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If we apply the old adage, “all’s well that ends well,” then the third season of "Heroes" would be considered a success. The season finale wrapped up the central conflict while opening a few intriguing possibilities for next season.

The best thing about this episode is that the ignorant storyline of Danko hunting down those with powers has come to an end. The end of that story was largely uneventful, which is fitting because it was an ill advised and largely incoherent storyline in the first place.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the evening occurred with the death of Nathan Petrelli. For once, it appears that a character that is dead might actually stay that way. Still, I can’t help but wonder if Claire’s magical blood will come into play at some point. And while Nathan appears to be dead, that doesn’t mean we have seen the last of Adrian Pasdar, whose memories and visage still live in Sylar’s body.

This was an intriguing development that sets up some interesting possibilities. I assume than Nathan’s persona will battle Sylar’s in season four. As we have seen with Niki/Jessica Sanders in season one, it is difficult for two personalities to occupy a single body. It will be interesting to see Adrian Pasdar trying to integrate elements of Sylar into Nathan. His final scene, when he notices the clock running fast, gave viewers a hint of what is to come.

Hiro and Ando were also busy, with Hiro freezing time and freeing all of the captives with powers. Hiro’s ability is starting to take a toll on him physically, and it makes it impossible to use his power for trivial purposes. It’s a better strategy than arbitrarily taking away his powers, as the writers done in the past.

And in one of the most predictable developments of the season, Tracy Strauss returned at the end as a puddle of water that can materialize in her human form. I had heard Ali Larter would be back, and after she was turned to ice and shattered, and that creepy eyeball was seen tearing up a few episodes back, this was no surprise.

Unfortunately, one solid hour does not define the season, and while this was a fine episode, the third season of “Heroes” was still a bit of a disappointment. With the cast still largely intact for the fourth season, I hope the writers are up to the challenge of developing content that is both original and coherent.

What Worked

Since we have already seen this inner battle with Nikki/Jessica, I can’t give the writers too much credit for originality, but something had to happen in this episode to change the dynamic. Having two strong willed characters battling for identity should be rewarding, if the writing is up to the challenge.

I was really glad that Hiro and Ando weren’t used for comic relief in this episode. The writers have gone down that path too often, and it was nice to see them played more seriously. In season one, Hiro and Ando were slightly comical because of their naiveté and innocence. Turning them into buffoons this season nearly destroyed the characters and rendered the show unwatchable at times. This episode provided a glimmer of hope that maybe we will see Hiro and Ando treated more seriously as characters.

What Didn’t Work

I am still trying to figure out why the big brawl between Peter, Sylar, and Nathan occurred off camera. All viewers go to see was the aftermath of the brawl … strange, it sounded like quite a fight.

Perhaps they blew the entire special effects budget on the morphing and the closing scene of Tracy Strauss materializing from water. Unfortunately, viewers have already seen this trick before with Tori Spelling on “Smallville”.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

“Heroes” airs at 9:00 on Mondays on NBC. "An Invisible Thread” was written by Tim Kring and was directed by Greg Beeman.