Heroes Season 3 Primer

(image source: pjlighthouse.com)

With Heroes Season 3 approaching us full speed next Monday, it's a great idea to reflect back on the Season that was. We can have a moment of silence similar to the one Hiro had for his father, or similar to the one Adam Monroe had after being buried six feet deep. It all depends on your perspective. Some consider the past Season to have been a huge flop, while others still saw the glimmer of hope for more great Heroes action and stories to come. Let's hope for a bright season 3 full of drama, action and surprises..

Now here's a look back at things to remember from last Season as we head into Season 3: Villains!

- Nathan Petrelli was about to reveal his hero status at a press conference until a mystery man in a hat fired a shot or two into his chest. He was laying motionless in Peter's arms and appeared dead as the season came to a close. Officer Matt Parkman was also on the scene but didn't hear anybody thinking about it.

- Prior to Nathan being shot, his mother Angela was on the phone with an unidentified person. It's unclear if she ordered a hit on her own son, but it was hinted at.

- Nikki/Jessica went into a burning building and rescued Monica who had been kidnapped. The building was shown engulfed in flames as Micah and Monica dove for cover. Nikki wasn't shown afterwards and it was possible she died.

- Claire fell in love with West, a young male with the power of flight just like Nathan's. Their relationship was rocky towards the end, with West flying away. It's unclear if they will be back together or broken apart in Season 3.

- We met Elle (Kristen Bell) last season, a trouble female who could electrocute people. She ended up helping the heroes towards the end, aiding Suresh and Maya, and went looking for Sylar.

- Peter Petrelli had the most "action" during Season 2, as he came back from amnesia, fell in love in Ireland, helped thugs in Ireland, was captured by The Company, escaped the Company, went back to the future, met Adam Monroe (Takezo Kenzei), had a brief battle with Hiro, and in effect, "Saved the World" from a deadly virus being unleashed. Whew!

- Hiro went back in time during Season 2 to meet Takezo Kenzei, whom he thought was his hero. Hiro ended up taking on the role of Kenzei, learning swordplay, saving a princess and fighting Kenzei in a burning fire. They seemed buddy-buddy, up until a feud over the princess. Takezo went on to become a villain and had the power to live through terrible injuries, similar to Claire Bennet. He took revenge on Hiro, murdering his father, and enlisted the help of others to track down and kill founding members of the company. At the end of Season 2, Hiro confronted Adam and eventually teleported him down into a deep grave, where he rests, still alive.

- Dr. Suresh joined "The Company" where he tried to help cure the heroes of genetic diseases. Suresh ultimately had to shoot HRG who had betrayed the Company in order to save his daughter Claire. Later, it was shown that Suresh rescued and possibly revived HRG from the seemingly fatal gunshot to his eye.

- Let's not forgot Maya, Alejandro, Monica and Micah, although they may be forgotten as Season 3 rolls through. Maya is the girl who unleashes her own deadly plague that kills people when she gets upset. Her brother was her calming force, with the ability to bring back those victims to life. However, they met up with and "befriended" Sylar, who ended up killing Alejandro and seducing Maya to bring him to see Suresh.

- Micah went to stay with his grandmother and cousin, Monica. We didn't see any power used by the grandmother, but it's possible she has one. Monica was learning her power to mimic actions she saw, mostly on TV's or iPods. She met with Dr. Suresh and Bob of The Company who tried to work with her to cure her. She ended up trying to use her heroic abilities to save a comic book that some thugs stole from Micah. Monica was rescued from her kidnappers and a burning building by super-strong Jessica.

- Most importantly, the ultimate in anti-heros, the main villain Gabriel Gray aka "Sylar" seems to have regained his powers after an injection from Dr. Suresh. Recall that Sylar ate a brain last season, the brain of Candice who was able to morph herself into various people, and change scenery. This could be really bad for the heroes, but it's unclear if Sylar truly acquired the power...yet.

That's a lot to digest, but hopefully brings people up to speed. I may have forgotten a few important tidibits, so feel free to leave those in the comments for other fans.. Also, feel free to browse past the Season 2 episode recaps here at the Heroes Among Us blog! And now the countdown continues, we have just 5 days Heroes fans!

Heroes Season 3 debuts on NBC Monday 9.22.08, check local listings for times...There will be a special recap episode prior to the new debut episode.