OK, folks: one of the things that really intrigued me about the finale which I haven't read about much is the whole "Save the cheerleader, save the world" thing. At first, it seems as if Claire had nothing to do with preventing the irradiation of New York city...or did she?

Looked at another way, her contribution to saving the city (again, NOT the world!) was significant, but actually had little to nothing to do with her power! Not only did her presence unite many of the powered characters, but - most tellingly - she inspires Nathan to heroism against Angela's wishes. So it is by her example that she saved the city. If she hadn't been there to show Nathan her simple commitment to helping Peter/defeating a known evil, Nathan would have left on the helicopter, Peter would have discharged in the plaza, and New York city would have been the irradiated wreck that Isaac, Angela, Linderman, Hiro, Charles, and Sylar all predicted.

In terms of story, it's a pretty impressive misdirection, letting Claire's *character* do the saving, rather than her regenerative ability.