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popkorn615 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:01 am Post subject: Elle wasn't born with her ability

So, I think Elle was given her ability based on "Cautionary Tales."

HRG tells her that she was taken into The Company and that's when testing began.

"The human brain can't take that much electricity."

Doesn't that imply that Elle wasn't born with electricity?

Thoughts?

sami · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:07 am Post subject:

I think they knew about her ability being electricity based... and then did testing to find out it's limits - remember her "glass room" - toss in 1 Haitian to clear out the incriminating memories and viola!

Action Figure · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:11 am Post subject:

I doubt powers can be given.

Why was she shocked by her own ability in this episode? Shouldnt she be immune to electricity?

popkorn615 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:12 am Post subject:

Interesting thought, Sami. The only problem I'd have with that is why would they electrocute Elle in order to have her manifest electricity? Shouldn't it be the 'opposite?'
Meaning, in order to be a stronger healer, you'd hurt yourself more and more so that you could heal.

I don't see how electrocuting Elle's brain would make her electrokinesis manifest...

Thoughts?

sami · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:17 am Post subject:

Remember what she tells Peter....
burned down house at age..
power outage in 4 counties at age...
put in a glass room and analyzed at age...
Her power manifested pretty early, I don't think they did the nasty on her until she was that pre-teen age with glass room.

popkorn615 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:24 am Post subject:

popkorn615 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:25 am Post subject:

lapierre520 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am Post subject:

sami · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:10 am Post subject:

If you read the graphic novels.. the de-hydrator was killed with her own power.

Perentie Fan · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:41 am Post subject:

Wow, I actually joined just to address this question.

Firstly all bodies produce electricity, just small amounts. Elle's body is different in that she produces more and can control it.

However the indication here is that this does not make her immune to electricity. Remove the control she has and she's as vulnerable as anyone. Drenching her in water and grounding her in water basically did that. Water is such a great conductor of electricity that when she attempted to fire her power away from her the water simply channeled it back around and in her body.

And my thoughts on HRG's words about Elle being experimented on were not that she gained the power from that, but rather that she suffered a great deal. As she lacked control over her power back then, this and the experimentation probably caused her to shock herself quite often and quite powerfully. Thus HRG's remark on how the human brain isn't meant to handle so many shocks. He was basically indicating that it was those experiments that made Elle so mentally unstable.

Its similar to how HRG theorized that Sylar slowly went more and more insane as he absorbed more foreign DNA and scrambled his own mind.

Alucard · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:12 am Post subject:

That all could be very true. I definitely don't think abilities are GIVEN but I do think that you are born with a genetic marker. So IMO the company saw that Elle had the genetic marker and hadn't manifested yet. We've been told by the writers that it sure does seem like the heroes manifest a power that they need or can use sort of. So, what if the company knows this and wanted to have an "executioner" in their company then why not take Elle who hasn't manifested her and keep exposing her to a power that can be used to for suppression or destruction? I guess what I'm saying is, if the heroes develop a power they need, as suggested by the writers, it's possible that the company in essence "gave" elle electricity by subjecting her body to testing and torture with electricity in order to give her the electricity power. I mean now that we are led to believe there is a research facility (I'm pretty sure this is Primatech) and the company's been around for a while, I would think they would have at least tried this at one point lol.

stonegroove007 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:08 pm Post subject:

I don't get how her power could harm her either. It sort of makes old "Nuclear" Ted (may he rest in sylar's gullet) a conundrum, doesn't it? This guy was putting off enough rads to kill his wife, but he was healthy as a radioactive Ox. Why would Elle have been different? This even brushes on how Peter is even alive . . . Sure, throw in Claire's power and increase his survival rate, but still . . .

jj0802 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:18 pm Post subject:

My take on it is that, for the reasons Sami mentioned, her power had already manifested and the Company's testing triggered it beyond her ability to control it and she cooked herself (perhaps being in a less makeshift version of how Noah held her captive) which was what Noah was referring to about what the brain could handle.

I think Noah referring to her as a normal girl was just in reference to her state of mind rather than an indication that her power hadn't manifested.

HFMudd99@yahoo.com · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:43 pm Post subject:

I think they recoginzed the power within Elle at a young age and then started experimenting with her. Pushing her powers to it's limits and then used the Hatian to remove all the bad memories from her head.

Her power has to be naturally given. How else would Peter be able to absorb it if it was something manmade/implanted into her?

popkorn615 · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 1:28 pm Post subject:

Nice points, Everybody! I suppose I just misinterpreted HRG's lines. And I'm glad this question got you to join, Perenite! Welcome to the forum!! Cool

As Stone points out, the whole situation with Ted's power doesn't line up. Ted was not harmed at all by his own ability, as can be seen in ".07%" when he's in the cell - he doesn't have a burn or a scratch on him. And there's no excuse for it - not even the fact that Ted has control over it, because Elle has MORE control over her ability.

Is the fact that Elle being able to shock herself a result of bad Season 2 writing? Or is it clever writing in that by putting her feet in water, they created a "feedback" loop of electricity in Elle's body, in the same way that Matt & Peter experienced feedback when reading each other's minds? Hmm...