This week's Heroes [1] starts with Mohinder going on about how "in every journey, the traveler must ask, 'what's the right path taken?'" We get more of the same ol' themes of heroes vs. villains, choosing good over evil, etc. etc. My favorite part of this episode is when Parkman verbally high-fives his turtle.

If you know what I'm talking about and want to chat about it, .

• It really was impossible to believe Hiro could have actually killed Ando, and here we find out what really happened: Hiro stops time, goes to a magic shop to grab a collapsing knife and fake blood, returns in time to explain the whole thing to Ando, and the two fake Ando's murder for Daphne and Knox. Hiro tells Daphne he's a villain like her. Daphne tells Hiro to find the "precog," Usutu.
• Claire wants to find Meredith, and Sandra Bennet insists on coming with. "Your father always said, one of us, one of them. I'm the one of us." Eric Doyle's ability truly upsets me. The whole circus theme paired with the loss of free will . . . it makes me nauseous. Meredith says she'll never love him and he insists she will.
• Adam Monroe is brought to Arthur Petrelli who clutches Adam, takes his power, and kills him. And now, Arthur is up and at 'em.
• Parkman, carrying the caged turtle at the airport, asks the turtle to give him a sign. When he sees Daphne he says, "High-five, Turtle." Daphne tells Parkman a bit about Pinehearst, he in turn explains that they are soulmates.
• Nathan and Tracy go to see Mohinder and Tracy shows him her icy power. Mohinder injects them both, talking about how he followed his father's research for years but never got anywhere until he thought for himself. Nathan and Tracy pass out. Later, strapped to a table, Tracy tries to earn Mohinder's trust: "I know what you're thinking. You didn't mean for this to happen. You try to fix it but everything you do just makes it worse." Mohinder responds to this and takes her hand, like a fool, and she freezes his arm. She frees herself and Nathan but then Mohinder throws a table at them.



• Daphne goes to Sylar's cell and tells him that the man she works for likes Sylar the way he is. Aww. She gives him the Pinehearst card and hightails it. I can't decide whether of not to trust this new trying-to-be-different Sylar. His change of heart seems awfully abrupt this season. Clearly, Peter is having similar suspicions.
• Ando and Hiro get to Africa and Hiro goes into Usutu's home, asking for "Mr. African Isaac." Usutu knocks Hiro on the head with a shovel. More than once. So, Hiro decides to do things "the old-fashioned way": hide and wait for him to come back. Usutu finally talks to Hiro and shows him a painting with "the villains you seek" and the Pinehearst helix symbol, and he tells Hiro he can take him to them. There is also a painting of Peter hugging his father.




• Stupid Claire! Ugh. Even Sandra Bennet knows that they need a plan and can't go barging into Doyle's puppet lair. But Claire doesn't even listen, and then she and both her moms are under the control of the creepy puppet guy. I do, however, like that Doyle calls Claire "Barbie." He tries to make Claire kill Meredith but there's no bullet loaded in the gun. Ultimately, he gets the gun in Sandra's hand and she pulls the trigger on Claire, who obviously regenerates and knocks out puppet guy. HRG shows up and praises Claire's actions as "impressive." She just looks at him and walks away. HRG then turns to Meredith and says he could use her help.
• Daphne goes to Mohinder, tells him that her company is already doing what he's trying to do: give people abilities. She says they need his help. "To do what?" She shrugs. "Save the world?" She comes upon Tracy, Nathan and all the nasty slime webs.
• Sylar instructs Peter to look inside Angela's head to find out what's going on, and it kinda seems like Angela punches him with her eyeball, which I think is one of the more entertaining aspects of this episode. Peter draws the Pinehearst symbol. Then Peter beats the snot out of Sylar. "All this power? I'm the most special." He puts Sylar in a coma. He comes upon his father who coaxes Peter into an embrace — and then robs him of all his powers. Not so special now, eh Peter?
• Aww, Daphne and Parkman want to save each other from Pinehearst. Parkman insists he can protect her, but Daphne says simply, "No. you can't."

Photos courtesy of NBC [2]