How to Stop an Exploding Man
Encyclopedia
"How to Stop an Exploding Man" is the twenty-third and final episode of the first season of the NBC
science fiction
drama series Heroes
. The episode was written by Tim Kring
and was directed by Allan Arkush
. It is the conclusion of the three-part finale for season one.
The episode started filming March 26. It aired May 21, 2007. The title of this episode is in reference to a question that Hiro Nakamura asked in "Fallout
".
.
, and Suresh
in turn points a gun at Bennet, to save Molly. The stalemate diffuses when Molly and Matt Parkman
spot each other.
Sylar
is seen painting the predicted fight between himself and Peter
, whom he immediately recognizes.
Hiro
tells his father he must save Ando
and stop Sylar
. He teleports to Isaac Mendez's loft, where Ando has been pinned against the wall by Sylar. Hiro arrives to face Sylar, and Sylar challenges Hiro to move faster than he can. To Sylar's surprise, Hiro teleports across the room to Ando and they both disappear before Sylar can do anything more.
Having just killed Linderman, an injured D.L. and Niki
continue the search for Micah
. Once the correct room is found, Niki leaves D.L. behind to get Micah. When Niki enters the door, it appears that Jessica is in the room with a dead Micah. When she engages Niki in a fight, Niki sees the real Jessica in a broken mirror, who tells her that the other person is not her and that she still needs to save Micah. With a super-powered uppercut from the floor up, Niki throws the impostor across the room, revealing it to be Candice. She hears Micah screaming from a closet and rescues him. She then looks in a mirror and sees only herself.
Nathan
seems to have finally accepted his responsibility as congressman and future president. Nathan's mother informs him that Mr. Linderman is indeed dead, and yet he is unsure if that is a good thing. He seems convinced that his brother Peter
will indeed explode, and also that he has no plans to try to prevent the impending disaster. Molly appears to have relapsed into her health problem from "Landslide
" and Suresh
is treating her. As this happens, Mr. Bennet contacts Peter, who informs him of Sylar
's new power gained from killing Ted Sprague. Bennet confides in him to stop Sylar before disaster strikes, and begs him to look after Claire
. Peter visits Nathan and tries to recruit him in taking on Sylar, and asserts that Sylar must be the one who explodes; however he reflexively hears Nathan's thoughts and realizes that his brother has no intention of stopping the explosion. Peter realizes that Claire was right about not trusting Nathan, but turns to see that she has fled. He tries to locate her in an empty street, but his new "nuclear" powers start to take over as his emotions rise and he collapses.
Matt Parkman
learns of Molly's amazing ability, but she is distraught to admit that she cannot find "everyone": there is one person she claims to be unable to find, someone "far worse" than Sylar, and that when she looks for him, he can see her. When Suresh, Parkman, and Bennet ask Molly to find Sylar, she locates him at Isaac Mendez's loft and Parkman decides to go confront him only to find that Sylar has already left for Kirby Plaza. Meanwhile, Bennet has left to find Peter and Molly tells Suresh that Sylar is now "here" and they try to make their way out of the building. When they arrive at the elevator, they see an injured D.L., whom Mohinder treats for his wounds, but they find that the elevator will not work. As armed guard approach, Niki and Micah arrive and Micah makes the elevator work. The entire group heads down for the final confrontation.
Hiro has teleported himself and Ando back to their office in Japan, escaping Sylar's clutches once more. Ando is determined to help in Sylar's defeat, but Hiro is adamant that his friend remain behind. Hiro assures his friend that he has already proven himself a hero: by facing Sylar without any powers of his own, Ando demonstrated true bravery and inspired Hiro to complete the quest. Hiro states that he must finish it alone, and gives Ando his Kensei
sword, telling Ando, "so you know I'll be back."
Peter finds himself within a flashback during his time caring for Charles Deveaux and sees his mother speaking to Charles about the bomb. He also views the first meeting of himself and Simone Deveaux. Peter believes no one can see him until his mother leaves and Charles confronts him. Charles reveals that he knew about the plan to use Nathan as a catalyst to heal the world, but he felt that Peter is the only one with enough love in his heart to truly accomplish it. He then calls the other Peter, who comes to escort him back into the house. When Mr. Bennet awakens Peter, he thanks Peter for saving Claire's life, and tells Peter "Call me Noah" (revealing his given name for the first time in the series).
