The TV Zone

So two heroes “fell” from gunshots, right? And another one seemed to otherwise perish? There was so much going on in last night’s “Heroes,” who knows?

One thing’s for sure, the season’s whole “Generations” theme was pounded into the ground in this wrap-up finale. (Watch it here.) “How long are we going to suffer for your sins, for your generation’s deeds?” demanded Nathan of steely Mother Petrelli. “How much longer are we going to have to clean up their mess?” pleaded Matt Parkman. And then there was Elle, trying ever so hard to make her devious daddy proud. It’s always the parents’ fault.

While those familial layers provided some nifty intrigue this fall, it did feel like time to wrap them up, and scripter Jeph Loeb’s hectic hour did just that. In retrospect, the smarter move might have been to spread some of the climaxes further back among the season’s 11 episodes. Last night was a jam-packed whirlwind – sending Niki into a flaming building to rescue Monica in New Orleans (St. Joan in a fire!); having Maya shot by Sylar as he sought Claire’s regenerating blood from Mohinder in New York; Nathan and Matt racing to stop Peter from helping Adam set off the virus in a vault in Texas, with a last-second assist from Hiro popping over from Tokyo.

With all the activity, the episode benefited from savvy injections of humor, too often lacking in this dour-dominated “Heroes” season. Nathan and Matt made wacky flying partners, and Claire got a special moment with Mr. Muggles. Director Allan Arkush was smart to pause from the frantic exposition long enough to give us a chance to breathe, and to build a rollercoaster of thrills and chill-outs that made the reveals all the more effective.

The story’s upcoming Volume 3, “Villains,” was nicely set up with Mrs. Petrelli on the phone conspiring (“You do know that you’ve now opened Pandora’s box”) and Sylar doing his Terminator thing (“I’m back”). Even Adam was merely put out of action rather than terminated.

But how many heroes actually died? Always parse the language with these people. The promos promised two would “fall,” and they did. Whether they get up again is the kind of thing “Heroes” always plays close to the vest.

[Above: Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli in NBC photo.]