Heroes/Hiros

Hiros
Season 1, Episode 5
Airdate	October 23, 2006
Production Number	106
Written by	Michael Green
Directed by	Paul Shapiro
Stream
← 1x04 Collision	1x06 → Better Halves
Heroes — Season One

Hiros is the fifth episode of the first season of Heroes.

Starring: Santiago Cabrera (Isaac Mendez), Tawny Cypress (Simone Deveaux, credit only), Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah Sanders), Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman), Ali Larter (Niki Sanders), Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura), Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet), Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder Suresh), Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins), Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli)

Guest Starring: James Kyson Lee (Ando Masahashi), Lisa Lackey (Janice Parkman), Ashley Crow (Sandra Bennet), Matt Lanter (Brody Mitchum), Eugene Byrd (Campaign Manager), Archie Kao (ER Doctor), Deirdre Quinn ("Texas" Tina), Danielle Savre (Jackie Wilcox), Michael Reilly Burke (Policeman), Nicole Bilderback (Ms. Sakamoto)

And: Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet)

Co-Starring: Jimmy Jean-Louis (Haitian), Adam Harrington (Paramedic), Mike Foy (Crackhead)

Plot Overview

Peter tries to convince Isaac that they're meant for something greater. Claire confesses a secret to her father. Nathan turns an potential crisis into an advantage. Hiro and Ando bicker, which results in unexpected encounters for both of them.

• Mohinder Suresh Voice-over: "When a change comes, some species feel the urge to migrate. They call it zugunruhe. A pull of a soul to a far off place, following a scent in the wind, a star in the sky. The ancient message ccomes calling the kindred to take flight, to gather together. Only then can they hope to survive the cruel season to come."

• Subway, New York. Peter Petrelli is surprised when Future Hiro Nakamura appears on the subway frozen in time. Future Hiro tells Peter that he has a message for him: "You have to save the cheerleader. Go to the painter, Isaac, he'll know what you mean. And when I call, you must tell me where we meet." Peter is confused and says he doesn't understand. Future Hiro tells him "Save the cheerleader, save the world," and vanishes back into the future. Time resumes.

• Hospital, Odessa. Claire Bennet and Brody Mitchum are wheeled into the ER of an Odessa hospital. Claire's face is bloody, but she is uninjured. Brody is in much worse shape. He sees Claire and calls her a crazy bitch.

• Parking structure, Las Vegas. Nathan Petrelli is awake and is being taken by the Horn-Rimmed Glasses Man and his mysterious accomplice through a parking structure. He offers them money if they let him go, but Horn-Rimmed Glasses Man tells him that he doesn't want money, he just wants to know a couple of things. Nathan breaks free and runs, but is stopped by a chain-link fence and is cornered against it by his captors. He tells them that he will find them and kill them, and he'll remember their faces. the Horn-Rimmed Glasses Man tells him that won't matter, and tells his accomplice to put Nathan down. Nathan flies up quickly, then takes off at super-sonic speed away.

• Nathan Petrelli's hotel room, Montecito Casino, Las Vegas. Niki Sanders is awoken by Nathan's assistant. She does not remember anything after leaving Nathan's room last night. Linderman's aide walks in and tells the assistant that the casino will provide security tapes to help him find where Nathan went. Nathan's assistant leaves. Niki asks Linderman's aide what she did to her. The aide says that many things were done to Niki, but none of them were done by her. She shows Niki the recording of her having sex with Nathan Petrelli and tells her that her debt to Linderman has now been erased.

• Subway, New York . Peter tries to tell Mohinder Suresh about Future Hiro, and says that they have to go back to Isaac's apartment so they can find out how to save a cheerleader. Mohinder says that it sounds like he's crazy. Peter asks him to come back with him to Isaac's apartment and if he still doesn't believe him, he'll drive Mohinder to the airport himself. Mohinder sarcastically asks if Peter will fly him home, and tells Peter that there are no answers and he should just go home.

• Matt Parkman's house, Los Angeles. Janice Parkman is frantic with worry, since Matt hasn't been seen in a day. She goes into the living room and is surprised when Matt wakes up on the couch. She's angry that he made her worry. Matt says he must have gotten drunk and passed out on the couch, and is surprised to learn that he's missing a day. Janice says that Matt's precinct said the he's now working with the FBI. Matt told her that it just started and was going to tell her before they had their fight. Matt is surprised that Janice was worried about him. He didn't think she cared that much. Matt still has his telepathy power.

