When last we saw our Heroes, they'd just stopped New York City from exploding. Baddie Sylar had escaped, while good guy Hiro had dropped into feudal Japan and the Petrelli brothers had gone "boom" in the stratosphere.
As we open, Mohinder is speechifying about the virus that killed his sister, and made Molly sick. A mysterious bald fellow offers Mohinder a job with the Company. Which is good because that's what Mohinder was after.
Maya and Alejandro run away from a big truck. These must be some new folks. As if the cast weren't big enough already... Oh, and they speak Spanish so yay! More subtitles. They're wanted for murder and are making their way to the US border. They're reading the Senior Suresh's book and hoping to find a cure. Apparently Maya kills people when she's separated from Alejandro. (Bleeding eyes! Cool!) That's not fun. No wonder she wants a cure.
Claire has moved with her family to Southern California, where she's getting ready to start her Junior year of high school while staying in deep cover to hide from the Company. Also, her hair is slightly less annoying. But she still likes to dork around needlessly with her powers. Which is noticed by West, a classmate who seems to take a shine to her. Or maybe he just likes her slightly less annoying hair. She has a hard time remaining inconspicuous, as does her dad, who goes badass on his nerdy boss at the faux Kinkos. Mom continues to be a little whacky, and holds Mr. Muggles at the table, which seems unsanitary. Mr. Bennet is teaming up with Mohinder in his Taking Down the Company project.
We revisit Hiro's arrival in 1671 Japan, where he's in some trouble. There's a solar eclipse, and Hiro uses his powers to teleport out of danger. One of the warriors is Hiro's hero Kensei, whom Hiro is ecstatic to meet. Elsewhere, Ando and Hiro's dad discuss Hiro's disappearance. The symbol pops up again, this time in what appears to be a threat against Mr. Nakamura. Back in the past, Kensei turns out to be a weenie-looking British guy. Surprise! He's also a mercenary and a lush, not a hero. And Hiro's interference has apparently put history off track. That can't be good.
Matt Parkman continues his police work, trying to defuse a hostage situation in Manhattan. Dude, he kinda went badass during the hiatus. I approve. Except it's not a real hostage situation--it's a simulation. And he's finally gotten his promotion to detective. Molly seems to have joined his family, and she's having some issues with bad dreams. But he's split up with his wife. That makes me sad. Molly's drawing pictures with the symbol and lots of scary eyes. And she really, really doesn't want to talk about it. Oh, and Matt apparently left his wife to move in with Mohinder. No comment, though I titter. He uses his telepathy to eavesdrop on Molly's dreams. A Big Bad approacheth, presumably the one Molly hinted at last season.
Nathan Petrelli has a scary beard and is hanging out with his mom in Peter's old apartment and drinking a lot. Mom says Peter's dead, but Nathan says he's not. Nathan tells Mom she's evil and throws her out. Nice to know those Petrellis haven't gotten any less dysfunctional during hiatus. Angela receives a picture with the symbol on it, just as Mr. Nakamura did--portending her death, as well, I assume. She and Mr. Nakamura meet on the pigeon-balcony of yore to compare death threats. Mr. Nakamura hangs around, and for his trouble is flung off a building by a guy in a hoodie.
In Cork, Ireland, we meet some more unfamiliar folks who are poking around a bunch of transport containers looking for one in particular. But it's empty. Oh, except for a guy in the back. Who happens to be Peter, half-naked and chained to the corner, wearing the symbol, and having amnesia. And a haircut. Again, I approve.
So far I'm most interested in the Petrelli storyline. Hiro's travel to the past isn't doing much for me. Mr. Bennet being badass was quite nice, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with his and Mohinder's plans to bring down the Company. I don't think adding even more characters to an already crowded cast is the best idea, and frankly tonight's episode had way too many subtitles. But with Peter half-naked and chained up, I can forgive quite a lot.
