Heroes episode recap - “Tabula Rasa” S4E5 (airdate 10/19/09)

Opening montage: Sylar, safe at the carnival; Nathan’s empty office; Hiro in the hospital with Peter watching over him; Emma, clutching the cello, scared of the damage she has inadvertently wrought in her own home; Benet, working on his investigation.

Hiro wakes up in the hospital and Peter tells him that the doctors say he’s very sick. Hiro knows: “Brain tumor, I’m dying.” Peter offers his hospice skills but Hiro thinks that he’s not quite ready to go yet; perhaps he was sent to Peter to help him. Peter thinks for a minute, and then squeezes Hiro’s hand, absorbing his ability. I’ve got to go, says Peter.

Emma catches him outside, asking if he sent her the cello, and there’s something wrong with her ability. Peter says that he can’t stay right now, but she should talk to Hiro who knows everything about abilities. Then when her back is turned, Peter teleports away.

Carnival. Lydia and Samuel talk about Sylar, how he’s not what they expected (or had heard about). Lydia thinks it’s as though there are two sides at war within him. Samuel decides to have a chat with the man in question. He is nonplused when Sylar professes not to remember anything, not even his own name. Samuel says that he thinks that a great damage has been done to Sylar, and that he’s come to the Carnival to heal. Tell me, says Samuel, what name should I call you? Nathan, replies Sylar. They walk a little and Samuel asks about his powers. Sylar says that he’s all freaked about what he can do, so Samuel asks Lydia to take Sylar around, introduce him to all the other abilitified Carnies.

Washington, D.C. Claire stops by her dad’s apartment to hit him up for quarters for laundry. They are interrupted when Peter teleports in, landing himself in the bathroom by accident. “It’s been a long time since I teleported,” he says, embarrassed. Heh.

Carnival. Samuel consults with Edgar, saying that the wrong person is inside Sylar’s head. Also, they are concerned that “someone” who has been hunting Sylar may track him here. I say “someone” because Mr. Mouse was talking to me over the television and since I don’t have a DVR these days, I can’t rewind to see what I missed. I’m going to assume that they mean Ernie Hudson the cop though.

Peter tells the Benets that Hiro is dying and he needs help finding a Healer. (Claire’s blood won’t work because its regenerative powers will just make the brain tumor grow faster.) Benet digs into his files and finds one, a kid named Jeremy; Peter grabs Benet’s arm and they both teleport to Georgia to find the kid.

Carnival. Edgar introduces himself to Sylar, sort of, telling him that he knows that Sylar can steal powers from other people, and warning him that he (Edgar) has some tricks of his own. To prove his point, he throws three knives into Sylar’s hand; unfazed, Sylar TKs them out and into a post, and then TKs Edgar into a bucket of cement. Samuel decides to intercede before this gets too out of hand. He brings Sylar to a dreadlocked fellow named Damian, saying that in his hands, Sylar’s true memories will return to him. Sylar says he’s ready and Damian takes him into the House of Mirrors.

Hospital. Emma meets Hiro and immediately asks him how she can turn off her ability. It’s part of who you are, he exclaims. Thanks [for nothing], she says, and leaves.

Georgia. Benet notes that all the landscaping outside Jeremy the Healer’s house is dead … which is not a good sign. The house “smells like death” so Benet draws his gun and they let themselves in. They find Jeremy’s parents dead in their armchairs. Benet helpfully remembers that sometimes Healers can’t control the balance of life and death so well (like the kid in HBO’s Carnivale, who could heal but had to suck the life out of something else to do so). Then they’re shot at from above. “Jeremy, is that you?” shouts Benet.

Carnival, House of Mirrors. Damian lays hands on Sylar for a moment, and then leaves him. Sylar turns, watching the mirrors. Then memories begin to flash: his argument with and murder of his mom. “No!” he cries, horrified, “This isn’t me! Make it stop!”

That new 2010 Mustang is sure purty!

Hospital. Hiro tracks Emma to her office and demands to know about her ability, saying that he himself is the Master of Time and Space. She tells him what’s happening to her, saying that she wants it to stop. Then she runs away again.

Georgia. Peter wants to rush Jeremy but Benet says that he needs to talk to the kid first. He lays down his gun and slowly walks up the stairs. Jeremy, a little strung out, screams at him to stay away. Why?, asks Benet. “Everything I touch ends up dead,” says ol’ Jeremy. Yikes.

