Heroes Volume Four, Chapter Four: Cold Wars

We open with Matt, Mohinder and Peter hanging out at a cheap motel. Hey, already this episode is head and shoulders above last week’s installment! They squabble about whether to go through with kidnapping and interrogating Bennet. Matt is all gung-ho for the idea, whereas Mohinder has moral reservations. For his part, Peter is willing to side with whoever argues the loudest. This happens to be Matt, so they proceed with the plan. They slip Bennet a mickey, drag him back to their room, and tie him to a chair.

Matt uses his mental powers to invade Bennet’s mind and sift through his memories. He first views a memory from five weeks ago: Angela Petrelli tells Bennet she’s dissolving Primatech. She gives him severance pay and a nice watch and sends him on his way.

Bad Cop Matt argues with Good Cop Mohinder over the ethics of putting Bennet through dangerous mental torment to get the information they need. While this is going on, Peter watches Pay-Per-View or checks his e-mail or paints his toenails or whatever, then finally makes a stab at relevancy by sort of ineffectually siding with Matt. Matt once again enters Bennet’s thoughts.

Four weeks ago: Nathan stops by Bennet’s house and spills the beans about his “rounding up undesirables” plan. First stage: incarcerate all individuals with special abilities. Second stage: put together a crackerjack team of world-class scientists to find some way to permanently remove the abilities. Third stage: when no world-class scientists volunteer for the task, get Mohinder to do it. Bennet shows Nathan his top-secret storage locker filled with, as Nathan puts it, “weapons and stuff.” This is why Nathan is a United States Senator. He’s got a way with words.

When Matt’s mental invasion starts to cause harm to Bennet, Mohinder tries to put a stop to it. Matt theorizes that Mohinder is siding with Bennet because he’s feeling guilty from all the nonsensical chaos he caused last volume, back when he was a crazy bug-man. Matt and Mohinder yell REALLY LOUDLY at each other, which is an awesome thing to do when you’re fugitives from the law holed up in a tiny motel room. Hey, guys, no worries about attracting unwanted attention. It’s not like you’re currently in possession of a bound-and-drugged kidnapping victim or anything.

Matt sends Peter off to loot Bennet’s storage locker. Back at Building 26, Danko, who is concerned that Bennet hasn’t checked in on schedule, spots Peter on the security camera and orders his goons to ambush him. Peter chucks a grenade at them and flies away.

Back at the hotel, Matt and Mohinder fret that Peter is taking too long. Bennet tells them it means Peter’s been captured or killed. Mohinder thinks they should take the opportunity to release Bennet and escape, but Matt overrules him and proceeds with the interrogation. Matt, by the way, is a total and complete dickwad this episode. I must say, I like it.

Matt invades Bennet’s memories of three weeks ago: Nathan introduces Bennet to Danko, who sneers at Primatech’s lousy track record and tells Bennet he thinks the “one of us, one of them” approach -- i.e. always partnering a normal human with someone with special abilities -- is totally lame and gimmicky. He’s not wrong. Let’s face it, Primatech was pretty much a clown college. Then again, post-plane crash, Danko only manages to recapture Tracy, so I’m not sure he really has cause to scoff at Bennet’s lack of tracking skills.

Matt also uncovers a memory of Bennet secretly meeting with Mohinder and tipping him off to Nathan’s plan. Cheerfully forgetting that Mohinder shot him in the eyeball the last time they teamed up, Bennet asks for his help: “I need you, Mohinder. I need your brain. I need your strength.”

This is hands-down the most hilarious thing Bennet has ever said.

Matt demands an explanation from Mohinder, who insists he turned down Bennet’s request and assumed it was just another of his lies. Enraged, Matt throws Mohinder into a mirror, so Mohinder uses his super-strength to beat the custard out of him. While these two nitwits duke it out, Bennet unties himself and waltzes out of there, only to be recaptured by Peter. Matt gets bitchy with Mohinder some more and calls him a coward, then continues his interrogation of Bennet.

Matt uncovers a memory from a week ago: Bennet drops by Danko’s apartment, bearing booze and overtures of friendship. From this, Matt figures out Danko’s home address and sends Peter to kill him.

Peter points a gun at Danko, but Nathan arrives before he pulls the trigger. Danko tries to goad Peter into killing him and thus proving him right about how all people with abilities are dangerous lunatics, while Nathan tries to convince Peter to turn himself in. Peter, always the free-wheeling loose cannon, shoots Danko in the arm and flies off.

