Fallout (Heroes)

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Heroes episode
“Fallout”
"Tell me, Claire, can you keep a secret?"
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 11
Writer(s)	Joe Pokaski
Director	John Badham
Production no.	111
Original airdate	December 4, 2006
Episode chronology
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"Six Months Ago"	"Godsend"

Fallout is the eleventh episode of the NBC supernatural drama series Heroes.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The episode begins with Mr. Bennet bringing Claire home amidst a discussion regarding her powers. Mr. Bennet admits to Claire that he knew about her powers even before she did. She becomes angry with him, but he calms her by telling her he was trying to protect her. He warns her that there are other bad men who will try to hurt her if they find out she’s special. He asks her who else knows about her powers. Claire tells him that Zach knows all about her ability and what she is capable of, and that Lyle found out after stealing one of the films of Claire jumping from an oil rig and being hit by a car.

Sylar is captured and held in a cell at Mr. Bennet's workplace. Mr. Bennet tells Sylar that his powers won't work in this place. Mr. Bennet talks to him about his various powers versus the other heroes who only have one each. Sylar replies that he got those extra powers because he figured out how things "tick", making him more special than the others. Mr. Bennet tells Sylar that he is insane, as too much foreign DNA and power has corrupted his mind. Mr. Bennet refers to Sylar by his real name, Gabriel, which clearly upsets him - he launches himself at the glass and screams, "My name is Sylar!" Mr. Bennet informs him that he'll be taken apart and studied, comparing the act to the watches Sylar once repaired.

After leaving Sylar, Mr. Bennet meets with Eden, who does not want to keep Sylar alive. She tells him she could use her powers to make him kill himself, but Mr. Bennet says they are under orders to keep him alive. Eden is unhappy with this, stating that if the Haitian could speak he would echo her sentiments. She goes into Isaac's room, states that she is "going off the reservation" and won't see him again. Issac reveals that he feels he should be trying to change the apocalyptic future that he is drawing. Eden hands him a phone and keycard and says "So, change it."

Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando have arrived at Claire's school as it is being cleaned up after Sylar's attack. Hiro is disappointed and scared, thinking the world will end because he didn't save the cheerleader. Ando however says the quote was a two-parter, "save the cheerleader" then "save the world". But Hiro believes it was an "if then" statement. Ando expresses doubt, but Hiro assures him that he knows future Hiro meant it to be that way. As they walk away from the school, they get a call from Isaac Mendez, saying they need to meet.

Peter is being held in a cell at the local police station. While sitting, Nathan comes in and the two talk. The conversation takes a sudden strange turn, and Nathan transforms into Sylar, who says in a deep voice "How can you stop what's coming, when you don't know anything about power?" Peter wakes up in his cell alone. Shaken by this vision, he is taken to be questioned by Matt and Audrey. They acknowledge his innocence, but wonder why he's covered in blood if he has no wounds. Peter says that his brother told him not to say anything, to which Audrey replies, "We don't need you to talk." This is when Matt attempts to read his mind. Peter unwittingly begins to mimic Matt's power however, and this causes something analogous to acoustic feedback. Both Matt and Peter suffer physical pain at this, but are surprised to discover that the other possesses a special ability. Matt is unable to read much in Peter's mind due to the interference, but knows that he is telling the truth. From Peter's reaction to the knowledge that Claire is still alive, and his insistence that she be protected from Sylar, Matt and Audrey realize that Sylar might soon come after her. They depart in a hurry to inverview Claire, leaving Peter alone in the cell.

Throughout the ensuing interview, Matt attempts to read both Claire and Mr. Bennet's minds, but ultimately fails. He later tells Audrey that it was like "An absence of sound....white noise." The frame shifts to reveal the presence of the Haitian who is standing around a corner. Matt talks to Bennet after the interview and introduces himself (although this is the second time they'd met), but he is visibly suspicious of Bennet. He then tells Audrey that the interference he just heard "sounds" similar to the last sound he "heard or did not hear" before losing a whole day after his trip to a bar some time ago. Later on, Audrey and Matt are on a stake-out. As they sit there, Audrey thinks to herself that Matt is cute, which is quickly followed with an internal question as to whether he "heard" that. Matt smiles asks her if she really thinks he's cute, to which she responds, "I really think you're married, and I really think you love your wife" and that it wasn't fair because it was just a stray thought. The light mood dies down when Matt sees the Haitian and Mr. Bennet exiting the building. He recognizes the Haitian as the last thing he saw at the bar. He attempts to read their minds, causing a trickle of blood from his nose in the process, but is unable to get anything other than a single word: "Sylar".

Before leaving the police station, Claire requests that she be allowed to speak with Peter. She questions him about his ability, glad that she has finally met someone who, in her words, is "like her". Peter asks her if her ability is to heal and she nods yes. Peter tries to explain his ability to Claire, but is wracked by fits of coughing. Peter tells Claire that he didn't know he would heal if he jumped off the roof, but he is never able to clarify that his ability is to mimic others' powers. He tells her that if it wasn't for her, he would have died. Before she leaves, Claire tells Peter that he is "totally my hero".

