Episode 1 – Orientation
Samuel Sullivan and the members of the Sullivan Brothers Carnival are holding a funeral for Samuel’s brother Joseph. Samuel gives the eulogy, speaking of how he and Joseph had two families, one that didn’t turn out so well. The second family was the carnival. He tells the carnies that there are others like them out there in the world, a world that won’t accept them for who they are. Samuel wants to provide the carnival as a place where they can come for hope and redemption and join with others in a single family standing in unison. Samuel then takes out a compass, opens it, and tosses into Joseph’s grave. He speaks to his departed brother, telling him to use it to find his way home, and then slowly closes the earth up with a gesture.
Claire Bennet moves into her room at the dormitory at a college in Arlington. Her roommate Annie comes in and they exchange introductions. Annie wonders what AP classes she’ll be taking and Claire admits she got in on with just a GED. When Claire says that her father works in the government, Annie figures that Claire used her father’s connections. She suggests that Claire come up with a future trajectory and show her own detailed chart of her anticipated future. When she sees Claire’s teddy bear collection, she suggests that Claire put childish things aside and consider her future. She offers to help Claire plan out her future and Claire accepts.
In Tokyo, Hiro rents office space from his sister Kimiko to start a “Dial a Hero” company. Nobody has called yet and Ando doesn’t think anyone will call. Hiro insists that his bar charts show his new company will be a success and accidentally drops a photo from 14 years ago. It shows Hiro, Ando, and Kimiko at a carnival together. Ando admits that he’s always loved Kimiko but she’s always thought he was an idiot ever since he spilled a slushy on her at the carnival. Kimiko comes in and complains that they spent 50 million yen on a useless project and figures that it was Ando’s idea. As she leaves, the phone rings and Hiro eagerly takes the call.
In New York City, Peter is working as a paramedic with his friend and partner, Hesam. They get a call about a couple trapped in a car wreck but it’s 12 blocks away and the ambulance is stuck in traffic. Peter slips out and proceeds on foot, using Mohinder’s mimicked strength and agility to move as fast as possible and swing over obstacles. He gets to the wreck and rescues the husband and his pregnant wife.
Claire goes to the placement test for linear algebra and sits with Annie. Annie is eager to pass and hopes to share a class with Claire. When the professor reveals the test, Annie figures it’s easy but Claire has no idea how to do it. She tries to do the work, sees a laser sighting dot on her jacket, and looks up as black-clad men open fire with tranquilizer guns. Claire wakes up out of her doze, realizes she isn’t going to complete the test, and walks out of the auditorium.
Peter and Hesam go back to the hospital and Peter checks on the couple. When Hesam notes that he seems unhappy, Peter worries that he wasn’t fast enough and the next time he might be too late. Hesam suggests that Peter go out for a drink with the guys but Peter turns him down and leaves.
Hiro and Ando discover that a young girl has called them to rescue her cat from a ledge. Since neither of their powers will get the cat down, Hiro volunteers Ando to climb up and get it. The cat tries to scratch him and Ando falls off the ledge with the cat. Hiro uses his powers and stops him just before he hits the ground.
Angela is in New York and calls Noah Bennet in Washington. She comments that Traci Strauss has been killing four of Danko’s former government hitmen and worries that Noah is next. She also tells Noah to stop dragging his feet and return Nathan/Sylar’s call. Noah argues that he went along with the plan to brainwash Sylar into believing he was Nathan Petrelli because of Angela’s grief, but now he wants nothing to do with the serial killer no matter who he believes he is. Angela admits it isn’t easy for her but everything is going as planned and they don’t have any other choice. She wants him to put the Company back together but Noah admits that he’s already lost his family and needs to be there for Claire, and he’s late for her first day at college.
Noah goes to his car in the parking garage and tries to start it up. The engine refuses to turn over and water sprays from the air vents. As the car fills with water, it begins to freeze up. Noah is unable to escape but a gunshot shatters the driver’s window and the water drains. Noah looks up to discover Emile Danko there. Danko notes that he saw Tracy die, frozen and shattered into pieces, but Noah observes that ice melts. The former government hunter wants to team up with Noah to take down Tracy, who is stalking his former agents. Danko has heard that Noah is working with the Petrellis to start the Company back up. Noah says that he’s getting out of the business but Danko warns that people like the two of them can’t do anything else. Noah disagrees and Danko walks away, then watches as the water from the car drains away.
At Arlington, Claire avoids some cheerleaders and runs into Gretchen Burg, who comments that she tried out for cheerleading when she was in high school but it didn’t go well. They chat and Gretchen, a fellow Texan, recognizes Claire’s name from the high school massacre where a cheerleader’s head was cut open. When she wonders why Claire didn’t change her name, Claire admits that she did for a while but she wanted to be herself and hoped that everyone had forgotten.
Hiro turns Ando so that he learns safely and then restarts time. The cat’s owner thanks Ando and goes home, and he discovers that Hiro has frozen himself in time. He looks around for a cart and tries to wake Hiro up.
Angela has a dream where she’s at lunch when Sylar comes in, acting like Nathan. He talks casually to her and starts eating. Angela wakes up and arrives at the restaurant where the transformed Sylar, who believes that he’s Nathan due to Matt Parkman’s telepathic alterations, sits down and apologizes for being late. Nathan/Sylar admits he isn’t sure if he likes sushi and Angela assures him he does. Nathan/Sylar talks of all the changes in his life and a feeling of disconnection with his previous lives. He admits he’s been a jackass as a father, brother, and son, but Angela says he’s just having a mid-life crisis and he should buy a car and find a younger girl to date. Nathan/Sylar finally accepts her suggestion and wonders what he’d be without her.
