SEASON 1 : CHAPTER NINE: “HOMECOMING”

NBC Press Release
Air Date: November 20th, 2006 7/8c

WILL THEY SAVE THE CHEERLEADER AND SAVE THE WORLD? THE 'HEROES' EXPERIENCE DANGEROUS AND DEFINING MOMENTS IN THEIR LIVES -- As H.R.G. tries to protect his daughter by any means, Claire's high school homecoming turns into a frightening night. Meanwhile, Nathan and Simone work together to find Isaac's painting for Peter -- but this key to the future could lead to tragedy. Elsewhere, Hiro travels back in time to right an upsetting wrong and as Niki puts a goal in sight, Micah spends time with his dad. Still experiencing strange dreams while in India, Suresh learns of a boy that might pull him back into his father's research.


Re-cap of Episode Chapter Nine: “Homecoming”

Narration (Mohinder): “We are, if anything, creatures of habit, drawn to the safety and comfort of the familiar. But what happens when the familiar becomes unsafe? When the fear that we have been desperately trying to avoid finds us where we live?”

Claire and Zach are enjoying lunch when the principal posts the Homecoming Queen on the school bulletin board. Claire is determined the winner.

Nathan has purchased the painting that Peter wanted so badly but destroys it by throwing a bucket of paint over it. He tells Simone that it is to save Peter’s life.

Jessica practices sharp shooting with a high-powered rifle somewhere in the desert of Nevada.

Out on Highway 12 in Utah Micah and D.L. Hawkins are on the run from Jessica/Niki. D.L. tries to enter a restaurant but a policeman interrupts him. When he returns to the car Micah is gone.

Mohinder begins his search in Chennai, India for Inyer Sanjog who he believes can enter dreams and becomes a spiritual guide.

Simone tells Peter that his brother destroyed the painting but when she questions him on his belief concerning the painting Peter tells her that he must go to save the cheerleader. Simone shows him a digital image of the painting and tells him that the High School was located in Odessa, Texas.

Peter immediately calls Hiro but Ando answers and tells him that they are already in Texas (Midland) and are very close to Odessa. Peter tells him to wait there as he will be there soon.

Isaac finishes the painting but it is of no help to H.R.G. The painting resembles a demon in red with outstretched arms and light coming from its fingertips. HRG tells Eden that the painting is useless and he wants her to convince Isaac to paint another one. Eden refuses. H.R.G. tells Eden to find Sylar and take him out.

Zach tells Claire that he campaigned for her as Homecoming Queen and that she won the freak vote (or unpopular kids). Zach gives Claire a copy of Chandra Suresh’s book “Activating Evolution” and tells her that it has information concerning her ability. When Jackie insults Zach Claire punches her out!

Claire is grounded from the homecoming by her father.

Micah has run away from D.L. to a Greyhound Bus Stop presumably to return back to Nevada to his mother. D.L. catches up with him and Micah tells him that he knows about Jessica.

Mohinder finds Inyer playing soccer and confronts him. He tells the young boy that two paths have been presented to him and wants to know which he should take. The boy answers that he already has the answer.

Claire is reading “Activating Evolution” when she gets a text message that Zach has come to rescue her from her grounding. Claire tells Zach that he must be her date. In response, Zach tells Claire that she must “embrace her inner freak” and not to deny who she is.

Peter meets Ando at the Burnt Toast Café and Ando tells him what has happened to Charlie and that Hiro has returned to the past to save her. Peter and Ando tell each other that they are really nothing without someone else. It is 7:19pm

Mohinder enters two dreams involving his father and learns that he must continue his father’s research. After making his decision he enters "NO" to the question on the computer (Do you want to quit?) and a password box appears. After trying both “Darwin” and “Sylar” as passwords he tries “Shanti” which works and brings up a list of Heroes and their locations.

Claire runs into Peter at the High School and he asks about Jackie. Claire tells him that she’s not that special and Peter tells Claire that things get better after High School. When he exits the building he is standing in the exact spot which Isaac had previously painted. It is 8:02pm.

