I feel like I should be disappointed and/or annoyed with tonight's episode, since it was much less about answering questions and a lot more about adding context to things we already knew, especially the Petrelli family dynamics and HRG's behind-the-scenes machinations.
We pick up right where we left off two weeks ago, with Hiro going on a "spirit walk" to view the past. The special effects department cooked up a cool little transition between character arcs with the characters being reflected in Hiro's all-white eyes, except for one time when Hiro's face fades into a pair of french doors that Meredith storms through. They're cool little touches that help explain where that $4-million-per-episode budget is being blown - kind of Jeph Loeb's television version of having the Hulk punch out the Watcher. Hope it was worth it, Loeb - now if we could just get you off some comic book titles...
ANYway, Hiro's vision quest starts with a Petrelli family gathering about one year ago, apparently just before the beginning of season one. . Everyone's in formal wear and Arthur is giving some kind of speech and thanking all of his family, none of which is really important. Linderman, of course, is at the party and tries to make nice with Nathan, who's having none of it. Nathan, who is still the Assistant D.A. at this point, advises Linderman to shave his wrists to make handcuffs less uncomfortable. Linderman then has a side-conversation with Arthur, who's been behind all of Linderman's activities for the past twenty-some years. Arthur is concerned that Nathan's investigation into Linderman will expose him and decides to try to talk Nathan out of investigating Linderman.
Later, when he's unable to talk Nathan into handing over Linderman's case to another A.D.A, Arthur orders Linderman to kill Nathan, leading to the accident that paralyzed his wife. As we already know, this just made Nathan even more determined to go after Linderman and he warns his father that, if he stays too close to Linderman, he'll be collateral damage.
Later, at the Petrelli mansion, Arthur and Linderman are discussing the failed attempt on Nathan's life and planning the next try when Angela overhears them and freaks right the hell out. Arthur uses the powers that he must have picked up from Maury Parkman or someone like him to erase Angela's memory of the conversation and make her go along with his plan to kill Nathan.
Later, Linderman comes by when Arthur's not around. He tells Angela that he has reservations about what Arthur's been doing and offers to heal the scars that Arthur's mental tampering has left on her brain, effectively restoring her memories. Angela suddenly remembers everything and plots revenge. At dinner that night, Angela has the Haitian standing by to neutralize Arthur's mind-reading powers and poisons his soup, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. While Angela and the Haitian are making plans to dispose of the body, Nathan comes by, finds Arthur (who isn't quite dead), and calls the ambulance.
At the hospital - in a scene I think we saw in the first season - the doctor tells Nathan and Angela that Arthur didn't make it. Angela makes plans to have Arthur's body cremated and goes home with Nathan. What we didn't see before is the doctor going back to Arthur's room, where he's hooked up to the breathing machines and whatnot like he was in the first episode of this season. The doctor reports to Arthur on his wife's plans and his prognosis. He also makes plans to substitute another body for Arthur's to be cremated.
At the funeral, the brothers mourn their father, but Angela reminds them that he was just a man, and they'll never know just how flawed he really was.
It seems that the implication here is that Arthur was really the villain of the first season, and maybe even the second, since Linderman was reporting to him the whole time. We also now know that Linderman wasn't nearly as convinced that he was doing the right thing nor was he nearly as ruthless as we thought - that was mostly Arthur. Verrrry interesting.
We also get to see Meredith and her brother - big surprise, it's Flint - robbing a convenience store when they run into Thompson (remember him from season one?). Thompson sprays Flint with a fire extinguisher and aims a taser at Meredith before either of them can attack him. He captures Meredith and brings her in, but Flint seems to escape.
Back at the company, Thompson gives Meredith the option of joining the Company or being their person. Meredith, of course, agrees to join them. When she's walking a prisoner to his cell, she finds Flint, who tells her that he's also being trained to be an agent. Meredith doesn't seem to like this idea at all, but keeps her thoughts to herself for the moment. Later, though, she breaks Flint out and they make a run for it, though Flint would rather stay. Flint's starting to look less evil and more like a mildly retarded kid that just wants to fit in somewhere - he could have just as easily been a "good guy". Meredith, however, may really be evil.
The two catch a train towards the Texas-Mexican border, but Thompson has followed them. In the altercation, Flint jumps out of the train and Meredith sets a fire in a car full of propane tanks. She and Thompson both make it off the train before it explodes and Thompson is able to capture Meredith. As they're walking away from the blazing train, Thompson asks her why she hates the Company so much. She replies that they killed her baby and tells him the story of HRG finding Claire, though she thought Claire had died. Thompson lets her go, saying that this was her get out of jail free card. While Meredith runs away, we see Claire in the background running into the fire to save a man, again bringing us around to the very beginning of the series.
Still one year ago, Sylar is feeling remorse for killing Brian Davis (first episode of the first season, I think) and is about to hang himself when Elle walks into the shop. just as Elle walks in, Sylar jumps off of the chair. Elle uses her electrical powers to burn the rope while Sylar's hanging with his back to her and Sylar drops to the floor. Elle and Sylar talk about why he wants to kill himself, both avoiding admitting they have powers. Elle talks him out of feeling that he's a bad person and walks out, where she meets HRG in a Primatech van. They then discuss their mission of observing Sylar 'in the wild", even planning to set him up to murder other people for their powers. Elle keeps pretending to not have powers (Sylar never actually saw her zap the rope) and be interested in Sylar. Eventually, he begins to tell her about his powers and his craving for more.
Elle begins to have feelings for Sylar and wants to stop trying to manipulate him, but HRG reminds her that, if she can't follow orders, then she's not an agent. As we already know, the Company is all that Elle has, so she goes along with HRG's plan to introduce Sylar to someone with powers and see what happens. Predictably, Sylar kills the guy while HRG watches on hidden camera and Elle runs.
Afterwards, Elle is disgusted and wants to bring Sylar in, telling HRG that they created a monster by taking away Sylar's soul. HRG is unrepentant and unworried, figuring that they'll round Sylar up before long, but that wasn't his assignment. That one will bite him in the ass eventually, in many ways.
Incidentally, I'm of the opinion that Elle is Sylar's future babymomma.
HRG walks away from Elle and gets into a cab - one that Peter has just stepped out of and Suresh is driving, bringing us back to the first episode of the series.
Back in the present, Hiro wakes up from his "spirit walk" and starts yelling that they have to warn everyone, presumably about Arthur being alive. While Ando's trying to calm him down, we hear the African scream. Hiro and Ando run out of the hut to see what happened and see Usutu's headless body. After looking around, they find his head about twenty feet away in a clump of grass. When Hiro turns around, Arthur Petrelli is standing there and locks his hands on either side of Hiro's head - wiping his mind or draining his powers or.... something. I guess we'll find out next week.
