“Heroes will be taking a short break”…

…Those are seven words I really don’t want to be reading right now. Here I am, breathless after episode 18 of NBC’s fantastic sci fi show, and – like some sad, sappy fanboy – I log on to the official website to read that now the plot is stoked and white-hot… it’s going on holiday.

Okay. It’s sheer petulance on my part, but I remain baffled by US scheduling, where shows come along for a solid run, then stutter through subsequent weeks – sometimes they’re on air, sometimes they’re not. Who, though, am I to moan? Here’s me, following Heroes by stealth, greedily downloading episodes when I can get them. I should learn to be patient.

So, let’s talk instead about how brilliant the series currently is. Last week’s episode, “Company Man”, was as good as anything I’ve watched. A superbly crafted hour, which brought together about a million plot strands in a million different satisfying ways, while also blowing the bottom out the show in an exhilarating way. This week’s effort, “Parasite”, could never quite match that, and instead oozed a kind of creeping menace, ending on – yes, another – killer cliff-hanger.

I’m gushing and it’s embarrassing. Heroes is, when it comes to it, X-Men in civvies. How can it be any good?

April 23. That’s when the show returns. If I was Hiro, I’d squeeze my eyes and get there now.