Five Years Gone (120)

[M2W]

I jumped into the series last week so I'm pretty lost too.

I think I understand everything based on some brief summaries I've read and from what the characters have talked about, but I've still got a couple questions.

A) What's the Jessica/Niki thing all about? Split personalities? Please explain.

B) Is Parkman like that often (tormenting people and such)? I didn't like that at all. Or is that just what he would have become in that timeline?

[PG15]

Woah.....yeah.....did you even get what was going on? I couldn't imagine jumping in at this point.....

Glad to hear you liked it though.

I heard some guy named Sylar exploded (and I find out here that he's still alive), I remember Hiro and Ando(?) from the pilot as Trek fans...and that's pretty much it.

I'll get on it; give me some time...

[jds1982]

Was I the only one who thought Hiro's soul patch looked like shoe polish?

[Pitry]

Excellent!

Loved Hiro. Both of them. And I really loved Peter's analyses of Hiro having lost his optimism when Ando died. Loved Hiro the terrorist, and (now)Hiro afraid of (future)Hiro...
Nope, didn't see Sylar. Ahhh! Poor Peter tho, thinking his brother has gone all dark side and not realising it's Sylar.
Mmmrph, one main protest - the Peter/ Nikki combination. I so hope this isn't a hint for the future. Honestly. Please?

I had more to say, but my mind is too tired to think./ At any rate, lovely. More of these, less of .07% please!

Oh, and PG15.... you're atad bit silly, although your timing is the main culprit I suspect. I picked it up at episode 12, but it was definitely less confusing!

[ButterflyFullofGrace]

I jumped into the series last week so I'm pretty lost too.

I think I understand everything based on some brief summaries I've read and from what the characters have talked about, but I've still got a couple questions.

A) What's the Jessica/Niki thing all about? Split personalities? Please explain.

B) Is Parkman like that often (tormenting people and such)? I didn't like that at all. Or is that just what he would have become in that timeline?

A) It is a split personality thing. Nikki is the core personality, but she has an alter based on her late sister Jessica who was killed by their abusive father. Nikki's superpower is superstrength, but for most of the show's run, it's been only the Jessica personality that's used it effectively, something Nikki herself didn't discover until halfway through the season. Jessica is an amoral killer and Nikki's been fighting her alter ever since she found out about her.

B) Parkman's a bit of a shlump who doesn't always use the best judgement, but he's not a truly bad guy in the present. He is easily led though, and it's not hard to believe that if he were forced to cut himself off from his wife and child, he would follow Nathan/Sylar's lead and blame the "Specials" for the way his life went wrong.

[warmbeachbrat]

I agree, with both. As I see it, there are two timelines now, the first was everything that happened before Present Hiro went five years in the future. Sylar killed Claire, blew up New York, Hiro went back and told Peter to 'Save the Cheerleader.....' in doing so, he changed the fact that Sylar was the bomb, instead Pete's the bomb.
The second timeline will include everything that happens after Hiro returns to the past, with the knowledge of what will happen if they don't stop the bomb. Does this make sense? Also, theoretically, there is a third timeline out there, one in which Sylar was the bomb.

Geez, these guys are good, before seeing this episode, I believed the writers were going with the 'Back to the Future' theory of time travel (you can literally change your future), now I see they are going with the 'timeline' theory. Or they are in fact the same theory....

Wait--if Sylar were the bomb, then Ted would have to be dead. Is there enough time left in the season for that to happen?

[jds1982]

See I don't think Sylar was ever the bomb, in any timeline, it was just misinformation.

[Buddhawasanancient]

See I don't think Sylar was ever the bomb, in any timeline, it was just misinformation.

Exactly, Nathan (or Sylar, depending on WHEN he killed Nathan) hid the truth that it was Peter to protect him...

[Descent]

Phew, what a powerhouse!

I didn't think Nathan was Sylar because...well Nathan is always a jerk in some way.

I also wasn't expecting Matt to be so evil, what a turn-around! Also, too bad we didn't get to see more of that fight between Sylar and Peter.

Easily ****s from me.

[Steve_the_Wraith]

Didn't they just establish, though, that Sylar can only acquire the power if the other one is dead?

To get someone else's power Peter needs to be near them, possibly be around them when they use their powers

For Sylar to acquire peoples powers he slices peoples skulls open and removes the brains, his power is "to see how things work" and the powers are based in the brain apparently. Still no one knows what exactly he does with the brains although most people think he eats them

[Steve_the_Wraith]

[COLOR="Black"]

I agree, with both. As I see it, there are two timelines now, the first was everything that happened before Present Hiro went five years in the future. Sylar killed Claire, blew up New York, Hiro went back and told Peter to 'Save the Cheerleader.....' in doing so, he changed the fact that Sylar was the bomb, instead Pete's the bomb.
The second timeline will include everything that happens after Hiro returns to the past, with the knowledge of what will happen if they don't stop the bomb. Does this make sense? Also, theoretically, there is a third timeline out there, one in which Sylar was the bomb.

