When Heroes premiered two years ago, I was excited but cautious. Too many shows that appeared promising either failed to live up to their potential, or they were as good (or better) than I’d expected, only to be cancelled just as I got attached to them. Heroes didn’t disappoint me and it did surprisingly well in the ratings. Could it be? Could I get a visually stunning, well-acted, well-written, epic TV show about people with amazing powers?
Well…yes and no.
It seemed that the general consensus on the second season of Heroes was that the show had lost its way. The creators acknowledged this and promised the third season would get back on track. I watched the first two episodes of this season (shown back to back) with the same caution I’d watched the premiere, and I was again pleasantly surprised at how good it was. But now that we’re a few more episodes in, I’m feeling disappointed again.
Warning: Here There Be Spoilers!
I’m getting tired and frustrated with the constant shocking revelations that unrelated characters are, in fact, related. Sylar is a lost Petrelli, Nikki was really one of triplets, Claire is Nathan’s daughter. The time travel and alternate futures was fun in the first season, but having a new alternate future where the Earth is destroyed for each season is laughably bad. Characters have sacrificed themselves dramatically, only to be brought back from the dead (nullifying their heroic sacrifice), something that’s been done to death (pardon the pun) in superhero comics and is no less played out on TV. The plot from episode to episode and season to season is convoluted in a way that makes it seem obvious the writers are making it up as the go along. I don’t necessarily have a problem with that, but it’s gotten really messy in Heroes. The show has turned into the TV version of the worst years of the X-Men comics: too many characters, too many twisting plotlines and too much melodrama.
I’m going to keep watching the show for now. My daughter still loves it, and it’s something we watch together. I hope the show gets good again, but I’m losing hope.