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The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the "I Am Become Death" episode of the NBC series "Heroes."

Four years in the future, Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) believes, and tells his past self, that with Sylar?s abilities, he won?t make the same mistakes he has in playing a role in a horrific future. Then Claire (Hayden Panettiere), with the help of the Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis), kills Future Peter.

Peter is a murderer in the eyes of Dark Claire, who appears to be part of the Evil League of Super-Evil. Claire kills scarred Future Peter, claiming he?s a murderer. Past/Present Peter is with Future Peter when he is killed, and escapes as she attempts to kill him as well.

One gets the feeling Future Peter sent Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) to Africa to meet future painter Usutu (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) deliberately -- so he could enlist his help in changing the future. Usutu helps Matt go on a vision quest into the future, where he sees what is to come -- and he may be the key to preventing a disastrous future. I hope he?s faster than his turtle guide.

Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is a monster. Not only is he obsessed with his new-found powers, but he works obsessively to find a cure that doesn?t seem to exist. He also exhibits erratic behavior, his skin is bumping and peeling, and he may be becoming a murderer on top of it all.

The reptilian Future Mohinder hides his appearance, and seems more wild animal than man. He remains in hiding in dead Isaac?s loft-turned-lab, and (there is a bright side) there is no sign of Maya.

On the word of Mohinder Monster, Past Peter seeks out Future Sylar, though Mohinder can?t tell him why.

Peter finds Future Sylar (Zachary Quinto), who now goes by the name Gabriel, is a domestic goddess, making waffles for his little son Noah in the Bennet?s Costa Verde house. Noah greets him as Uncle Peter, and Gabriel greets his brother with a hug. Peter is clearly perplexed.

It turns out Gabriel learned to stop using his powers -- any of them -- to avoid turning back into the monster he once was. Peter, however, wants his power, which would supposedly help him figure out how to fix the future and prevent the end of the world, but Gabriel warns him of the terrible consequences his abilities could yield.

Enter Daphne, Knox, and Dark Claire, who hold Noah hostage until Gabriel turns Peter over to them. Both Peter and Gabriel lash out quickly to protect Noah, but in the scuffle, Noah gets killed. When Gabriel finds his son?s dead body, he does what any distraught parent would do -- goes nuclear and blows up much of California.

Does this mean Sylar has to remain evil to save the world? Damn! I was hoping he would make me waffles!

Peter absorbs Gabriel?s/Sylar?s ability/hunger, and kills Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) Sylar-style, almost as if it was involuntary. Then he transports back in time to Sylar?s present-day Fifth Level cell under Primatech. It seems Claire?s claims about Peter being a murderer may be true -- and that her assertion that he?s evil may have merit to it.

In the meantime, on the east coast, Ice Queen Tracy (Ali Larter), riddled with guilt about killing the Greatest American Reporter (William Katt), learns of her origins, and that somewhere out there, she has an identical triplet named Barbara. Each triplet had been injected with power juice formula when they were born, so their powers were artificially created -- as it seems -- is the case with most (but not all) of the super-powered ones.

Upon learning this, and discovering she can?t control her power, she resigns as Nathan??s aide. Nathan, who is clearly attracted to her, is told by the ghost of Linderman (Malcolm McDowell) that he has to save her.

Tracy is prepared to jump off a bridge and end her life, when Nathan flies to her rescue -- and flies off with her. As they each learn that the other has super abilities, a romance begins that may inevitably lead to Tracy being the First Lady to Nathan?s President.

Hiro (Masi Oka), in an effort to escape his Fifth Level cell, learns that without his friend Ando (James Kyson Lee), he can?t get anywhere ? and that Ando is a lot more capable than he gives him credit for; but his attempted escape is thwarted by Angela Petrelli (Cristine Rose) and the Haitian.

It seems that Mama Petrelli blames him for endangering the world, because he lost the half of the mystery power juice formula. The only way to ensure getting it back and reversing the damage that could be done, is for Hiro to exhume the live, and likely crazed, body of Adam (David Anders) -- who was left buried six feet under by Hiro some time ago.

What Worked

I know a lot of people hated this, but I loved Gabriel/Sylar as hausfrau and mommy.

The banter between Hiro and Ando -- even in their strained relationship -- is a lot of fun. Best of all though was Ando?s defending Hiro against Mama P?s scathing remarks.

Angela: ?Your father loved you dearly, Hiro. He had faith you would grow up to be a great man, but he was mistaken, and his folly will be the downfall of us all.?
Hiro (bowing his head in shame): ?I am sorry.?
Ando (pulling Hiro?s head up by the collar): ?No, you?re not!?

Ando is my best new hero!

I find it intriguing that every time you think someone is good or evil, the perspective changes with new information, and then they don?t appear to be so good or evil. Good Past/Present Peter may be an evil murderer, because he has absorbed Sylar?s hunger for knowledge about the inner workings of things. Claire, Daphne, and Knox may be good, because they are trying to stop Peter-Gone-Sylar. Claire and Daphne may be evil, because they hold a little boy hostage to get to Peter. Sylar/Gabriel may be good. Hiro may be evil. Ando. Adam. Angela. Each and every character is straddling the line between good and evil, and in that balancing act is the fate of the planet.

I also have to say that I like the Tracy story, which is much more interesting and less sleazy (and forced) than the Nikki/Jessica story.

I?m rooting for Matt Parkman finding love and a family, even if Daphne is a tad too young for him.

Finally, it was just a little thing, but I like that Nathan chose the Robert Kennedy desk vs. the John Foster Dulles desk that Ghost Linderman suggested. Dulles was notorious for spearheading and escalating the Cold War and the nuclear arms race madness that characterized the 1950?s. His virulent anti-communism encouraged the political witchhunts of the time, and brought the world to the brink of nuclear disaster. Robert Kennedy, also notorious for being a cold warrior, started to part ways with the proponents of nuclear proliferation and began associating with groups that in the past would have been blacklisted.

I know that it?s just my history geekdom that drew me to focus on this, but that tiny scene was metaphorically drawing the lines between Nathan?s and Linderman?s divergent approaches to their roles in the world.

What Didn?t Work

While I understand the intent of the Mohinder story, and part of me is amused with the idea that the hottest man in the cast morphs into a hideous and unstable monster, I still have trouble with how he got there in the first place. Mohinder may be the most na?ve character in all of television, but he was always a principled scientist and human being. I still don?t buy that he would have injected himself with his formula in the first place. Granted, most real human beings given the chance, would probably seek out super powers -- and that is posed as the major danger to the world in the story -- but I would think Mohinder would have been more hesitant than he was.

Then there?s Linderman. Malcolm McDowell is a fantastic actor, and on some level I like that he is in the series, but I?m not so sure Linderman?s presence again after his death is a good thing. I don?t see the Linderman ghost or vision or whatever he is, really adding anything vital to the story, except for giving Nathan religion and/or a messiah complex. I could be wrong, and I would love to be proven so, but at this point, I think it drags the story down a little.

Finally, and for me this is really a minor point, as I had to view the episode a second time to notice this, but some of the special effects were kind of sloppy. For example, as romantic as the scene was of Nathan rescuing Tracy and flying off with her, their exit looked a little bit clumsy and not as carefully directed or as graceful as it could have been.

Overall, though, I think this episode has been the best one of the season so far.

Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due

?I Am Become Death? was written by Joe Pokaski and directed by Sergio Mimica- Gezzan. ?Heroes? airs on NBC, Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.

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