Heroes – Recap & Review – Shadowboxing

photo: nbc

Heroes
Shadowboxing

Original air date: Nov 9, 2009

Brittany D. – Staff Writer
brittany@thetwocentscorp.com

Another week, another episode! Previously, Sylar switched places with Matt so that he’s in control of his body, Peter got a nifty new healing ability, and Gretchen was almost murdered by Rebecca who is part of carnie town.

Gretchen and Claire lie to their new sorority sisters when they freak out after seeing Claire heal and Becky disappear right in front of them. Their lie: That the hazing must have included drugging their water. Gretchen and Claire are left alone, and the former says that she is definitely not okay with trying to be killed. Claire calls her dad who brings along the Haitian and wipes the sorority girl’s minds while Gretchen stays alone in the dorm room. The Haitian tags along with Claire while HRG searches Rebecca’s room, and Claire gets to the dorm in time to see Gretchen packing a bag. It’s all just a little bit too freaky for her and she leaves; the Haitian following to make sure she’s safe. As soon as Claire’s alone, Samuel shows up.

Samuel tells Claire that it’s easier to relate to people when they’re just like you, which is why he started the carnival. At the same time he tries to recruit Claire, HRG is confronted by Becky. She tells him that he killed her father while she hid under the bed and watched the whole thing go down. She says that she wished that no one would find her and that was when her ability to turn invisible manifested itself, but she never understood why she couldn’t wish for her dad to be okay. In revenge, she’s going to hurt both HRG and Claire. Before she can, someone comes looking for her and she disappears. HRG leaves and makes it back to Claire’s dorm just in time to meet Samuel and hear his pitch to Claire.

HRG winds up taking Samuel into custody (can he do that now? Where was he even planning on taking him?) so that he can get answers about the compass. In all likelihood, it points people in the direction of the carnival, but before we can find out for sure Becky shows up. She’s going to try and kill HRG, but Samuel tazers her. HRG literally pushes Claire to the ground, but she begs him not to hurt Becky and Samuel, and together they run away. Claire gives HRG that look. He walks her back to her dorm and that night she looks longingly at Gretchen’s side of the room. Did I mention she’d told her roommate that she was too important to lose and that everything’s been charged with what the writers hope is unresolved sexual tension? Yeah.

Sylar is taking Matt and his body to New York. Sylar taunts Matt, but it’s Matt who has the last laugh because he’s planted his service revolver in his suitcase. The metal detector goes off, and Sylar tries to use Matt’s ability. “You may be able to control my body but I will NEVER let you control my ability.” Sylar is taken into custody screaming that he’s a cop. Four hours later they’re on their way only to get a flat tire. Matt’s getting a little too confident in his razzing of Sylar though, and when a nice guy pulls over to help them, Sylar kills him. Matt rages that Sylar just killed a man, and Sylar turns the tables: “No, I didn’t. You did.” He tells Matt that he’s in charge and can kill anyone, anywhere, so no more roadblocks on the way to find Peter Petrelli for answers.

They stop at the Burnt Toast Diner and Sylar tells Matt that he tried to kill a waitress there once, and when Matt won’t tell him what happened to his body, he decides to start killing people. Matt finally relents at that prospect and tells Sylar everything while Sylar doodles on a napkin. Sylar says that now he’s going to find Nathan, then kill everyone involved with his body swap. Before he can do that, the police show up. Matt used his ability to make Sylar doodle that he was going to kill everyone. In order to keep HRG, Angela Petrelli et al safe, he makes Sylar motion to draw a weapon and the police shoot him about six times in the chest, killing him. (THANKS, NBC PROMO DEPARTMENT FOR THAT SPOILER ALERT. SURE WAS NIFTY.)

There’s been a massive train crash, and Peter is going around saving lives, but every time he heals someone, it drains his energy. Emma watches the chaos in the E.R., and when doctors get to be too busy, she starts stitching a patient up, much to Peter’s surprise. She tells him he should stop using his ability if it effects him this way, and he scoffs that then he’d just be ordinary. She finally confesses to him that she dropped out of med school after her nephew drowned while she was babysitting. After she saves a little girl’s life, Peter convinces her to give med school another chance. When Peter gets home, Sylar/Nathan shows up, having woken up in carnie town with Nathan’s face and flying out before anybody saw him.

How did I feel about this episode…well…I will say that the writers shocked me with the Sylar/Matt turn of events. Though, again, the NBC promo department failed to keep us on the edge of our seats for next week. (If you saw the previews you know what I’m talking about. If not, lucky for you.) I’m hoping that Gretchen doesn’t return because I don’t trust the writers with a sexuality storyline. I largely didn’t like this episode, but maybe it’s just me. What did you all think? Did you like the episode, or could you have gone without some things? As always, I want to know what you think, so leave your Two Cents in the comments!