Sylar (still wearing the broken watch) is seen looking at the same trophy case Peter had just been looking in. Jackie confronts Claire in the locker room and Claire tells Jackie about the tape of the train wreck. An ominous shadow crosses the back of the locker room.

H.R.G. is seen in the amphitheatre of the Union Wells High School.

Peter is standing in front of the sign at Union Wells High School. It is 8:10pm.

In the locker room Sylar grabs Jackie by the throat and begins choking her. Claire jumps on his back but he tosses her aside with no effort. She slams into the wall. Sylar points a finger at Jackie’s head and she begins to lose the top of her skull. Claire stands and her wounds instantly begin to heal. Sylar realizes he has killed the wrong cheerleader. Claire runs into Peter coming to her aide when Sylar begins throwing lockers at him (again as painted by Isaac.) Sylar chases Peter and Claire and Peter yells at Claire to find a public place. She runs as Sylar attacks Peter. As Sylar attacks Peter pushes him off the edge of the building and they both fall in a heap. They both appear dead.

When Claire comes to Peter’s aide he sits up and begins reassembling his broken bones and body parts. Sylar is gone! H.R.G. finds Claire and Claire wants him to go back and help Peter but he refuses.

In the meantime, Sylar is walking away from the school when he is confronted by Eden. When he starts to attack she tells him that he "does not want to hurt" her and that she wants him to "tell her all about himself" but "first he must go to sleep." The Haitian arrives and puts his patented sleeper hold on Sylar who falls to the ground.

Peter is arrested by the police.

Mohinder tells his mother that he is going back to America to continue his father’s research, to find the Heroes and warn them of the dangers they face.

Micah tells D.L. that he called his mother and we see Jessica in a tree sighting in on D.L. with the high-powered rifle as he enters the car. A gunshot rings out…

Ando sits at the Burnt Toast Café waiting for Hiro…

Hiro appears at Charlie’s birthday party 6 months earlier and tells her that he is there to save her life…

Narration (Mohinder): “We are all at our cores the sum of our fears. To embrace destiny we must, inevitably, face those fears and conquer them. Whether they come from the familiar… or the unknown.”

Trivia

* The Homecoming Court is:
Claire Bennet – Homecoming Queen
Darlene Price
Tamara Greeer (spelled with 2 e's on list)
Bethany Wheelock
Cynthia Acosta
Jody Kidd

* A memo on the same bulletin board reads “No War… Peace!” And a small post-it note reads “no more?”

* The rifle that Jessica is testing is purchased for $2000.00. It can pierce boddy armor at 400 yards and is military grade. The gunrunner calls it a Concella ? 320Z.

* The gunrunners blue Dodge van’s license plate number is Nevada 28C RKL.

* HRG shows Eden three pictures of people who have had their skulls removed and presumably their brains also. They are: Charlie at the Burnt Toast Café, A black woman in a white shirt with orange swirls, and a man with a mustache.

* When Claire receives the text message from Zach we see that his screen name is “FILMSBYZACH.” The message reads “CLACK, CLACK-CLACK” which translates to “Throwing rocks at ur window, open up!”

* When Peter is looking into the trophy case there is a newspaper clipping that shows Jackie Wilcox, the sheriff and the man Claire saved with the following headline: “ Odessa Honors Local Hero”.

* The BBQ restaurant in Utah on Highway 12 where D.L. and Micah spend most of the episode is called "The Halfway House."

* The list of Heroes from Chandra Suresh’s computer:
Column 1
Name -- Location
Felipe Acerra – Deceased
D. L. Hawkins – Las Vegas, NV.
Byron Bevington – Marshfield, VT.
Niki Sanders – Las Vegas, NV.
Daniel Buzzetti – Greeley, CO.
Isaac Mendez – New York, NY.
Tracy Chobham – Frostburg, MD.
Nicholas Datre – Deceased
Paula Gramble – Monteith, IA.
Curtis Hovsepian – Grant Pass, OR.
Nathan Petrelli – New York, NY.
Noel Menzies- Deceased
Penkala Burton – Albert Lea, MN.
Theresa Hue Pham – Shreveport, LA.
Matthew Parkman – Los Angeles, CA.
Hiro Nakamura – Tokyo, Japan
? - Midland, TX.