As Danko’s goons storm the motel, Bennet tells Matt that Daphne is still alive. Mohinder, still smarting from being labeled a coward, offers to hold off the goons by himself while Matt investigates this further. Matt examines Bennet’s memories and confirms that, yep, Daphne is being held in Building 26.

Mohinder bravely and idiotically takes on dozens of Danko’s heavily-armed goons. They taser the bejesus out of him and haul him off. The goons capture Matt as well, but Peter swoops in, drops a grenade, grabs Matt, and flies off.

Mohinder wakes to find himself shackled to a chair in a cell in Building 26, where Nathan tosses a bucket of water on him. So now we have Mohinder, soaking wet, chained up, hair flopping into his eyes, writhing around in righteous indignation… Yeah, this is a really good episode. Nathan wants Mohinder to come up with some way to eliminate special abilities. Mohinder initially refuses, but Nathan tells him Danko’s goons will kill Daphne if he doesn’t cooperate. Oh, hell, Nathan, this is Mohinder you’re talking to. Thus far in the series, Mohinder has willingly performed vital scientific research for Evil Thompson, Evil Bob, and Evil Arthur Petrelli. Odds are pretty good he’s not going to draw the line at helping you.

Danko chats with freed hostage Bennet. He uses a bunch of hyper-macho metaphors about how it’s time to take the gloves off, all of which would pack more of a punch if Bennet didn’t dwarf him by about two feet. Seriously, next to Bennet, Danko looks puny and underfed. Bennet assures him he’s going to toe the line from now on, then saunters off to meet with Angela. He tells her things are proceeding according to plan.

Matt holes up with Peter in what looks like an awful lot like Mohinder’s laboratory. Have you no shame, Matt? You’ve already taken over his apartment. Stealing his lab on top of that is just plain rude. Matt develops the Isaac Mendez Milky-Eyes™ and paints a prophetic image on the floor of Washington D.C. consumed by flames.

Comments

Damozel said…
Thank you for the wonderful commentary, Morgan.

Hah! I would never never believe it if HRG said he needed something, least of all Mohinder. So was the betrayal because he was shot in the eye or because his proposal was shot down?

Matt must use that kickass mind reading and mind bending ability of his...Oh to know how far Matt will go.

Also, is Peter slowly becoming fun?

This seems to have been a fun episode. I must watch soon. May the download gods shower their blessings.
Patrick said…
Great recap Morgan. I loved 'Company Man' but was disappointed by this episode. The scene where Matt was about to shoot HRG, but then stopped when told that Daphne was still alive, was far too reminiscent of Sun about to shoot Ben in 'Lost' and then stopping when told that Jin was still alive. Of course neither set of writers could have known what the other would do.

This makes HRG = Ben, Matt = Sun, Mohinder = Jack, Peter = Kate. Which is probably not too far off the truth.
Ingrid Richter said…
Fine recap, Morgan! This episode left me grinning. I completely agree, Damozel: Peter made me chuckle.

Did anyone else think Nathan's plan to eliminate abilities suspiciously resembled the Underpants Gnomes scheme from South Park?

Wow, Patrick! Kudos for a Lost analogy! I really need to catch up on the story line...
Lou said…
Oh joy!! I couldnt have been happier this week unless Mo was topless (c'mon Nathan that would have been the cherry on top of the shackled scene). What a cracker this ep was.

Boys bitching, boys fighting, boys tying each other up. A million slash fan probably spontaneously combusted last night. I dont consider myself one but even I enjoyed all the MattMo action. It's great to see them back together like the dsyfunctional 'My Two Dads' they are.

Great recap Morgan. I also can't believe Matt went back to the loft to hide out. He certainly appears to be on a mission to make Mo homeless. And it's probably one of the first places Nathan's men would look seeing as everyone seems to use it to hide and/or carry out nefarious activity.

The one thing I didnt like was the last shot. It felt stale to rehash the apocalyptic painting on the floor trick. Oh well the ep cant be perfect eh?

PS Cheer up, trendy!
Lou said…
Did anyone else think Nathan's plan to eliminate abilities suspiciously resembled the Underpants Gnomes scheme from South Park?

Ingrid you are pure genius! Yes!!
Ingrid Richter said…
O.K. Lou, I almost spewed coffee on my laptop screen with that. She's brilliant! She's evil!

