Last summer, I went to see several movies at the theater and was
surprised to notice that along with the expected movie previews, there
was advertising for upcoming television projects. This was how I first
heard about NBC's Heroes, a drama about several seemingly
ordinary people who suddenly discover hitherto unknown talents.
Initially, the connections between most of these super-powered are
tenuous or nonexistent, so there are a lot of threads to follow at once.
Eventually, however, the storylines intersect as these potential heroes
discover that something disastrous is about to happen unless they join
forces to stop it.
When I found out about Heroes, I was stuck firmly in an obsession with Smalville,
so perhaps I was feeling especially receptive to watching a show about
superheroes, though I suspect it would have caught my interest anyway.
I've always had a fondness for science fiction; the nerdy Trekkie in me
cheered when Malcolm McDowell (Generations) showed up, and I was
even happier to see George Takei, who played Sulu in the original
series, show up as the father of my favorite character. I'm not so sure
how I feel about Zachary Quinto, who portrays the vicious Sylar,
stepping into the uniform of my beloved Spock; I'm hoping I can banish
his character's nasty shenanigans from my mind before I see the new Star Trek movie.
Despite the Trek connections, Heroes really has more in common with X-Men
and other tales of several people nursing superpowers that generally
make their lives more difficult. Indeed, few of the characters seem
happy with their newfound abilities. Cheerleader Claire Bennet (Hayden
Panettiere) is completely freaked out by her indestructibility,
particularly when she begins to suspect that her doting but vaguely
sinister adoptive father (Jack Coleman) knows more than he's telling.
On-the-run mom Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) has little control over her
violent alter-ego, while Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) represses his
flying ability, fearing it will harm his political campaign. Devoted cop
Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) faces marital problems and job woes, so
he's not eager to embrace his sudden mind-reading prowess. Professor
Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) doesn't want to admit that his
father, who dedicated much of his life to finding people with such
genetic mutations, was onto something.
There are only two
characters - among the good guys, anyway - who really seem to relish
their otherness. One is Nathan's younger brother Peter (Milo
Ventimiglia), a sensitive young hospice worker. At first, it's unclear
whether he actually has any unusual powers at all, since all he has is
realistic dreams to back up his conviction, though we soon learn Peter
has an important role to play in this drama, though it isn't quite what
he envisioned. By far the most enthusiastic character, and my favorite,
is Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a geeky, idealistic Japanese office drone
who giddily discovers that he can manipulate time and space. As soon as
he learns this, he sets out on a heroic journey, bringing his reluctant,
cynical friend Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) along for the ride.
Neither speaks English very well, so the vast majority of their speech
is in subtitles, which is rather unfortunate since the dialogue I am
most interested in is also the easiest to miss.
Hiro and Ando
also provide much-needed comic relief, and if it weren't for their
thread in the story, I might not keep watching; this is a very dark
show, and apart from them, the humor is very thinly spread. Heroes
takes itself very seriously, as evidenced by the shadowy tones that
permeate nearly every scene and Mohinder's sanctimonious voice-overs,
which often begin and end episodes. And it's violent. Once the
main cast of superheroes has been established, nearly everyone we meet
afterward winds up dead, and not all the characters from the pilot will
survive either. Much of the carnage comes courtesy of Sylar, a gifted
clock-maker who desperately wants superpowers of his own and decides to
seize them mechanically, by slicing heads open as if with a can opener
and somehow surgically inserting the powers of the deceased into his own
brain in a move rather reminiscent of Highlander. For the squeamish, pillows or other eye-shielding objects are definitely advised.
Is Heroes a good show? Yes, I'd say so, but I don't like it nearly as much as Smallville, LOST and Ugly Betty.
I'll probably tune in again this year, but if Hiro is ever taken out of
the picture, I'll bow out too - though that would free him up to score a
spin-off... All Hiro, all the time; now that would be a show well worth
watching!
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