The Hard Part

"The Hard Part"
Heroes episode
Hiro prepares to kill Sylar.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 21
Directed by	John Badham
Written by	Aron Eli Coleite
Production code	121
Original air date	May 7, 2007
Guest appearance(s)
Zachary Quinto as Sylar James Kyson Lee as Ando Masahashi Cristine Rose as Angela Petrelli Ellen Greene as Virginia Gray Matthew John Armstrong as Ted Sprague Missy Peregrym as Candice Wilmer Rena Sofer as Heidi Petrelli Eric Roberts as Thompson Adair Tishler as Molly Walker Justin Evans as Simon Petrelli Jackson Wurth as Monty Petrelli
Episode chronology
← Previous "Five Years Gone" Next → "Landslide"
List of Heroes episodes

"The Hard Part" is the twenty-first episode of the first season of the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. It is the first episode of the three-part finale for season one. The title is a reference to Hiro's last line of the previous episode, "Now the hard part." It is the first line in this episode as well.

On the eve of the election, events continue to draw the characters to New York City. In Isaac Mendez's loft, Sylar continues to paint. Looking at the results, he sees a painting of a confrontation between himself and Ted Sprague, and another of a nuclear explosion in New York. Realizing that he may be the cause of the explosion, Sylar calls Mohinder Suresh asking for his help, saying that he does not want to kill innocent people, and that he only took powers from people who "didn't deserve them" - but then hangs up after he hears Mohinder dialing '911' on his cell phone. Sylar then calls his mother, Virginia Gray (Ellen Greene), and asks if he can come see her.

Mohinder meets with Thompson, who again attempts to convince him to join forces. Mohinder is reluctant, saying that they are all thugs. Thompson persists, introducing Mohinder to Molly Walker, a young girl with the ability to see and locate individuals no matter where they may be. However, she cannot use this ability due to a very rare disease which Mohinder's sister, Shanti, died of.

Upon their return from the future, Hiro and Ando return to Isaac's loft to question the artist about dialogue from an unfinished comic that depicts Hiro slaying Sylar and halting the explosion. They find Isaac's corpse, and realize that someone is in the loft's bathroom. Hiro and Ando hide behind a canvas, only to see Sylar preparing for his visit with his mother. Sylar hears the pair, but they teleport away before Sylar can reveal them. Hiro and Ando reappear in a convenience store. They walk onto the street just in time to see Sylar walk past. Ando convinces Hiro to follow him, hoping to find him unprepared for an attack.