Welcome back to the message boards!
Morgan Richter said…
May the download gods shower their blessings.

Damozel, I hope you get to see it soon! It got rid of any remaining exasperation from last week's episode. I thought all the characters, Mohinder especially, were in tip-top form. Mohinder's characterization was actually sort of subtle and nuanced (I love that he's actually still wracked with guilt over his actions last volume), which is a refreshing change of pace. Also, he looked especially beautiful and luminous, which sure didn't hurt matters any.

This makes HRG = Ben, Matt = Sun, Mohinder = Jack, Peter = Kate. Which is probably not too far off the truth.

Ha! I think you nailed it, Patrick.

Lou, that was brilliant. You're worth your weight in gold around here.

I shamelessly loved this episode. Loved, loved, loved it. By the time Mohinder had his Flashdance moment with getting water thrown on him, my tiny bitter heart was full to bursting.

I also loved how we're hurtling towards a different version of the fun "Five Years Gone" alternate future: Matt is growing evil and bitter, and Mohinder is working for Nathan to find some way to suppress abilities. Next logical step is for Sylar to come along and somehow impersonate Nathan, and we'll be in business.

Yeah, I thought the apocalyptic vision of DC was a little lame -- does Heroes always need to be averting an apocalypse? -- but apart from that, top marks.
Morgan Dodge said…
Am I out of step or what? I just wasn't feeling last nights episode. It felt like this: bicker bicker bicker, Peter flies off somewhere, point gun at someone, repeat.

Back in season one I always looked forward to Hiro plot lines. He was my fave. He may have been far too earnest, but at least he was cute.
Now I think any episode without Sylar is going to fall short for me.

I like HRG ok, but meh.

Also, no turtles? What the hell! If Matt is going to go off-the-deep-end stupid/angry don't you think he needs his spirit guide there? Beware the interrogation techniques of the turtle!

Regardless, fine fine commentary.
Morgan Richter said…
Boy-Morgan, my friend, we're polarized. This was my favorite episode since the Volume Two finale ("Powerless"). I just loved seeing the Nitwit Brigade of Matt and Mohinder and Peter doing such an adorably incompetent job of working together. I loved Matt finally starting to embrace his evil side after all the hints that were dropped early on. I loved how the Mohinder-HRG taxi conversation from the first episode of the volume takes on additional layers after seeing the flashback of their other taxi conversation in this episode.

Mostly, I loved the significant damage control done to Mohinder's character. I thought he was both very complex and very sympathetic (still a total nitwit, yes, but I wouldn't expect him to be any other way). Here's the thing: he spent the last three volumes rushing into weird alliances with shady characters, and it always, always turned out to be the wrong decision. And so finally this volume, wracked with guilt, he gets his act together and decides he's not going to be in contact with anyone, and he's not going to form any alliances or choose any sides. So when HRG asks him for help, he says no dice, but just to play fair, he doesn't run and spill the beans to Matt et al either.

Which of course turns out to be exactly the wrong thing to do.

So now he's feeling even guiltier, and he's in a bad situation, and he's starting to get a little scared of Matt, and he can sort of sympathize with Nathan's and HRG's side of the issue, but he doesn't want to make the wrong decision... Dude, this is more introspection and complexity from Mohinder than we've ever seen from him. If only for that, this episode would have received a big thumbs-up from me.

And then he wrestled with Matt on the bathroom floor. And then he struggled mightily while soaking wet and shackled to a chair. I mean, really. And it wasn't even my birthday.

In summary: the episode was a Mohinderstravaganza, and that's why I liked it.
Anonymous said…
This was by far the most satisfying episode of year for me. Conflict, daring escapes, double crossing, no Tracy and Claire, Daphne is alive, Peter as an ongoing counter example to Nathan's lame use of flight- that's definitely a pretty good list of pluses.

I'm kind of hoping that there will be serious consequences like role reversal and imprisonment for Nathan once Danko discovers he can fly, but I guess time will tell. In the meantime I'm much happier with the direction things are moving then I was last episode.
Morgan Richter said…
Peter as an ongoing counter example to Nathan's lame use of flight

It's interesting to see how flighty, flaky Peter puts the flying ability to immediate good use, whereas Nathan barely acknowledges it. Yeah, I imagine once Danko figures out Nathan can fly (and if he's been having Nathan followed, how is it possible he hasn't figured this out yet?), things are going to get very sticky for Nathan. Which should be satisfying to see. I like Nathan's moral flaws: everyone else with special abilities can go to hell, as long as he and Claire are safe. It's not very noble, but Nathan's maniacal self-interest is at least very consistent.

