By DeAnn Welker
Don't fall over when I say this, but some actual interesting things happened this episode. Not that it was all good. I'll start with the bad: Claire's lesbian girlfriend seems more and more like a crazy stalker, to the point that Claire accuses her of having something to do with Annie's murder/suicide. And then they kiss, so Claire chalks it all up to a crush. And, in actuality, it's a new character, Rebecca, who is Samuel's niece and has been intentionally causing mayhem for Claire and Gretchen. She also happens to be in the sorority that Claire and Gretchen pledge in this episode. All the carnie kids leave home to go to college and pledge a sorority, you know.
Our deaf girl still sees sounds as colors, and when Peter saves her from getting him by a bus, he picks up this "power," too. I have no idea how that explains Samuel giving him his compassy power thing, but whatever. [Since he just now lost his speed, I think we can assume the compass is not a power at this point, and just magic dust in Peter's skin. - Zach] The annoying part is that Peter's stuck with such a lame power, but the great part is how cute she and Peter are flirting together. Until he unwittingly insults her filing job, and then she's back to her weird, standoffish self again. Oh, and Dr. Ratched is also her mother. That's news. Peter's also trying to connect with Mama Petrelli, but all she's doing is spacing out worrying about Nathan. Er, Sylar-as-Nathan. You know who I mean. Just when Peter feels like he'll never make any human connections, Hiro shows up, teleported here covered in toner from last episode. And he collapses. Good thing he teleported right into the apartment of a paramedic who has a lame, useless power. Though deaf girl plays a cello and uses her power to ultimately rip a hole in her apartment wall. As if that's a good thing.
At the carnival, Samuel has a big feast with his "family," which seems to consist of Edgar, Lydia, the old guy, and a bunch of kids. Seriously. These are the villains of the story? There is one empty seat and Samuel spends all episode deciding who's going to replace Samuel, since he promised the family he'd have the chair filled by the end of the episode. Will it be Hiro? Peter? Claire? Tracy? Lydia wants to know, too, but isn't ready to show him anything yet. Lydia's back finally reveals a picture while Rebecca's paying Uncle Samuel a visit to fill us in on all the mischief she's caused for Claire (basically everything that's made Gretchen seem like a stalker has been Rebecca's doing, which makes me question whether I should really hate Gretchen now that I know that).
Sylar digs himself out of his grave and ends up in police custody, where they realize he can't remember who he is, so they call in a pretty, British psych expert to question him. She earns his trust and then the police send her away because his fingerprints have pinpointed him as Gabriel, a watchmaker who killed his mother. They try to arrest him, but Sylar, legitimately confused (since his own knowledge of himself seems to be within Matt Parkman, and now he seems to have lost his knowledge that he's Nathan, too), accidentally throws Warden Leo through a window and then escapes with the British lady. The cops catch up and shoot holes in him, which heal themselves. The British lady tells him to run, and he does. Right into Samuel's carnival. [Which apparently moves. - Z] Makes sense he'd be the one to join the villainous carnival, right? Now they'll just have to teach him to be evil again, which... shouldn't be too difficult.
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see what which Heroes have the Lamest Superpowers! And check back later this week for the full recap!