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Powerless (Heroes)
Encyclopedia
"Powerless" is the eleventh and final episode of the second season of the NBC
science fiction
drama
series Heroes
and thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by co-executive producer Jeph Loeb
and directed by executive producer Allan Arkush
. The episode aired on December 3, 2007 as the conclusion of the "Volume 2: Generations" storyline. It is also the final episode of Heroes that was ready for broadcast prior to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and acted as the season finale pending the resolution of the dispute.
The episode's main storylines revolve around Peter Petrelli
(Milo Ventimiglia
) and Hiro Nakamura
's (Masi Oka
) quest to stop the release of the Shanti virus, and Sylar
's (Zachary Quinto
) attempt to regain his powers. The end of the episode features a brief prologue of the third volume, "Villains", which features Sylar regaining his powers. Originally, the virus was going to be released, and Tim Kring
said that it was to play a big role in Volume 3. Kring stated that the ending had to be rewritten because they did not know when the show would return to air, and they wanted to make sure that they tied up all the loose ends. "Powerless" was watched by eleven million Americans and received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many saying that it was a positive end to a lackluster season.
(David Anders
) break into the Primatech compound in Odessa to destroy the Shanti virus. The virus, a life-threatening disease that attacks the blood cells of the body, prevents evolved humans from using their abilities and ultimately ends in their death. Hiro tries to warn Peter that Adam cannot be trusted, but Peter does not believe him and renders him unconscious. Nathan Petrelli
(Adrian Pasdar
) and Matt Parkman
(Greg Grunberg
) learn the virus's location from Angela Petrelli
(Cristine Rose
), who tells them that Adam can be killed by a gunshot to the head if he cannot be stopped. Peter uses his powers to pry the vault open by force, and is confronted by Hiro and Matt. Nathan stops Peter and is able to convince him that Adam is trying to release the virus, not destroy it. Adam, already in possession of the virus, lets it fall just before Hiro teleports them away. Peter enters the vault just in time to telekinetically grab the virus and vaporize it in his hands, which becomes a Helix Symbol as dust in his hand. Once Hiro returns to the Yamagato building in Tokyo, Ando asks him if he was able to avenge his father's death. Hiro says that Adam "can never hurt anyone ever again", and Adam is shown screaming for help in a casket buried in a Japanese cemetery.
After Monica Dawson
(Dana Davis
) is captured by a street gang, Micah Sanders
(Noah Gray-Cabey
) turns to his mother Niki
(Ali Larter
) for help. Despite the fact that Niki no longer has her powers due to the virus, she agrees to help. They follow a GPS signal emitted by Monica's cell phone to find her location: an abandoned warehouse. The member of the gang that kidnapped Monica has tied her up and intends to kill her by burning down the warehouse around her. Niki beats up the gang member and enters the burning warehouse. Using what remains of her superhuman strength, Niki manages to help Monica escape. As the virus finally begins getting to her, Niki's strength fails to come to her, and she ends up trapped inside. The building explodes, with Niki inside.
Bob Bishop confronts Noah Bennet
(Jack Coleman), telling him that Claire is trying to expose The Company
, and asks if she has any dangerous information. Bennet only smiles. Bob says that they will have to take drastic measures. While Claire Bennet
(Hayden Panettiere
) is packing up her father's files to expose The Company, West Rosen arrives and tries to stop her from revealing his secret. Angered, she gives him his file and breaks up with him. Afterward, Noah returns home, revealing to his family that he is still alive. He tells Claire not to expose The Company, and informs her that he has made a deal, and will again be working for them. In exchange, his family, including Claire, will be left alone to lead normal lives.
Maya Herrera
(Dania Ramirez
) learns Sylar's true nature when he kidnaps Molly Walker
(Adair Tishler
) and Mohinder Suresh
(Sendhil Ramamurthy
). While searching her father's office, Elle (Kristen Bell
) discovers a video surveillance feed showing Sylar in Mohinder's lab. She decides to play the hero in order to get back into her father's good graces. When Sylar forces Mohinder to restore his powers, Maya learns from Molly that her brother was killed by Sylar himself. When Maya confronts him about this, he shoots her in the chest. Sylar has Mohinder test Claire's restorative blood by reviving Maya. As she returns to life, Elle enters the laboratory and attacks Sylar. He escapes, but takes the blood with him. Elle is upset that she let Sylar get away, but Mohinder tells her that she saved their lives, and insists that she is a hero, a statement which she seems genuinely pleased about. With Matt's assistance, Nathan calls a press meeting. He has decided to expose the nature of the heroes and The Company. As he is about to announce his ability to fly, he is abruptly shot in the chest by an unknown assailant. Angela Petrelli watches a television news report about her son's attack as she speaks to an unidentified person on the phone. She calmly and firmly states that she understands the reason for the attack on Nathan, but that the assassination attempt has "opened Pandora's box
".
