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Distractions (Heroes)
Encyclopedia
"Distractions" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the NBC
science fiction
drama series Heroes
.
walk invisibly through a busy New York street, where Claude tells Peter that he absorbs other powers as a reflex and that he is going to help him gain some control over it. With Claude's mentoring, Peter begins to question those people closest to him. Claude is convinced that Peter needs to put his loved ones out of his mind because they are distracting him from releasing his full potential. At Claude's suggestion, the two men follow Simone.
Niki
's psychological counselor
tells Niki she wants to speak with Jessica. She assures Niki the cuffs on her wrists could contain an elephant, and she is able to use a taser. After a mild sense of hypnosis, Niki starts to talk about how Jessica was talented at playing the piano and how her sister said that she could "turn Mozart into a monkey." Then Jessica comes out and confirms she said this. She breaks free of the cuffs and grabs the psychologist before she can subdue Jessica with the taser. The guards later discover Niki lying on the ground and the psychological counselor lying unconscious, a hand bent unnaturally, with several taser burns on her jacket. Later, Aron Malsky visits Niki in her room. He tells her that all charges against her have been dropped, thanks to the help of Linderman. Niki returns home to reunite with D.L and Micah
, but unbeknownst to the two, Jessica is in control.
Sylar
, his powers restored, attacks Mr. Bennet and locks him up in the glass cell. He rifles through Mr. Bennet's wallet and takes out his licence, which reveals his home address. Sylar goes after Claire while Mr. Bennet helplessly pounds his fists against the window as Sylar leaves him trapped inside. At the Bennets' home, Sylar goes under the guise of a worker at Primatech Paper and tells Mrs. Bennet he found Mr. Muggles in the street while making a delivery. She invites him to stay for dinner, and he accepts. They begin to talk, but his heightened interest in Claire makes Mrs. Bennet suspicious. When she picks up the phone to call her husband, Sylar uses his telekinetic power to knock the phone out of her hand. He tells her that he will kill Claire, and maybe kill her first. Mrs. Bennet dashes towards the front door, but Sylar uses his telekinetic power to slam her against a glass cabinet. It is then that Mr. Bennet and the Haitian burst through the door and shoot Sylar, though Sylar quickly escapes. The Haitian erases Mrs. Bennet's memory - yet again.
Simone
visits Isaac
and tells him she isn't going to be using his home key anymore. Before Simone could ask where Peter is, Isaac tells her he's been trying to find him unsuccessfully - he's been repeatedly painting blank landscapes. Isaac says that he knows what Peter can do and that he wants to stop him; he warns Simone to stay away from him. As Simone is leaving, Isaac tells her to keep the key. When Simone later returns to Isaac's place, she views a painting of her and Isaac on the roof of her father's penthouse. She later goes to the roof, where the two of them finally talk about themselves and Isaac's power. Eventually, the painting's vision comes true. As Claude and Peter spy on them, they watch Simone share an intimate embrace with Isaac.
Claire
and Zach head out to meet Meredith in Kermit, Texas
. After tearfully reuniting, Claire reveals her power by slicing open her arm with a knife. Her mother tearfully says, "Some family" and reveals her own power of pyrokinesis
. Before Claire leaves, her mother gives her a necklace she bought in Mexico
.
At Port Washington Harbor in Long Island
, Hiro
explains his new path in life to his ambitious older sister, Kimiko, and father, Kaito. Hiro's father offers to make him Executive Vice President
of Yamagato, his company, and put him on his way to becoming CEO
. He says that it is Hiro's destiny, as his only son and heir. Hiro ultimately refuses, explaining his mission to his father in further detail. Enraged, his father rips up the painting and demands that Hiro come home. Kimiko tries to persuade her brother to change his mind, but Hiro shrugs her off, even when she states that he is bringing shame to the family. Hiro finally realizes something, and concocts a plan. He accepts the position of Executive Vice President, and immediately declares several company plans that Kimiko says would be a disaster. Kimiko reveals the full extent of her intelligence, and Mr. Nakamura is impressed. He realizes she is better suited for the job, and the Nakamuras part ways.
