The last episode ended as the Bennet family was being held hostage by Matt and Ted. This one almost exclusively keeps the focus on them. During the whole hour, Matt reads the minds of Mr. Bennet and Claire and finds out most of their backstories as a result. As a result, Matt shoots Claire, who is indestructible, then he and HRG take her to her room to talk things over about revised plans that don't include Ted. They let Ted stay while they go to the paper factory Claire's dad works at to get the needle that reduces the power of Ted's fire making. Ted has the mother and son tied up after the son tries to hit Ted with a baseball bat. When Matt and HRG return, they give Ted all the info he wants temporarily distracting him while Claire unties her mom and brother. Ted's thirst for revenge overwhelms him, however, so he flames up to the point of burning the house. The father tries to inject Ted but is led out of the house by Matt as Claire takes the needle to do it herself. She comes out burned but alive as she slowly heals herself and gets embraced by her family. Much of this is witnessed by HRG's boss who now wants Claire in the "organization". Later on, HRG, Claire, and the Hatian man come to the bridge where, in a flashback, Mr. Bennet shot the invisible man and left thinking he died there. Now the Hatian man shoots Claire's dad below the fatal heart area and then wipes his mind. Claire cries and embraces her dad saying, "I love you"...Perhaps the best episode of the season so far with a more singular focus than we've been used to in the last few weeks. Fascinating use of black and white in the use of various flashbacks of the father's initial hiring and subsequent events of his adopting Claire from Hiro's dad (welcome return of George Takei with amusing depictions of young baby Claire-with her half smile-and an under 12, video game playing Hiro), his partnering with the teen-aged "mute" Hatian, getting assistance from his daughter in picking glasses, and the invisible man's shooting. Eric Roberts makes an appropriate creepy debut as HRG's boss. Great emotional performance from Hayden Panettiere. Next week should be just as, if not more, exciting. Until then...
Review of Chapter Seventeen 'Company Man'