The episode was originally conceived to be the conclusion of "Generations", the second volume in the series, as Kring wanted to have shorter volumes than in season one. As such, "Powerless" was timed to coincide with the Heroes winter hiatus. With the interruption in production as a result of the Writers' Strike, Kring re-wrote elements of the episode to act as "a de facto
season finale" if there were no additional episodes the second season.
Allan Arkush and Kring revealed in an interview on The Post Show
that many parts of the finale were re-shot due to the Writers' Strike. Kring and Arkush commented that they re-shot the scene in which Peter telekenetically caught the virus. In the original cut, the virus was to shatter and be released. Kring admitted that the virus being released was to play a huge role in Volume 3, however, they decided to go into a different direction and re-shoot the ending, allowing Peter to catch the virus and destroy it. Kring also commented that the scenes where Matt, Peter and Nathan were talking in the vault were rewritten in and added later, as well as the Press Conference scene and the scene with Angela Petrelli talking on the cell phone. Kring and Arkush stated that the ending had to be rewritten and re-shot because they did not know when the show would return to air, due to the Writer's Strike, and they wanted to make sure that they tied up all the loose ends.
As of the end of this episode, the status of three main characters remained undetermined. Niki Sanders was last seen inside a burning building which subsequently exploded, and Nathan Petrelli was shot while attempting to speak out against the Company. Their fates were left intentionally ambiguous because the writers were unsure of whether they wanted to proceed with Niki and Nathan's characters; decisions were made following the Writers' Strike resolution. As for the fate of Adam Monroe, Kring was more direct, saying "we've given the audience no reason to believe that Adam can figure a way to get out of there. The fact that he can live forever makes this the most gruesome of internments. If this happened to any of us, at least we'd know we'd soon have the mercy of death. Not here." Two of the series' villains also saw changes. Elle's decision to take on Sylar gave her a chance to use her abilities to help rather than to hurt people. Kring says "she's been given an opportunity to use her powers in a good way. And she absolutely likes the sound of that word 'hero'." Sylar's use of the stolen sample of Claire Bennet
's blood led to the restoration of his abilities. According to Kring, "Sylar getting his power back does not bode well for our heroes". Originally, Sylar
was not supposed to get his abilities back due to Zachary Quinto
's commitment to the new Star Trek film. However, due to the Writers' Strike, Quinto completed his role in the film by the time Heroes returned to production.
felt that this episode was "exciting [and] pulse-pounding", being "the best episode of the season". He continued by saying that it "almost made you forget the sub-par episodes [you] had to sit through to get [there]", and hoped it would be a set-up for a "powerful, more consistent Volume Three". He ended his review by giving the episode 9.5 out of 10, the highest rating he had given for the second season. Stephen Lackey of Mania gave the episode an "A" grading, though he felt it was "rushed overall" and thought the virus story was not as powerful as the explosion story in season one. Jason Hughes of TV Squad also felt that the stage was set for a good third volume, which he hoped would "get even darker and more dangerous". Sean Elliott of If
gave the episode a "B" grading, saying it was an "anti-climactic ending to an uninspired second season". He liked Kristen Bell
's character Elle, saying she was "interesting", and "worth exploring and developing". He said that his favourite part of the episode was that the "season [was] finally over", and that it was "time to clean the slate and start with something better". Robin Brownfield of SyFy Portal
called it a "great finale" and said that "there were lots of twists [she] did not see coming".
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
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
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...
and thirty-fourth episode overall. It was written by co-executive producer Jeph Loeb
Jeph Loeb
Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
and directed by executive producer Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante....
. The episode aired on December 3, 2007 as the conclusion of the "Volume 2: Generations" storyline. It is also the final episode of Heroes that was ready for broadcast prior to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and acted as the season finale pending the resolution of the dispute.
