Heroes Episode Recap: "The Eclipse, Part 1"
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So after being told repeatedly in the last episode that "it's coming" the game-changing eclipse finally came. But perhaps stranger than the eclipse robbing all of the heroes and villains of their abilities was how out of pocket everyone was geographically as well as emotionally and physically. Parkman, Hiro and Ando ended up in Kansas, the Petrelli brothers landed in Haiti and Tracy infiltrated Primatech for Arthur. Of course, the episode offered little explanation as to why the eclipse robbed everyone of their powers, rather resorting to the show's favorite device: show you the future in a drawing and bring the drawing to life before your eyes, So what was in Arthur's drawings and how did everything play out? Let's take them one at a time.
The Eclipse
Of course, at the center of all of Arthur's pre-cog illustrations is the eclipse, which he and Mohinder quickly deduce will cause all of the remaining drawings to happen. The drawings include Mohinder bound in one of his "webs," two men falling from the sky, three guys in a cornfield, a man and a woman kissing and a girl who's been shot being carried by a man wearing horn-rimmed glasses. Mohinder recognizes Claire and HRG in that photo and is perplexed at how invincible Claire would come to be injured. He and Arthur theorize that the same eclipse that gave abilities could possibly take them away. But why or how? That's for Mohinder to find out, when he's not peeling away his scaly skin with his latex gloves. Yuck!
Mohinder in a Web
Luckily for Mohinder, he was able to again make himself a test subject, strapping himself to the wall to wait for the eclipse. When he awoke and slid out of his slimy enclosure, his skin had returned to normal, and his blood work showed him to be in complete remission, though more testing must be done. No longer a monster (or perhaps wanting to just regain his favorite guinea pig), Mohinder seems eager to find Maya, but he's stopped by Arthur and Flint, as Arthur says now that everyone has been wiped clean, it's up to Mohinder to figure out how to get abilities back. Mohinder, as usual fears the dangers and irreversible damages this could cause, particularly not knowing how or why this reversal is happening, but Flint convinces Mohinder to stay with some good old-fashioned strength and intimidation.
Three Guys in a Corn Field
Angela Petrellii delegated tasks to her team in order to prepare for battle against Arthur. Parkman and Daphne's mission? Find Hiro. But before they could do that (and while Daphne had a mental breakdown about what Arthur would do to her now that she was a "betrayer" playing for the good guys if she got caught) Hiro and Ando showed up at Parkman's apartment seeking help, just like in 9th Wonders. When Matt is unable to read Hiro's newly formed 10-year-old mind, Daphne panics more, now that they had lost their "automatic do-over," and flees to her hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, which Parkman read from her mind just before she left. Hiro teleported himself, Parkman and Ando to Kansas, and wouldn't you know it? They land in a corn field outside Daphne's house.
Problem is, right after they arrive, the eclipse begins, robbing all of them of their powers. Matt cannot use his mind-control to convince Daphne's father to let him in (though it was funny watching him try). Daphne cryptically hints to her dad that "it's happening again" and wants his questions to stop. "Can't I just come home?" she asks. When her Dad leaves, Parkman makes another attempt to come in, confessing his love for her and that he will not leave without seeing her. When she lets him in, however, she reveals that she has to walk with crutches, an ironic foil to her "Speedster" powers and an indication of the life she didn't want to ever go back to.
Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando stroll over to the local comic book store for the latest 9th Wonders in hopes of finding more answers. There they meet two comic nerds (Seth Green and Breckin Meyer), who recognize the duo from the cover of the new issue and begin to get really excited. (Anyone love the "Tit-Tat" parody of "Kit-Kat on the back of the comic book as much as me?)
