# Heroes 5/7/07 - "The Hard Part" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 7, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160 "2007-05-07T22:08:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/61 "2007-05-08T15:57:30Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] Also, What was the little star that Molly gave Mohinder for? Molly said, this will save you from the boogy man (Sylar)…What’s that all about? [/QUOTE] I’m sure that will be revealed at some point. Oh, and regarding Hiro’s sword… Perhaps it’s just like Dumbo’s little magic feather. Y’know, just a psychological too. A placebo, if you wish. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/62 "2007-05-08T16:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=crazyjoe] I don’t think Sylar absorbed Hiro’s power, and I don’t think that Hiro lost concentration. If there’s one thing we’ve seen in the past, several times, it’s that Sylar has the ability to adapt. He learned how to overcome the drugs they were giving him at Primatech and fake his own death. He somehow managed to overcome the drug that “paralyzes the brain” that Mohinder gave him at his apartment. I think he can just adapt to the situation, and that’s one of the powers he has acquired. [/QUOTE] That’s what I was going to say. Maybe it’s part of Sylar’s native ability - his ability to figure things out and fix them. He is frozen long enough to grasp what is going on, and then he neutralizes it. He was pretty messed-up about his mother - runs back to her when he’s upset, argues with her, whirls a snow-globe at her head, accidentally (?) kills her, and then paints a picture with her blood. If he’d only waited a week, he could have done all of that on Mother’s Day. It’s a little facile; “If only Sylar had a normal relationship with his mother; then he wouldn’t have to kill 3 million people,” but this show has no fear of the facile. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/63 "2007-05-08T16:02:54Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] \Oh, and regarding Hiro’s sword… Perhaps it’s just like Dumbo’s little magic feather. Y’know, just a psychological too. A placebo, if you wish. [/QUOTE] Yup. Hiro thinks he needs it. He was using his powers before he got it, but he seems to have forgotten that in all the drama he has been caught up in. Maybe he “forgot” on purpose as a psychological shield for himself for finding himself with so much power and responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/64 "2007-05-08T16:09:07Z")
Hiro wasn’t ready to kill Sylar, so I do think he lost concentration. He felt Sylar was seeking redemption and therefore deserving of a chance. Sylar’s accidental killing of his mother didn’t have enough personal impact on Hiro to motivate him strongly. I hate to say it but maybe Hiro will have to have much stronger personal motivation to kill Sylar, such as avenging his friend’s death. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/65 "2007-05-08T16:11:59Z")
[QUOTE=JThunder] Oh, and regarding Hiro’s sword… Perhaps it’s just like Dumbo’s little magic feather. Y’know, just a psychological too. A placebo, if you wish. [/QUOTE] A placebo that he has to stick into Syler’s belly, let us not forget the intrinsic value of a good sword and the ability to stop time. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/66 "2007-05-08T16:16:06Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] That’s what I was going to say. Maybe it’s part of Sylar’s native ability - his ability to figure things out and fix them. He is frozen long enough to grasp what is going on, and then he neutralizes it. [/QUOTE] The point of stopping time is that the people who’ve been stopped _dont_ experience that time, long or otherwise. Sylar wasn’t frozen “long enough” to anything – to his perspective, he stabbed his mother, and then Hiro was suddenly there. Why this rush to fanwank what doesn’t need wanking? We _know_ what Sylar’s power does, and what stolen powers he has exhibited. None of them would’ve interfered with Hiro’s power. We _also_ know that _Hiro isn’t good at controlling his powers_. Occam’s Razor, folks – the guy who has trouble controlling his powers _had trouble controlling his powers_ and that’s how Sylar (and Ando, and Audrey’s corpse probably) got unfrozen. No need to make Sylar’s power function even more implausibly than it already does to explain all this. ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/67 "2007-05-08T16:24:11Z")