I run the risk of sounding like a broken record, but wow, I like HRG so much more when he isn't paired in tedious scenes with Claire. Whenever he's telling Claire how he only wants to protect her, I can't stand him. When he's on his own, coolly outsmarting Matt, Mohinder, and Peter, he's pretty awesome.
Anonymous said…
Totally agree about HRG being at his best and getting the better of his three captors even when drugged up and at a complete disadvantage. Sends Peter to his storage facility knowing it will be monitored, shows Matt that Mohinder knew, but kicks him out of his head before the part where Mohinder turned him down, gets Matt to go back in one final time to confirm Daphne was alive so he can't escape the goon squad. Of course on the flip side of things he walked Matt out himself and gave Peter an opportunity to rescue him, but that was probably part of his plan as well.
Morgan Richter said…
Of course on the flip side of things he walked Matt out himself and gave Peter an opportunity to rescue him, but that was probably part of his plan as well.

Yeah, I'll be interested to see whether that was intentional on HRG's part, and if so, why. On the one hand, since he did make a point of wanting to walk Matt out, it seems deliberate. On the other hand, I can't see how having Matt on the loose would benefit him personally, and he's not going to spare Matt out of the goodness of his heart.

As always, they have the episode with commentary up on the NBC site. It's a good one this time -- Jack Coleman and Sendhil do the commentary, and they're in rare form. They describe the process of shooting long hours in that tiny little motel room as being, and I do quote, "raunchy, raw, and sweaty." Music to my ears.
Patrick said…
I wondered if HRG insisted on walking Matt out so that he could give him a final message - knowing that Matt could read his mind by close contact. It wasn't Daphne's location though as Matt still had to paint for that.

I would have loved if Peter had flown in to rescue Matt, grabbed him, and then fell to the ground having lost his power of flight by having touched someone with a different power. That would have been funny. Instead Peter was able to retain the power of flight, despite holding Matt, because... he forgot that he was now only able to absorb one power at a time? Matt's clothes prevented the power being absorbed? Hmm.
Morgan Richter said…
I wondered if HRG insisted on walking Matt out so that he could give him a final message - knowing that Matt could read his mind by close contact.

Hadn't even thought of that, but that would be a good solution. Heh, yeah, I decided to give Peter the benefit of the doubt and assumed he'd be smart enough not to make skin-to-skin contact with Matt when he was flying off with him. Otherwise, it would have brought their madcap escape to a terribly anticlimactic (but funny!) finish.
Patrick said…
I'm afraid I am also siding with Dodge over Richter in the battle of the Morgans. Sorry! This episode (for those immune to the charms of a wet Mohinder) broke every credibility test. Mohinder especially does not act the way a real person would.

This is what really would have happened:

Matt: 'We need to find out who is behind this, we need to find out what's happening and we need to make the person responsible pay. Let's go after HRG, drug him, and interrogate him'.

Mohinder: 'Okay... Actually, I've just remembered that HRG got into my cab a couple of weeks ago and warned me that all of this was going to happen. I think he might be on our side'.

Peter: 'Wow. Really? You never thought of mentioning this?'

Mohinder: 'Sorry, I literally just remembered it'.
Morgan Richter said…
Heh. I think Mohinder suspected there was no way he'd be able to blithely explain away his earlier meeting with HRG without incurring Matt's wrath (especially since Daphne's "death" might have been prevented if he'd just given Matt some advance warning), so he decided to keep quiet and try to talk Matt out of interrogating HRG and hope for the best (which I think is why Matt's "coward" remark hit home, because... yeah). Like all of Mo's schemes, this worked out somewhat less than splendidly.

Despite the cab meeting, I don't see HRG as being on their side at all. He's less extreme than Danko, but bagging and tagging is still his objective (in the cab scene, Bennet never explains what he wants Mohinder to do -- I thought he wasn't so much wanting to give him advanced warning of what was going to happen as wanting to recruit him to help apprehend people less violently than with Danko's proposed methods. In the first cab scene, four episodes ago, he grilled Mo pretty thoroughly to confirm that Mo hadn't been in contact with anyone). I think Mohinder was right not to trust Bennet, but made a huge error of judgment in not passing along the information to Matt and the others.

