Heroes: Powerless

Thug: "You know what happens to heroes in the real world? They end up dead. Just like you."

Well, at least they didn't leave us with a cliffhanger, or kill off Mr. Muggles. (Heaven forbid.) And I got what I wanted: Peter, Claire, HRG and Hiro made it, and so did Elle and Adam. (Adam is still alive, after all; he could return. And if we thought he was nuts before, we ain't seen nothing yet.)

Heroes: Truth & Consequences

Hiro: "I must avenge my father's death and save the world."
Ando: "Why is saving the world always your responsibility?"

Montreal and Searsmont, Maine: So Adam was initially imprisoned because he wanted to release the killer virus, "for the greater good"? Aha. So that's his evil plan. And thirty years in prison just made him want it more. Why is Peter so determined to believe Adam? Please tell me Peter is smelling a rat, and playing Adam. I was also disappointed in Peter's single-minded obsession with rescuing Caitlin to the exclusion of all else. Hello? 93% of the world's population doesn't come first? Peter, start thinking with your head again. The other head.

Heroes: Cautionary Tales

Hiro: "Every hand I extend in kindness is his hand. And every blow that I strike for justice is his fist."

This was an emotionally resonant episode with a powerful, unifying theme. Fathers, and what they give their children. Good fathers, and not so good fathers. Kaito Nakamura made his son into a hero. Noah Bennet protected his adopted daughter from evil so that she could become a hero, too. And Bob Bishop? He made his daughter into a monster.

Heroes: Four Months Ago

Peter: "I remember. I remember everything."
Adam: "Good, then. Shall we save the world?"

This was a particularly delicious fill-in-the-blanks episode. It was like watching floating puzzle pieces zoom in and snap together. I was thinking that this might have been a better season premiere than the one we had. Except that back then, we didn't know Adam from, well, Adam, and his four-hundred-year-old grudge against Hiro just might be important to the ongoing story. (I'm being sarcastic.)

Heroes: Out of Time

Yaeko: "You must concentrate! You have to get us out of here!"
Hiro: "Why is everything so purple?"

Wow. This one impressed me. A lot of good storytelling, a lot of resolution, and a lot of new direction. We even saw most of the 8/8 paintings come to life. In fact, this episode was so jam-packed that at one point Dan said to me, "This one just keeps on going, doesn't it?"

Heroes: The Line

Cop: "I don't suppose you saw a flying masked man this evening?"

It wasn't so much about "the line"; it was about crossing it. Several of our cast made bad decisions, with even worse possible consequences.

Heroes: Fight or Flight

Hiro: "It's like living in a storybook. Only more tiring."

The "really scary villain" club just got two new members.

Heroes: The Kindness of Strangers

Noah: "If the wrong person comes into her life, it could be... problematic for all of us."

This week, instead of five minutes with each member of the cast, we got more of a concentration on certain characters. Which can be good. But we didn't get either Peter or Hiro, and I always feel a bit cheated when there's no Peter. And they're still laying story foundation, so it feels like not a lot is happening yet. Again, much like last season. I can wait.

Heroes: Kindred

West: "You're indestructible. You can skydive without a parachute."
Claire: "You could skydive without a plane."

Cork, Ireland: Lots of Peter with his shirt off again, probably because he's so buff now. He's certainly won Caitlin over. Who could resist a kind superhero who looks like Milo Ventimiglia?

Heroes: Lizards

Sandra: "We do have a colander, dear. No need to be flashy."

Cork, Ireland: Peter automatically healed without thinking of Claire, and phased without thinking of DL. Let's hope he doesn't want to cook something without a stove.

Heroes: Four Months Later

Noah: "From now on, you have to be entirely unextraordinary."
Claire: "Right. Don't stand out in any way."

So much goodness. Where to begin?

Heroes: How To Stop An Exploding Man

Deveaux: "In the end, all that really matters is love."

This was the pay-off. Was it worth the wait? Well, yes, pretty much.

Heroes: Landslide

Ando: "Destiny picked you, Hiro."
Hiro: "Destiny made a mistake."

Characters are coming together, storylines are coalescing, and we're at the culmination of every plot thread. I'm surprised at how much I'm loving this, considering how lukewarm I was when the series began.

Heroes: The Hard Part

Sylar: "I think I'm going to do something bad."
Mohinder: "You're a murderer. You don't get the luxury of regret."

Sylar made a pretty serious attempt to return to normalcy, to his life as a watchmaker -- because, surprise, he didn't really want to blow up New York. And then his mother actually talked him out of it before he (not really accidentally) killed her. One of her snowglobes had a picture of Sylar in it. What did the snowglobes symbolize? Compartmentalizing life? Seeing it as artificial and perfect?

