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Is it just nostalgia for the past, or was it actually wonderful to have Mohinder back? And, is it just me, or did he actually get hotter? Not to mention we get Nathan and Peter together again, with the full on in-love, wishing-they-could-make-out lingering gazes. Oh, and there's very little Parkman, which is always nice. And Hiro kicks ass. Tracy's the only weak link, really. And the fact that HRG's only in the episode for about ten seconds. Anyway, here goes:
So, it turns out Samuel went to Mohinder because Mohinder had uncovered some of his father's research from Coyote Sands that suggested Samuel could increase his powers by a factor of 1,000 if he surrounds himself with other people with abilities. When Mohinder went to find him nine weeks ago, though, Joseph intercepted his visit and told him he knew about Samuel, but has made it his life's work to keep Samuel from knowing what kind of power he could have. But Hiro goes back to get the film that will reveal all to Samuel (and saves Mohinder in the process, without letting Samuel know that). When Hiro delivers the film, Samuel won't give him Charlie yet, because he's the most evil man ever. That doesn't stop Tracy from thinking she's going to live with him, and Claire even encourages it (after Tracy's powers malfunction and she freezes Claire, then accidentally breaks her foot off -- oops!). In the end, Tracy meets with Samuel and is well on her way to joining the carnival. I haven't decided if I think it's more of a cult or a concentration camp, but Samuel's definitely an evil leader or dictator.
The Haitian comes to Peter and leads him to Nathan's body, sending Nathan and Peter in search of Parkman for answers. He fills them in, and tells them not to get too close, but Nathan does. Then he flies away with Peter (I'm not sure how he can fly, since he's actually Sylar and not Nathan, and Nathan's head didn't appear to be cut open; can anyone explain that to me?). Peter sticks by him and won't believe it, but when they both end up believing it, Nathan says that everyone in the world might think he's Nathan, but Peter will always look at him and see Sylar. It's so sad, especially knowing Nathan's already dead and no one -- not us, not Peter -- got a chance to mourn him. I'm guessing that must be coming soon enough.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Heroes (which is said by Mohinder!): Sylar woke up at the carnival as Nathan and then flew back into Peter's embrace. Tracy met Samuel, who gave her a compass. Matt-Sylon told Sylon-in-Matt that he put Nathan in his body, then Matt-Sylon committed suicide by police firing squad. Samuel took Charlie from Hiro to force him to help him go back eight weeks, where he'd killed Mohinder.
Now: Carnival. Hiro, still in his Knight Rider T-shirt, is staring at Charlie's nametag when Samuel spouts platitudes about giving back to the earth. Hiro wonders why he won't give back Charlie, and tells Samuel he's an evil man. But he throws in "butterfly man," making it much less effective. Samuel tells Hiro he can free her if he goes back eight weeks to find Mohinder and get a film that he has. Hiro says he knows Mohinder and doesn't need to time travel to find him, but Samuel says he's dead. Hiro, "You killed Dr. Suresh?" Samuel wants Hiro to go back not to save Mohinder, but to save the film. Once he delivers it, Samuel promises he'll set Charlie free. When Hiro says he doesn't even know if he can time travel anymore, Samuel tells him he'll have to try since Charlie's life depends on it.
Chennai, India. Nine weeks ago. Mohinder's teaching someone about Pangaea when Mira comes out smiling. Mohinder keeps talking about plate tectonics and tells the girls to remember to read a certain chapter. She leaves and Mira tells Mohinder his students love him and he was born to be a teacher. You know, in case we weren't bright enough to realize he's a teacher from that scene of him teaching. He starts to talk about dinner when she finds a box with a giant sign on the side that says "Property of Chandra Suresh." Mira gets annoyed at him for not throwing it away already, but he tells her it's hard to let go. Mira tells him they have a good, simple life here and when he digs into his father's research, he disappears into a rabbit hole. He throws the box in a trash can with a somber look on his face, which seems to satisfy Mira.
