Ok, so it's Season 2 now, and guess how much time has passed since the events of
"How To Stop An Exploding Man." I've decided that, for this Season, I'm going to post these reviews of the episodes, so let's get started.
First, we'll go through character-by-character, starting with:
Mohinder - He's the first character we see once the story begins - after several minutes of review/preview. Apparently, the Heroes are facing a Legacy Virus of sorts...which could make for an interesting plot later on. Turns out that Mohinder has gone public about the Heroes, but no one believes him. That's why the Company - with the help of a man with a certain Midas touch - is hunting him down, trying to get him to join their cause. In the end, Mohinder takes the job...but he has an ulterior motive.
The Bennets/Butlers - The Bennets, now known as the Butlers, have moved to California. Lyle, Mrs. Bennet, and Mr. Muggles are all the same, basically.
- Claire - Claire now attends school at Coste Verde High School. Under the advisement of her father, she's flying under the radar. However, she almost gets hit by a new character - West - but we'll get to him later. Apparently, Claire really has shed her old ways. She not only is disinterested in the cheerleaders, but she also stands up for her less popular classmate in Phys. Ed. When no one's looking, she does a back-tuck off a tower...resulting in her leg snapping. She later calls Nathan for answers, only to be turned away.
- Noah - We get to see how Mr. Bennet handles a real job. It's a fairly comical scene watching him take s*** from his new - and younger - boss. Finally, he's had enough, and when his break is cut short, Mr. Bennet pulls this amazing, Batman-esque move on his boss. Now that his boss knows who's REALLY in charge, Mr. Bennet goes back to sipping his coffee peacefully.
Parkman - Matt starts the Season off right by being promoted to Detective. Molly doesn't approve of his "cheating," however. Speaking of which, it appears that Matt and Mohinder have some sort of joint-custody over Molly. Matt tries to talk to Molly about some problems she's having, but she gets angered at him, and he stops questioning her. Later, he reads her mind while she's asleep and hears the voice of this new, creepy Season 2 villain.
Molly - Molly seems to be adjusting well for a kid who's been through so much. But is it all superficial? Molly's teacher is worried because Molly has nightmares in class, and she draws pairs of eyes with the Godsend Symbol all over.
Ando/Kaito Nakamura - So it seems like Hiro's father and Ando have been waiting for Hiro to return all this time. Kaito opens up to Ando, telling him that he finally feels like he can be proud of Hiro. That's when he finds a picture of himself with the Godsend Symbol drawn between his eyes. Kaito explains that he has been marked for death. Kaito later suggests to Angela Petrelli that one of the 9 former Heroes is targeting them. Kaito meets his untimely demise, but not before expressing his shock at the hooded killer's identity.
Angela Petrelli - Mrs. Petrelli, unlike Nathan, has given up hope for Peter. She and Nathan get into an argument, and moments later she finds picture much like the one Kaito received. Her conversation with Kaito is the last we see of her this time, but it appears that she's next on the hooded killer's list.
Nathan - Nathan is rockin' the full beard and moustache, Grizzly Adams style. Judging by his conversation with his mother, we can assume that he's become something of an alcoholic after Peter's (alleged) death. When Claire calls, he explains to her that he doesn't have the answers. That's when, in one of the best moments in this episode, Nathan looks at himself in the mirror. But rather than the man we see, we see a Nathan who is severely burned. I suppose it's safe to assume that Nathan is seeing what he looked like just after the explosion. But it's freaky.
Hiro - Hiro saves a man who he thinks is Kensei, but really is just a man hired to pose as Kensei. The real Kensei appears, and as those of us know who read the spoilers, it's a white man. Later on, we find out that Kensei is an Englishman. Hiro is baffled by the strange, unheroic behavior of his idol. All these great tales of Kensei's victories start to unravel as Kensei fails to protect the village of Otsu, and the swordsmith's daughter is pretty P.O.ed at him. Now Hiro has to pull a
Back to the Future and help change Kensei from a drunken con to a legend.
Maya/Alejandro - Say hello to two of the newest Heroes. They start out in Honduras, and they are heading for the States - in search of Mohinder. We catch a glimpse of a sign proclaiming that they are wanted for murder. When they hitch a ride and Alejandro gets into a dispute with the driver, he is kicked out of the truck. Later on, it looks like Maya has some power that kills people, and if Alejandro isn't around, she can't control herself. Alejandro catches up to the truck, and he and Maya head off towards the States...with a lot of dead bodies in tow.
West - West is a Zack wannabe. But in all seriousness, West and Zack preach the same message. West explains that there are robots (those who do what they're told) and aliens (those who go against the crowd). West is convinced that Claire is the former. Later, West pulls a perv move and watches Claire through her window. But surprise, surprise, our little future love-interest can pull a Nathan and fly. That should be fun later on, eh?
And finally, the greatest part of the episode:
Peter - Peter is one big question mark right now.
A. He somehow ended up in Ireland.
B. He has amnesia.
C. He's wearing the Haitian's necklace.
D. He's exhibiting a new power - some kind of electrical blast.
E. He's shirtless, and his hair is actually short.
So many things about Peter need answering, and it's pretty obvious that he's been busy in these last 4 months.
All in all, this was a great premiere. It answered a couple of question marks from last Season, while also throwing many more back at you. The Nathan and Peter situations are amazing, this hooded killer is intriguing, and the new Heroes are pretty cool, too. I'm glad to see that there's still a LOT of steam in the
Heroes train, and I'm looking forward to taking the ride all the way until the end...which, we can all hope, won't be for a long, long time.
t:
But I could have seen that coming from all of the overhype. It's still a good show though, and I'm not going anywhere as a viewer. 
Other than that, I liked the episode. Still wondering what his power was (obviously flying isn't it).
