.gif)
The Second Coming (Heroes)
Encyclopedia
"The Second Coming" is the first episode of the third season of the NBC
science fiction
drama
series Heroes
and thirty-fifth episode overall. It was written by series creator/executive producer Tim Kring
and directed by executive producer Allan Arkush
. It first aired on September 22, 2008 as the beginning of the "Villains" storyline.
, who has a scar on his face, is being chased and enters a hangar. Claire
tries to shoot him, but Peter stops time and time travels to the present day, taking Claire's gun with him.
At Nathan
's press conference, Future Peter shoots Nathan, as seen in "Powerless
". Future Peter later rushes Nathan to the hospital, to where Nathan dies. A short time later, Nathan awakens, prompting him to believe that God
gave him a second chance at life. Nathan is later visited by Mr. Linderman, leading him to believe Linderman was the reason he was healed. The governor of New York watches Nathan on the television, and breaks the news to the woman he slept with: Tracy
, a woman who looks identical to Niki
. He tells her he thinks he has found what he is looking for.
Matt
later catches Future Peter trying to find the gun he had hid earlier, prompting Future Peter to teleport him to the desert because he knows too much. When Angela Petrelli
arrives at the hospital, she tells Future Peter she knows he is impersonating his past self, and tells Future Peter that he actually got the ability to dream the future from her. Future Peter tells Angela that he put his present day self somewhere safe. At the Company headquarters, in one of the Level 5 prison cells, a bald man screams that he is Peter Petrelli. Noah Bennet
is also locked up in an adjacent cell.
Sylar
arrives at Claire's home, leading Claire to try and escape. Sylar, however, manages to pin her down and steal Noah's files of people with abilities. Sylar cuts open Claire's forehead, but due to Claire's power, she does not die. She remains conscious as Sylar lays her on a table and examines her now-exposed brain, claiming he is looking for answers. Due to the lack of nerve endings in the human brain, she does not feel any pain. Sylar obtains Claire's power and Noah's files, puts Claire's scalp back on her head and turns to leave. Claire's scalp heals, and she then asks Sylar why she is still alive. He tells her she is unique and can't die, and from now on, neither can he.
In his office at Yamagoto Industries in Japan, Hiro Nakamura
tells Ando that he is bored without a quest. A video message from Kaito Nakamura is delivered to his office, which tells Hiro to never open Kaito's safe, which holds a secret. Hiro immediately opens the safe, and finds another video, with Kaito repeating that he was not supposed to open the safe. Hiro finds one half of a molecular formula, which gets stolen by a blur before he can comprehend what it means. Hiro stops time to see that the blur is a trail left by a woman with superspeed. She moves at normal speed while time is stopped, and comments that Hiro did not stop time completely. She hits him in the face and leaves with the formula as time resumes. Hiro jumps to the future to see how the world is destroyed. He sees Japan in a panic, and himself talking to Ando, arguing about the formula. Future Hiro yells at Ando saying that Ando betrayed him. Future Hiro is ready to strike with his sword, when Ando shoots what appears to be red electricity at Hiro, apparently killing him. Ando takes the formula from Hiro's body and walks away. The sky opens up and the world starts exploding, and Hiro jumps back to the present.
Maya and Mohinder Suresh
are at his apartment and he realizes that powers are controlled by the adrenal glands. Mohinder thinks he has isolated something that controls powers, and could give powers to anybody. Maya says the powers are a curse, and asks him to destroy the formula. On the docks, Mohinder considers throwing away the syringe with the formula. Instead, he injects himself, and collapses. Two muggers attempt to accost Mohinder as he lays semiconscious on the ground. However, he exhibits superhuman strength, repelling the thugs. In the background, there is a giant painting of the Earth exploding from the inside. In the closing scenes of the episode, Mohinder narrates the William Butler Yeats
poem "The Second Coming
", the title's namesake.
Matt wakes up in the desert, with no one in sight. As he walks across the desert, he stops in front of a rock where the picture of the earth exploding is painted.
