Okay, okay, back to reality. Over in SoCal, we watched West continue to taunt Claire for refusing to admit she's ''different.'' But a few minutes and one science-class humiliation later, there they were, soaring above the school. (Again, I must give credit to my brother, who wondered if West had stolen a move or two from Superman when he swept Claire off her feet and up into the clouds.) Later, we saw them fake bickering over who had the coolest powers. The beach lovey-dovey moment was a tad too sickly-sweet for me. On the other hand, isn't it every teenager's dream to find that person who feels as different as you do? Claire is one of my favorite characters, and I'm happy she's got a boyfriend now. But I can't say I'm digging the idea of her reverting to her daddy issues, now that she knows that the ''man with the horn-rimmed glasses'' abducted West some years ago after glaring at him as if West were ''an animal he wanted to trap.'' (Could that have anything to do with Pops telling her last week that she needs to lie low, lest the baddies put her in a cage? Oh, and on a semi-related note, it seems we now know who stole Claire's car: the gringo who ended up helping the twins escape.)

As for the feudal-Japan segment, I have to say my patience is wearing thin. I absolutely adore Masi Oka and his time-and-space-bending character, but I'm just not enjoying his prolonged stint in the 17th century. Hiro wasn't able to change history last season when he tried to save Charlie, but now he's doing a bang-up job of it, helping to put Kensei on the right track to hero-dom. It all feels too forced to me, like the writers are spinning their wheels. I say, wrap it up and return Hiro to the 21st century. Besides, are we really supposed to believe that, as Kensei's sword traveled through four centuries' worth of collectors, art dealers, and your garden-variety extraordinarily endowed types, no one would have noticed the ''Ando, open'' inscription in the handle? Come on.

And finally, TV Watchers, we got to Sylar. Dude is still alive, having been dragged off Kirby Plaza four months ago by everyone's favorite shape-shifter, Candice. Only now she's become a redhead called Michelle. Then Sylar bludgeoned her and she reverted back to her true, mom-jean-wearing, middle-aged-woman self. Or did she? I'm guessing that the deadly blow to her head was just another one of her illusions and that she's not a goner at all. She knows full well how dangerous Sylar is. Would she really put herself in harm's way that readily? Nah. (If it is all merely illusion, it's one that, at the end of the episode, looked a lot like the island on Lost, don't you think?)

Tim Kring and his team continue to throw a lot of balls in the air, and I'm not sure they're juggling said orbs as gracefully as they did during the best moments of last season. I can't help wondering where the forward motion is, and if the disparate story lines are suffering from a lack of focus, despite what the producers and writers promised us in my colleague Jeff Jensen's Heroes cover story a few weeks back. I just want to see the heroes — or at least some of the heroes — reunite. Then kick some ass.

And on that note, I'll leave you with some questions to ponder. Do you believe that D.L. is really dead? Is Linderman a descendent of Kensei? Is Linderman still alive? Is he somehow behind the offing of the older generation? Does the Irish woman have super powers of her own? Is the gringo who helped the twins escape more than just a random gringo? What did Niki promise the Company in exchange for being ''cured''? Or it that just a ruse, a way to help Mohinder and H.R.G. take down the bad guys?

Want more Heroes? Don't miss EW's Ultimate Heroes Fan Guide, where you can join with other members of the Heroes community to fill in new details of season 2.

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