Episode:Dual
| Dual | |
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| Season: | Three |
| Episode number: | 313 |
| First aired: | December 15, 2008 |
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| Written by: | Jeph Loeb |
| Directed by: | Greg Beeman |
| Previous episode: | Our Father |
| Next episode: | A Clear and Present Danger |
| On the sixth day, God created Man in his own image. Now it’s up to us to figure it all out. Right... wrong… good… evil. In each of us is the capacity to decide what drives our actions. So what is it, then, that makes some choose selflessness, the need to devote themselves to something greater, while others know only self-interest, isolating themselves in a world of their own making? Some seek love, even if unrequited, while others are driven by fear and betrayal. There are those who see their choices as dark proof of God’s absence while others follow a path of noble destiny. But in the end, good, evil, right or wrong… what we choose is never what we really need. For that is the ultimate cosmic joke. The real gift that God has left behind. |
Summary
- Peter and Nathan clash.
- Sylar holds Noah, Claire, Angela, Meredith and others hostage at Primatech.
- Ando, Daphne, and Matt figure out how to save Hiro.
- Knox and Flint help Peter destroy the Formula and Mohinder's research lab.
- Tracy saves Nathan.
- The Formula solves Mohinder's problems.
- The hunt for evolved humans begins.
Story Development
Synopsis
At Pinehearst, Peter looks up from his dead father as Nathan comes in and notes Peter finally did it. Peter explains that Sylar did it. Peter says it had to end that way and the formula needs to be destroyed, but Nathan says it’s too late and the Marines have already received the formula. Nathan says the plan to give people abilities now belongs to them and warns Peter not to get in the way. Nathan wonders how long it’ll be before Peter shoots him, and he plans to finish what Arthur started. Nathan reaches for the gun and warns Peter he’s going to have to choose a side. Peter apologizes and starts to hand him the gun, but then knocks him unconscious.
At Primatech, Noah, Angela, Claire and Meredith arm themselves and go out into the hallway, only to find dead security guards. Sylar is in the surveillance room and puts the building into emergency shutdown. He tells them over the loudspeakers that he killed Arthur. He says they see him as a monster, but notes Claire did that to him. He says that, one by one, he’s going to prove to them that they’re all monsters, just like him.
Noah figures out where Sylar must be broadcasting from and starts leading the others there. Sylar taunts them over the loudspeaker while Claire explains how to stop someone who can regenerate. Sylar talks to Claire, saying they can’t be damaged except by a broken heart. The group splits up and Claire and Angela enter the study. Claire figures Sylar is looking at them on the security cameras and calls him a “sick bastard.” Noah and Meredith barge into the surveillance room to find a dead security man, his throat cut. Sylar informs them they’re not hunting him: he’s hunting them.
On the Deveaux rooftop 16 years ago, Hiro is hanging from the flagpole and talking to a pigeon. In the present, Ando, Daphne, and Matt go to Mohinder’s laboratory and Ando insists it’s his destiny to gain the power to travel through time and save Hiro. Matt thought Mohinder would be there but he’s gone. Daphne figures he’s at Pinehearst and takes off for there, using her ability.
At Pinehearst, Mohinder reveals the infection has spread to his lungs and he needs to inject the formula to cure himself. He prepares to do so, but Peter arrives and tells Mohinder they have to destroy the formula. Mohinder says that he needs the formula to save himself. Suddenly, the formula disappears from Mohinder’s hand as Daphne runs through at superspeed and steals it. Mohinder asks Peter where it is and knocks him to the floor. Flint and Knox arrive and Flint threatens Mohinder for his earlier attack, while Knox figures that Peter is on their side and wants to destroy the place as well. Flint explains that if the formula gives powers to others, they won’t be so special. Mohinder tries to appeal to Peter, saying Nathan plans to do good with the formula, but Peter informs him Nathan isn’t in charge.
Scott wakes up Nathan and tells him he was the only Marine injected in the formula, and Tracy sent him to check on Nathan. Knox arrives and breaks Scott’s neck, and tells Nathan he’s working for Peter, one of the good guys now, and they’re going to wait until the formula’s destroyed.
Daphne returns to Mohinder’s New York laboratory with the formula. Matt points out Ando could get any number of powers but Daphne points out she wanted to run and gained the ability to run. Matt, worried about what people thought about him, had gained telepathy. Ando injects himself and then passes out.
In the past, Hiro climbs off the flagpole and gets back to the rooftop. He goes downstairs and finds Young Hiro holding the healed dove and mourning the death of his mother. Young Hiro wonders why Hiro is sad, and Hiro says that his father gave him a simple task which he failed to complete. Hiro asks Young Hiro for his help finding a piece of paper with numbers and figures: Kaito's complete formula. Young Hiro is hesitant, but Hiro asks what his mother would say. He promises Young Hiro he can save tomorrow and Young Hiro agrees.
