Quick n’ Dirty Synopsis

Hiro is still waiting for directions from Samuel, and for him to make good on his promise to return Charlie. Tracy is still in possession of her compass and seems to be seriously considering Samuel’s offer. Nathan and Peter return to his office, only to be warmly greeted by his assistant welcoming him back from a family vacation, although he has lost an entire week of his life.

Full Blown Synopsis

We open on a Carnival clean-up (part of NBC’s going green during even its shows); Samuel has an aside with Hiro and reveals that 8 weeks prior he killed Mohinder Suresh in pursuit of a reel of video that he wants Hiro to retrieve. He promises that once Hiro brings him the reel he will set Charlie free.

Flash to 9 weeks prior, in Chennai, India, where Mohinder is tutoring a young woman and finding his purpose again in teaching. However, we see a box marked “Chandra Suresh,” uncovered by his missus, Mira, sent more than one month before and still not abandoned. He throws it into a nearby trash bin in her sight to placate her, since she doesn’t want him to disappear into “a rabbit hole” as he does with his father’s research.

In present day Washington, DC, Tracy is sitting in a diner eyeing a poster tacked up for the Sullivan Brothers carnival and fingering the compass Samuel gave her. The waitress (who seems awfully familiar with Tracy) asks her what’s wrong, having watched her stare at the same poster for two hours. Tracy discusses every little kid’s dream of running away to a carnival; the waitress first disregards the carnies as freaks, and then relents that really she would hate moving around. As she asks Tracy again if she’s alright, the mug in Tracy’s hand freezes and shatters on the countertop. Tracy apologizes and hurries out.

Elsewhere in DC, Peter and Nathan arrive at his office. His assistant Elizabeth welcomes him back warmly, revealing that his say is clear as his mother called and has his calendar cleared for a vacation of indeterminate length. As the boys take this in, the Haitian arrives to discuss business with Peter only, demanding that Nathan keep his distance (presumably, so that his shape-shifting doesn’t short out and reveal the truth). Turns out Renee was dispatched to wipe both their memories, but he doesn’t see fit to clean up Angela’s mess in this way. He also tells Peter the truth about “Nathan,” and gives him a business card, saying that what he discovers at that address may be more than he can bear.

Still in DC, Clare arrives at Noah’s apartment (once again with laundry basket in tow), only to find the door broken open, the doorknob shattered on the floor inside. She prowls the place for the intruder, picking up a knife in the kitchen, only to find it’s Tracy seeking Noah as her powers continue to short (interesting how wanting to never see him again has turned out). Clare decides the first step is to put Tracy in a hot bath, as her skin turns a startling shade of blue. But when she leaves to make hot tea for her, the water in the tub and the pipes start to freeze. Tracy gets out in agitation and heads for the living room. When Clare reaches out to comfort her, her hands start to crystallize, and she freezes right before Tracy’s eyes.

Back in 9-Week-Past India, Suresh wakes early and retrieves the box from the trash, opening it to reveal, among other items, a series of notebooks, an ID badge, hardware, and the video reel Samuel (will) seek(s). He plays the reel, which includes a narrative from the good doctor. His research at the ranch has led to his discovery that when two or more “specials” are in close proximity, their powers are amplified by the other; larger gatherings, the power increases exponentially. Also on the reel is footage of Samuel’s birth; the elder Dr. Suresh filmed it as there had been seismic activity surrounding his mother during the last time of her pregnancy and he suspected the baby would have untold powers. He was right; the earthquake announcing the birth rocks the video camera and furniture as Dr. Suresh is tossed mid-narration.

In an Arlington, VA storage unit, Peter and Nathan (despite Renee’s express warning to go alone) discover a long silver cask, almost a time capsule. A noise outside distracts them, and Peter goes to investigate as Nathan opens the cask. Which is, in fact, a casket, as is revealed when he peels back the plastic sheeting inside and stares down at his own face, the wound at the neck a grisly reminder of his unwitting handiwork. Peter stands by his side, declares it to be a fake, as Nathan reaches towards the body. Peter stays his hand, but when he turns Nathan makes contact with the body’s forehead and flashes to the day “he” was killed. He tells Peter that he hears Matt Parkman, and that he’s angry (we hear Matt saying “You are now Nathan Petrelli”) with Sylar, whom he also saw in the flash. They decide that Matt has the answers, and set off to return to Nathan’s office and continue their search.

