Heroes, season 2
Caught the end of this on BBC Two earlier in the week, so now I can write up my thoughts on 'Volume Two: Generations' as a whole (for my thoughts after the first couple of episodes, see here).

I can't decide whether I really like this programme. I mean, I must like it enough to keep watching it; but... it's not easy to be fully enthusiastic about Heroes. I appreciate the basic concept of ordinary people dealing with extraordinary abilities, but the execution isn't always up to scratch. The storyline can drag along at a snail's pace; I'd prefer it if characters used their powers more often; I'd prefer it if fewer characters saw their powers as a burden; the ongoing mythology can get in the way as much as it enhances the format; and the writers have a tendency to want to keep juggling all their existing balls as well as adding new ones (it will not surprise me if Adam Monroe turns up in season 3).

Sometimes, though... sometimes they get it right. Unfortunately for them, I'm struggling to think of specific examples from season 2 right now; my current feelings are of being underwhelmed by the season as a whole. The plot thread with the Company, and especially the Threat To The World posed by the Shanti virus, strike me as being to low-key for their own good, so there hadn't been enough cumulative tension as we went into the final episode. The storyline of Maya and Alejandro, as I feared, didn't really go anywhere, seeming mainly to serve as a way to get Sylar back in the mix (and I'm not sure whether Maya will have much to do in season 3 other than to be a McGuffin for Sylar to chase after in the hope of stealing her power). I felt Ali Larter was under-used as Niki (one of her strengths as an actor in season 1 being her ability to convince as two people in the same body), and I missed the interplay between Hiro and Ando.

On the plus side, Elle was a fine addition to the roster of characters (and ending the season with her as a 'hero' was a neat move); Jack Coleman was as good as ever as Noah Bennet (even if at times they seemed to be trying too hard to keep the character as the secretive, ambiguous figure he was in season 1); in Monica Dawson, we had another character who took a positive view of their abilities; and David Anders' English accent grew so convincing that I found it strange to hear his natural speaking voice in interviews.

Sounds like we won't have to wait long for season 3 to be shown over here, either; and, even after all the above, I am looking forward to it.