(S01E18) Now that's how you do it. Heroes was founded on the idea of this multifarious cast running all over the place and getting into trouble. We skipped all around, checking in on everyone and the hours just seemed to fly by. After what was a slower outing last week, the adrenaline kicked back into high gear. Rebel made a return appearance, if by appearance I mean more text on various computer screens ... and that is what I mean? Is it Ma Petrelli? Nathan asked her that point blank tonight.

And poor Nathan. You kind of knew the Hunter was going to be a bit much for Nathan to control. After all, Nathan is wanting to round up those with abilities for their own good as well as for the good of mankind. He wants to protect them and the world at large. In a sense, he's doing a "good" thing, if only from his perspective. The Hunter, on the other hand, sees them as a threat that needs to be eliminated. They're dangerous, and after his close encounter last week he's gone and made it personal.

Sylar & "Kid Sylar"
I guess it'd be better to call him "Kid Wannabe." I'm still not sure why Sylar brought him along, unless it was so his exposition about his burgeoning memories regarding his father wouldn't require him to be talking to himself. The kid should be eternally grateful that Sylar didn't kill him. My guess is we're not quite done with Luke yet. As for Sylar's father, we found out why Sylar chooses to kill people the way he does. He may not have gotten the telekinesis from his dad, but he certainly got his forehead slashing technique. Ah, suppressed memories.

Clearly, Sylar is a chip off the old block after all. I am curious as to why he was sold to this other family, but I guess we'll get there. I was glad to get back to this storyline, as Zachary Quinto is one of the strongest actors on the show and can dominate a scene with just one sideways glance; he had several tonight.

Matt & Peter
With Mohinder captured, the three stooges were down to two. And at the rate they're getting captured, Peter's going to need to find some new friends, and soon. What are Hiro and Ando doing? The quest for Daphne continued to night with Peter picking up Matt's powers so the two could infiltrate Hunter HQ. It's always fun to see Matt using his powers, as he's really one of the most powerful heroes we have. Unfortunately, concentration is apparently a huge problem. In the end, Matt winds up captured so Peter can escape.

Nathan & The Hunter
Nathan is quickly losing control of this situation. The Hunter has been defying him in little ways up until now, but last night it was a blatant disregard for Nathan's wishes. You could see the pain on Nathan's face as things began to fall apart around him. He had the best of intentions, per his own skewed perception, and now one pasty, tiny, sickly-looking little man was going to take it all away from him.

The question is if the Hunter has his own agenda. Peter was pretty clear about leaking the footage of the "heroes" being rounded up, hooded and put on a plane to the press if Daphne and Matt weren't delivered to him (what about Tracy and Mohinder, Pete?). Besides, you saw it yourself. Daphne wasn't even at that facility anymore. Oh, Peter.

Regardless, the Hunter set Peter up for a fall. It was only Nathan's usage of HRG's loyalty and the knowledge that Peter still had Matt's ability that allowed Peter to survive a sniper shot. Too bad bull-headed Peter has to question everything or he might have avoided getting shot entirely. But in the end, the video and data was released to the press. In a sense this at leasts outs our cast as "persons of interest" if the press decided to reveal names. At the least, it throws the operation right into public scrutiny.

Aqualad & The Bennets
There wasn't much to this storyline. I think the agents parked outside were a little aggressive, considering. They basically forced their way into the house for an impromptu search and then accosted the family pulling out of the driveway. And, of course, all of this with no warrant. Such rampant abuses of the Patriot Act!

Claire keeps falling for boys with abilities and then they just drop out of her life. Flying boy disappeared and never came back, and now Aqualad is off to god knows where. And it looks like the Bennett household is the first stop in the new Underground Railroad.

Finale
Clearly the Hunter has decided to use the public to sway his own agenda of more forcefully dealling with peole with abilities. It would, however, be more effective to have someone cause death and destruction with their ability rather than with a bomb strapped to their chest. As it stands now, Matt will look like just another terrorist. Sure he can be linked to one of those people on the plane, but the abilities factor is eliminated. Unless that's the Hunter's gambit. He just wants these people to be seen as terrorists. That would be easier for the public to swallow.

I don't know if it's his cool name, David H. Lawrence XVII, or just how freaking creepy his Puppetmaster character is, but I was thrilled when I saw his name flash during the opening credits. Having Rebel send him to Claire for help opens up a whole can of worms. I'm sure she's not really very forgiving of what he put her and her mothers through, but it also sheds a whole new light on the storyline. Heroes and Villians are equals now in the eyes of this task force. So what is the right thing to do? Not to mention that he can still totally own her with is ability if he chooses to.

Observations

• Okay, I don't live in California, but where I live we've come a long way from a laminated driver's license with an inserted photograph. It's all high-tech and credit card like. Tricks learned when a forty-something woman was in her teens would no longer apply for making a fake ID.
• Hey, Aqualad! There's a difference between breathing for someone and sucking face. Yeah, I'm onto you.
• A car inside a half-wall in a busy, dirty diner for decades would probably have more dust on it than that.
• I'm glad they've made Ma Bennett a strong and valuable character in her own right.