In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.
Mohinder, Matt and Peter have Bennet prisoner in a motel in Costa Verde, and they use a painful combination of phenobarbitol and Matt's mind-mojo on Bennet to learn about this sequence of events: Bennet met with Angela five weeks earlier, and Angela told him she was done with The Company and suggested he let his past go, but he wasn't really psyched about the prospect of just hanging out with his family and doing nothing else, so when Nathan showed up at his door a week later and told him about his plan, he didn't take much convincing. A week after that, Bennet met Danko and pitched the "one of us, one of them" idea, but the reception was frosty at best, especially since Danko disabused Bennet of the notion he'd be running the show. A couple weeks later, Bennet tried to hold an olive branch out to Danko, but Danko clearly still didn't have all that much use for him or his belief that the Heroes should be thought of as human beings.
Matt also discovers where Bennet keeps all the weapons he used while he was with The Company, and Peter takes the opportunity to go grab a good supply. However, Danko catches this move on a security camera, and he sends an interception team, but Peter manages to elude it. Matt then discovers that Bennet approached Mohinder about the imminent government program, but Mohinder didn't believe him and thus didn't tell anyone. This leads to a fight between Mohinder and Matt, and while that's going on, Bennet escapes -- like, nice job guys. Peter, however, cleans up their mess by catching him again, and then goes after Danko when Matt fishes his address out of Bennet's mind. Peter gets the drop on Danko and ends up shooting him in the arm, but when Nathan turns up and tells Peter that if he kills Danko, he'll be signing a death warrant for Matt and Mohinder, Peter flees the scene. Danko immediately orders his team to find and capture them, and, seeing them coming, Matt is about to kill Bennet, but Bennet tells him that Daphne's alive, and Matt goes back into his mind and confirms that. Meanwhile, Mohinder works out his guilt over not telling everyone about the government program when he had the chance by holding off the commando team and getting himself captured. Matt eventually gets taken too, but Peter's once again there to save him, and remember when Peter used to screw everything up? He obviously even made sure not to touch Matt's skin so as not to change powers in mid-flight! Mohinder, however, isn't as lucky as Matt, and is forced to listen to Nathan ask for his help. In the end, Bennet tells Danko that he's got his complete dedication, and Danko obliquely suggests they conspire against Nathan. Bennet agrees, but when Danko's gone, we see Bennet is loyal to neither Danko nor Nathan -- he's still working for Angela and has infiltrated the government operation. That was a great twist, but it's somewhat ruined when in the end, Matt paints yet another apocalypse -- this time D.C. is going up in flames. Just when it seemed like the show was learning from its mistakes.
Want more? The full recap starts right below! We start at a motel in Costa Verde, and it becomes clear very quickly that what we're seeing happened before last week's ending, so bare bones: Peter's gotten his hands on some Phenobarbital, which Matt says they'll need to give Bennet in order for him to read his mind on account of Bennet being so well-trained. This is coming from the guy who was able to force three men to kill each other two weeks ago, so either Matt's ability is conveniently variable in its efficacy, or Bennet's the Jabba The Hutt of this particular tale. Matt then makes more sense when he points out to Peter and Mohinder that they did nothing wrong and in fact all have jobs that are designed to help people, and they were still made to be fugitives. Mohinder's still got reservations (possibly for reasons other than you think) but Peter's on board with the drug-aided interrogation idea, so off they go......into the scene we saw last week, which I feel no need to recap again, except to say that I do wonder how the drug came into his drink, but maybe Matt mentally compelled the bartender to put it in there. Also, Peter gratuitously throws an arm across Bennet's waist like he's going to cop a feel, which I guess is what happens when your brother breaks up with you.
Later, the three of them have Bennet tied to a chair, and Matt informs his cohorts that the drug is working...
...and we fade to a black-and-white flashback that we're helpfully informed happened five weeks ago, and Bennet is sitting on a park bench sipping coffee when Angela walks up and joins him, exactly like two Cold War spies pretending they're just out for some air as they exchange information, which is appropriate given the episode title but will be more so later. Bennet informs her that ten people died the night before in Ohio when "a house spontaneously caught on fire." If this is the show's subtle way of telling us that Meredith is still alive, I'm happy to hear it. All this is beside the point, however, because Angela tells him it's over -- Primatech is gone, and about time too. She gives him an envelope that she says contains a severance check (knowing what happens, I wonder if there's perhaps a message inside as well) and a box, which he opens to find a nice watch. He asks why she's doing this, and she replies, "'Bag and tag', 'one of us, one of them' -- it's an antiquated system, desperately trying to remain relevant." Sounds like Angela would be a good person to put on the task of getting rid of Nielsen ratings. She says she's told too many lies, but she hopes it's not too late to put her family back together, and I in turn hope that doesn't mean she's planning on removing the bullet from her husband's brain. After Bennet looks down at the watch again, he tells her what he did for Primatech is all he's ever known, and asks what he's supposed to do now. She counsels him to take care of Claire and of himself before getting up and taking her leave...
