lathany

Heroes episode 23 (last episode of season 1).

Summary: Niki and DL escape through the wall of Linderman's suite before his security arrive. Matt wakes up to the standoff between Bennet and Mohinder and tells Bennet he will keep Molly safe. Bennet and Mohinder reach an uneasy truce whilst disposing of Thompson's body. Nathan collects papers from his office, confirms his wife and kids are safe then his mother arrives to tell him that Linderman is dead. Hiro goes after Ando and saves him from Sylar - Sylar wants to know where Peter is having drawn a picture of a confrontation (obviously in Kirby Plaza!). Bennet rings Claire, hears about Ted, then asks to speak to Peter - he needs Peter to kill Sylar. Peter then drives himself and Claire into an underground garage where Nathan is waiting - revealing to Claire that he lied to her about asking Nathan for help. He then mindreads Claire's disgust, followed quickly by Nathan's true feelings. Finding Claire already gone (trying to escape, but having run into Angela), Peter disappears and attempts to find her, but collapses resisting his nuclear power instead. Bennet gets Molly to locate Sylar and Matt then goes to Isaac's loft to kill him. Molly mentions that there is one person she can't find who is even worse than Sylar. Niki goes after Micah only to find Jessica waiting for her. However, this Jessica is revealed to be Candice. Niki triumphs over Candice and gets Micah back. Nathan and Angela arrange to flee the city with Claire but Claire is determined not to leave, disgusted that they would leave Peter responsible for millions of deaths. She throws herself out of a window to escape them. Peter finds himself in the past and watches his first day as a hospice nurse to Charles Deveaux. He watches his exchange with Simone on first meeting her, then watches his mother and Charles talk about the approaching explosion, during which his mother reveals her own opinion of his weakness. When she leaves, Charles reveals that he is aware of Peter's presence. Molly, Mohinder, Micah and Niki return to the lifts and, collecting DL, begin to escape the building together. Over in Japan, Hiro leaves the quest sword with Ando telling him he will be back and goes off with Ando's sword. Charles talks to Peter and tells him that he will save the world and that love is the key, not strength, then he leaves as Bennet arrives to wake Peter up. Bennet and Peter go to Kirby Plaza to confront Sylar. However, before either can do anything, Sylar incapacitates Bennet and holds Peter in the air. Matt arrives and shoots Sylar, but Sylar returns the bullets at the same force. Then Sylar takes a parking meter from the ground and hits Peter with it, only for Niki to take it and hit him with it. Peter then gains control and defeats Sylar in a fist-fight. Just as it looks like it's over and he's won, his nuclear ability flares up again and he loses control. Hiro appears and stabs Sylar, but before he can kill Peter, Sylar throws him across the plaza and he removes himself through time and space before smashing into a building. Sylar then gloats that Peter is the villain and himself the hero before collapsing. Claire arrives, but can't bring herself to shoot Peter; however, Nathan arrives to save the day and fly off with Peter. At the end of the episode Genesis ends and the scene switches to Hiro who is in seventeenth century Japan back in the time of his hero Kensai just as the latter is being attacked during a solar eclipse.

Comments: I have mixed feelings about this as an end of season episode. I see its downsides as Sylar being alive at the end (it was the proper ending for him IMO), that Peter chose to attack him in a fist fight (Captains Kirk and Sheridan anyone?) and that the "all you need is love" message was extremely heavy-handed. Also, I was mildly disappointed that, following all the good messages from Charles, Peter was still scheduled to explode (although, I guess that was unpredictable in a TV world). Also, Molly's "he's much worse" was a blatant set-up for season 2 (even the first time I saw it). On the plus side, however, Nathan of all people saved the day, Claire started to act more her age (being unable to shoot Peter), Hiro got a good scene with his father and did indeed stab Sylar and there was a gathering in Kirby Plaza. Also there were the minor tie-ins with the pilot - Peter and Nathan flying together (a point was made about them ascending in opposition to Peter's initial fall from the building) and also the eclipse. But, on balance, mildly disappointing.

Cast list absences: All the main (still alive!) characters are present.

Claire: In many ways, she had the best role in this episode. Her fall from the building was great, as was the fact she couldn't shoot Peter at the end and generally started acting her age.

Mr Bennet: I love the fact that he's Noah Bennet - continuing a mildly biblical naming theme. Also, I liked that he genuinely wanted to help Peter. I'd like to see these two interact in the next season following this. And what he said to Matt was spot on - Matt could not take on Sylar.

Matt: One of Matt's worse episodes. About the only memorable point was getting shot. Oh well, sometimes it happens.

Sylar: This should, really, have been Sylar's exit scene. Pity it wasn't (I don't believe he's dead). His hero-villain stuff was nice though.

Ando/Hiro/Hiro's father: In many ways, this is Hiro's episode. He gets respect from his father, saves Ando, stabs Sylar as ordered and then travels back to see the hero of his stories. Pity he couldn't stab Peter, but he still gets the best role here.

Mohinder/Molly: Again brief and neither has much of a role. Molly has an extremely heavy-handed set-up for season 2 which I didn't appreciate.

Nathan: Nathan as the final hero? Lovely stuff. His dilemma is good as well. I was really keen for him to come back for season 2.

Angela: Ick! I really wanted to see Peter interacting with her after witnessing the scene between herself and Charles. Also, it was nice to see that she was wrong about the explosion - Charles was right about that at least and the tragedy part was not inevitable.

Jessica/Niki/DL/Micah: Anyone not enjoy Jessica supporting Niki? Really just the conclusion of the previous episode's plot but, hey, she also got to hit Sylar and get away with it. That's practically unprecedented.

Candice: I had issues about Candice's power. I was certain she wasn't the woman pictured and therefore felt she shouldn't have reverted to that form when knocked unconscious.

Peter: This is a Peter-heavy episode. First up - what was the deal with Charles and which power means that Peter is still present in the, err, present, whilst being back in the past? Here's hoping I'll find out. He got to beat up Sylar, but sadly I didn't feel he'd saved the world (although, possibly he did half a season ago by saving Claire) and was sorry it became a fist fight. Also - as pretty much everyone else said - why didn't he fly himself away? On the plus side, I liked the scenes with Charles and felt that they were the counterpart to Nathan's scenes with Linderman, love to strength.