After Peter angrily yells at Claude for showing Simone and Isaac together, Claude pushes Peter off the thirty-story building, in an attempt to make him fly. Peter slams into a parked taxi, then uses the regeneration ability that he received from Claire. Peter realizes that he does not need to push people out of his mind; he just needs to remember how those people made him feel to regain use of their abilities. Suddenly, Peter begins to use powers at random, presumably because he is overcome with emotion while thinking of each hero he has met. He becomes overloaded with powers, and his mind flashes to a vision of him exploding. Peter cries, "I'm losing it!" Claude punches Peter, knocking him out and halting his overload.
Isaac
works on another painting. The painting shows Peter slumped against a broken taxi, his leg becoming invisible. He then tells Mr. Bennet on the phone that he has found Peter and a way to stop him. Isaac says that Peter is invisible and asks him what it means. "It means an old friend isn't quite as dead as we thought he was," Mr. Bennet responds.
Claire and Zach return to the house. Mrs. Bennet angrily informs Claire that the school informed her that she had skipped. Claire realizes that her mother's mind has been wiped as she picks up a shard of glass lying on the couch from the aftermath of Sylar's attack. She gazes at Mr. Bennet, who is in another room.
At the end of the episode, Meredith makes a mysterious phone call to Claire
's biological father. When he picks up, Meredith nervously tells him that their daughter is alive. On the other end is Meredith's contact: Nathan Petrelli
.
in the original Star Trek
series. George Takei
, who plays Mr. Nakamura, also played the role of the Enterprise's helmsman Hikaru Sulu
.
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 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...
.
Plot
Claude and PeterPeter 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...
walk invisibly through a busy New York street, where Claude tells Peter that he absorbs other powers as a reflex and that he is going to help him gain some control over it. With Claude's mentoring, Peter begins to question those people closest to him. Claude is convinced that Peter needs to put his loved ones out of his mind because they are distracting him from releasing his full potential. At Claude's suggestion, the two men follow Simone.
Niki
Niki Sanders
Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. Niki is the wife of D. L. Hawkins and mother of Micah Sanders . Niki, a sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder, displays superhuman strength, being able to literally rip others in half...
's psychological counselor
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
tells Niki she wants to speak with Jessica. She assures Niki the cuffs on her wrists could contain an elephant, and she is able to use a taser. After a mild sense of hypnosis, Niki starts to talk about how Jessica was talented at playing the piano and how her sister said that she could "turn Mozart into a monkey." Then Jessica comes out and confirms she said this. She breaks free of the cuffs and grabs the psychologist before she can subdue Jessica with the taser. The guards later discover Niki lying on the ground and the psychological counselor lying unconscious, a hand bent unnaturally, with several taser burns on her jacket. Later, Aron Malsky visits Niki in her room. He tells her that all charges against her have been dropped, thanks to the help of Linderman. Niki returns home to reunite with D.L and Micah
Micah Sanders
Micah Sanders, portrayed by Noah Gray-Cabey, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is the son of Niki Sanders and D.L. Hawkins. He is a child prodigy and a technopath.- Beginnings :...
, but unbeknownst to the two, Jessica is in control.
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...
, his powers restored, attacks Mr. Bennet and locks him up in the glass cell. He rifles through Mr. Bennet's wallet and takes out his licence, which reveals his home address. Sylar goes after Claire while Mr. Bennet helplessly pounds his fists against the window as Sylar leaves him trapped inside. At the Bennets' home, Sylar goes under the guise of a worker at Primatech Paper and tells Mrs. Bennet he found Mr. Muggles in the street while making a delivery. She invites him to stay for dinner, and he accepts. They begin to talk, but his heightened interest in Claire makes Mrs. Bennet suspicious. When she picks up the phone to call her husband, Sylar uses his telekinetic power to knock the phone out of her hand. He tells her that he will kill Claire, and maybe kill her first. Mrs. Bennet dashes towards the front door, but Sylar uses his telekinetic power to slam her against a glass cabinet. It is then that Mr. Bennet and the Haitian burst through the door and shoot Sylar, though Sylar quickly escapes. The Haitian erases Mrs. Bennet's memory - yet again.
