Heroes 1.23: "How to Stop an Exploding Man"

Written by Tim Kring
Directed by Allan Arkush

The entire season has come to this: the showdown between Sylar and the assembled heroes. From the opening montage, the full measure of the season’s progress becomes plain. It’s amazing to think that so much has happened this season, and how much of it has been built slowly but steadily since the very first episode.

As the episode opens, Nathan is preparing to leave New York before the storm comes crashing down. With Linderman dead, it all comes down on his shoulders to continue the plan, and his mother is happy to remind him of it. That choice pits brother against brother, which is a nice bit of symmetry. It also represents a nice crossroads for Claire, who must choose between her biological family and her adoptive family. The Petrelli clan has been at the heart of the story since the pilot, so this focus makes a great deal of sense.

It also leads to another link to the past, and an unexpected one at that. Who expected Simone’s father to be part of Linderman’s old team? As seen in many recent episodes, there is a consistent generational aspect to the series. This makes one wonder what ability, if any, Simone might have had. Like Molly, it’s another strong link to the beginning of the season. It definitely feels like the end of one volume, with several threads coming together.

With DL dying and Micah missing, it comes down to Niki and Jessica to find a way to get out of Dodge. For all the fun we’ve had with Candice before, she becomes quite important to the Niki/Jessica character arc in the end. The fight is over far too quickly, and the integration of the two sides of Niki’s psyche feels like an afterthought.

Mohinder and Mr. Bennett battle over Molly’s fate, a matter complicated by Claire’s involvement with Peter and his battle with Sylar. Despite her medical condition, Molly is the most obvious means for finding Sylar, and Mr. Bennett knows it. As seen in “Five Years Gone”, Mr. Bennett will make all kinds of unusual and unexpected choices when Claire’s fate is at stake.

Throughout it all, Hiro is there, looking for Ando, hoping for the chance to save his friend while still saving the world. The initial showdown with Sylar is a nice taste of things to come, and sets Hiro on the final step of his journey to heroism. It comes just in time for Peter to come out of his vision quest, with Mr. Bennett (revealed as “Noah”) at his side.

Much like Niki’s integration, Sylar’s defeat comes far too quickly and easily (as does his survival). It feels incredibly anti-climactic after everything that has come before it, though it was interesting to discover that Sylar ultimately saw himself as the hero, facing down Peter to save the world from the exploding Peter! It’s always better when the villain can justify his or her actions on some reasonable level.

The resolution to Peter’s dilemma is more unexpected, and brings the conflict between the Petrelli brothers to a close for the moment, since it’s unlikely that they both died in the explosion. Claire and Mr. Bennett find common ground, Niki’s family appears to be together and relatively well, and while Matt’s fate is uncertain, the death toll is rather slim. It appears that the plan to clear the decks and focus on new heroes in the second season may have been misdirection.

All things being equal, two things come to mind. First, the generational nature of the series, tied together with the unusual symbol and the eclipse, will come to define the next volume of the story. That seems fitting. Second, Molly mentioned that there was something far worse than Sylar out there, which will hopefully lead into something more substantial and satisfying than this season finale. As it stands, this particular conclusion is a startling disappointment.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 6/10

(Season 1 Final Average: 7.7)