- H.R.G. is greeted by some unexpected visitors and Samuel's grand plan begins to come to fruition. Meanwhile, Peter struggles to accept the truth and takes extreme measures to get what he wants. Elsewhere, Claire's journey leads her to an unexpected destination.—NBC Publicity
- "Heroes" - "Chapter Eleven: The Fifth Stage" - Nov. 30, 2009
At the carnival, Lydia confronts Samuel about the truth about him killing Joseph but says since she has a daughter to protect his secret is safe with her. A dude comes up saying Samuel summoned him. It's the guy Samuel sent Tracy after a few weeks ago (see the online GNs: chapters 153-155). Samuel is reading the paper and complaining about the news and all the sadness therein. He's worried that they might be the last of their species. The guy doesn't think much about it. Samuel says he should and with Edgar gone he wants Eli to be his new right hand man. His first job is to go collect a box of files from HRG's apartment. Eli has the ability to clone himself, somehow. There are at least five of them. Samuel thinks this will be helpful.
Meanwhile at his apartment, HRG is looking over his wall of clippings on everyone from Danko to Samuel and writes a note to himself that says "how does the compass work?" Lauren shows up. They have a theatre date and she's come to pick him up. It's been awhile since he's dated so he's rusty, and makes a bad impression when he says he missed the sexual revolution. She laughs it off and asks about his "wall of weird" stuff. He says it's all about the bad guys. He goes to show her the compass and realizes it's gone. He realizes that Claire took it the night before at Thanksgiving dinner (last ep). He calls her and leaves a message. He asks her to please stop whatever she's doing since this is more dangerous than she knows. Lauren asks for her number to triangulate the call, courtesy of her new job at the CIA. She realizes that they're not going to the movies. She reassures him that things will be okay.
Claire and Gretchen have arrived at the carnival after a 21 hour drive from Arlington. They get out to investigate.
Angela comes to visit Peter at the hospital. She tells him it's time to skip over the denial phase of grief and get on to acceptance, as she finally has. Peter says Nathan is in there with Sylar and he will save him. Angela wonders how Peter will fight him with all Sylar's powers. He says he'll take them away. Cue the Haitian's arrival, they shake hands and Peter takes his powers. Angela wonders what if he can't save Nathan from Sylar, Peter says he'll settle for revenge.
As they're about to enter the carnival Claire's having second thoughts, especially if they run into Becky. Gretchen urges her to check it out. Samuel comes waltzing out saying he's so glad she could make it.
He says he knows the carnival can seem scary but she'll get used to it. He gives them free passes, the run of the park. She says she's just looking but not sure what for. He says this is just the show part of the business, a means to make money for now. They travel town to town until they don't have to. He gives them some tasty popcorn and tells them to stay for the duration of the box and walk around and then he'll walk them back to the car and they'll be free to go back to school. Gretchen wonders what they're supposed to be looking at. Claire isn't sure. They wander around to Lydia the amazing tattoo girl, "every tattoo a harbinger of things to come." They enter and she shows them her back. Gretchen likes this. Lydia says they ask a question and then take her hand. Claire asks if she's a fortune teller. Lydia says she shows you what you need too see. Claire takes her hand and asks if she's supposed to be here. On her back an image of Claire in her cheerleading outfit appears with the words "indestructible girl" written underneath them. Claire wonders if she's going to have a circus act. Lydia says it's not the future but Claire's desire.
Peter's in the hospital elevator when a chubby black nurse enters. After a few awkward glances, she grabs him by the throat and throws him out. It is of course, Sylar. He opens Peter's bags and dumps out all of his stuff: sedatives and what have you. Sylar says he shouldn't have. Really. Peter scurries away and Sylar slowly follows. He speaks to him saying he's pretty disappointed that his plan was to ply him full of drugs. He thought that was the old plan. Peter comes up from behind and whacks him with a board. Sylar gets up and throws up his hand but nothing happens. Sylar asks what's up. He explains he took the Haitian's powers, mind erasing and power blocking. He yells at him to give him his brother back. As he and Sylar fight, Sylar says Nathan is dead. They fight some more and Sylar wonders if Peter's plan is to beat Nathan out of him. Peter grabs a nearby nail gun and says yep, that's pretty much the plan.
