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popkorn615 · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 9:48 pm Post subject:

Again, I understand that The Company was probably trying to 'strengthen' her ability, but I think it's horrible writing and it makes no sense to electrocute her in order to make her ability stronger. Yes, the lithium would probably conduct the electricity faster throughout her body, but if she can create electricity herself, then there would be no reason to leave the lithium in her body.

That's a pretty good explanation as to why they used lithium in Elle's body though, thanks! I LOVE chemistry! Cool

(Although, I don't think the writers will ever get that in depth with us, lol)

jj0802 · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 3:39 pm Post subject:

Two questions come to mind:

1) While Ted was immune to his ability, I wonder if a nuclear bomb went off 100 yards away from him, would he survive it?

2) Is it possible that they were trying to study/strengthen Elle's ability and sending the electricity through her brain was either done unintentionally or, if it was intentional, they didn't think it would harm her?

mattk25 · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 5:09 pm Post subject:

To answer the original question, the wording by HRG leads one to believe she was given her power. This may or may not be true based on the discussion here. I'm not sure you can give someone powers, but we don't know that for sure I guess. My initial thought was, she was an experiment that worked, and after they captured HRG he would become one! Who knows? Good question PK!

Payquage · Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 6:50 am Post subject:

I think Elle was born with her power.

The only way I can imagine the water causing Elle to shock herself is if she has to choose a point for electricity to exit her body, and the rest of her is possibly vulnerable. If she tried to zap someone with her finger, and she was wet, the electricity would travel to other parts of her body instead. Or the writers were already starting to slack off in anticipation of the strike. Or somebody didn't want to pay Jimmy Jean-Louis to be in that episode.

At the time I saw the episode, I took it that HRG meant Elle's own electricity caused some problems as it passed through her brain. I don't know what the writers meant us to think there. The big burst of electricity she generates wouldn't necessarily pass through her brain.

A moderate amount of electricity in Elle's brain might not have hurt her. Electroconvulsive therapy is used for depression when the few weeks needed for antidepressant medication to take effect is too long. It's done under general anesthesia. A side effect is short-term - and sometimes long-term - memory loss. From WebMD: [url]http://www.webmd.com/depression/electroconvulsive-therapy [/url] We can imagine that OWI was using larger doses, of course, if they were trying to push Elle to develop or refine an ability. Or maybe they were trying to keep her this side of the loony bin while they did all kinds of other horrible experiments on her.

The lithium Elle mentioned was probably intended for mood control. Lithium carbonate is often just called "lithium."

From WebMD:
Lithium used for bipolar disorder: [url]http://www.webmd.com/bipolar-disorder/bipolar-disorder-lithium[/url]
Lithium used for cluster headaches: [url]http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/lithium-for-cluster-headaches[/url]

The articles linked above mention that sodium and water intake need to be managed when a person is on lithium to maintain a reasonable electrolyte balance, but I have a feeling that the amount of lithium needed to make you into a human battery would be toxic. Or we can just figure that tolerance for lithium was part of her power.

kac · Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:34 am Post subject:

Yeah, she was probably born with her ability. She caused a blackout at age ..... eight.

burning down her grandmother's house when she was six, causing a multi-county blackout in Ohio when she was 8, spending her ninth birthday in a glass room with an IV of lithium in her arm, living in the building they were standing in for sixteen years after being diagnosed a sociopath with paranoid delusions, never going on a roller-coaster, swimming or a date.

So, her powers developed at the early age of six. Still, Robert 'Bob' Bishop might have experimented on her as a kid.

However, if Elle and Claire are Meredith's kids, their powers are expected.

Besides Linderman [Adam's puppet], probably decided that nathan would match up well with Merdith. Angela, Carlos, Susan or another precog type may have anticapated it amd victoria matched the dna to cause the present batch of children to have SGs.

I wonder what offspring would Nathan and Nikki have? ...Nah, nevermind. Poor nikki gets matched up too much. D.L., Nathan, and peter? She should stay with D.L.