HRG continued to walk the line between the two sides in Heroes Season 3 Episode 17.
Claire’s still hiding Alex in her closet. There’s a train leaving to Albuquerque, where he can start over. He’d rather stick around to be with his family and friends because they’ll find him anyway. After her mother comes in to grill her about the missing $300, Alex can come out of hiding since he’s now been discovered.
Peter and Parkman are now priority 1. Danko has authorized any means necessary, including lethal force, to take them down.
Speaking of Parkman, he’s still painting creepy pictures of the future. Peter wants to run, but Parkman just wants to find Daphne. He’s got a lead from when he was in Noah’s head: they need to find a hallway. The computer pops in with some actual information, an address to Daphne from Rebel, who says they’re coming. Just in time, they flee the scene. Given the paintings, there’s a good guess where they’re headed, though.
Claire introduces Alex as her new boyfriend. She tries to claim they’re intimately involved, but since she’s jailbait, this doesn’t fly. So she tells the truth. Would have been better off with the lying.
Luke and Sylar are still on their way to Sylar’s father. They have managed to escape the agents for now. While Luke’s trying to talk Sylar out of his need to see his father, Sylar all of a sudden stops at Big Jim’s Franks & Fries, for no apparent reason.
Sandra knows that there’s a van parked right outside watching Claire. She wants to help come up with a plan, and Alex is open to this.
Since Matt can only control so many minds, Peter borrows his ability. This means that they can control more minds, but it rules out the rooftop escape plan since he can no longer fly. They’re able to mind control enough people to gain access to a computer, but since that room is being monitored, it tips off Danko and the others exactly where they are. HRG tells Danko to not go out there, but he doesn’t listen, so his guys draw their guns on him.
In order to make a fake ID, Sandra grabs Lyle’s driver’s license because he got a C- on his history exam. Sometimes Claire just wishes she was normal to make things easier, but her mom doesn’t blame her for her problems with her father, whether they get a divorce or not.
Sylar and Luke go inside the abandoned building, where Sylar says he’s been before with his father back in 1980. He’s positive he can remember his father, and as proof, he’s found the toy car that he had that day from his memory.
Alex was hoping to get a kiss, but Claire’s mom interrupts just in time to stop them. There’s a compartment in the basement that he can hide in. The agents barge in the house, but they’re unable to find anything.
Daphne has been transferred to a medical facility. Rebel’s back, and he shows them a tape of the operation. Peter makes a copy of the footage as a bargaining chip.
HRG triggers the fire alarm in order to disrupt Parkman’s train of thought. It works, and they’ll have to run. Just in time, too, as Rebel warns them they have 30 seconds. They’re captured in the hallway. Parkman insists on holding them while Peter escapes.
Sylar recalls more of what happened, when he saw his dad kill someone, leaving her on the side of the road with a gash in her forehead. Mommy?
Nathan asks his mother whether she’s helping Peter, and whether she’s Rebel. She denies that she’s doing any of it. Then he gets a call from Peter. He wants a trade: Parkman and Daphne in exchange for the stolen files. Not the best deal.
Sandra causes a distraction, while Claire and Alex slip out the back. It buys them some time, but not much. When they get to the bottom of the hill, it’s a good thing he can hold his breath underwater. This also gives him the excuse he needed to kiss Claire, who is struggling to breathe underwater.
Danko’s not making the deal. He has another plan. He’s following orders, just not Nathan’s. Because he considers Peter a terrorist, he refuses to make a deal with him.
HRG goes with them and lets Peter read his thoughts that this is a double cross and that he needs to get lost. Danko’s shot strikes Peter, who falls but flies away. Obviously, Nathan’s involved, since he would have needed him to be able to fly away. Nathan agrees to take care of Peter if he just comes with him, but all the help he needs is a hug, which allows him to get the flying ability back. Angela warns Nathan that the game has changed, and he needs to be ready.
The footage has been leaked to the media as promised.
Sylar will let Luke live, so he can go back home to his mother and suffer. Now that he’s seen the truth, Sylar wants his father dead.
Danko drugs Parkman and drops him from the van wearing a bomb. He hopes people will beg him to hunt them.
Claire has learned that she wouldn’t trade her life for anything. Then she goes downstairs to see the creepy puppetmaster guy, who got a message from Rebel that Claire will save him.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of Heroes Season 3 episode 19 Shades of Gray, which airs Monday at 9/8c on NBC.