously is like, "No, thank you!" she shoves the kid into Hiro's arms and gets the hell out of there. Mohinder babbles about generations and destiny as Claire gets a text from Rebel telling her she needs to escape, because her free pass has been revoked. Samson smokes and awaits death, while when Danko comes home with groceries (I somehow assumed he was in the habit of pawning his shopping off on a non-speaking extra) we see that Sylar has left the rabbit on Danko's desk and is waiting for him, I guess because he wants to hunt a more powerful hunter? Change the world? No idea. In slo-mo, the agents rush in looking for Claire, but she's gone out the window -- and is in Nathan's arms, another twist I loved. They hover in midair behind the cover of a tree, and that's it. week's a repeat, and it's possible they delayed the production schedule because episode is supposed to be where Bryan Fuller returns to the show, and I'm hoping that means the rest of the chapter will kick ass. See you in two!
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.
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