...and back in the motel room, Matt snaps out of it and announces that he's going to find out how the government initiative started and how to stop it, as if that weren't THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS EXERCISE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Whoever writes Matt drives me to distraction, I tell you what. He starts again as he assures Mohinder that he'll push as hard as he needs to, and Bennet looking like a stroke victim is the last thing we see before the title card.
At Building 26, a tuxedo-sporting Nathan stalks in and bitches at Danko for yanking him out of a State dinner. Danko ignores that in favor of telling him that Bennet's gone off the grid for three hours, which is against standing orders. Nathan asks after Claire, which gives Danko the opportunity to take a dismissive tone with him before announcing to everyone else that they're to track down Bennet, and Nathan asks if he's going to spy on him. Danko replies that no one is above scrutiny, even himself, but Bennet's compromised, as is Nathan, because of their protection of Claire. Nathan takes a long moment and asks if Danko's spying on him, and Danko answers with the best line in a while: "You barely touched your prime rib." Nice. Nathan glares ineffectively before walking away...
...and we cut back to Peter, who's nervously checking the window and urging Matt to hurry up. Matt counters that you can't rush an interrogation, which is bad news to everyone, especially me. Mohinder, who apparently stopped by a medical supply shop during this mission to pick up a stethoscope, informs Matt that this is torture. "You're straining his entire system." Hey, Mohinder, you know what else strains your entire system? Exercise. And while it's true that some people think that's torture, I still must insist you shut up without delay. No, that's not happening, as Mohinder blathers about Matt having a personal vendetta about Daphne and how Matt is better than Bennet, and not only is that patently false, it's not like Mohinder's any kind of reliable judge himself. Why is Peter hanging out with these two losers? Speaking of which, Peter checks Bennet's pulse as the other two will not shut up for a minute, and it's repetitive and boring, so I once again must thank Peter for breaking the tie in Matt's favor. Matt does his silly side-face -- like, even Deanna Troi wasn't this goofy -- and then there's a sliding effect that makes it look like the two of them are moving closer, followed by black-and-white footage popping up behind Bennet's head...
...and then he slides out of frame so we're fully in the flashback, which is now four weeks ago. Bennet's sitting in the living room and doing a crossword when Sandra enters and asks if he needs help. Bennet offers, "Four-letter word, Thin Man dog." Sandra supplies, "Asta," like, come on, Bennet. That's in like, every New York Times puzzle ever made! Maybe he's never done one of these before, but you'd think at some point when he was staking out a Hero's house he would have needed a diversion such as this. Sandra then tells him she's going to go get changed, as they have dinner in an hour with "the Bulows," and if he wants to take a shower he should do it now. After some talk about the PTA and her putting his coffee cup on a coaster, she kisses him on the head and says it's nice to have him around. Ringing testimonial from your wife of 20-ish years, guy. He smiles fakely, but when she's gone, it looks like dinner with the Joneses is on his list right after "chewing on tinfoil," so it's no surprise that he looks up eagerly when there's a knock at the door, which he opens to find Nathan. They shake hands, but when Bennet confesses he doesn't know where Claire is, Nathan replies that she's at the library. At Bennet's raised eyebrow, he clarifies, "Secret Service thing." Heh. He goes on that he wanted to talk to Bennet alone, so Bennet invites him in...
