Sophomore slump for "Heroes"?

So, the second episode of "Heroes" was, it pains me to say, a little bit of a letdown. After one of the most impressive pilots in recent memory, episode 2 offered solid plot and character development, but a lot fewer jaw-on-the-floor moments.

It was confirmed that brothers Peter and Nathan can both fly, which sets up all kinds of crime-fighting duo possibilities. And we found out that – big surprise – cheerleader Claire is reluctant to jeopardize her social status by revealing her superpowers



We also met one new character, a cop who can apparently read people's thoughts, which will come in really handy if he can ever pass that detective test. However, his power, we quickly learned, can lead to awkward situations like getting arrested for double homicide – brutal, really disgusting homicide that shocked even this die-hard "Seven" fan. My congratulations, "Heroes" creators, on devising not one, but two kill methods never-before-seen by this lifelong horror fan: horizontally-pinned-to-the-wall-by-silverware and frozen-solid-at-the-dinner-table-with-missing-top-of-head. Sick? Absolutely, but also kind of genius.

And speaking of sick, how about the discovery that Miss Double Vision (AKA Niki Sanders) is no virgin to the killing-and-dismembering business herself? When she was preparing to bury last week's way-dead tough guys and her shovel hit something hard, I knew we were in for Shocking Moment No. 1. And "Heroes" didn't disappoint, giving us a creepy view of a long-buried human skull still sporting a few wispy strands of hair, and further begging the question of whether this character is a hero or a villain.

Shocking Moment No. 2? Obviously, the confusing-but-mind-blowing final 60 seconds, which: 1) Revealed that Hiro had actually jumped ahead in time by over a month; 2) Showed the same vision of massive destruction that Nostrajunkie painted last week; and 3) Sent Mr. Spock back to Japan and made it seem as if he’d never really left.

So can Hiro teleport back and forth through time, as well as space? Can he change what he sees? And wouldn't it be kind of redundant to have two characters who can see into the future? Those of us who don’t share that ability will just have to wait and see.