Oh man….here it comes…my favorite episode of season 1, possibly the entire series, I honestly don’t remember enough details about any season other than the first. Fangirls, “Five Years Gone” is upon us. And I am pumped. But first, chapter nineteen, “.07%”. So, let’s begin.
Chapter nineteen opens with a previously on partially narrated by the great Malcolm McDowell. His voice is beautiful as he takes us through each character and shows us their paths so far, using Isaac’s paintings as the connecting path.
Once this ends, HRG is in a cell at Primatech and Candice bursts in pretending to be Claire. He obviously doesn’t fall for it and Thompson, his boss, sends her on another job. They chat as if friends, but HRG refuses to help them find Claire. HRG talks tough, saying he’s exactly where he wants to be. He obviously has some kind of plan, but what?
Nathan and Linderman look through his art collection, and it’s so impressive. Linderman says he wants to heal the world and to save it, and then shows that he has the power to restore and heal things like plants and maybe even people. Linderman knows Hiro stole the sword, going through Isaac’s paintings with Nathan. He has a copy of the explosion, and he plans to allow it to happen. He tells Nathan of a group of enhanced who came together to make a difference, until some of them lost their way and turned against the goals. He plans to use the explosion to heal the world all at once. He says the loss will only be .07%, acceptable in his eyes, and Nathan has to lead them through the tragedy to the healing. Nathan has doubts, but Linderman has everything planned, even a painting of him in the oval office. He says the explosion will happen after Nathan is elected, and Nathan storms off.
Matt wakes up in a cell of his own, being called upon by HRG. They’re planning to work together to get out and back to their families. Matt isn’t thrilled with the idea but he has to go along with it.
We return to Peter entering Mohinder’s apartment only to find Mohinder near death and Sylar lurking. There’s an epic battle of powers between the two, and Peter uses his invisibility. Sylar lifts broken glass and shoots it all around the room, hitting Peter in the back of the head, killing him. Sylar believes he has won, until Mohinder knocks him out. Mohinder grabs Peter’s body and escapes. Sylar wakes up to find the computer with the list destroyed. But he finds a name, Isaac Mendez.
Claire is looking at family photos with Mrs. Petrelli, learning about her biological family. It’s a battle of stubborn women; Mrs. Petrelli is determined to send her away, and Claire is refusing until she sees her family. Mrs. Petrelli reveals subtly that she has some form of power, though she won’t say what. She walks to the door to find Mohinder standing there, bringing Peter home. The family mourns, but Claire has an idea, revealing herself to her father in the process. She pulls the glass shard out of his brain, and revives him.
Isaac is sending off his last comic book issue, knowing what his future holds and who is coming for him. He finishes a painting as Sylar appears. Isaac refuses to fight, telling Sylar he’s seen his future and that he isn’t afraid of it. He tells Sylar that he can’t fight the future, and that he’s shown the world how to kill him and stop the bomb. RIP Isaac.
DL and Jessica are arguing, DL somehow finding out about her (I didn’t see it in the last episode, must have been a deleted scene). He is taking Micah away from Jessica as Linderman’s men arrive. They take her directly to Linderman, who asks to borrow Micah and his abilities. She obviously refuses, but he plans to have his way no matter what.
Matt, having escaped his room and found a new outfit, is listening to Bennet’s orders. Thompson walks by and says orders have come through to transfer HRG, Matt, and Ted. Matt gets new orders, to break Ted out as well. HRG has to teach both of them about their powers as alarms go off and guards are bearing down on them. But it works, and they grab HRG. They end up at Charlie’s diner, and HRG tells them they can end everything by getting rid of the tracking system in NYC. Matt reveals that Linderman is in charge of the Company, something HRG didn’t realize. They all agree to go to New York.
Peter and Nathan discuss their relationship and how they’ve affected each other. They discuss the explosion and Peter urges Nathan to get to know Claire. Mrs. Petrelli walks in and tells them she has always known about their powers. Nathan, alone at night, has returned home with the painting of him in the oval office. Claire enters and there’s some father daughter connecting. Nathan wants to get to know her but can’t let it interfere with the election. He says she’ll only have to be gone a week and then she can come home, but Claire isn’t buying it.
Jessica appears to be bringing Micah to Linderman, who is there in person. He tells Micah he is going to save the world, and as they drive away, Jessica becomes Candice.
