Sim1Heroes Returns, But Still Not at Top of Its Game
October 21st 2008 02:11
Heroes returned recently for its third season (second full one) amidst much anticipation and a call to return to its promising first season form. The new season, deemed “Villains” plans to explore the inner workings of each character, attempting to demonstrate what special powers can do to the morality and judgment of those who possess them. We will supposedly find out who the true heroes are and who are easily manipulated by the powerful cravings and desires that their powers may create.
So far, the first few episodes have set up some intriguing storylines for the remainder of the season. Many of the characters from the previous seasons have returned, some in similar fashion and others in new forms.
Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) the most powerful of the pre-determined “Good Heroes” is now joined by a future version of himself who returned in the Season Premiere to prevent his brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), from revealing their existence to the world. As future Peter traps his present-day counterpart inside another person’s body and shoots his own brother, we are left to wonder if he has truly remained the moral center of the show, or if the future has left him disillusioned and misguided.
Then there is his niece, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) a seventeen year old cheerleader who is indestructible. After surviving an early encounter with Sylar (Zachary Quinto), we learn that there is something more to Claire than initially meets the eye. As she is informed by Sylar, she is incapable of dying and is more special than even her father, Noah, or Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) knows. Even if Claire outwardly explains that this knowledge makes it necessary for her to help fight the mischievous “villains” that her father chases, her motives are clearly in question. Maybe the knowledge of his indestructible nature has filled Claire with a craving much stronger than she can contain.
Sylar has become an integral part of the series again after not being around for much of Season Two. It is revealed that Sylar is actually a Petrelli, brother of Peter and Nathan that was left for adoption by Mrs. Petrelli (Cristine Rose) who is now the top of the power chain at The Company. When she entrusts Sylar to stop a bank-robbery as Noah’s partner, it opens up the possibility for Sylar to be transformed into a company agent, weeding out the villainous while keeping their powers for himself, the ultimate super agent. With the inclusion of Jamie Hector, who played Marlo in HBO’s series The Wire, into the Heroes regulars as Knox, it seems as though the creators have allowed for the possibility of a new villain to take Sylar’s place, should he permanently move down a more righteous path.
Other regulars have returned as well. Parkman (Greg Grunberg) has been teleported by future Peter to an unknown location in Africa where he meets a painter named Usutu (Ntare Mwine) who, like Isaac Mendez in season one is able to paint the future. In this instance, he only paints Parkman’s future.
Hiro and Ando are teaming up again, even after Hiro (Masi Oka) has a vision of Ando (James Kyson Lee) killing him in the future. They were chasing new hero, Daphne (Brea Grant), the speedster who works for an unknown Boss, until they were caught and placed in Level 5 security by The Company.
Nikki Sanders (Ali Larter) is back, this time however, she is Tracy Strauss a political aid who has no knowledge of her look-alike and her multiple-personality driven powers. We find out that both Nikki and Tracy were created by a Californian doctor named Dr. Zimmerman, but does that mean there is more of them?
Lastly, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) as returned and by using blood brawn from one half of Los Wonder Twins, Mya (Dania Ramirez) he has been able to isolate the “stuff” that gives her power and place it into an injection that would give anybody their own power, specific to their blood type and DNA. However, after injecting himself, he seems to undergo serious side effects.
As the season continues two themes seem to pop up over and over again. One is the notion of the Butterfly Effect: the future that these heroes can see is not necessarily the future that will in fact come to realization. Each event changes the events of the future to the extent that nothing is certain to come true. The second theme is individualization. Each person reacts to their powers differently, sees a different path for themselves and uses their powers for different reasons. Each person also has a unique set of powers, as they are determined by the DNA inside each specific individual. No two are alike.
It seems as though, in its Third Season, the series has gone back to its character-centered roots and strayed from the gimmicky, showy storylines of the strike-shorted second season. We see the characters we have come to know struggle with what their next step is now that they have come to accept their distinction as “special” people. If Tim Kring and his writers can continue to put us inside the minds and emotions of these characters, Heroes, will undoubtedly be able to regain the luster of its initial season. Instead of making the audience watch the characters play with their new toys, the creators seem to have realized that it’s the connection the viewers have to the characters that propels the show. After all, what made the drama so intriguing was the notion that these were simply ordinary people who were blessed, or cursed, with extraordinary powers. What would you, or your brother, or your neighbor do if they suddenly realized that they possessed a talent unlike anybody elses? What decisions would you make? These are the questions that marked the foundation of the Heroes series.