Tracy's in a diner in present-day Washington, D.C., staring at a sign that says the Sullivan Bros. Carnival is coming soon. She's also holding the compass. The waitress asks her if she's okay, and Tracy asks if she's ever wondered what it would be like to run off with a carnival (does anyone actually do that? I think they meant to say "circus" when this show started but now they're stuck with the corner they've written themselves into), and the waitress says she wouldn't want to spend her life in a trailer moving from town to town. Tracy bitches, "And you spend your life where? In some crappy diner?" She apologizes and the waitress asks if she's sure she's okay. Tracy says she is, but she picks up a cup and it turns to ice. She apologizes and leaves.
Peter and Nathan are in his office, discussing how he can't remember where he's been. Nathan wants to, but Peter says, "You woke up in a carnival? Are you sure you want to remember that?" What does that mean? What is carnival a euphemism for on this show anyway? Nathan's secretary welcomes him back, and Peter thinks her greeting was awfully casual. Nathan says it doesn't make sense: Even if his lost weekend was just some "crazy bender under the big top" (now that's a euphemism, right?), he wonders why no one seems to question a senator going off the grid. He asks if Mama Petrelli said anything (she wants to meet them here, according to Peter). Nathan says he doesn't know who he is anymore, and Peter says he's the last guy he'd figure for an identity crisis. The secretary comes back in and tells Nathan his day's wide open since they cleared his calendar when his mom told them he was on vacation and didn't know when he'd be back. Still, though, if a senator's mom said that, I don't think people would be this casual. First: He's a senator. Second: He's a GROWN-UP. Third: No one reports undisclosed-length vacations through their mother. Peter and Nathan give each other knowing looks and then the Haitian comes in and startles the secretary. Peter greets Rene and tells her it's okay. The Haitian won't let Nathan come near him, and says he's here to speak with Peter. The biggest question is how Sylar can still be shapeshifted into Nathan with Rene standing right there, but whatever. I guess that's what the "Don't come any closer" thing is about. But he was already much closer than other characters have been in the past when Rene's blocked their powers. When they're alone, the Haitian tells Peter he came to warn him, he needs to know the truth. Title card.
Claire shows up at her dad's apartment in D.C., where the doorknob appears to have been frozen off. And the ice is still there, because it doesn't melt or anything. Mysterious music plays as Claire goes inside and grabs a knife. But it's not suspenseful for us because we know it's Tracy. This show really doesn't seem to understand that for suspense to work, the viewers have to be in suspense, not the characters. Tracy comes out, startling Claire. She says she's sorry, but needs HRG's help. Claire says that's why God invented doorbells. Really? God did that? Tracy explains she tried, but she can't control her power and didn't know where else to go. Tracy's hand starts icing up, and they both look shocked.
Peter and the Haitian are still talking. The Haitian's told him that Mama Petrelli sent him to wipe out Peter and Nathan's memories. But the Haitian can't do it, he says, because Mama Petrelli's blinded by her emotions and has crossed some lines that should never be crossed. He is staring at Nathan in the room. Peter asks why he's doing that, and the Haitian says it's not up to him to reveal this. He gives Peter a key to a storage unit, and says the answer he seeks is there, and to go alone. Old-school show music, as the Haitian says that what Peter discovers might be more terrible than he can bear. Because a show without Adrian Pasdar's pretty is bad enough for us, but can you imagine how difficult it's going to be for Peter to lose his brother/lover?
Back in the past, in Chennai, Mohinder can't sleep. So he sneaks out of bed and gets his father's box out of the trash. When he opens it, you can clearly see a CD in the box. Then he pulls out some books and finally an old film reel. Which he sets up and watches right away, because everyone has a reel-to-reel projector at the ready in 2009. The video is Chandra Suresh at Coyote Sands, talking to the camera about his concerns that having so many of these heroes together could amplify their powers. Then it jumps ahead to him talking about a pregnant woman who seems to be causing a lot of seismic activity. Then he documents the birth. As a nurse tells him the child's crowning, Chandra says it's his fear that this child... but the earthquake is in full force by this point so he doesn't finish. Baby crying.
