The Heroes Review Episode 4.17

Posted by Michael Weyer on 01.26.2010

Samuel pulls off a brilliant move that makes the carnival into an army as Matt and Sylar have a meeting of the minds.

Trouble in Romance Land: Gretchen drops Claire off at Noah’s apartment as she prepares to tell him about her encounter with Sylar. Gretchen, however, seems annoyed that their new relationship doesn’t merit a talk with Dad. Inside, Claire is startled when Lauren opens the door but forgets that uncomfortable look at her father’s love life when she sees the notes all over on the carnival. Lauren brings her up to speed on how Samuel destroyed a town (casualty rate is 200 dead and climbing) and how they’re going after him. Claire is upset on how her father has gone back into this life and yells about how Samuel may be bad but the rest of the carnival folk aren’t before leaving. She’s back at the college, ranting about all this as Gretchen tiredly looks on. Her roommate finally snaps there’s nothing Claire can do, not if she wants the “normal life” she’s been so hot about. Claire asks for the car and Gretchen, tired of getting involved in this insanity, at first refuses but eventually lets Claire go off on her own. Not a good way to treat the only friend you have, Claire.


Samuel, You Brilliant Bastard: At the carnival, Samuel was soon aware of how everyone was pulling back from him in fear over what he’d done to that town. Lydia tried to talk to him, reaching for him to read him but he pulled back and accused her of setting herself up for everyone to look to for leadership. Samuel told her he’d do whatever it took to keep the family together. “I love them. I need them, I just have to prove my worth.”

Claire soon reaches the carnival to warn Lydia but Eli is listening in. Samuel soon interrupts them, apparently shaken by what he did as Claire insists he turn himself in. Samuel speaks of the first carnival act he saw, a pair of high-wire artists and how he was told the only magic they had was gravity. “I’ve found gravity is different things to people. Joseph was mine. Without him…I’ve lost my way.” Claire keeps talking to him and convinces him to give himself up to Noah in return for everyone else being let go and Samuel agrees.

Nearby, Noah and Lauren are in full commando gear (Noah having wanted to go alone but Lauren insisting and when Noah said not to worry about him, she replied “I don’t have that option anymore.”), Noah with sniper rifle. He sees Samuel but is startled when Claire comes into view. His cell rings and it’s Claire as they talk with her in his sights the whole time, her saying Samuel is giving up. Noah is dubious but agrees, Lauren volunteering to go down to a field and lead Samuel away.

Samuel gets up to speak to the gathered Carnie folk, saying he’s sorry for all he’s done and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. They’re angered but Samuel insists it’s for the best. Just as he’s getting started, however, gunshots suddenly rip down, one hitting Samuel in the shoulder, another nailing Claire in the neck. Everyone takes cover while on the hill, a startled Noah looks through his sights to see Eli nearby firing a rifle down. He shoots Eli, only to have him vanish, revealing he’s a duplicate, the real Eli coming over to knock Noah out. Lauren, also hit, takes cover behind a tree, seeing Eli carrying Noah away but unable to fire her own gun due to her arm wound.

Down below, Samuel seems horrified to see Lydia lying on the ground with a gut shot. He rushes to her as Claire goes to get some towel to help. He whispers “you wanted to know what’s in my heart?” and kisses her. Lydia gasps in horror as she realizes Samuel was behind all this and, with true regret in his voice, he says “they needed a villain. Someone worse than me.” Daaaaamn, this guy is good. Lydia chokes and dies before she can tell anyone as Samuel acts the mourning leader to his best. Eli shows up with Noah, dumping him down and producing the rifle as proof of Noah being the shooter. Claire doesn’t believe it, quickly realizing how Samuel has set this up but of course no one listens to her as they tie Noah up and drag Claire off.


Dreaming Chaos: Once again, Peter dreams of Emma and the carnival, only this time, it’s clearer. In the flashes, he now sees that Doyle is controlling Emma, forcing her to play her cello to destructive effect. He also sees how Sylar appears to be truly trying to help her and thinks he’s the key to her salvation. He goes to see Angela, who says one act can’t make Sylar a savior but Peter is obviously intent on doing his best to help her.


Meeting of Minds: Coming home, Matt is more than a bit jarred to find Sylar there. “Are you in my mind again?” “Please, that’s so two months ago.” Janice believes Sylar is a friend of Matt’s from the force as they sit for dinner. Matt gets Sylar into the basement to talk, with Sylar saying he admires Matt for managing to balance his powers and a normal life, saying he wants to know how, that he wants to change. Matt scoffs that “the ship sailed, oh, about 50 murders ago!” but Sylar threatens his family unless Matt finds a way to take his powers. Matt tries but just can’t make it work, obviously afraid of going back into Sylar’s mind. When Janice comes home, Sylar holds her at bay with his powers, demanding Matt do this. Matt tries to talk to Sylar, saying the key may be realizing he’s more than just his powers but Sylar refuses to listen. Matt says he will if Sylar lets Janice go. Outside, the terrified Janice, realizing who Sylar is, insists that there’s no way Matt can help this monster and for the good of the family has to “bury him.”

Matt gives it another go, going deep in Sylar’s mind, producing memories of his murderous past. When he’s done, they stand in Matt’s living room, Sylar trying his powers but nothing happens. He’s happy…until Matt reveals that Sylar is still in his mind, in a nightmare he’ll never escape. “I know your secret. I know you’re afraid of living forever alone. Welcome to Hell.” He vanishes, leaving Sylar stuck in this room. In the real world, Matt shows he’s an Edgar Allen Poe fan (who knew?) by starting to wall Sylar up in the corner of the basement. Before Matt gets too far, however, Peter rings the doorbell. Answering with his clothes muddy with mortar, Matt tries to pass it off as nothing but Peter (showing he has indeed learned something over the last three seasons) sees through it and with a handshake, borrows Matt’s power and reads his mind. He’s stunned at how far Matt is going, not listening to his claims this is the only way to stop Sylar, that Sylar is needed to save Emma. He reaches for Sylar as Matt tries to stop him, saying he could be trapped in the man’s mind. Peter ignores him and goes in, finding himself in an empty city street.


Closing Moments

Later, Emma arrives at the carnival, helping to patch up Samuel as he smiles to her how he’s going to help her change the world. Up in the woods, a wounded Lauren gets out her cell and calls the person Noah told her to contact if things went wrong: Tracy Strauss. As Samuel looks over Lydia’s body, Edgar arrives, horrified to see Lydia dead and believing totally that Noah was the killer, Samuel smiling as he sees the speedster back in the fold. Samuel takes to the podium once more, saying the carnival folk have been pushed and ignored and looked down on for long enough. “It’s time to show the world what we are….and what we can do.”

The 411: The Sylar/Matt plot dragged and was just setup for Peter but the idea of Sylar being the only one who can save Emma is interesting. The big one was the carnival as Knepper was awesome as the conniving Samuel pulling off this scam, sacrificing one of his own just to stay in power and unite them all. It looks like the plot is really kicking up a few notches, which means some nice fun to come.

Final Score:  7.8   [ Good ]