The episode's main storylines revolve around 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...
(Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Anthony Ventimiglia is an American television actor best known for his role of Peter Petrelli on the TV series Heroes...
) and Hiro Nakamura
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...
's (Masi Oka
Masi 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...
) quest to stop the release of the Shanti virus, and 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 (Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto
Zachary John Quinto is an American actor and producer. Quinto grew up in Pennsylvania and was active in high school musical theater. In the early 2000s he guest starred in television series and appeared in a recurring role in the serial drama 24 from 2003 to 2004...
) attempt to regain his powers. The end of the episode features a brief prologue of the third volume, "Villains", which features Sylar regaining his powers. Originally, the virus was going to be released, and 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...
said that it was to play a big role in Volume 3. Kring stated that the ending had to be rewritten because they did not know when the show would return to air, and they wanted to make sure that they tied up all the loose ends. "Powerless" was watched by eleven million Americans and received mainly positive reviews from critics, with many saying that it was a positive end to a lackluster season.
Plot
Peter Petrelli and Adam MonroeAdam Monroe
Adam Monroe, also known as in non-canon feudal Japan, is a fictional character portrayed by David Anders in the NBC science fiction drama Heroes. The character first appears in the second season episode "Four Months Later...", although the legend of Kensei is referenced several times during the...
(David Anders
David Anders
David Anders is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on Alias, and as Adam Monroe on Heroes. Although Anders is American, both of these noted roles required him to use an English accent.-Early life:Anders was born in Grants Pass, Oregon, to parents...
) break into the Primatech compound in Odessa to destroy the Shanti virus. The virus, a life-threatening disease that attacks the blood cells of the body, prevents evolved humans from using their abilities and ultimately ends in their death. Hiro tries to warn Peter that Adam cannot be trusted, but Peter does not believe him and renders him unconscious. 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...
(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 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...
(Greg Grunberg
Greg Grunberg
Gregory Phillip "Greg" Grunberg is an American television actor. He is best known from starring as Matt Parkman on the NBC television series Heroes. Other notable roles included the characters Sean Blumberg on Felicity and Eric Weiss on Alias , both created and produced by childhood friend J. J...
) learn the virus's location from Angela Petrelli
Angela Petrelli
Angela Petrelli , portrayed by Cristine Rose, is a fictional character featured in the television show Heroes. She is the mother of Nathan and Peter Petrelli. The character is based upon the Angela Lansbury character Mrs. Iselin in the film The Manchurian Candidate...
(Cristine Rose
Cristine Rose
Cristine Sue Rose is an American actress. She has also been credited as Christine Rose. She's best known for her role as Angela Petrelli on the hit NBC science fiction drama Heroes.-Early life:...
), who tells them that Adam can be killed by a gunshot to the head if he cannot be stopped. Peter uses his powers to pry the vault open by force, and is confronted by Hiro and Matt. Nathan stops Peter and is able to convince him that Adam is trying to release the virus, not destroy it. Adam, already in possession of the virus, lets it fall just before Hiro teleports them away. Peter enters the vault just in time to telekinetically grab the virus and vaporize it in his hands, which becomes a Helix Symbol as dust in his hand. Once Hiro returns to the Yamagato building in Tokyo, Ando asks him if he was able to avenge his father's death. Hiro says that Adam "can never hurt anyone ever again", and Adam is shown screaming for help in a casket buried in a Japanese cemetery.
After Monica Dawson
Monica Dawson
Monica Dawson, portrayed by Dana Davis, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is a young woman in her early 20s from New Orleans, and she has the power to mimic any physical motion she witnesses.- Character concept :...
(Dana Davis
Dana Davis
Dana Davis is an American actress, most notable for playing Carmen Phillips on the TNT television series Franklin & Bash and Chastity Church on the ABC Family television series 10 Things I Hate About You.-Biography:...
) is captured by a street gang, Micah Sanders
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 :...
(Noah Gray-Cabey
Noah Gray-Cabey
Noah Gray-Cabey is an American television actor and pianist. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the television series My Wife and Kids and Heroes.-Early life:...
) turns to his mother 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...
