TV Recap: Heroes Chapter 4

Promos advertised another big surprise ending the episode this week and we certainly get one… although the other fifty-some minutes felt like they were simply setting up that big ending, not moving things forward the way the previous episodes have been. Essentially, this episode felt like it was moving towards the ending of this episode instead of advancing the story forward as a whole.

That doesn’t mean the ending wasn’t a little bit worth it.

The show continues the trend of having the previous week’s most interesting story all but sidelined for the following week. In this case, Matt was pretty darn interesting last week but is pretty much forgotten after this week’s opening act. The brothers begin to have a little more importance and Hiro proves that he may be the most important character for the overall show, even if he still is goofy for now.

Warning: This is an episode recap. Spoilers for episodes up to and including “Collision” follow.

“Sometimes questions are more powerful than answers.”

So says the opening voice over by Mohinder. One might think this is the writer’s way of getting out of revealing any answers by the way this episode unfolds.

Matt: Matt awakens from last week’s blackout in some sort of lab, with the Mysterious Agent looking over him. The Agent admits they drugged him and, when he asks, also admits he is not part of any organization that has initials (FBI, CIA, etc). Matt thinks they think he’s Sylar. He tries to penetrate the Agent’s mind but isn’t able to because his accomplice, the black guy from last episode, is still around – and he’s special too.

As the Mysterious Agent leaves, Matt is able to read something from the his mind: the name Claire. Matt asks what that means. The Agent tells the other man he (Matt) is farther along than they thought – to go deep and clean him out. As he walks away, the man puts his hand over Matt’s face… and that’s all we get for Matt from this episode.

Claire: Another lab. We back up in time a little and see the broken tree branch removed from the cheerleader’s head again (I wondered where the mortician was last week when she came back to life). The phone rings and the doctor leaves just in time to miss Claire coming back to life. Claire closes her chest and that mutant… er, special healing power starts to work. She puts a jacket on before the audience gets a peek at anything however.

Claire gets back home in time for breakfast. She quickly makes herself as beautiful as ever, but her dad realizes she hasn’t been home all night. He asks if she was with the quarterback. She says she was, but that nothing happened. He tells his daughter he’s disappointed in her and that he loves her; that she can tell him anything. It’s obvious he means something different.

“There’s gonna be a throwdown when I get home.” He tells his daughter as he leaves for work.

Later, at school, Claire’s friend thinks she should go to someone about Brody (the quarterback) but she refuses. It’s not like anyone would believe her anyway – what is she supposed to say “he killed me but I’m alright now?” On the other hand, Brody is quite shocked to see Claire back in school. He freaks out a little bit.

We find out later this isn’t the first time he’s pulled this rape act, when another girl (Lori) asks Claire what happened between her and Brody, stating she went off with Brody at a bonfire before too… her voice hinting at her implied meaning. Claire doesn’t look too happy about this reoccurring trend from the quarterback…

Hiro and Ando: The duo have arrived in Vegas and Hiro is trying to figure out how to say “You are going to die in five weeks and New York is going to explode,” in English (so he can leave a meaningful message for Isaac instead of Japanese gibberish). Ando is happy to help him but is quickly distracted by the games Vegas has to offer.

Niki: Niki is at the same casino and crosses paths with Hiro. There’s no reason for the two to know each other, despite their shared circumstances (aka – special powers). Niki and Micah are escorted to an office overlooking the floor. After the two are separated Niki is told Mr. Lenderman is willing to forget her debt… in return for a favor – there’s a politician arriving from New York who wants Lenderman’s help. They want Niki to keep the man busy and distracted. Now who do we know in politics in New York…

Nathan:Sure enough, the would be official is heading for Vegas to meet with Linderman. Mohinder Suresh attempts to stop him from traveling, introducing himself as Dr. Suresh and telling Nathan his life is in jeopardy. He tries to tell Nathan about Sylar and asks if he’s developed any special powers lately. Nathan leaves – he still would rather deny his powers and have a shot at office than admit the truth.

Peter: Peter, on the other hand, apparently spent the night with Simone. I guess she got over Isaac quick enough. Peter asks about Isaac but his doorbell buzzes before she can tell him anything. At the door is Nathan. He challenges Peter, thinking he was behind Dr. Suresh’s appearance (Nathan clearly thinks Mohinder is his own father, Chandra). Nathan gives Peter money… it’s clearly to buy his invisibility under the guise of paying for Peter to find out more about his own powers. Peter returns to asking about Isaac. He poses the question to Simone: what if Isaac really can paint the future. He then takes off to find Dr. Suresh.

Nathan and Niki (Sorry, with the storylines finally coming together, tracking these characters with any kind of chronology is a little more difficult. Until I find a better solution each character might have multiple entries) Nathan arrives in Vegas and is looking for Linderman but the suspicious character is otherwise preoccupied. Nathan does manage to bump into Niki however, literally. She stumbles into him, making it look like he’s knocked her Celine Dion ticket into a drink.

Meanwhile, Niki and Nathan are in a private hospitality room overlooking the Vegas Strip. Niki’s doing a great job flirting, while Nathan wonders what it would be like to fly over the desert… to really fly. You’d think her answers to Nathan’s questions… about a convict ex-husband and kids would scare Nathan off. Despite stating he’s happily married, Nathan moves in for a kiss. “I can’t,” Niki responds. The kiss is all the two share, as Nathan lets Niki leave.

