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.