Claire tries to call out but the phone lines are dead. Angela tells her that she’s giving Sylar the attention he’s been starved for. The phone rings and Sylar tells her that Claire can walk out with Noah and Meredith if Claire shoots Angela dead. When Claire refuses, Sylar suggests she give him Noah instead and tells her to talk to Noah about who turned him into a monster. Claire says she’ll kill him and Sylar notes she’s gone from cheerleader to stone-cold killer, and asks who the monster is. She considers Angela for a moment, then shoots the phone and says Sylar is.
Noah releases Eric Doyle, Danny Pine, and Echo DeMille from Level 5. Noah explains what happens and he’ll let the person who kills Sylar walk free, and Sylar will kill them if they try to escape. As they leave, Meredith warns Noah that they don’t stand a chance, and Noah explains that they’ll work as bait.
Peter demolishes the laboratory and Mohinder warns the formula is highly combustible. He tells Peter his accomplices are thieves and murderers. Flint slams him into a wall, stunning him, and helps Peter wreck the lab. Peter examines him and says Flint didn’t have to do that, but Flint says now they can destroy the lab twice as fast.
Matt pours water into Ando’s face to wake him up, but he hasn’t shown any signs of abilities. Ando tries to activate the ability to travel through time and space, squinting like Hiro does. Nothing happens and in frustration he slams his hand onto a table. It glows red and they wonder what happened.
Meredith makes her way through the hallways and finds Danny Pine’s severed, partially metallic arm. A vial of adrenaline rolls down the hallway from a storage closet. Sylar appears behind Meredith and notes adrenaline can kick-start a dead heart. He telekinetically throws away Meredith’s gun but then Eric Doyle takes control of his limbs. Doyle says Meredith is his to love or kill. Sylar says Doyle can’t control him and concentrates, using his telekinesis without gesturing, and Doyle collapses to the ground, bleeding from the nose. Meredith grabs her gun but Sylar injects her with adrenaline. She collapses and he says he has one more thing to do.
On Level 5, Noah finds Echo DeMille, dead, his throat slit. Meredith is in a cell and flaming out of control. Noah goes in and sets down his gun, and she warns Noah to stay back. Sylar takes all but one bullet out of the gun and closes the cell door and warns the glass is bulletproof. He tells Noah he’s going to need the one remaining bullet. Sylar notes it won’t be hard to use it and asks Noah what he’ll tell Claire when Meredith is dead with a bullet between her eyes. He says that Noah helped make him into what he is and now he’s returning the favor.
Knox is watching Nathan, who warns him that he’s backing the wrong horse and all Peter does is disappoint the people who believe in him. Knox can sense his fear but Nathan says he isn’t afraid of anyone and clubs Knox with a glass decoration. They struggle briefly and Knox gets the upper hand, but Tracy arrives and freezes Knox solid, causing him to shatter apart.
Ando tries to get control of his powers and when Matt touches him, his telepathy goes wild, letting him hear the thoughts of everyone in the city. Daphne touches Ando and suddenly accelerates incredibly fast. She finds herself on the balcony several second in the past watching herself go back into the past. Matt turns to the balcony and sees Daphne, and wonders where she went. Daphne explains what happened and they figure she traveled back in time.
Sylar transmits an image of Noah and Meredith to Claire in the study. Angela warns that Sylar wants them to go down there but Claire doesn’t care. They make their way down the hallway but Sylar abducts Angela and then ambushes Claire . He asks why Claire continues to protect Noah after all of his neglect. He drops her and she runs away to the cell. He tells her the keypad code only to discover Sylar has ripped it out. Noah tells Meredith to concentrate her heat in her hands and press her hands to the glass. He ducks for cover and Claire touches the glass which superheats. Noah tells them to move back and then he shoots his one bullet. It cracks but doesn’t shatter, so Claire throws herself at the glass, breaking through. She pulls a piece of glass out of her left shoulder and asks Meredith to come with them. Meredith asks for a minute alone and tells them to go after Sylar. Claire says she’ll come back for her and goes with Noah.
Tracy tells Nathan that the situation is still deniable and he can’t be associated with the disaster. She says if they can find the formula, they can start over. He’s reluctant to run away but she says he hired her because she’s a realist. He tells her she’s fired and leaves.
Matt explains that Ando has become an ability supercharger and can make Daphne fast enough to travel through time. Daphne suggests Ando keep super-charging her and she departs with him into the past.
Hiro and Young Hiro get into Kaito’s safe and takes out the piece of paper with the complete formula. Kaito finds them and asks what they’re doing. Hiro tries to claim they were playing and Kaito sends Young Haito outside. He then draws a sword, accuses Hiro of being a thief, and asks who he is. Hiro tries to defend himself with a breadstick without any success. Kaito gives him one last chance to explain and Hiro says if the formula is destroyed now, it can never be used. Kaito refuses to believe him and Hiro rips the paper in half. Kaito swings at him, but Daphne whisks Hiro away at superspeed. Kaito considers the two separate halves of the formula and holds them up to each other.