We also know that Hiro can slow down time. Maybe instead of freezing time, he’s actually slowing it down to a speed that’s imperceptible at the levels of human perception, but fast enough for brain functions to continue, thus giving Sylar time to figure out and adapt to the condition. I mean, you’re probably right, but It’s fun to think about alternatives. We’ve been shown over and over that most of the Heroes don’t understand their powers or how to use them very well, so anything is possible. Sylar seems to be the exception to this rather than the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Millamant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@Mrs.Millamant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Millamant)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/68 "2007-05-08T16:24:13Z")
[QUOTE=C K Dexter Haven] At end of episode, Peter was absorbing Ted’s power… presumably, just from being around Ted. That’s an inconsistency, seems to me; I thought Peter had to be around the power when it was being used, not just near the person? [/QUOTE] Even though Ted has been showing more control over his powers lately, we know that for a long while he was “leaking” enough to cause his wife’s death. It’s entirely possible that he still is, and that it is enough for Peter’s ability to pick up on–we’ve only seen him absorb powers once they’ve been demonstrated. Otherwise, he would have been able to fly when he jumped off the building, just by being in proximity to Nathan. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/69 "2007-05-08T16:46:49Z")
I think the idea is that Ted naturally “powers up” without actively doing anything, which he then releases out again either unconsciously (as with his wife) or consciously. Considering his problems with his powers, I think it’s reasonable to think that he isn’t able or doesn’t know how to shut them off completely. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingCowOfDoom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyingcowofdoom/32/21776_2.png) [@FlyingCowOfDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingCowOfDoom)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/70 "2007-05-08T16:47:15Z")
[QUOTE=carterba] We also know that Hiro can slow down time. Maybe instead of freezing time, he’s actually slowing it down to a speed that’s imperceptible at the levels of human perception, but fast enough for brain functions to continue, thus giving Sylar time to figure out and adapt to the condition. [/QUOTE] It wouldn’t make a difference. To Sylar, nothing slows down or freezes. He wouldn’t perceive any change except Hiro appearing out of nowhere. Hiro had to have lost concentration. **CK** , I think that Ted’s ability is one that is “always on” and needs to be constantly controlled to prevent a “meltdown”. Ted has learned how to control it, and that’s why he doesn’t glow all the time. Now that Peter is exposed to Ted, he has to learn to control it… and pretty quickly. Peter doesn’t need to know about a power or see it in use to learn it, as evidenced by his ability to see Claude without knowing about him. –FCOD ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/71 "2007-05-08T16:52:54Z")
I have a question; the people saying “Molly is the only one who can stop Sylar” are wrong, surely? I mean, even if her power is necessary, couldn’t Peter copy it? Thinking about it I guess there might be a slight problem since Molly activates her power by thinking about the person in question, and that’s also how Pete manifests copied abilities, IIRC. Unless, I guess, they’re talking about needing Molly herself rather than her powers. But I don’t see that being in character for Evil Corp. Guy. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/72 "2007-05-08T16:56:17Z")
[QUOTE=Revenant Threshold] I have a question; the people saying “Molly is the only one who can stop Sylar” are wrong, surely? I mean, even if her power is necessary, couldn’t Peter copy it? Thinking about it I guess there might be a slight problem since Molly activates her power by thinking about the person in question, and that’s also how Pete manifests copied abilities, IIRC. Unless, I guess, they’re talking about needing Molly herself rather than her powers. But I don’t see that being in character for Evil Corp. Guy. [/QUOTE] I was thinking that maybe it was the virus she had at first (it did stop her powers right?). Not sure what I think of that now. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/73 "2007-05-08T17:04:28Z")
Another question; Sylar copies powers by incorporating his victim’s DNA into his own, right? Is it then possible that he’s not limited to giving powers to himself - theoretically, he could give powers from someone to anyone else? I suppose it depends on whether his power involves that ability to mimic or whether it’s just a case of seeing how things work and manipulating. ---