So far, the first few episodes have set up some intriguing storylines for the remainder of the season. Many of the characters from the previous seasons have returned, some in similar fashion and others in new forms.
Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) the most powerful of the pre-determined “Good Heroes” is now joined by a future version of himself who returned in the Season Premiere to prevent his brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), from revealing their existence to the world. As future Peter traps his present-day counterpart inside another person’s body and shoots his own brother, we are left to wonder if he has truly remained the moral center of the show, or if the future has left him disillusioned and misguided.
Then there is his niece, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) a seventeen year old cheerleader who is indestructible. After surviving an early encounter with Sylar (Zachary Quinto), we learn that there is something more to Claire than initially meets the eye. As she is informed by Sylar, she is incapable of dying and is more special than even her father, Noah, or Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) knows. Even if Claire outwardly explains that this knowledge makes it necessary for her to help fight the mischievous “villains” that her father chases, her motives are clearly in question. Maybe the knowledge of his indestructible nature has filled Claire with a craving much stronger than she can contain.
Sylar has become an integral part of the series again after not being around for much of Season Two. It is revealed that Sylar is actually a Petrelli, brother of Peter and Nathan that was left for adoption by Mrs. Petrelli (Cristine Rose) who is now the top of the power chain at The Company. When she entrusts Sylar to stop a bank-robbery as Noah’s partner, it opens up the possibility for Sylar to be transformed into a company agent, weeding out the villainous while keeping their powers for himself, the ultimate super agent. With the inclusion of Jamie Hector, who played Marlo in HBO’s series The Wire, into the Heroes regulars as Knox, it seems as though the creators have allowed for the possibility of a new villain to take Sylar’s place, should he permanently move down a more righteous path.
Other regulars have returned as well. Parkman (Greg Grunberg) has been teleported by future Peter to an unknown location in Africa where he meets a painter named Usutu (Ntare Mwine) who, like Isaac Mendez in season one is able to paint the future. In this instance, he only paints Parkman’s future.
Hiro and Ando are teaming up again, even after Hiro (Masi Oka) has a vision of Ando (James Kyson Lee) killing him in the future. They were chasing new hero, Daphne (Brea Grant), the speedster who works for an unknown Boss, until they were caught and placed in Level 5 security by The Company.
Nikki Sanders (Ali Larter) is back, this time however, she is Tracy Strauss a political aid who has no knowledge of her look-alike and her multiple-personality driven powers. We find out that both Nikki and Tracy were created by a Californian doctor named Dr. Zimmerman, but does that mean there is more of them?
Lastly, Mohinder (Sendhil Ramamurthy) as returned and by using blood brawn from one half of Los Wonder Twins, Mya (Dania Ramirez) he has been able to isolate the “stuff” that gives her power and place it into an injection that would give anybody their own power, specific to their blood type and DNA. However, after injecting himself, he seems to undergo serious side effects.
As the season continues two themes seem to pop up over and over again. One is the notion of the Butterfly Effect: the future that these heroes can see is not necessarily the future that will in fact come to realization. Each event changes the events of the future to the extent that nothing is certain to come true. The second theme is individualization. Each person reacts to their powers differently, sees a different path for themselves and uses their powers for different reasons. Each person also has a unique set of powers, as they are determined by the DNA inside each specific individual. No two are alike.
It seems as though, in its Third Season, the series has gone back to its character-centered roots and strayed from the gimmicky, showy storylines of the strike-shorted second season. We see the characters we have come to know struggle with what their next step is now that they have come to accept their distinction as “special” people. If Tim Kring and his writers can continue to put us inside the minds and emotions of these characters, Heroes, will undoubtedly be able to regain the luster of its initial season. Instead of making the audience watch the characters play with their new toys, the creators seem to have realized that it’s the connection the viewers have to the characters that propels the show. After all, what made the drama so intriguing was the notion that these were simply ordinary people who were blessed, or cursed, with extraordinary powers. What would you, or your brother, or your neighbor do if they suddenly realized that they possessed a talent unlike anybody elses? What decisions would you make? These are the questions that marked the foundation of the Heroes series.
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