Heroes - Into Asylum

An episode that took us nowhere, but perhaps set up for bigger things. Oh, spoiler alert, blahblahblah.

I need to point out two Sylar powers that are being conveniently ignored.

1.- He has the ability to CHANGE THE PERCEPTION OF REALITY. Remember that fat chick from the first season? The one who saved him and brought him to the jungle? She could make people see her however she chose, could make their surroundings appear however she wanted, and generally confuse the fuck out of you. Why the hell would Sylar need to be a shapeshifter? Especially when it's obviously not a pleasant experience.

2.- He has the ability to tell people what to do and they'll do it. Not Parkman's mind trick, but that other girl's one from season 1 that hung around with HRG. He took her power of compulsion. So someone sticking a gun in his face is absolutely pointless, without even mentioning the telekenisis. The whole scene in the apartment was idiotic until the gun went down.

Okay, glad that's off my chest.

This was a setup episode. I can usually forgive setup episodes in series with large arcs... except it feels like most of the episodes in this chapter have been setup episodes. For what it was, it was decent.

Claire and Nathan are in Mexico, hiding out. Claire hawks her necklace and Nathan plans to drink it into more money. Nathan is not in the Navy any more (or Marines, or whatever the hell he was in) and gets schooled by a frat boy. Good thing Claire steps up with her magical can't-get-drunk-cuz-of-the-healing powers. Something about the liver regenerating. I'm pretty sure inebriation isn't caused by liver damage... but it is in fact, the other way around.

It appears the whole point of the trip to Mexico was for daughter and dad to bond... again. Also, it was to drive home that Nathan doesn't have any friends in Washington any more. Speaking of that... why the fuck do we only get 3 minutes of President Worf this whole season? Why bring in Michael Dorn and not have him involved in any way?

Okay, so Claire and Biodad are all coolio now that Nathan got drunk and apologized and bought Claire her necklace back by hawking his very nice watch that Claire didn't lose in a drinking game. Speaking of which, is it cool that NBC shows an 17 or 18 year-old girl going head-to-head with a frat boy in a tequila drinking contest. I don't have a problem with it, but think of the childrens.

Meanwhile the other two surviving Petrelli's are chillaxing in a big church. Were they in DC or NY? I thought it was that big church in DC at first, which had that awesome scene in The West Wing where President Martin Sheen went mano-a-deo with God... LOVE that monologue. Sadly, no Sheen here, and Peter's bitching at Jesus didn't quite work as well. Maybe it needed more Latin. The whole point of this portion? To let us know Matrelli has acute insomnia and hasn't "earned" sleep yet. Also, that HRG is going to get his ass handed to him down the road for letting them go, even if nobody supposedly knows. Oh yah, and also so Peter and mom can rebond as well and she can reveal that she was a terrible mother and has lots of secrets and manipulates people. Mom sleeps, has a vision we don't get to see, and they're off to gather up the rest of the Petrelli clan and then see her sister, who, thanks to the preview for next week, we know is long dead.

Which brings us to the main plot and the only really interesting thing in this episode - Sylar's partnership with crazy-eyes-in-charge-of-the-project guy. I'll say it here - if not for Zachary Quinto's Sylar, Heroes doesn't make it past season 2. Anyhoo, Sylar decides to use his mega-badassery to help the nutjob running the round-em-up project. Good move by Sylar, as it protect him, and will leave him all alone in the superpower club if he catches them all. My major problems with this plotline in this episode are above. The twist of the shapeshifter taking on Sylar's form actually surprised me, so good for them on that one - it's rare I don't guess these things. The fact the shapeshift seems permanent (unless actively changed back) could make things interesting down the line, but I'll guess is actually an out for the show shold Quinto decide to pursue movies (ie.- the next 12 Star Trek films). Have him shift to someone else, and get stuck, or not be able to switch back to himself... new actor, no problem, still Sylar. Does anybody really think HRG buys that Sylar is dead? In fact, I'd guess that seeing the body he figured out that Sylar is alive and working with whatshisname now. Fun times.

Okay, so next week the Petrellis should get together, exhume a body, rewrite the origin story a 3rd or 4th time, and Sylar should be badass and maybe not trustworthy while he corrupts this already corrupt department as HRG struggles to manipulate and plot its demise. Also, Hiro and Ando and baby Matt Parkman will likely meet up with Big Matt Parkman (see, no Daphe, but now he has a baby in his life), and Mohinder (btw - where's Molly again?) while Micah keeps rebelling it up.

In other words... standard.