Broken Frontier

As has been the case with most Heroes episodes lately, “Exposed” is all about family. Claire Bennet and her adoptive mom Sandra work together to hide Alex—a guy who can breathe underwater—from government agents. Sylar, with temporary sidekick and little-brother figure Luke in tow, comes across a run-down diner where he discovers the grisly truth about his father. Peter and Matt break into the infamous Building 26 to rescue Daphne, but instead find incriminating evidence that could shut down Peter’s brother Nathan’s campaign to hunt down people with powers.

One of the strongest aspects of this episode is that it finally gives Sandra Bennet something interesting to do, strengthening her relationship with Claire in the process. Once she realizes that Claire is harboring a fugitive, she becomes a different person altogether. From making a fake ID to creating a diversion to allow Claire and Alex to escape from the feds, Sandra proves that she is hardly as passive as she sometimes seems.

Of course, this storyline seems crafted entirely to generate chemistry between Alex and Claire that never seems all that convincing. After meeting two episodes ago, the two have a few awkward romantic moments before sharing a passionate kiss at the bottom of a swimming pool while hiding from the agents. Well, okay, he only kisses her to breathe air into her lungs and save her life. Sadly, we as viewers don’t really care about the pair locking lips because Alex isn’t really much of a character yet. One hopes that he wasn’t given such a ridiculous power for that one scene. Then again, if he can use it as an excuse to make out with hot blondes, he may be on to something.

The scenes with Sylar are more interesting, as his visit to the aforementioned diner brings back some traumatizing memories for our favorite super-powered sociopath. It was at this diner where Sylar’s father sold him off and murdered his mother. Apparently, Sylar’s penchant for slicing people’s heads open is an inherited trait. After realizing what a jerk his father was, Sylar wants him dead.

Meanwhile, Peter and Matt break into Building 26 to rescue Daphne. Since Peter can only “borrow” one power at a time, he tries Matt’s mind control ability on for size. The two get past some armed guards fairly effortlessly—obviously having some fun in the process, which was refreshing to see—but as it turns out Daphne is nowhere to be found. Peter does, however, find some files on a computer that could expose Nathan’s entire operation if leaked to the press. He releases the evidence of Nathan’s plot, which news outlets cite as an extension of the Patriot Act.

Matt, however, is captured during the Building 26 infiltration. In an effort to prove that people with powers are a threat—thereby justifying government action against them—Matt is strapped with dynamite and left in Washington, DC, to presumably explode. Once again, this was all foreshadowed in a painting.

The episode ends on an exciting note, as the mysterious texter Rebel has led the evil and endlessly creepy Puppet Master to Claire’s home for help. As fans may remember, the Puppet Master—real name Eric Doyle—nearly killed Claire in a twisted game of Russian roulette earlier this season. Either this Rebel character has a real sick sense of humor, or Claire’s newfound devotion to protecting people with super powers is about to be put to the test.

This is certainly not one of the better installments of Heroes—the current crop of episodes still seems skittish about actually moving the right storylines forward in a satisfying manner—but the foundation is there for greatness ahead. We can only hope that the build-up is worth the wait.