'Heroes': A Wrinkle in Time

SUPER-WEAKNESS

Mohinderfly

Apparently, David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly was stuck in the DVD player in the writers' room. The Good Doctor Suresh — after getting a very convenient stroke of genius thanks to that black-eyed piece, Maya — concocted a serum that'd give anyone powers. So, adhering to the rigorous mandates set forth by the scientific method, Mohinder tested it on himself. And turned into a crazy-horny Spider-Man, put the sweaty moves on Maya, and woke up with scales (feathers? really thick hair?) sprouting from his back?

Here was a guy who was like the Batman of the Heroesverse: a completely normal, baseline human who just happened to be really smart (even if he rarely acted like it). He was our way in, our viewpoint character, and now he's power-mad and possibly degenerating? O-kay.

(You know what I'd like to see? A totally useless power. If, as Mohinder says, there are an infinite number of permutations to the powers people could receive with this shot, I wanna see the dude who gets stuck with the awe-inspiring power of lightning-fast alphabetization.)

SUPER-STRENGTH

Mama Petrelli

I think I'm gonna like her as the head of the Company. She's got big brass ones, and it'll make for a nice set of complications for the Petrelli boys. (Even though she's yet another person who's got an eye on the future.)

Was this a great two hours? Not quite. Matt Parkman wandering around the African desert, only to encounter yet another Magical Negro — I guess the Haitian was busy — seemed like a waste. And I couldn't tell if the casting of William Katt was just a nod to The Greatest American Hero, or if that pesky reporter will have a bigger role to play, even if he's melted.

But there were enough moments to put me back on the side of hopeful: Linderman's return, Ando with Force lightning, Bruce Boxleitner's gravel-voiced Governor Malden, Ali Larter's newfangled Ice Queen, Daphne the thieving speedster, and Kristen Bell bringing the house (and Sylar) down. As Doc Jensen told me, ''It's definitely become a show I 'like,' not love. Which is inherently disappointing, because I used to love it.''

What about you? Who do you think is behind Tracy/Nikki's memory holes? Is Linderman just a figure of Nathan's imagination, or is he like a dead Jedi, there for those strong with the Force? Will Hiro's wrong-headed mistrust of Ando end up being precisely what causes Ando to turn to the dark side?

More Heroes and EW links of the day:
'Heroes': Season 2's Best and Worst

Emmy Fashion: Best and Worst Dressed

Sound Bites: The Funniest Moments on TV Last Night