S01E09: 'Homecoming'

Claire Bennet discovers she has been voted the Homecoming Queen at her school, with help from her friend Zach’s dicsreet campaign. Fellow cheerleader Jackie, who previously claimed to have been the hero who rescued someone from the fire, is devastated at not winning. She makes a slur towards Zach’s sexuality, which leads Claire to punch her in the face.

Hiro has yet to reappear in the diner, but Ando learns that his attempt to travel back in time has worked as he discovers a six-month old picture of his friend and slayed waitress Charlie. Later, we see Hiro’s entrance to the diner, where he informs Charlie that he will save her life.

In India, Mohinder tracks down the boy who guided him in his dreams. The truth then emerges – in a dream – that his father was trying to protect his son from danger by excluding him from the research into heroes. After various efforts, Mohinder works out the password to his father’s computer and finds a list of all those tracked down with special powers.

Isaac’s portentous painting is retrieved by Nathan, who promptly douses it with black paint. Peter is distraught to learn this, but Simone then shows him a photograph she took of the painting, which shows him lying in a pool of blood outside a school in Texas.

Peter hooks up with Ando only to learn that Hiro is back in time. He then works out that his special power is the ability to pick up another hero’s ability when in close proximity. Peter then continues towards the school.

Mr Bennet has grounded Claire from being crowned Homecoming Queen that night in a bid to save her from Sylar. However, Zach arrives at her house and enables her to slip out to the school.

Peter arrives at the school and learns of the superheroic feat related to the fire that Jackie has lied about undertaking – so he assumes she is the cheerleader in need of saving. Claire soon confronts Jackie in the locker room, but Sylar enters the fray and targets Jackie, slicing open her head. As Claire tries to fight she is hurled against the wall by the power of Sylar’s mind. Her battered body regenerates, alerting Sylar that she is the cheerleader with special powers.

Mr Bennet arrives at the school and hears his daughter’s screams. Peter confronts Sylar but is forced to retreat, bumping into a terrified Claire outside the school. He agrees to try and hold off the villain and urges the young girl to escape. Sylar arrives on the scene and fights with Peter, with both men falling off a building to the ground. Claire returns to help Peter – now in a pool of blood like Isaac’s painting – and finds that her special ability to regenerate is absorbed by a resurgent Peter. However, the police arrive on the scene and arrest him for Jackie’s murder.

Sylar comes across Mr Bennet’s associate Eden in the woods. It seems as if she has powers of her own, as she makes him go to sleep.

Niki’s angry alter-ego Jessica buys a rifle to hunt down Hawkins, who has taken her son Micah. She finds them and takes aim at her fugitive husband and fires a shot.