First things first: Why couldn't Peter just fly into the stratosphere himself? Why, at the climactic moment of last night's Heroes season finale, "How to Stop an Exploding Man" — with Peter about to go nuclear and desperate for a way to save the city — couldn't Peter just fly away himself? We already know he can fly: We've seen him do it, in "Unexpected," when he carried Claude high over the streets of New York while escaping from Bennett and the Haitian. So why, last night, did his brother Nathan need to swoop in, share a tender moment, and carry him up, up, and away? Why did Peter need Nathan at all?

We're sure that other, better nerds than us shall answer this question shortly.

But many, many other questions were satisfyingly answered by Heroes' season finale:

• What is it about Peter that makes him the hero of the story? It's love, he's told in a mysterious vision midway through the episode. His ability to love is what makes him strong. Just like Harry Potter!

• Does Claire have it in her to shoot Peter if necessary? No! But it doesn't matter because Nathan saves the day! (But why couldn't…? Dammit!)

• Can Niki finally come to terms with her dual natures? Yes! Niki and Jessica seem joined at last into a single benevolent hottie with super-strength.

• Can the heroes defeat Sylar? Yes, we think! Peter and Niki beat him up, and Hiro samurai-swords him to death. But maybe he's not dead … more on this later.

•Who kicks the bucket at season's end? Just Sylar, Peter, and Nathan, it seems; Sylar at sword-point, Peter and Nathan when Peter goes nuclear up in the ionosphere. (But … crap!) Parkman and D.L. are bleeding a lot but seem like they might pull through.

• What is Bennett's first name? Noah!

• And will Mohinder's Theme-o-Matic voice-over ever return? Yes, with a vengeance! This season finale begins with a repeat of his complete voice-over from episode one, "Genesis," and ends with Mohinder intoning:

So much struggle for meaning. But in the end, we find it only in each other: our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred. And to know in our hearts that we are not alone.

Which brings us to season two, of course. We're so obsessed with Heroes this morning that we're gonna spend an entire second post on that.