Peter nails Sylar's hands to the ground. Peter points out that it hurts, no? Especially with no healing powers. He then nails him in the leg. Sylar asks what he wants. Peter wants to make a deal: he'll let Sylar heal but he wants Nathan back. Sylar says it sounds like a one-sided deal. Peter says it is and asks what it's gonna be. Sylar laughs and says he's going to need a lot more nails. Peter punches him and says that's cool. He says what he'll do instead is take away everything Sylar has until only Nathan is left. He places his Haitian empowered hand on Sylar's head until Nathan's face is looking back at him.
Back at the carnival, Gretchen wonders about Claire's "secret desire." Gretchen is getting freaked out. Claire thinks it's great that all these people are out in the world using their powers. Gretchen says it's a freak show though. Claire says she's seen worse. At the knock the bottles over game a mouthy guy (Not!Kevin James!) keeps missing because the guy running the game is throwing off the ball, telekinetically. Claire points this out to Gretchen as the guy complains he spent three years pitching in the minors. He finally gives up and the carny then lets a little girl win, rewarding her with a large stuffed unicorn. The gals finish their popcorn and Gretchen says their time is up. Samuel arrives and wonders if they had fun. Claire says yes, Gretchen no. He offers a peek behind the scenes. Claire says yes, Gretchen declines. Samuel says they're both welcome, they don't exclude anyone here. The girls follow him.
Lauren and HRG have figured out that Claire is in Southern Ohio. She's going through files, cross-referencing them with the CIA database. He's bummed. She tells him to let it go, girls lie to their dads. He figures it's karma given his lies and his suffocating need for control. Sandra, Claire, even Lauren. She's all whatchu talkin' bout HRG. He explains about their almost tryst and their emotional affair. She says she thinks she would remember that. He explains she had her own memory wiped, she chose the high road. He says this isn't the way he wanted to tell her but she deserves to know. So she's working it out: now you're single, playing the field, looking to reignite the flame? He says nothing and there's a knock on the door. She goes back to the computer and turns something off. Eli from the carnival, has arrived and says he's an emissary. HRG tries to keep him out but one of the Eli's has worked his way in. At least two more Eli's appear. They say they don't want to hurt anyone. Lauren upends the table and grabs a gun and throws it to HRG. He shoots one and it disappears. They regroup and get more guns in the bathroom. They've faced a "multiplier" before, in Tulsa. Their plan is to shoot them all and hope that they hit the real one, which will dispose of them all. They bust out of the bathroom and all the Elis are gone. As are HRG's box of files Lauren notes.
At the carnival, Clare and Gretchen watch as Samuel tells a story to the kids around a fire. Claire says to Gretchen it's nowhere near as creepy behind the scenes. Gretchen says that's because it's dark out and they're still con artists. Claire says it's just like every other carnival and that everyone knows carnival games are rigged and they're just doling out some karma. Gretchen says Claire isn't running around conning people out of money with her ability. The marionette guy Doyle walks by, greeting her. He hugs Claire and thanks her for helping him leave Costa Verde and then Samuel found him and saved him and he loves the feeling of belonging and being himself at the carnival. He asks if she's sticking around. She says she is. Claire explains the nutshell version of the backstory. Samuel asks Claire to tell the kids a story. She tries to decline, he prods her. She tells them about a frog family, with a tadpole named Mr. Muggles. Gretchen goes to Samuel and asks what they want with Claire and it's not fair to toy with her emotions. Samuel says they plan to love her, which is important in these troubling times.
There's a bloody Helix on a hand. We see Nathan is cleaning his wounds. He tells Peter he's tired, he doesn't think he can keep up the fight, the fight of trying to get out and stay out of Sylar. Peter tells him he can do it. He says they should go get some air.
