In this episode, Peter used DL's phasing power to get out of the rope cuffs he was tied with. But I don't ever remember Peter meeting him.

So when DID he meet DL? Or is this a plothole?

DL was in the final scene of season one in the square. I would just like to point out right here how wrong everybody was who claimed that peter needed to think about somebody in order to use that persons powers. It is obviously not the case.

Needing to think about someone to use the power never made any sense.

He only needed to think about a person in the same sense that Isaac needed heroine to paint. That need was only dicated by Peter's inability to properly control his powers.

His power is to absorb other powers. Using them is another matter. Now that he's lost his memory, he uses them when he needs them, almost instinctively.

I suspect we may find that the past four months have been some sort of training ground for Peter where's he been trained to be a Jason Bourne like super awesome dude.

Peter came into contact(although not to close) with D.L. in the season 1 finale. He also came into contact with some other powers which could put an interesting spin on season 2!

They also showed him with Super Strength (thanks to Niki), and my big complaint was that he just didn't break the ropes. But, I thought it was cool that they showed he had gotten DL's powers. That also means that he got Micah's and Molly's powers as well since they were right there with DL. Again, what he could do with those powers makes life pretty interesting for Peter.

Oh yeah, I forgot that they were around in the finale. It's just that Peter didn't actually talk to them that I remember, so I got a little confused.

Thanks everyone. ^^

Peter does have to think about the person he got the abilities from (or at least think about the ability) if he wants to use them...normally. However, with him losing his memory, and not knowing what powers he's absorbed, he is basically out of control with his powers again.

I thought Peter said (to Claude) that he needs remember how those people made him feel, not necessarily remember the people themselves, but the emotion that he felt when he was with them. Also, I believe Tim Kring has stated that everyone's power is triggered by an emotion. That being the case, Peter can still access his powers when he feels the emotion that triggers them, even if he does not remember the person whom he absorbed the power from.

How is it dumb if Peter, himself, said it in an episode? I do agree, however, that his need to remember the person to use their power worked in the same way for Peter as smack did for Isaac. He obviously doesn't HAVE to remember them anymore.

Remembering people is just the trick claude taught him to pull the powers out one at a time. He has all the powers he has encountered at once, and we have seen him use them accidently before. Remember, he has been described as a power sponge, but has different ways of wringing the power out of himself.

becuase peter had no clue how his powers worked when he made the statement. He was trying to figure out how his powers worked and his statment was pure speculation. ******DELETED*********, but he obviously does not need to think of somebody to use thier powers. it was shown in season one when fighting with Claude. he used TK to stop claudes attack and then had to try to remember where he had run across that power before. He used the power first, then had to try to remember where he had encountered it. Why didnt he just blow up when the guy was slapping him around in the chair if his powers were purely triggered by emotion? Becuase the show is story driven, and things need to happen to advance the story. ******DELETED********* It is just a TV show. Remember that.

When Peter started using his powers that he gained, he used them by reaction. He didn't mean to use Sylar's TK, he didn't mean to heal when Claude threw him off the roof. Peter said himself that he had to remember how someone made him feel to use the powers. He's an EMPATH for cryin' out loud. Empathy is where you can understand how someone feels. When he remembers how each person made him feel, he has control of his powers. These last two episodes were not control of his powers. When he was trying to get out of the ropes, he was shocked when they just fell from his hands. After the one electro shock in the bar, he was shocked when he hit the guy w/ super strength & used the TK blast. Peter's powers aren't necessarily "controlled" right now, they are coming to him randomly.

And please don't try to be a cocky know it all when it comes to this stuff. If you rewatched the first season, Peter explains how he's able to control his abilities.

Just because Claude or Peter said something doesn't make it true. They were trying to figure out how to use his powers. Obviously, when dead, Peter wasn't thinking of Claire so he could regenerate.

Peter's an Empath. I think looking up the definition of the word (i.e. Empathy, Empathic, etc.) will shed light on this debate.

I thought last night would've cleared this up but obviously some people want to stick with their original assumptions. Peter has used many powers instinctively. He didn't say that he had to think of Claire to heal. He said that when he started falling he began to think of her.

How soon do we forget :

1. that he healed when Claire pulled the glass out of his head. He couldn't "feel" anything about her b/c he was not conscious. (instinct)
2. as someone said earlier, he used TK with Claude then had to remember where he saw that (instinct)
3. he used invisibility with Claude before he even knew claude was invisible. (don't want to say instinct but just automatic since claude was using his)
4. he used the lightning again last night like he did in the first episode but the difference was that he knew it this time (in the crate, it was instinct...last night it was intentional)
5. he used super strength when he punched the guy. He didn't "feel" or remember Niki (instinct..now I bet he can use it again)

When I want to drive my car, I don't need to "feel" how it felt when my dad and mom taught me all those years ago. I just jump in and do it b/c I know I can. It's the same way with him. As time goes on and he knows all that he can do, he will just be able to do it.