(for those immune to the charms of a wet Mohinder)

A wet Mohinder is not going to be everyone's taste, but for me, it's catnip. Especially since it made his curls fall across his face in that most flattering manner... Yeah. That was nice.
Dan said…
Great recap, Morgan.

When he's on his own, coolly outsmarting Matt, Mohinder, and Peter, he's pretty awesome.

Heck, Mr Muggles could probably outwit those three. But still, yeah. That was by far my favourite aspect of the episode. I love uber-competent HRG, who, regardless of whether or not he's technically, like, captured, is still completely in control of events.

(See also Season One when he was imprisoned in one of The Company's holding cells and proceeded to casually mentally chat to Matt and organise an escape.)

I also loved the callback to 'thinking in Japanese' as a way of foiling Matt's mind-reading. I'd forgotten that trick. Although it didn't seem to work this time, for reasons that eluded me on first viewing.

I am still yet to work out how remembering things in black and white helps the situation. Maybe he knows Matt is colour blind. Maybe he just can't be assed to remember things in colour.

Having said all that, I think I'm going to widen that gender split and come down on Boy-Morgan and Patrick's side as being overall 'meh' about the episode.

I didn't hate it, but I was clock-watching the second half.

Oh, and Lou - love the picture. Awesome.
Ingrid Richter said…
But..but..that would mean that all the rest of us liked this Heroes episode solely for the manhandling of the menfolk.

That can't possibly be right...

No, I like the episode purely for noble reasons. Er, good plot and acting and all that crap. Very enjoyable episode.
Dan said…
... the rest of us liked this Heroes episode solely for the manhandling of the menfolk.

Hey, I'm easygoing. I have no problems with y'all enjoying the menfolk-manhandling. After all, none of you complained about sweaty, shackled Ali Larter last week.

Or, if you did, I ignored it.
Morgan Richter said…
To disrupt the gender lines theory, Dan, I'll just point out that Jason, who has extremely little interest in what Mohinder looks like soaking wet, has cast his vote on the positive side. So the appeal is not just centered around watching the attractive menfolk scuffling with each other and getting drenched with random buckets of water, surely. I mean, I'm not denying that this played a significant role in my fondness for the episode. Just that it's not the only reason, dig?

(Heck, Mo got fully naked (and gooey) last season during the eclipse, and I assure you, that episode did not make my own special list of most favoritest episodes.)

On repeat viewings, I found myself fast-forwarding through the Danko scenes. After a promising start, he's not shaping up as much of a villain. He got shot by Peter, after all. Peter! That's embarrassing! Apart from that, though, I'm considering it a keeper.
Dan said…
Good points, Morgan. I stand wholly corrected on my wayward gender divide theory.

He got shot by Peter, after all.

Yeah - as far as villains go, he's got to rank pretty low. Returning to our Official Molly Rankings of Evil™ table from this comments section, I'd have to put Danko in somewhere between President Nathan and HRG from the first half-season.

What I did like in the episode was when Paramedic Peter Petrelli checked HRG's pulse. I wonder if he knew what he was doing or if it was just something he saw them do on Grey's Anatomy?
Morgan Richter said…
What I did like in the episode was when Paramedic Peter Petrelli checked HRG's pulse.

Not to mention Mohinder looking all doctorly and purposeful with his stethoscope. Adorable! Those two are so cute when they pretend to know what they're doing.
Anonymous said…
I think that I must have missed something either earlier this season or somewhere earlier. What was the significance of Bennett giving Angela a fancy watch as they parted from the clandestine meeting?
Ingrid Richter said…
I believe Mr. Bennett was doing either an "in-your-face" snub of the retirement watch Angela gave him earlier this episode, or, more likely, he's letting her know that he's still in the game and far from retirement.

Speaking of which, after season upon season of wanting to protect his family, Mr. Bennett sure didn't take to retirement well. Would it have killed him to take up a hobby other than crossword puzzles?
Morgan Richter said…
Yeah, I figured HRG was letting Angela know that no retirement watch was necessary, as he's still very much on active duty. Hey, what do we suppose is Angela's and HRG's overall scheme? Considering their past association with Primatech (an organization whose sole purpose was to keep people with special abilities under control), I don't suppose they're actively against Nathan's plans, though they'd probably like it if he'd tone down the fanaticism a notch or two.

Crazy theories about the nature of their partnership are welcomed. Dan, I'm looking in your general direction here.
Dan said…
after season upon season of wanting to protect his family, Mr. Bennett sure didn't take to retirement well. Would it have killed him to take up a hobby other than crossword puzzles?

