"I Can't Bring Nathan Back, Peter. But I Can Sure as Hell Swing...

S04E18

I can't believe they wasted an entire episode on filler and then advanced the plot a microsecond right at the end, but I guess they really did only have a one-episode story to tell this season. And it's all about Sylar finding out that, in addition to being a serial killer, he's also the hero of the story. When we pick up, he's still trapped inside his "nightmare" -- New York City with no people. Which, I have to say, would not be a nightmare for most people. I mean, don't we all sort of want to be in an empty New York? Anyway, Peter's there, too, and they spend a lot of time fighting and bonding about Nathan. Ultimately, they spend years there, trying to knock down the brick wall that's keeping them there, and they only can once Peter will finally acknowledge Sylar's changed.

At the carnival, Samuel locks Claire in the funhouse with Bennet, and makes Damien show her all of Bennet's memories, starting in 1985, when he had a pregnant wife. When a "special" (that's what we're calling them now; maybe they should change the name of the show to Specials) kills his wife, he goes on the hunt and kills one who was (sort of) innocent -- except for trying to kill HRG. Then Bennet meets Eric Roberts, who forces him to marry Sandra. Oh, and on Thanksgiving weekend, Bennet threatened Gretchen to keep Claire away from the carnival. Claire runs out, sad, but when Samuel finds her, she tells him that won't make her turn on her dad, because they have this little thing called love. Samuel gives her several opportunities to join him, then sends her to the trailer that her dad's been moved to. He buries then 50 feet underground, which he tells Replicating Eli is his way of giving Claire time to consider his offer. Also at the carnival, Lauren tells Emma that Samuel's bad, but Emma's already chosen his side. And, in the end, Samuel's moving the carnival to Central Park to show New York City what they're capable of. He sends Replicating Eli, who arrives in Parkman's basement to try to stop the Ambiguously Gay Duo as they're joining forces to save Emma. No sign of Parkman; I guess he wanted to give Sylar and Peter their privacy.

I know I said in the recaplet that I can't believe they wasted an episode on filler this close to the end (and after one good episode), but I take it all back: I can believe it. This entire season has been filler, and the only reason I mildly hope it doesn't get canceled is that I want it to come back for one season only, but with an entirely new staff of writers. There are good people working in this business, so I suggest NBC and Tim Kring find them, offer them some money, and bring them on. Then pare back the bloated cast to a few we will actually stick with all season (and, preferably, care about, meaning no Tracy or Parkman or Hiro) and give it one last shot. With an end-point. It really upped Lost's game once they had an end in sight. Although, to be fair, that's still playing out, too, and it could all end ugly (though fewer people would admit it than with this show).

So, previously, Claire told Samuel to surrender, and when he agreed, she told her dad, who unfortunately listened to her, getting Lauren, Samuel and Claire shot, Lydia killed, and Noah framed for it all. Mama Petrelli told Peter that he couldn't save Emma from playing music while the world ends, but when he realized someone else could, he took her power and dreamed about Sylar being the savior. Of course. Because he's always had that in him. Peter found him with Parkman, who was bricking him into a wall. Peter took Parkman's power to bring Sylar out of the nightmare Parkman put him in inside his head (don't ask), but then he got trapped there: New York City. Daytime. Alone.

Which leads us to now: Peter's passed out against a brick wall. Presumably it's the one Sylar's behind, but they didn't have the budget to put Zachary Quinto in the same scene so it's just Peter. We hear him say "Hello? Hello!" repeatedly and then we're in his head, which is to say we're in the empty streets of New York. He's looking for someone. Back with sleepy Peter, whose eyelids are moving around a lot. The camera zooms in on the mortar between a couple of bricks and then sort of goes through the bricks until we find Sylar inside. It's dark, so, what? Did Parkman finish the wall after Peter passed out, and just leave Peter here on the ground? That Parkman sure isn't a hero. Oh, right. He's a "special" -- leaving us all puzzled by the name of the show. Then we're in Sylar's nightmare, too. He's in a watch shop listening to different watches tick. How is that Sylar's nightmare? I'd think he'd damn-near orgasm from all the ticking.

