The sad, sad thing is...I have seen like one or two episodes this season, so I'm something of 'outside looking in'-guy.
Writers strike aside (give them hell, Black Campbellq!!), the main complaint is that they are going slow and there are soooo many stories to follow.
They call this the "Lost syndrome", since this is what 'killed' Lost for so many.
But I agree that doing a episode as filler, just to keep the main story going but not adding to it, is a bad idea.....unless you throw us a bone. Move the story ahead, but do it from another character's point of view.
And while they are usually pertty good, maybe they shouldn't use the 'flashback' episode to bring us up to speed with the characters. I know they have a 'temporter', but as Star Trek Fans, we know how much a crutch Time-Travel is: Every Trek series used Time Travel to past eras, and a couple of the movies did, to the point where its just not fun anymore, imho.
The thing I've liked about Heroes is that it still keeps me, a comic geek, guessing. I've got years of Marvel and Image continuity in my head, and they can STILL throw me a curve ball!
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"Yes, it's the Apocalypse alright. I always thought I'd have a hand in it"
Professor Farnsworth