Heroes: Season One

It is rare that a television series hits the near perfect combination or direction, writing and cast. In all the decades I have been watching television I have never seen a series that has pulled him and kept me interested like NBC’s mega hit, Heroes. This show deftly combines the best of the comic books we loved as kids with themes and plots that adults can appreciate. What started hoping for a solid cult following has become one of the most popular series on television and with good reason; it is exceptionally fun to watch. On the heels of the well-liked X-Men flicks this series follows a similar premise. There are human begins endowed with very special abilities. The can range from melting solid objects to the ability to instantly heal from any injury. Normally a series like this would only appeal to the sci-fi crowd but the level on which the stories are presented along with solid production values places this series far above the crowd. This is not really a science fiction; it is more a drama and thriller placed against the background of Sci-Fi. The strange and amazing powers that these characters have only serve as part of the universe they inhabit. The real stories here lie in their humanity; in the emotions and motivations they share with us regular humans. This series is one of the best examples of how to use an ensemble cast. Each character has a distinct back story and current plight. Part of the brilliance here is how the writers merge the story lines and naturally bring the whole group together for the conclusion.

In New York City a congressional race is underway. Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) is a contender but not really considered a front runner. His brother, Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) is a somewhat sullen but extremely empathetic man. He works as a nurse for an at home hospice service. He likes Simone Deveaux (Tawny Cypress), the daughter of one of his recently deceased patients. She is currently involved with an artist, Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera). He writes a popular underground graphic novel whose pictures seem to come true. He is a heroine addict who has the ability to paint the future while high. Peter discovers that his empathy is more than just an emotional trait. When he is in proximity to a person with abilities he gains the powers they have. Out west in Odessa Texas Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) appears to be a normal, sixteen year old cheerleader. The big difference is she can jump or a building, go running into a blazing fire or slice herself and heal almost instantly. Secretly, her father (Jack Coleman), known to fans as HRG for his horned rimmed glasses, is tracking down people with special abilities. In Las Vegas single mom, Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) works stripping on line to support her son Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey). When Niki is stressed or threatened she turns into her counterpart Jessica, who has near superhuman strength and reflexes. Her son’s father is D.L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts), a wanted man able to walk through walls. Over the sea in Tokyo Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) has always dreamed of becoming a superhero. When he discovers he can use his mind to teleport through time and space he takes his best friend Ando Masahashi (James Kyson Lee) on a little trip to the States. Also in New York City is geneticist Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy). He has moved here to continue his late father’s work on identifying people with these extraordinary powers. Policeman Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) seems to be a regular guy working as a police officer. His ability is reading minds. When this comes to the attention of a FBI agent, Audrey Hanson (Clea DuVall) who is looking for a serial killer, she enlists his help. It turns out the killer is a man named Sylar (Zachary Quinto) who is in fact an enhanced human able to intuit another’s power and take it by removing their brain.

With a series of lesser quality so many characters with their own stories would make for a muddled show at best. Fortunately here the writers, directors and actors have the talent to create a series that is intriguing, compelling and out right addictive. There are so many nuances here that you can discuss each episode with friends for hours on end. In fact the producers have master stroke of using the internet to create phony web sites that the die hard fan can use to gather clues. These include online graphic novels that give even more insight to the numerous stories and characters. The main story is a plot to destroy New York City with some sort of nuclear explosion. To save the day the characters have to gather there. In this series the way each one winds up in NYC is natural, never forced. This is the way this series works. There is a real feel to it even though the premise is something incredible. The basic structure of the series is the classic comic book. Some episodes are mostly exposition, others are full of action. Comics in the golden age of the sixties and seventies worked this way, especially with the Marvel brand. Creator of many of the Marvel superheroes, Stan Lee, gives in blessing to the show with a cameo in one episode. The characters may have wonderful powers but they are entirely human. The audience can identify with them. They are motivated by such things as maternal protection of a son, a young girl trying to fit in and a young man looking to help others. They are also flawed as all humans are. This permits us to understand them better than most television characters.

The casting director deserves a huge award here. This cast is simply put incredible. Milo Ventimiglia is best known for his work as the bad boy on the Gilmore Girls. In this series he is given the opportunity to show what an actor he is. His portrayal of Peter is a man who cares. His empathy with dying patients is manifested literally with his ability to emulate the powers of others. Ventmiglia makes Peter into a man who is willing to sacrifice himself to save others even though his powers could make his rich beyond his dreams. I have to wonder if Hayden Panettiere rolled her eyes when approached to play yet another cheerleader. She built her career with such a role in many teen oriented flicks but this project has made her an A-List star. She has the talent to make Claire superhuman and a regular girl at the same time. She loves her family and is a caring person. Some of the plots she is in here could have been standard soap opera faire but she transcends the mundane to bring life to Claire. Ali Larter is another cast member who started out in teen flicks. She rises to the occasion of really playing two completely different characters, Niki and Jessica. Each personality is developed by this amazing actress. The change between them does not depend on makeup or special effects (with the small exception of a tattoo on Jessica’s shoulder). Larter employs subtle changes in her face and body language to affect the transformation. The audience knows when Jessica comes out just by how Larter holds herself. The real breakout star in this series is Masi Oka. He plays Hiro as a man stuck in a cubical who dreams of the adventures his comic books portray. He is the true hero; living by a code of ethics to help others no matter what the cost to him may be. In stark contrast to his innate goodness is Sylar. Zachary Quinto plays on the best villains ever imagined. Quinto is delightfully evil without any redeeming qualities at all. He hates the world and thinks nothing of ripping open a living person’s brain to get at their powers.

This series is a major win for NBC and Universal. After years of lagging in the ratings Heroes put the peacock network back in the running. The show is successful not for some gimmick but for quality, something we rarely see on television of late. In a world of mindless ‘reality’ shows this brings scripted television back big time. Unlike ‘Lost’ these writers know how to reveal a mystery. The give answers in a realistic time and develop new ones with flair. Such a series deserves a great DVD release and Universal gives it to us. The anamorphic 1.78:1 video is brilliant. The colors pop off the screen when appropriate and a sully and moody when need be. The Dolby 5.1 audio is full and fills the room bringing you into the action. There is also an imaginative selection of extras to keep the fans engaged. Selected episodes have a cast and crew commentary track that shows just how involved all were in the production. There is the previously unseen and extended original pilot episode. Of course there are the obligatory deleted scenes and making of featurette. Other features detail the special effects stunts and musical score. One very interesting featurette looks at the artist Tim Sales who created the pivotal paintings used in the series. This is perhaps the best series I have ever seen. It has to have a place in your collection.

Where does it come from—this quest, this need to solve life's mysteries when the simplest of questions can never be answered? Why are we here? What is the soul? Why do we dream? Perhaps we'd be better off not looking at all. Not delving, not yearning. But that's not human nature. Not the human heart. That is not why we are here.

Posted 08/21/07