Heroes Episode Recap: "Into Asylum"
On Monday's episode of Heroes, Danko's manhunt has forced our superpowered friends to take refuge: Nathan and Claire head south of the border to hide out (and drink a lot of tequila) and Peter and Angela hole up in a church. Meanwhile, Sylar gets closer to Danko, who begins to use one of HRG's methods for his own selfish gains. Does Danko know what he's doing? Let's find out!
First off, I have to again praise the show for its noticeable shift in quality over the last couple episodes. Everything from the way the show's being shot (like Sylar in the rain and last week's Danko shaving scene) to the musical cues (loved the montage over The Animals' "We Gotta Get Outta This Place") feels completely reenergized. Bravo (for now), Heroes.
Don't Drink and Fly
After saving Claire from Danko's men back in Costa Verde, Nathan flies Claire to Mexico and out of Danko's jurisdiction. After he sets them up in a seedy motel room, he promises Claire he is going to make calls to keep her other friends safe. In the meantime, Claire goes out exploring and sells a necklace HRG gave her for cash, which Nathan thinks he can double in a drinking contest. That's right, Nathan challenges some frat boys to a tequila shootout, just like in his Navy days. The rules are simple: last man standing gets the cash. The bad news is, Nathan doesn't stand quite long enough.
Refusing to see her money wasted, Claire steps up. She puts Nathan's watch in the pot and chugs a few shots to catch up. Her regenerative abilities apparently keep her from ever getting drunk (sad?), so naturally she beats the frat boy, producing a terrible fake-drunk act in the process. (P.S. At the rate they were drinking, all those guys would be dead.)
Back at the hotel, Nathan drunkenly confesses that the reason he gave Claire a free pass in his manhunt is because he was trying to win her over. His confession turns to guilt as he realizes he's hiding behind Claire rather than facing down the problems he's created. As he passes out (again), he promises to fix everything.
In the morning, he still regrets the decisions he's made, but he admits that he has done nothing to correct them and isn't sure he can. Claire's not buying his sob story, and explains that she always imagined what her real father would be like before she met him. When she finally did, she thought he was amazing, but now Claire accuses Nathan of wasting his ability because he's afraid of the "fantasy" she's created. "You're supposed to be Superman," Claire says as she leaves the room. The only thing super Nathan can do is sell his watch to buy back Claire's necklace, which by episode's end, seems to be enough for now.
Going to the Chapel
While Nathan and Claire hide out in Mexico, Peter and Angela vacate the Statue of Liberty for an evening at church — the same church at which Angela dreamed that she needed to be. Peter suggests that Angela rest, but she says she can't sleep, not even with a sleeping pill. "Sleep must be earned," she says, before listing all the things she's done to bring her family down and taking the blame for their current mess. Namely, Angela says she and Arthur supported Peter and Nathan, but never gave them support. Despite what Angela believes, Peter insists that he doesn't hate Angela, and that she'll always be his mother.
Now please bow as we say the hero's prayer. Just kidding, but Peter does have a slight face-off with God. (What is it with these Petrelli boys and higher beings?) Peter claims that he's kept up his end of the deal (saving the world) and is waiting for the Big Guy to do the same. Apparently all God can muster on this day is a group of Danko's men who storm the church, forcing Peter and Angela to hide in the confessional. There, appropriately, Angela confesses her sins, so to speak. She had visions of bloody future when she was young, but no one she tried to warn would listen. Thus, she turned to deception and betrayal, which cost her everything. "But that was the price I chose to save the world," Angela says. Perhaps Peter's prayer and Angela's confession are heard, because the person who discovers them (HRG) is maybe the only one who would let them go. "All clear," HRG lies.
Safe and clearheaded, Angela sleeps and even dreams. She wakes with a new vision, and tells Peter they must rebuild the family first. So the pair walks off hand-in-hand to find Nathan and Claire, who last we saw are walking arm-in-arm in Mexico. Then, it's family reunion time with Angela's sister. What is Mama Petrelli up to now?
One of Us, One of Them 2.0
When HRG learns that one of Danko's raids — which ended with a couple of dead agents — was a completely random one chosen from the database, HRG starts in with a lecture about using the right tactics. Danko makes the suspected killer (Martin) priority No. 1, but refuses to acknowledge HRG's "one of us, one of them" policy — that is, until Sylar comes calling. Suggesting that they want the same things, Sylar offers to help track down Martin. Danko's ego at first refuses to accept Sylar's help, but when Sylar proves Martin is a shape shifter (and Danko's strategy is unsuccessful), he gives in.
Well, sorta. Danko actually tracks Sylar back to Martin's home, where he correctly assumes Sylar will go out of greed and hunger for the shape-shifting ability. Danko holds Sylar at gunpoint until he suggests that after he catches Martin, he will help Danko round up all the heroes. Together, they look through Martin's things until they learn that he changes personalities like clothes, always with the same goal: to find love. They even find his pickup spot — a club called the Garden of Eden. Once there, they realize Martin's latest disguise is Danko.
They split up, and eventually we see who we think is the real Danko tell who we think is the real Sylar that they've lost Martin. As they head out, Martin (as Sylar) pulls a gun, but Danko is too fast. He shoots Martin, but leaves him alive for Sylar, cautioning him to take Martin's ability without cracking open his skull. He does so, and Danko shows HRG Sylar's (fake) body as the ultimate one-up over HRG, who has never been able to catch Sylar. With everyone believing Sylar is out of the way, the deadly duo can continue with Sylar's plan to work together, until he's the only one with abilities left standing.
A couple thoughts:
*I really loved how Sylar revealed that he knew that Martin was a shape-shifter. While Danko was chatting with a fellow agent (who was really Martin), Sylar delivered a head in a box, the head of the agent that Danko had just been talking with. And even though the whole sequence borrowed liberally from both Seven and Fallen, it was still awesome.
*Hayden Panettiere with bangs is just as bad an actress as Hayden Panettiere without bangs.
*The Sylar-Danko partnership can only end badly for Danko, right? Sylar has always been a user; why would he change? Too bad HRG got some (fake) salt thrown in his Sylar wound tonight.
What did you think of the episode? What does Angela have up her sleeve? Did you like Nathan and Claire's daddy-and-daughter time? Will Sylar stick to his word? Share your thoughts below and check back next week for more.
Watch full episodes of Heroes in our Online Video Guide.