Back in D.C. in the present, Claire's in short shorts and a tight white T-shirt helping Tracy, in underwear and a tank top, into the bathtub. It's obviously just an excuse to have two hot blondes in almost no clothes, but at least they (hopefully) won't make out. A teapot whistles and Claire makes sure Tracy's okay alone before she goes to make tea. Tracy lays her head back and the water in the bathtub starts to freeze, all the way up to the faucet. She jumps out of the water and runs into the kitchen in a bathrobe. She tells Claire this is happening over and over again and she can't stop it. Claire tells Tracy to calm down and grabs her shoulders. Her hands start to freeze, and Claire says, "Uh-oh." The f
reezing travels up her arms and eventually all the way over her face. Tracy asks if she can hear her. Um, Tracy? You should probably know how this works by now. She's frozen, so no, she cannot.
Peter's arriving at a storage unit, which he's unlocking when the camera shows us Nathan, who says he thought they were done with this cloak-and-dagger stuff. He can't figure out why the Haitian didn't want him in the loop, but Peter says it doesn't matter now. They open up the door and see a gigantic, coffin-sized box. Peter stands lookout, while Nathan opens it. He says it's a body and then unwraps the plastic and we get a close-up of his freaking-out face. He tells Peter, "It's me," and he and Peter look longingly at each other. Because nothing makes either of them hotter for each other than a third person -- as long as it's someone shapeshifted into one of them. Then we see Nathan's dead body. His neck wound has been stitched up, and he's cryogenically frozen or something, because he's still totally intact. Commercials, including the latest Slow Burn, in which Samuel uses a Sprint phone for navigation, explaining to everyone how this phone brought them Amanda. He creepily leans in and kisses her on the head as Lydia the Tattooed Lady looks at him ominously.
Back in the storage unit, Peter assures Nathan that's not him; it's a shapeshifter or something. Nathan thinks there has to be a reason the shapeshifter wanted him to see this. Sylar-as-Nathan touches the body and gets flashes of Parkman and Sylar. He tells Peter he saw Sylar, but Peter tells him the guy's been dead for weeks. He says he also saw Parkman, who was angry. They know they won't get straight answers out of Mama Petrelli or the Haitian so they're off to find Parkman.
Meanwhile, Tracy's struggling with a fully frozen Claire, trying to get her into the bath. Then she accidentally drops her and her foot falls off. She's freaking out about it, as one would do if a foot fell off into their hands. She sits and cries, then Claire sits up behind her and explains she heals: "It's, like, what I do." She takes her foot back and they giggle.
Back in Nathan's office, he asks Peter if he thinks you ever really know somebody. Peter asks if he's hearing himself and then says what he sees when he looks at all of the awards in Nathan's case is the big brother who would let him win by a nose in a race, the naval officer who would rearrange his leaves so Peter could have a good birthday, and the guy who's saved his ass more than a few times in the past few years. Nathan says he's made a lot of mistakes, but Peter says he has to and not to beat himself up for it. Nathan's secretary re-enters and says she found a Matt Parkman, in a hospital in Texas, under guard, after trying to commit suicide by cop. Nathan says Matt's in critical condition, and Peter tells him he can heal people now.
Carnival. Hiro's staring at a map and making his squeezed teleportation face when Samuel tells him, "Tick-tock. Tick-tock." Who does he think he is? Sylar? Hiro says he's trying, and Samuel comes over and tells him he can do this; he has faith in him. Then we flash back to India, where Mohinder's still watching the video of his father, studying equations on the blackboard. He gets all into it, looking through books and pasting stuff together into a weird collage. When Mira finds him passed out among his father's things the morning, she's pissed. He tells her he's made a remarkable discovery about a certain power, "a quantifiable force." She's still pissed, but he goes on that he made a sort of compass using his father's equations. Ah, so that's what that was... She interrupts him and say he's possessed again by the voices. He says it's important, because if the child is still alive and surrounds himself by enough "specials" (is that what we're calling them now?), he can become the most pow... She stops him and tells him to think about what he has to lose, because she won't wait for him to return if he disappears again. He sits and looks at the compass he's built. It must not be the same as the other compass that only works when held by a hero?
