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Saw the first two episodes of the new season earlier this week, and... this is more like it. I had my misgivings about season 2 at the same point; but they really seem to have got the format working this time around -- it's fast, piles on the interesting twists, and (mostly) allows its characters to play to their strengths. I'm particularly pleased to see Hiro and Ando back together, and am sure their storyline can only be enriched by the introduction of an element of mistrust (in a visit to the future, Hiro saw Ando zap his future self with an energy bolt after Future Hiro accused Ando of 'betraying' him), and of Daphne, a cute thief who can move at super-speed, and who looks set to be Hiro's nemesis.

Milo Ventimiglia gets the chance to play his character in a different way, as a future version of Peter returns to the present to shoot Nathan, thereby stopping him revealing his power to the world, which would have caused disaster in the future -- except that a new, and unknown, sequence of events, has now been set in motion. Anyway, Future Peter has sent 'our' Peter into the body of a criminal held by the Company; so now we have a 'bad' version of the character roaming around.

Nathan was critically ill after being shot, but experiences a miraculous recovery, which he attributes to divine intervention. Oh yes, and he appears to be experiencing hallucinations of LInderman from season 1 (but this is Heroes, so they might turn out to be more than hallucinations). Nathan also looks set to be offered a seat in the Senate; here's hoping that brings back some of the dramatic tension inherent being in a public figure with such a conspicuous power as flight.

Nathan is approached about the senatorship by a new character named Tracy Strauss, who works for the governor of New York. Except the character is not entirely new, because she's played by Ali Larter and is the spitting image of Niki Sanders. And she has the power to turn things (and people) to ice. What's going on there? No idea, but I'm intrigued.

Elsewhere, Sylar is back to his nasty old self; Clare's troubled with her abilities again; her father is still acting mysteriously; and there's yet another threat to the safety of the world, this time a strange formula that does who-knows-what. On the plus side, Angela Petrelli is set up to become a suitably ambiguous villain; and Mohinder gains an injection of charisma when he finds a way to give himself super-strength (a gift which already looks to be turning sour).

On the minus side, Greg Grunberg still has to be miserable, as Future Peter sends his character off to somewhere in the African bush; and I'm still not sure what the writers can do with characters as powerful as Sylar and Peter. But I would like to find out.

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.

...finally made its way on to the BBC last night. Of course I'd heard plenty about it (including that creator Tim Kring apologised publicly over it); now came my chance to watch the first two episodes.

My first impressions are that season 2 carries on in much the same vein as season 1, with similar strengths and flaws. On the plus side, there are still interesting plot twists, and the most engaging characters largely remain as engaging; on the minus side, I still think that a programme about people with special powers should not shy away so much from having its characters actually use those powers.

So: Hiro has accidentally transported himself back to 17th-century Japan, only to find that his hero, Takezo Kensei, was really English, and a drunk. Masi Oka is as good as ever, and David Anders plays the English rake very well (with a pretty good accent, I must admit). So there's no problem there, but I do wonder where that leaves the character of Ando; he was always best as Hiro's foil, so I'm not sure where the writers can take him on his own.

Nathan Petrelli also seems something of a spare part at the moment: the whole point of his character was that he was in the public eye and had a highly visible power; now he's more or less in hiding, I doubt he'll be using his ability much (I'm tempted to speculate that that's why they introduced another flying character). Meanwhile, Peter has turned up in Ireland with amnesia; such a powerful character was always going to be difficult for the writers to deal with, and it remains to be seen how they'll handle him.

The Bennet family have moved to California, where Claire has to fit in at her new school; this season, she wants to use her healing powers, but her father tells her to keep a low profile instead. Noah himself is now working in a copy shop, but is secretly in touch with Mohinder Suresh, who has infiltrated the Company with the intention of bringing it down. I did think the writers were perhaps trying a bit too hard to replicate these characters' circumstances from the first season (seemingly cosy family, teenage tribulations, secretive father), but the actors make it work.

Matt Parkman is now lodging in Mohinder's Brooklyn apartment and guarding young Molly. I'm reminded of an article from Off The Telly that suggested it was a shame that an actor as ebullient (in behind-the-scenes interviews) as Greg Grunberg wasn't able to demonstrate that quality more in his role. I think Sendhil Ramamurthy has a similar lot; both his and Grunberg's characters could do with more levity to round them out.

The main new characters introduced here are the fugitives Maya (who infects people with a fatal disease when she is placed under stress) and Alejandro (her twin brother, who can cure the same disease). This seems to me a poor choice of abilities that can only lead down similar storytelling paths; most of the characters in season 1 detested their powers, so I'm not sure how much this storyline can add. But I'll wait and see.

In short: okay so far. To be continued...