Five Years Gone
Encyclopedia
"Five Years Gone" is the twentieth episode of the first season of the NBC
science fiction
drama series Heroes
. It is the last episode before the three-part finale of season one.
This episode was originally known as "String Theory." The title was changed to "Five Years Gone", and "String Theory" was used as the title of Chapter 30 in the graphic novels.
and Ando Masahashi
traveling five years into the future, showing where the world will be if the explosion isn't stopped. Future Hiro, last encountered in the episode "Hiros
", is featured more prominently, this time as the world's most wanted terrorist and a master of Battōjutsu
. Ando was killed in the blast, which according to Peter, is the reason why Hiro lost his humorous side and became obsessed with changing the past.
Nathan Petrelli
is now the President of the United States
, with Mohinder Suresh
as his Chief Medical Advisor and Matt Parkman
as the head of Homeland Security
with the Haitian
at his side. Niki Sanders
has become a stripper again, adopting "Jessica", the name of both her former alter ego and sister, as her stage name. Her son Micah
was killed in the explosion that destroyed much of New York. Niki has a romantic relationship with Peter Petrelli
, who has a distinct scar across his face which starts on the right side of his forehead down to his left cheek.
Sylar
is blamed for detonating a nuclear explosion that destroys half of New York and kills millions of people, and is assumed to be deceased. In the original timeline, Hiro had stabbed him before the explosion, but Sylar had already succeeded in killing Claire Bennet
at her high school Homecoming, absorbed her regenerative powers, and survived. However, this timeline was altered and did not actually occur, as Hiro had visited Peter Petrelli with the message "save the cheerleader, save the world" and, consequently, Sylar was denied the ability of spontaneous regeneration. Nonetheless, the explosion did occur and, in reality, Peter was the cause of the blast in the alternative timeline. Nathan lied to the public to protect his brother, and blamed Sylar for the explosion.
Sylar was able to kill Nathan and impersonate him after killing Candice and acquiring her illusory ability. For him, the hunting and, eventually, extermination of other superpowered people is all part of his "eliminating the competition".
With Sylar disguising himself as Nathan, acting as President (reminiscent of Isaac Mendez' painting), and exploiting public panic after the destruction of New York, persons with special abilities are now viewed with fear and suspicion and are subject to heavy persecution, with the Department of Homeland Security (including Parkman and the Haitian) working to hunt down "unregistered" individuals in accordance with the "Linderman Act". Mr. Bennet and Hana Gitelman work to hide heroes and their families, giving them new identities and moving them to keep them safe. Mr. Bennet has made a secret bargain with Parkman, however, to turn over individuals with "dangerous" powers, while Parkman allows Mr. Bennet to continue helping others with "harmless" powers, including Parkman's own wife and son.
One of the individuals Mr. Bennet is hiding is his adopted daughter Claire. She becomes a brunette and goes undercover as a waitress in Midland, Texas
at the Burnt Toast Diner, the same place Charlie Andrews worked at, using her adoptive mother's name, Sandra. She is engaged to Andy (Kellan Lutz
), a fellow worker at the diner. Parkman betrays Mr. Bennet after finding out that there are indeed two Hiros and one of them escaped him. Not wanting to face the President empty-handed, he extracts Claire's location from Mr. Bennet's mind, and then shoots his former ally (Hana Gitelman was also killed prior to the confrontation between Parkman and Bennet). Parkman proceeds to capture Claire, who was about to go on the run, and sends her to the Petrelli mansion in Manhattan. There Sylar, under the guise of Nathan, attacks her and once again obtains her power in this alternative timeline.
Meanwhile, present-day Hiro has been captured by Parkman. When Nathan orders Mohinder to kill Hiro to begin his plan of genocide
of the super-powered, Mohinder instead kills the Haitian and allows present-day Hiro to escape. Mohinder then shows present-day Hiro a new copy of Isaac Mendez
's 9th Wonders!
comic book (the same copy Isaac drew before being murdered in the previous episode), where Mohinder is shown injecting the Haitian.
When Peter, Future Hiro and Ando stage an attack to free present-day Hiro, Parkman calls the President to inform him that they're being repelled by Peter. Upon hearing this, Sylar, still disguised as Nathan, flies away in front of a crowd to whom he just gave a speech about the last five years, effectively revealing to them that he too is a super-powered individual. Sylar reveals himself to Peter and they prepare to battle. Peter generates fire
with his hands, while Sylar surrounds his with ice.
