Watching Heroes

Episode 10 definitely shines the light on a lot of the near past of our favorite characters. I think this episode answers a lot of questions that needed answering. For those of you used to the longer recaps, I’m gonna try something a little different this time. Hopefully it will give the same amount of info, but save my fingers a little wear and tear.

Spoilers forthcoming…you’ve been warned.

This episode touches on quite a few characters. If you’re like me, having Hiro in this episode was awesome. His story seems to be the thread that holds the whole story together. I think this story, as it relates to Hiro, really touches on the limitations of his abilities. As the episode title implies, we go back six months in relation to the current storyline, with Hiro appearing in the diner on Charlie’s birthday in April, not October as he originally thought. Reader Joel picked up on the fact the Charlie could speak Japanese that wasn’t in the book and that Hiro had probably given her the book. Hiro involves himself with Charlie trying to convince her that she needs to leave to save her life. At first she is skeptical, mistaking his powers for magic tricks, but eventually he convinces her of his abilities. She reveals to him that she has a clot near her brain and that she is going to die, but that he has given her a new appreciation for life and that she loves him. As she goes to kiss him he teleports back to Japan in current time. He manages to get back to Ando, but not by using his power. It appears that his power has a mind of it’s own. From what I can tell it seems he is unable to save Charlie.

We get the connection between Chandra and Horn-rimmed Glasses Man. It seems that Claire was on Chandra’s list and he contacted HRG, as he is her guardian. HRG goes to visit Chandra and learns all about Chandra’s research, the map and the database.

We are also introduced to pre Horn-rimmed Glasses Man Eden. She’s wild and using her ability to do what ever she wants. She gets pulled over for speeding in a stolen car with a bottle of hard liquor in the front seat. The cop, our beloved Matt Parkman, tries to arrest her, but after a few suggestions about donuts he departs leaving her to her own devices. This is short lived since the Mysterious Haitian is standing in front of the car. When next we see her she is being interrogated by HRG, with the Haitian observing. She has been gagged and once HRG removes it she attempts to use her power on him. It fails. Badly. HRG gives her a lecture on how being able to get what she wants whenever she wants has given her a twisted sense of morality and that she has now met the one man her ability won’t work on. Later on in the episode we see a reformed Eden working with HRG. His request for her is to remove Claire’s name from Chandra Suresh’s list on known supers. Pretty cool to see her abusing her power the way we all suspected she could.

We get a little more insight into crazy Niki, who starts off this episode in an AA meeting. In the meeting she talks about how it’s getting harder for her when we catch a glimpse of her estranged father sitting in the back row. After the meeting we learn that she has been out of his life for some time and he seems to be trying to make amends for past sins. Later she’s talking with DL about her father and how it could be possible that he could help them financially with Micah and his new school. This is pre-fight DL and Niki at it’s finest. We also learn that Niki has a sister that died. The name you ask? Jessica. Niki agrees to allow her father to come over and when he comes he brings Micah a new laptop as a gift. Micah rushes off to the back to play as DL, Niki and Papa talk. Again he seems to think that there is some memory that Niki would have that he needs her forgiveness for. He offers to pay for Micah’s school and while DL and Niki are discussing it he goes in the back to check up on Micah. Micah has the laptop disassemble in the room and pops freaks out. Can we say rage-a-holic. Niki and DL burst in before he can do anything and he says he has to leave and gives them a check then takes off. Later we catch pops in his hotel room alone when there is a knock on the door. Niki in full-on Jessica mode comes in and roughs him up thoroughly and tells him that she remembers everything about how he strangled her and killed the sister and that ‘Jessica’ now protected Niki. She then shoves the check that he had given Niki in his mouth and leaves. I’m wondering if it’s still insanity or if Jessica didn’t have some ability that allowed her to imprint her self onto Niki…

Back to Matt. Matt shows up later talking to his ex partner (cheater man) while they are sitting in different cop cars. His ex is telling him that 2nd time was the charm and that he’d pass the detective exam this time. He then notices Matt is eating a donut, with several more in the car, courtesy of Eden’s suggestion. It cuts to him later and he has failed the exam and is feeling down. His wife tries to perk him up but he seems determined to be down on himself. He catches a glimpse of her thoughts. He hears her call him her hero, but it is obviously one of the first times this has happened and he doesn’t seem to differentiate this from her speaking. It is obvious that she loves him and he must have gotten pretty bad to have driven her away in the missing months..

We catch up with Peter having just graduated from nursing school and Nathan and his wife and their mother have just arrived at his celebration. Nathan shows disdain for Peters chosen profession. Nathan tells Peter that the DA’s office wants him to prosecute Linderman, who was their fathers biggest client and that in prosecuting Linderman he would have to take down his own father. Peter agrees to testify, saying that it was the right thing to do. On the way home from the party a truck comes up behind Nathan while he is driving home with his wife. The truck starts ramming into the back of the car and Nathan’s power activates flying him out of the top of the convertible. Nathan can only watch as the car plows into an off ramp divider. Peter wakes up having dreamed everything that was happening to Nathan. He gets a call from Nathan and rushes to the hospital and they find out that his wife will be crippled. Later we see Peter getting ready for his deposition when he gets a knock on the door. It’s Nathan. Peter tells him that he is ready for the deposition and Nathan tells him it won’t be necessary because their father had committed suicide and was dead.

That leaves us with Claire. Claire, due to a fortuitous situation, making it onto the cheerleading teams. While her and Jackie are having a dispute over the uniform and whether or not Claire really wants the position, Claire’s hand goes through a glass window and is cut badly. Claire, Jackie and her mom rush off to the hospital. Later after HRG returns from his talk with Chandra he is talking with Claire and asks to see her hand. She has it wrapped and say it’s still tender, but when she removes the bandages she is completely healed. HRG definitely takes notice. I think this may be the first major wound she recovers from.

Best for last. We are introduced to Gabriel Gray, a watchmaker that Chandra Suresh believes to be one of the supers his work has predicted. After much trying and testing Gabriel seems to have no ability and in a fit of frustration grabs a post it note off of Chandra’s folders and storms out. Gabriel is convinced that he is special and hopes to prove it. Later he looks at the post it and sees that it is for a Brian Davis, a possible telekinetic. Gabriel calls Davis and has him come over to his office. It seems that Gabriel is taking things into his own hands. Davis shows his ability to Gabriel and tells him that he doesn’t want it, that he just wants to be normal. Gabriel whacks him on the back of the head and says that he can sense that something is wrong with Davis and he can fix it. Oh, yeah. Gabriel introduced himself as Sylar. Later Sylar pops up at Chandra’s residence showing off telekinetic abilities and tells Chandra that he wants to help him find all of the others on his list. I wonder why… (sarcasm intended.) This also seems to explaining the broken watch, from which he took his name. Pretty cool stuff.

I like that we have some more back-story and a face for Sylar, even though my beloved IMDB lied to me about who was playing the role. I hate it when the interweb lies to me. Dang.

Next week is the final episode for the year. Hopefully that means they’ll pickup in January, so we’ll only miss a few weeks.