...and in the study, Nathan says he's set "some things" in motion, and assures him Claire will be safe. Bennet's blood pressure predictably goes up when the issue of Claire's safety is even mentioned, and he cuts through Nathan's roundabout speechifying and insists he get to the point, so Nathan says the reason Bennet joined Primatech is still true -- people with abilities are a threat. He says that the government has the resources to deal with the problem, and Bennet incredulously asks if that means Nathan's rounding people up. Nathan says that's only the beginning, so Bennet asks if he's counting himself, and Nathan admits that certain exceptions need to be made, and Claire could be one of them -- but he needs Bennet's help. Bennet asks what Nathan plans to do after the containment step, and Nathan replies that he intends to have science figure out a way to eliminate the abilities permanently, tipping his hand a bit by saying his own abilities were given to him and they can be taken away, and he won't accept anything less. This is the same man that wanted to give everyone in the world abilities only weeks earlier, right? I mean, I absolutely despise the term, but even I would feel pretty comfortable labeling Nathan a flip-flopper. Bennet, seeming like he's coming around, points out that Nathan will be seen as a villain, and not only that, Claire will find out he's responsible. Nathan feebly says that she doesn't need to know, but Bennet dismisses that, saying she will, they all will, and they'll blame him. Nathan admits that he lost his way, and he nearly killed his own brother. "I just want a chance to make things right." Here's a thought: Try anything else. Bennet asks what Nathan wants from him, and Nathan points out that Bennet spent 20 years tracking "these people," and he wants to know how Bennet did it. Considering he once captured you himself, Nathan, shouldn't you already know?
We cut to Bennet opening a lock with the combination "7957," and it's possible that number will turn out to be significant from the extreme close-up, but as if an agent as accomplished as Bennet would trust the security of his little stronghold here to a four-digit combination lock. Nice try, show. The two men then walk into a storage space, and Bennet shows Nathan an impressive array of weaponry he's got stashed away. Nathan notes that he kept it, and Bennet intones, "It's hard to throw this stuff away." He's then immediately arrested for trying to kill a U.S. Senator with an anvil. Nathan points out the obvious, that the government doesn't exactly need his weapons, but Bennet says what they need is perspective and the ability to control information. Still doesn't explain why you took him to Weapons 'R' Us, does it? He goes on that he's been doing a job for a long time, and it doesn't end just because Angela turns off the lights. Nathan asks why he isn't enjoying the time home with his family, and we get a closeup that makes me glad I'm not watching in HD as he replies, "There's only so many crossword puzzles I can do." Which is zero, if you can't even get "Asta" without help.
Matt comes out of the probe and tells the other two that Bennet and Nathan planned the whole thing together. He repeats that loudly to Peter, and Peter's like, I know, and says he tried to stop Nathan, but it didn't happen. More married-couple arguing between Matt and Mohinder leaves me with about the same facial expression that Bennet's currently sporting, and after Matt yells that Mohinder thinks he deserves to be hunted, Peter breaks them up, and then Matt gets An Idea -- he writes down the address of Bennet's weapons locker, and says there are things in there they need, like guns, money and books on how not to overact. He suggests Mohinder go, but when he balks, Peter takes the paper, which makes more sense since he can, you know, fly. As he leaves, he grits, "Try not to kill one another." That's advice I hope they don't take.
Peter comes in for a landing, and after opening the lock with the combination with which Matt helpfully supplied him, he searches inside and finds the case Bennet showed Nathan, which contains guns and grenades, among other things. He's pretty psyched, but would probably be less so if he knew that there's a security camera hidden in the vent...
...which is sending a video feed back to Building 26. Some guy notices and calls Danko over, and Danko smiles: "Gotcha." No, what you've got is a commercial break, but Peter may certainly follow.
Nathan comes bustling up asking where the feed is coming from, and Danko tells him Peter's in Costa Verde, and he's already got a local team on the way to apprehend him. Nathan wonders if Peter and Bennet are working together, but Danko says he's reserving judgment, which is easier for him to do when the person in question has no powers. Nathan says he wants Peter caught, and although Danko for once has a legitimate point when he protests that Peter is in a room full of guns, and they'll be risking their own men's lives, Nathan will not hear of anything else, so Danko reluctantly relays the order: "Phasers on stun." Funny that they gave a Star Trek shout-out in an episode missing Zachary Quinto, but I'll take it. And so, I expect, will he, since I think this is his first episode off in about 300 years. Danko then freaks when they lose visual, and orders his men forward...
...and there are quite a few of them, as some of them take up positions down the hallway while two of them open the door. Something that looks like a grenade comes rolling forth, but when it goes off, it merely emits a small burst of light the momentarily blinds the lead guys, leaving Peter free to fly by and out into the night. You'd think the commandos might have thought to secure the outer door when dealing with SOMEONE WHO'S KNOWN TO BE ABLE TO FLY, but I suppose that's why Nathan felt the need to bring Bennet in for training tips.
Matt's washing his face like this whole ordeal is putting so much stress on him as Mohinder anxiously awaits Peter's return. Bennet, just coming out of the drug haze, tells them Peter's been captured or killed, as he, Bennet, never checked in. He mysteriously goes on that Mohinder knows he's right, and his storage unit is under surveillance. Mohinder seems to agree, saying they should go. Matt, however, latches onto Bennet's mention of checking in, and asks whom he was going to report to. Bennet won't say, but as he tries to resist, Matt goes back into his mind...
