Season 2 Ends with Chapter 11?

Chapter 11, the state of bankruptcy. Did our beloved Heroes show achieve that on its Season 2 "grand finale"? It was a short season and we can definitely blame the writer's strike for it, but we've come to expect a lot more from this show. In many instances it felt like they were dumbing it down for us, and that's disappointing.

I was expecting great stuff in the finale and the first 10 minutes or so were very riveting. I particularly liked the scenes with Peter, Hiro and Adam. When Hiro and Peter faced off. Or when Peter and Adam were storming down the Primatech corridor determined and wiping out guard after guard ala the Matrix, that's some classic Heroes. We need more of that on each episode. So what don't we need on Heroes?

- Nathan's flying was used just once all season and it was used as some sort of comedy routine where he flies Matt Parkman to Primatech like it's a new airline. Nathan's been shot now, so we will have to wait to see if the Petrelli airline is still available for charter flights. I don't think West can carry the weight of Parkman at this point.

- Sylar being this underused and abused. Sylar is the ultimate kick ass villain. He barely kicked any this season and his powers were non-existent. We know why, he was injected by the Company with the virus. But who was responsible? This possibly plays into Season 3 "Villains", but it seemed like a ploy to not spend money on special effects and showcase Sylars badass side.

- Love stories thrown at us. Yes they exist in comic books and the real world, but we had 3 or 4 of them going at once. These are real people with extraordinary abilities but I find too many love stories can water down the show. In conjunction with this, how many times do we need to hear Claire say she wants a normal life and HRG to beg the family to understand he is protecting them?

- Monica/Micah/Niki had no bearing on the season's story. They crossed paths with the Company but really added nothing extraordinary to the plot. Are Micah and Monica going to be a new crime fighting tag team or just being preserved as new brains for Sylar to eat? They don't have any beef with the Company, any knowledge of Sylar or Adam and their story could have made for a spinoff show, Saint Joan. Coolest thing is Monica uses an iPod to watch new things to mimic, and Micah can fix it if the battery dies.

- The dumb down factor. Some things were really thrown into the mix that made no sense or were done too quickly (due to writer's strike). HRG dead and gone then back to life is a great example of this. Elle's transformation from super-spy for the company to the ultimate hero is another. HRG going back to work for the Company again. Not sure how this will play out, but it seems slightly annoying. One moment he is trying to take them down and shooting his former mentor. Then Suresh and he are at odds, Suresh shoots him then saves him. Now they are partners?

- The deaths were also rather dumbed down. Super strong Niki dies in a fire, so we are led to believe. Nathan goes through an entire season after surviving the nuclear blast of his brother, then is shot twice. DL made a short appearance on the show so we could see how he survived the gunshot from a mob boss, then dies from a hostile club shooting. Of course we can all pretend we didn't see Maya saved by that blood mixture after she was shot dead by Sylar.

-We continue to see the Heroes unable to kill off adversaries too. They left it open for Adam Monroe to easily return for "Villains" as he is simply buried alive. The heroes need to learn to "go for the head". Hiro sparing his arch-nemesis who had such evil intentions makes very little sense.

These points may seem ultra-critical, but we have seen many flashes of great stuff on the show from Season 1 and in Season 2 as well. The intention here isn't to tear the show apart, in fact it is to illustrate what a short season and a lack of good writing can do. Maybe it's good the writers are on break, they may need to refresh. It will be very interesting to see exactly who the villains are next season. Sylar's one, Adam could be another. Then there's whoever shot Nathan, and the Petrelli mother. When she said "Pandoras Box" is open, it most likely means there will be a heroes vs. Company plot line coming at us, and it just may offer us a spectacular season 3.

So how did you enjoy or not enjoy the Season 2 finale? Any predictions for Season 3?