Heroes - Season 1, Episode 20 - Five Years Gone

This episode is also known as "String Theory" but was changed to "Five Years Gone" and String Theory instead was used to title Chapter 30 in the graphic novel. This episode is the last before the final 3 - which the final 3 work together for the season finale.

The episode focuses on Hiro - both present and future Hiro. Last week's episode ended with Hiro coming to Isaac's studio to get help and he then ran into future Hiro.

Future Hiro is angry and we soon find out - a Killer! Society has marked him as terrorist and he is wanted by the authorities. He is jaded and wants to change the past. All of this because his dear friend Ando died. He created this time line of events so he could find the precise moment to go back and change the world. And guess what that moment was - Save the Cheerleader!

Here is the low down - apparently Sylar blows up the city the day after the election. The only way to kill Sylar is to stop him from taking Claire's powers of regeneration. If he can't regenerate than he can be killed. So, future Hiro goes back in time to meet with Peter to tell him he must Save the Cheerleader. We all know Peter succeeds at that.

This concept does not fall in line with the theory that Nathan is supposed to blow up the city. But later in the episode Nathan does talk about how it was really him who blew it up. So how is he still alive five years later if he didn't meet Claire and learn her powers of regeneration? Also, according to Isaac's last words - we all have a destiny - so can it be avoided, even if you are able to go back in time and change it? Hiro doesn't care - he will do anything to change the world no matter what the chances are.

But just as Hiro and Hiro are starting to plan, Matt shows up and ruins the day! He takes present Hiro away while future Hiro and Ando escape. Hiro's powers in the future were weakened and his time travel is not as strong, but he can still travel through space. He needs to see Peter for help to change the past.

So I want to know how the hell this next thing happened - Niki/Jessica (N/J) are getting it on with Peter! What!?!?!? She used to be linked to Nathan and DL (well I guess anyone who paid her) and now Peter!? But Peter is like this wonderful sweet guy. Well future Peter is not the same either. He is scarred (literally) and tough.

Future Hiro and Ando go to the strip club where N/J works so she can get them to Peter. She tells them to get lost because Peter isn't interested. N/J doesn't know her man!

N/J tells Peter about Hiro coming by. She told him that she sent them to Bennett instead. Peter tells N/J that she needs to come to grips with the past and the death of Micah and DL. What happened 5 years ago!?

Matt questions present day Hiro thinking he is talking to future Hiro. Can't he tell the difference? Future Hiro is all matrixed out while present Hiro is still innocent looking. Present Hiro has nothing to tell because he doesn't know what happened. Matt is stumped and he calls his friend, the President of the US - Nathan.

Nathan has called for a meeting with "the Professor" - Mohinder. Mohinder tells Nathan that despite all the testing he still can't reverse the DNA. Nathan sees only one solution - genocide.

Mohinder goes with Matt to Isaac's studio. They see the timeline and Mohinder remembers Peter telling him that he met future Hiro in the subway and was told to save the cheerleader. This is confusing because if future Mohinder knows about "save the cheerleader" then why didn't everything go according to plan?

Future Hiro and Ando show up to meet with Bennett. Mr. Bennet and Hana Gitelman are working to help hide heroes and their families. Bennett and Parkman have a secret deal - Bennett turns over the dangerous ones while Claire stays in hiding and so does Matt's son (also named Matt).

Matt finds out that Hiro met with Bennett and breaks the agreement to get Claire. Bennett quickly gets to Claire to warn her. Claire is now a brown haired waitress (probably at the Burnt Toast Diner) and is engaged to a sweet blonde boy who has no clue about her powers. Bennett begs her to leave but she is torn because she doesn't want to hurt her fiance.

Claire convinces her finace to run away and elope. But before they can do that Matt finds her and gets her to see her father. This is when it gets freaky. Turns out Nathan is dead and Sylar met Candice and stole her powers so he can appear to be anyone - and his daily appearance is Nathan. Sylar cuts open Claire's head and takes her powers.

Nathan/Sylar then go to the 5 year anniversary memorial of the explosion. He talks about the "Linderman Act" to stop the heroes and how they have created a drug that reverses the DNA. Mohinder did tell Nathan that such a drug couldn't happen but Nathan is going to convince the world it can happen and then let the heroes die from taking some type of drug. Then the world will unite under the grief.

During the memorial, Matt calls Nathan to tell him they found Future Hiro which explains why present Hiro had no knowledge of what was going on. At some point in between all this Peter and future Hiro go together. Matt is trying to corner future Hiro and kill him. Earlier, Nathan gave Mohinder a job - kill Hiro.

Mohinder holds present Hiro with a needle ready to kill. Just as he is about to strike he turns the needle to the Haitian. By killing the Haitian the other heroes can use their powers.

Once the Haitian is dead future and present Hiro unite and future Hiro is about to tell present Hiro how to control his powers - and then future Hiro is shot by Matt. As he dies, future Hiro gives present Hiro a copy of Isaac's comic book to show him how to kill Sylar.

Then Nathan comes flying into the building and walks through walls. Peter sees Nathan and knows that his brother doesn't have that ability. Sylar is then revealed to Peter and the ultimate showdown happens again - Peter v. Sylar.

They are about to go at it when Hiro leaves the future and comes back to NY. Hiro made it back to a point in time when the world can still be saved...

So the world is still safe. The episode managed to confuse but it shed light on what the world could be if the heroes don't come together. They have 3 episodes left to do it. Can they? And how will it unfold?