A Clear and Present Danger
Encyclopedia
"A Clear and Present Danger" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the NBC
science fiction
drama
series Heroes
and forty-eighth episode overall. It aired on February 2, 2009. The episode is the beginning of Volume 4: Fugitives. It marks the first time a season of Heroes has contained more than one volume. Originally, season two was planned to consist of three volumes, but was reduced to one volume due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
.
is captured by armed men, while a TV interview with the new chairman of Senate Homeland Security Committee, Nathan Petrelli
, plays in the background. The leader of the group (referred to as The Hunter and played by Zeljko Ivanek
) calls to tell Nathan they have the first one.
Hiro
tries to make Ando into a superhero. Ando is unimpressed as he feels his power is worthless, and leaves when Hiro injects him with a GPS implant. Later, when Hiro tracks Ando and calls him to apologize, Ando overhears Hiro being kidnapped.
Having earned her GED
, Claire Bennet
is looking into an elite college education with Angela Petrelli
, but is more concerned with Sylar
and the fact they never found his body. As Claire is leaving, she listens in on a phone call where Nathan tells Angela to keep Claire away from Matt Parkman
and Peter. Angela spots Claire, who promptly leaves.
Peter
is working as a paramedic and attending to a car accident victim. His partner Hesam has to pull Peter away from the casualty, with Peter insisting he could have saved him, had he been stronger. As the dead man is taken away, Hesam mentions that Peter's brother is in town for the day. Peter receives a call from Claire warning him about Nathan’s plans. Peter goes to talk to Angela while Claire goes to warn Matt. Peter catches a yellow cab, which happens to be driven by Mohinder Suresh
. In a scene similar to the first episode, Peter asks Mohinder if he ever had the feeling like he was meant to do something extraordinary. Mohinder points out that everyone is keeping a low profile, except for Nathan. They get to their destination and Mohinder lets him out.
Once Peter is gone, The Hunter gets in the cab behind him, and forces Mohinder to drive to a parking lot. As Mohinder gets out of the cab, he rips off the car door, knocks out The Hunter, and uses the door as a shield. He runs away and Noah arrives in a SUV and rescues him. As they escape, Noah asks him who he’s been in contact with. They get to the exit only to discover that The Hunter and his men have cut them off. Noah apologizes and then tasers Mohinder, who staggers out of the car and collapses.
Peter arrives at Angela’s home and finds Nathan waiting for him. Nathan informs his brother that their mother isn’t there. He explains that he has a plan of his own and would like Peter's input. Peter expresses his disinterest and leaves. When Peter arrives at his own apartment, he finds Nathan waiting for him. Nathan apologizes for disowning him and emphasizes the importance of what he's doing, again asking Peter to join him. When Peter refuses, Noah tasers him from behind.
Sylar
, alive and well, goes to see Martin Gray, the watchmaker he believed to be his father. He questions Martin and discovers that Martin purchased Sylar from his brother who was in need of money. He gives Sylar the address, then tells him to leave, which Sylar does. When Sylar arrives at Samson Gray's home he finds the door is open and enters. A group of armed men appear and attempt to immobilize him with tranquilizer darts. Sylar overpowers them and starts to torture one for information.
Daphne superspeeds back into her apartment where Matt is eating. They discuss using their powers to make life easier and Matt persuades her to lead a normal life while Usutu, visible only to Matt, stands nearby. Later, Usutu appears to Matt with a message, explaining that he’s an illusion. Usutu says that Matt is on a journey to become a prophet and the world needs him to tell the future. Matt’s eyes turn white and he starts to sketch.
While inspecting the finished work, Claire arrives to warn him that people will be coming to get him. The drawings show Matt being shot in the neck whilst looking at some drawings. Suddenly, someone shoots a dart through the window into his neck. The men in black arrive and capture Claire as Matt goes down.
At an airplane hangar, Nathan reviews his prisoners, all hooded and confined to negate their powers. The Hunter arrives and reports that Sylar escaped. He also shows Nathan that one of the prisoners is Claire. Nathan takes her and puts her in a car to be driven home, telling her to forget what she's seen. While the rest of the prisoners are led onto a cargo plane, Claire escapes from the car and sneaks aboard. Once airborne, Claire finds that the prisoners include Hiro, Peter and Mohinder, and she removes the drug feeds from the latter two. Peter manages to touch Mohinder and take his power, using it to break his shackles. As Peter attacks the guards, Claire grabs a taser and goes to the cockpit, stunning one guard and threatening the pilot. She discovers that Noah is in the co-pilot’s seat.
Peter tries to free Tracy as another guard attacks him. He gains Tracy’s power and inadvertently touches the side of the plane. It freezes and shatters, and the guards and at least one prisoner are swept out. As the plane starts to go down, the netting Peter is holding onto comes unfastened and he starts to get swept away before Mohinder grabs hold of him. In the cockpit, the pilot loses control and the plane plummets towards the ground. The final shot shows Mohinder losing his grip on Peter's hand, a direct reference to the cliffhanger of the pilot episode, "Genesis".
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
and forty-eighth episode overall. It aired on February 2, 2009. The episode is the beginning of Volume 4: Fugitives. It marks the first time a season of Heroes has contained more than one volume. Originally, season two was planned to consist of three volumes, but was reduced to one volume due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
.
Plot
Tracy StraussTracy Strauss
Tracy Strauss, portrayed by Ali Larter, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She has the ability to freeze anything that she touches. As the series progresses, her ability evolved to include water mimicry. Introduced in the third season, she is an adviser to the...
is captured by armed men, while a TV interview with the new chairman of Senate Homeland Security Committee, Nathan Petrelli
Nathan Petrelli
Nathan Petrelli, portrayed by Adrian Pasdar, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a New York lawyer-turned-senator with the power of self-propelled flight. Ambitious and pragmatic, Nathan has a decidedly anti-hero streak, which exacerbates his complex...
, plays in the background. The leader of the group (referred to as The Hunter and played by Zeljko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek
Željko Ivanek is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes....
) calls to tell Nathan they have the first one.
Hiro
Hiro Nakamura
is a fictional character on the NBC fantasy drama Heroes who possesses the ability of space-time manipulation. This means that Hiro is able to alter the flow of time. Previously, his ability allowed him to teleport, stop time, or travel through time, but recent events in the series have prevented...
tries to make Ando into a superhero. Ando is unimpressed as he feels his power is worthless, and leaves when Hiro injects him with a GPS implant. Later, when Hiro tracks Ando and calls him to apologize, Ando overhears Hiro being kidnapped.
Having earned her GED
GED
General Educational Development tests are a group of five subject tests which, when passed, certify that the taker has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills...
, Claire Bennet
Claire Bennet
Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis" on September 25, 2006...
is looking into an elite college education with Angela Petrelli
Angela Petrelli
Angela Petrelli , portrayed by Cristine Rose, is a fictional character featured in the television show Heroes. She is the mother of Nathan and Peter Petrelli. The character is based upon the Angela Lansbury character Mrs. Iselin in the film The Manchurian Candidate...
, but is more concerned with Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
and the fact they never found his body. As Claire is leaving, she listens in on a phone call where Nathan tells Angela to keep Claire away from Matt Parkman
Matt Parkman
Matthew "Matt" Parkman, Sr., is a fictional character of the NBC science fiction serial drama Heroes, played by Greg Grunberg. Matt is a police officer, who works for the LAPD and NYPD in Seasons One and Two respectively...
and Peter. Angela spots Claire, who promptly leaves.
Peter
Peter Petrelli
Peter Petrelli, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a hospice nurse-turned-paramedic in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people with special abilities, or powers...
is working as a paramedic and attending to a car accident victim. His partner Hesam has to pull Peter away from the casualty, with Peter insisting he could have saved him, had he been stronger. As the dead man is taken away, Hesam mentions that Peter's brother is in town for the day. Peter receives a call from Claire warning him about Nathan’s plans. Peter goes to talk to Angela while Claire goes to warn Matt. Peter catches a yellow cab, which happens to be driven by Mohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a PhD in parapsychology...
. In a scene similar to the first episode, Peter asks Mohinder if he ever had the feeling like he was meant to do something extraordinary. Mohinder points out that everyone is keeping a low profile, except for Nathan. They get to their destination and Mohinder lets him out.
Once Peter is gone, The Hunter gets in the cab behind him, and forces Mohinder to drive to a parking lot. As Mohinder gets out of the cab, he rips off the car door, knocks out The Hunter, and uses the door as a shield. He runs away and Noah arrives in a SUV and rescues him. As they escape, Noah asks him who he’s been in contact with. They get to the exit only to discover that The Hunter and his men have cut them off. Noah apologizes and then tasers Mohinder, who staggers out of the car and collapses.
Peter arrives at Angela’s home and finds Nathan waiting for him. Nathan informs his brother that their mother isn’t there. He explains that he has a plan of his own and would like Peter's input. Peter expresses his disinterest and leaves. When Peter arrives at his own apartment, he finds Nathan waiting for him. Nathan apologizes for disowning him and emphasizes the importance of what he's doing, again asking Peter to join him. When Peter refuses, Noah tasers him from behind.
Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
, alive and well, goes to see Martin Gray, the watchmaker he believed to be his father. He questions Martin and discovers that Martin purchased Sylar from his brother who was in need of money. He gives Sylar the address, then tells him to leave, which Sylar does. When Sylar arrives at Samson Gray's home he finds the door is open and enters. A group of armed men appear and attempt to immobilize him with tranquilizer darts. Sylar overpowers them and starts to torture one for information.
Daphne superspeeds back into her apartment where Matt is eating. They discuss using their powers to make life easier and Matt persuades her to lead a normal life while Usutu, visible only to Matt, stands nearby. Later, Usutu appears to Matt with a message, explaining that he’s an illusion. Usutu says that Matt is on a journey to become a prophet and the world needs him to tell the future. Matt’s eyes turn white and he starts to sketch.
While inspecting the finished work, Claire arrives to warn him that people will be coming to get him. The drawings show Matt being shot in the neck whilst looking at some drawings. Suddenly, someone shoots a dart through the window into his neck. The men in black arrive and capture Claire as Matt goes down.
At an airplane hangar, Nathan reviews his prisoners, all hooded and confined to negate their powers. The Hunter arrives and reports that Sylar escaped. He also shows Nathan that one of the prisoners is Claire. Nathan takes her and puts her in a car to be driven home, telling her to forget what she's seen. While the rest of the prisoners are led onto a cargo plane, Claire escapes from the car and sneaks aboard. Once airborne, Claire finds that the prisoners include Hiro, Peter and Mohinder, and she removes the drug feeds from the latter two. Peter manages to touch Mohinder and take his power, using it to break his shackles. As Peter attacks the guards, Claire grabs a taser and goes to the cockpit, stunning one guard and threatening the pilot. She discovers that Noah is in the co-pilot’s seat.
Peter tries to free Tracy as another guard attacks him. He gains Tracy’s power and inadvertently touches the side of the plane. It freezes and shatters, and the guards and at least one prisoner are swept out. As the plane starts to go down, the netting Peter is holding onto comes unfastened and he starts to get swept away before Mohinder grabs hold of him. In the cockpit, the pilot loses control and the plane plummets towards the ground. The final shot shows Mohinder losing his grip on Peter's hand, a direct reference to the cliffhanger of the pilot episode, "Genesis".