Heroes Episode 4.13 Upon This Rock

Having decided to spend a few days at the Carnival to sort out her feelings, Claire immerses herself in menial tasks, like picking up garbage. While she's enjoying herself, something's not quite sitting right; maybe because Eli is stalking her. Lydia tells Claire that Eli's harmless, then asks her to bring Samuel's breakfast to his trailer. It seems like an odd request, but it does enable Claire to spot Samuel going through her father's purloined files.

Samuel covers up the Primatech file box, and leads Claire out of the trailer, but she lets him know that she saw what he was doing. Professing to be more interested in what the future holds than the past, Samuel doesn't explain. He's on his way to the city to find someone who's instrumental to his plan to create a homeland where they can be free. Even if Claire intends to return to college, she might find that the Carnival's new home is a place where she'd like to stay, a place of freedom. Telling Claire that it's her choice to stay or go, Samuel leaves, telling Eli that under no circumstances is Claire to leave the Carnival.

After disappearing from the Carnival, Hiro materializes in a Tokyo marketplace, spouting gibberish that's peppered with people and places from sci-fi and comic books. After begging a ramen vendor to help him find his Sancho Panza, Hiro spies a man trying to steal a woman's purse. Grabbing the ramen vendor's meat cleaver, Hiro runs to the rescue, scaring off the thief and returning the purse. When the cops show up, Hiro recognizes them as Lancelot and C3PO, and begs them to take him to his faithful sidekick.

On the way to the city, Samuel walks through a valley that contains a particular boulder, which prompts a flashback to his 13th year. Little Samuel concentrates, trying to move the boulder, but the only result is brother Joseph's scoffing. Samuel promises that one day, people will come from all over the world to see him. Joseph thinks that Samuel is carrying a torch for Vanessa, the girl that got away, whom they'll never see again. Defying his brother, Samuel promises that some day, he'll make good.

Eli stares Claire down as she sits near Lydia to eat lunch. Claire can't help but smile when she hears Amanda arguing with her mother. When Lydia takes offense, Claire explains that the argument was the first normal thing she's found at the Carnival; it reminds her of fighting with Sandra. Maybe if she'd had a place like the Carnival when she was growing up... Knowing that Lydia has some insight, Claire asks why Samuel wants her at the Carnival so badly. Lydia will only admit that bringing new people into the Carnival has been a recent obsession for Samuel.

Claire is about to step into Samuel's trailer to investigate when Eli and a couple of his multiples appear, warning her to run along. Meanwhile, the cops bring Hiro back to Yamagato Industries, where a grateful Ando informs them that Hiro has been missing for six weeks. Recognizing Ando as Sancho Panza, Hiro tells him that the Swamp Dragons have surrounded the Castle Arkham where Dr. Watson is being held, and it's all Hiro's fault. Sancho is Hiro's only hope. Ando persuades the cops that Hiro isn't insane, but merely suffering from a brain tumor, so they uncuff him and remand him to Ando's custody.

Having finally decided to return to medical school, Emma is devastated when her request is denied by letter -- though she's welcome to re-apply next year. Emma returns home and makes a beeline for her cello, just as the doorbell rings. It's Samuel, who speaks to her in sign language, claiming to be just like her. Knowing that Samuel's not deaf, Emma tries to close the door, but Samuel explains that he has a gift, just like her, and he's the one who sent the cello. Samuel pulls up his sleeve to display a tattoo of a compass, which matches the compass painted on the back of Emma's cello.

Hiro continues to repeat his mantra about the Swamp Dragons, and even tries writing it down for Ando, who's baffled. Hiro finally concludes that his transmission is jammed at the source. Kimiko wants to call in the best neurosurgeon in Tokyo, but Ando realizes that Hiro is speaking in some kind of code -- it's like someone took a shabu spoon and stirred up Hiro's fanboy brain. Hiro sparks up, insisting that they have to prepare for their quest in the Danger Room, which Ando recognizes as an X-Men reference, and also as the vault where Hiro keeps his extensive comic book collection. As Hiro begins speaking like Yoda, Ando knows that he wants them to use the comic books to figure out what's happening.

When Emma finally invites Samuel into her apartment, he apologizes for not telling her the cello was from him. It wasn't easy to give it away, since it was meant for someone special that he loved and lost. Now it's found its proper home. Samuel informs her that the cello didn't crack Emma's wall; her fear did, and she's got to let go of that fear to unlock her true ability. Samuel needs Emma's help to find another guy with special abilities, who's lost his way, and is currently living in Central Park.

