'Heroes' proves to be most fun for Mondays

[Emma]

I've enjoyed the "X-Men" big-screen movies tremendously as they've come out the last several years, but one thing I miss about reading the comic books upon which those flicks are based are the plot and character revelations that come on an episodic (meaning one comic book issue at a time) basis.

Maybe that's why I've grown to enjoy NBC's freshman Monday night hit, "Heroes," during the weeks since it debuted.

I know, I know. I more or less wrote before the season started that I didn't think this show would amount to much. I was wrong about that.

I believe I am right, however, about the series being at least partly inspired by the premise of the X-Men universe. In that realm, as imagined by Marvel Comics, people are born with special "mutant" abilities or later awaken to them.

That's what's happening, too, in "Heroes," a series in which ordinary people who, without prior warning, discover they have superpowers.

There's the artist in New York who realizes he can paint the future. There's the cheerleader who is trying to come to grips with her indestructibility. There's the politician who can fly. There's the man in Japan who finds out he can manipulate space and time. He's my favorite, and there other others -- including an apparent villain who is after their "super DNA."

Here's what's happening on tonight's episode:

Back in India to mourn the passing of his father, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) encounters mysterious dreams of the past that force him to question what path to take next. Continuing their journey to New York, Hiro (Masi Oka) and Ando (guest star James Kyson Lee) stop at a diner and meet someone interesting. In crisis, Niki (Ali Larter) comes to a personal understanding. Determined to see one of Isaac's (Santiago Cabrera) paintings that Simone (Tawny Cypress) recently sold, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) asks Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) for help in finding a key to the future. Intent on getting back to her normal life, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) focuses on Homecoming preparations, unaware of what's to come.

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