Back in Noah’s apartment, Tracy is dragging Clare to the bathroom to put her in a hot bath. Her foot breaks off in Tracy’s hand, and Tracy sits on the floor in shock. She begins to cry, whether over Clare’s inadvertent “death” or the thought of having to tell Noah, when suddenly Clare sits up and puts her hand on Tracy’s shoulder. More shock, as apparently Tracy didn’t realize that healing is Clare’s “thing.” They laugh awkwardly with each other. No harm, no foul?
Back at Nathan’s office, Elizabeth has been doing the boys’ footwork and comes to Nathan with the unfortunate news that Matt Parkman is in a hospital in Texas, having seemingly attempted “suicide by cop.” He’s in critical condition. Peter tells Nathan he has the power to heal, so perhaps they should pay Matt a visit and see what he can do for him? They depart for Texas.

At the Carnival, we see Hiro focusing furiously at a map, trying his best to time travel. Samuel approaches, all words of encouragement (it’s important to believe in someone you’re blackmailing).

9-Week-Prior-India land reveals Mira discovering Suresh asleep at his desk, the video reel flapping futilely in the background as she wakes him in a rough voice. He begins to tell her about what he has built from his father’s notes and the odd hardware, a compass, and what his father discovered about the “specials” and their power in numbers. She stops him mid-sentence, and reminds him of what he stands to lose if he insists on pursuing this lead. Which will he choose, the girl or the goal?

Once upon this time in Texas, Peter and Nathan arrive at the hospital and manage to sneak into Matt’s room, shuttering the blinds as they do so. Peter lays hands on Matt, and we see the heart monitor begin to escalate as he comes to, bruises healing. Matt awakens with a yelp and finds himself handcuffed to his bed… and Sylar staring at him in triumph, as he intones that “Good things really do come to those who wait.” Matt puts aside all pretense and begins telling Sylar off, then tells Peter and “Nathan” why he appears to be talking to himself. He digs himself a hole that hits rock bottom when he tells Nathan to stay back or Sylar will jump back to his body. Matt is forced to tell them the truth, and Nathan, rather than being shocked or repelled, seems to be fascinated: here is the answer to why he feels “out of sorts,” and he draws closer to Matt as Sylar, tired of waiting, takes control of Matt’s body again.

Back in the saddle, Sylar demands “Nathan” take his hand. Peter declares he’ll kill him first, and Nathan throws him up against the hospital room wall as a policeman storms in, just as Nathan’s fingers brush Matt’s and we see a glimmer of something pass between them. Nathan disables the guard, then, as Matt realizes why he’s back in his body and protests, Nathan slings Peter over his shoulder and exits out the window.

Now 8-weeks-prior at the Carnival, Suresh meets Joseph Sullivan, the (present-day dead) brother of Samuel. He seeks an audience with Samuel, and when Joseph leads Suresh to their trailer, Samuel emerges, in all his drunken, fallen-punk-rocker glory, and stumbles off on Joseph’s directive to assist with a bonfire. Inside the trailer, Joseph reveals that he is aware of Samuel’s capabilities, and as such has been keeping his strength from him as well as limiting the number of people with powers in the company to keep him at a level. He doesn’t want Suresh to reveal what he knows, as he’s been protecting Samuel just fine for forty years (damn, Samuel looks good for 40); he tells Suresh he’s no longer welcome, and he goes to leave. As he walks away from the trailer, we see Samuel, who has been listening outside the trailer to the entire revelation.

In present-day Texas, we see our policeman wheeling a gurney into the morgue. As soon as the doors shut Matt fumbles aside the blanket, putting his powers fully into play as he forces the cop to “remember” that he found Matt already dead and took him to the morgue of his own volition. While he’s at it, he steals the cop’s clothes and is able to walk around the hospital unperturbed. His next step is to call Janice, and leave a message, talking about the voices in his head again (I suspect having that recorded will come back to bite him in the a$$). He also tells Janice he suspects that Sylar has gotten what he wanted, so Matt himself is in the clear.

Somewhere out in the deserts of Texas, Nathan and Peter have landed. While we watch Nathan pace and wait for Sylar to manifest, Peter does the same as Nathan begins rattling off why he’s not safe to be around. He makes for the sky, but peter manages to grab him (way to give up your control over life-and-death, Peter) and tells Nathan that he can go for it if he chooses, but he’ll be right behind him. Nathan takes off with Peter in his wake.