In the climax, Peter, Bennet, and Parkman confront Sylar in the plaza. Bennet is immediately thrown against a wall, rendering him incapable of stopping Peter if he explodes. Parkman shoots at Sylar, who stops the bullets and turns them back at Parkman, who is hit in the chest. Sylar then telekinetically uproots a parking meter, sends it flying into his free hand, and brutally hits Peter in the stomach with the heavy object. Niki steps and hits Sylar's torso with another parking meter and saves Peter. Peter then tells Niki that he can handle the rest and she should return to her family. He grabs Sylar and punches him repeatedly, with Sylar being unable to retaliate. After the final punch, Sylar begins to laugh mockingly at the now glowing Peter. Peter, now losing control over his concentration of controlling Ted's power, realizes that he will be the bomb after all. Sylar stands and taunts Peter, calling him a villain and indicating himself as the hero. As Sylar is about to move forward, Hiro arrives and distracts him. Before Sylar can attack, Hiro impales him with a nodachi
, seemingly fatally wounding him. However, before Hiro can do anything about Peter's request that he kill him, Sylar performs one last act of telekinetically throwing Hiro into the air; Hiro teleports before he strikes a nearby building.
Sylar collapses, seeing a series of visions of everyone who has died due to his own actions as well as himself before his eyes glaze over. As Peter's hands continue to glow, Claire arrives and takes Bennet's gun. She approaches Peter, gun raised as Peter tells her that she is the only one who can, but, in tears, she begs him to think of another way. "There is no other way." Peter says, resolutely. However, before she is able to gather herself to continue, Nathan drops from the sky unexpectedly and says that Claire was right; the future wasn't written in stone after all.
Peter realizes what Nathan intends to do and tries to persuade his brother not to give his life. Nathan assures Peter stating he had "saved the cheerleader, so we could save the world."
Peter reluctantly agrees and Nathan grabs him and flies off far above New York where a large explosion is seen in the night sky moments later.
Matt Parkman is shown being loaded into an ambulance, barely alive. At the end of this scene, the camera shows a trail of blood leading from where Sylar's body was to an open manhole with a cockroach
crawling in, leading his "death" open to question, and the words "End of Volume One" appear on the screen.
archers raising their bows towards him — he turns to run, but realizes that it is a man wearing the emblem of the hero Takezo Kensei, poised behind him, that they are about to attack. The subtitles then note that Hiro is outside Kyoto
, Japan, in the year 1671
. Hiro is then caught in a moment of confusion and realization of his dire situation. Before anyone can act, the entire landscape is darkened by a total solar eclipse
which creates the logo associated with the title of the series, "HEROES."
submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
" on Masi Oka's behalf for the 2007 Emmy Awards
.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama series Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
. The episode was written by Tim Kring
Tim Kring
Richard Timothy "Tim" Kring is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the television series Strange World, Crossing Jordan, and Heroes.Kring is Jewish...
and was directed by Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante....
. It is the conclusion of the three-part finale for season one.
The episode started filming March 26. It aired May 21, 2007. The title of this episode is in reference to a question that Hiro Nakamura asked in "Fallout
Fallout (Heroes)
"Fallout" is the eleventh episode of the NBC supernatural drama series Heroes.-Plot:The episode begins with Mr. Bennet bringing Claire home amidst a discussion regarding her powers. Mr. Bennet admits to Claire that he knew about her powers even before she did. She becomes angry with him, but he...
".
Opening Narration
The opening narration is an expanded version of the one used in the very first episode of the series, Genesis, narrated by Mohinder SureshMohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a PhD in parapsychology...
.
"Where does it come from, this quest, this need to solve life's mysteries when the simplest of questions can never be answered? Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we'd be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. But that's not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here. Yet still we struggle to make a difference, to change the world, to dream of hope, never knowing for certain who we will meet along the way. Who among the world of strangers will hold our hand, touch our hearts, and share the pain of trying."
Episode Summary
Mr. Bennet points a gun at Molly, threatening her in order to save ClaireClaire Bennet
Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis" on September 25, 2006...
, and Suresh
Mohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a PhD in parapsychology...
in turn points a gun at Bennet, to save Molly. The stalemate diffuses when Molly and Matt Parkman
Matt Parkman
Matthew "Matt" Parkman, Sr., is a fictional character of the NBC science fiction serial drama Heroes, played by Greg Grunberg. Matt is a police officer, who works for the LAPD and NYPD in Seasons One and Two respectively...
spot each other.
Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
is seen painting the predicted fight between himself and Peter
Peter Petrelli
Peter Petrelli, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a hospice nurse-turned-paramedic in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people with special abilities, or powers...
, whom he immediately recognizes.