...and it's now three weeks ago, and Nathan is just bringing Bennet in to meet Danko. The two shake hands, and Bennet observes that the government "spares no penny." Danko seemed to be the trigger for that statement, so does that mean Bennet knows him, or of him, at this point? Anyway, Bennet mentions some ground rules he'd like to implement, oblivious to the fact that Nathan suddenly looks like he's passing a kidney stone, and tells them about the "one of us, one of them" system Primatech implemented. Danko's familiar with it, as he read Bennet's file, but is not so much in favor. Bennet looks taken aback by Danko's resistance, but tries again, saying that a lot of the Heroes they're targeting are good people, "useful people." Danko, however, opines that it's a matter of trust, not ethics, and by the way, Primatech was kind of a mess. Bennet counters that for 20 years, he was able to ensure that people like Danko never knew Heroes existed, but Danko smiles humorlessly. "Don't presume to know anything about me." I think it's safe for him to presume to know this: You're short. Danko walks away, and Bennet turns to Nathan and says he thought he was being brought in to run the operation, and Nathan gives a response about "looking at everything from as many angles as we can" that is such bullshit that I have to spray some air freshener in the direction of my TV.
Outside, Bennet hops into a parked cab, the driver of which is Mohinder, who looks very surprised but much less pleased. As he starts driving, Bennet tells him that something big is happening, and he needs his help. Mohinder is understandably skeptical, so Bennet goes on that Mohinder has a unique perspective, having been both "ordinary" and "extraordinary," and tells him there's a government program being put together, and it's going to blow up in the planners' faces. Bennet begs Mohinder to help him, saying they can save lives...
...and then Matt comes out of it and accusingly confronts Mohinder with what he saw. Mohinder tries to explain that he wasn't talking to anyone at the time, and he thought it best to keep quiet. Matt sneers that Mohinder didn't want him in Bennet's head because he was afraid of being exposed, but Mohinder firmly tells him Bennet did approach him, but he turned him down. Matt responds by throwing Mohinder into a mirror, like, nice to draw attention to yourself with loud noises coming from your room, and when it breaks, a large shard conveniently falls near Bennet's reach. With his super-strength, Mohinder has no problem keeping Matt pinned, so Matt's reduced to yelling that sounds like it's going to turn into crying as he points out that Mohinder could have warned him and everyone else. Mohinder makes the reasonable argument that he didn't exactly believe Bennet, and after some more sweatily panted lines, they realize that Bennet is long gone. Sorry, boys, but can you blame him?
Mohinder and Matt run out and start looking for Bennet, but in another area of the parking lot, Bennet skulks around and then rips off a car antenna, which he uses to force the lock on one of the cars. He gets in and starts hotwiring, but is rudely interrupted by Peter's feet crashing onto the windshield. Bennet looks up in chagrin, and Peter's like, "Hi." Heh. We then cut back to the hotel room, where Matt and Peter are using duct tape to secure him, and Peter opines that they should get out of there while they still can. Matt, however, is more into going back into Bennet's mind, and when Mohinder tries to side with Peter, Matt rats him out for knowing about the government initiative in advance. Peter changes his mind, and Matt probes again...
...and we see Bennet, slip of paper with an address in hand, knocking on an apartment door as we see it's now one week ago. Danko answers and is surprised, but lets Bennet in, who we see is carrying a bottle of liquor as he says he thinks they got off on the wrong foot. Booze is certainly a candidate to turn things around. Bennet goes on that he thought it would be a good idea if they each understood where the other was coming from, but Danko's really not interested, as he thinks Bennet's loyalties are divided -- even when he was at Primatech, he danced the line between company man (aw) and family man. "I'm not much for dancing." That's too bad, because I'd pay to see you do a foxtrot. He says that winning the war they're fighting will take focus, which Bennet lacks. Danko, by the way, looks more wraithlike in this black-and-white footage than I thought possible. Is this makeup, or does Zeljko Ivanek live in a root cellar? Bennet, in a much more unflappable mood than the last time they met, counters that he's read Danko's file too, and he's known guys like him -- simple, unconnected, never off the job -- and they think that makes them perfect. Danko: "Not perfect. Just better than you." This guy's a tough nut, Bennet -- maybe you should have brought flowers, too. Bennet thinks the key to capturing Heroes is to understand their humanity, not their abilities. "But you have to be human to do that." Danko admits that Bennet is a valuable asset, but asks if once they begin engagement, he's going to take orders, or he's going to continue undermining him "with every glance." Bennet tells him he's the boss...
