I hate to be one of those people who says, “I totally thought that was going to happen!” after the fact about a pretty neat twist.

But, I have to admit, it did cross my mind more than once that Kyle’s new friend, Cassidy, was all in Kyle’s head. It occurred to me at the end of last week’s episode, when Kyle couldn’t find Cassidy at the art school she purported to belong to.

When she wouldn’t go inside the house she took him to, that’s when I first really thought I was onto something. It didn’t make any sense that she wouldn’t go in.

I know this season is supposed to delve deeper into the mythology of the 4400s; I’m not so sure I love the idea of Jordan truly being a messiah. I do love the idea of a cult of Jordan Collier (which already exists, to a certain degree) growing up around Jordan, Shawn (the healer) and Kyle (the shaman).

What I wonder is whether they’re setting it up that Jordan actually is a messiah or whether other 4400s who were sent back to the more distant past (as Alanna appears to have been, and we know other 4400s, such as Maia, were, at least temporarily, last season) helped — inadvertently or not — create this mythology. Or was Jordan sent into the past during his missing year? Why did the future folks want him to be believed dead and then bring him back if not for a mythology of a messiah?

Kyle’s certainly on board, though he doesn’t seem at all certain that Jordan’s actually la messiah. Shawn, on the other hand, not so sure. His act of curing the little boy of autism last night, however, brought him back into the 4400 fold. He’d forgotten, to a degree, how wonderful it felt for him to be able to heal others. This was the first time he’d had such a degree of success with someone whose disability was developmental rather than physical. Whether this means his power is growing, if the promicin shot magnified his abilities, is yet to be seen.

It was wonderful seeing Shawn be Shawn again, though. His time leading the 4400 changed him so much; he wasn’t able to just use his power for anyone who needed it, regardless of their circumstances.

And his ability to heal certainly caught the eye of new NTAC director Meghan Doyle. As we learned at the end of the episode, her father is extremely ill and might not pull through this time. Her job is to prevent others from developing into (best new phrase of 2007) “extra crispies” — those who develop powers from the shots but are not the “original recipe” 4400s. But if Shawn, one of the original 4400, can help heal her father, what does that mean for the task ahead of her?

As for the rest of the episode:
• The side story (I know it was the main plot, but c’mon, the stories of the extra crispies are really sidelights to the main plot of the original cast) of the little autistic boy who made folks believe their worst fears were manifesting was interesting, but not the most compelling ever. I guessed it was the little boy as soon as they went into his apartment. Sometimes their foreshadowing is a bit too heavy-handed.
• I thought Tom giving up on Alanna after one comment from Meghan was a bit extreme. He’d been searching for her for months and months. He finally found out a little bit of what happened to her, and now he’s giving up? He’s probably right to (the actress isn’t coming back this season, so it seems he is), but still. He really truly loved Alanna.
• How nice was it to see Diana and Tom back together again? I love that they have such a close relationship that has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with sexual tension. They really love one another, but like a brother and sister love one another. Tom was honestly happy to see her. I think it’s sad that Diana’s not going to go back to Spain (c’mon, you know she’s not; I just hope that Maia joins her soon), but I’m glad she’s back.
• What is Meghan Doyle’s real deal? She’s a bit too straightforward and honest to be the director of NTAC.
The latest from Maia’s diary:
• Shawn get arrested
• A lot of folks are trying to get into the 4400 center
• “A young artist is going to sell a lot of her paintings at her first show.”

More 4400:
• Michael Ausiello over at TVGuide.com says Pascale Hutton of Smallville and Traveler (I’m finally getting around to watching this on DVR, and it’s a pretty good show!) will join The 4400 this season as a love interest for Marco. Yay Marco!