Hiro
Hiro Nakamura
is a fictional character on the NBC fantasy drama Heroes who possesses the ability of space-time manipulation. This means that Hiro is able to alter the flow of time. Previously, his ability allowed him to teleport, stop time, or travel through time, but recent events in the series have prevented...
tells his father he must save Ando
Ando Masahashi
is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction television drama series Heroes, portrayed by James Kyson Lee.The character was billed in a recurring role during the first season, and was promoted to series regular in the second...
and stop Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
. He teleports to Isaac Mendez's loft, where Ando has been pinned against the wall by Sylar. Hiro arrives to face Sylar, and Sylar challenges Hiro to move faster than he can. To Sylar's surprise, Hiro teleports across the room to Ando and they both disappear before Sylar can do anything more.
Having just killed Linderman, an injured D.L. and Niki
Niki Sanders
Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. Niki is the wife of D. L. Hawkins and mother of Micah Sanders . Niki, a sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder, displays superhuman strength, being able to literally rip others in half...
continue the search for Micah
Micah Sanders
Micah Sanders, portrayed by Noah Gray-Cabey, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is the son of Niki Sanders and D.L. Hawkins. He is a child prodigy and a technopath.- Beginnings :...
. Once the correct room is found, Niki leaves D.L. behind to get Micah. When Niki enters the door, it appears that Jessica is in the room with a dead Micah. When she engages Niki in a fight, Niki sees the real Jessica in a broken mirror, who tells her that the other person is not her and that she still needs to save Micah. With a super-powered uppercut from the floor up, Niki throws the impostor across the room, revealing it to be Candice. She hears Micah screaming from a closet and rescues him. She then looks in a mirror and sees only herself.
Nathan
Nathan Petrelli
Nathan Petrelli, portrayed by Adrian Pasdar, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a New York lawyer-turned-senator with the power of self-propelled flight. Ambitious and pragmatic, Nathan has a decidedly anti-hero streak, which exacerbates his complex...
seems to have finally accepted his responsibility as congressman and future president. Nathan's mother informs him that Mr. Linderman is indeed dead, and yet he is unsure if that is a good thing. He seems convinced that his brother Peter
Peter Petrelli
Peter Petrelli, portrayed by Milo Ventimiglia, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a hospice nurse-turned-paramedic in his mid-20s with the power to absorb and mimic the powers of other people with special abilities, or powers...
will indeed explode, and also that he has no plans to try to prevent the impending disaster. Molly appears to have relapsed into her health problem from "Landslide
Landslide (Heroes)
"Landslide" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. It is the second episode of the three-part finale for season one.- Plot :...
" and Suresh
Mohinder Suresh
Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras who holds a PhD in parapsychology...
is treating her. As this happens, Mr. Bennet contacts Peter, who informs him of Sylar
Sylar
Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar , is one of the primary antagonists and antiheroes in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers...
's new power gained from killing Ted Sprague. Bennet confides in him to stop Sylar before disaster strikes, and begs him to look after Claire
Claire Bennet
Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis" on September 25, 2006...
. Peter visits Nathan and tries to recruit him in taking on Sylar, and asserts that Sylar must be the one who explodes; however he reflexively hears Nathan's thoughts and realizes that his brother has no intention of stopping the explosion. Peter realizes that Claire was right about not trusting Nathan, but turns to see that she has fled. He tries to locate her in an empty street, but his new "nuclear" powers start to take over as his emotions rise and he collapses.
Matt Parkman
Matt Parkman
Matthew "Matt" Parkman, Sr., is a fictional character of the NBC science fiction serial drama Heroes, played by Greg Grunberg. Matt is a police officer, who works for the LAPD and NYPD in Seasons One and Two respectively...
learns of Molly's amazing ability, but she is distraught to admit that she cannot find "everyone": there is one person she claims to be unable to find, someone "far worse" than Sylar, and that when she looks for him, he can see her. When Suresh, Parkman, and Bennet ask Molly to find Sylar, she locates him at Isaac Mendez's loft and Parkman decides to go confront him only to find that Sylar has already left for Kirby Plaza. Meanwhile, Bennet has left to find Peter and Molly tells Suresh that Sylar is now "here" and they try to make their way out of the building. When they arrive at the elevator, they see an injured D.L., whom Mohinder treats for his wounds, but they find that the elevator will not work. As armed guard approach, Niki and Micah arrive and Micah makes the elevator work. The entire group heads down for the final confrontation.
Hiro has teleported himself and Ando back to their office in Japan, escaping Sylar's clutches once more. Ando is determined to help in Sylar's defeat, but Hiro is adamant that his friend remain behind. Hiro assures his friend that he has already proven himself a hero: by facing Sylar without any powers of his own, Ando demonstrated true bravery and inspired Hiro to complete the quest. Hiro states that he must finish it alone, and gives Ando his Kensei
Kensei
In ancient Japan, a was an honorary title given to a warrior of legendary skill in swordsmanship. The literal translation of "kensei" is "sword saint"...
sword, telling Ando, "so you know I'll be back."