Hey, he wanted to protect them. He didn't want to hang out with them.

Crazy theories about the nature of their partnership are welcomed. Dan, I'm looking in your general direction here.

The obvious crazy theory is that they're both working for Skulky the Turtle Wonder (his lack of screen time is very suspicious).

Alternatively, it's some kind of convoluted parenting lesson for Nathan (a la any number of Disney movies). Because, y'know, HRG and Angela are awesome parental role models.
Morgan Richter said…
Dan, your avatar has disappeared! It's starting again! First the avatars vanish, then my blog turns into nothing but a bunch of broken images. Then it's all magically better for a while, until it all happens again.

Alternatively, it's some kind of convoluted parenting lesson for Nathan (a la any number of Disney movies).

Or it could be the next totally sucky Indian wedding-esque subplot: this whole hunt-down-the-Heroes business is just an elaborate cover for Nathan's madcap scheme to make Angela and newly-separated HRG fall in love!

Yeah, I think I like the Skulky idea better.
Ingrid Richter said…
Wait a minute! If HRG and Angela hook up, then Nathan would be Claire's father *and* brother!

Dan's avatar looks fine in New York, Morgan...
Dan said…
Wait a minute! If HRG and Angela hook up, then Nathan would be Claire's father *and* brother!

That would be cool.

Oh. But HRG would become both her adoptive father and step-grandfather! Double the HRG-Claire Bear turmoil.

Stop this wedding now, Hiro!
Anonymous said…
Dan's avatar and your blog continue to look fine to me Morgan- maybe it's just your browser/internet connection and there's never been anything wrong for everyone else ;).

Also, let's not forget that Angela is a dreamwalking precog in her own right. Chances are that she's already well aware of the impending doom Matt just painted and has very specific plans in place with HRG. I wonder if it will occur to Peter that he might want to talk to his mom about the events Matt painted to get her take on things?
Dan said…
PS My avatar's fine down here too.
Morgan Richter said…
I'd think it was all in my head, but both Damozel and Ingrid have reported seeing the widespread broken images on my blog in their respective corners of the world. Dan's missing avatar would definitely seem to be a problem on my end, though.

(Unless you all are just messing with my head, of course.)

Chances are that she's already well aware of the impending doom Matt just painted and has very specific plans in place with HRG.

Ah, good point. Entirely possible.

I wonder if it will occur to Peter that he might want to talk to his mom about the events Matt painted to get her take on things?

Oh, lordy. This is Peter we're talking about. It should occur to him, but it won't.

I was going to suggest we speculate on who or what is going to cause the impending doom, but then I noticed that NBC has already cheerily given away that nugget of information in their official description of an upcoming episode. Sigh.
Ingrid Richter said…
I've only seen broken images once on your site. Everything's been lovely since (or maybe not, and I'm messing with your head).

Not to be too much of a do-gooder, but I hear some people actually pay for broadband service...
Morgan Richter said…
Favorite new Google search term used to find my site: "nbc heroes preposterous nonsense." Why, yes, indeed it is. You've come to the right place. The person searching for "reasons heroes volume 4 is awesome"? You're also in the right place.

(Dan, you'll be happy to know I'm also getting people searching for "Ali Larter shackled.")

By the way, can I just mention how delighted I was to have Danko burst HRG's little bubble about how "one of us, one of them" is a really super-cool and totally logical way to hunt people with abilities? I sort of loved Danko's response: "No. That sounds lame. We're not going to be doing that."
Dan said…
I would go so far as to argue that all three search terms: "nbc heroes preposterous nonsense", "reasons heroes volume 4 is awesome" and "Ali Larter shackled" are as tightly interwoven as any three search terms could be.

I sort of loved Danko's response: "No. That sounds lame. We're not going to be doing that."

If only he'd been there last week when Hiro decided to go break up that wedding.

In fact, there are a lot of places in Heroes history where Danko's dismissiveness would have come in handy.
Morgan Richter said…
Speaking of search terms, I'm a little perplexed by the person who found this site while searching for "mohinder soup."

there are a lot of places in Heroes history where Danko's dismissiveness would have come in handy.

Indeed. To hit a few of the majors:

Hiro gets stranded in feudal Japan: "No. That won't be any good."

Peter ends up Ireland, sans memory and bangs: "Nope. Half-assed and trite. Think again."