...and then we're back in the hotel room, and Bennet is in obvious distress, so Mohinder pulls Matt away to break the mental link. Matt goes to jot down the address (he's getting his money's worth with the hotel stationery) as Bennet tries to warn him that going after Danko will get them killed. Peter grabs a gun, pauses for a moment at Bennet's warnings, but then heads out the door and flies away with a whoosh...
...just before several vehicles pull into the parking lot and commandos come spilling out. The place looks too small to host a Marines fundraiser, so I'm guessing Matt and Mohinder are in trouble.
Danko's on the phone with the team in Costa Verde as he enters his apartment and gets his surveillance monitors up and running. However, he suddenly senses someone behind him, and when he turns, he finds Peter with a gun trained on him: "You really should lock your windows." Well, honestly. At Building 26, that same tech with speaking lines calls Nathan over to show him what's going on at Chez Danko, and once Nathan sees it, he takes off. Hope he's not still being watched!
Back at the apartment, Danko puts down the phone and holds his hands out. He asks Peter if he wants him dead, and then steps forward and puts his head right up against the gun. Peter, surprised, asks if he wants to die, and he says no, "but you came here with a mission, right? So get it over with." Even the man's survival instinct can't overcome his propensity to give orders. He says if Peter thinks he's a good guy, he's mistaken, as he broke into his house and put a gun to his head, even though it would be a lot more accurate to say the head was put to the gun, and Peter basically agrees with me, saying Danko's the one who's hunting him and his kind. Danko tells him if he kills him, everyone will see how dangerous Heroes are, and Nathan sees that as his cue to enter: "He's right, you know." It's no fun saying those words if you don't use Ozmodiar's voice. Danko focuses in on how fast Nathan got there, and I'm glad he's paying attention, but if he's that smart, wouldn't he wonder about Nathan, given that Nathan's mother, father, brother and daughter ALL have abilities? Nathan doesn't answer Danko, instead stepping toward Peter and trying to say this isn't him. Peter shows what he thinks of Nathan's words by shooting Danko in the arm, so Nathan gets louder, saying if he kills Danko, an order will "come down" (not sure from whom) to kill them all, and he won't be able to stop it. Peter yells at Nathan to shut up, and I'm sure at this point Danko seconds that. Danko, through his pain, says that Peter can't trust either of them, but Nathan tells Peter that Matt and Mohinder are going to be captured, and pulling the trigger will be signing their death warrants. Danko looks like he can't believe Nathan told Peter that, but in fairness, he did just call him untrustworthy. Anyway, Peter obviously can't afford to take the chance, and with a hateful look Danko's way, runs out the window and flies away, although they save money on the effect by having Ventimiglia fling himself offscreen and adding in another whoosh. I'd complain, but Peter's not done flying in this episode yet. Danko asks Nathan why he blabbed to Peter, so Nathan blusters that he just saved Danko's life, and Danko doesn't bother responding, instead calling his team and yelling for them to take the targets NOW...
...and the commandos move, busting into room after room. They do that cheap trick where they dramatically focus on a room that turns out not to be the right one, but it's only a matter of time, and the fugitives know it, so Matt, at his breaking point, takes out one of the guns Peter brought back and puts it to Bennet's head, but Bennet saves his skin by barking that Daphne's alive. He invites a disbelieving Matt to read his mind, but Matt says they don't have time for that -- until Mohinder volunteers to hold the commandos off, the unstated implication being this is his way of making up for not telling everyone about the initiative, or whatever. The fact that Matt was TOO DUMB TO CHECK DAPHNE'S PULSE BEFORE HE LEFT HER BY THE PLANE isn't mentioned, but that's what my Caps Lock and I are here for, I guess. Matt goes back into Bennet's mind...
...and it's two days earlier. Bennet is walking down a hallway in Building 26 several steps behind a gurney when a female voice calls out, "This one's alive," so Bennet rushes over to see that it's Daphne, who's unnervingly crying out in pain. Bennet announces that it will take "three times the normal amount to keep this one down," and if anyone has an explanation for that math I really don't want to hear it. Also, may I point out that it's now clear she was shot IN THE SHOULDER, as it seemed at the time even from our vantage point, so how could anyone credibly have thought she was dead? Stupid, I have to say. Anyway...
