The Butterfly Effect (Heroes)
Encyclopedia
"The Butterfly Effect" is the second episode of the third season of the NBC
science fiction
drama
series Heroes
and thirty-sixth episode overall. It was written by series creator/executive producer Tim Kring
and directed by Greg Beeman
. The episode aired on September 22, 2008 immediately after "The Second Coming
" as part of the three-hour premiere event.
Meanwhile, two Company agents, Bianca Karina and Gael Cruz, attempt to capture Sylar. One fires a taser at him. He recovers and kills them both with a small hand gesture.
Tracy enters Nathan's hospital room to offer him a seat on the Senate. Nathan believes that Tracy is Niki Sanders
, but she insists that she is not. Tracy leaves, somewhat disturbed, and Linderman appears, confirming that Tracy is not Niki, and advising Nathan to accept Tracy's offer.
At the Company, Elle Bishop
finds her father, Bob's body with his brain removed. She then lets Noah
out of his cell on Level 5, giving him a gun and telling him that Sylar is in the building. As Noah steps out of the room, Elle is telekinetically thrown down the hall by Sylar, so Noah shoots him several times. However, Sylar regenerates and explains that he's already taken Claire's power. After Sylar flings Noah away, he attempts to take Elle's power by cutting her head open. Elle screams and releases a large electrical discharge that knocks Sylar out and allows the Level 5 prisoners to escape their electronically locked cells.
Future Peter explains to Nathan that he is actually from the future and came to the present to stop him from revealing their powers and prevent the future he came from. Nathan then decides to ask Future Peter if he should accept Tracy's offer, but Future Peter tells him only to make the decision himself. Nathan proceeds to call Tracy and accept her offer as Future Peter leaves.
Tracy, walking to her car in the parking garage, is confronted by a reporter, (cameo by "Hero" William Katt
), who uses a video feed of Nathan and Jessica Sanders (from season 1) to try to blackmail her to get her to admit she is Niki, a stripper from Las Vegas. An angry Tracy grabs him, and her emotions trigger her ability of cryokinesis. She accidentally freezes him solid, and he shatters on the ground, dead. Tracy, horrified, flees the scene as the reporter melts down a storm drain.
Later, Nathan is playing a game of chess
with Linderman when a nurse comes in to tell him it is time for lights out, and she comments that he can end a game of chess he's playing by himself. Linderman then reveals that only Nathan can see him.
Hiro and Ando travel to Daphne's apartment in Paris
, looking for the formula that she stole. Hiro notices an award of Daphne's for a track meet from when she was young. When Daphne arrives, Hiro offers her the award, which he has now stolen from her, in exchange for the formula. Daphne pretends to agree to the trade, but then attempts to take both items. Hiro stops time, but she holds a knife to Ando's throat, since Ando cannot move, and starts to make a cut. Hiro allows her to get away with both items, but when time resumes, he explains to Ando about the tracking device he had slipped into the award. Ando, however, notices his neck is bleeding, and is astonished that Hiro let him get hurt.
Maya returns to Mohinder's lab, and witnesses him hanging from the ceiling by his legs. She watches as he jumps down, unharmed, and climbs back up the wall, in an insect type of fashion, and after he explains his new powers, Maya expresses her excitement with the results of his new transformation. They then kiss passionately after Mohinder makes an uncharacteristically rash pass at her.
With Bob's death, Angela becomes the new head of the Company, and her first act is to implement some changes, starting with firing Elle. Noah Bennet, now released, returns to his home and finds Claire, alive. Though relieved to see her, he tells her that he can't stay at home because of the escaped villains and prepares to deal with them, shooting down Claire's offer to partner up. When Claire mentions the possibility of being attacked at home, Noah tells her that he had considered that; to make sure Claire stays safe at home, Noah and Sandra reveal their enlistment of the aid of none other than Meredith Gordon, Claire's biological mother, to protect the family in Noah's absence.
Future Peter teleports to Level 5, where Angela angrily informs him that the villains have escaped. Future Peter wonders how this happened different from his time, and also exclaims that he had trapped the present Peter
in the body of one of the escaped villains specifically because this didn't occur in his timeline. Angela berates him about the Butterfly Effect
and blames him for the deviations he has caused from the future she has seen.
Peter Petrelli, trapped in the body of Jesse Murphy, is forced to accompany the other villains in order not to compromise his true identity. As Flint burns a man alive, and The German punches a man to death, Peter is forced to watch helplessly.
Angela Petrelli
ends the episode by going into the cell Sylar occupies and offers him the comforts that a mother should provide for a child. Sylar denies that Angela is his mother, but Angela persists that she is.
had been thrown off of a horse in Iceland and broke his neck in five places between filming for seasons two and three of Heroes. Although he will make a full recovery, due to his injury he was only able to play his role as Bob Bishop in two brief scenes, confined to Bob's office chair and with severely limited levels of movement.
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-sixth 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 Greg Beeman
Greg Beeman
Greg Beeman is an American director and producer best known for his work on television series Smallville, JAG, and Heroes. As well as numerous comedy films.- Career :...
. The episode aired on September 22, 2008 immediately after "The Second Coming
The Second Coming (Heroes)
"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...
" as part of the three-hour premiere event.
Plot
Claire Bennet realizes that she no longer feels pain when injured, which she felt was all that remained of her humanity. Claire films herself trying to be hit by a train, but Future Peter, masquerading as Present Peter, intervenes before the impact; he then says that she needs to be careful, but that he also has to be careful with what he says to her, and then teleports away.Meanwhile, two Company agents, Bianca Karina and Gael Cruz, attempt to capture Sylar. One fires a taser at him. He recovers and kills them both with a small hand gesture.
