Heroes & Villains

I just finished watching the two-hour premiere of "Heroes" and I had the same averse reaction to it as I did when I saw "Spider-man 3."

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I loved season one of "Heroes" and I enjoyed season two, despite complaints from critics. However, this fall opener left me worried. The fun of "Heroes", initially, was its cleverly crafted stories and the way they linked together. The show also respected its audience and grounded the characters in a way in which you could say, "If there was a world with super-heroes, this is indeed the way they would act or behave." The show took very logical approaches in dealing with the humanity of these "super" humans. It also took the time to flesh out each storyline.

This was not the case in last night's two episodes. It became very clear to me that the show just has too many characters. Everyone's plot was rushed and the writing seemed lazy. Let's take a step by step approach.

Continuity: Ok, I know that in the last season, the premiere started months after the incidents that happened in the first season finale. Later, one of the episodes showed what happened during those four months. The writers played with the timeline in a way I thought was fun. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Nikki Sanders's death occur at exactly the same time as Nathan Petrelli's shooting? If this is the case, then how is it that as Nathan is in the ER, Nikki has had enough time to survive the fire, assume the name of Tracy, woo the Governor of New York and become a leading political adviser?

If the writers know what they're doing still, then I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are going to come up with a plotline in which Nikki is able to split off from herself like a starfish and that many years ago she spawned a clone. Another possibility is that the sister of hers we were told was dead never actually died.

Also, what happened to Peter's Irish girlfriend? He just left her in the future and never came back?

Future Peter vs. Present Peter: I really hope that there is a good explanation as to why a character that can regenerate and heal all of his wounds would have a scar in the future. Also, why is future Peter such an asshole? In season one Peter was painted as pure of heart. No matter what happens in the future, I just can't get my head around as to why future Peter would even fathom the idea of going back in time to kill his brother. I mean, Peter did stray a little last season, but this is strange. Additionally, Mama Petrelli acts like Future Peter and Present Peter aren't the same person. She has nothing but love for Present Peter, but Future Peter is "not her son?" Can I assume or hope that Future Peter is also some kind of clone that is NOT the same Peter?

Mohinder & Maya: Maya should never have had a storyline on this show! She adds nothing to this show. Likewise, Mohinder is also starting to lose his purpose. His speech in which he finds out that the Heroes' abilities come from their adrenal glands was like something out of a bad 1950s sci-fi flick. I wish the writers had done more research to at least make the medical jargon sound believable. My God, all those pauses in his "Euereka! I've found it" speech were so contrived. Additionally, Mohinder wants powers so he can be special, too? We have Sylar for that! To boot, everything in this storyline felt ripped off from "The Fly" and I'm talking about the 80s version with Jeff Goldblum. Oh no! My skin is peeling! Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Now, for the good:

Hiro: His storylines are always the most fun and his new rival is perfect. Speed over time, anyone?

Sylar: Still the creepy villain that goes bump in the night.