A desperate Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) tries to get medical help for his injured brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) in the effective HEROES Season Two episode FOUR MONTHS AGO. Image: NBC UNIVERSAL.

Okay, let's state straight off the bat that the second season of the incredible hit Tim Kring created NBC series HEROES (recently shown in HD on the UK's SYFY Channel, with Season Three now commencing every Monday week) didn't, and could never, live up to the potential of its world audience popular opening year, which had a one season attention capturing plot that had come to a successful and effective closure. And yes, Year Two's plot line of the ever likable Hiro Nakumura trapped in 17th century Feudal Japan of the past in his destiny as the famed swordsman Takezo Sensei didn't really get going quick enough to become too exciting or enthralling, and the continuing alternate universe future world plot established in Year One seemingly burned itself out and became unresolved in places (with Peter Petrelli's poor Irish girlfriend Caitlin (Katie Carr) still stuck there in quarantine and never been rescued as far as I can tell!), plus the subplot of Maya and Alejandro-two newly added Mexican characters, a couple on the run, with the former possessing the creepy power to kill people instantly- swiftly proving instantly unpopular with many viewers and fans, but, and I do mean but, there is still much to enjoy in this limited series run-the balance between our main characters normal every day lives and their comic book action heroics still remains reasonably credible and doesn't yet tip over the plotting edge, the fate or our returning characters from the closing scenes of year one proves very well handled in an intriguing and mysterious "what's going on? story building fashion (coming to the fore and neatly wrapping itself up in the extremely good episode "Four Months Ago" which airs later in the run: credit to Kring at that time and season for trying to tell things differently in the series story plotting structure), the much liked action hero/family man Noah Bennet and his cheerleader adopted daughter Claire have a good slice of the pie both story and action wise in the seasons second half, whilst the main plots of psycho-job Adam Monroe (David Anders), who emerges as a man with a grudge: determined to kill the Companies founders (his ex-friends and work-mates) and also initiate the release of a deadly virus that could wipe out anyone with unique abilities, plays well and is often very exciting, plus there's some intriguing new Heroes cast members that are likable (primarily the charming Dana Davis as the young Louisiana fast food waitress Monica Dawson, capable of mimicking anything she sees (and whose ultimate fate in a burning Gangster owned building is pretty much left unresolved - her eventual planned return in a later season disappointingly not initiated by the production team), and VERONICA MARS yummy blonde Kristen Bell as the wild child electricity bolt wielding jail-bait Elle Bishop). Then there's some fine guest star turns from STAR TREK's Nichelle Nichols and George Takei, Joanna Cassidy, and Stephen Tobolowsky as Elle's scientist father Bob Bishop. Finally, And finally, lets not forget that forehead cutting, super powers absorbing menace known as Sylar (always dangerously played by Zachary Quinto), recovering from his almost fatal sword injuries and who, between filming gaps as the alien Mister Spock in the re-vamped STAR TREK movie series, slowly but surely return to the series, effectively regaining his status as its most popular nemesis.

HEROES Season Two's new heroes and villains: left to right: Monica Dawson, Elle Bishop, Adam Monroe, Maya and Alejandro Herrera. Image: NBC UNIVERSAL

So, c'mon people, despite the reduced episode count (a mere eleven, primarily due to a writers strike that crippled Hollywood at the time, resulting in a planned season cliffhanger ending that was quickly restructured for a re-thought third season plot), lets forget all the negative press on the then returned show and celebrate all that's best about Season Two's last stab at greatness - with its overall umbrella title of "Generations" - from 2007...

All four seasons of HEROES are now available on DVD and Blu-ray from UNIVERSAL PLAYBACK.