Heroes Recap: I Am Sylar

On the "I Am Sylar" episode of Heroes, we pick up with the scene in the diner from last week. Angela, Claire, Nathan, HRG, and Peter see Sylar on television. We flash back to Washington, D.C.--18 hours earlier. Parkman and little Matt are talking to Janice on the phone. He tells Janice (who has been released by the Feds) that it's good to hear her voice and that he'll get little Matt back as soon as possible. Hiro and Ando are there. They want to take down Building 26, but Parkman doesn't want any part of it. He's a father now, and that changes everything. Hiro says that he and Ando will go to stop Building 26, but they need to know the address. Parkman won't give it to them, and he leaves his pals behind. This brings up an issue. As a loyal viewer, I have to say that Parkman's wishy washy thought process is incredibly annoying. It isn't as if he's conflicted. He's almost like a 5th grader trying to argue politics. Teach the kid one point of view and he'll change his mind. Offer a valid counterpoint and he'll change his mind again. Someone remind me why hasn't he been killed off yet? Parkman gets to his house, but Janice isn't there. She arrives, and it's a happy reunion for mother and son. Parkman hears something via his abilities--they're being watched. They have to leave. Quickly, Parkman and Janice agree to go together--as a family. Hey Parkman--never mind that your girlfriend's body is barely cold--just move on to Janice. Again, like a 5th grader. Janice is packed and ready to leave, but Parkman tells her he can't join her. He tells her that if he doesn't go back and face the bad guys, he and Janice will never have a life together. And then he hears the Feds coming. They break in, and Parkman uses his abilities to keep the Feds from capturing everyone. Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando are in Isaac Mendez's loft. Hiro, of course, has a plan. Let Ando get captured and Hiro will rescue him via time stoppage. Then, of course, the pair start arguing about their powers. All of a sudden, a team of agents come in. Hiro stops time before being hit by bullets. BOTH Hiro and Ando stand up. Ando, for the first time, hasn't been frozen in time. He's able to move around like Hiro.

Ando is excited that he isn't frozen. And then they start arguing again because, well, you know the story. Ando doesn't think Hiro respects him, blah, blah, blah. Hiro turns back on time and Ando is hit by the stun bullets. Hiro stops time again. Looks like he's going to tie up an agent and pretend he's one of the Feds. In the van on the way to Building 26, Hiro stops time to tell Ando that they're on the way. Once time begins moving again, one of the other Agents notices that Hiro is wearing glasses--something he wasn't doing a few minutes prior. DOH! Great plan, Hiro! The camera cuts to a view of the outside of the van, and we see Ando's pink lightning go off. When we get a peek into the van, Ando has tasered all of the agents. Hiro grabs a GPS device off one of the Agents (apparently Ando's power only sent electricity through the bodies, not their electronic devices on their bodies) and they're off to find Building 26 on their own. Once they arrive at Building 26, Ando wants to know the plan--since they're partners and all. Hiro agrees to be partners and tries to stop time. But all he gets is a headache and a bloody nose. The last we see of the pair, they're still sitting outside the building, looking pitiful. Sylar apparently keeps unwillingly shifting into other people. He shifts back and reaches into his mouth and rips out a tooth. He's losing control. In a park, Sylar meets with Danko (again with the secret meetings in the park). Sylar has been spotted on a camera, but that can't be--after all, everyone thinks Sylar is dead. Sylar explains that he's losing himself--that he goes to bed as Agent Talb (or anyone), but wakes up as someone else. His DNA is mixing up, and he doesn't like it. Danko tells Sylar that as Agent Talb, he can do whatever he wants. He can hunt everyone. As Sylar, he'll be the one hunted. Danko turns to leave, and Slyar turns into Agent Talb. Again, another issue. Why the heck is Sylar putting up with this tool Danko? Does Sylar really NEED Danko now? He could kill Danko, shape shift into the Fed leader, and get every bit of data he needs out of Building 26. Why is he messing around with Danko? It's boring, and it isn't something Sylar would do. Yet, Sylar, like a good boy, is off to hunt some Heroes for the Feds. He's headed to the house of Tom Miller, Richmond Virginia, who has just gotten a text from REBEL. (How does REBEL communicate with folks that don't have text messaging enabled?) The message: GET OUT NOW! Sylar appears on Tom's couch, startling the homeowner. The man thinks Sylar is rebel. He wants to know why they're being hunted. Sylar asks to see the man's ability. Tom grabs a collectible off a shelf and sets it on a table. Then he moves his fingers and makes it disintegrate. Sylar tells Tom that the agents are on the way. Tom needs to choose his side: the agents or Sylar. Tom chooses Sylar, and Sylar kills him. Right after that, Danko breaks in with a team to find the body. On the wall, written in blood is "I am Sylar." Danko runs around, and it's Agent Talb with him. Sylar has shapeshifted into one of the team. Later, Sylar and Danko talk in Building 26. Sylar tells Danko that REBEL is still in D.C. Danko needs help catching REBEL, but Sylar isn't incredibly interested in anything but figuring out what the heck is wrong with himself. Danko tells Sylar to find an anchor--he uses a watch from his father--to keep himself grounded. Great, just what I needed: one psycho telling another how to keep grounded. At this point, as a viewer, I think I've come to my biggest issue with this entire series: Do I care about any of these characters? I enjoy this show, but as it progresses, just about everyone is emotionally bankrupt. And if they aren't (Claire, Peter), they're annoying as hell. Hiro and Ando are probably the only ones worth rooting for on this show, and they've turned into a Japanese version of The Odd Couple. It's time to whack some of the bigger characters. Time to mix it up a bit. In his apartment, Special Agent Talb?/Sylar receives some files from a police officer. It's his adopted mother's belongings. Sylar is looking for a memento to ground him. After digging through the boxes, what does he settle on? A snow globe. Then he smashes it against the wall in a fit of rage. And then Sylar starts having a conversation with his dead adopted mother. He's truly losing it--playing shapeshifter on his couch. One paragraph between himself and his mother, though Sylar is both participants. He tells his mother that he feels lost, but she tells him that she's back. Danko knocks on Sylar's door, interrupting the creepy self-conversation. They've found REBEL. It's time to move on him. Danko and team (including a shape shifting Sylar) turn off the power in REBEL's building. No electricity, no abilities for REBEL. The agents go in, but Sylar waits behind. And it pays off. REBEL, aka Micah, walks out of the building. Micah knows Sylar has a problem and he wants to help. Sylar is one of THEM, and he wants Sylar on the good side. Micah knows Sylar is special, and Sylar can save everyone. It's convincing. Danko gets word that REBEL is running. Only it's not REBEL, it's Sylar. The agents take him down with a taser and Sylar falls into the water. The real Micah runs off. Danko can't believe that Sylar didn't take Micah's abilities. He informs Sylar that they've uncovered data on dozens of Heroes, and he wants Sylar to go after them. Back at Sylar's house, Micah wakes up to Sylar having a shapeshifting conversation with his mother. Micah tells him that his mother could do the same thing, but that she fought it. Micah plants the idea that Sylar could shift into Nathan and tell the President that all is well--it was a mistake. Slyar gets pissed and kicks Micah out. If he sees Micah again, he'll kill him. This makes two kids now that Sylar has spared. Maybe he is a softie after all.