(Ali Larter
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
) for help. Despite the fact that Niki no longer has her powers due to the virus, she agrees to help. They follow a GPS signal emitted by Monica's cell phone to find her location: an abandoned warehouse. The member of the gang that kidnapped Monica has tied her up and intends to kill her by burning down the warehouse around her. Niki beats up the gang member and enters the burning warehouse. Using what remains of her superhuman strength, Niki manages to help Monica escape. As the virus finally begins getting to her, Niki's strength fails to come to her, and she ends up trapped inside. The building explodes, with Niki inside.
Bob Bishop confronts Noah Bennet
Noah Bennet
Noah Bennet, also known as the man in horn-rimmed glasses or simply Mr. Bennet, is a fictional character from the NBC drama Heroes played by Jack Coleman. The role was initially recurring, but became regular as of the 11th episode...
(Jack Coleman), telling him that Claire is trying to expose The Company
The Company (Heroes)
The Company refers to a fictional covert international organization in the NBC drama Heroes. Its primary purpose is to identify, monitor and study those individuals with genetically-derived special abilities. The Company played a central role in the plot of Volume Two, during the second season of...
, and asks if she has any dangerous information. Bennet only smiles. Bob says that they will have to take drastic measures. While 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...
(Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Leslie Panettiere is an American actress and singer, best known as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC television series Heroes. She began her acting career by playing Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live , and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light , before starring at age 10 as Sheryl Yoast in...
) is packing up her father's files to expose The Company, West Rosen arrives and tries to stop her from revealing his secret. Angered, she gives him his file and breaks up with him. Afterward, Noah returns home, revealing to his family that he is still alive. He tells Claire not to expose The Company, and informs her that he has made a deal, and will again be working for them. In exchange, his family, including Claire, will be left alone to lead normal lives.
Maya Herrera
Maya Herrera
Maya Herrera is a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Dania Ramirez. Her first on-screen appearance was in the episode "Four Months Later...", though the character was featured earlier in the graphic novel "Maya y Alejandro"....
(Dania Ramirez
Dania Ramirez
Dania Ramirez is a Dominican-American TV and film actress.She is most recently known for playing Alex in Entourage, Maya Herrera in Heroes and Blanca during the last season of The Sopranos. She also played antagonist Callisto in X-Men: The Last Stand.-Early life:Ramirez was born in Santo Domingo,...
) learns Sylar's true nature when he kidnaps Molly Walker
Molly Walker
Molly Walker, portrayed by Adair Tishler, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She is a young girl with the power to locate anyone just by thinking about them.-Genesis:...
(Adair Tishler
Adair Tishler
Adair Rae Tishler is a former American teen actress, model, voice actress, and singer, who has appeared in television shows such as Charmed and House and in movies such as Within and An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong. She is perhaps best known for portraying Molly Walker on NBC's Heroes...
) and 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...
(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:...
). While searching her father's office, Elle (Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
) discovers a video surveillance feed showing Sylar in Mohinder's lab. She decides to play the hero in order to get back into her father's good graces. When Sylar forces Mohinder to restore his powers, Maya learns from Molly that her brother was killed by Sylar himself. When Maya confronts him about this, he shoots her in the chest. Sylar has Mohinder test Claire's restorative blood by reviving Maya. As she returns to life, Elle enters the laboratory and attacks Sylar. He escapes, but takes the blood with him. Elle is upset that she let Sylar get away, but Mohinder tells her that she saved their lives, and insists that she is a hero, a statement which she seems genuinely pleased about. With Matt's assistance, Nathan calls a press meeting. He has decided to expose the nature of the heroes and The Company. As he is about to announce his ability to fly, he is abruptly shot in the chest by an unknown assailant. Angela Petrelli watches a television news report about her son's attack as she speaks to an unidentified person on the phone. She calmly and firmly states that she understands the reason for the attack on Nathan, but that the assassination attempt has "opened Pandora's box
Pandora's box
Pandora's box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandora's creation around line 60 of Hesiod's Works and Days. The "box" was actually a large jar given to Pandora , which contained all the evils of the world. When Pandora opened the jar, all its contents except for one item...
".
Volume Three: Villains
Following the end of Volume Two, the third volume, "Villains", begins with a brief prologue. Sylar, bloodied and hurt from Elle's attack, injects himself with the supply of Claire's blood that he took from Mohinder. His wounds heal immediately, and he is able to use his telekinetic abilities. The scene ends with Sylar stating with an evil grin, "I'm back".Production
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
season finale" if there were no additional episodes the second season.