• Fly by Night Diner, Outskirts of Las Vegas. Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi and their luggage are unceremoniously dumped out of a van by the goons of the "cowboy" they cheated at poker. Ando is annoyed that after Hiro was knocked out with one punch the thugs spent their time beating on him instead. Hiro pointed out that they got beat up because Ando made him cheat at gambling. Ando and Hiro bicker and Ando leaves to hitch a ride back to Las Vegas. Hiro stays in the diner for breakfast. As he looks out the window, he is the only one in the diner to see Nathan Petrelli fly down and land in the desert outside. Nathan enters the diner and draws attention because he's only wearing pajama bottoms. He asks for a T-shirt and a cellphone.

• Matt Parkman's house. Now knowing that Janice still cares for him deeply, Matt plans a special day for them. He convinces Janice that they're both calling in sick today.

• Fly by Night Diner. Hiro sits beside Nathan and introduces himself. His english has improved to the point where he can carry on a conversation. He tells Nathan that he knows he can fly. Nathan says he doesn't know what Hiro is talking about. Hiro says that he can keep a secret, he's special too. Hiro tells Nathan that he can bend time, and went to the future and saw a big explosion in New York, which he intends to stop. Nathan doesn't believe him, but asks if he won the election in the future. Hiro tells him that Petrelli won big. Hiro asked Nathan for a ride back to town. Nathan agreed.

• Hospital, Odessa. Mr. Bennet goes to Claire's hospital room. He tells her that Claire's mother said she lost control of the car. Claire tells him that's what she told her mother. Mr. Bennet closes the door. Claire tells him that she rammed the car into the wall on purpose. She tells him that she lied to him when she said that nothing happened at the football game. Brody tried to force himself on her, he threw her down, she hit her head and woke up somewhere else. She says that she can't prove anything. Claire tells Mr. Bennet that she isn't the only one Brody attacked, but begs her father not to say anything to anyone. Mr. Bennet promises her that no one will know.

• Isaac's Studio, Lower Manhattan, New York. Peter returns to Isaac Mendez's apartment and asks for his help. A bitter Isaac tells him to ask Simone, he already took her, what else does he want to take from him. Peter tells Isaac that he believes he can paint the future, and that whatever is happening to Isaac is also happening to him. He tells him that Isaac is supposed to know where he has to go. Isaac says that if he sounds anything like Peter does, no wonder Simone left him. Isaac lets him look at the new paintings. Peter sees one with the cheerleader.

• Montecito Casino, Las Vegas. Nathan drops Peter off at the Montecito hotel. He's given Hiro a "Vote Petrelli" pin, and Hiro is an enthusiastic supporter. Hiro goes to his car, but he can't figure out how to work it, the manual is written in English. Nathan and Niki meet. He asks her what she did to him. She says she was about to ask him the same thing. She doesn't remember anything after leaving his room the first time, he doesn't know who the people kidnapping him were. Niki tells him that when she met him she was trying to be someone better, someone she's not. Nathan tells her that she's the kind of woman you can spend your entire life waiting for. Niki tells him that she didn't know they were going to do anything to him. They blackmailed her into sleeping with him, just like they're going to blackmail him. Nathan realizes that they were taped having sex. Niki says she's sorry for her part in it.

• Matt Parkman's house. Matt and Janice Parkman have wine and dinner. They're having a wonderful time and start to make out.

• Hospital, Odessa. Mr. Bennet goes to Brody Mitchum's hospital room. At least one arm and leg appear to be in casts and he is in a neck brace. Brody tells Mr. Bennet he's going to sue him because Claire crashed the car on purpose. He's sure she can heal herself. He calls Claire a freak, not human. Mr. Bennet says he has more faith in her humanity then Brody's. He says that what's happening to Claire is difficult enough without punks like him. Mr. Bennet says that he could kill Brody, but instead he's going to do him a favor - give him a second chance. Maybe if he forgets all the horrible things he did, maybe he'll be a better person. Mr. Bennet pulls back the curtain and reveals his memory-tampering super associate. Mr. Bennet tells him to hollow Brody out.

