Sylars "teleportation"

[Superboy2]

With Peter bonding with his mom, I'm guessing he will become more empathetic and his original power will return in the next 3-4 episodes.

[CompanyMan]

Superboy,

If you are trying to bait me, forget it. I already answered to you about that in another thread. I might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but I'm not the dullest either.

[Superboy2]

I'm not trying to bait you, its my theory.

[itsonlypoint07]

the way i interpret it is there must be some sort of emotional response for sylar.. i.e. his mom dying and his dad leaving, his first kill, elle's reaction, and presumablly the fear of the shapeshifter. and peter's was the same way, but reversed.. he was in such an emotional state that he was just pulling them from everywhere. he got nikki's ability at kirby plaza, why not d.l.'s or micha's?

[Pyramid84]

I think the writers allow Sylar to appear/disappear very quickly simply for dramatic effect, as they have done with him since season 1. Often times the simplest explanation is the correct one. Also, I think the apartment scene was to enable Sylar to "connect" with the shapeshifter allowing him to absorb the ability through empathy.

[CompanyMan]

Also, I think the apartment scene was to enable Sylar to "connect" with the shapeshifter allowing him to absorb the ability through empathy.

What empathy? Could anyone show me where he showed any empathy towards the shapeshifter? Did I fall asleep during the part where he leveled with the shapeshifter and had a heart-to-heart talk with him like he did with Elle?

[targis]

What empathy? Could anyone show me where he showed any empathy towards the shapeshifter? Did I fall asleep during the part where he leveled with the shapeshifter and had a heart-to-heart talk with him like he did with Elle?

Really I don't see why Sylar wouldn't be able to absorb abilitys whenever he comes close to someone else with a power.

Peter didn't have to connect emphathicly with someone to copy their ability. He just had to get close to them.

----- Added 13 Minutes later -----

And Sylar was emphathic towards Arthur between the time that he was taught by Arthur to use his emphathic mimicry and when Noah told him that Arthur wasn't really his father. So Sylar should have absorbed all of Arthurs abilitys during that time becuase he did show empithay toward him for awhile there. Sylar would have coppied both teleportation/time travel and mind control. He could have used either one of those for the scene in Danko's car.

[Pyramid84]

Both the shapeshifter and Sylar like to disguise themselves as other people. Empathy towards someone doesn't necessarily mean having a heart-to-heart, just that you can feel how they feel.

[CompanyMan]

Well, as Otto Berkely from HeroSite.net once said, "it’s a plothole that pulls viewers who remember the backstory out of the narrative, because they now spend the rest of the scene halfheartedly trying to think up an explanation."

Granted, this quote was from way back in volume three and about another topic. But it semi-fits this scene (I don't see an actual plot-hole). Sylar was displaying nothing but the eagerness to gain the shapeshifter's power--otherwise known as "the hunger." Saying that he used empathy to gain the power is nothing but speculation. Even my theory is based upon speculation. But I like it better. He made a cut in the base of the shapeshifter's skull to gain access to the brain and then Danko used the cut to shove a knife in so it would look like the real Sylar is dead. But I'm not the one who thought of it. Kudos to Yoshua, who thought of it first. If Sylar was using empathy, then why did Not!Sylar start wimpering?

[Pyramid84]

Yes, it is all speculative at this point, and it would sure be nice if the show explained these inconsistencies. When Peter had EM he absorbed power by just being in close proximity, he didn't have to empathize at all, most notably gaining D.L.'s phase ability.
These problems arised when they did the retcon at the beginning of the season.

[targis]

I don't think Noah will fall for it anyway. If I would have been him I would have thought to myself "what is Sylar doing here at the bar where we are hunting the shapeshifter and how did Sylar know to come here?" Then I would have thought where is the shapeshifter then?


Also Noah wouldn't belive that Danko could take out someone like SYlar so easily.

[CompanyMan]

I don't think Noah will fall for it anyway. If I would have been him I would have thought to myself "what is Sylar doing here at the bar where we are hunting the shapeshifter and how did Sylar know to come here?" Then I would have thought where is the shapeshifter then?


Also Noah wouldn't belive that Danko could take out someone like SYlar so easily.

I agree whole-heartedly with you. In fact I was thinking the very same thing. With Sylars TK, it is almost impossible to get close enough to him to stab him with a knife.

[targis]

Looking back I wonder how did Arthur even know that Sylar had empathic mimicry as a power anyway and how did he know that he had always had it. Sylar didn't even know he had it so how did Arthur?

[CompanyMan]

I don't know. I always considered that to be a "hiccup" on the writer's part. Volume three had a number of problems. That's why they hired Bryan Fuller back, to fix where the fired writers went wrong. It certainly doesn't fit in with Sylar's usual MO or with his ability of intuitive aptitude making him hungry for more powers.

[targis]

It seemed to me like he was using a power like Maury Parkman was using to make Nathan see Linderman.