Carnival. Police captain Ernie Hudson has arrived at the Sullivan Bros. Carnival, Samuel having sent him some complimentary tickets. Meanwhile, Sylar is still getting the “This Is Your Life” treatment in the Hall of Mirrors, although it doesn’t seems to be helping him at all, just freaking him out more and more. Finally he lurches outside and vomits into a nearby trash barrel.

Georgia. Jeremy tells Benet that he accidentally killed his parents – he was angry and he touched them and they died. Benet says no, you’re a Healer. Jeremy: no, the power changed. Benet, insistently: no, you can do both. Jeremy is not appeased, getting more and more upset, and finally shoots Benet. But Peter intercedes, grabbing the gun and attempting to freeze time. But his control is not that good and the bullet smashes into him, and he falls to the floor, bleeding out.

Benet looks up at Jeremy: you need to lay your hands on him now – you can do this! Benet tells the kid that his own particular power is understanding people like him. He tells Jeremy to visualize Peter healing, regenerating, and opening his eyes. Resigned and afraid, Jeremy touches Peter’s shoulder. Peter jerks, coughs, groans, and is healed. Jeremy slumps against the wall in relief.

Hospital. Hiro is putting on a little magic show for the sick kids and when Emma shows up, curious, he pulls her into the performance. He stops time while the children are applauding so she can see the frozen colors. You know, they better be going somewhere with this because they are spending a LOT of time with this seemingly pointless power of hers.

Carnival. Samuel finds Sylar sulking after the Mirror show: “All those murders, those memories are in my mind but I can’t believe them.” Samuel tells him that he’s sorry for his pain but the truth can be difficult. “Difficult!” sneers Sylar, “I sliced open their skulls!” Samuel says that the people outside of the Carnival turned Sylar into a monster, but here, in the embrace of a community who would accept him as he is, he could become someone who commands fear and respect. Sylar ponders this. Then, Samuel plays his ace: that cop is here, and Sylar’s presence endangers all the Carnies ... it’s up to Sylar what he wants to do about it. Sylar stands and asks where the cop is.

Hospital. The nurses put Hiro back in his bed. Emma asks him how he can be focused on helping others when he’s so sick ... suddenly, he remembers Charlie, and is horrified that he forgot to add her to his “to be helped” list. Emma begs him to stay put until Peter gets back.

Georgia. Peter absorbs Jeremy’s healing power and jumps in a rental car to get back to NYC. After he leaves, Benet tells Jeremy that he’s rigged the house so that it looks like his parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning [… except that they’ve been dead so long that the bodies stink, so what are the police going to think about that?] and tells the boy that he’ll stay with him until he knows he’s okay. Aw, Benet’s finding his purpose again.

Carnival. Sylar goes back into the House of Mirrors where he finds Cop Ernie Hudson. Ernie pulls a gun and Sylar calmly tells him that he should leave as soon as possible. Instead Ernie shoots at him; Sylar stops the bullet in midair, and then zaps him with some electricity. “What are you?” gasps a wounded Ernie, struggling to his feet. Sylar advances on the frightened man, and then rethinks things, backing away. But then Edgar super speeds up and slices and dices Ernie into ribbons. Sylar gapes. Edgar: “Don’t just stand there – get’im up!”

Hospital. Emma goes back to the piano and starts to play – AARRRGGHH – smiling at the blue streamers of light. Hiro hears the music and wanders over to her. Other people seem to be drawn to the music too and they all applaud when she finishes. She tells Hiro to go back to bed but as he obediently turns to do so, he teleports out of sight.

Carnival. A shaken Sylar goes to Samuel who embraces him. The Carnies all gather around. Sylar is baptized – literally – and then there’s a party. As he and Samuel keep an eye on Sylar, Edgar notes that it’s a good thing that he was around to clean up the pieces – “what good is a lion that won’t kill?” Samuel says that they’ll just make Sylar the way they want him and then he’ll be theirs forever. Edgar watches Lydia snuggling up to Sylar and crankily practices throwing his knives.

Hospital. When he finally gets back there, Emma tells Peter that Hiro is gone. Peter finds a note: “Save Charlie.” Last scene: Hiro peering in that diner window and intoning “Chahlee!”

Still no Mohinder - woot woot!

Previously on Heroes / next time on Heroes