, the volume was carried over into season three. The lead-in to "Villains" showed Sylar regaining his lost powers, shown as the final scene of the "Generations" finale. Tim Kring has said that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the title. On December 5, 2007, at the Jules Verne Film Festival Adventure, Tim Kring showed a video-preview of volume three. According to an interview with Allan Arkush, filming for season three began on May 1, 2008. On May 9, 2008, a season three promo clip was released with hints at possible "inner villains" within the heroes. The promo stated, "In every hero there could be a villain," before plastering the words "hero" and "villain" over the face of every major character. Finally, during the featured Heroes panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, the entire first hour of the first episode of the "Villains" arc was shown.
In July NBC began airing a teaser for season three featuring Noah Bennet talking to Claire stating, "Since before you were even born, I was finding these people and locking them away so that they couldn't hurt anybody. Now a dozen of them have escaped, and they will kill...and they will terrorize...and they will conspire...and they will cause...unimaginable destruction to the world...they're villains, Claire," while a montage of clips play.
Zachary Quinto
, who plays Sylar
, has stated that the Villains story arc will last for thirteen episodes.
felt that "The Second Coming" was "like a wasted opportunity". He saw the most noticeable difference between this episode and the last season as "the quick pacing", and found the revelation of Nathan's would-be assassin to be "the best part of the episode". He hoped that the Petrellis would continue to get focus, and questioned the choices made by Hiro and Mohinder, saying that their actions did not seem to reflect anything they would have learned from their past experiences. Canning said that although "The Second Coming" was "not exactly the second coming[,] it may well turn out to be a solid start to a season of redemption".
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-fifth episode overall. It was written by series creator/executive producer 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 directed by executive producer Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush
Allan Arkush is an American cult film and television director and frequent collaborator of Joe Dante....
. It first aired on September 22, 2008 as the beginning of the "Villains" storyline.
Plot
The episode begins four years into the future. PeterPeter 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 scar on his face, is being chased and enters a hangar. 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...
tries to shoot him, but Peter stops time and time travels to the present day, taking Claire's gun with him.
At 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...
's press conference, Future Peter shoots Nathan, as seen in "Powerless
Powerless (Heroes)
"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...
". Future Peter later rushes Nathan to the hospital, to where Nathan dies. A short time later, Nathan awakens, prompting him to believe that God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
gave him a second chance at life. Nathan is later visited by Mr. Linderman, leading him to believe Linderman was the reason he was healed. The governor of New York watches Nathan on the television, and breaks the news to the woman he slept with: Tracy
Tracy Strauss
Tracy Strauss, portrayed by Ali Larter, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. She has the ability to freeze anything that she touches. As the series progresses, her ability evolved to include water mimicry. Introduced in the third season, she is an adviser to the...
, a woman who looks identical to 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...
. He tells her he thinks he has found what he is looking for.
Matt
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...
later catches Future Peter trying to find the gun he had hid earlier, prompting Future Peter to teleport him to the desert because he knows too much. When 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...
arrives at the hospital, she tells Future Peter she knows he is impersonating his past self, and tells Future Peter that he actually got the ability to dream the future from her. Future Peter tells Angela that he put his present day self somewhere safe. At the Company headquarters, in one of the Level 5 prison cells, a bald man screams that he is Peter Petrelli. 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...
is also locked up in an adjacent cell.
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...
arrives at Claire's home, leading Claire to try and escape. Sylar, however, manages to pin her down and steal Noah's files of people with abilities. Sylar cuts open Claire's forehead, but due to Claire's power, she does not die. She remains conscious as Sylar lays her on a table and examines her now-exposed brain, claiming he is looking for answers. Due to the lack of nerve endings in the human brain, she does not feel any pain. Sylar obtains Claire's power and Noah's files, puts Claire's scalp back on her head and turns to leave. Claire's scalp heals, and she then asks Sylar why she is still alive. He tells her she is unique and can't die, and from now on, neither can he.
