Heroes Finale...YATTA!

Let me just say, first, that I completely sympathize with all those who wanted Peter/Sylar Ultimate Fighting. I wanted to see what was going on beyond that door in "Five Years Gone" so badly that I could barely stand it. We saw our two archetypal opposites in 2012, evolved into what we knew they could be. Sylar had become the ultimate chameleon and chimera, fulfilling his wildest dreams of power and standing at the threshold of eliminating his "competition". Peter had mastered his abilities and his combat skills, at the cost of his innocence. Those two people would have given us the Matrixesque bout that many of us were craving.

Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint - the finale took place in 2007. Sylar, while certainly formidable, was drunk on power and on prescience; thinking he understood everything, he forgot that in the Heroes universe destiny isn't immutable. Peter had the courage and heart that he always possessed, but didn't understand the mechanics behind his abilities enough yet - and nearly destroyed a city. These two people could only play things out the way we saw them.

I think the reason why - for me, at least - it was okay that we didn't have a CGIgasm at the end was that this series has really never been about The Powers®. It's been about all these otherwise ordinary people dealing with things that are incredible and horrible and beyond what anyone should have to deal with. These abilities unlocked ways for them do things beyond what other humans could do; however, in the end, they are people - and people miss (i.e. Matt eating his own bullets) as often as they hit (Niki using a parking meter in ways God never intended).

I was crying as Nathan redeemed himself before my eyes. Throughout the series, we saw his suave manner, his coolness under fire, and his charm in action; toward the end, I was watching those traits serve him on his way to the dark side. Seeing him project his serenity and cool at Peter while he calmly accepted death in order to preserve life was the essence of a hero. It was Frodo, Sheridan, Kirk, and Luke rolled up into one package.

The truly interesting factor in this is the role of Hiro in the course of events. Sylar remarks that he will be the hero, while Peter is the villain; in a very real sense, he's right - we know Peter goes boom in the unaltered timeline. SoulPatchHiro katana'ed Sylar originally, who then regenerated and somehow prevented Nathan from saving the day. PresentHiro stabs Sylar and is able to remove his interference, allowing Nathan to be the hero. And when one thinks about it, it might just have been Claire's influence that caused Nathan to change his mind - an influence that would have been absent, as Sylar would have long past added Claire to his "collection". In retrospect, Hiro's string theory was a lot more complex than even he may have realized.