"Look, it's me in a comic-book I found when I teleported to New York City! Hey, why don't you believe me?" Masi Oka from Heroes on NBC.Yes, it's that time of year again: the days are getting shorter, the leaves are getting ready to let go of the trees, and TV networks are throwing shows at us like each one is the second coming of MASH. Yes, I'm sure Brothers and Sisters is great, and surely Kidnapped is gripping... no wait, that's been cancelled already. Much like the leaves, a few "new" shows are dropping off already. And some arrive pretty old and tired to begin with. So the question I'm always faced with at this time of year is: how will I spend my limited time in front of the TV?
See, some shows have already earned my trust. We've already got a good relationship going, had a few good times in the past, and they've left me on a good note before they went off for the summer. These shows have proven themselves already, and I'll be catching up with them again. I'll also be writing about their new season premieres soon, I'm talking about LOST and Battlestar Galactica here people, and their season openers have both been amazing in different ways. But more about that later!
Now we must look at the new crop. The mysterious strangers that give you tantalizing glimpses into their potential, promising you everything under the high heavens, begging you to watch. It's kind of intimidating, starting a new relationship with a show. You've got to be ready to make the leap, to invest yourself fully in this new world it's creating in front of you. It really does take a lot to get me to jump into a new show from the beginning: it has to be intriguing, it has to be different, it has to jump out at me somehow. LOST managed to hook me two years ago; something new has done it this year when I was least expecting it.
The best new show of the 2006 TV season is Heroes on NBC, Monday nights. Two episodes in and I am completely hooked already. Right off the bat many have compared it to LOST with its large, interconnected cast of multicultural characters and deep sci-fi style storyline. Others have compared it to Unbreakable because of its serious treatment of seemingly normal human beings coming to terms with the fact that they are, in fact, superhuman. The comparison to Unbreakable is justified here, even though I didn't enjoy that movie. It took itself FAR too seriously, while Heroes finds the perfect balance for me.
It is a show about a diverse group of seemingly normal people discovering that they have superpowers. An average-joe male nurse is convinced that he can fly. A drug-addicted painter creates images of the future. A beat cop discovers that he can read people's minds. A pretty cheerleader throws herself from a bridge in front of her friend's video camera to prove that she is... UNBREAKABLE! Sorry, I had to.
So some are shocked, some are scared, some are downright disturbed. And one in particular is REALLY freaking excited. He is Hiro, one of the best characters to hit TV screens in a long time. He is an excitable Japanese cubicle-dweller who discovers (somehow) that he can bend the space/time continuum. As we meet him, he's staring down the clock in his cubicle to try and make it go backwards. Once he manages to do it, he proceeds to run around his office, arms flailing, screaming and yelling. He is continually telling his friend about how he will use his powers for good and not evil, and wonders if he should use a secret identity. He is honestly a joy to watch, and works as a complete antithesis to the usual burdened and tortured superhero: this guy knows the comics, embraces the "destiny" of a superhero, and runs towards the challenges before him with open arms. Masi Oka does a wonderful job with this character, pulling off a complete innocence that is so natural, funny, and above-all, watchable.
Not that Heroes is all fun and games mind you! In the second episode we are introduced to the gruesome works of a super-powered serial killer who likes to cut open the heads of his victims. And there is already the looming image of a nuclear detonation in New York City that our heroes will have to contend with. And those cliff-hanger endings! The show is only two episodes in and it's already becoming known for throwing some incredible twists into the last few minutes of the show. Episode 2 in particular blew me away with a much closer view of that "looming" nuclear blast than I was expecting. The real beauty here is that these twists don't feel tacked-on and stay an organic part of the story, just ramping it up a notch at the end of the episode like good TV is supposed to do.
This is certainly going to be an interesting series, and I was glad to hear that the show has already been picked up for a full season. Wow, smart TV executives, who would have thought? The true appeal of Heroes is that it seems to have found the balance between character-driven stories and a deeper over-arching plot, the same balance that I hope LOST will find again in its third season. But that is a subject for the next time! Until then, I will be keeping the streets safe with my own super-power, the ability to flare my nostrils on command! It impresses my girlfriend anyway, although I have the sneaking suspicion that I'm NOT the only one who can do it. Anyone out there have any super-powers to tell of? Be sure to let me know, you never know when they might come in handy...
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