Two Men Falling from the Sky
Nathan's mission from Mama Petrelli is to find the Haitian, but Peter begs to go along, as he needs a purpose to take the place of his powerlessness. Nathan relents, and the two take off, only to crash into a pond when the eclipse robs Nathan of his powers. While Peter quickly catches on and suggests the eclipse is the cause, Nathan and Peter's problems continue as they argue after Nathan leads them the wrong way. Peter accuses Nathan of being a spineless puppet who is following in Arthur's footsteps and warns him of the future. But Nathan says he's been saving Peter his entire life and should have earned his respect. The fight is interrupted by the Haitian who finds them, but warns that his villainous brother Baron with impenetrable skin has formed an army. Almost perfectly on cue, the army opens fire on them, and they run through the jungle to escape, but Nathan is ultimately captured. When he tries to explain who he is, Baron's response is simple: "Arthur told us you'd come." Nathan is led away while Peter and the Haitian look on in hiding.
HRG Holding an Injured Claire
Angela tells Claire she must lay low to protect herself now that she is believed to be the catalyst. To make sure she's safe, Angela turns Claire back over to HRG, who takes her to Stephen Canfield's house to "train" her, claiming if she wants to fight, she has to get better. Also, much like Elle last week, Claire takes out some frustration breaking the boards as she practiced, finally getting the best of HRG, taking him to his knees and asking "Why did you always leave?"
Before HRG can give a good answer, Sylar and Elle bust in, but they are both shocked to see t hat their powers do not work. Sylar and HRG wrestle a bit, with Noah breaking (or dislocating) Sylar's arm while Elle looks on. Then Elle grabs the gun Noah dropped and turns it on HRG. Claire jumps in front of the bullet to save her "dad," but is shocked to learn that she can't heal. HRG lays out Elle and takes Claire home to Sandra, who insists they call 911. HRG refuses out of fear of questioning by the police and elects to treat the wound at home. HRG and "Claire Bear" make up, and he thanks her for saving his life. Even so, that's not enough to keep him there, as he leaves again, despite Sandra's protests.
A Man and Woman Kissing
So how did Elle and Sylar get to Claire and HRG? Arthur sent his new soldier into the field to capture Claire, who he believes is the catalyst for his formula. Elle, disappointed by how quickly Sylar agrees to do so (and by his need to prove himself to Arthur) demands that she go along as well. Sylar admits that he knows how HRG's mind works and where he will take Claire, but while waiting for a rental car, Elle tells the store owner to call the cops because she's been kidnapped by a serial killer. The whole thing is a set-up, as Elle tells Sylar that they can take anything they want, but he has to choose whether or not he is going to be made into a boy scout or a monster. After being provoked by the store clerk, Sylar claims "I hate heroes," and presumably makes short work of the man and his shotgun before stealing a car and heading for the Canfield house.
But after coming to from the HRG beat down, Elle helps Sylar set or relocate his arm, but is dismayed that they are now powerless. Sylar feels relieved to have lost the hunger, but Elle, like a spoiled princess, whines about not being able to take whatever she wants anymore. "Says who?" says Sylar as he pulls Elle in for a kiss. How romantic! Oh except for the fact that HRG now has both of them in his cross-hairs. And unfortunately for HRG, Claire's bullet wound has worsened (or at the very least her stitching came undone), as Sandra finds her lying in bed bleeding with her fever returned. What would the world do if the catalyst died?
A couple of other thoughts:
• Tracy was sent from Pinehearst to Primatech to get information, which she did, reporting back to Arthur that Nathan had gone after the Haitian. (And apparently, he already knew they would, as evidenced by Baron's conversation with Nathan. Even so, there is more to their political power play, as any sign of disloyalty she shows is quickly stalled simply by the allure of a way into the oval office. I honestly don't mind seeing less of this character, but I am a little interested to see where this goes.
• Like many, I was upset about this whole 10-year-old Hiro thing, and we didn't fix it tonight. Though he wasn't nearly as annoying tonight (except for maybe throwing the corn at Parkman), I kind of enjoyed the levity he brought in this episode. And I am curious to see how involved Seth Green and Breckin Meyer get in the coming episodes.
What did you think of the episode? Next week's continuation of "The Eclipse" promises some drama as Claire's condition appears much worse. Save the cheerleader and all that jazz? And will HRG kill either of the two in his rifle's sight? Share your thoughts below and check back next week for more.