In his office at Yamagoto Industries in Japan, 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...
tells Ando that he is bored without a quest. A video message from Kaito Nakamura is delivered to his office, which tells Hiro to never open Kaito's safe, which holds a secret. Hiro immediately opens the safe, and finds another video, with Kaito repeating that he was not supposed to open the safe. Hiro finds one half of a molecular formula, which gets stolen by a blur before he can comprehend what it means. Hiro stops time to see that the blur is a trail left by a woman with superspeed. She moves at normal speed while time is stopped, and comments that Hiro did not stop time completely. She hits him in the face and leaves with the formula as time resumes. Hiro jumps to the future to see how the world is destroyed. He sees Japan in a panic, and himself talking to Ando, arguing about the formula. Future Hiro yells at Ando saying that Ando betrayed him. Future Hiro is ready to strike with his sword, when Ando shoots what appears to be red electricity at Hiro, apparently killing him. Ando takes the formula from Hiro's body and walks away. The sky opens up and the world starts exploding, and Hiro jumps back to the present.
Maya 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...
are at his apartment and he realizes that powers are controlled by the adrenal glands. Mohinder thinks he has isolated something that controls powers, and could give powers to anybody. Maya says the powers are a curse, and asks him to destroy the formula. On the docks, Mohinder considers throwing away the syringe with the formula. Instead, he injects himself, and collapses. Two muggers attempt to accost Mohinder as he lays semiconscious on the ground. However, he exhibits superhuman strength, repelling the thugs. In the background, there is a giant painting of the Earth exploding from the inside. In the closing scenes of the episode, Mohinder narrates the William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
poem "The Second Coming
The Second Coming (poem)
"The Second Coming" is a poem composed by Irish poet William Butler Yeats in 1919 and first printed in The Dial and afterwards included in his 1921 collection of verses titled Michael Robartes and the Dancer. The poem uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and second coming as allegory to...
", the title's namesake.
Matt wakes up in the desert, with no one in sight. As he walks across the desert, he stops in front of a rock where the picture of the earth exploding is painted.
Production
"Villains" was originally designed to be included within the second season; however, due to the writers' strike2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, the volume was carried over into season three. The lead-in to "Villains" showed Sylar regaining his lost powers, shown as the final scene of the "Generations" finale. Tim Kring has said that the new volume will bring a cadre of villains to the show, hence the title. On December 5, 2007, at the Jules Verne Film Festival Adventure, Tim Kring showed a video-preview of volume three. According to an interview with Allan Arkush, filming for season three began on May 1, 2008. On May 9, 2008, a season three promo clip was released with hints at possible "inner villains" within the heroes. The promo stated, "In every hero there could be a villain," before plastering the words "hero" and "villain" over the face of every major character. Finally, during the featured Heroes panel at the San Diego Comic-Con, the entire first hour of the first episode of the "Villains" arc was shown.
In July NBC began airing a teaser for season three featuring Noah Bennet talking to Claire stating, "Since before you were even born, I was finding these people and locking them away so that they couldn't hurt anybody. Now a dozen of them have escaped, and they will kill...and they will terrorize...and they will conspire...and they will cause...unimaginable destruction to the world...they're villains, Claire," while a montage of clips play.
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...
, who plays 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...
, has stated that the Villains story arc will last for thirteen episodes.
Reception
At the San Diego Comic-Con 2008, Kring screened the first part of "The Second Coming", which received a positive response from fans. 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 "The Second Coming" was "like a wasted opportunity". He saw the most noticeable difference between this episode and the last season as "the quick pacing", and found the revelation of Nathan's would-be assassin to be "the best part of the episode". He hoped that the Petrellis would continue to get focus, and questioned the choices made by Hiro and Mohinder, saying that their actions did not seem to reflect anything they would have learned from their past experiences. Canning said that although "The Second Coming" was "not exactly the second coming[,] it may well turn out to be a solid start to a season of redemption".
External links
- Beaming Beeman - Season 3, Episode 1 - Director's blog on the filming of this episode.