Column 2
Name -- Location
David Berman – New York, NY.
Leonie Pinkham - Deceased
Adam Soo Hoo – Kailua, HI.
Linda Tavara - Deceased
Norman Vantris - Deceased
Sparrow Redhouse – New Mexico
Amid Halebi – Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle … - ?
Candace W… - ?
Harry Fl… - ?
Ethan Ki… - Deceased
Abu Aswan… - ?
Frank Cav… - Deceased
Diego Vel… - Deceased
Jess Murp… - Deceased
Sue Lande... - ?
Pam Green - ?


Connections

Episode 9
1) Nathan meets Simone at her art gallery in New York.
2) Peter calls Ando in Texas.
3) Mohinder finds and talks to Inyer Sanjog (the dreamer).
4) Peter meets Ando at the Burnt Toast Café in Midland, Texas.
5) Peter meets Claire at Union Wells High School.
6) Sylar attacks Claire at Union Wells High School.
7) Peter gets attacked by Sylar while trying to protect Claire.
8) Sylar meets Eden McCain and the Haitian near the Union Wells High School.
9) Hiro first meets Charlie at the Burnt Toast Café (6 months ago.)

Nathan Petrelli

Episode 9
1) Unpacks Isaac’s painting of Peter at Simone’s art gallery.
2) Destroys Isaac’s painting of Peter to tray and save his life.

Peter Petrelli

Episode 9
1) Peter finds out that the cheerleader is at Union Wells High School in Odessa, Texas.
2) Peter tells Ando that his ability is to absorb other’s abilities.
3) Sylar throws the locker doors at Peter just as Isaac painted.
4) Peter pushes Sylar off the wall in an attempt to save Claire.
5) Peter appears to have died from massive injuries during the fall.
6) Is revived back to life and reassembles himself after Claire comes near him.
7) Is arrested by the Odessa police.

Claire Bennett

Episode 9
1) Is named Homecoming Queen.
2) Claire finds out that Zach campaigned for her.
3) Claire punches Jackie out when she insults Zach.
4) Is given a copy of Chandra Suresh’s book “Activating Evolution.”
5) Is grounded by HRG to keep her away from the school during Homecoming.
6) Is attacked by Sylar but survives! “Save the cheerleader! Save the world!”
7) Revives Peter from the dead and her powers help to heal him.

Claire’s “accidents”

Episode 9
1) Arm severely broken.
2) Bones in forehead and side of face broken.
3) Jaw broken.
4) Large cut on side of face.

Peter’s “accidents” (with Claire’s proximity)

Episode 9
1) Smashed head and large amount of blood loss.
2) Broken spine/pelvis/lower body.
3) Broken legs.
4) Broken foot.
5) Cut on face.

Mr. Bennett (Horn Rimmed Glasses or HRG)

Episode 9
1) Tells Eden to get Isaac to create another painting.
2) Instructs Eden to find Sylar and “take him out!”
3) Grounds Claire from the Homecoming to try and save her life.
4) Goes to the school after he finds out that Claire has left the house.

Isaac Mendez

Episode 9
Not in this episode

Isaac’s paintings

Episode 9
1) Union Wells High School Homecoming with Peter’s death. (Digital picture of painting – we did not see the real painting.)
2) The “demon in red” – a painting of a red silhouette with yellow eyes outstretched arms and light emanating from the fingertips. (Could this be a painting of Theodore Sprague?)
3) Cheerleader on amphitheatre steps.
4) Sylar with dead cheerleader.
5) Charlie holding plates of food.
6) Israeli bus explosion.
7) Hiro and Ando after Homecoming at Union Wells High School.

Hiro Nakamura

Hiro’s “events”

Episode 9
1) Returns to the Burnt Toast Café 6 months previously.
2) Tells Charlie he is there to save her life!