After dropping off a box of stuffed animals at a game booth, Claire finds herself surrounded by Elis, so she decides to run for it. She leads them into the Hall of Mirrors, where they are confronted by multiple reflections of Claire. When the root Eli runs into a mirror, Claire clocks him over the head with a stool. Root Eli passes out, causing his multiples to disappear, and enabling Claire to search Samuel's trailer for the box of Primatech files. Suddenly, she's puppetted out the door and backed up against the trailer, as Doyle asks what the heck she thinks she's doing.

When Doyle refuses to let Claire go, she explains that she's not spying for her father, but came to the Carnival on her own. Samuel is however using her father's files to collect people with abilities, and he's got a curious map of the valley. He's planning something. Accusing Claire of ruining the family, and thus ruining everything for him, Doyle refuses to let her go.

In the Danger Room, Hiro tells Ando that a good sidekick must understand the ways of the master. Claiming he's no one's sidekick, Ando begins to unravel Hiro's coded speech. Everyone knows that Sancho Panza is Don Quixote's sidekick, and the Castle Arkham is in Spain, where Curt Conners swims with the Swamp Dragons... finally Ando is able to deduce that Hiro wants him to go to the Riverdale Psychiatric Hospital on Arkham Road in Florida. Hiro bows in eternal gratitude, thanking Ando for giving him a chance to right the wrongs of his life. Putting himself at Hiro's service, Ando admits that he may be the sidekick after all.

In Central Park, Samuel explains that Emma's ability is more than she thinks. Her emotions may become one with her music to bring people to her like a siren song. Samuel instructs Emma to concentrate on a picture of Ian Michaels as she plays, and before long Ian appears to lean against a tree. Although it's late November, Ian's touch fills the tree with green leaves.

Emma and Samuel bring Ian to the hospital to get cleaned up. Handing Emma a compass, Samuel invites her to join the Carnival when she's ready. Ian is amazed that there are other people with special abilities. He always thought that he was alone in the world, but how he's happy to go home with Samuel. On the way out, Samuel is shocked to see a live news broadcast about Nathan's death in a plane crash.

Knowing that Doyle is getting weak, Claire tells him that Samuel is lying to everyone. Doyle insists that Samuel is a good man. After all, Joseph wouldn't allow Doyle to join the Carnival until Samuel convinced him otherwise. Claire claims that destroying the Carnival is not her intent. But Lydia said that Samuel was obsessed with increasing the Carnival's ranks -- isn't he putting everyone's lives in danger? Doyle finally releases his hold on Claire, and she leaves to talk to Lydia, convinced that she knows more than she's letting on.

Lydia tells Claire about Joseph, their real "father." When Lydia won't say it directly, Claire deduces that Samuel murdered his brother. Lydia admits that she's scared for everyone, and begs Claire to find someone to stop Samuel, who's lost his way. Determined to help, Claire leaves, walking directly into Eli's arms. When Samuel returns, he scolds Eli for holding Claire, telling her that she's free to go. Claire promises to go, but only after Samuel tells her what happened to Joseph.

When Claire lays into Samuel for murdering his brother, he admits that he lost control, but only because Joseph called Danko. After years of running free, Samuel wasn't about to let Joseph take that freedom away. Claire of all people should understand how far a father will go to protect his family. Unable to deny her father's past, Claire changes the subject: what's going on in the valley?

Samuel takes Claire and Ian out into the valley, near the boulder from his childhood. Explaining that Ian is a Picasso and the valley is his canvas, Samuel moves the boulder to provide water. Smiling, Ian lays his hands on the earth, which begins sprouting. Before long, the arid valley has been converted to a lush green pasture -- the new home of the Carnival. This is why Samuel needs more people, to build the valley into their new home. Claire's welcome to stay, but she prefers to return to the family she already has. On the way out, Claire checks her phone. There are 15 messages from H.R.G. and one from Peter...

Angela, Peter and H.R.G. are gathered along with others at a New York City cemetery for Nathan's funeral. When Claire alights from a cab, H.R.G. tells her he's glad that she's safe. Claire asks if he means safe from the Carnival or from the lie that the funeral represents, then moves off to join Angela. In his eulogy, Peter explains that Nathan took the place of their father growing up. He was always hard on Peter, but now Peter understands that Nathan just wanted him to be ready for anything. After a 21-gun salute, fighter jets fly overhead as Angela is presented with the flag that was draped over Nathan's coffin.