Heroes: Into Asylum

I’m sorry, but don’t you just hate it when the previews clearly show you who’s going to appear in the episode. Why can’t I just be pleasantly surprised instead of reminded of what happened before we last saw Nathan and Claire?

We pick up in Patzcuaro, Mexico. Claire hairstyle is a little Sweet Valley High, don’t you think? Nathan doesn’t have a plan other than to hide away in a seedy, dirty motel and fail miserably at controlling his randy daughter.

Claire and Nathan squabble over doing the right thing and why he even gave her a free pass in the first place, and I’m a little bored, but then Nathan gets all sassy pants on us and totally sharks some money off a few wasted college boys on spring break.

For the first time ever, I think, Claire gets a kitchy storyline and with Nathan on top of it. After Claire takes initiative and sells her “real” dad’s necklace for some money. He, stupidly, bets he can go drink for drink with the young lads but passes out before the last one could fall. Claire quickly takes advantage of the drunken frat boy’s inebriation and challenges him herself. (Seeing as her liver can regenerate, it’s a great plan.)

She gets her dad home, and he begins to spew about how he messed things up with her as a father and with this whole “ROUND UP OUR PEOPLE” darn awful plan and how he gave her a free pass in an attempt to make up for it, but when he sobers up it seems like it was just liquid courage taking over.

Obviously Claire is disappointed. For once, her father seemed destined to do the right thing. “You’re supposed to be Superman,” she says. He does make up for it in the end, at least a smidge, when he sells his watch to buy back her necklace.

A New Kind of Bonnie and Clyde

Things aren’t so fun for Noah and Danko, who have three dead swat members on their hand. A James Martin seems to be the main target, but he got away. Noah thinks Danko’s playing dumb for letting his men go in blind, not knowing what powers this guy had. (Noah does have 20 years on you, man!)

Things look to be getting to Danko until Sylar appears with a way for them to work together at capturing heroes. Will he take the bait? Noah tries to convince him that things worked best when there was “one of us, one of them.” But Danko’s not really hearing it, and he’s a little twitchy when Noah suggests they go after Sylar. (Someone clearly hasn’t made up his mind.) Danko quickly shifts to sending Noah on a “bring in Angela” mission.

Sylar’s not done with Danko yet. He calls him, hinting again that he’s in over his head. He tells him that they missed one of their dead men, and this holds the key to what Martin can do. Danko doesn’t believe him, but when he opens the package Sylar left for him, it’s the head of an agent that Danko, just moments earlier, thanked him for his strength and shook  his hand. (Oh, snap! He’s a shapeshifter. Heroes, you kind of just gave me goosebumps.)

Danko gets the drop on Sylar and holds him at gunpoint and knife point. (That’s how badass Sylar is. And we know even with that he’d probably never be able to kill him.) With all of Danko’s broodiness and shakiness, it’s clear he is desperate to catch these people, who to him are villains, Sylar need only dangle the idea of rounding up all of the faces on his Wanted Board. (“Chomp, Chomp,” says Danko.)

Now that we have an uber-villanous matchup, the two ransack Martin’s pad and discern that he’s been trying on different “uniforms.” The one thing they all have in common is they are men that wield power, like a doctor, a lawyer or a priest. They track Martin down to a club where he’s taken on Danko’s form.

When they’re spotted Danko II takes off, and they lose him. Things get a little confusing because he IS a shapeshifter, but Danko finally gets the drop on Danko II who’s now Sylar II. He shoots him and leaves him alive so that the one and only real Sylar can steal his power.

I guess Danko has really made his decision. Now that’s Sylar’s equipped with such an awesome power, way more drama is bound to arise. MMMM. I like!

FAMILY REUNION

We last saw the Petrellis when Peter flew in and saved the day, but it wasn’t just about saving his mother. What he really wants is to confront his mother for answers but apparently she’s had a vision all along of what they tackle next. Angela basically confesses that she was an awful mom. And, of course, they share a sappy moment, but she’s still being all weird and cryptic-like. It’s all the stranger since she took him to a chapel.

Since The Building 26 peeps have moved to finding people out in the open, they’ve gone from Ninja Swat to Three-button Suit Swat. (I guess that’s Noah’s influence.) They get away with the help of Noah once again, but I’m not sure how long he can keep this up.

Peter struggles with his inner demons (you know ::whine:: ::whine:: why do I have to save the world), but this time allows Angela to finally get some rest, and with this rest comes vision. Finally, a clear path has been laid out for them. Now, we just have to wait and see where that takes us.

Next Monday can’t come soon enough!

Season 3, Episode 21: Into Asylum (originally aired March 30, 2009)

For another take on this episode, check out Double Your Danko, Double Your Fun by Paul Secrest.

For more on Heroes, click here.

Mondays at 9/8C on NBC

Photographs courtesy of NBC Universal, Chris Haston