Daphne returns Ando and Hiro to the present. Ando explains he now has powers and Hiro says that he was just about to destroy the formula. Daphne knows where it is and Hiro asks her to make up for her past and take him to it. Matt tells them to go and she leaves with Hiro.
Tracy has frozen open Arthur’s safe and has the formula. Daphne and Hiro arrive and Hiro says it is his duty to destroy the formula. Tracy isn’t impressed and tries to walk by them. Hiro apologizes and then punches her in the face. He takes the formula and Daphne takes him out.
Flint and Peter tip over the main tank of formula, which spills over Mohinder and wakes him up. His mutated skin fades away while Flint prepares to blow the place up. Peter wants to get the people out, including Nathan, but Flint says he doesn’t care. Nathan hits him over the head, stunning him, and then punches Peter and knocks his legs out from under him with a piece of pipe. Flint wakes up and ignites the puddles of formula, setting the lab on fire. Peter grabs a dose of the formula and injects himself, then flies out with Nathan into the sky just as the laboratory explodes.
Sylar confronts Angela in the study and she says that she was right about him, that he’s a hero for killing Arthur and saving the world. He disagrees but she says she dreamed about it and there’s no one left to take advantage of him. Sylar says she’s there to take advantage of him, and asks if she’s his mother. He says he can tell if she’s lying and she admits she’s not his mother. He admits that for one moment he wishes she were, and asks why she did it. She says her sons have been a disappointment and she wanted to give her love to him, but he can tell she’s lying. She explains she needed him to work for the Company and saw him as a killer and a monster that could be manipulated. She admits she’s a monster too. He telekinetically starts choking her and she says she knows who his real parents are. She warns that if he kills her, he’ll never find out, but he chokes her and demands answers. Claire comes up behind him and stabs him in the brain with a piece of glass. An alarm goes off and Noah arrives and says they need to leave now. Claire tells her father to get Angela out and goes to see Meredith. Meredith is blazing out of control and tells her to go, and Noah arrives to tell her she has to leave. They run out of the hallway as flames sweep through the building.
Peter drops Nathan to the ground, and Nathan asks why Peter saved him. Peter insists he loves him and Nathan says it isn’t what he would have done. Nathan flies away, saying nothing.
Mohinder is walking down the highway and a car pulls over to pick him up. He sees himself reflected in a car window, restored to normal. Tracy is driving the car.
Hiro and Daphne return to Mohinder’s New York laboratory and Hiro tears up the formula. Matt and Daphne embrace, and Hiro and Ando bow to each other. Matt looks up and sees a vision of Usutu looking on.
Claire, Noah, and Angela watch Pinehearst burn. Claire looks into the flames, ending ”Volume Three”.
| There is good and there is evil… right and wrong… heroes and villains. And if we’re blessed with wisdom, then there are glimpses between the cracks of each where light streams through. We wait in silence for these times when sense can be made… when meaningless existence comes into focus, and our purpose presents itself. And if we have the strength to be honest, then what we find there staring back at us is our own reflection, bearing witness to the duality of life. That each of us is capable of both the dark and the light… of good and evil… of either, of all. And destiny, while marching ever in our direction, can be rerouted by the choices we make. By the love we hold onto and the promises we keep. |
"Volume Four" begins three weeks later. Nathan meets with someone in a limousine in Washington, D.C. Nathan says their only option is to get the U.S. government involved. The other man is going over files of Tracy, Micah, Mohinder, and Hiro, and says that there are many others with powers. Nathan says all the evidence the man needs is there, and he wants to put them in a facility where they won’t be a danger to anyone. The man agrees to get them whatever they need. Nathan gets out and says, “Thank you, Mr. President.”
Memorable Quotes
"Pigeon. Help me. I lost the formula. I failed my father. I lost my destiny. And now I'm talking to a pigeon."
- - Hiro
"You hurt him, and I swear I'll hunt you down and kill you."
"From cheerleader to stone-cold killer. Who's the monster now?"
"That's the thing about the truth, Claire... stings like a bitch."
"Do I have abilities?"
"So far all we know is that you can pass out really well."
"How do you know so much about Einstein, Einstein?"
"I actually paid attention in high school... mostly."
"Yatta!"
- - Ando
"Sorry, I've got plans for this little piece of paper, Pikachu."
"Pikachu...?!? Excuse me."
"You... are not... my mother. Are you? And I can tell if you're lying."
"No, I'm not."
"For a brief moment, I wish you were."
Notes
- Sylar does the opening narration for this episode, instead of Mohinder. This marks the first time that Sylar has said the opening narration. Mohinder still does the closing narration, though.
Trivia
See Also
- Volume 4 Fugitives Sneak Peek (End of Dual)
- For images from Dual, see images from Dual.
- For other uses of duel, see duel (disambig).
| previous: Our Father | Dual |
| See Also: Volume One Episodes • Volume Two Episodes • Volume Three Episodes • Volume Four Episodes • Volume Five Episodes • Heroes Reborn Episodes • All Episodes |
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