Remember how it all started? A brand new show with super powers, mystery, twists and plots; a cute blond cheerleader set on dying and videotaping it over and over again, a flying politician, a young mother with multiple personality disorder (who used to be so badass in her ‘unwhiny’ mode)… A crazy maniac killing people with abilities one by one hunting them down; premonitions, dreams, clues and hints, ever increasing sense of urgency…

Despite of or maybe due to all the familiar and recognizable stuff, all the comics and popular culture references it was good. The ever twisting storylines, the secrets untold (seriously, wasn’t Mama Petrelli the most crazy cold-blooded b*tch already and yet we knew nothing of her past at the moment), it was good. It felt like home.

Then the usual happened: some big boss decided not to kill off the maniac in the season finale ’cause such a cliff-hanger would bring more ratings. And everything just went to the dogs.

Season 2 was the tale of a frog prince, only vice versa: you passionately kiss some young shirtless stud and he just turns green and ugly. Oh, wait, it wasn’t Hulk, right?

The actual epithets for the season might be ‘random’, ‘boring’, ‘painstakingly unengaging to watch’, you get the drift. Those that were badass turned into whiny pussies; adorable — into annoying (Hiro, it is you I’m talking about!), and those already irksome became intolerable. Plus a whole new bunch of ‘heroes’ emerged and none of those helped the cause.

Heroes was one of the few shows that actually benefited from the writers’ strike.

But as if that misery was not enough season 3 is upon us. Well, guess what. The huge redemption thing didn’t work out.

Jeez, Mohinder has nice abs but his Hulk-ish Dr.Jekyll/Mr.Hyde performance does nothing to justify his presence on the show. Forgive me for saying this, but it’s like he’s there for racial diversity or something. Along with Maya, BTW.

Claire is not helping either. For two seasons I’ve been resenting the fact that nobody got the idea to cast Lucy Lawless as Claire’s biological mother for Hayden Panettiere’s resemblance to Lucy circa her BSG first appearance seems just striking to me. And wouldn’t it be just cool? (Yes, I know, I’m still a Xena fan somewhere very deep inside).

Hayden vs. Lucy

So, in season 3 the girl just becomes wooden. No, plastic. Well, maybe that has something to do with her gradual loss of feelings and sensations but that would be way too subtle for me.

Peter Petrelli, a lost boy of seasons 1 and 2, who discovered that he was Neo to the ‘Heroes’ Matrix, the one with abilities and responsibility to save the world, turned John Connor of Terminator 3: Easy on Dog Drugs chronically incapable of achieving something. Anything. Gosh, his own mother tried to kill him and I felt for the lady in that case.

‘Heroes’ season 3 was supposed to be the great atonement for hapless and lifeless season 2 but it turned to be a great nothing. I think, I will drag along to the season finale but only because of inertia.

P.S. Even Nathan and Niky2.0 lack any signs of mutual chemistry. I guess, that’s what meeting with God and talking to imaginary clockwork friends would do to your health.