Heroes: Genius or infuriatingly underachieving?

I've been watching Heroes since episode 1 of season 1, and I'm beginning to lose faith in the show. The first series was stunning, great stories, great twists and great action. But most of all great characters. There were problems, of course, mainly with the anitclimatic series finale, which just felt as if the creators ran out of money. There was also some character arc problems, notably with Peter Petrelli, but thats a whole other blog.

Season 2 arrived with much heated excitement, and well, underperformed. It wasn't that it was bad, it just lacked something the first series had in abundance; originality, wit, and most of all, great writing. Firstly the show has decided, and series 3 has tried to keep this concept going, that each season should feel like a beginning, and not a progression. Mistake number 1. Mainly because when developing the characters Heroes seems to have forgotten everything the characters went through in the previous season. The main problem though was that storylines last way too long. Hiro's jump back into the past, and building of the Takeshi Kenzo myth, lasted about three episodes too long. Peter dissapeared to Ireland, not for any reason in particular, and took way too long getting back (on a side note, what the hell happened the the Irish girl he left in the future - is she alive, is she dead, is she still in the future. Did you she just wake up one day back in the present after Peter prevents the virus from being unleashed, we will never know). I understand that the writers had the strikes bearing down on them, but is that an excuse. And although, after such a monumentally great first season, and it was a great debut season, the writers might have felt pressure to keep the show original, why didn't they move things along in a swifter fashion..
Which brings me onto my main greivance with the show's third season.
In a recent interview with series creator Tim Kring said that Heroes is like Haiku storytelling. That when a story takes 10 beats, they try to find a way to do it with 5. Well, why? I can't understand why a 10 beat story needs to be condensed into 5 beats. In fact its the main problem with Heroes. It feels like a knee jerk reaction to the lagging and delayed development of story in Season 2.
The problem with haiku stroytelling is that significant moments in the Heroes story feel throwaway and blink and you'll miss them. Not only does this devalue the moment, but also it undermines the character development. Where is Season 1 the writers took time unfolding these great, intriguing and unique characters. The audience watching religously every week to see how they come to terms with these new, strange powers. Now, characters don't seem to have time to reflect, think or even comtemplate. Instead the show has substituted character development for shocking twists and killing characters off. Although even when a character is killed off, it rarely means they are actually dead. Instead the writers are using the superpowers to kill characters off in alternate realities and future realities. And yet, with Season 3, Heroes has killed off a character in almost every episode. Sometimes more than one. Destroying some potentially great characters in the process. Heroes may come to regret this in time.
Maybe its just me, maybe I want the show to become one thing and the writers have taken it in a different direction.
I think though my main greivance lies with the fact that each episode changes the direction of the show so much, it often renders significant moments from previous shows irrelevant. Hopefully though the show will find its feet and avoid jumping the shark.
If there is one unique quality Heroes has against other contemporary television shows, it must surely be its concept, and its longevity. Certainly the whole saving the world concept for each season will grow old sooner rather than later, but maybe in 2 or 3 seasons the show will be able to explore its characters, mythology and concepts in ways comic books do. Special episodes focusing on individual characters, pitting them against foes or circumstances which can be fully explored and developed.
Or maybe the show will continue to reinvent itself with each new scene, constantly threatening to jump the shark but always pulling its self back from the brink.
I for one will keep watching for now. My motives are simple, it makes for interesting conversations in the work place. Fills the immensely gargantuan void left by Lost and like most long running television shows, it might on occasion leave a bitter taste in the mouth, its still ultimately addictive.