And, as much as it's taken up this blog with nattering, at least I finished before Season Two begins. (Do we all have our recorders set for Monday night?)

Wending my way through the disc with the last episode, "How to Stop an Exploding Man," there are many bonus features -- but, of course, they start with Tim Kring, Dennis Hammer, and Allan Arkush in the episode commentary itself. Someone asks someone else what his favorite moment of the series is, and the response is Claire's "I don't know. I'm just a cheerleader." (Who asked whom? Who knows? The commentary voices just aren't that different.) Someone else volunteers that it was the minute shooting wrapped at 5 in the morning.

There's much admiration of Adair Tishler (who played Molly Walker): "this wonderful girl." And, later: "Watch a little girl steal a scene."

And it's noted that Masi Oka was hired as "just a kid in a cubicle." "He was hired to be cute and enthusiastic," which is far, far less than what this installment calls for, so, again, there are admiring comments galore about Oka's mature performance.

More admiration: It's really Hayden Panettiere running and diving out of the window in That Shot. (I do hope everyone is noticing how careful I've been to avoid divulging anything about the plot. Eventually, there will be new viewers of what-will-then-be-the-classic-series Heroes, including kids yet to be born.)

(Kring, by the way, named Angela Petrelli for Angela Lansbury, thinking of the role that actress played in Manchurian Candidate.)

Information includes: insights concerning scenes for which a ceiling was included in the set construction; the comment, "Don't think we don't watch the YouTube movies"; attention to whether performers are wearing their collars up or down; and a "Barnaby Jones shot." (What is a Barnaby Jones shot? It's suggested that we can Google it, but I had no luck.)

And it took five and a half days to do the final confrontation scene at night. Set-up each night began at 7 p.m., filming started at 8 p.m., the kids could only film till midnight, the filming had to wrap at 5 a.m., and the area had to be completely clear by 6 a.m. Yikes.

Tidbit: Adrian Pasdar ad libbed the line "You ready?" -- one of the most effective moments in the 23 episodes.

Among the bonus features is a fascinating featurette on Tim Sale. Did you know he's color blind? A way was worked out, often using a gray tone added to his black and white work, through which he provided the art that was then colored by others. (He also commented wistfully on the artist's loft in which Isaac works: "Here I am in my garage.")

Finally, one featurette draws a distinction I must remember: "Special effects" are effects that are rigged on the set -- for example, everyone holding still when Hiro stops time. "Visual effects" are effects that are generated after the shoot -- for example, computer-generated images of toys that are suspended in the air as Hiro rushes between them to save the little girl on the Tokyo street.

A great series, commentaries and featurettes well worth watching: I can hardly wait for Monday night.