Nathan Petrelli's office. Sylar is there, digging through Nathan's desk. Sylar again switches between himself and Mommy. His mother tells him that he's better than all of the other Heroes. Sylar tells her that he wanted her to die--he murdered her. He doesn't know how he can be special if he killed the only person that ever loved him. His mother says she forgives him. Sylar says he's sorry. She tells him that now he can be whatever he wants--even President. Sylar agrees, and shifts into Nathan. The next time we see Nathan, he's on television holding a press conference. He's telling the public that he has a plan for America, but that the President doesn't agree. It looks like Sylar is going rogue. An extremely important question/issue here: why has there been no national coverage on the disappearance of Nathan? He's been missing for weeks. Last I checked, if a U.S. Senator disappeared for a few hours, all hell would break loose. People would be looking for him everywhere, and he'd be the topic of every news show in the country. Yet we haven't seen anything of Nathan's disappearance. Kinda stupid, no? Back at the diner, Nathan tells everyone that he needs to go fight the fight. He needs to stop Sylar before any meetings with the President. Everyone says they'll help, but Nathan says he'll take care of it and leaves. Peter follows. In his office, Nathan looks for his gun. Sylar is there (as Nathan) and he has the gun. He shifts back. Sylar says he doesn't understand Nathan. Nathan has been given everything in his life, but he wants to give away the one thing that means something--his power. Nathan fires off some harsh words and says that they'll never believe Sylar is Nathan. Sylar says he'll be better than Nathan and starts to do his patented forehead cutting job on Nathan. Danko comes in and tasers Nathan. He tells Sylar that the U.S. Senator fantasy is over, and that he needs to become Agent Talb again.

However, Sylar tells Danko that he isn't interested. Danko stabs Sylar in the back of the head--in the one spot that can kill Sylar. Only Sylar doesn't die. He stands, pulls out the knife and says "That hurt." In the usual Mohinder-voice over ending, we see some quick scenes. Out West, Mohinder gets taken down. HRG driving everyone East. They get pulled over in a traffic wreck and agents swarm the car. Next week, the Heroes season finale. I'm guessing we say goodbye to Nathan. Think I'm right?