Summary
Before the recap begins, a quick refresher on the characters:
Niki - the woman who takes off her clothes and sees
herself in the mirror
Peter - the nurse who thinks he can fly, Nathan's brother
Isaac - the druggie who can paint the future
Hiro - the businessman who can stop time
Claire - the indestructible cheerleader
Simone - the dying man's daughter
Micah - Nikki's genius son
Nathan - a politician and Peter's brother
Mohinder - the professor whose father was killed for
his research
Matt – the police officer who hears voices
The overview at the start of this episode is narrated
by Mohinder, not Super NBC Narration Man. But it serves
the same purpose. We see bits and pieces of each character's
life up to this point along with a lot of fluff from
Mohinder (really, his voiceovers are pointless). And
then the real magic begins.
Six months ago in Midland, Texas, Hiro introduces himself
to Charlie, telling her he has come to save her life.
But Charlie is having a birthday party and has to go
make a wish. Hiro follows her and tries to get her to
listen to him (he even puts on a party hat to try to
fit in).
In Brooklyn, a clockmaker delicately places the pieces
of a tiny pocket watch together. A man walks into his
shop holding a book (the man is Papa Suresh). The clockmaker
immediately proclaims his ability to fix Papa Suresh's
watch, although Papa Suresh insists it is not broken.
In fact, the watch is two seconds slow. He fixes the
watch and then realizes the man did not come to have
his watch fixed.
After introducing himself, Papa Suresh hands the clockmaker
(named Gabriel) a copy of his book, explaining that he
thinks Gabriel might be interested in reading it. His
phone number is written inside the book should Gabriel
want to contact him.
In Los Angeles, also six months ago, Matt Parkman pulls
a woman over for speeding. It is Eden, with long hair.
Matt spots a bottle of tequila on the seat next to her
and asks her to get out of the car. Eden refuses, telling
Matt what he really wants to go is get back in his car
and eat some donuts. After asking her to get out of the
car once more, Eden repeats her refusal and Matt walks
back to his car.
Eden turns back to the road. Standing silently in the
twin beams of her headlights is Mysterious Goon.
In Odessa, Texas, Jackie shares the latest gossip with
Claire. The latest gossip involves Claire getting an
open spot on the cheerleading squad. Although excited
to finally be a cheerleader Claire is less than enthusiastic
about the way Jackie is insulting on another girl (the
former cheerleader whose spot Claire is getting). Claire
grabs the cheerleading uniform Jackie is holding and
they grapple over it. Eventually, Claire is shoved across
her room and smashes into a glass cabinet. She pulls
her bloody hand out of the shattered pane.
Mr. Bennett gets a phone call. It is Papa Suresh. He
wants to talk with Claire.
***
Back in Midland, Texas, Hiro asks Charlie not to go
into work the next day. But he then sees that is raining
outside. It was not raining the day before Charlie was
killed. Hiro has not gone back in time twenty four hours.
He has gone back in time six months.
At a Las Vegas Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Niki talks
about the problems she is facing at her one-year sobriety
point. She has a sucky job, a smart kid, a husband who
is not around, and she could really use a drink. She
sees a man sitting in the back of the room. It is her
father. Outside, the two argue. Niki is not ready to
know her father.
In New York City, Peter opens the door to his apartment
to reveal his mother, his brother and his walking sister-in-law
(hoorah for the lovely Rena Sofer). They are celebrating
Peter's graduation from nursing school. After a brief
discussion about his father, Peter and Nathan have a
heart to heart. The DA wants Nathan to prosecute Linderman,
who is their father's biggest client. If Nathan brings
down Linderman, their father will go down as well. But
Peter knows that if Nathan goes after Linderman, he will
never forgive himself for what it will do to the family.
Nathan and WIFE dance.
Papa Suresh pins another photograph onto his massive
map of the world. A knock at the door reveals Gabriel,
who is ready and willing to have his brain mapped. Papa
Suresh explains that everything that makes up an individual
is located in the brain. Gabriel then lets loose with
a secret wish he had as a child: he wanted to get away
from his low key family and start a new family. He wanted
to be important, not just another watchmaker.