Once Nathan/Sylar has left, Angela calls Matt in Los Angeles. She’s worried that Sylar’s personality is reemerging and tells Matt that he needs to re-wipe Sylar’s memories with his telepathy. Matt refuses, explaining that he’s been having hallucinations recently and has decided to stop using his power. Angela warns that they can’t simply walk away from their abilities but Matt tells her she’ll need to deal with Sylar and hangs up.
At his Senate office, Nathan/Sylar casually reaches for his coffee mug and almost doesn’t notice when it moves itself into his grasp. Startled, he puts it down and then tries to repeat the action. Nothing happens but as he studies his hands in confusion, electricity sparks from his fingers.
Claire comes back to her dorm room after the linear algebra test and discovers that Noah is talking with Annie, who is telling him about how Claire walked out. Annie leaves and Noah suggests that his daughter retake the test next semester. Claire admits that someone recognized her from Odessa, but she still wants to have a real life using her real name. She tells Noah that she told Annie that he works with the government and admits that she might have to start slowly with telling the truth and having a new life. Noah warns her to be careful.
At the carnival, a woman, Lydia, comes to see Samuel in his tent. He uses a mineral-based ink to paint a tattoo on her and then uses his ability to manipulate it. The ink on her skin forms into a picture of Danko. Lydia identifies who he is as another carny, Edgar, come in. Samuel wants Edgar to go after Danko but Edgar says that he is seeking redemption and doesn’t want to kill. Samuel says that Danko and his people are the ones who started killing, and that Joseph would have wanted Edgar to kill Danko and get the compass. Edgar is still reluctant and Samuel jabs him with a tattoo needle. He uses his ability to cause the ink to briefly choke Edgar. Edgar gives in and Samuel says that it’ll be the last time he asks Edgar to kill someone.
Noah is eating at a restaurant when Tracy comes to see him. She admits that she’s not sure if she wants to kill him, but that ever since she “died,” she’s felt an urge to take vengeance on the people who killed her. Noah insists she isn’t a killer and offers to help her get her life back. He says he can deal with Danko and she wonders why he wants to help her. Noah admits that he spent decades hunting down evolved humans and he’d like to help one for a change. Tracy refuses his offer, saying that it won’t be that easy for him.
Later, Noah meets with Danko and tries to convince him to call off his unsanctioned quest to capture evolved humans. He offers Danko a false ID and the chance to create a new life. When Danko refuses, the Haitian emerges from the shadows and uses his powers on Danko.
Nathan/Sylar calls Peter in New York. He gets his brother’s answering machine while Peter listens, and leaves a message saying that Peter is the only one who can understand what he’s going through. He hangs up and contemplates the coffee cup. Peter puts up a newspaper clipping about the woman he saved on a board with dozens of other miraculous saves.
Danko enters his apartment and finds Tracy waiting in the hallway going in. Due to the Haitian’s mind-wipe, he doesn’t recognize Tracy. Instead he mistakes her for someone looking for an object. Tracy sets aside her vengeance, realizing that Noah kept his word and it’d be pointless a man who doesn’t remember what he did to her. Danko goes past her into the living room and Tracy hears Edgar confront him, saying he’s there to get the object back. She goes into the room just in time to see Edgar move at superspeed, cutting open Danko’s stomach with a pair of knives. As Danko collapses to the ground, dead, Edgar attacks Tracy. She instinctively transforms into water and he’s unable to harm her. She grabs his arm and freezes it, causing him to drop one of his knives. He runs away at superspeed before she can stop him.
Claire goes to her dorm’s mixer and finds Gretchen there. Gretchen apologizes for bringing up the homecoming massacre and Claire explains that while she wants her old life back, she didn’t want all of it. They find Annie playing Guitar Hero III and Annie invites her to join. Claire admits she’s never played before and is reluctant to play the overachieving Annie. Gretchen jumps in, admitting she hasn’t played before so it should be a good match. The two of them play and Gretchen gets increasingly better.
Ando finds a cart and takes Hiro back to their office. He gets past Kimiko without her seeing him and enters the office. Hiro finally reverts to normal but Ando notices that his nose is bleeding. Hiro says that he’s already seen a doctor and he’s been diagnoses with a fatal condition. Ando wonders if Hiro can use his powers to change the past and cure himself, but Hiro warns that he can’t time travel any more. Hiro looks at the carnival photo and remembers that a fortune teller there told him he’d be a powerful hero, and he’s tried to be one ever since. They wonder what would happen if the fortune teller never told Hiro about his future. Hiro insists that he’s sworn an oath not to alter the past, but freezes in time again for a moment. When he comes out of it, he says that it felt like he was at the carnival in the past. As Ando looks on, Hiro disappears and teleports back to the carnival, 14 years ago.
In the present, Samuel is painting a tattoo of Hiro on Lydia. She tells him that Hiro was at the carnival 14 years ago. Samuel needs to go back and talks to an elderly carny, Arnold. Arnold realizes that it’s time and Samuel asks Arnold to send him back 14 years because he’s found someone who can change the past for them.
Claire goes back to her room and wonders why Annie isn’t there. She notices the window is open and looks down to see Annie on the ground several stories below, dead.
In Washington, Nathan/Sylar tries to get the coffee cup to move again, but has no success. He goes to the mirror and stares at himself.
In Los Angeles, Matt goes to check on Matt Jr. He discovers that the baby isn’t in his crib. He turns and finds Sylar, holding Matt Jr. and demanding that Matt return his body.
Watch Full Episode of “Orientation”