Please give up this whole "he has to feel it" thing. If someone from the show (ie: writer) came up with the "empathetic mimickry" name, then they probably now wish they used another term. If that name came from some forum, then it should definitely not be used. I think that Mohinder used it best saying he was like a sponge and absorbed others' abilities. The "empathy" that everyone locks on to is HOW he acquires it. Once he has it, he has it.

It's a catch 22. The same people that get mad b/c Peter acts all emo when it's time to fight are the same ones that want him to be all emo in order to access the ability.

I think in the instance of this episode it's just reflexive. But to have total control he probably does have to be able to remember the people whom he got his powers from.

reason and logic do not rule here, there is no need to argue further.

There have been, for unknown reasons, an abnormally high number of posts in this thread that either criticize other posters outright, or criticize all posters in general.

Please refrain from insulting posts. Read the forum rules about flaming!

All opinions are welcome. The attitudes are not.

There is no way to prove or disprove this theory. Since we are not entitled to the thoughts of the character at the moment we have no way of knowing what is required. Obviously with no memory it would make it hard to think about a person to access powers - so we can rule that one out. Personally I don't think he has to "feel" a certain way to access his powers, but rather his feelings are somewhat controlling what powers he is using. BUT it doesn't mean that is a requirement. It is like saying I feel scared therefore I am going to run away fast. It is reactionary to the situation. I do believe that Peter will be able to harness and control his powers better in the near future, like when he is helping with the robbery.

I think it should be fairly obvious that Peter doesn't have to think of a certain emotion to use a power, his body just uses the powers as naturally as you use your tongue to get food thats stuck between your teeth. How likely would it be that he was feeling a certain emotion each time he used a power? What emotion would he associate with DL? He didn't even really meet the guy, so how would he have a certain emotion attached to him?

Also..did anyone else think that Peter used super hearing to hear when his Irish girlfriend was in trouble? It sounded like they did the sound effect for it right when he was getting ready to make his escape.

guys, do remember.. The new eps start 4 months AFTER. A lot could have happened in those four months, way too early to say DL and Peter didn't meet again.

Just because Peter doesn't have to conciously think of the person involved to use a power doesn't mean that his emotions are completely uninvolved, they were obviously VERY involved in the beginning. Now that the powers are in his DNA, he can use the instinctively and unconciously and so forth.

Also, Peter is an Empath, meaning he doesn't need to speak with someone in order to become emotionally in sync (or whatever he does when he initially acquires powers). DL was in range, and sure enough, Peter got the power. Remember when he overloaded and passed out the first time in TX? Well lookee there, trying to load Niki/Jessica, Molly, Micah and DL into his brain caused him to lose control AGAIN. Surprise.

Sounds like his power is Empathy and he gains powers through emotions. Has he gotten to a point where he can use them without thinking of/connecting with the person... absolutely... (remember, he used to have to be NEAR the person to use the power), but that's not how it's always been, and nothing changes the fact that his power is BASED on emotions, even if it has changed his DNA at this point.

<sigh> If it's encoded into his DNA then how exactly is it based on emotions? It is BASED on his DNA. His emotions may cause him use his powers as a natural self defense, but his emotions do not cause the powers to exist.

Who cares, It's starting to get silly with Peter. He also must have Micah's power and Molly's power as well. So he can phase, talk to technology and locate any other special person by thinking of them.

It should just be the Peter show. Staring Peter.

I agree, Peter needed the 'training wheels' on his bike for a little while. But not for long because quickly into his training with Claude he was pulling out powers that he had no idea were there.

I wonder if the Haitian could look into his mind and 'see' all of Peter's powers?

I find Peter can pick up other's power just like that is a bit stretched. I mean, he walks on NYC streets everyday, and there are millions of people...does that mean he can pick up other strangers' power (assume there must be some who have the power in NYC besides the Petrellies?

It's Empathy... if he can pick up emotions from a distance, he can pick up powers from a distance.

This is why, in my mind, both Peter and Nathan should have died in the explosion... continuing their stories is, to say the least, forced. He's a fair fight for Superman at this piont, and he doesn't even know WHO HE IS!

Yes, Peter's power absorbtion range is increasing more & more. If I recall he was around 30 feet from DL and he absorbed his power without really him even knowing he was there.

Also what does Peter's power have to do with why Nathan and Peter die in the explosion. First I think we all at this point accepted that Nathan survived by not being near the explosion by either flying away or Peter letting go of him before exploding. As for Peter dying, the nuclear power is emmitted from the body, not from within the body. So Peter simply radiates radiation, when he exploded he didn't actually explode as all that happen was all that nuclear power emitted from his body at once causing the nuclear explosion then Peter fell some where regenerating the damage from the fall as he was in no way damaged by the radiation he emmited.

yep, Ted was never harmed by his own power. peters power is the same as ted's. Peters fear was never for himself, but always for the rest of the people around him. I think Nathans scared face was from the act of carrying peter up at all. once he had him up there he let go and flew away as fast as he could.