How do you follow up on the first season of the most talked about new show of the year? That's the question that the producers of Heroes faced as they got ready to start season two. Their response, however, did not make the fans happy. Many complained that it was unfocused. Even creator Tim Kring has acknowledged that this season was weak. Personally, however, I found the second season fell in line with the first. And it certainly kept me coming back for more.

Before I got any further, I will say that I am in a bit of a pickle, however. With the large cast, it is almost impossible to describe what is happening without A) losing people who haven't watched the show and B) spoiling bits of the first season. I will do my best and ask that you do the same.

This season actually picked up four months after the first season finale. The Bennett family has relocated to California were dad Noah (Jack Coleman) has a new job at a paper company, a real one this time. Daughter Claire (Hayden Panettiere) is supposed to be staying below the radar so The Company can't find them. That means no cheerleading and staying out of situations where she has to use her abilities to heal any wound. But with a new boyfriend with a special power of his own (Nicholas D'Agosto), that's harder than it appears.

Meanwhile, mind reading cop Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) and geneticist Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) are living in New York City were they take care of Molly (Adair Tishler), a little girl who can locate anyone and who is having visions of a very bad man. Mohinder has gone to work for The Company, but he is working with Noah to try to take it down from the inside.

And in other developments, time traveling/stopping cubical worker Hiro (Masi Oka) has stayed in feudal Japan as he attempts to help his childhood idol Takezo (David Anders) become the hero of legend.

Also In New York, The Petrelli family is going through a dark time as older brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) blames himself for what he thinks happened to Peter (Milo Ventimiglia). Unknown to him, however, Peter is alive and well and living in Ireland. The only problem is, he's lost his memory.

Then there are siblings Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) are heading to the US hiding a terrible secret. But when their paths cross with the murderous, power stealing Sylar (Zachary Quinto), things take a dangerous turn....

So, as you may have noticed by now, there are multiple characters and multiple storylines. (No, really Mark?) Actually, I've left out a few of the others for the sake of simplicity. Most of these characters were well established from the first season. In that season, we watched as their stories developed parallel to each other, only slowly becoming connected as the season drew to a close. Many of the fans complained that we were back to that format with season two. Personally, I didn't mind since I liked that about the first season. I was hooked on every story wanting to know what would happen next to all my favorite characters. Yes, even the ones we love to hate like Sylar. Fans specifically complained about Maya and Alejandro. If Sylar hadn't become involved, I would have agreed. But once he got involved, I was quite hooked on them as well.

The only storyline I felt didn't work and dragged on too long was Hiro in ancient Japan. While events from that story did indeed come into the present day in a surprising way, it should have been wrapped up in a few episodes instead of dragging out half the season.

Frankly, I think that's one thing that hurts this season. Thanks to the writer's strike, we only got eleven episodes, about half the season. Some storylines had to be cut short and others never had time to develop to their full potential. Maybe my faith is misplaced, but I think they could have brought the various stories together in time for the finale if the season had been full length. Ultimately, we'll never know.

With such a large cast, no everyone is in every episode. Again, it works for me because I know we'll see them again in a week or two.

The good thing about this cast is they work well together. No matter who is on screen and who they are partnered with, the acting is always top notch. That, more than anything else, draws me in as I care for these characters.

Having said that, I was disappointed with Kristen Bell. She joined the cast as Elle, a new villainess. I loved her on Veronica Mars. Honestly, however, I think it was more the writing. She just wasn't given a strong character. As Elle developed, I began to like her more. Am I making excuses for a favorite actress? Possibly. But there you go.

And the special effects are equally great. They don't drive the show, but we also don't notice them when they do show up. That to me is the sign they are done well.

Fans will well appreciate this set. It contains all eleven episodes in their wide screen, full surround glory. The four disc set is also loaded with features, including the almost standard commentaries and deleted scenes. This fan's favorites were the look at what would have developed had the full season progressed without the writer's strike.

Considering so many others consider this season of Heroes a step down from season one, I will be interested to watch were it goes in season three. In the mean time, this set is the perfect way to get up to date or remember what came before so you won't be as lost when season three begins.

To be continued....

Heroes Reviews:
Season 1    
Season 3     

Recommended:
Yes