• Isaac's Studio. Isaac arranges some related paintings. Peter notes that together they tell a story, like a comic book. Peter asks who the cheerleader is. Isaac says he doesn't know. He was looking for a way to stop the nuke so he got hight, but instead he got those worthless paintings. Peter says that they're all connected, and they have to save her. Isaac says he's out of drugs and money to buy drugs, and he thinks he can't paint the future without them. Peter looks at a half-finished painting of a man in a baseball cap (looking like Sylar from the FBI basement) in front of a lit doorway, his dark shadow stretching before him. Peter stares at it until he sees it ripple. He tells Isaac that he thinks he can finish it. Isaac asks Peter if he can paint. Peter says that he can't, but but after he met him, he drew the future, just stick figures, but it came true. Peter gets some paints, and closes his eyes to concentrate. When he opens them, they're milky white and he starts to paint as Isaac looks on.

• Hospital, Odessa. Claire goes to see Brody. She tells him that what he did to her was wrong, but what she did to him was also wrong. Brody doesn't recognize her, and asks why she's calling him Brody.

• Niki Sanders' House, Las Vegas. Niki returns home to find that her kitchen is filled with police officers. Her husband D.L Hawkins has been seen in the area and they think he may come to see her. They say that he vanished out of his handcuffs. Niki tells the police that she thinks he's been following her, doing things, but she doesn't specify the things. She asks the police to protect her from him. Someone approaches the house and enters. It's Ando. The police point their guns at him. He puts his hands up and asks "Niki?"

• Montecito Casino. Nathan Petrelli asks Linderman's aide for the his sex tape. Linderman's aide says that it would be bad news if it were to get out, since Nathan is campaigning on a platform of family values. Nathan says that the tape is only useful if he wins the election, and since he now knows how madly Linderman wants to control him, Nathan asks for 4 million from Linderman, instead of the 2 million he originally went for. Nathan says that 2 million makes him a candidate in Linderman's pocket, but 4 million will make him a congressman in Lindeman's pocket.

• Matt Parkman's House. Matt and Janice finish a satisfying bout of lovemaking. He reads her thoughts and knows she wants coffee-flavored ice cream, so he goes to the drug store to get some. While there, he hears the thoughts of a patron planning to rob it. Matt goes deeper into his mind and learns there are people who he cares about. He confronts the would-be robber and tells him that he knows he's going to rob the place, but don't, as he has Marie waiting at home and Vincent is getting out in a month. Matt tells him to put the gun down and get out of here. The robber puts the gun down on a shelf and leaves. Customers see Matt with the gun and start thinking panicked thoughts. Matt tells them he's a police officer and everything is all right, but he gets disoriented and collapses.

• Niki Sanders' House. Niki learns that Ando is one of her customers. She tells him he shouldn't have come to her house. Ando apologizes and says that since they chat online, maybe she'd help him. Niki says that she's not the same girl in real life as she is online. She has the police let him go. They leave and tell Niki that they'll leave a cop car in front of the house. A few minutes later D.L. appears in the house.

• Montecito parking structure. Ando goes to the car and finds a dejected Hiro there waiting. Ando tells Hiro that he guesses their next move is to call the artist again.

• Isaac's Studio. Peter has finished the painting. Isaac asks how he did that. Peter doesn't know. The painting shows the man in the baseball cap standing in front of a dead cheerleader in a pool of blood. The top of her head seems to be missing. Isaac says that they have to save her. His phone rings, but Isaac tells Peter to ignore it, it's a wrong number, some Japanese guy who keeps leaving messages. Peter realizes this is the call the Future Hiro told him about and answers the phone. Hiro asks if this is Isaac Mendez. Peter asks for the callers name. Hiro gives his name. Peter answers "My name is Peter Petrelli, and I have a message for you."

Trivia

The Show

• Missing in Action: Simone does not appear in this episode.
• Hiro phone home: Hiro's phone is a Nokia N73

Allusions and References

• Superman: When parting ways from Nathan, Hiro says this phrase, popularized by Superman many years ago whenever he'd take to the skies.

Hiro: Up, up and away!

• The Force: In Star Wars, "the Force" is described as "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." Those trained in manipulating the Force can move objects, see the future or perform other superhuman feats. When using the Force for good, one is using the Light Side of the Force. When Force manipulation is self-serving or used out of anger or hatred, one is said to be using the Dark Side of the Force. Hiro's use of his powers for personal gain would be aligned with using the Dark Side of the Force.

Hiro: Using my powers for personal gain. That's the Dark Side.

Quotes

• Future Hiro: Save the cheerleader, save the world!
• Hiro: We are both special.
• Peter: My name is Peter Petrelli, and I have a message for you.