Allan Arkush and Kring revealed in an interview on The Post Show
The Post Show
The Post Show is an interactive television series on G4 Network related to the NBC series Heroes.-Overview:The Post Show is a live, half-hour wrap-up show which premiered Saturday, November 3, 2007 on G4...
that many parts of the finale were re-shot due to the Writers' Strike. Kring and Arkush commented that they re-shot the scene in which Peter telekenetically caught the virus. In the original cut, the virus was to shatter and be released. Kring admitted that the virus being released was to play a huge role in Volume 3, however, they decided to go into a different direction and re-shoot the ending, allowing Peter to catch the virus and destroy it. Kring also commented that the scenes where Matt, Peter and Nathan were talking in the vault were rewritten in and added later, as well as the Press Conference scene and the scene with Angela Petrelli talking on the cell phone. Kring and Arkush stated that the ending had to be rewritten and re-shot because they did not know when the show would return to air, due to the Writer's Strike, and they wanted to make sure that they tied up all the loose ends.
As of the end of this episode, the status of three main characters remained undetermined. Niki Sanders was last seen inside a burning building which subsequently exploded, and Nathan Petrelli was shot while attempting to speak out against the Company. Their fates were left intentionally ambiguous because the writers were unsure of whether they wanted to proceed with Niki and Nathan's characters; decisions were made following the Writers' Strike resolution. As for the fate of Adam Monroe, Kring was more direct, saying "we've given the audience no reason to believe that Adam can figure a way to get out of there. The fact that he can live forever makes this the most gruesome of internments. If this happened to any of us, at least we'd know we'd soon have the mercy of death. Not here." Two of the series' villains also saw changes. Elle's decision to take on Sylar gave her a chance to use her abilities to help rather than to hurt people. Kring says "she's been given an opportunity to use her powers in a good way. And she absolutely likes the sound of that word 'hero'." Sylar's use of the stolen sample of 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...
's blood led to the restoration of his abilities. According to Kring, "Sylar getting his power back does not bode well for our heroes". Originally, 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...
was not supposed to get his abilities back due to Zachary Quinto
Zachary Quinto
Zachary John Quinto is an American actor and producer. Quinto grew up in Pennsylvania and was active in high school musical theater. In the early 2000s he guest starred in television series and appeared in a recurring role in the serial drama 24 from 2003 to 2004...
's commitment to the new Star Trek film. However, due to the Writers' Strike, Quinto completed his role in the film by the time Heroes returned to production.
Reception
"Powerless" was viewed live or recorded and watched within six hours of broadcast by 11.06 million Americans, ranking seventeenth in the weekly charts. Robert Canning of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
felt that this episode was "exciting [and] pulse-pounding", being "the best episode of the season". He continued by saying that it "almost made you forget the sub-par episodes [you] had to sit through to get [there]", and hoped it would be a set-up for a "powerful, more consistent Volume Three". He ended his review by giving the episode 9.5 out of 10, the highest rating he had given for the second season. Stephen Lackey of Mania gave the episode an "A" grading, though he felt it was "rushed overall" and thought the virus story was not as powerful as the explosion story in season one. Jason Hughes of TV Squad also felt that the stage was set for a good third volume, which he hoped would "get even darker and more dangerous". Sean Elliott of If
If (magazine)
If was an American science fiction magazine launched in March 1952 by Quinn Publications, owned by James L. Quinn. Quinn hired Paul W. Fairman to be the first editor, but early circulation figures were disappointing, and Quinn fired Fairman after only three issues. Quinn then took over the...
gave the episode a "B" grading, saying it was an "anti-climactic ending to an uninspired second season". He liked Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell is an American actress. Although her first film role was an uncredited appearance in Polish Wedding, Bell previously acted in stage and musical productions. In 2001, she made her Broadway debut as Becky Thatcher in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
's character Elle, saying she was "interesting", and "worth exploring and developing". He said that his favourite part of the episode was that the "season [was] finally over", and that it was "time to clean the slate and start with something better". Robin Brownfield of SyFy Portal
SyFy Portal
Airlock Alpha, formerly SyFy Portal, is an entertainment news website focusing on science-fiction, fantasy and comic book television series and films.-History:...
called it a "great finale" and said that "there were lots of twists [she] did not see coming".