Heroes is one of the best dramas to hit the airwaves in years.
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"Heroes" made its debut at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2006 with a screening of an extended version of the pilot. A year later, the first season wrapped up and the cast & crew returned to Comic-Con to a tremendous welcome. It was like the Beatles had come to town. A "Heroes" panel was scheduled for Saturday, the busiest day of Con, in a ballroom with a seating capacity of over 4000. I arrived to the Convention Center that day, shortly after 6AM and there were already hundreds of "Heroes" fans waiting in line. And the panel wasn´t scheduled to start until shortly before 1PM. Fans sat through several other programs to catch a glimpse of the main cast, the show creator´s, and the big announcement of Kevin Smith directing the pilot for the spinoff series, "Heroes: Origins."
Based on an original concept by Tim Kring (creator of "Crossing Jordan"), "Heroes" would enrapture comic fans and non-fans alike. "Heroes" follows an ensemble of characters from all over the world and all walks of life that suddenly discover they have superpowers. Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) is a single mom with a dodgy past who possesses super-strength and a violent, split personality named Jessica. Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) is a nurse in New York City who dreams of being able to fly. He can´t, however, Peter can copy the powers of other extraordinary individuals. His brother, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar), a politician through and through, can though. Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg) is an LA beat cop with the power to read minds. Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera) is an artist who can paint the future. Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) is a high school cheerleader blessed (or cursed) with remarkable healing abilities. Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is a professor in India whose father did extensive research in evolution and Suresh searches out these people. Genre fans will also be pleased to see the presence of Richard Roundtree and Malcolm McDowell, among others in supporting roles. And that´s just a tip of the iceberg.
The show´s breakout character is Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a Japanese programmer and diehard "otaku" (fanboy) who gains the power to freeze time and teleport to great distances. Unlike the other characters, Hiro joyfully embraces his new abilities and leaps at the chance to become a superhero. This is in no small part to the fact that he is an avid fan of comic books and "Star Trek." In an inspired bit of casting, Hiro´s father is played by Sulu himself, George Takei. Hiro´s excitement is absolutely infectious and it is always a pleasure whenever he gets screen time.
The show´s mythology is weaved around an "X-Files"-style conspiracy with a shadow organization attempting to catalogue people with powers. Claire´s adoptive father, Noah Bennett (Jack Coleman) passes himself off as a paper salesman, but is one of them, capturing the empowered with the help of a man known only as The Haitian who can erase people´s memories. Bennett even earned himself an "X-Files"-like nickname in HRG, short for Horn-Rimmed Glasses, the type of spectacles he wears. HRG isn´t the show´s only antagonist as a man calling himself Sylar (Zachary Quinto) is murdering these special people and absorbing their powers. The first season builds to an ominous finale when it is predicted a nuclear explosion will decimate New York City.
"Heroes" is an elaborate and intricate drama in the vein of "Lost." It is a show with a rich mythology and multi-layered storylines. Characters are brought together and discover connections they never thought they had. The show´s creators have made an entire world that can extend past just the main cast with an unlimited wealth of characters and unique powers. The writers also deftly juggle each storyline and you never feel as if you're being ripped away prematurely. Its real world interpretation of superheroes reminds me of a much less grittier version of Watchmen, one of the seminal works in comic books. There are many other aspects of the show that are inspired by comic books. Each episode acts like an issue that ends in a sharp cliffhanger, one that makes you pull your hair out in anticipation for the next chapter. Even the titles are done in a comic book-style font, which was designed by artist Tim Sale (who is also the man behind Isaac´s paintings). One of the show´s producers and writers is comic writer Jeph Loeb, who also serves as a producer on "Smallville."
The episodes included on this DVD set are as follows:
-Disc 1-
"Genesis" – All over the world, people from all walks of life discover they have superhuman powers. An artist who paints the future, a Japanese salaryman who can stop time, a single mom with a split personality, and a cheerleader who is indestructible are among them.
"Don´t Look Back" – Mohinder delves deeper into the disappearance of his father, Hiro finds himself teleported into the middle of Times Square, the Petrelli Brothers explore their powers, and we meet Matt Parkman, a police officer with telepathic abilities.
-Disc 2-
"One Giant Leap" – Matt is questioned by the FBI, Ando is finally convinced of Hiro´s powers and heads to New York, and Peter discovers just how opportunistic his brother is.
"Collision" – Claire wakes up on an autopsy table and decides to get back at her attacker. Niki´s past comes back to haunt her.
"Hiros" – On a subway train, Peter is confronted by a future version of Hiro who warns him to, "Save the cheerleader, save the world."
"Better Halves" – Niki has a violent reunion with her husband, D.L., who has the ability to phase through solid object. Peter & Isaac try to unravel the mysteries of his paintings and Claire wants to learn more about her biological parents.
-Disc 3-
"Nothing to Hide" – Peter tries to enlist Nathan´s help in finding Isaac´s missing painting as Niki frantically searches for D.L. and her son, Micah. Matt joins up with an FBI agent to track down the serial killer murdering people with powers.
"Seven Minutes to Midnight" – Hiro travels back in time to save one of Sylar´s victims, Isaac is captured by HRG, and Mohinder reconsiders taking up his father´s research.
"Homecoming" – Peter races to Texas in order to save Claire and battles Sylar. Meanwhile, Jessica has taken over and decides to hunt down D.L.
"Six Months Ago" – Having traveled to the past, Hiro tries in vain to prevent Charlie´s murder at the hands of Sylar.
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[release]21285[/release]