Zachary Quinto of 'Heroes'

I’m sure this goes without saying, but “Into Asylum” was a let down after last week’s brilliant “Cold Snap.” But that’s got more to do with “Snap” being a singular shot of awesome into the mediocre circulatory system of “Heroes” in general. “Asylum” slowed down the season-long chase for the superpowered, as two relationships were repaired and one Axis of Evil was formed.  

Read shape-shifting spoilers after the break. 

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Peter 

Hot off flying his mother away from government thugs, Peter takes Angela to a church. But not just any church: it’s the same church in which she and Arthur got married, where Peter got his first communion, and probably where Nathan skimmed off the collection plate.  She’s there seeking sanctuary: apparently, her powers only work if she gets “earned rest.” Looks like she forgot about the cat nap that foresaw her imminent capture last week. If the show can’t remember this stuff, should we? Best not think about it, I suppose. 

In any case, as she seeks solace, Peter gets a little one-on-one time with the Lord himself. He’s unsure if his power contains any good at all. “I’m tired of fighting. And I’m angry. Angry at my father. Nathan. My mother. At you. We had a deal. I think it’s about time you lived up to your end. Please, just... show up.” As much as I like to mock “Heroes,” they’ve finally started wising Peter up. In Volumes II and III, he essentially acted like a moron, inadvertently causing nearly every disaster on the show. Not only has the show given Peter a manageable amount of power, they’ve also given him that elusive trait of maturity. It fits well on him. 

Peter’s prayers are answered…in the form of Noah’s strike team. While hiding in a confessional booth, Angela finally explains her lifelong actions: upon first obtaining her power, she tried to warn people of the imminent apocalypse. But, in a Cassandra-like fashion, her cries were unheeded. She soon found out that lies, deceipt, and overall bitchery worked much better. Ergo, the Angela we know and love. And yes, love. Christine Rose can have at least 4.5 of my babies. 

Sent to the church by Danko to capture Angela, Noah nevertheless calls off the team to protect his partner in bringing Danko’s operation down. Freed not only from capture but some of her lifelong guilt, Angela finally rests, and has herself a nice vision. The plan? Find Nathan, then find her sister. Sister? The Petrelli Family Reunion continues next week! 

Wasting away again in Margaritaville...

Nathan and Claire end up south of the Border, with little to their name but a few dollars and for some reason, a new hairdo for Claire. She totally didn’t have bangs when she left Costa Verde, I swear. Nathan wants time away to think about what he’s done, and Claire just wants him to set things right again. So what happens? You guessed it: drinking game!!! 

Sigh. After Claire pawns her necklace (a gift from Noah), Nathan decided to use the cash to lure a few college kids into a sucker bet. It plays as lame as it sounds. Nathan’s no longer in Phi Beta Tequila, and eventually passes out. Enter Claire and Her Amazing Regenerating Liver! She rescues Nathan, wins the contest, and hauls her drunk dad back to their seedy motel. 

Drunken confession time: Nathan reveals that he gave Claire a free pass from Danko’s sweep as a way to hopefully wipe away all his past actions with her in one fell swoop. Guess he’s still feeling a little bit guilty about abandoning her as a child. He even promises to take action to right his wrongs once he sobers up. Course, once he sobers up, he returns to his cowardly nature, unwilling to face the disastrous results of starting the hunt for powered people. A swift kick in the emotional gut from Claire springs him into action, but by this point, it’s me who is reaching for the tequila bottle. Lord, what a waste of screen time. 

The odd(est) couple 

You’re Emile Danko, and you’ve got a problem. You hate people with powers. Can’t stand them. Wanna kill them. Here’s the rub: you’re fairly terrible at capturing them. Sure, you got Mohinder, but honestly, is that saying much? Nathan’s gone, your agents are dying, and you’re growing more impatient by the day. What do you do? Well, you reluctantly follow Noah’s old plan of “one of them, one of us” and partner up with Sylar. 

Sylar has been toying with Danko for a few weeks now: breaking into his apartment, leaving him presents, sneaking into Building 26. Why? Well, Sylar’s got a lot of power, but covets more. Danko has access to the nation’s DNA database, but little skill in tracking or killing people with abilities. So, much like psychotic peanut butter and crazy chocolate, they two form a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of evil in an attempt to rid the world of everyone with abilities: except for Sylar, of course. 

On one hand, the show’s done a pretty good job making Danko’s decision to partner with Sylar seem psychologically plausible. After all, Danko’s gone from cold-blooded, efficient soldier to ever more confused, ever less successful, and ever more impotent as the season has progressed. His inability to capture people is a new phenomenon, and has led to rash judgments that have yielded little results. Enter Sylar, with his methodical approach, psychological insight, and above all, patience to counter Danko’s impulsiveness. 

That being said, I would have preferred this relationship conducted from afar, with Sylar leading Danko from a distance. Putting them together dissipates the tension created by Sylar’s games over the past few weeks. Imagine if they’d kept up the cat-and-mouse, with Danko always seeking a way to flush Sylar out? That way, Sylar’s still “helping” Danko, but not in some buddy cop from hell type of scenario. 

In any case, by episode’s end, their partnership is set. By using a shapeshifter to fake Sylar’s death, Danko’s now free to follow Noah’s suggestion to capture those that have eluded him. Then again, how many of you truly think Noah was fooled by that charade? Exactly. But knowing HRG, he’ll keep it tight to the vest until the time comes to strike. I’m guess that will come right around the season finale. 

In short: The Petrellis spent the week healing old wounds, and Sylar and Danko formed a two-man wrecking crew. Basically, “Heroes” spent this week getting the pieces on its chess board in place for the final few moves of the season. Let’s hope they finally, finally, finally learn how to execute those crucial turns. 

Were you let down by this week’s installment, or was it a good breather after last week’s blowout? Does the Sylar/Danko relationship excite you, or feel forced? Which Petrelli is the real hero of that clan? Leave your thoughts below!

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