Present-day Texas hospital. Peter and Nathan lurk behind shelves of medical supplies, staring at Parkman. Luckily for them, the guards are flirting with nurses, so they head right into the room and shut the door. Peter heals Parkman, who wakes up with a fish-eye lens on Peter telling him he's okay, then the camera and Matt's head spins to Sylon (now just the Sylon again), who says, "Good things do come to those who wait." Thank god, right? Because this show has been so bad for so long, yet we suffer through it. Parkman screams at Sylon. But then he tells Nathan and Peter to run before Sylar comes back. They tell him Sylar's dead, but Parkman explains that it sounds crazy but he's in Matt's head and will jump back into his body if he can. Nathan asks him what he means by his body, and Matt says, "Nathan, you're dead." Sylon walks along behind Peter and Nathan. Parkman explains Nathan's death, then Sylon walks up and says he'd like to skip five stages of grief and he sticks his noncorporeal hand into Matt's head, which causes him to lay back and seize. Then he sits up and Parkman's a Sylon again. Sylon-in-Parkman talks sweetly to Nathan and asks him to take his hand. Commercials.
Sylon-in-Parkman repeats the line about taking his hand again, and Parkman-Sylon (who cannot be heard) says not to. Nathan tells Peter it all makes sense; these powers are Sylar's. He says he doesn't exist. Peter says it's not true, and as Sylon-in-Parkman continues asking him to take his hand from the bed, Peter turns and yells that he'll kill him first. Nathan tosses Peter aside with a wave of his hand, and says Matt's right; it's time to end it. Parkman-Sylon tries to stop it, but he's fake. Nathan walks toward Sylon-in-Parkman, then the cops come in to stop them. He doesn't take his hand, but barely touches it when he spins around. Then Parkman's in the bed again, screaming, "Where is he?! Nathan, is he in you?!" But that is backwards logic, right? Because Nathan is in Sylar, so Sylar can't be in Nathan. Sylar would be back in himself, and Nathan's still there. And, yes, this all sounds very dirty. Anyway, Nathan picks up Peter and flies out the window.
Mohinder, still using his compass, finds the Sullivan Bros. carnival eight weeks ago. When he arrives, a guy asks if he can help him, and Mohinder says he's looking for someone named Samuel Sullivan, if he exists. The guy stands up and says he's Joseph Sullivan, and Samuel's his brother. They walk together as Mohinder babbles about how Samuel might be able to magnify his powers just by being near others with abilities. Joseph plays dumb about powers and abilities. They arrive at a trailer, and a punk-rock looking Samuel comes out. Because, you know, eight weeks ago he was still a dumb kid, then Joseph died. Samuel introduces himself, and then Joseph tells Samuel that Dr. Suresh is writing a book on traveling carnies. Samuel wonders if people would want to read that, and Mohinder lies badly that it's a colorful and exotic world. Joseph sends Samuel to the fire pit, where Edgar and Damien could use his help building a fire. Mohinder tells Joseph he traveled 8,000 miles to speak with Samuel, so he better have a damn good reason for trying to stop him. Joseph invites him inside the trailer.
Back in the present, a guard is wheeling a body into the morgue. Parkman comes out from under the blanket and tells the guard what happened: Parkman was dead, he took him to the morgue (because guards do that, so that won't seem fishy). Then he asks for the guard's clothes, which he of course gives him. Parkman rushes him.
Nathan and Peter land somewhere that looks like the edge of the Grand Canyon or something. Peter asks why they're here, and Nathan says he shouldn't be around people right now. He says he nearly put
Peter through a wall with the flick of his hand. He says if Sylar gets into his head like he did into Parkman's ... he can't risk that with Peter. He tells him there's a road somewhere, and Peter can find his way home. Nathan gets up to leave, and Peter grabs him and his power. Nathan turns and softly says, "What are you doing?" They gaze at each other closely again, so wanting to kiss. Peter: "What are you doing? Go ahead. I'll be right behind you." He glares. Nathan flies away (I guess because Sylar can see Nathan's brain, he now has his power? Although it's not actually Nathan's brain but his mind; is that enough?), and Peter follows. So, does that mean Peter has all of Sylar's powers since he touched him? He can't just select which powers to have, can he? So he now has Sylar's super-mojo again. I hope he never touches anyone else and stays like this. I like him being super-powerful.
