Two-and-a-half months after that announcement, the show was worse than ever, leading me to make many suggestions on how to improve Heroes. Season 3 was a complete cluster, full of characters who were shells of their former selves. And then, five episodes ago, something happened. Things started happening for the better. The characters began to settle down. Plot lines began to cement. Story arcs were reduced or finished. Episode 19 and 20 marked some major transitions in the show. You may not have realized it at the time, but look at what happened: Sylar finally finds his dad and loses his annoying sidekick; Ali Larter’s character is killed off in stupendous fashion; Micah is brought back to the show in a very satisfying way; Hiro regains at least some of his powers; and Nathan and Danko finally break it off.

The last couple of episodes have further worked in the show’s favor as well, as it has focused on just a couple characters in a row. In the last episode, the show finally came full circle, as we get a glimpse at the formation of the original company, hence tying all of the “fugitive” arc into past events. It almost appears as though they quietly wrote the much-hated Mohinder off the show, at least temporarily, as he chooses to “stay behind” for all the dumb things he’s done.

Bottom line: the last four or five episodes of Heroes have been much better than the first 18 of the season. Why? Episode 19 marked the return of Bryan Fuller, and I can’t imagine it’s a coincidence that the show suddenly improved that same episode. If you’ve abandoned Heroes, you may want to give it another chance… it looks like things are finally back on track.

However, good news arose on Friday following the news that former writer Bryan Fuller is returning to the show following the cancellation of his once-great Pushing Daisies. Fuller was apart of the hugely successful first season, though it’s not his presence alone that strikes confidence… it’s his words:

It became too dense and fell into certain sci-fi trappings. For instance, in the “Villains” arc, when you talk about formulas and catalysts, it takes the face off the drama. And I think the goal for everybody is to put a face back on the drama. You have to save something with a face; otherwise you don’t understand what you’re caring about. I thought the “Villains” arc started out very interestingly, and then became sort of muddy and dense and I couldn’t get my hooks into the characters to understand their motivations. I also started to feel confused about what people’s abilities were.

It’s always refreshing to hear when people who actually have influence on the show admit that there are problems and they echo your concerns. Fuller will return for Episode 19, and claims that the episodes leading up to the start of a new chapter called “Fugitives” (begins February 2, 2009) will help get Heroes back in the right direction. Sure, he’s going to add marketing spin to the show that is paying him money, but his claims that Heroes will return to simpler times, with Claire looking for college, Peter back as a nurse, and the return of Matt’s wife Janice.

This sounds good to me, as I feel the show had moved away from its roots a little too quickly. After last season, the writers seemed to scramble and accelerate their storytelling even further, which was the wrong approach. The transition to where the characters are today seemed absolutely rushed, and we haven’t been allowed to grow and change with them. Furthermore, I hate stories about fate, destiny and magic, and the whole African mystic dude storyline just seemed wasteful. Furthermore, the whole eclipse segment was terrible.

You can read more about what is to come with Heroes over at EW.com, which features the original interview with Fuller.