Tracy enters Nathan's hospital room to offer him a seat on the Senate. Nathan believes that Tracy is Niki Sanders
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...
, but she insists that she is not. Tracy leaves, somewhat disturbed, and Linderman appears, confirming that Tracy is not Niki, and advising Nathan to accept Tracy's offer.
At the Company, Elle Bishop
Elle Bishop
Eleanor Zoe Bishop, mostly known as Elle, is a fictional character on the NBC series Heroes. She is portrayed by Kristen Bell. Elle appeared as one of the new characters introduced in Season Two and according to contract, would continue on the series for at least 13 episodes into Season Three.Elle...
finds her father, Bob's body with his brain removed. She then lets Noah
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...
out of his cell on Level 5, giving him a gun and telling him that Sylar is in the building. As Noah steps out of the room, Elle is telekinetically thrown down the hall by Sylar, so Noah shoots him several times. However, Sylar regenerates and explains that he's already taken Claire's power. After Sylar flings Noah away, he attempts to take Elle's power by cutting her head open. Elle screams and releases a large electrical discharge that knocks Sylar out and allows the Level 5 prisoners to escape their electronically locked cells.
Future Peter explains to Nathan that he is actually from the future and came to the present to stop him from revealing their powers and prevent the future he came from. Nathan then decides to ask Future Peter if he should accept Tracy's offer, but Future Peter tells him only to make the decision himself. Nathan proceeds to call Tracy and accept her offer as Future Peter leaves.
Tracy, walking to her car in the parking garage, is confronted by a reporter, (cameo by "Hero" William Katt
William Katt
William Theodore Katt is an American film and television actor, best known as the star of The Greatest American Hero. He is also known for playing Tommy Ross, the ill-fated prom date of Carrie White in the film version of Carrie and Paul Drake Jr. in the Perry Mason TV movies...
), who uses a video feed of Nathan and Jessica Sanders (from season 1) to try to blackmail her to get her to admit she is Niki, a stripper from Las Vegas. An angry Tracy grabs him, and her emotions trigger her ability of cryokinesis. She accidentally freezes him solid, and he shatters on the ground, dead. Tracy, horrified, flees the scene as the reporter melts down a storm drain.
Later, Nathan is playing a game of chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
with Linderman when a nurse comes in to tell him it is time for lights out, and she comments that he can end a game of chess he's playing by himself. Linderman then reveals that only Nathan can see him.
Hiro and Ando travel to Daphne's apartment in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, looking for the formula that she stole. Hiro notices an award of Daphne's for a track meet from when she was young. When Daphne arrives, Hiro offers her the award, which he has now stolen from her, in exchange for the formula. Daphne pretends to agree to the trade, but then attempts to take both items. Hiro stops time, but she holds a knife to Ando's throat, since Ando cannot move, and starts to make a cut. Hiro allows her to get away with both items, but when time resumes, he explains to Ando about the tracking device he had slipped into the award. Ando, however, notices his neck is bleeding, and is astonished that Hiro let him get hurt.
Maya returns to Mohinder's lab, and witnesses him hanging from the ceiling by his legs. She watches as he jumps down, unharmed, and climbs back up the wall, in an insect type of fashion, and after he explains his new powers, Maya expresses her excitement with the results of his new transformation. They then kiss passionately after Mohinder makes an uncharacteristically rash pass at her.
With Bob's death, Angela becomes the new head of the Company, and her first act is to implement some changes, starting with firing Elle. Noah Bennet, now released, returns to his home and finds Claire, alive. Though relieved to see her, he tells her that he can't stay at home because of the escaped villains and prepares to deal with them, shooting down Claire's offer to partner up. When Claire mentions the possibility of being attacked at home, Noah tells her that he had considered that; to make sure Claire stays safe at home, Noah and Sandra reveal their enlistment of the aid of none other than Meredith Gordon, Claire's biological mother, to protect the family in Noah's absence.
Future Peter teleports to Level 5, where Angela angrily informs him that the villains have escaped. Future Peter wonders how this happened different from his time, and also exclaims that he had trapped the present Peter
Peter 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...
in the body of one of the escaped villains specifically because this didn't occur in his timeline. Angela berates him about the Butterfly Effect
Butterfly effect
In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions; where a small change at one place in a nonlinear system can result in large differences to a later state...
and blames him for the deviations he has caused from the future she has seen.
Peter Petrelli, trapped in the body of Jesse Murphy, is forced to accompany the other villains in order not to compromise his true identity. As Flint burns a man alive, and The German punches a man to death, Peter is forced to watch helplessly.
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...
ends the episode by going into the cell Sylar occupies and offers him the comforts that a mother should provide for a child. Sylar denies that Angela is his mother, but Angela persists that she is.
Production
Actor Stephen TobolowskyStephen Tobolowsky
Stephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
had been thrown off of a horse in Iceland and broke his neck in five places between filming for seasons two and three of Heroes. Although he will make a full recovery, due to his injury he was only able to play his role as Bob Bishop in two brief scenes, confined to Bob's office chair and with severely limited levels of movement.
Trivia
Angela Petrelli's dream, shown in this episode, was shown as a special sneak peek of "Villains" in the "Volume 2: Generations" DVD box set, with several elements edited due to spoilers.Ratings
In the 18-49 demographic, "The Butterfly Effect" earned a 5.2/12 ratings share. The episode was watched by 9.57 million viewers.Music
- "He's Frank" by Brighton Port Authority, featuring Iggy PopIggy PopIggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
.
External links
- Beeman Beeman - Season 3, Episode 2 - Director's blog on the filming of this episode.