Heroes Episode 3.21 Into Asylum

As agents ransack her bedroom, Claire is safe in Nathan's arms, on her way to Patzcuaro, Mexico, where they hole up in a one-star motel. Nathan's plan is to keep Claire safe. Now that he's been exposed, her free pass has evaporated, but even Danko can't reach across the border. Since they have no money, Claire decides to go for a walk, promising to meet Nathan later at the cantina down the street.

Angela and Peter touch down in a Manhattan alley, just as it starts to rain. Angela thanks Peter for acting as her guardian angel, but he demands answers. Exhausted, Angela heads for sanctuary in a Catholic cathedral. Peter toys with leaving, but thinks the better of it and follows his mother into the church. Meanwhile, Danko presides over another crime scene. Three agents have been shot in the head in the Arlington, Virginia apartment of James Martin, a high school geometry teacher.

Danko admits that he has no idea of Martin's ability. His DNA was listed in the national database and set off a red flag. H.R.G. chides Danko for sending men in blind; each ability requires a different tactic. Is Danko so desperate to chalk up a win that he's cutting corners? Danko silences H.R.G., reminding him of his recent failure to capture Rebel.

Danko retreats to his car, and is about to light up a cigarette when Sylar pops up in his back seat. Did Danko get his gifts? He should consider the gifts an overture to collaboration, since both Sylar and Danko want the same thing -- to kill people with abilities. Knowing Danko is in way over his head, Sylar offers to help him find Martin. Danko pulls his gun, but Sylar disappears as quickly as he appeared.

Back at Building 26, Danko gives a heartfelt motivational speech to his team. They won't sleep until Martin has been captured. Danko turns to H.R.G. for a plan, but he doesn't want to hear the old "one of us one of them." H.R.G. reminds that there's value in co-opting the native population. They should be used as assets. When H.R.G. brings up his belief that Sylar is in D.C., Danko puts him on another case -- Angela.

Claire meets Nathan at the cantina, slapping a wad of cash on the bar. She's sold the necklace H.R.G. gave her. Nathan claims he has the situation under control, but Claire's skeptical. How's he going to stop what he started? Fed up, Nathan asks Claire if it would kill her to show even the tiniest bit of gratitude for saving her life, or getting her the free pass. When Claire asks why he secured the free pass for her, he claims he had his reasons. Spying a group of partying frat boys, Nathan resolves to double Claire's necklace money.

Peter finds Angela in the cathedral. Does she think it will give her sanctuary from Danko's men? Angela admits that she hasn't slept in a long time, and she can't just take a pill. Sleep needs to be natural for her prescient dreams to come. This cathedral represents the love of the Petrelli family, which Angela has destroyed. Back in Mexico, Nathan challenges the frat boys to a tequila drinking contest. Last one standing takes all the money.

Back in Building 26, Agent Jenkins shakes Danko's hand in thanks for his inspirational speech. Danko sends Jenkins home to get some sleep, just as a cell phone rings on top of a box in his office. Sylar takes credit for the special delivery, shocking Danko. Sylar warns Danko he has bigger problems. He's found a headless corpse that Martin stashed and it's given him some answers. Martin is a shape shifter, and Danko should look in the box for proof. Danko unwraps Jenkins' head, then takes off running after the Jenkins he just dismissed, who must be Martin.

Danko spies Martin/Jenkins in the parking garage and starts shooting. Martin runs for it, stumbling into a janitor on the way out. Martin begins a painful transformation into the physicality of the janitor, which is completed within a minute, enabling him to get lost amongst the pedestrians on the rainy street.

Peter finds Angela a new coat, encouraging her to change because she's still soaking wet. Angela claims that she and Arthur supported their sons, but they didn't really give them support. There were so many times when he was growing up that Peter was desperate for answers. Angela could have told him the truth and comforted him, but she didn't. Peter must hate her. Peter claims that whatever happened, Angela is still his mother.

Nathan beats all the college boys except for Sligo before passing out. Panicked, Claire flirtatiously challenges Sligo to a rematch, promising that she'll drink enough shots to catch up to him, and throws Nathan's expensive watch into the pot. Sylar finds Danko waiting for him in Martin's apartment with gun drawn. Having read Sylar's file, he figures Sylar is salivating at the prospect of gaining Martin's ability.