When Mohinder demands that present-day Hiro go back to the past, the less-experienced Hiro states that he doesn't know how to get back to the correct date. Before Future Hiro can take his earlier self back in time himself, he is shot in the back by Parkman. As Future Hiro dies, he gives Ando a page of Isaac's comic book. As present-day Hiro expresses his shock at seeing his own death, Mohinder pushes Future Hiro's katana into his hands and tells him to go quickly. Hiro and Ando travel back to the past and look happily upon the undestroyed city before them. Hiro looks at the comic strip of him killing Sylar and says, "Now, the hard part".
, Adrian Pasdar
and Sendhil Ramamurthy
submitted this episode for consideration of their respective work in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
" for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards
. This episode was chosen for submission in the category of "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series". "Five Years Gone" received a nomination for Visual Effects.
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...
. It is the last episode before the three-part finale of season one.
This episode was originally known as "String Theory." The title was changed to "Five Years Gone", and "String Theory" was used as the title of Chapter 30 in the graphic novels.
Plot
This episode focuses on Hiro NakamuraHiro 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...
and Ando Masahashi
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...
traveling five years into the future, showing where the world will be if the explosion isn't stopped. Future Hiro, last encountered in the episode "Hiros
Hiros
"Hiros" is the fifth episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes.-Claire:Claire and Brody have survived their crash and are seen in the hospital. Claire finally tells her father that Brody had attempted to rape her, but makes him promise not to tell the authorities....
", is featured more prominently, this time as the world's most wanted terrorist and a master of Battōjutsu
Battojutsu
is a Japanese term meaning techniques for engaging a sword. It is often used interchangeably with the terms iaijutsu, battōdō, or iaidō, although each term does have nuances in the Japanese language and different schools of Japanese martial arts may use them to differentiate between techniques...
. Ando was killed in the blast, which according to Peter, is the reason why Hiro lost his humorous side and became obsessed with changing the past.
Nathan Petrelli
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...
is now the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, with Mohinder 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...
as his Chief Medical Advisor 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...
as the head of Homeland Security
United States Secretary of Homeland Security
The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the body concerned with protecting the American homeland and the safety of American citizens. The Secretary is a member of the President's Cabinet. The position was created by the...
with the Haitian
Haitian (Heroes)
The Haitian is a fictional character on the NBC television series Heroes, portrayed by Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis. He is an associate of Noah Bennet. For the first three seasons of the show, he was only referred to on screen as "the Haitian." Even his associates at Primatech called him this...
at his side. Niki Sanders
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...
has become a stripper again, adopting "Jessica", the name of both her former alter ego and sister, as her stage name. Her son 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 :...
was killed in the explosion that destroyed much of New York. Niki has a romantic relationship with Peter Petrelli
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...
, who has a distinct scar across his face which starts on the right side of his forehead down to his left cheek.
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 blamed for detonating a nuclear explosion that destroys half of New York and kills millions of people, and is assumed to be deceased. In the original timeline, Hiro had stabbed him before the explosion, but Sylar had already succeeded in killing Claire Bennet
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...
at her high school Homecoming, absorbed her regenerative powers, and survived. However, this timeline was altered and did not actually occur, as Hiro had visited Peter Petrelli with the message "save the cheerleader, save the world" and, consequently, Sylar was denied the ability of spontaneous regeneration. Nonetheless, the explosion did occur and, in reality, Peter was the cause of the blast in the alternative timeline. Nathan lied to the public to protect his brother, and blamed Sylar for the explosion.
Sylar was able to kill Nathan and impersonate him after killing Candice and acquiring her illusory ability. For him, the hunting and, eventually, extermination of other superpowered people is all part of his "eliminating the competition".
With Sylar disguising himself as Nathan, acting as President (reminiscent of Isaac Mendez' painting), and exploiting public panic after the destruction of New York, persons with special abilities are now viewed with fear and suspicion and are subject to heavy persecution, with the Department of Homeland Security (including Parkman and the Haitian) working to hunt down "unregistered" individuals in accordance with the "Linderman Act". Mr. Bennet and Hana Gitelman work to hide heroes and their families, giving them new identities and moving them to keep them safe. Mr. Bennet has made a secret bargain with Parkman, however, to turn over individuals with "dangerous" powers, while Parkman allows Mr. Bennet to continue helping others with "harmless" powers, including Parkman's own wife and son.