Mr. Bennett runs through the list of Eden's criminal
trespasses (although he calls her Hayden). She tries
to get him to let her go using her ability but Mysterious
Goon counteracts it with his ability. She is frightened.
Hiro rings Japan, trying to reach Ando. But the voice
on the other end is not Ando's, it is his. Hiro has called
himself in Japan.
Matt sits in his patrol car eating on a donut. Another
officer rolls up, surprised to find Matt at the donut
place considering his detective test is in an hour. After
commenting on the donuts, Matt realizes he is not entirely
sure why he is eating them.
Hiro has a job at the diner alongside Charlie. He gives
her a Japanese phrasebook for her birthday. He is still
trying to get her to leave Midland and suggests she travel
to Japan. Charlie flips through the phrase book and picks
up a phrase instantly. But she does not believe Hiro
is from the future. He tries to show her his ability
by freezing time but she thinks it is just a trick.
Niki sits alone in a cemetery, in front of a headstone
for Jessica Sanders, her deceased sister. D.L. joins
her and Niki tells him about her father's visit (her
father's name is Hal). D.L. is happy to do whatever Niki
wants to do, even if that includes getting to know Hal.
Nathan and Heidi drive back from Peter's party, discussing
Peter and his future. Heidi is happy that Peter has a
passion for his job. Nathan is grounded in the reality
of life; he was his father's favorite, he is the son
who has to deal with everything. Suddenly, a black SUV
pulls up behind them, knocking into their car. As the
SUV propels their car forward, Heidi turns to find the
driver seat empty. Nathan is gone.
As the convertible roars towards a rather nasty end,
Nathan screams out his wife's name from far above the
road. He hovers in the air, watching helplessly as the
convertible, and his wife, crashes into a barrier of
water-filled barrels. He extends his hand down towards
the street...
Peter wakes up with is arm outstretched. The phone is
ringing. He rushes to the hospital and tries to console
his brother. Heidi has been in surgery for ten hours.
Peter lends his brother his cell phone to call their
mother to check on his kids. Peter asks about the other
car from the accident. Nathan wants to know how Peter
found out about the other car.
Peter says he had a dream, which bothers Nathan, but
eventually Nathan admits there was another car. It was
Linderman's guys. Nathan beats himself up over the accident
and Peter agrees to testify against his own father. The
doctor calls Nathan away. Peter watches as his brother
hears the news about his wife's condition.
The next day, in Midland, Hiro rushes into the diner
with a Japanese newspaper. Charlie flawlessly reads from
the newspaper, revealing that Hiro's prediction about
the outcome of a baseball game has come true. But she
still does not believe him. So, he stops time and fills
the entire diner with origami cranes. He also has a pair
of tickets to Japan. He wants Charlie out of the country.
Papa Suresh interviews Gabriel about his life. He became
a clockmaker because his father wanted him to become
a clockmaker. Although all of Papa Suresh's tests indicate
that Gabriel is healthy, there is no indication that
Gabriel has any ability. This infuriates Gabriel, who
really, really wants an ability. He storms out of the
apartment. Down on the street, as Gabriel looks at the
address for another man Papa Suresh thinks has an ability,
Mr. Bennett gets out of his car and looks up at the apartment
building.
At Micah's birthday party, Hal gives his grandson a
fancy laptop. The family is having a moment. Niki tries
beating around the bush vis-à-vis Micah's private
school but Hal cuts to the chase. He wants to dote on
his grandson. But the happy family starts falling apart
when Hal begins reciting an Alcoholics Anonymous mantra.
Hal goes to check in on Micah and finds the laptop pulled
apart. He yells at Micah, which brings D.L. and Niki
running. After announcing that he never should have come,
Hal hands Niki a blank check. As Hal leaves, Niki turns
to a mirror and sees a slightly less bright and bubbly
version of herself staring back.
Mr. Bennett talks with Papa Suresh about Claire. He
wants to know about his daughter's future. Papa Suresh
admits that he had a daughter as well, who died of a
genetic abnormality, which lead to his research into
genetics. He thinks Claire might be the hope for a brighter
future. Mr. Bennett will not let him come see Claire,
but promises to think about the best way to proceed.