...Mohinder beats the crap out of a few soldiers, but gets zapped multiple times even as he's trying to run away and finally goes down...
...and upstairs, Matt's holding a gun on the door as Bennet tries to tell him that he's not a killer. Matt: "You should have just taken the damn watch and stayed home." Matt, you did see about the crossword puzzles, right? The soldiers then burst in and tell Matt to drop the gun, and after he deliberates for about a million years, he finally complies. Bennet calls for them not to hurt Matt as they drop him to the floor and cuff his hands behind his back, and as they put a mask on his face, Bennet insists that he walk him out...
...and we cut to him doing just that. However, when they get to the bottom of the stairs, another charge clatters in front of Matt's feet, and when it goes off and the soldiers cover their eyes, Matt gets whisked away, and all I can say is it's a good thing Peter's pretty buff. Bennet looks up into the sky and sees Peter and Matt fly off into the night, and I spend the commercial break hoping that Peter's careful to touch only Matt's clothes, or they'll both fall to the ground while telepathically cursing each other out.
In Building 26, Mohinder is chained up much as Tracy was last week, only leg restraints have been added to the mix. Nathan has entered the room, and after a guard throws a bucket of water in Mohinder's face to wake him up, Nathan steps into his view, earning him a snarl. Nathan points out that not long ago, Mohinder had him tied up, but Mohinder spits, "Don't use me to rationalize your actions." You'll be lucky if that's all he uses you for. Nathan kneels down and tells Mohinder that he, Matt and Peter got in the way of what he's trying to accomplish, which is containment, and with the whole fiasco with the plane, his actions and those of the others "supported the hardliners, who believe you should all be executed." You mean those hardliners that WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN ABOUT THEM IF YOU HADN'T OPENED YOUR FAT MOUTH? God, I hate Nathan. He brings up his plan to eliminate the powers, and says he needs Mohinder's help, but Mohinder doesn't want to hear it until some flunky steps forward and opens a laptop that shows a feed of Daphne, still in obvious pain. Nathan tells Mohinder that if he doesn't help him, his associates will kill her and everyone else, and then leaves Mohinder to think about that. Mohinder struggles with his chains vainly.
Outside, Danko and Bennet pedeconference as Danko suggests Bennet take a few days off, but Bennet says that won't be necessary before admitting that Danko was right when he called him weak, but now that he's alienated from his family it won't be a problem anymore. "The job is all that's left. You have my complete dedication." He asks Danko if he still thinks he's compromised, and Danko doesn't answer, instead mentioning that "they" found his storage unit. Bennet counters the unstated allegation by pointing out that said discovery led Danko right to Peter and the others, and he's the one that let them get away. Danko admits that he underestimated them, but says "they got away because Senator Petrelli let his personal interests cloud his judgment." He adds that "kid gloves are standard issue" around there, and tacitly answers Bennet's earlier question by saying that the two of them have to change that. He asks if Bennet agrees, and Bennet gives a small smile with his answer: "Absolutely." Danko gives him a look of newfound trust before heading off, but once he's gone, Bennet turns and strides purposefully toward a nearby park bench, on which someone is waiting for him -- Angela. This, I loved. Almost all his actions look different when viewed through this event. He reports that things went pretty well, and he thinks Danko trusts him. Angela demurs, saying that Danko trusts no one, and he'll continue to test him. Bennet says he's prepared for that, because Danko has it all wrong, and so, for that matter, does Nathan. Angela gives him a side-eye of agreement before turning and saying there's no middle ground -- he's going to have to play the role and make tough choices to prove his loyalty to the cause. Bennet says she knows him: "I've always been comfortable with morally grey." NICE! That was awesome. He takes off, but leaves a box on the bench, which she opens to find the watch she gave him. She looks after him and smiles fondly, and it would have been great if we ended there...
...but no, we have to go to Isaac's studio/Mohinder's lab (who's paying the rent on this place?) in which Matt's painting while Peter waits. Matt then comes back to himself and is chagrined, and he's not the only one, because on the floor is a representation of a mushroom cloud over D.C. Show, you and I were getting along so well. I want to keep as optimistic as I have been about this chapter, but shit like that doesn't make it easy, and if you fuck up this one as bad as the last, Danko's not the only one who's taking off the kid gloves. And one other thing: How the hell is that paint dry already?
Discuss this episode in the Heroes forums, and peruse our Heroes power rankings!
John Ramos is a writer and film producer living in Los Angeles. You can reach him at couchbaron@gmail.com.