CoyoteSands

(S03E023) Hot damn, Tim Kring, you did it! The show's creator stepped up to the pen flying solo on the writing for this episode, and by golly, he made a Petrelli family episode interesting. Angela finally stopped abusing her kin by having them dig up skeletal remains, all the while refusing to tell them why they were doing it. She finally opened up a little bit and we got some flashbacks as to just what happened at Coyote Sands and what it has to do with the Petrellis and Mohinder's father.

And while it was interesting from beginning to end, primarily because it did answer some questions as to what happened in the past with Angela and, ultimately, with the genesis of what would become "The Company," it wasn't great. I did find the story of Angela and her sister Alice intriguing, but there were just as many questions left unanswered as there were answered, which I guess is a goal of a long-term series like this. What I do want to know is if Angela went back to Coyote Flats after she left that night to dance with a colored boy, not that anyone remembers that.

(S03E22) Considering how secretive Angela Petrelli is about absolutely everything, I guess it should come as no surprise that even her family will have to dig for answers. And this when she's indicated she's going to come clean. Yeah, I can't say that I really understand the point of the ending of this episode. Why would the digging be necessary? Nevertheless, despite this odd bit of episodic closure, the rest of the episode continued to raise the bar for the show creatively.

Giving Sylar shape-shifting abilities ratcheted the tension in almost every scene. When Sandra first showed up, I was wondering if she was Sylar. Then Danko. Then Sandra again. Well, he was at least one of those. I guess when he picked up the power last week I didn't fully realize the full implications it would have on my viewing experience. You have to pay even more attention to the subtle character nuances. It was fun, though, to see different actors carrying off some of Zachary Quinto's "Sylar mannerisms." It's a fun power to play with and certainly makes him a hell of a lot more intimidating.