In the carnival trailer, Mohinder babbles about what Samuel's capable of, when Joseph stops him and says he's well aware, but Samuel has no idea. It's been Joseph's life's work to keep him in the dark about the true nature of his power. Joseph says their mother told him about Samuel soon after their release from internment at Coyote Sands. He says Mohinder saw it on film, but their mother lived it. Joseph says he has kept their community small to keep Samuel's power subdued. He says he loves his brother, but he's become a man of great ambition, and can taste what he's capable of. Mohinder says Samuel's powers could increase a thousand-fold with the information on that film. Joseph tells Mohinder to go back to India and burn that film, because they must do everything to keep this genie in a bottle. Mohinder asks how he knows he can trust him. Joseph says he's watched over Samuel for more than forty years and everything's been fine, so Mohinder's no longer welcome here. He leaves, and we see Samuel's been outside the trailer, listening.
In his hotel room, Mohinder calls Mira and says she was right, this was all a mistake. He should have left that box unopened. He misses her and will be on the plane home. He hangs up and looks at the film reel. He picks it up and pulls out the hotel garbage can and some lighter fluid (he must have stopped on his way back from the carnival). He picks up matches, lights one, gazes at the film in the garbage can. Just as he flicks the match into the trash, he freezes. Hiro's there, and he swaps out the film reel for a dummy reel. Then he stops and whispers for frozen Dr. Suresh to be careful because the evil butterfly man is coming.
Tracy and Claire sit and laugh at Bennet's. Claire points out Tracy hasn't lost control of her abilities in over an hour. She doesn't think what's happening is physical, but psychological. Tracy: "Great. I panic-attack with powers." Claire asks when it started, and Tracy says this morning. She says she was sitting in a diner thinking about ... changing everything, her entire life. She says she's been so lost, because she couldn't put her old life back together; nothing fit anymore. She says she met this strange man named Samuel. Claire knows; she met him too. Tracy says he invited her to join them and move to the place where they're all accepted. She says she might do it. Claire thinks maybe she should, maybe that's what her body is telling her it wants (or maybe the compass is telling her that?). Tracy smiles and says it's great to have someone to talk to about all of this, because it's hard to find a friend in the normal world that you can trust. Claire says she had someone like that, but is pretty sure it's over. She says college sounded good on paper, but now she's starting to wonder. Tracy agrees it's hard out there for girls like them. Bennet comes in with a bag of groceries. He greets them, with "Ladies," as if he expected them both there. He looks at Claire's still amputated foot (why haven't they put it back on yet?!), and asks "How was your day?" Claire: "Oh, you know. Same old, same old."
Back in the hotel room, Suresh is unfrozen and the match drops and the film burns. Samuel comes in and says he needs to know what was on that film, since it was about his ability, and a way to increase his power a thousand-fold. He laughs, then screams, "Tell me!" Mohinder says Joseph warned him about him, and Samuel paces saying that for all these years, Joseph has been betraying him and holding him back so he could play the king. He has a large rock in his hand, which he breaks and then tells Mohinder it's his last chance to tell him what's on the film, as he smashes the rock in his hand. Samuel says he'll learn the truth, and Mohinder says he'll do everything he can to stop him. Samuel backs up and throws the rock bits at Mohinder. He gets teary, says he's sorry and leaves Mohinder for dead. But then Mohinder sits up and coughs, realizing he's wearing a bulletproof (and rock-proof, apparently) vest. Hiro's there, and Mohinder greets him with surprise. Hiro says, "Hello, old friend." Commercials.
