Heroes (TV Series) Chapter Twenty 'Five Years Gone' (2007) User Reviews

Just the best Heroes episode until now, and becomes better!

[arcanixsk8 · 10/10 · 2 May 2007]

At the first episodes of heroes, I was wondering a lot about "what's next?" because to difference of many shows, Heroes is very complex, with many characters, making a big and great history, with some relation between everyone. Episode by Episode, everything was becoming deeper and deeper, more exciting every time, and this chapter was A BOMB! Made us clear almost everything, like why "save the cheerleader save the world". The two Hiros at the same time was amazing, the purposeful Parkman was great, Pete and Nikki? unexpected! Why wouldn't Nathan accept the time-regression of Hiro? Of Course! He had to be Sylar! And now just left "The Hard Part" of the first season, these next 3 episodes are gonna be even better than previous episodes, is the Heroes' law, each new chapter better than anterior. (My native language is Spanish, sorry if bad redaction).

Five Years Gone is a very poignant episode of Heroes

[tavm · 10/10 · 3 May 2007]

At the end of the last episode, Hiro and Ando had teleported to a devastated New York five years later and had encountered Future Hiro. Suddenly, Matt Parker, who's with Home Security, and his men have the present day Hiro arrested while Ando and Future Hiro escape. During interrogation, Matt receives a call. It's President Nathan Petrelli. He threatens to replace Matt if he can't get info out of Hiro (of course he means the future one but neither know Matt has the wrong one). Petrelli has staff member Mohinder prepare for Plan B, the destruction of all special-powered people. Mohinder voices his opposition but reluctantly agrees to it as a last resort. Peter now hangs at a strip club where his girlfriend Niki performs in order to forget the tragic deaths of D.L. and Micah from the New York bomb that Peter reveals he caused but Nathan, his brother, put on Syler to protect him. Future Hiro finds him there to get him to help him take the other Hiro back. While Peter thinks this over HRG is now in charge of protecting other super-powered peoples' identities in his version of the witness protection program. His daughter Claire now has black hair and is a waitress in a diner that HRG frequents. She is also engaged to a fellow employee there. Her father tells her to relocate again but she hesitates so she goes to her bio-father Nathan in his office. She starts to leave when she hears of his Plan B but Nathan uses his powers to stop her and cut her brain as it's now revealed he's actually Syler! Matt finds the Future Hiro and almost arrests him but then Peter freeze-frames everything and has Hiro and Ando escape leaving a confused Matt. The next day is the 5-year anniversary of the New York bombing as Syler as Nathan addresses the nation downtown. Future Hiro, Peter, and Ando are now teamed up to get Present Hiro just as Mohinder and the Haitian are about to drug him. Mohinder, at the last minute, gives the needle to the Haitian instead as he helps P.H. escape. As Future Hiro reaches his other self, he's about to tell him how to teleport to the right era just as Parkman shoots him dead! Hiro, shocked at seeing his future self die, suddenly has doubts but Ando tells him to not succumb to them as Hiro and Ando will themselves back to the present. "Now comes the hard part." Hiro declares...During the whole episode, I felt myself become almost emotionally drained at the despair of the Future Hiro and Peter's revelation to Ando when F.H. is out cold that Ando's death during the bombing stripped Hiro of his optimism. That and Future Hiro's death really got to me. It was nice to know that Matt's wife and future boy were protected. After Peter's "death" at Sylar's hands in last week's episode, it was great to see them battle again here! New York's 5-year bombing anniversary memorial seemed reminiscent of televised live anniversaries of 9/11 every year. A very poignant episode. Only three more to go.

If you have watched heroes, this is the next step

[smartalan · 10/10 · 4 May 2007]

In looking at how some people have voted for this episode of heroes, I can't figure out how anyone could not vote in the upper 10% range. You watch this program for a reason. You rate on IMDb for a reason, yet there were those unimpressed with this outing. Not Possible unless some mistake 1's and 2's for 9's and 10's! This style of program is designed to illicit both tenseness in the viewers as well as thought provoking "water cooler" dialog. It also always has the "wow" factor, or the jaw dropping events that used to mark the end of every episode of Lost. In Heroes, you get these moments throughout the show and sometimes just as you have digested one event, another follows. There are just no boring moments to this show and it keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. For a new viewer, I can see where some of this might be confusing, so I hope that there will multiple heroes marathons over the summer. If so, you can bet an even larger audience coming to the program next fall. I can't say this episode is one of the best in the series because the quality has been there from day one!

Best episode of Heroes (all seasons)

[colinthehanrahan · 10/10 · 10 October 2019]

This still stands the test of time, even with the advancement of technology, green-screen and marvel movies; I always come back to this episode

Chapter Twenty 'Five Years Gone'

[Prismark10 · 9/10 · 21 November 2021]

It was noticeable how around this time. Science fiction shows would fast forward several years into the future, maybe examine an alternate timeline. Doctor Who did the same in 2007 when Martha Jones wandered the planet for 12 months.

Here Hiro and Ando teleport to a future New York and meet Future Hiro who is a wanted criminal.

The man in charge is Nathan Petrelli as the President of the USA, Matt Parkman is his enforcer, Mohinder is a special adviser to the President.

Five years after the destruction of New York, Nathan has a plan to keep people safe and that is to deal with people with special powers. They are already regarded as terrorists.

Future Hiro is a rebel, along with Peter Petrelli. Mr Bennet helps people with special powers, some of them who are kids to escape and live a life in hiding.

Made during the George W Bush era presidency and it's 'War on Terror' after 9/11. There is no doubt that Heroes is mirroring real world events in a darker exaggerated form.

The episode even has time to throw in a major twist. Did it foresee the horrors of President Trump? There is a reason why people with special powers are being thrown under the bus.

This was, by far, the best episode of the series.

[JonCox-1 · 10/10 · 20 October 2022]

All of the other cast members were all supporting characters. This series was really just the story of the protagonist, Peter, and his "infinite potential". This episode was the first showing Peter as a confident and mature man, as opposed to his scatter-brained, over emotional, childlike character. The series tanked because they kept neutering Peter, making him completely useless and annoying, but this episode was the version of Peter that the audience craved! The ultimate super hero, without weakness; humble but completely confident in his mastery of omnipotence! They could have had a much more successful show if they just continued with this episode's version of Peter.

Worst episode thus far

[youngvagabond · 1/10 · 15 September 2008]

I really don't understand how this opinion has not already been voiced here. This episode is extremely frustrating and has almost completely ruined my interest in Heroes. There are endless inconsistencies in the time travel philosophy, and therefore huge plot holes that pretty much reduce this episode to gibberish. I could excuse some minor flaws and time travel paradoxes, but there are far too many here for any of it to make any sense. I've been to as many sites and message boards as I could find and no one seems able to explain all away all the problems. And with explaining away one problem, it seems another is almost always created. Really... None of it makes sense. The only way to even come close to getting through it without wanting to smash the TV, is to see it all as some alternate future with mishmashed timelines and coexisting realities. This is an easy way of fixing what's basically shoddy writing in my opinion. Perhaps, the goal of the writers was to create an episode of almost infinite paradoxes where nothing is sufficiently explained. But again, I think this is a lazy and frustrating exercise, and one that would have best been left out of the series.