The Fix (Heroes)

"The Fix" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes.

Plot

Niki is still in the county jail. A psychiatrist arrives to work on Niki's case, and diagnoses her with multiple personality disorder; Niki refuses her help. Meanwhile, D.L. is having difficulty getting money to pay the rent, and being a single dad for Micah. He sneaks into Niki's cell to break her out, but she insists on remaining and tells him that he must step up and take care of Micah. After school, Micah stops by an automated teller machine and uses his power to withdraw thousands of dollars. D.L. and Micah make up, and Micah gives him the money to pay for rent. The psychologist returns to help Niki, but in order for her to help Niki, Niki must let her talk with Jessica.

Matt tells his wife more about the events at Primatech Paper. She has difficulty accepting his powers and the events of the past month. She also begs him again to fix the plumbing. He attends his review, where his statement of the actual events at Primatech are not believed by the three captains. Hearing their thoughts and realizing the consequences of maintaining his story, Matt recants and said he lied because he failed his detective test three times and wanted to look like a hero. The review board places him on six months suspension. He returns home to leaking plumbing. After fixing the plumbing, he tells his wife about the suspension, and fears that his already tumultuous marriage is ruined. His wife lets him read her mind once more. Matt does and learns she is pregnant. They rejoice.

Claire and Zach begin researching her biological mother. In a secret meeting with The Haitian (signaled by Claire putting up wind chimes outside her window as instructed), he reveals to Claire that Mr. Bennet told him her mother died 14 years ago, but tells Claire that it will be the last time she will be able to talk to him about her family history. Mr. Bennet and Sandra Bennet become concerned with Claire's behavior and how much homework she has, as Claire and Zach cover up their investigation by claiming to be working on a paper about manatees. At one point, they are almost caught looking at Mr. Bennet's computer files in their search for the truth, but close everything before he enters the house.

Enlargement of part of the news article Zach and Claire find.

Searching for other avenues for the truth, Claire and Zach find a news article which states both she and her mother died in a fire in Kermit, Texas. They understand that it may not have been all that unreasonable for Claire to have been considered dead but "heal" through regeneration; what they don't immediately realize is that her mother may also be very much alive through a similar means. Zach pushes her to keep researching as she may find a distant relative. After a heart-to-heart with Mr. Bennet (who also sees the chimes outside Claire's window) about growing up, Claire's persistence pays off, as a phone call to a possible relative puts her in contact with a woman who knows of Meredith Gordon, her biological mother. The woman asks why she is asking this. Claire tells her that she may be her daughter. The woman, shocked, replies that she is Meredith Gordon while lighting a cigarette with her fingers.

Hiro's powers have still not returned as he and Ando prepare to leave the museum's parking garage. However, strangers are waiting for them, and they are kidnapped. Their captor claims to know all about Hiro and his hero status. He offers them plane tickets to Japan from his boss, but Hiro refuses to abandon his mission. Their captor takes them to an alley, where they meet his boss—Hiro's father, played by George Takei.^[1] (Takei played the role of helmsman Hikaru Sulu on the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek series. The registry number of that spaceship, NCC-1701, appears on the license plate of Nakamura's limousine.)

Nathan goes to Mohinder to find out where Peter is, but neither have heard from Peter in days. Mohinder tells Nathan about Chandra's list. He explains to Nathan how Peter's DNA causes him to soak up others' abilities. Nathan initially refuses to let Mohinder help find Peter, but Mohinder convinces him by stating that if he can study Peter, he may be able to find a cure for all the affected people.

Peter finds Claude, who is shocked that Peter can see him. Peter asks for his help in learning how to control his powers. Claude refuses to help and warns that others have tried and failed. Peter finds him again on the roof of Charles' building, and again asks for help. Claude again refuses. When Nathan and Mohinder arrive at Peter's apartment, Mohinder says that he wants to study and cure Peter, but Peter is insulted, so he runs away from the apartment. Peter tricks the men and gets away with Claude's help. Claude finally agrees to help Peter train his empathic powers. Claude's name is an explicit reference to Claude Rains, who played the Invisible Man in the 1933 film of the same name.

Mr. Bennet goes to check on Sylar. Hank tells him Sylar's vitals are highly irregular and he may be dying. After leaving and being told over the phone that Sylar is dead, Bennet returns. There, Bennet pulls back a sheet and finds Hank's dead body where Sylar's should be. Bennet turns around to find a wide-awake Sylar, who asks "How's Claire?"

Narration

At the beginning

When we embrace what lies within, our potential has no limit. The future is filled with promise, the present rife with expectation. But when we deny our instinct, and struggle against our deepest urges, uncertainty begins. Where does this path lead? When will the changes end? Is this transformation a gift, or a curse? For those who fear what lies ahead, the most important question of all: can we really ever change what we are?

Ratings

The total viewership for this episode was 13.63 million. It earned an 8.3/12 share for the week.

Awards

Noah Gray-Cabey and Leonard Roberts submitted this episode for consideration of their respective work in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" at the 2007 Emmy Awards.^[2]

External links

• Watch "The Fix" at NBC.com
• The Fix at the Internet Movie Database
• Beaming Beeman: Episode 13: The Fix Director's blog on the filming of this episode.

References