They love to keep it all in the family on Heroes [1] these days, and this week's episode is no exception. This week we got some daddy-daughter issues, a little mother-son drama, and the appearance of yet another member of the Petrelli family (and a powerful one, at that). It's all about the fam, and in each family, there are "angels and monsters."

Also, I'm glad I wasn't taking a shot every time someone said "monster." Jeez, we get it. Anyway, wanna talk about Heroes? Well then, .

• The episode starts out narrated by Nathan, which I think is an interesting choice: "I've been given a second chance. Touched by God, I gotta believe that he has a purpose for my life. . . So why am I filled with self-doubt, plagued by demons, real and imagined? . . . Am I an angel or a monster? A hero or a villain? And why can't I see the difference?" And there we have the theme for the night.
• Linderman is super manipulative with all his talk about God, playing upon Nathan's recently renewed religious devotion: "God resides within, the answers will come." Sadly, it all kinda dissolves for Nathan when he finds out that God didn't exactly give him his powers — his mommy and her co-workers did.
• Sometimes this show makes me laugh, like when Sylar readjusts his sickeningly broken neck. Peter, now all full of "the hunger" and rage, snaps Sylar's neck and then tries to open Angela's head before Sylar knocks him out.
• Claire's birth mom, Meredith, sets off to find Claire who is on her mission. But at the end of the episode we see that Meredith is trapped in the puppet-filled house of one of the creepiest special people we've ever seen on the show: Eric Doyle, who controls her every movement. This power is so sinister and so upsetting to me.
• Claire pays a visit to Stephen Canfield, a guy who creates vortexes that make people disappear. Claire is all sorts of accusatory at first, and Stephen is all suspicious, asking Claire if she's with a company called Pinehearst. Soon, Stephen explains to Claire that he didn't mean to kill a guy, and now his family won't see him, so, Claire tries to help him get in touch with his family. Just then, however, HRG and Sylar show up, Stephen freaks out and creates a vortex in the middle of the room before slipping out the door. After seeing a lot of pained expressions on Claire, HRG and Sylar's faces as they avoid getting sucked into the vortex, the vortex disappears.
• At this other company (not to be confused with The Company), Pinehearst, Linderman instructs Daphne to recruit a few key special people, which Daphne does, but she ultimately tells Linderman she's not too keen on recruiting. He gives her one more to recruit: Matt Parkman. After this conversation, Daphne finds out that she can see Linderman but he's "not really there."
• Hiro and Ando ask Adam Monroe for help. Adam calls Hiro a "Japanese Nazi." He brings the dynamic Japanese duo to a bar where he succeeds in getting Hiro knocked out and then makes a quick getaway — only to be kidnapped by Knox, the fear smeller. Hiro tells Knox and Daphne that he wants to join them, that he and Ando are "badasses." Knox doesn't think Ando's so necessary, however, and he hands Hiro a sword, saying, "You kill him? You are badass." Hiro says sadly that he "must make some sacrifices to save the world," and stabs Ando!
• Mohinder's back makes me feel like vomiting, even while the rest of him is so wonderful to look at. When Maya discovers Mohinder's victims all covered up in slimy web-like crap and pinned to the wall (but not dead, apparently), she tries to help one of the people before Mohinder finds her and gives her a slime cocoon. It's so disgusting. How can someone so beautiful create something so gross? Anyway, at least now Maya's been silenced, so that should satisfy the Maya haters in the audience.



• HRG assures Claire, "You can trust me, Claire, I wouldn't send anybody to Level Five that doesn't belong there." Sylar, however, cannot trust him as HRG tries to force Stephen to make Sylar disappear. Instead, Stephen screams, "I won't be a monster!" and makes himself disappear. After this, of course, Sylar is none too pleased with HRG, saying that "to you, I'm nothing but a monster. He doesn't see our humanity Claire, he never will." HRG comforts a confused Claire who murmurs, "He's a monster." Just in case we were ever unclear about this whole monster/angel, hero/villain theme.
• Nathan and Tracy go to Level Five, where Peter has been put in a coma by Angela. Angela tells them about Dr. Zimmerman, who was "instrumental in the company's development of synthetic abilities. We used the technology on a number of infants. You were one of them Tracy, as were your sisters Niki and Barbara. And you, Nathan. We gave you your ability, too." She admits to Tracy that what the company did to her in the name of science is wrong and they need to stop the people trying to get the formula. Nathan and Tracy leave Angela and plan to find Mohinder, who is, at that moment, busy wrapping Maya in a cocoon of webby stuff in the corner.
• Angela sees a man who frightens her, saying, "Hello, Angela. You can see the future. I can't have that. It's too dangerous." Angela insists that he won't succeed, she'll stop him. He replies, "Don't be ridiculous. You won't even be able to move." Last we see of her, Angela sits motionless at her desk.
• Later at Pinehearst, Maury Parkman (Matt's dad), goes to see Arthur Petrelli who is laid up in bed, apparently unable to speak. Maury has a mental conversation with Arthur, and we hear Maury's side: "The team is coming together nicely. . . We're building an army, just like you. . . Right. Whatever you say goes, Mr. Petrelli."

Arthur freaking Petrelli?! They saved the best for last in this episode. What do you think of these new developments?

Photos courtesy of NBC [2]