Heroes season finale "How to stop an exploding man" recap

Once again, BuddyTV came up with the most compelling recap of Heroes’ final episode. So let me defer to them and provide you what Jon Lachonis wrote:

Tonight, Heroes drew its champions against their quarry and the fate of mankind was decided as one chapter closed, and another began. As far as finales go, Heroes “How to Stop an Exploding Man” was an avid demonstration of the state-of-the-art. Multiple arcs that flowed together perfectly, forming a rushing stream of suspense that ended with certainty and doubt, rescue and danger, and a teaser of an epilogue that just made us scream for more.

It was, of course, the finale course of events leading up to Peter Petrelli’s prophecy. A prophecy his family seemed fit to allow happening. He would explode and destroy a significant portion of New York and in the process take out .07% of the population. All of this to usher in a new age in which those born with special abilities would become the boon of mankind.

The central theme seemed to be dedication. Dedication to family, to self, to principals good and bad. Dedication to ideals, and the damage that can come of it. I’m sure some could extract a political allegory out of it, a crooked politician entrapped in a matriarchal plan to force renewal in who knows who’s image. Symbols of a broken justice system, and politicians ready to wean a new breed of faithful followers from the teat of tragedy.

In the end, though, it was hope that reigned supreme. Niki found that she too had the power her alter ego Jessica possessed, and used it to save her son Micah. Matt convinced HRG, who we will no know as Noah, to keep Molly alive. Hiro found himself infused with the skills of his legacy, and rescued his friend Ando. Claire was forced to choose between blood and the family that evolved from devotion, and chose against Nathan. Nathan himself, seemed like an automaton cycling through an auto erotic dance to destruction.

In the end the showdown was perhaps a little uneven. Every living hero was there, and they all played a part. Matt attempted to shoot Sylar, but Sylar stopped his bullets and repelled them back into the psychic ex-policeman’s chest. His fate is unknown. DL is struggling, but alive. Niki ultimately saved the day by breaking Sylar’s psychic grip on Peter. When it was all about to conclude, Hiro blinked in and ran Sylar through with his sword.

By this time, Peter was going nuclear and there was no stopping it. He asked Hiro to kill him, but Sylar propelled the spunky samurai with one last psychic burst. Claire came with the gun and was prepared to shoot him when out of nowhere Nathan swooped in. His redemption was at hand, he would fly Peter to a safe distance above the city and allow him to explode, at the cost of his own life, or so we assume.

In the aftermath, several lives were in doubt: Peter, Nathan, Matt, and Sylar. Where his body lay began a path of blood that lead to an open manhole.

Perhaps the most perplexing moment was the beginning of the next volume. This closed volume one “Genesis,” but began the next chapter “Generations.” The intro was Hiro falling in a field and soon finding himself beset by Samurai warriors. There is an eclipse. The end. Enough to be intriguing, for sure, but not quite enough to give us an indication of what the big story may be. However, thankfully, this was a night to judge the series by how it closed a chapter, not by how it began a new one. On that score-card, Heroes ended its first season in grand style that paid off every last hanging thread, and left just enough unknowns to keep us talking well into next season.

- Jon Lachonis, BuddyTV Senior Writer

[images:NBC]

Tags: Heroes, how to stop an exploding man, recap, season finale, episode 1.23