We all make choices in life, whether they are mundane or extraordinary.

For example, my choice to watch the season three premiere of “Heroes: Villains” Monday night rather than study for an exam in Political Science would be considered a relatively small (yet nonetheless stupid) decision in comparison to, perhaps, deciding between a life of good or evil.

This was just the quandary that all our old favorites from last season find themselves in this season. As more powerful secrets are uncovered, allegiances change and the characters seem to find themselves struggling with doing what is best for the greater good, or what is best for themselves.

One character repeats the tagline from season two with an added variation that I expect will reflect the theme of the new season.

“Save ourselves. Save the world.”

It became apparent by the end of the two hour premiere that nothing, or very little, of what we know about Peter and Nathan Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, Clair Bennet, and even the noble Dr. Mohinder Suresh will ever be the same.

At first glance, it appeared the goofy partnership between Hiro and Ando would provide more comic relief this season, but not so as a trip to the future would dictate.

Even the Petrelli brothers’ relationship is threatened by Peter’s choices.

The start of the episode, taking place four years in the future, sets a chilling tone for the rest of the two hours, revealing a rather shocking change in one central character.

Despite all the emotionally off-putting character flips, one thing can always be held constant on “Heroes,” and that’s the meticulous framing and lighting of shots.

In one scene, Nikki Sanders steps from out of the shadows and into a narrow column of light that nearly washes out the center of her face, yet leaving the side in shadow. One can only speculate this symbolizes some sort of false or partial purity. To avoid plot spoilers, however, I will say no more on this.

I look forward to even more neat special effects from ridiculous superpowers, trying to keep track of character names and the frustration of finally learning some answer to a question, only to be left with a dozen more.

This season will all come down to the choices the characters make that will ultimately decide the fate of the world. But for now, I think it’s about time I stop drooling over the T.V. and read up on federalism.