The television series ‘Heroes,’ created by Tim Kring, premiers on Monday at 9 PM on NBC. This action packed drama is about ordinary people discovering that they have superpowers and trying to cope with how this change affects their lives. Eventually their extraordinary abilities, such as flying and freezing time, allow them to come together to evade the series’ antagonist and attempt to save the world from destruction.
Many familiar characters from other television series appear in ‘Heroes.’ The type of character they play is very different from that of their characters in other television series. For example, Milo Ventimiglia from ‘Gilmore Girls’ plays the character Peter Petrelli, a politician’s brother who can fly. This role is very different from his other roles as the bad boy from the streets of New York in ‘Gilmore Girls’ or his premier in the movie The Stratford Wives. Other stars include Greg Grunberg from ‘Alias’ and Leonard Roberts from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.’
In the episode, the scenes seem to jump from one location to another, making it harder for the viewer to know what is happening. For example, the episode would begin with a scene in a Las Vegas casino, and then shift to an apartment scene in Manhattan. As the viewer is introduced to the characters, it becomes difficult to keep up with each of their stories and their superhuman powers. Throughout the show, the characters bump into each other and learn of their mystical abilities.
Each of these characters has a different superpower, which makes the show seem out of this world. It is similar to watching one of the X-Men movies, where there are mutants with certain powers. The scene with the indestructible 17 year-old cheerleader, who dies, wakes up on the autopsy table and then recovers, illustrates the wild imagination of the writers of this show. For example, there are comical scenes with an English illiterate Chinese man, freezes time in a casino to win money. This represents the human greed that exists within us.
One of the things that strands out is how a 28 year-old junkie has the ability to paint images of the future when he is high on drugs. This sends the wrong message to a younger age group. In some ways it is telling young kids that doing drugs can enhance one’s mental ability.
Another thing is that some of the dialogue does not go along with the character’s actions. Before the politician in Las Vegas has an affair with a showgirl seeking revenge, she asks if he happy with his marriage. He claims to be happy, and yet has the affair. The viewer is thinking what kind of person this power hungry politician is. The actions and dialogue of the character seem to contradict one another.
Even though there are some flaws in the show, it is still interesting to watch. There is more to find out about the nemesis and the ominous event that will destroy the world. The show is appealing because it taps into our childhood memories of wanting to be superheroes with superpowers.
Many questions are still left unanswered which plague the mind of the viewer. In the end of the episode, a train stops in a tunnel, and everything and everyone is frozen in time, except Peter Petrelli. A man named Hiro from the future appears with a message for Peter. The show ends leaving the viewer wondering what the message was.