By DeAnn Welker

Still in the House of Mirrors, HRG tells Claire it was an accident, but she wonders why he brought a gun. He says he didn't know what to expect, and was scared. She realizes it was the first time he killed anyone, and now she's interested. She asks what happens and the black and white picture show starts back up. HRG's still selling cars, and he's a lot more of a killer now, threatening people that if they don't buy it, he has another buyer chomping at the bit. Then Eric Roberts (whom I don't think we've seen since Villains) shows up, but he's not looking for a car, as you might have guessed. He's there to ask about HRG's little side project, finding specials. (Eric calls the guy a special, too, which is dumb, because they didn't used to call them that, did they?) He tells HRG his secret (that he killed the repairman) is safe with him, but they want him to come work for them. Cut to Claire and then to another scene of Eric Roberts and HRG at dinner. Eric Roberts wants to know how the "one of us, one of them" is working out for him, and they mention Claude, which is even more awesome because there's a third glass at the table. HRG talks about how he doesn't trust him because he's abnormal, and I wish we would have found out Claude was sitting there the whole time. Because I think he was. Eric Roberts tells HRG his case is unusual, so it's only natural he'd harbor a grudge. He mentions three deaths attributed to Bennet. As they talk, we hear Ashley Crow's voice and see a "Sandra" nametag as the waitress leaves their sandwiches. Eric Roberts tells HRG he needs to take a wife and start a family to put his life in balance and calm himself down. Bennet says he can't do that again, but Eric Roberts says that cute waitress will do fine. Bennet turns and sees Sandra, then asks Eric Roberts what if he refuses. Eric Roberts says he won't.

Back in the House of Mirrors, Claire yells that it's like the Company arranged his marriage. Bennet says they encouraged him, but he chose Sandra because he loved her. Claire says the Company seems to make a lot of his decisions, but Bennet says it's all over; it's the past. Then we see black and white images of Thanksgiving weekend (apparently, even though Damien can show Sylar's life in color, even HRG's recent memories are in black and white). He asks where Claire is, and she says she doesn't know, but he tells her she doesn't have to lie. He knows Claire stole the compass, and that they drove to the Carnival, but wants to know why she didn't come back. He says the Carnival people are killers, and Gretchen says she knows, but he has to trust Claire to know if people aren't good for her. HRG tells Gretchen she has to stop encouraging her, and that she's happy here in college living a normal life. Gretchen says it's not enough for her, but he says it has to be. The Haitian walks in, and Gretchen asks why, is he going to erase her memory (how did she know what he does? I guess we're supposed to assume Claire told her after the episode where she didn't?). He says no, not if she does what he asks. When it's over, HRG immediately tells Claire he didn't know where she was or what to do. She says he doesn't trust her (well, he trusted her last episode and look where he is now). She yells at him for threatening Gretchen, and says this wasn't some distant past; this was now. She leaves him alone with the mirrors (and probably Damien, but we haven't seen him in awhile; we're just supposed to assume he's there).

By DeAnn Welker

So, Peter wakes up outside the brick wall, which Parkman apparently really did actually finish and then leave. So dumb. He stands up and we can hear bricks breaking, then the wall comes flying forward. Sylar stumbles out, his hair all a mess, and they walk toward each other. Really, it's so gay. Sylar asks how long it's really been, and Peter checks his watch and says "a half a day." Sylar says it feels like it was years, and asks if it makes it any less real. Peter smiles at him, and says, "Let's go save Emma." But Replicator Eli's on the stairs as they try to leave the basement (WHERE IS PARKMAN? AND JANICE? OR EVEN BABY STOP AND GO?). He says, "Sorry to break up the love fest, but I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen." Uh, dude, the love fest cannot be broken up now that it's finally on. Replicator Eli surrounds them, but this is freaking Sylar and Peter. They win by default.

Meanwhile, cameras take us through the dirt at the now-gone Carnival, to where Claire and HRG are in the trailer. They turn on her phone as a light, until they find a lantern. They're both okay, but realize they're buried pretty deep. He thinks it felt like forty or fifty. They scream for help. But the screaming and the lantern burning are probably two quick ways to burn up all the oxygen that HRG, at least, needs to survive down there.

Okay, so the flashback stuff really ruined this episode. I didn't hate most of the Sylar and Peter stuff (other than that I think making Sylar a good guy is retarded; I mean that literally: It's like making Sylar mentally disabled, because he's not himself somehow). But (and it's a big but), if they're going to do it, and have him team up with Peter, it had to be for something big, like Peter thinking -- correctly or not -- that he needed Sylar to save the world, or Emma, or anyone who matters. And then they also needed enough time to elapse for them to build trust and friendship, and the only way to do that was the way they did it. It's weird, but actually the best part of the episode by a lot. The flashbacks and the Carnival stuff were all just filler, but the weird two-person dreamscape actually moved the story forward. And that's what we haven't had nearly enough of this season. Too bad it was a small part of this sucky episode, and that it ended by spreading everyone out, instead of bringing them together. I would have liked for the entire finale to have our core heroes together, fighting the good fight. But it looks like it's going to take at least half of the episode to even get them all where they need to be. How will Claire and Bennet get there in time (I'm assuming Lauren and Tracy will assist in their rescue? Maybe Hiro?)? I don't think it will take the Ambiguously Gay Duo long to take out Replicator Eli, if Sylar still has his powers.