Heroes in Focus

The best television series always take new paths. They not only tell new stories, but tell them in unexpected ways. Sometimes part of the unexpected is taking the audience for a ride that veers close to going over a cliff - and never recovering. But the best shows not only recover, but whisk the viewers to new heights.

Each does this its own way. Lost ended its first season with so many unanswered questions that it was talked about all Summer and Fall. It was great TV and a cultural phenomenon. But when it became clear the next season that almost none of those questions were being answered, Lost almost lost its way. It took until last month for it to get really on track again.

Battlestar Galactica had the best opening shows this Fall I've ever seen in a series. Then it started to coast, and dive. It took the season finale and piece of unexpected music to surprise us and take the show to new heights.

I enjoyed the first few episodes of Heroes in the Fall. I'm always in the mood for a good time travel story, and the powers of most of the other heroes were intriguing. But as the story progressed, I didn't get enough central story line development. If Lost had too many unanswered questions, Heroes had too many heroes, and not enough clarity about what they were supposed to be doing in the story.

All of that changed in February. Family lines were revealed, relationships were explained, tightened, brought into satisfying, provocative focus. Less important threads were woven into the main one - saving New York City.

Heroes resumed this Monday, in its high-octane, laser-tight mode. The loose ends are pulling themselves together into a tapestry of real originality.

I'm looking forward to the next few shows...

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