Peter finds himself within a flashback during his time caring for Charles Deveaux and sees his mother speaking to Charles about the bomb. He also views the first meeting of himself and Simone Deveaux. Peter believes no one can see him until his mother leaves and Charles confronts him. Charles reveals that he knew about the plan to use Nathan as a catalyst to heal the world, but he felt that Peter is the only one with enough love in his heart to truly accomplish it. He then calls the other Peter, who comes to escort him back into the house. When Mr. Bennet awakens Peter, he thanks Peter for saving Claire's life, and tells Peter "Call me Noah" (revealing his given name for the first time in the series).
In the climax, Peter, Bennet, and Parkman confront Sylar in the plaza. Bennet is immediately thrown against a wall, rendering him incapable of stopping Peter if he explodes. Parkman shoots at Sylar, who stops the bullets and turns them back at Parkman, who is hit in the chest. Sylar then telekinetically uproots a parking meter, sends it flying into his free hand, and brutally hits Peter in the stomach with the heavy object. Niki steps and hits Sylar's torso with another parking meter and saves Peter. Peter then tells Niki that he can handle the rest and she should return to her family. He grabs Sylar and punches him repeatedly, with Sylar being unable to retaliate. After the final punch, Sylar begins to laugh mockingly at the now glowing Peter. Peter, now losing control over his concentration of controlling Ted's power, realizes that he will be the bomb after all. Sylar stands and taunts Peter, calling him a villain and indicating himself as the hero. As Sylar is about to move forward, Hiro arrives and distracts him. Before Sylar can attack, Hiro impales him with a nodachi
Nodachi
A nodachi is a large two-handed Japanese sword. Some have suggested that the meaning of "nodachi" is roughly the same as ōdachi meaning "large/great sword". A confusion between the terms has nearly synonymized "nodachi" with the very large "ōdachi"...
, seemingly fatally wounding him. However, before Hiro can do anything about Peter's request that he kill him, Sylar performs one last act of telekinetically throwing Hiro into the air; Hiro teleports before he strikes a nearby building.
Sylar collapses, seeing a series of visions of everyone who has died due to his own actions as well as himself before his eyes glaze over. As Peter's hands continue to glow, Claire arrives and takes Bennet's gun. She approaches Peter, gun raised as Peter tells her that she is the only one who can, but, in tears, she begs him to think of another way. "There is no other way." Peter says, resolutely. However, before she is able to gather herself to continue, Nathan drops from the sky unexpectedly and says that Claire was right; the future wasn't written in stone after all.
Peter reluctantly agrees and Nathan grabs him and flies off far above New York where a large explosion is seen in the night sky moments later.
Matt Parkman is shown being loaded into an ambulance, barely alive. At the end of this scene, the camera shows a trail of blood leading from where Sylar's body was to an open manhole with a cockroach
Cockroach
Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
crawling in, leading his "death" open to question, and the words "End of Volume One" appear on the screen.
Concluding Narration
Following the conclusion of the battle at Kirby Plaza, and the nuclear explosion above New York, Mohinder Suresh concludes the episode with a continuation of his earlier narration, followed by a preview of Volume Two: Generations"We dream of hope, we dream of change, of fire, of love, of death. And then it happens; the dream becomes real, and the answer to this quest, this need to solve life's mysteries finally shows itself like the glowing light of the new dawn. So much struggle for meaning, for purpose. And in the end, we find it only in each other. Our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred. To connect. And to know in our hearts... that we are not alone."
Volume Two: Generations
After a fadeout, we are shown the opening of "Volume Two: Generations." Hiro lands in a grassy meadow. As he looks around him, he spots a group of samuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
archers raising their bows towards him — he turns to run, but realizes that it is a man wearing the emblem of the hero Takezo Kensei, poised behind him, that they are about to attack. The subtitles then note that Hiro is outside Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan, in the year 1671
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. Hiro is then caught in a moment of confusion and realization of his dire situation. Before anyone can act, the entire landscape is darkened by a total solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
which creates the logo associated with the title of the series, "HEROES."
Ratings
In the 18-49 demographic, "How to Stop an Exploding Man" earned a 6.1/15 ratings share. This episode was watched by 13.48 million viewers.Awards
Milo VentimigliaMilo Ventimiglia
Milo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...
submitted this episode for consideration in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor - Drama Series
This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.-1960s:*1960: no award*1961: Roddy McDowall – Not Without Honor*1962: no award*1963: no award...
" on Masi Oka's behalf for the 2007 Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
.
External links
- Beaming Beeman: Episode 23: How to Stop an Exploding Man, Director's blog on the filming of this episode.