(S01E13) One of the things I enjoy almost every episode is how the the creative team of Heroes manages to juggle so many characters reasonably well. The majority of the dozen-or-so major players in the half-dozen-or-so major plot threads have important and relevant scenes each time out, quite an accomplishment for just under forty-three minutes of television a week. But, nah, I didn't miss the Artist this time out.

Tonight's episode saw a number of broken relationships on the mend. On the way to the mend, anyhow. There is no longer any question that egocentric politician Nathan Petrelli is now more concerned with helping little bro' Pete than he is on his congressional run. He has certainly given up pretending that things like genetic mutations and human nuclear explosions are inconvenient distractions that can be argued away. That's a relief. Skeptical characters in the face of overwhelming evidence that weird crap is happening start to get tedious after a while, and I'm happy Nathan hasn't turned stuck it out as one of these.

Psychic cop Matt Parkman and his wife's marriage troubles ease up a bit, now that he's been honest with her about his powers. Janice seems to take her husband's revelation pretty well, at least at first. She doesn't act all that disturbed about sharing a home with someone who can read her every thought. She makes a good point, though, when Matt claims that he "can't control" his power. She asks him if he has tried that. It doesn't seem as if it has occurred to him.

Trying to consciously control the special ability has mostly been Hiro's territory up to this point. Now his powers seem totally gone, and he is convinced that only finding the sword will bring them back. No progress on the sword this week. Unfortunately, the suspense of who is the powerful figure behind Hiro and Ando's kidnapping was pretty much blown in advance of the episode. Numerous NBC press releases gave away that Hiro's father would be a powerful industrialist who doesn't approve of his son's adventuring, played by George Takei.

Some viewers out there that aren't looking to give Takei much of a chance, based on web chatter I've seen. I like Takei. He barely makes an appearance tonight, but the single shot of his stony visage as he stares down Hiro in fatherly disappointment is enough to make me willingly decide to forget Sulu for the purposes of enjoying Heroes. Takei is having a resurgence right now, and that is only part of a long and distinguished career. Meet him halfway. If the audience gives him the chance they would give any other well-known face in a new role I expect they will see he can do the character and the show justice.

Of course, Hiro's not the only character with father trouble. Micah and D.L, are not getting on. D.L. finally starts doing something right, and phases into Niki's padded cell for some badly needed parenting advice, and (I think) one of the first moments of real tenderness shown between the troubled couple. Just in time too, as Micah's started using his own powers for some easy short cuts. How cool was the moment though, when Micah says to his dad, "hey, you know how you and mom have secrets? Well ..." Noah Gray-Cabey is surely one of the best kid actors on television right now.

By the way, not too sure about how Jessica's plan to get moved from prison to psych ward has worked out, especially now that it turns out whatever drugs they are pumping Niki/Jessica full of are inhibiting the Jessica side. Or is Jess just biding her time, knowing that a shrink would inevitably want her to show herself in treatment. I still think D.L. should just break her (them?) out, and the family should escape to New York. This trio (quartet if you count Niki and Jessica separately) still have the least to do with the überstory. Maybe Niki/Jessica will be another example of someone whose own powers ultimately destroy her.

Then there is Claire who also always has dad trouble. H.R.G. is certainly on to Claire and the Haitian's subterfuge. Guess the Haitian should have told Claire to take the chimes out of the window when she was done signaling. However, I think the Cheerleader managed to keep the deception up as long as could be expected (Manatees!) considering that her father is master of a super-secret government agency and all. The whole controlling-Claire-thing has taken its toll on H.R.G. as well. I don't believe he would have accepted the bogus phone report claiming Sylar died without immediately going to check it out himself if he hadn't been distracted with his suspicions about Claire. Later, Claire's surprise phone contact at the end, just continues to show how much superpowers are a family affair on this show.

I take back what I said earlier about Hiro being the most preoccupied with trying to control his powers, because, of course, that's been a preoccupation of Peter's since the beginning too. Now he has someone willing to teach him something, which is a benefit most of the heroes have really had to struggle along without for most of the series. "Claude Rains", who calls himself that after the actor who played the Invisible Man in the 1933 movie, is a great addition to the story. He is someone who seems farther along in his understanding of his ability and his knowledge of other "specials," yet who is still an outsider. He's neither co-opted by H.R.G.'s organization, nor is he boring and ponderous like Mohinder Suresh. He's cool. Doesn't like people, but decides that maybe they are not so bad that he'll let millions of them get blown up if he can help stop it. Another great take on a reluctant hero. Keep 'em coming, Kring.