Hal lies on his bed in his hotel room, when a knock
comes at the door. He opens the door and finds Niki there.
She struts in and quickly explains that she is not Niki
but, in fact, Jessica. She thrusts her arm out and grabs
her father by the throat and begins to choke him. It
turns out Hal was a mean drunk who threw bear bottles
at his daughter Jessica and eventually choked her to
death. Niki remembers none of this but the Jessica part
of her personality does.
After tossing Hal to the ground, Jessica tells him he
is going to disappear and then pulls out the check and
drops it on Hal. She then turns and leaves.
Claire practices her cheer routine in her room when
her father walks in on her. He is happy for his daughter
and has brought her a teddy bear. Apparently, Mr. Bennett
brings Claire teddy bears from around the world. She
is happy to have the bear but is a bit less happy about
being a cheerleader. She is not sure if she is a good
person because Jackie is, in her father's words, a bitch.
But her father reminds her that actions are more important
than anything.
He wants to check out her hand, which is bandaged. Claire
says the pain has gotten better and when she peels off
the bandage the wound is gone. Mr. Bennett seems a bit
perplexed but simply says her hand is healing well.
Matt tells his wife that he did not pass the test. It
turns out Matt is dyslexic and although he knows all
the answers, the words just do not come together on the
test. Although his wife offers morning sex and breakfast,
Matt is feeling down. He hears her call him her hero
-- hears her think it, that is -- but cannot imagine
how she can see think of a man like him as a hero.
Peter decks himself out in his best duds, getting ready
to go to court, when Nathan shows up at his apartment.
Although Peter is prepared, his brother tells him there
is not going to be a deposition. Their father is dead,
felled by a heart attack that morning. As Peter stands
silently in shock, Nathan opines that their father died
without knowing his sons were going to stab him in the
back.
Charlie stands on the street, quickly joined by Hiro.
There is a twenty-four hour film festival some three
hundred miles away and Hiro thinks they can get there
in time to see a few choice films. But Charlie has something
shocking to reveal: she has a blood clot that is going
to kill her. Hiro is certainly shocked. He thought he
was supposed to save her. As the two lean in for a kiss,
Hiro finds himself back in Japan, on the roof of his
office building, surrounded by his coworkers, who are
exercising.
One of the coworkers mentions that Hiro is supposed
to be with Ando on vacation in America. Hiro has somehow
jumped and tries desperately to bend time again so he
can get back to Charlie. But no matter how tightly he
shuts his eyes, he is stuck.
The lonely clockmaker sits in his office, building a
clock. A man walks in, announcing himself as Brian Davis.
Someone called him. Gabriel stands up and introduces
himself as Gabriel Sylar (he takes the name from the
watch). Brian shows Gabriel his telekinetic ability.
He does not like this ability and he is worried he might
hurt someone.
Suddenly, everything fits together for Gabriel. He knows
Brian is broken. He picks up a chunk of rock and slams
it into the back of Brian's skull.
Mr. Bennett sits down with Eden/Hayden and promises
her a new start at life. All she has to do is find Doctor
Suresh and get Claire's name off his list.
Gabriel sits with Papa Suresh, showing off his new telekinetic
abilities. He apologizes for his behavior the other day
but Papa Suresh brushes it off. Gabriel has a new purpose
in life. He wants to join with Papa Suresh to find everyone
In Midland, in the present day, Ando stands next to
Charlie's memorial. The door opens and a solemn Hiro
walks in. Ando is overjoyed to see his friend. But Hiro,
poor Hiro, he just could not save Charlie.
Still in the present, Mohinder sits in his father's
office in India, looking at the list of names on his
father's computer. As his narration closes the episode,
Charlie dies again, Claire again tells her father she
has something to tell him, Peter is arrested again, D.L.
is shot again, and everything that ended last week's
episode ends this episode, again. Only one thing has
changed: Hiro places a single origami crane on Charlie's
memorial, whispering that he loved her.
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