Mohinder is back at his apartment with Thompson, wanting help. Thompson offers to help him with his research, but Mohinder is fixated on finding Sylar.
Sylar is painting an image similar to the one Nathan has, only the man in office is darker, more of a Mr. Hyde type rather than a stoic figure like Nathan.
We flash five years in the future to find Hiro and Ando, afraid and unsure. The bomb has gone off in this future, and Hiro mourns each loss. Hiro still believes his powers are out of tune, and wants to find Isaac. They go to his broken down apartment where strings entwine with each other all over, pictures and documents hanging off of them. They are inspecting when Future!Hiro appears. And now it’s time for chapter nineteen to end.
Here we go everyone. Chapter twenty, “Five Years Gone”, is the best episode of the season, in my opinion. It opens with Hiro and Ando going to find Isaac and finding Future!Hiro instead. Future!Hiro appears to have just returned from seeing Peter to find that nothing has changed. He claims that Sylar is the exploding man and that he has been trying to figure out the perfect time to go back in time to stop it. Future!Hiro tells Hiro that he is the one to kill Sylar on the day the bomb goes off to save the world. Men in black burst in with the Haitian and take Hiro while Future!Hiro and Ando escape. Matt is leading them. They are Homeland Security looking for terrorists. Future!Hiro takes Ando to Vegas to find Peter.
They arrive in a strip joint to find his girlfriend, who turns out to be Niki. She is angered by Future!Hiro’s presence but agrees to talk to him. She says Peter won’t be interested and is touchy about Sylar’s name. Future!Hiro asks about Bennet, who is still in Texas. Niki sits at the bar and Peter appears, a scar running down his face. It is coming on the five year anniversary of the explosion, and we discover that Micah was killed in the blast. Peter is more interested than he lets on.
Hiro is with Matt and the Haitian, unsure of what’s happening. Matt reads his mind and finds he has no memory of the last five years. Matt calls Nathan, president of the United States. In his office, he and Mohinder meet. He wants Mohinder to examine him. They’ve spent the last five years trying to cure the powers to no avail. Those with powers are becoming more and more, and Nathan suggests genocide of the specials. Mohinder asks what they should do with Nathan if this plan works, and Nathan says all he can do is fly, how dangerous is he. Nathan is all set with his plan.
Matt is trying to torture the information out Hiro, and it obviously isn’t working. Matt is called away because Mohinder is in Isaac’s apartment observing the timeline. He determines that each string is a person, and all of their choices and actions. He realizes that Future!Hiro was trying to alter the past to save the future. Matt has grown cynical and doesn’t want to hear anything about time changing.
HRG is testing people to see if they have powers, working with Hanna. Aside from this and the previous episode she was in, Hanna really doesn’t do anything, which kinda sucks; she’d be fascinating to learn about. Anyways, anyone they find with powers they give new identities to to try and hide them, protect them. His horn rimmed glasses are gone. Future!Hiro and Ando arrive hoping Bennet can give them an army of specials to get Hiro out. They reveal that they know Claire is alive, and he agrees to try and help.
Claire is working at Charlie’s diner under a new name. Kellan Lutz shows up as her fiance, and then HRG appears telling her she has to leave again. She refuses; her life is finally how she wants it and she won’t run away again. All he wants is his baby safe.
Future!Hiro and Ando wait for HRG, and Ando asks what happened to him. Future!Hiro is afraid to tell him, and we see a little of Hiro in this warrior for a moment. Future!Hiro wants to talk, but Matt grabs him first. Peter appears and freezes time to save Future!Hiro and Ando. Bennet, having obviously given them up, arrives and we find a deal has been struck; HRG turns over dangerous enhanced and Matt lets him save harmless ones. Matt says they’re both harboring fugitives. Obviously HRG’s is Claire but Matt’s could be anyone with powers. Matt asks about his wife, and HRG produces pictures drawn by a child named Matthew. He’s lost contact with his family, only able to talk through HRG. HRG finds Hanna dead, and Matt ends their deal by extracting Claire’s location and then killing him.
Claire plans to elope with her fiance, but that plan is killed as she encounters Matt. I really love this dark side of Matt, it’s great to see an actor expand.
