Heroes has spawned a tag-line -- "Save the cheer-leader; save the world!"
In Episode 9 of Heroes series 1, that phrase becomes the very core of the episode, but events half a world away are perhaps the more important to the overall story.
As Homecoming nears in Odessa, Texas, Claire Bennett (Haydn Panettiere) is named homecoming queen. Her father (Jack Coleman) tries to protect Claire, for Silar is hunting her, but his method -- grounding her for her own safety without telling her why -- backfires badly.
Peter, having tried to contact Hiro, flies to Texas to help save the cheerleader -- and in the process, if Future Hiro's prophecy is to be believed -- the world. He has learned that his power is temporarily gaining other heroes' powers, when they are close by.
Peter couldn't find Hiro because in his attempt to save Charlie the waitress, Hiro travelled back six months in time.
Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is bemused at how he could dream about a sister he never knew he had, or of a boy who actually exists, but he didn't know? According to the file, the boy's name is Sanjob, and he can enter one's dreams and change perceptions, as if he is a sort of spirit guide. Mohinder finds Sanjob in a bustling marketplace. When Mohinder tells the boy that Sanjob visited Mohinder in his dreams, Sanjob denies it, but with a smile, as he says, "I don't come to anyone. They come to me... they have questions that need answers." Mohinder asks which path he should take and the boy tells him, "You already have the answer you seek."
Mohinder has another vision: his colleague yelling at Chandra, Mohinder's father about the boy and Chandra's theories. Mohinder sees himself telling his father that he just read Chandra's book on evolution, and Chandra, rejecting his help in finding those who have taken the next step in human evolution. When Mohinder snaps out of his vision, he knows the answer. He correctly guesses that his father's computer password is Shanti, and accessess the files, at which point a list of everyone with special talents scrolls down the screen. Mohinder tells his mother that he is turning down Mira's offer to come and work with her, and instead is returning to New York.
Meanwhile Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) has bought a long-range rifle to kill her husband....
...but back in Texas, the clock is ticking toward Claire's fateful meeting with Silar, in a stunning conclusion to the first major plot thread. Adam Armus (of Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess) and Nora Kay Foster have both written extensively before, both for -- amongst others -- Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess. Having started slowly, Tim Kring's excellent and thoughtful series has gained momentum
