How about this: when Claire got hurt, he's not sure how badly she's injured until after he's gotten her away from Elle and Sylar. After all, unlike us, he didn't know her power wasn't functioning as a result of the eclipse, so he has no idea what's going on with her. At the time of the "whisking away" she could've been dying for all he knew.The problem with trope is that it has to make sense within the characters. Here's the problem I see with that scene:
1) HRG is blinded by need to protect Claire, carries her off and ignores finishing Elle and Sylar. Yet, he'll go and leave her when she's vulnerable to return and finish them off?
2) HRG is the bad-ass we know him to be and can (and would) finish Elle and Sylar, but chooses instead to whisk away Claire, whom he says has a flesh wound?
The two are mutually exclusive. Either HRG is merciless and kills Elle and Sylar when he gets the chance, or HRG is merciful and protects Claire at the expense of leaving Elle and Sylar alive.
So, he gets her out of harm's way, ascertains that she doesn't need urgent medical attention, drops her off, then runs back to snipe the two nutjobs--just in time for the eclipse to end, of course, and be unable to seal the deeal.
Last edited: