Heroes Season [Volume] 2 (#29)---10/29/07-'The Line'

[Ilium]

Yes, the "dark side" seems like a pretty prominent theme. I also like the idea that The Company may not be completely evil. Bob talks about a "change in policy" (or something to that effect). They do seem to be helping Nikki (maybe), etc.

Random theory of the day: Kensei has fast-healing powers. He's English (i.e. white northern european). I wonder if he's an ancestor of Claire's on her (blonde) mother's side?

Random theory of the day 2: Does it seem to anyone else that (at least sometimes) the heroes' abilities are activated by contact with another hero? Two pieces of evidence:
1) Monica did some minor stuff (the tomato) but after Micah hugged her it seemed like something happened and her power reached another level (and in fact the power was completely absent until Micah arrived).
2) Kensei can fast-heal. Cool. But in his time period and line of work, you'd think he would have noticed before. I don't think he had the power at all until he met Hiro.

Discuss. Throw rocks.

 

[wolff96]

Random theory of the day 2: Does it seem to anyone else that (at least sometimes) the heroes' abilities are activated by contact with another hero? Two pieces of evidence:
1) Monica did some minor stuff (the tomato) but after Micah hugged her it seemed like something happened and her power reached another level (and in fact the power was completely absent until Micah arrived).
2) Kensei can fast-heal. Cool. But in his time period and line of work, you'd think he would have noticed before. I don't think he had the power at all until he met Hiro.

I'm not disputing your general theory -- they may be going for an "activation" effect.

Still, In Kensei's case... He fought like a guerilla warrior. He used distraction tactics to take foes by surprise and ambush bandits. In the material that we saw, he never even drew the "Godsend" sword. And keep in mind that he supposedly gained his powers after finding the sword in Hiro's memories of the legends.

I guess it comes down to how dangerous his life was until he met Hiro. The impression I got from the episode was that Kensei was just starting out as a mercenary. He had jumped ship and decided to become a travelling warrior, with the bandits being one of his first jobs. Obviously, your mileage may vary. But if what I got from the episode is what the writers intended, then it's quite possible that he was never seriously injured before the arrow volley.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Yes, the "dark side" seems like a pretty prominent theme. I also like the idea that The Company may not be completely evil. Bob talks about a "change in policy" (or something to that effect). They do seem to be helping Nikki (maybe), etc.

Random theory of the day: Kensei has fast-healing powers. He's English (i.e. white northern european). I wonder if he's an ancestor of Claire's on her (blonde) mother's side?

Despite the reason for superpowers presumably genetics, there is little evidence that suggests that the exact superpower manifested is actually passed on genetically.
The only exception we have seen so far might be Matt and his father. But even that isn't entirely sure. Claire, her (real) mother, Peter and Nathan have totally dissimilar powers. Mica, DL and Nikki have totally unrelated power.
Maybe Sylar and Peter indicate that everybody of them can have any power, but due to some outside circumstances, certain powers manifested earlier. Maybe there is some kind of trigger that activates the genes, and the trigger determines which powers a character gets.
Nikki needed strength when her sister died, and she got it. DL needed to escape custody, and he could go through walls. Hiro didn't want to be where he was, and learned to teleport. Nathan needed to escape his car, and flew away. Claire needed to survive the fire that burned her home, and learned to regenerate. Candice didn't like her looks, and learned illusions.

Random theory of the day 2: Does it seem to anyone else that (at least sometimes) the heroes' abilities are activated by contact with another hero? Two pieces of evidence:
1) Monica did some minor stuff (the tomato) but after Micah hugged her it seemed like something happened and her power reached another level (and in fact the power was completely absent until Micah arrived).
2) Kensei can fast-heal. Cool. But in his time period and line of work, you'd think he would have noticed before. I don't think he had the power at all until he met Hiro.

Discuss. Throw rocks.

That is possible, but it does not seem to fit everywhere.
Nathan didn't seem near any superpowered individuals when he flew the first time. There seemed to be no superpowered around Hiro when the stopped time in his bureau or teleported in the bar's toilet rooms, or the subway.
Kensei acted more like a coward (but a clever one) when we first met him, so maybe he avoided any actual injury that would make regeneration obvious.

Still, I think it is possible that having a hero around helps things.

 

[Ilium]

I'm not disputing your general theory -- they may be going for an "activation" effect.

Still, In Kensei's case... He fought like a guerilla warrior. He used distraction tactics to take foes by surprise and ambush bandits. In the material that we saw, he never even drew the "Godsend" sword. And keep in mind that he supposedly gained his powers after finding the sword in Hiro's memories of the legends.

I guess it comes down to how dangerous his life was until he met Hiro. The impression I got from the episode was that Kensei was just starting out as a mercenary. He had jumped ship and decided to become a travelling warrior, with the bandits being one of his first jobs. Obviously, your mileage may vary. But if what I got from the episode is what the writers intended, then it's quite possible that he was never seriously injured before the arrow volley.

True (and as Mustrum Ridcully points out, some people have manifested powers without being around others first...that we know of). But in Kensei's case, the regular bumps and bruises of life should have made him realize. That's how Claire figured it out, I believe.

Maybe it was the otherwise-fatal wound that triggered his power rather than Hiro, though.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Hiro's situation was strange since hiro seemed to be the only person that was actively trying to develop powers before he even knew he had them. I wonder what other stories Kiato might have told hiro while he was young, or if Hiro might have witnessed something when he was brought to company a gathering.

 

[F5]

That is possible, but it does not seem to fit everywhere.
Nathan didn't seem near any superpowered individuals when he flew the first time. There seemed to be no superpowered around Hiro when the stopped time in his bureau or teleported in the bar's toilet rooms, or the subway.

Don't forget that both of them had parents who were probably powered as well. Ma Patrelli was around Nathan the night he first manifested his powers, and presumably, Kaito was in the office when Hiro first stopped time. We never actually saw any of their powers, but they had enough involvement with powered people that some kind of contact seemed inevitable.

I've been toying with another idea about how powers are activated. Maybe it's not so much that you get the power you need, but that you get the power you're given by someone else?

*HRG wants, more than anything, to keep claire safe: she can regenerate any injury.
*Gabriel's mother wants her son to be Special: we get Sylar.
*Micah wants his dad back: DL can walk through walls
*Matt's wife wants him to know what she's thinking without having to tell him: we get Mindreader Matt.
*Hiro wants Kensai to stay alive: another regenerator
*Ma Petrelli wants a hero that can change the world: Peter.

It's maybe a bit of a stretch, but it seems that the power you get is partially the power you need, and partially the power that someone else needs you to have.

 

[Fast Learner]

I just want to chime in that I also believe that Kensei is immortal, and that he is indeed this Adam character, and that the naming is no accident, that he is in some sense the progenitor of the powers.

 

[Fast Learner]

(Duplicate post, delete me)

 

[DonTadow]

I liked this episode, but now i worry about the future of the series. A thread hasn't made it here yet, but they canceled Heroes origin because Heroes ratings are down by 6 percent. I don't understand the tv business and how it has more to do with math than entertainment.

 

[DonTadow]

Don't forget that both of them had parents who were probably powered as well. Ma Patrelli was around Nathan the night he first manifested his powers, and presumably, Kaito was in the office when Hiro first stopped time. We never actually saw any of their powers, but they had enough involvement with powered people that some kind of contact seemed inevitable.

I've been toying with another idea about how powers are activated. Maybe it's not so much that you get the power you need, but that you get the power you're given by someone else?

*HRG wants, more than anything, to keep claire safe: she can regenerate any injury.
*Gabriel's mother wants her son to be Special: we get Sylar.
*Micah wants his dad back: DL can walk through walls
*Matt's wife wants him to know what she's thinking without having to tell him: we get Mindreader Matt.
*Hiro wants Kensai to stay alive: another regenerator
*Ma Petrelli wants a hero that can change the world: Peter.

It's maybe a bit of a stretch, but it seems that the power you get is partially the power you need, and partially the power that someone else needs you to have.

I think there's a feint veil of that in an imaginary sence, but it has no baring on the plot.
Claire had her powers before she met HRG (the fire).
Dl could walk through walls, and was known for it, before Micha wanted his dad back.
All women want you to read their minds (dodges book).
Kensai's story may have been kensais story without Hiro. If hiro caused regeneration in Kenasai instead of some other power he's screwd history.
Ma Petrelli wants Nathan to save the world, Peter she has given up on.