Simone
Simone Deveaux
Simone Deveaux is a fictional character in the TV series Heroes. She is portrayed by Tawny Cypress.-Genesis:When Simone Deveaux is introduced in the premiere episode, she is an art dealer living in New York City who is romantically involved with artist Isaac Mendez...
visits Isaac
Isaac Mendez
Isaac Méndez was a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Santiago Cabrera, he had the ability to paint the future.-Genesis:...
and tells him she isn't going to be using his home key anymore. Before Simone could ask where Peter is, Isaac tells her he's been trying to find him unsuccessfully - he's been repeatedly painting blank landscapes. Isaac says that he knows what Peter can do and that he wants to stop him; he warns Simone to stay away from him. As Simone is leaving, Isaac tells her to keep the key. When Simone later returns to Isaac's place, she views a painting of her and Isaac on the roof of her father's penthouse. She later goes to the roof, where the two of them finally talk about themselves and Isaac's power. Eventually, the painting's vision comes true. As Claude and Peter spy on them, they watch Simone share an intimate embrace with Isaac.
Claire
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...
and Zach head out to meet Meredith in Kermit, Texas
Kermit, Texas
Kermit is a city in and the county seat of Winkler County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,708 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Kermit Roosevelt after a visit by his father Theodore Roosevelt to the county.-History: -Establishment:...
. After tearfully reuniting, Claire reveals her power by slicing open her arm with a knife. Her mother tearfully says, "Some family" and reveals her own power of pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
. Before Claire leaves, her mother gives her a necklace she bought in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
At Port Washington Harbor in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, 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...
explains his new path in life to his ambitious older sister, Kimiko, and father, Kaito. Hiro's father offers to make him Executive Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
of Yamagato, his company, and put him on his way to becoming CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
. He says that it is Hiro's destiny, as his only son and heir. Hiro ultimately refuses, explaining his mission to his father in further detail. Enraged, his father rips up the painting and demands that Hiro come home. Kimiko tries to persuade her brother to change his mind, but Hiro shrugs her off, even when she states that he is bringing shame to the family. Hiro finally realizes something, and concocts a plan. He accepts the position of Executive Vice President, and immediately declares several company plans that Kimiko says would be a disaster. Kimiko reveals the full extent of her intelligence, and Mr. Nakamura is impressed. He realizes she is better suited for the job, and the Nakamuras part ways.
After Peter angrily yells at Claude for showing Simone and Isaac together, Claude pushes Peter off the thirty-story building, in an attempt to make him fly. Peter slams into a parked taxi, then uses the regeneration ability that he received from Claire. Peter realizes that he does not need to push people out of his mind; he just needs to remember how those people made him feel to regain use of their abilities. Suddenly, Peter begins to use powers at random, presumably because he is overcome with emotion while thinking of each hero he has met. He becomes overloaded with powers, and his mind flashes to a vision of him exploding. Peter cries, "I'm losing it!" Claude punches Peter, knocking him out and halting his overload.
Isaac
Isaac Mendez
Isaac Méndez was a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Santiago Cabrera, he had the ability to paint the future.-Genesis:...
works on another painting. The painting shows Peter slumped against a broken taxi, his leg becoming invisible. He then tells Mr. Bennet on the phone that he has found Peter and a way to stop him. Isaac says that Peter is invisible and asks him what it means. "It means an old friend isn't quite as dead as we thought he was," Mr. Bennet responds.
Claire and Zach return to the house. Mrs. Bennet angrily informs Claire that the school informed her that she had skipped. Claire realizes that her mother's mind has been wiped as she picks up a shard of glass lying on the couch from the aftermath of Sylar's attack. She gazes at Mr. Bennet, who is in another room.
At the end of the episode, Meredith makes a mysterious phone call to Claire
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...
's biological father. When he picks up, Meredith nervously tells him that their daughter is alive. On the other end is Meredith's contact: 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...
.
Cultural references
Kaito Nakamura's limousine bears the license plate tag "NCC-1701", matching the registry number of the USS EnterpriseUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
in the original Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
series. George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
, who plays Mr. Nakamura, also played the role of the Enterprise's helmsman Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...
.
Ratings
The total viewership for this episode was 14.61 million. It earned an 8.6/12 share for the week.External links
- Watch "Distractions" at NBC.com (Link may be expired or suspended.)
- "Distractions" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Beaming Beeman: Episode 14: Distractions Director's blog on the filming of this episode.