One of the individuals Mr. Bennet is hiding is his adopted daughter Claire. She becomes a brunette and goes undercover as a waitress in Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
at the Burnt Toast Diner, the same place Charlie Andrews worked at, using her adoptive mother's name, Sandra. She is engaged to Andy (Kellan Lutz
Kellan Lutz
Kellan Christopher Lutz is an American fashion model, and film and television actor, who is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.-Early life:...
), a fellow worker at the diner. Parkman betrays Mr. Bennet after finding out that there are indeed two Hiros and one of them escaped him. Not wanting to face the President empty-handed, he extracts Claire's location from Mr. Bennet's mind, and then shoots his former ally (Hana Gitelman was also killed prior to the confrontation between Parkman and Bennet). Parkman proceeds to capture Claire, who was about to go on the run, and sends her to the Petrelli mansion in Manhattan. There Sylar, under the guise of Nathan, attacks her and once again obtains her power in this alternative timeline.
Meanwhile, present-day Hiro has been captured by Parkman. When Nathan orders Mohinder to kill Hiro to begin his plan of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
of the super-powered, Mohinder instead kills the Haitian and allows present-day Hiro to escape. Mohinder then shows present-day Hiro a new copy of Isaac Mendez
Isaac Mendez
Isaac Méndez was a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Santiago Cabrera, he had the ability to paint the future.-Genesis:...
's 9th Wonders!
9th Wonders!
9th Wonders! is a metafictional comic-book series in the NBC drama Heroes. In the show, it is written, illustrated, and self-published by Isaac Mendez. In reality, Mendez's artwork is provided by comic-book illustrator Tim Sale.- History :...
comic book (the same copy Isaac drew before being murdered in the previous episode), where Mohinder is shown injecting the Haitian.
When Peter, Future Hiro and Ando stage an attack to free present-day Hiro, Parkman calls the President to inform him that they're being repelled by Peter. Upon hearing this, Sylar, still disguised as Nathan, flies away in front of a crowd to whom he just gave a speech about the last five years, effectively revealing to them that he too is a super-powered individual. Sylar reveals himself to Peter and they prepare to battle. Peter generates fire
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
with his hands, while Sylar surrounds his with ice.
When Mohinder demands that present-day Hiro go back to the past, the less-experienced Hiro states that he doesn't know how to get back to the correct date. Before Future Hiro can take his earlier self back in time himself, he is shot in the back by Parkman. As Future Hiro dies, he gives Ando a page of Isaac's comic book. As present-day Hiro expresses his shock at seeing his own death, Mohinder pushes Future Hiro's katana into his hands and tells him to go quickly. Hiro and Ando travel back to the past and look happily upon the undestroyed city before them. Hiro looks at the comic strip of him killing Sylar and says, "Now, the hard part".
Ratings
In the 18-49 demographic, "Five Years Gone" earned a 5.4/13 ratings share. This episode was watched by 11.92 million viewers.Awards
Masi OkaMasi Oka
Masayori "Masi" Oka is a Japanese-American actor and digital effects artist.He has performed in numerous feature films and TV series, most prominently as Hiro Nakamura in the NBC TV series Heroes from 2006 until its cancellation in May 2010. He resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Oka...
, Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Pasdar
Adrian Kayvan Pasdar is an American actor, voice artist, and film director. He is known for playing Jim Profit on the TV series Profit, for his roles in Near Dark, Carlito's Way, Mysterious Ways and as Nathan Petrelli on Heroes. Additionally, he directed the feature film Cement...
and Sendhil Ramamurthy
Sendhil Ramamurthy
Sendhil Ramamurthy is an American actor. He is best known for the role as geneticist Mohinder Suresh in the NBC drama Heroes.-Personal life:...
submitted this episode for consideration of their respective work 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...
" for the 59th Primetime 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...
. This episode was chosen for submission in the category of "Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series". "Five Years Gone" received a nomination for Visual Effects.
External links
- Beaming Beeman: Episode 20: Five Years Gone, Director's blog on the filming of this episode.