Mohinder is questioning Hiro, trying to figure out the truth. Mohinder tells Nathan his theories about changing the past, but as usual Nathan won’t listen to reason. He plans to use Mohinder to lie to the people as a scapegoat. Mohinder is seen changing, and Matt comes in to tell him all of his news. Nathan wants Mohinder to kill Hiro, and Mohinder continues to question his president.
Peter and Ando watch over Future!Hiro, and Peter tells Ando that he died in the explosion five years ago. Peter thinks that Future!Hiro became obsessed with changing the past so he could save his best friend and his innocence.
Matt takes Nathan to Claire, who had thought her dead. This isn’t the father daughter reunion it should be; she hates him for what he’s done to their people. Nathan’s speech during this scene sounds so un-Nathan, and he reveals that he’s collected so many powers, including Candice’s, that he only needs hers. He kills her and becomes Sylar. Side bar time: again, I need to encourage you if you’re only reading these and not watching the show to watch at least clips, maybe even at least this entire episode. Adrian Pasdar, who plays Nathan, does such a great job in that scene channeling Zachary Quinto that I just got shivers even though I knew that twist. I’ve watched this episode more than others, I know all the details. But I still got chills from that moment. Another scene that you must see.
Ok, continuing. Ando is holding the sword when Future!Hiro wakes up. He asks him about Future!Hiro’s life and his own death. Peter goes to Niki, who walked in on Future!Hiro unconscious. She’s angry, but we see that her reflection shows only her. Peter wants her to learn to move on after losing her whole family. Peter says he has to do this and save everyone because he was the bomb. Nathan just said it was Sylar to protect him. Peter needs to help Future!Hiro undo everything, and leaves Niki.
Nathan is making a speech on the bomb site on the fifth anniversary as Peter, Future!Hiro, and Ando break in to Homeland Security to save Hiro. A fight ensues as they work their way to the floor where Hiro is. Ando, as the only non-powered man, is nervous. Matt and his men are waiting to kill all of them, expecting them to take the elevator up. The Haitian and Mohinder prepare to kill Hiro as Nathan tells of his plan.
The elevator comes and Future!Hiro isn’t there, angering Matt. Mohinder takes out the Haitian instead of Hiro and helps him get out as Peter and Future!Hiro arrive with Ando. Future!Hiro plans to take them back, but Matt shoots him dead. Peter bars the door with his powers, and Matt calls Nathan in for back up. Nathan reveals his flight to the world in order to get to Peter. Future!Hiro gives Ando a piece of paper and dies, panicking Hiro. Nathan grabs Peter through the door and orders Matt to end it. Nathan goes to fight Peter, and Peter discovers it isn’t Nathan but is actually Sylar. They fight to the death as Ando convinces Hiro that his powers will get them home. Hiro and Ando teleport back to present day NYC and are ready to save the world. And thus ends my favorite chapter.
I love the whole series of Heroes, I really do. But nothing beats this first season. Season four comes close as far as I can remember, but this first season was a gift to television. And I really hope Heroes Reborn has the same effect.
Chapter 21, “The Hard Part”, has only one story line I actually remember, and it – surprisingly – involves Sylar. I remember other bits of it but that’s why I’m rewatching everything. So, Hiro and Ando return to NYC after seeing the future and deciding to change it. Hiro continues to be the most adorable hero ever. Peter is drawing as Nathan’s family comes home. Claire is still there and sees the family he chose. Mrs. Petrelli is helping her pack for their escape when Peter comes in. He wants her to stay, convinced destiny keeps bringing them together. But she believes more in Nathan right now than in Peter’s destiny. Peter confides in her that he is going to explode, and she tells him about Ted, who is with Matt and HRG on their way to NYC. Ted is in more control of his power than ever before. Matt and HRG discuss their families and the new tracker system, called the Walker System. Sylar has been busy with his new power. He paints himself killing Ted and taking his power, connects him to the explosion, and is afraid that he will become the exploding man who destroys the city. He calls Mohinder looking for help; he doesn’t want to kill the city. Again, he gives a great speech. Zachary Quinto was a relatively new actor and the writers knew how to use him. Mohinder is a bust – Sylar uses the power he stole from Dale to hear Mohinder calling the police.
DL and Jessica discover that Micah is gone, taken by Linderman. DL is determined to save Micah, and Niki urges Jessica to go with him. For once, the two halves of Niki work together. Micah, meanwhile, is in NYC with Candice, still pretending to be Niki. Micah wants to go home, and Candice almost breaks her character. Micah is definitely suspicious.
