Heroes

Ah, the hiatus. Television shows can’t seem to string 5 or 6 new episodes in a row without having to take a weeks (or even months) long hiatus. For some this is not a good thing…the long hiatus that Lost took after a handful of frustrating and tepid episodes centering on the once intriguing but now decidedly bland and boring “Others” (like that show needed more people for its viewers to keep track of…those bloody islands seem to have the population of a small city) was a good jumping OFF point for me (and, judging by the ratings, for a lot of other folks too...if it's actually gotten better someone let me know and I'll think about checking out the DVD set when it comes out...)

The producers of 24 have wisely evaded the hiatus problem by not starting their season until January and churning out24 episodes in the row without gaps or reruns (a ploy that Lost is apparently going emulate next season.)

And there’s Heroes. When the show took off for a 6-week hiatus I wondered if they could recapture the momentum they had as they rolled into the 5 final episodes of the season. I needn’t have worried it seems as the show came back with a crackerjack outing that picked up right where it left off and drew me right back into the lives of the extraordinary people who make up its expansive cast. As the various plot threads start to entwine towards the explosive climax new alliances are formed as the characters, each in his or her own way (and for his or her own reasons), strive to “save the world”, new secrets are revealed (the enigmatic Mr. Linderman, for example, turning out to perhaps not be the completely black-hearted villain he’s been portrayed to be throughout the season…and that, perhaps, he has previous working relationship with the matriarch of the Petrelli clan, who it seems has a power of her own), two people die (one gets better…hey, they’re super-heroes, just go with it :-), and we get a glimpse of a possible future with the time-bending Hiro and his faithful sidekick Ando.

And next week the future is now as the focus shifts 5 years hence.

The producers and writers of Heroes keep swearing that they won’t fall into the quagmire that Lost has gotten stuck in…that there will be answers and resolutions this season…and I believe them. And, being the geek that I occasionally admit to being, I’m jazzed beyond words to see how it all turns out (don’t let me down folks.)