Back in the hotel, Hiro says he's not the Hiro he knows; he's from eight weeks in the future. Mohinder asks if it was to save his life, and Hiro says it was to save the film, because in the future he knows, Mohinder's dead. Hiro explains his time travel's not so good lately and he arrived ten minutes later to find Mohinder dead, so he knew to put the Kevlar vest on him. Mohinder realizes that if he hadn't gone to Samuel, he'd never have known the secrets of his power. His investigation has corrupted Samuel. Mohinder says they have to stop him. Hiro says they will, but first Mohinder has to disappear for eight weeks until Samuel releases Charlie. Or, I don't know, go back in time and destroy the film before Mohinder watches it? Mohinder says he can't go away for eight weeks while Samuel consolidates his power, but Hiro says if Samuel knows he saved him, he'll never release Charlie. Mohinder thinks their primary focus has to be stopping Samuel. Hiro won't risk Charlie's life. Mohinder says they'll have to agree to disagree, so Hiro says he'll have to make him disappear. He freezes time and apologizes.
Eight weeks from now at the Carnival. Hiro gives Samuel the film, and says he wants Charlie. Samuel says soon, and he's sorry Hiro's friend had to die. Close-up of Mohinder's face as he's waking. Then we zoom out and see he's in a padded room in a straitjacket. They medicate him and call him "Mr. Amadi." How on earth could Hiro have done all of that? Wouldn't that require him to have released the real Mr. Amadi for it to work? Or check him in somehow under that name? It doesn't make sense that it would be that seamless.
Parkman, in the stolen guard uniform, explains to Janice over voicemail that the guy inside his head is gone, and the craziness is finally over. He says Sylar's gone back into his own body, and got what he wanted. He looks sad and hangs up. Would he really call Janice just to say that? No "I love you. I'm sorry. I miss you. I want to come home"?
Tracy's looking pretty in a red shirt in a diner when Samuel comes in. She tells him she's not sure what she's doing here or what she wants, but she knows she can't go on living her old life anymore. He says he's glad she called (called? Didn't he give her a compass, not a phone number?), since he felt a real connection between them. She looks skeptical. Then he says he has something to ask of her -- he has a way for her to use her gifts to help all people with abilities. He says they can accomplish great things together and the camera pans back and out of the diner, as he tells her she has unique talents. We stop hearing him, but still see him talk. I start to think someone must be watching, but no one is.
Peter's apartment. Nathan's sitting brooding at the table, when Peter comes in and says, "So, this thought that you're..." Nathan: "Sylar? Change the voice, change the face, still hidden underneath." He says these hands have killed dozens of people, many of them friends. He says Nathan's gone now other than some random thoughts in a mass murderer's head. Peter looks upset and says that, assuming he believes any of that, why does it matter? Didn't Parkman says he forced Sylar out? Nathan: "As if Matt can purge every sick thought from that head." He then tells Peter that he might be Nathan to the rest of the world but every time Peter looks at him, the way he's looking at him now, he's going to see Sylar. And we all know Peter doesn't want to make out with Sylar (sorry fanfic writers), so this is heartbreaking for Nathan. He asks Peter to tell him he's wrong. Peter doesn't, so Nathan repeats it: "Tell me I'm wrong, Pete." They look at each other sadly. And it really is sad. I mean, through everything on this show, this relationship has been a constant. Even though Nathan's been dead all season, his brain's still been there, and it's sad to think of Adrian Pasdar and Nathan going away for good.
time: Bennet, Claire and it looks like Tracy have Thanksgiving dinner with Sandra, Lyle, and Sandra's new boyfriend. Awkward! Claire says she needs to find somewhere that she fits in and it's not college. Then Gretchen shows up (orchestrated by HRG, no doubt), sorry she's late. Nathan tells Mama Petrelli (who's finally back!) that he's dead and she knows it. Peter says "Nathan." And Nathan: "Guess again." Mama Petrelli realizes Sylar's in there with Nathan. Hiro tells Lydia the Tattooed Lady that Samuel broke his promise and won't give Charlie back. Lydia tearfully says they have to stand up to Samuel (so all that Slow Burn stuff is real?). Then Samuel announces to all of his people that there's a traitor; the person who killed his brother is here. Uh, yeah, it's Samuel, isn't it? Looks like he's going to blame someone else, though, but if he kills a hero who lives there, he loses some power, right? So why do that?
DeAnn, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, agrees there's nothing better when you're freezing than tea and a hot bath. You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com.