Thompson meets with Mohinder about the job offer from before. Mohinder refuses, saying the Company will give him everything he needs to stop Sylar. He knows the Company needs him more than he needs them. Thompson introduces him to Molly Walker. Do you remember her? The young girl who Matt saved in his very first episode way back in episode 2? Mohinder knows she isn’t well by simply looking at her blood. She has the same disease as Mohinder’s sister, who has been mentioned throughout the series. The sickness stops her powers from working, and they want Mohinder to heal her.
Sylar is calling someone, we don’t know who right now (I do, I remember all of this). They’re going to meet. Hiro and Ando are walking to Isaac’s apartment, not knowing he’s dead and that Sylar now lives there. They quickly learn the first bit and run before Sylar can find them. Sylar has transformed into the man we met in “Six Months Ago”, cardigan and glasses and slick hair. He hears their hearts beating as they’re hiding, and they teleport away.
Sylar is holding a gift, and Hiro and Ando follow him to wherever he is going. Ando tells Hiro they should kill him now instead of waiting. Sylar arrives at his mother’s apartment, with Hiro and Ando watching everything. His mother has no idea about her son and what he’s done. The gift is a snowglobe, things she collects. Gabriel is still connected to his father, finding a broken clock that belonged to him, while his mother doesn’t seem to be. She’s proud of her son for seeing all the places he’s been to, but he wants to stay. She doesn’t listen to him well, making a sandwich when he doesn’t want one, offering him a job he doesn’t want. He doesn’t want to upset his mother; he says he doesn’t have to be special and wants her to believe it. Unfortunately, she says, and I quote, “If you wanted, you could be president.”
DL and Jessica break into Linderman’s vault to find clues. They find a painting of Micah in flames, and then the painting of Jessica/Niki. There are documents and photos showing that Linderman has been watching them for years. They leave, heading for NYC.
Mohinder and Molly meet for the first time. She’s adorable, but she’s still afraid of Sylar, calling him the Boogeyman. Her ability is to find people by thinking of them. Can you see the connecting story lines coming and converging? Molly and Mohinder connect. Mohinder gets frustrated trying to find a cure for Molly, and they continue to bond. It’s sweet and adorable. And it leads to a breakthrough. Mohinder has found the cure for Molly and begins to help her.
Claire tells Nathan about Ted, after telling Peter everything. Claire finds out her father’s flight power. Peter convinces Nathan to make some calls to find Ted. Nathan still plans to send Claire away, but he admits that he admires her. Nathan calls Linderman first.
Peter and Claire go to Nathan’s office to speak to him, but Thompson is there and Claire panics. Peter wants to trust Nathan, but Claire can’t with Thompson in the room. She goes off on her own.
Micah sees an opportunity to escape when he thinks “Niki” is distracted. It doesn’t work out though, as Candice can also manipulate the space Micah sees. He comes face to face with Candice, who is not a motherly person. She threatens Micah into helping Linderman.
Sylar chooses to tell her mother all about him; his powers, the people he’s hurt everything. He starts by using ice powers to make the apartment a snowglobe. She is thrilled until he starts loosing control and a snowglobe flying in the air injures her. He comes out of his spell, worried. She locks herself in her room, too frightened of her own son. Hiro and Ando witness it all, and though Ando still wants to kill him now, Hiro says it isn’t the Bushido way to kill a man begging for forgiveness. Sylar asks his mom why he would kill so many people; he just wants answers and a new path, but he doesn’t know how to find it. She finally comes out and says she doesn’t want him back. She thinks he is damned and doesn’t want him near her. She picks up scissors to defend herself, and he ends up accidentally killing her. Hiro freezes time to try and change the future, but it unfreezes and Sylar threatens to kill him. Ando comes to rescue him and they teleport away, leaving Sylar to his new horror. Hiro believes that he has failed; the sword is broken and because he didn’t kill Sylar Ando will die.
Peter catches Claire trying to run away. He gives her a gun, saying if he begins to lose control, she is the only one who can get close enough to stop him – kill him. He shows her his drawings, and finds that he has drawn Ted. He tries to convince her to keep helping, to stay with him, and it works. Mrs. Petrelli reveals to Nathan that she helped plan the explosion of the city, and gives him a pep talk of sorts to re-convince him of the plan.