Back in DC, Tracy and Clare are having some quality girl time. Since Tracy’s powers have been held in check for about an hour, Clare says she believes the problem to be psychological and not physical. Tracy begins telling Clare about Samuel’s visit (finding that Clare, too, knows Samuel), and reveals that she is dissatisfied with the way her old life has been pieced back together and that she is seriously considering taking Samuel up on his offer. The two are waxing philosophical when Noah enters, completely un-phased by the scene in his living room. Even as he spies Clare’s frozen foot on the coffee table, he asks them how their day was. “Same old, same old,” is the giggly reply.

8-weeks-in-the-past-Texas, Mohinder is also leaving his love a voice mail. He tells Mira she was right (good call), his trip was a mistake and he misses her. After hanging up, he pours lighter fluid into the motel trash basket and drops in the reel. As he drops the match to meet the mess, time stops, an d we find that Hiro has succeeded! He pulls out the video reel and replaces it with another, and before he disappears, he warns Dr. Suresh to be careful of his impending visit from the “evil butterfly man.”

Time starts up and the match hits the decoy reel. It goes up in flames as Samuel kicks in the door to the motel room. Whether he’s angrier with his brother for keeping the information, or at Mohinder for his complicity, he demands the reel from Mohinder, and crushes a stone in his hand to make a point. Mohinder refuses, and Samuel turns, seemingly to leave, before he turns, lets the fragments of stone hang in the air for a moment, before throwing them towards Mohinder like shrapnel, catching him in the chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, tearing up, before turning and leaving.

Mohinder sits up suddenly, the wind knocked out of him, as Hiro crawls out from beside the bed and claps him on the back. He put Mohinder in a Kevlar vest to protect him, knowing what was in store! Now, of course, Hiro tells him “when” he’s from, and explains that to keep Samuel from being suspicious and to get Charlie back to him safe, Mohinder must disappear for 8 weeks. Mohinder’s only concern is to stop Samuel, he can’t comply with Hiro’s wishes. So Hiro forces him to disappear: when Mohinder wakes up, he finds himself in a straitjacket, institutionalized in Baudelaire, Florida, just in time to be knocked out again by medication. Clever Hiro, meanwhile, turns the reel over to Samuel. Instead of returning Charlie, he tells Hiro that soon, he will hold up his end of the bargain.

When we next see Tracy, she is sitting in a diner as Samuel walks in. She looks dressed to kill, almost like this is an interview, even though she is still unsure what she’s doing or agreeing to. Samuel almost immediately starts telling her how her gift can save hundreds at risk, and cozies up to her at the counter as he continues to sell.

Nathan and Peter are in his bachelor pad, assessing the situation. Nathan seems unusually calm for someone who’s just found out he’s dead, a living memory of sorts. He questions what he is and what he may become, wondering aloud how Matt could have completely have obliterated Sylar from his body (the audience, meanwhile, is holding its breath, wondering if Peter saw the contact in the hospital). His biggest concern seems to be how his family will treat him going forward. Peter provides the example, whether he saw the contact or not, in his nervous pacing, and the way Nathan sees him watching him. His final words, as he tells Peter these fears, are his pleading with his brother, “Tell me I’m wrong, Pete… tell me I’m wrong.”

What We Learned:

1. Next week: The family Petrelli is enjoying dinner together when Angela realizes something is amiss with her eldest. We see him reach for a knife; looks like Sylar intends to make good on his promise to kill everyone involved, and he was just biding his time.
2. Next week: Clare announces to her family that she doesn’t want to return to college (perhaps Tracy’s decision has something to do with it), only to find that her father has invited Gretchen to join them for dinner. Tough call?
3. Samuel is 40 (!!). And he has reasons beyond mere philanthropy for gathering people with powers to the carnival: he’s trying to increase his power as much as possible. This is why he wanted Sylar, “the most powerful of them all,” in his family.
4. Now we know how/ why Mohinder was killed, the next question is, how does Joseph Sullivan shuffle off this mortal coil?
5. Matt is back in action, as far as having control of his body and his power. Oh, and being alive, of course, huge plus there. But how far is he going to get as a man on the run?