Episode Report Card Couch Baron: C | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT ...And I Don't Care
By Couch Baron | Season 3 | Episode 24 | Aired on 04.20.2009
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.So while we were out in Coyote Sands last week, Sylar was having yet another stupid identity crisis from which Danko, of all people, had to try to talk him down. It doesn't work, though, as Rebel warns some guy in Virginia to run from his place, but he's too late, as Sylar shows up and, after the guy demonstrates his power of disintegration, kills him and leaves the episode title in blood on his wall. Sylar then kvetches some more about his shapeshifting and losing his identity and whatever, and Danko tries to play Sylar-whisperer some more and it's so, so boring. Sylar then uses his agent identity to check into the murder of his stepmother, which you'll remember he committed, so he can... sniff her bloody sweater? You'd think it would be creepy, but it's just pathetic. He then whines to the ghost of his stepmother about how he never fit in, and then it turns out he actually is shifting into her form so he can have a conversation with himself, and good God, what is this show doing?
Danko turns up and reports that they've found Rebel, but Sylar breaks off from the team and gets to Micah first, who tells him he knows how special Sylar is, and that he can save them all. Hey, Micah's been pretty awesome lately, so I'm willing to believe this could go somewhere interesting, especially when Sylar takes his form and gets shot and falls into a river, giving the impression that Rebel is dead. Later, Micah witnesses the conversations between Sylar and "his stepmother," and Sylar shoos him out of there, but not before he suggests Sylar take Nathan's form so he can make a difference. Because Sylar is more easily convinced than an eager-to-please third grader, he complies, leading to the scene we saw at the end of last episode (and the beginning of this one), but from the "conversations" Sylar's had with his "stepmother," we know that he's planning to take the President's place. Nathan takes it upon himself to stop Sylar, but you know the rest of his family isn't just going to sit still and let him do it alone. Nathan heads back to his office to find Sylar there, and then Danko tranqs him and takes him into custody.
Matt checks in with Janice and learns she was released, so he decides to take his son home to his mother, despite Hiro and Ando's wish for Matt to come with them to Building 26. Before Matt leaves, he does them the favor of pointing out they don't have any sort of plan, so they hatch an ill-conceived one and bicker about stuff that's even more tired than Sylar, but eventually get it together in spite of the fighting and agree to be equal partners right as they get to Building 26 -- but unfortunately, something untoward happens to Hiro for reasons unknown.
When Matt gets home, he realizes there are agents parked down the street. Janice invites him to come away with her and their kid, but he realizes that although he wants to reconcile with her, he needs to contribute to the fight to preserve their way of life. Agents then swarm the house, and it's nice of them to give him his big chance, I guess.
In the end, Mohinder (?) gets captured, as do Bennet, Claire and Angela, Matt uses his powers to befuddle the agents, Hiro's nose bleeds (?), and Danko stabs Sylar in the back of the head – but Sylar recovers. It's just going to be him and the cockroaches – lucky thing I won't be around to see that.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! For the second straight week, we have scenes in the "previouslies" that never actually aired on the show, which I absolutely refuse to recap, because the quality's been low enough lately without paying homage to the Desktop from Dawson's Creek, wouldn't you agree? Anyway......we start by revisiting the end of last week's episode, but then move to "18 Hours Earlier," and we get a close-up of some guy's eye as he wakes up. Take a closeup of my eye halfway through this episode and it'll look like a reverse playback. Anyway, this dude is Sylar, who seems most distressed with his current appearance, and asks why this keeps happening, and although he's talking to no one in particular I'll still answer: Good question. He shifts back to his normal appearance and then grossly pulls a tooth out of his mouth before asking, again out loud, "Who are you?" Dude, do you ever have a thought you don't verbalize? Shut up!
Matt's on the phone with Janice, who's been released from the agents' custody, and after cutely putting the phone to his son's ear, Matt tells Janice he'll get him home soon. Once they hang up, Hiro and Ando appear, and when they hear what Matt's going to do, they worry that the agents will show up again. Matt assures them he's got a plan, which isn't necessarily reassuring to those of us who have watched the show before, but after Hiro babbles about Matt possibly reconciling with Janice, Ando suggests he help them take out Building 26. Matt doesn't think that's such a great idea, and pushes aside Hiro and Ando's hero-worship of him in order to declare that he doesn't want to risk not being there for his son, which seems perfectly reasonable, especially since he came within a hair of dying at Danko's hand twice in recent memory. I'm surprised, though, that no one suggests Hiro and Ando track down Peter -- strength in numbers and all that. Matt concludes that his son is a "game-changer," and the use of that expression atypically doesn't make me want to punch anything, but what can I say, the kid really is cute. Hiro and Ando are also stymied by Matt's devotion to his son, so Hiro gives him leave to take the kid home while they head to Building 26. Matt, however, refuses to share its location with them, though, pointing out they don't have any plan and could get hurt or killed, and then takes off after Baby Matt cutely waves at his two friends. Aw. Once they're gone, Ando points out that Matt is right -- they don't have a plan. Hiro replies, "A hero never concedes defeat," which as total non-sequiturs go is reasonably inspirational.