Heroes: Five Years Gone

Sylar: "When I killed Nathan, he had already turned against his own kind."
Peter: "Liar."

This one was so cool that I almost didn't want it to end. It was like the outstanding Buffy episode, "The Wish", with a frightening alternate universe, intriguing changes in our characters, and way too many deaths.

Heroes: .07%

Isaac: "You can't fight the future."

Exciting, information-packed episode.

Heroes: Parasite

Nathan: "When I first met you, I thought you were nuts."
Hiro: "That's okay. I thought you were mean. But now I know. You pretend you do not care about anyone, but you care too much."

So much good stuff. Where to begin?

Heroes: Company Man

Bennet: "How do I look?"
Claire: "Like my dad."

Fabulous. Best episode so far, in my opinion.

Heroes: Unexpected

Claude: "What are you doing?"
Peter: "Something unexpected."

Well, someone flew, and someone died. Just as advertised.

Heroes: Run!

Micah: "I just feel like we're supposed to be fighting crime or something."

For some reason, I got a big kick out of Sylar acquiring his new and exciting superpower, the Ability to Melt Things. Sylar seemed sly and earnest and a lot more fun, even though I knew he was going to eat poor Zane. Sylar is obviously going to hang on to Mohinder until he has the name of every Gifted person on the planet. How many episodes until Mohinder figures it out?

Heroes: Distractions

Claire: "Some family."

Why didn't Sylar kill Bennet? Yes, I know it was because Bennet is such a cool character and the story would suffer if they killed him off, but come on. Sylar has left mutilated bodies behind him all over the country. Why didn't Sylar kill Bennet?

Heroes: The Fix

Ando: "You came back for me."
Hiro: "This is how we roll."

Last week, Doctor Who; this week, Mr. Sulu. You can tell when a show is a genuine sci-fi hit; they start recruiting science fiction icons.

Heroes: Godsend

Bennet: "Why do you seem so worried? Are you on the list?"

As we plodded through the holidays and a couple of cold months, only two weeks have passed in the Hero-verse. It's good to know we haven't missed much.

Heroes: Fallout

Ando: "Who is it?"
Hiro: "Destiny."
Ando: "I wish Destiny would lose our number."

Peter had better not be dead, that's all I have to say.

Heroes: Six Months Ago

Hiro: "I loved her."

Hiro not being able to save Charlie after she told him she loved him? Heartbreaking.

Heroes: Homecoming

Claire: "Do you have any idea what it means for me to miss this game?"
Bennet: "You'll survive."

So Peter Saved the Cheerleader. But did he save the world? I don't think so, Dave. Maybe Claire is going to save the world, and Peter saving her will make it happen.

Heroes: Seven Minutes to Midnight

Charlie: "I like the way your cheeks wobble when you concentrate."

Very difficult choices.

Heroes: Nothing to Hide

Nathan: "I am not going to use my family for political gain."
Heidi: "Tell that to Peter."

Brothers and sisters, parents and children, husbands and wives. And lots of dysfunction.

I'm starting to really love Peter. Peter is a sweetie. He saved Nathan's ass at his own expense, confirming that false story about his mental illness.

Heroes: Better Halves

Claire: "My cheerleading career is scissor-kicking off the field, as we speak."

This episode was big on the blonde. Lots of Claire and Niki.

Heroes: Hiros

Hiro: "Save the cheerleader. Save the world."

They let Matt go. They didn't let Nathan go, though. He let himself go. Straight up. Nathan unexpectedly shooting directly up into the air was exceptionally cool. I loved his somewhat clumsy landing, too, where he undoubtedly got gravel in his toes. I think that was the moment I realized I was getting into this show.

Heroes: Collision

Hiro: "I need to learn how to say, 'You're going to die in five weeks, then New York will explode' in English."

More big connections. Matt and Claire both woke up on a very uncomfortable table. Nathan slept with Niki. Niki and Hiro passed each other in the Montecito casino. Peter met Mohinder, and tried to take him to meet Isaac.

Heroes: One Giant Leap

Ando: "You even mention tights and a cape, I'm going home."

Our heroes are experiencing trials, testing their mettle.

Heroes: Don't Look Back

Bennet: "I'm not done protecting you from the world."

More origin story. More connections between the emerging mutants. And a lot more questions.

Heroes: Genesis

Peter: "Did you ever get the feeling like you were meant to do something... extraordinary?"
Mohinder: "I'm driving a cab. You may have noticed."

I wasn't wildly impressed with this pilot episode. I was confused about what was going on, and a little disappointed that it was all origin and little story.

So let's talk origin, then.