Claire finishes her story and the kids clap. One of the girls hugs Claire. Samuel says they love her. The mouthy guy (Not!KJ!) from the bottles game comes up angry that the carnival "stole" his money. Samuel says he took a chance in a game of chance so he lost. Mouthy guy says the game was rigged. Samuel counters that maybe the guy just didn't have any god-given talent. The guy starts punching Samuel and he doesn't fight back. Samuel says the guy has something to get out of his system and to let him. Claire tries to stop him. They guy says he'll take them all on. He breaks a glass and slashes her face. It heals right up and he freaks out. She says he can't hurt them and he runs away.
Peter and Nathan go to the rooftop from the first season. The one where Peter asked Nathan about flying. Nathan denied it but then said they could both fly. Peter says it feels like a million years ago. Nathan agrees a lifetime. Peter says they made it through together, all the craziness and they can get through more. Even death, wonders Nathan? Why not, says Peter. Because it's Sylar's body and he is just an illusion. Peter tells him to keep fighting. Nathan says he can't, Sylar is killing him and he can't hold on anymore. Peter says he can and that's why Nathan came and found him. Nathan says he found him because he wanted to crucify him in Times Square. (Right now? Because Kirby Plaza isn't near Times Square.) Peter realizes that's Sylar talking. He grabs Nathan in a hug and tells him to fight. Nathan says he's sorry, pushes Peter back, and throws himself off the roof. Peter grabs his hand and begs him to help him pull himself up. Nathan tells him to let him go and to carry on for the both of them and tell Mom he loves her and take care of Claire and fight the good fight. (No mention of Heidi and the boys!) He says Peter's always been everything that's good in the world and he has a feeling the world ain't seen nothing yet. He tells Peter he can do anything and to remember that. He tells him he loves him, Peter responds in kind and Nathan slips from Peter's grip and falls in slow motion, the face slowly turning into Sylar. We hear the impact on a car and see it as well. Then the body gets up. It's Sylar. He salutes Peter.
At the carnival, Claire nurses Samuel's wounds as Lydia looks on from a distance. Claire wonders why he let that guy hit him. He says all the choices he makes are for the well-being of the family and since they're gypsies the path of least resistance is sometimes the wisest. She says it's not right. He says it isn't. He says they're not that different, discovering new things about themselves, both searching for ways to live life on their own terms. She says they've learned it here, they get to be themselves out in the open. Samuel says sure if they lie, keep their heads down, let people punch them. He says his whole life has been about being a second-class citizen and he's questioning that now. He says he knows that she was walking around tonight thinking the carnival was all strange and strangely familiar. He says they all think that. He says he thinks they're destined for something more, bigger and that she may be able to help them with that. He says she's free to hang out for a few days and do some soul searching before she goes back to school. As they leave Gretchen says she felt like the whole night was a bad Fellini film. Claire tells her she's going to stay for a few more days. It's hard to explain. Gretchen says she knows, Claire needs to see for herself, she says she saw it in her face, how she looked at them and felt like she belonged. She says she's never felt that herself but she's happy for Claire. They hug. Claire says she'll see Gretchen Monday. Gretchen says she hopes so. Samuel and Lydia watch and Samuel says he'll make this right. Lydia wonders if Claire's going to serve the purpose he wants. Samuel says it's not Claire he's after as we watch Gretchen pull away and the reflection of the carnival disappear from her back window. In the bed of a truck she passes is a dead man, it's the mouthy guy (Not!KJ!).
Samuel is speaking, saying Joseph had the right idea, that alone the family would be safe- as he speaks we see various shots of the Carnies mixed with images of Peter returning tearfully to his mother, Emma play her cello, Hiro, Mohinder, and Ando run through the woods, Sylar put on his cap, and Tracy appraise her fingers. Samuel says that idea worked for a while but times change and they need to change with them and stop running and living in the shadows. But the problem is there's too few of them to make a stand, they have to recruit new members and they can't be shackled by the carnival life, they deserve a home. Samuel's thought about where to plant roots and he's picked a spot, where they are now, near Joseph's grave (or is it the new grave for the guy Amanda killed in "Slow Burn", Caleb?). He says here they will live unoppressed but first they have to gather the others. Then they will come back here and finally be home. The other carnies look at him. Claire gives him a smile.
To Be Continued January 4th....
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