Sylar uses his mother’s blood as paint and paints the explosion coming, accepting his supposed role as the exploding man and truly crossing into insane.
Claire waits with Peter in Kirby Plaza and together they find Ted, Matt, and HRG. Kirby Plaza is important; it’s where Micah is being held, it’s where Molly is, and it is where our heroes begin to truly converge. The reunion between HRG and Claire is sweet, and as Peter meets Ted he begins absorbing his power, going nuclear too early. And that is the end of chapter 21.
Chapter 22, “Landslide”, opens with the reunion, meeting, and disaster from the last chapter. Peter stops himself in time, saving the city this time. Hiro’s sword is broken, and he doesn’t know where to go from here. Ando still believes in him, not ready to give up. He finds a swordsmith with the symbol from the sword and the Haitian’s necklace. Claire tells HRG everything, and he tells her of their mission. Ted, Matt, and Peter are talking about the explosion. They want Ted to get out of the city with Claire. They all agree, and Sylar is listening in.
Nathan is gearing up – it’s election day and he is nervous. Linderman is there to reassure him. Linderman tells him his father had power as well. His wife comes in and sees Linderman, who heals her before he leaves. She can miraculously walk again, and Nathan is in his pocket.
Claire, Ted, and Peter are trying to leave the city when Peter hears Sylar’s thoughts. The FBI arrives and takes Ted into custody. Peter and Claire disappear and run away. Sylar is the one to tip off the FBI, and his plan is just starting.
Hiro and Ando run into Nathan again on their way to repair the sword. They tell him of the future they saw and want him to help, but he refuses. As he drives away, Jessica and DL see him and plan to use him to find Micah. Hiro and Ando arrive at the sword repair shop. The man knows the sword, and says his fixing it depends on Hiro’s father, who declare Hiro’s mission over. They talk, Hiro not ready to give in. And his father agrees, giving him a new sword and training him to use it. His father appears to also have a power, but that’s a deleted scene sadly. But the trainings are scenes of wonder, even weaving in Kensai legends that Hiro was told as a child. Hiro becomes a master, ready to kill Sylar.
Micah and Candice are still together, and Micah is starting to like her. She is convinced of Linderman’s plan to heal the world, and now it is Micah’s time to shine. Linderman wants him to talk to the voting machines to make Nathan win, telling him if he does this he and his parents won’t have to worry about money again. He agrees and goes with Candice to fulfill the goal.
In Nathan’s office, DL and Jessica arrive looking for their son. Nathan knows nothing about Micah, but he knows where Linderman could be. He wins the election in a landslide, and agrees to help.
Matt and HRG are still after the Walker system. Matt uses his powers to get them in, and DL and Jessica arrive to get Micah from the same building. HRG makes a plan to work with them. Mohinder checks on Molly, who is doing better. She shows him her power by thinking about Matt and showing that he is coming. She considers him and Mohinder her heroes. He asks her to find Sylar just as Thompson arrives to move them. HRG and Matt part with Jessica and DL. Turns out HRG knew the whole time that Molly was the system. HRG goes after Thompson, using Matt as bait, and kills him. Mohinder and Molly are scared, and when Matt discovers that the target is Molly he refuses to continue the job. Mohinder knocks out Matt and threatens HRG.
Ted is being transported…until Sylar flips the truck and steals Ted’s power. The traffic stops Peter and Claire’s escape, and when they find out what happened they believe Sylar is the explosion. Claire says they have to stop him, but Peter is nervous, remembering the last time.
Hiro finishes his training and goes to tell Ando the good news. Ando, however, bought a sword and went to finish the job, thinking Hiro gave up. Hiro has to save him before he dies.
DL and Jessica arrive in Linderman’s office. He tells him where Micah is, and as Jessica goes to find him Linderman stops her, offering her a ton of money to kill DL instead. She’s tempted, but Niki is stopping her, and Niki and Jessica finally become one. Linderman shoots DL, and as he’s about to kill Niki, DL kills him.
Nathan’s victory speech is spoken over all of the heroes trying to save the world, and as it ends, Sylar tests his new power. And thus ends chapter 22.
Ok. Time for the finale. One season almost down, three to go. Let’s do this.
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