1.15 Run!

Meredith continues her conversation with Nathan. He also thought she was dead, so he gets a few surprises. The last one is the purpose of her call: to blackmail him on the eve of the election. In exchange for a hefty sum, she will not reveal that he had a daughter out of wedlock.

Claire is very concerned that Sandra is not doing well at all. It seems that the repeated memory blankings by The Haitian are starting to have a negative cumulative effect. Claire suspects a cover up by Mr Bennet.

Matt is starting his new job as a bodyguard…whoops, I meant, ‘…in private security.’ He’s protecting a Mr Malsky, whom he meets at the airport. Jessica has covered up her tattoo with makeup and believes she can fool DL and Micah. She gets a package – it’s payback for Linderman: a request to do a hit on a Mr Malsky.

Ando and Hiro are back in Las Vegas, needing to figure out how to steal the sword from Linderman. Ando is getting negative, but Hiro tells him he must have hope. Moments later, they meet a sobbing girl. Ando asks if she needs any help. She introduces herself as ‘Hope’. Hope left her abusive boyfriend but forgot to take her purse with her. The boys offer to get it back for her by breaking into the boyfriend’s hotel room. In exchange, Hope will introduce them to Linderman. To get into the room, Ando masquerades as a waiter delivering room service, and hides Hiro under the trolley tablecloth. Their search for the bag finds a large gun, which makes Hiro want to run. Ando tricks Hiro into leaving, then locks him out of the room. He finds the bag under the bed, but then must hide under their when the boyfriend emerges from the shower.

Matt is trying to enjoy his new job and make small talk with Malsky as they drive to the diamond district, but Malsky basically tells him to shut up.

Mohinder is calling people and getting a lot of hang-ups. But one callback from Zane Taylor sounds promising. Zane is stressed, awaiting Mohinder’s visit, and when the doorbell rings, he lets the visitor in…but it is Sylar. Sylar enters a house where the living area is protected by a thick plastic. The plastic is covered with viscous pools of colored fluids. Zane gives offers to show Sylar a demonstration of his ability.

Nathan discusses how to handle the blackmail situation with his mother. Nathan wants to go down to Texas in person and meet his daughter, but his mother convinces him to stay emotionally detached and just send the money.

Mr Bennet reveals to Claire that he knows the tickets she printed for the aquarium are fake. He grounds her, insisting that she be home by 5pm each day. She is outraged. Claire rings Meredith. Meredith tells her that she found Claire’s father, and that he is flying down to Texas. Claire wants to meet him, but Meredith is vague.

At the diamond deal, Matt overhears that it is a setup and is able to get Malsky out before Jessica arrives. Matt also reads Malsky’s thoughts and knows that Malsky stole 2 million dollars from Linderman, his former employer. They get out together and just avoid Jessica.

Hiro overhears Hope on the phone and realizes that he and Ando have been set up.

Malsky gives Matt some diamonds as a bribe. Jessica is in pursuit, although she stops to have a little argument with Niki in the stairwell. Matt’s powers enable him to hear both women talking. It seems that Jessica made the deal with Linderman to do the hit in return for getting Niki out of jail.

Matt initially captures Jessica, but she gets away and throws him out of a window before completing her hit on Malsky. Matt falls heavily but fortunately lands on a ledge.

Claire is so compelled to meet her real father that she shows up uninvited at Meredith’s trailer. Meredith levels with her that her father can only be depended on to give cash – but no other support. Meredith lies about the amount of money being given, halving it first before offering half of that to Claire.

When Mohinder arrives at Zane’s house, Sylar answers the door, masquerading as Zane (who has disappeared). Sylar then offers a demonstration of the ability he has absorbed: he turns a toaster into a pool of silver fluid.

Nathan does visit Meredith to deliver the check in person, and he hopes to meet Claire, but Meredith had sent her away. Claire is hiding outside the window, and is so disappointed to hear Nathan’s willingness to avoid a meeting with her that she throws a rock at his limosine window as he is leaving.

Mohinder asks Sylar for a DNA sample, a swab taken from his mouth. A boiling teakettle allows Sylar to swab Zane’s mouth, since the dead body is on the kitchen floor. Mohinder tell Sylar that there are many others with powers and that he intends to find them all. Sylar offers to help.

Hope takes Ando with her, seducing him easily.

Hiro is locked in a closet and is freed by the boyfriend, who also happens to be in the gaming commission.

Matt figures out where Malsky hid the diamonds, and is about to hand them in, when he ‘overhears’ the investigating officer bad-mouthing him, so he hangs onto them.

Claire returns home to find that Sandra’s memory problems are worsening – she doesn’t remember Mr Moggles or Claire anymore.

Jessica gets another package from Linderman - this time, she is assigned to hit Nathan.

Comments

This episode was directed by Roxann Dawson, who played B’elana Torres on Star Trek: Voyager, and who has become a prolific television director.

It’s ironic that Hope calls Hiro ‘Sulu’. In real life, rumors (or hopes) are floating around that Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, will be cast as Sulu in the upcoming Star Trek movie, Star Trek 11.

It suddenly struck me that Meredith may not really be Claire’s biological mother.

It’s clever plotting to have Sylar first masquerade as Mohinder to Zane, and then masquerade as Zane to Mohinder.

I have been severely impressed with the acting of Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli). I had seen his work on Mysterious Ways and he didn’t make an impression on me. Here, in Heroes, he brings amazing depth and powerful emotion to his performance.

Nits

Niki gets arrested for a crime. While she is in jail, she attacks a guard and violently attacks a psychiatrist. Yet when she is cleared of the crime for which she was being detained, there seem to be no repercussions from her violent attacks on these people. Wouldn’t she normally be brought up on some kind of charges?

Jessica covers her tattoo with two types of makeup and is able to make it fully disappear. Not only is this almost impossible, but wouldn’t there be many situations (including wearing clothes) where the makeup would come off and reveal the tattoo underneath?

Memorable Moments

• Sylar’s scenes are getting creepier each episode – kudos to actor Zachary Quinto for making him that way

Quotable Quotes

Ando: A hero never runs.
Hiro: Stop saying the things I say to you!

Hiro: You are bad person. You may fool Ando, but you not fool me.
Hope: Thanks for the help, Sulu.

Mohinder: My god! (reacting to seeing the toaster turned into fluid matter
Sylar: You want to see it again?