The best damn circus in town

Ordinary people discover they have extraordinary powers. How would that work in real life? For the past few months, those of us who bought into the TV show Heroes have been enjoying one intelligently written, well-acted and -produced thrill ride of an answer to that speculative question.

The show concluded "Volume One" Monday night and gave us an entertaining tease about where "Volume Two" will take us when summer vacation is over. I don't know what else to say without spoilers, so let me simply say that the denouement was well worth the investment of 23 hours over eight months.

And the program rewards repeat viewings - I've already discovered that in a casual re-look at my tape of the pilot episode - so buying the first-season DVD set when it arrives in late August will be worth the investment. (Thanks for the tip, Wally!)

Sure, with the world going to hell in a handbasket, this can be dismissed as just a very well-done sideshow in the realm of bread and circuses, but our myths and stories are an important and healthy part of our lives, so ignore it at peril of missing a very good dose of medicine for what ails us. Heroes shows us what creative minds can accomplish at their best - which just may save the world someday.