"...could be the springboard for the return of [classic Heroes]..." Oh God, I can only hope. Thanks for the summary here. I missed the episode last night and was thankful for the summary. Sounds like I missed the best of the first four episodes in Season 2, but that isn't saying much really.

There is a plan. I see that now. This episode and your ruminations are convincing me that the writers for the Season will eventually start the helix weave that made Season 1 so much fun. As it stands now, we still have many separated plot lines all over the globe, but they are starting to mingle. The cockroach is a nice leit-motif addition to Season 1 and makes some sense out of the finale.

Parkman and Suresh? Surely not. I think the series has been "corporatized" by committee, there is little doubt of that. Target all the audiences - the latino addition is the strongest proof of this. Target the gay audience? Sure. They had an opportunity with Claire's school chum last Season, but he's not in the picture and NTW is here in his place - cheesiest and worst-tasting bit of the new season, really.

I do not think, however, they will bring it to an overt relationship. I think that would be just too much for the "mainstream demographic"...alluding to it; flirting around it should be enough.

Discussion question: this old league of Heroes is a fascinating notion; who thinks this next generation will form a similar league. And will they wear capes????

Great review! I'm amazed the writers managed to make Maya and Alejandro's storyline interesting to me this week. I definitely believe that Kensei will become this Kane villain, the names aren't too different either.

I'm really frustrated with HRG and Claire. After everything they've been through, their relationship still suffers from the same flaws that brought them into so much harm in season 1. I really wonder about the context of the painting of HRG's death. Why would Claire be kissing someone as her father lay there dead?

Thanks for the comments, Tom and Manzy704!

@tom: after commenting last week about the cockroaches I actually said to myself "Watch, now that I've mentioned it we'll never see them again". I'm glad to see I was wrong. And as for the Parkman/Suresh relationship, I really only poke fun in jest (ok, half in jest). I really hope they never admit it, and just keep dropping hints and alluding to it, because it's far more fun that way.

@manzy704: Out of all the juicy tidbits and rumors floating around, the Kensei/Kane transformation has definitely caught my attention the most. If it's true, I can't wait to see how they pull that off. Maybe the writers will actually be able to accomplish what George Lucas couldn't and craft a believable arc from good guy to bad guy.

Now that I think of it, Anakin Skywalker had some serious daddy issues too...

HRG and Claire have been through a lot together, but I think that above everything else Claire knows without a shadow of a doubt that HRG can't be trusted. That mistrust is what's pushing Claire further and further into West's arms. I think we'll see in upcoming episode that even with that mistrust Claire is still a Bennett and won't take kindly to anyone messing with her family. I also don't think that it's West in the painting because as the love interest of a main character, I'm afraid he's not long for this world. At the very least he'll be partially maimed.

Oh man I want to have a rant about this episode, I really do, but I'm just not feeling well after the CHEESE that was fed to me last night.

Either heroes is prepping to knock me on my arse with a right hook of awesome. Or it's waxing up the skis to jump the shark.

@Tr0n: Haha! What really bugs me is that it seems like everyone on the show has an honorary psychology degree. What the hell? What with Nathan helping Parkman work through his issues and West helping Claire with her trust and identity problems... just ugh.

Oh, and "I know you can heal, but I never want to see you hurt"???

Blargh. Someone slap that writer and tell him to go back to writing dime novels.

How many of you think Papa Petrelli is Kensei? I've been studying that picture and it is very possible...

Connie - Thanks for posting!

I've definitely considered it. There's a lot of buzz going around because Kensei and Claire have the same power. Then again, Nathan and West have the same power and I doubt they're related (or else Claire is in for a nasty surprise later).

Unfortunately, I'm going to go out on a limb here, as I'm oft to do, and say that they are not related, or if they are it's through several generations, not directly.

For one, the graphic novels showed us what Papa Petrelli looked like as a young man in the war, and he was very similar in look to Nathan Petrelli (in fact, the author used Nathan as a reference). That being said, it was also shown that Papa Petrelli did not have powers (or at least not when he first met Linderman), which led most people to believe that it's actually Angela Petrelli with the abilities.

I think they blurred the picture of Papa Petrelli out of a casting necessity, because they haven't cast an actor to play that role (if they are even going to have him in the show in any way). Also, I don't think that Papa Petrelli has dirty blonde hair (as people have said after seeing his picture), I think it's just a combination of his greying hair and the yellow lighting in the scene.

However, like I mentioned before, I have considered the fact that after Kensei loses the girl to Hiro (c'mon, we all know he's going to) he may travel near and far and eventually start family lines all over the world that eventually lead to all the new heroes. He is, after all, the first of his kind.

I just had a really weird, off the wall theory pop into my head and I wanted to get it out there:

Elle, played by Kristen Bell in tonights episode is looking for Peter because she's either a member of the Company, or was a member of the Company.

She's looking for Peter because he's PETER. That's why he has her powers. She probably came looking for him after the explosion, fight ensued, something big happened and Peter lost his memory and Elle lost Peter.

There have been hints flying around that Elle and Claire are supposed to have some hidden connection, which has led people to speculate that they are somehow related: i.e. Elle is Peter's long lost sister, Elle is Claire's halfsister from another one of Nathan's affairs, Elle is Claire from the future, etc. I'm going to go stranger than that and say that maybe Elle had something to do with the fire that presumably killed Claire and her mother. HRG has always said the encounter went badly and that's how he ended up with Claire. Maybe Elle was the reason it went badly.

I'm not 100% on this (I still have to go back and check the graphic novels etc to make sure they haven't already explained this somehow) but I just wanted to post it here before the episode airs tonight.

See you tonight!

Peter Love the theory about Elle and Clair, but I think Claire's Mom Started the fire Mr. Bennett says that he knew he was looking for a fire starter or something like that in the Episode " Family Man".
My Theory about the Kensei is Hiro attempts to come back with the girl and Kensei jumps on with them and I guess "Unleashes" himself on our time. Might be wrong but.......
BTW loves your reviews keep up the good work.