Before Niki can leave the floor her mirror image appears in the elevator door reflection. The doors open and one of Linderman’s thugs grabs her. He threatens her and her son if she doesn’t go through with her promise, but Niki’s not here anymore… we have confirmation – there’s more than one person inhabiting that mind, and the other person is a little more interested in Nathan than just that kiss satisfied. She beats the thug, threatens to put her heel through his skull if he threatens her or Micah again, and heads back to the politician, stripping in a way that makes male viewers wish this was on a pay-per view channel. As she seduces Nathan we see a tattoo on Niki’s right shoulder blade.

Hiro and AndoThe next time we see the two Japanese workers, Ando has bet all of their money on the roulette wheel: 26 Black. He has all but forced Hiro’s hand. The special concentrates and stops time, placing the marble on the winning number, and stopping to fix a nearly spilled drink before returning to his seat. (You have to love a geek who uses his power for both good and bad in the same shot.) Hiro feels guilty about misusing his powers, but Ando tries to convince him to do it again, using geek logic against him – does Peter Parker misuse his powers when he sells pictures of Spider-Man? It’s not long before Hiro and Ando have moved onto poker, where Hiro is stopping time to improve Ando’s hands. At least the roulette wheel was subtle.

A little later and Hiro and Ando are pulling a near-Rain Man, going down an escalator in matching suits. Unfortunately some other “suits” are waiting for them at the bottom. The duo are removed from the casino forcibly. An unhappy player who the two stole good cards from earlier (I’m guessing he’s Niki’s big threat Linderman) meets them outside the casino. Since Hiro doesn’t speak English he’s clueless as to the situation as Ando threatens the player and his thugs with Hiro’s powers. The player has one of the thugs knock Hiro out with a light punch. Threat removed. Meanwhile…

Nathan and Niki: The unconscious bodies of Niki and Nathan lie in bed, out cold from their passionate moment. The Mysterious Agent looks down at their sleeping bodies. “Just take the one,” he tells his accomplice. But which one?

Mohinder: The genetics professor is disappointed at the response he got from Nathan. Eden asks what he expected. No, she’s not just stopping by. She has justification for appearing: she has a package for him – his father’s ashes. Mohinder still has doubts about what he’s doing with Sylar, the map, the confrontation with Nathan… any of it. He begins to pack and there’s a knock at the door: Peter.

Peter tries to tell Mohinder about his powers but Eden is skeptical and, despite his attempt at stopping Nathan earlier, even Mohinder isn’t sure. Peter isn’t pitching the idea that he can just fly or predict the future though. Instead he’s suggesting that maybe he can recreate the powers of other people with powers around him. Mohinder still doesn’t believe him. With Nathan in Vegas, Peter suggests they visit Isaac, despite the complications of the artist having to be drugged up for his powers to work… oh, and the whole ‘Peter sleeping with Isaac’s ex’ thing.

Meanwhile, Isaac knows about Simone’s meeting with Peter – after all, he painted it seven weeks ago, and the painting of Peter falling/flying, before he even met Peter. He wants to create more paintings, to keep predicting the future, but he needs her money for more “art supplies.” She walks off as he stares at his explosive New York painting. “I’m going to be a hero.” He says.

As Mohinder and Peter head to see the painter, (discussing their respective daddy issues on the subway train), the painter’s obsession has grown and we see he’s painted his New York image on the floor. He takes on a new canvas, shooting up heroin for inspiration. We get to see his vision as he paints it – a screaming girl… Claire… running from a shadow figure. Peter and Mohinder get to the painter’s door but it’s obvious nobody is home behind his eyes while he’s painting.

Claire: When Isaac comes to he looks at his new creation: Claire on stairs being pursued. But Claire isn’t on stairs pursued – she’s on stairs waiting semi-seductively for Brody. She asks the would-be rapist/murderer for a ride home. He lets her drive… big mistake. She drives like someone who has nothing to worry about from a car accident. She confronts him about the bonfire. He accuses her of getting drunk and coming on to him. She asks if he said the same thing about Lori. It’s obvious she’s out to teach him a lesson, but he’s not interested in learning it… so she slams the car full speed into a building’s brick wall instead. I guess that’ll teach him.

Mohinder and Peter: The skeptic and the believer head back empty handed. Peter wants to try to see Isaac again but Mohinder is ready to give up… when time stops. If Peter’s responsible he’s unaware, although he can still move while everyone else, including Mohinder, is frozen.

As Peter realizes he is trapped on the frozen-in-time subway car, sounds come from someone or something on top. It’s an Asian man… it looks like some version of Hiro from the future… and it is. In perfect English he tells Peter he looks different without the scar… and then tells Peter he is Hiro, here from the future with a message for Peter…

A pretty solid ending to a mediocre episode. When are we going to get to the good stuff. This episode started to bring the Heroes together, but we need a little more than a beginning. We've seen the future, now we need to know what's causing it. What's the deal with the Agent? Why is he going after Matt but not his own adopted daughter? Why has Hiro come from the future? And why are promos already starting to tell us that the heroes will be getting together behind the message, "Save the cheerleader, save the world."

Contrary to what Mohinder says: answers are important. We need to get a few before more questions get tossed in.