When Danko claims that Sylar is desperate to be someone else, Sylar warns that Danko has no idea what he wants. Danko offers to end it right now, but Sylar knows that it's no easy feat to kill him. The vulnerable part of his brain is microscopic, and Danko will never catch Martin without his help. Sylar offers to help Danko find all the people with abilities; afterwards, Danko can take his shot. Danko lowers his gun.

Peter lights a candle and has a conversation with God. He asked God to make him extraordinary with the intention of making the world a better place. He got his chance and lived up to his end of the bargain, but now he's on the run and a lot of people are hurt and/or dying. Now Peter is tired, angry and wondering whether God is going to live up to his end of the bargain. Suddenly the door opens and all the candles blow out as agents enter the cathedral.

Sylar and Danko search Martin's apartment. Danko thinks he's long gone, but Sylar knows he's right under their noses. All humans crave routine, they just have to discover Martin's. Martin's closet is full of costumes, with the common denominator of dressing for power roles, giving Martin something he could never find in real life. Does Martin want to screw with people, or simply screw people? When both Danko and Sylar come up with matchbooks from a club called the Garden of Eden, they know their next move.

Claire barely seems drunk after 22 tequila shots, and has to slur up her speech to convince Sligo that she's really drinking. She's just wishing that Nathan would take off his shining armor and act like a normal human when Sligo falls off his chair. Claire grabs the money and wakes up Nathan.

Back at the cathedral, Peter and Angela hide out in a confessional. Angela insists on talking, thinking it may be her last opportunity. She was just like Peter, full of hope, head in the clouds. When the dreams started she tried to warn everyone, but no one would listen, so she used deceit and betrayal to make herself heard. It cost her everything, but such was the price of saving the world. H.R.G. stares through the screen into the confessional, signaling his team that all is clear.

At the Garden of Eden, Sylar chuckles, having immediately spied Martin, now a carbon copy of Danko. Charming a hottie, Martin is better at being Danko than Danko himself. Martin spots Sylar and Danko and quickly loses himself in the crowd. After a fruitless search, Danko and Sylar agree to leave. At the back door, Sylar pulls a gun out of his pocket but Danko shoots him first, just as the real Sylar walks up. Thrilled, Sylar raises his finger, but Danko stops him. Can Sylar do what he needs to without leaving his trademark? Sylar smiles -- what a great idea! -- and lives out his most perverse fantasy of killing himself.

Back in their crappy motel room, Claire admits that her liver tissue seems to regenerate pretty fast, thus she was able to win the drinking contest. Falling down drunk, Nathan admits that when he found out about Claire, he did what he always does -- deny the problem. He always figured that when the time was right, they'd catch up. He thought giving her the free pass would win her over in one fell swoop. Now he's using her as an excuse to hide from the mess he made. As Claire wipes away her tears, Nathan promises he'll try to fix everything, and passes out.

In the morning, Claire asks Nathan for the plan. Nathan admits he didn't make any calls because he no longer has any friends on the Hill. He said what he said last night because he was drunk. Some things are just more than one man can handle. Claire admits that she always wondered what her biological father was like, and when she finally met him, he was more amazing than her wildest fantasies. She leaves, crying. Nathan can fly for Pete's sake -- he's supposed to be Superman!

Angela wakes up in Peter's arms in the cathedral, feeling recharged. She slept and had a dream and now knows what they have to do. First thing is to find Nathan and Claire and bring the family together. Nathan finds Claire waiting for a bus, having pawned his watch to buy back her necklace. He's heading back to the States; does Claire want to hitch a ride? Claire smiles and they walk into the sun.

H.R.G. unzips a body bag to behold Sylar, who's dead with a knife stuck in the back of his head. Danko smiles a grim rictus of satisfaction and escorts a female morgue worker back to his care. Sylar gleefully begins his transformation back into himself, thrilled with his new ability, which allows him to change eye color at will. Now he and Danko have a tactical advantage. Things will go a lot easier now that everyone thinks he's dead. Danko comments that if they succeed, Sylar will be the only one left...