Jessica shoots D.L. in the shoulder and tries to shoot him in the head, but he uses his ability to become temporarily intangible. D.L. and Micah escape, much to the chagrin of Jessica, who is chastised by Niki for her carelessness because she could have shot Micah instead of D.L. Micah and D.L. run through the woods, leaving a fake trail for Jessica. Eventually they make it to a cabin, and D.L. phases through the door to unlock it, with Micah smiling as he witnesses his father's ability. They begin to talk about Niki, but D.L. doesn't understand yet that Niki and Jessica are two different people, and passes out while Micah tries to fix his wound. Jessica pursues them and hears Micah calling out for Niki, and she starts pretending she is Niki to get access to the cabin. She enters, only to be hit with a shovel by D.L. Micah tries to stop them from fighting but is flung aside by Jessica, hurting his arm. When Niki realizes that Micah is hurt, she takes over and apologizes to her family for putting them in danger. Niki reveals that Jessica is stronger than her and that she can’t be trusted, so she turns herself in to the police, asking to be arrested for murder.

Mohinder, who has arrived back in New York, gets a call from Eden, who says that she can ease his pain by killing the man responsible for his father's death. She goes to Sylar's cell, gun in hand, to command him to kill himself. She gets angry, saying she was Chandra Suresh's neighbor. Sylar yells, saying she knew what was going on and she could have stopped him. Sylar suddenly uses his powers to pull Eden through the glass and chokes her. When he tells her that her power of persuasion will help him in the future, Eden turns the gun to her head; a shot is fired and blood covers the window. The official online comic associated with this episode shows the aftermath, that Eden succeeded in killing herself with the gunshot before Sylar could absorb her powers, and Sylar was subdued by Mr. Bennet and the Haitian using tranquilizer darts.

Hiro and Ando meet Isaac at the Burnt Toast diner, and they begin to discuss their powers. The most recent prophetic painting Isaac has done is discussed - he describes it as "an exploding man." Hiro seems concerned, and says "How do you stop an exploding man?" Isaac is in dismay that he still cannot see the future unless he's high, but mentions Sylar has been caught. Hiro looks up and Ando explains that Charlie was killed by Sylar. Realizing something, Isaac opens a sketchbook, full of pictures of Hiro and Charlie. He asks if this is Charlie, and Hiro says that it is. Isaac is surprised, and thinks that he might have actually painted the future without drugs. They go to a motel room, and Hiro and Ando prepare a canvas. After several tries, Isaac becomes dismayed that he can't do it without drugs. Hiro and Ando convince Isaac to try one more time to paint while sober. Isaac concentrates, his eyes glaze over, and begins to paint. Hiro and Ando are surprised, however, when it shows Hiro holding a katana and being attacked by a dinosaur. Ando questions Isaac's ability, saying that he thought Isaac could only paint future events. Hiro is worried that going back in time could change the future, and says "What if I step on a bug?", adding "I really need to find that sword". Ando warns him, "You're gonna die".

Claire talks to Lyle about her father, but he says they haven't talked, then realizes he doesn't recall finding out about her ability, or how he got home. Claire then goes to Zach, whom she had recently referred to as her "best friend, ever". She begins to talk to him, but he is confused and angry, accusing her of performing "one of your little cheerleader initiation pranks", and saying they haven't talked since 6th grade. Claire realizes everyone who knew about her power has had their memory erased and calls her father. She asks if he still remembered what she had told him and he says yes, asks her to stay where she is and tells her he loves her. As soon as she hangs up the phone, she is grabbed from behind by the Haitian, who tells her he works for her father and wiped the memories of Lyle, Zach, and apparently her mother several times - all on her father's orders. The Haitian tells her that her father sent him to make her forget as well, but that it is very important that she remember. He does not wipe her memory, but instead tells her to act as if she had forgotten, and asks if she can keep a secret. This is the first time the Haitian has been observed to speak, and in fact, previous dialogue in the episode indicated that Mr. Bennet and Eden didn't even know the Haitian could speak.

Nathan arranges for Peter's release, but when they leave the police station, Peter begins coughing and collapses, unconscious. As he hits the ground, his surroundings change. Peter has what appears to be a vision of New York City, which is empty save many cars - most with their doors open. Peter looks around and the other major characters start appearing out of various places. Mohinder climbs out of a cab and runs from Peter. Matt stops Peter and leads D.L., Niki, and Micah away from him. Hiro and Ando watch sadly from a distance. Simone begins to run to Peter but is held back by Isaac. Claire approaches Peter and tearfully mouths "I'm sorry" before running in the opposite direction. Nathan finally steps out of a building and walks toward Peter with a forlorn expression on his face. Peter looks at his hands which have begun to glow bright orange. Peter screams as his whole body turns orange and explodes, just like the flaming man Isaac had painted, at which point Peter wakes up, whispering "It's all my fault. The explosion...it's me" then faints again as the episode ends.

[edit] Production details

Jack Coleman, who plays Mr. Bennet, became a regular on the series starting with this episode. He had been a recurring guest star.
There is no narration by Sendhil Ramamurthy at either the beginning or the end of the episode.