Geez, these guys are good, before seeing this episode, I believed the writers were going with the 'Back to the Future' theory of time travel (you can literally change your future), now I see they are going with the 'timeline' theory. Or they are in fact the same theory....

What if Sylar was never the bomb?

Future Hiro thinks Sylar is the bomob because Nathan told everyone it was, and future Hiro has been operating under that assumption ever since. That's why saving the cheerleader didn't save the world.

In future Hiro's timeline he tried to kill Sylar by stabbing him with his sword but Sylar merely regenerated and then later the "bomb" destroyed New York. Nathan covered up Peter's involvement, and blamed Sylar, so Hiro becomes obsessed with killing Sylar before the bomb goes off, so he removes Sylar's regeneration power by having Peter save Claire in the Past. However this doesn't change the future because Hiro still apparently fails to kill Sylar (as he is alive in the future) and days later the bomb goes off, Hiro thins these events are directly related but Nathan lied.

But now that Hiro has visited the future time has changed again, maybe this time he will suceed in killing Sylar, or maybe Sylar kills Ted and becomes the bomb this time.

By visiting the future Hiro and Ando have created a new future different from the one they left.

[Steve_the_Wraith]

Think of it as 4 timelines

Original
1) Hiro discovers his powers - Sylar kills Claire and absorbs her regeneration - The Bomb goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded, possibly dieing in the process (since he never meets Claire)

2) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 1) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Sylar kills Claire and absorbs her regeneration - Hiro fights Sylar but fails to kill him becuse he regenerates - The Bomb goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) because Ando was here due to Hiro's attempt to stop the bomb he dies too - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded - 5 years later (Hiro travels back in time to warn Peter to save Claire, thus creating timeline 3)

3) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 2) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Hiro from timeline 2) warns Peter to save Claire - Sylar fails to kill Claire - Hiro fights Sylar but fails to kill him - Peter goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) because Ando was here due to Hiro's attempt to stop the bomb he dies too - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded, possibly dieing in the process (since he never meets Claire) - 5 years later (Hiro travels back in time to warn Peter to save Claire, thus creating timeline 3) ) - Future Hiro expects the timeline to change but it doesn't, however he is soon visited by Hiro and Ando, after they return to their own time they create timeline 4)

4) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 3) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Hiro from timeline 3) warns Peter to save Claire - Sylar fails to kill Claire - Hiro returns from future what happens form now on is upredictable

[ShadowMaat]

What if Sylar was never the bomb?

I think that's the point: he never was the bomb, it was Peter.

Or if he was, the timeline is attempting to correct itself: if not Sylar, it'll be Peter. ...And if not Peter, it could be Ted himself.

Or maybe all these attempts to try and "correct" things mean that this time around, Sylar WILL be the bomb! After all, the way events have developed this time Ted is going to be in NYC. He could run into Sylar (or vice versa, I suppose).

Or, of course, Ted himself could lose control and go nuclear.

[Ruined_puzzle]

Think of it as 4 timelines

Original
1) Hiro discovers his powers - Sylar kills Claire and absorbs her regeneration - The Bomb goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded, possibly dieing in the process (since he never meets Claire)

2) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 1) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Sylar kills Claire and absorbs her regeneration - Hiro fights Sylar but fails to kill him becuse he regenerates - The Bomb goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) because Ando was here due to Hiro's attempt to stop the bomb he dies too - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded - 5 years later (Hiro travels back in time to warn Peter to save Claire, thus creating timeline 3)

3) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 2) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Hiro from timeline 2) warns Peter to save Claire - Sylar fails to kill Claire - Hiro fights Sylar but fails to kill him - Peter goes off killing everyone (Hiro timetravels here and watches the bomb go off) because Ando was here due to Hiro's attempt to stop the bomb he dies too - Nathan blames Sylar but really it was Peter who exploded, possibly dieing in the process (since he never meets Claire) - 5 years later (Hiro travels back in time to warn Peter to save Claire, thus creating timeline 3) ) - Future Hiro expects the timeline to change but it doesn't, however he is soon visited by Hiro and Ando, after they return to their own time they create timeline 4)

4) Hiro discovers his powers - Hiro returns from futre of timeline 3) and takes Ando to America to stop bomb - Hiro from timeline 3) warns Peter to save Claire - Sylar fails to kill Claire - Hiro returns from future what happens form now on is upredictable

So much confusion. lol. I'd rather just not think about it.

[QueenKale]

[COLOR="Black"]
What if Sylar was never the bomb?

Future Hiro thinks Sylar is the bomob because Nathan told everyone it was, and future Hiro has been operating under that assumption ever since.

In future Hiro's timeline he tried to kill Sylar by stabbing him with his sword but Sylar merely regenerated and then later the "bomb" destroyed New York.

Well, Sylar had to have been the bomb at some point. In the graphic novel, Hiro says he stabbed Sylar before he blew up, I'm guessing right before. If it had always been Pete, Hiro woulda stabbed him.

And to elaborate on what I said earlier, I think in the end, the main timeline will be a combination of all of these timelines. Like the trunk of a tree, with all the other timelines just branching off.