Mohinder Suresh

Episode 9
1) Finds the dreamer boy Inyer.
2) Turns down Mira’s offer to work in genetics with her.
3) Decides to continue his father’s work.
4) Discovers the password to his father’s computer and unlocks the list of Heroes that his father had found.

Chandra Suresh

Episode 9
1) Tells his associate that finding the Heroes is the most important work in the world and that nothing else matters.
2) Quotes Darwin to his son and tells him that a true scientist should be hard like a stone.

Niki Sanders / Jessica

Episode 9
1) Purchases a high-powered rifle to shoot D.L.
2) Tries ? to shoot D.L.

Micah Sanders

Episode 9
1) Tells D.L. he knows about Jessica.
2) Calls his mother again!

D.L. Hawkins

Episode 9
1) Will return to Las Vegas to Niki.
2) is being hunted by Jessica.

Eden McCain

Episode 9
1) Is much more powerful then we thought (on the level of the Jedi, she has the “force.”)
2) Meets and subdues Sylar (with the help of the Haitian,)
3) Refuses to make Isaac paint again.

Matt Parkman

Episode 9
Not in this episode.

Paul E. Sylar

Episode 9
1) Attacks and kills Jackie Wilcox.
2) Attacks Claire but is interrupted by Peter Petrelli.
3) Attacks Peter Petrelli and kills him.
4) Is subdues and taken captive by Eden, the Haitian and HRG. We wonder how long it will take for his marks to appear?

Uluru

Episode 9
1) Found on 9th Wonders! comic book.

Theodore Sprague

Episode 9
Not in this episode (although I wonder if the painting that Isaac did wasn’t of him in full glow-mode?)

Iyer Sanjog

Episode 9
1) Is a dream shaper and spiritual guide.
2) Is found by Mohinder.
3) Tells Mohinder to go back to America and find the Heroes (not in those words but that is the message.)

Charlie

Episode 9
1) Is told by Hiro that he is there to save her life.

The Symbol

The symbol appears to be a shadow (or an eclipse) of the human DNA helix. The intersecting horizontal lines seem to be markers where the DNA has mutated. This is possibly the super-genome or a “new” or “mutated” protein that identifies the Heroes. It can be found in too many locations (see below) to be a mere coincidence. Is it a calling card to those with special powers? And will they rally around it?

Episode 9
1) On Jessica’s back (twice – once when shooting the rifle and once when talking with the gun runner)
2) Zach gives Claire a copy of “Activating Evolution”, the symbol is on the cover.
3) Drawn on the Greyhound bus stop sign by hand.
4) Claire is reading her copy of “Activating Evolution”, the symbol is on the cover.
5) On Chandra Suresh’s desktop computer screen.
6) Mohinder has a galley copy of “Activating Evolution”, the symbol is on the cover.
7) The Haitian is wearing the necklace when he captures and subdues Sylar.

The Mark (The Partial Symbol?)

Episode 9
Not seen in this episode.

Brains

There has been some discussion concerning mutated and/or manipulated DNA as the reason behind our Heroes powers. But why would someone go through the trouble of sawing the top of someone’s head off and scraping out the brains if it wasn’t important. I can’t think of a psychological reason why this might be done but for research purposes it makes sense. Einstein had his brain removed and studied after his death. Perhaps the powers we are seeing are not genetic manipulations at all but rather from evolution and the power of the brain. Why then the double helix symbol? Mohinder Suresh began the series with the question, “"People only use 10% of their brains, what if they used more?” Could this then be the real reason behind their powers? Have our Heroes somehow found a way to tap into additional brainpower? And, is Sylar being controlled by Mr. Bennett (HRG)? And the question that I keep asking myself, “What is Sylar’s power?” Could he assimilate others abilities?

Episode 9
HRG shows Eden three pictures of people who have had their skulls removed and presumably their brains also. They are:
1) Charlie at the Burnt Toast Café.
2) A black woman in a white shirt with orange swirls.
3) A man with a mustache.