**Author:** ![EastCoastPearl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/aeb1de/32.png) [@EastCoastPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastCoastPearl)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/74 "2007-05-08T18:03:34Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] Also, What was the little star that Molly gave Mohinder for? Molly said, this will save you from the boogy man (Sylar)…What’s that all about? [/QUOTE] I think that represents Claire (being from Texas - the Lone Star State). I just decided that. I also think Hiro deliberately started time again before trying to kill Sylar, but maybe he just flinched… I’m not too sure about that one. I’ll have to rewatch this episode I think. > [@](#): > > At end of episode, Peter was absorbing Ted’s power… presumably, just from being around Ted. That’s an inconsistency, seems to me; I thought Peter had to be around the power when it was being used, not just near the person? This kindof goes back to my question from the last thread of how each person’s powers manifest themselves… it seems like some of them are just passive abilities, while others require intentional thought. Like Claire’s ability just happens to her when she’s injured, but Nathan isn’t just always flying around - he has to mean to do it before he does it. So maybe Peter can absorb those passive abilities just by being around a person, but can absorb the “active” abilities (I know there must be a better word for it) only when they’re used? Personally, I think he just sucks them in by proximity, regardless of wether they’re in use or not. It’s an easier explanation. > [@](#): > > Peter also didn’t start glowing until he actually saw Ted. I agree I think he has to know about it to get it unless it’s a completely passive “on-all-the-time” ability like Claire’s healing. I don’t think so. Remember the first time he saw Claude? He SAW him before he knew the guy was actually invisible, and when they got into the tussle, we realized that they were both invisible, which Peter didn’t even realize at first. Was he ever around Isaac while Isaac was in one of his painting trances? (I’m trying to remember all the times he’s come into contact with other people with powers.) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/75 "2007-05-08T18:12:25Z")
**Revenant** , we don’t really know ‘how’ Sylar’s powers work (or at least how he incorporates them). We just speculate based on what we’ve seen so far. But don’t worry - if they reveal it, the very next second this and other message board will light up with people stating how it was wrong based on this or that line of dialog. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/76 "2007-05-08T18:45:04Z")
[QUOTE=guppy] I was thinking that maybe it was the virus she had at first (it did stop her powers right?). Not sure what I think of that now. [/QUOTE] This is what I thought too. They extract the virus and then stick it into Sylar to cancel out his powers. ---
**Author:** ![EastCoastPearl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/aeb1de/32.png) [@EastCoastPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastCoastPearl)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/77 "2007-05-08T19:29:40Z")
[QUOTE=Tahssa] This is what I thought too. They extract the virus and then stick it into Sylar to cancel out his powers. [/QUOTE] I thought they were going to let him eat her brain and he’d catch it that way. I’m pretty sure that’s how he gets his powers. Remember when his mom offered to make him a sandwich? He said “I’m not hungry” and I thought “Yeah, cuz you just ATE, you freak!” :o ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/78 "2007-05-08T20:27:16Z")
[QUOTE=guppy] The previews showed Hiro’s dad coming at him with a sword (right?). Perhaps Linderman didn’t have the real whatchamathingy sword but Hiro’s father does. [/QUOTE] Could we please keep stuff from previews in spoiler boxes. Some of us don’t watch them, especially since they tend to be really misleading. **Otto** , since you seem to be in charge of the weekly threads, why not some ground rules, like we have for \*\*24 \*\* and **Lost**? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/79 "2007-05-08T20:31:59Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] **Otto** , since you seem to be in charge of the weekly threads, why not some ground rules, like we have for \*\*24 \*\* and **Lost**? [/QUOTE] Me? In charge? Not hardly. Besides, my personal philosophy on spoilers is that once the material has aired as part of the show then it’s fair game. ---
**Author:** ![guppy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7feea3/32.png) [@guppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guppy)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160/80 "2007-05-08T20:36:51Z")
[QUOTE=Charlie Tan] Could we please keep stuff from previews in spoiler boxes. Some of us don’t watch them, especially since they tend to be really misleading. [/QUOTE] Oops, sorry didn’t realize that was a unwritten rule. Won’t happen again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroes-5-7-07-the-hard-part/403160.md?page=5)