Maya and Alejandro spend eleven episodes traveling to New York: "Lame. Lame! Next?"

Mohinder turns himself into an evil cockroach: "No. Wrong. Back up. Not going to happen."

Elle bakes Sylar a pie: "Oh, for the love of... No! What's wrong with you people?"

Much better already.
Dan said…
Heh. Give Danko Hiro's time travel ability, I say.
Damozel said…
This episode was what Volume 3 should have been like! Nathan admitting that he may be a villain but he is doing the right thing...the subtle conflict that would have been so juicy on Villains. And Peter! I hope THIS Peter is going to be the norm this Volume - he revelled in his power of flight and was so action-y. Also seeing Peter play referee between the usually reticent Matt and Mohinder was funny.
It was nice to see the writers making Mohinder acknowledge his actions and how he might consider himself deserving of punishment...it seemed very In-Character to me. So Mohinder might go to work for the dark side again? Will Nathan dangle Molly as a reason? Hopefully, Mo will ask questions every step of the way.
Having just a couple of storylines over one episode works for Heroes. Keeps up the intensity.

Also what was with the amping up of the menfolk this episode? Wet!Mohinder; shortsleeve!Peter; white-suspenders!Nathan work too good for me. Also wet!Mohinder, oh I already said this...
Morgan Richter said…
Also seeing Peter play referee between the usually reticent Matt and Mohinder was funny.

Loved it. Also loved how Peter got fed up with the both of them and volunteered to go to HRG's storage locker just to get away from their bickering. Much as I hated Matt and Mohinder squabbling back when they were roommates, I got a kick out of their over-the-top arguments here. It wasn't just a case of Matt nagging Mohinder and Mohinder being his usual self-righteous self -- there was some genuine heat and menace behind their fighting, which was kind of cool.

It was nice to see the writers making Mohinder acknowledge his actions and how he might consider himself deserving of punishment

That might have been my favorite part of the episode (er... second-favorite, after Wet!Mohinder). It seems so often the show ignores things like consequences to actions, so it was lovely to see events that happened last volume still having repercussions in the current volume. I thought Mohinder's guilt seemed very believable, and really kind of sweet.

(I may be turning into a sap, but I was sort of touched when Mohinder nobly and idiotically charged into the fray unarmed to give Matt time to find out the truth about Daphne, essentially sacrificing himself to make amends to Matt. Aw, Mohinder. Shine on, you crazy diamond!)
Damozel said…
there was some genuine heat and menace behind their fighting
Exactly! Especially knowing the backstory of Volume 2 and 3. Cold Wars was more about the unspoken friendship, the unvoiced concerns and latent respect between them. It was cathartic to see them argue so passionately - about betrayals, both perceived (on Matt's side) and established (on Mohinder's side with the serum experiment).

I digged the little physical expressions that Greg and Sendhil brought into play: Greg with his quivery voice saying "You knew" and "you could have warned us" and Sendhil's liquid-eyed "nothing".

I was sort of touched when Mohinder nobly and idiotically charged into the fray unarmed to give Matt time to find out the truth about Daphne

Yeah, ditto here. He couldn't do much but the act itself seemed to have redeemed him with Matt. With Mo and Daphne in the same building now, I hope we get some interesting interaction between these two characters.

Also, I LOL-ed at Danko and HRG's height difference but was impressed with how Danko maintained that supremely smug menace over the towering HRG. Though the man surely doesnt like bullets: One hit and he almost mewled (or so it seemed to me in my smugness)...
Morgan Richter said…
I digged the little physical expressions that Greg and Sendhil brought into play: Greg with his quivery voice saying "You knew" and "you could have warned us" and Sendhil's liquid-eyed "nothing".

They both brought their A-game this episode, because their interaction totally sucked me in. I bought it completely. Outstanding work from both of them.

(It helped that both sides of the argument made sense, which isn't always the case on this show. For the life of me, I can't remember why Peter and Nathan are feuding. Because Nathan wanted to give people powers? But now he wants to take away all powers? And earlier, didn't he try to tell the whole world about how he can fly? Nathan has been splendidly random this season.)

I also liked the prison scene where Nathan reminded Wet!Mohinder that Mohinder had tied him up last volume, and Mohinder was all, "Dude, I KNOW!" Like I mentioned earlier about how it's nice seeing actions have repurcussions, it seems very natural that Nathan would be holding a big, whopping grudge against Mohinder.