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Heroes, NBC, Airs Mondays 9/8c

Episode: “Into Asylum” (Season 3, Episode 21)

Synopsis: An alliance is formed between Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and Danko (Zeljko Ivanek), wounds are healed between Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Angela (Cristine Rose) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), and Heroes prepares to make the next move.

Review: Into Asylum put the heroes in the right place. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much done to move them around. The Wanderer, a song Sylar adores, was a perfect song for the episode as we saw a mass of meandering.

Nathan and Claire went to Mexico to hide out. Without any connections or cash, we had the chance to see a role reversal and that situation sort of played out. Basically we got to see Nathan try to drink some college students under the table in an attempt to get cash. When Nathan went down, Claire stepped in. Boo inebriation! Hooray, regenerative livers! I’m not sure why the guy she competed against was okay with going double or nothing after already having 22 shots, but maybe it’s best not to look into this. Still, 22 shots is a hell of a lot of liquor.

We found out that Nathan put Claire into experimentation in an effort to win her over in one fell swoop. Couldn’t he have bought her a pony? It seems like a strange way to win back a daughter who you abandoned.

Peter and Angela got holy on our asses in an attempt to repair the bond they had broken. Angela stated the obvious, that her and Papa Pertrelli weren’t supportive, and Peter had a talk with God about his troubles. In the end, the two Pertrellis walked out hand in hand and you get the sense that things may get better … until Angela turns on Peter again in the future. Maybe she won’t.

The most successful story of Into Asylum existed between Danko and Sylar, two villains looking for power in different ways. Zachary Quinto’s enthusiasm was much needed in an otherwise flat episode and getting to see how the two went about getting what they wanted helped us better understand what drives them. The hunt for the shape-shifter was a nice twist and it seems like there is no power that Sylar is currently without. So what can stop him? How long will it take before H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) finds out he is still alive?

Into Asylum lacked action, which we can accept, but it also lacked motivation in the dialogue offered. Words can be exponentially powerful than a fight scene but you have to work for it. It’s not enough to have children ask, “Why did you leave me?” and a parent say, “I was trying to protect you. You wouldn’t understand.” Into Asylum was an attempt to go deeper into the waters and understand the characters central to Heroes. Instead Heroes kept the floaties on and we kept rising to the surface.

Up Next Week: As Danko spearheads the government operation, someone close to him is put in the line of fire. H.R.G.’s life continues to spiral out of control and his marriage is dangerously close to the breaking point. Meanwhile, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) continue their road trip with a special delivery for Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg). Elsewhere, Angela Petrelli (Cristine Rose) unearths the demons of her past.

Read More: Heroes Recaps

Did you watch the Into Asylum episode? If so, what worked and what didn’t for you?