Post by Gray Lensman on Feb 11, 2008 1:54:50 GMT
So I finally watched the first season of Heroes at last. Be warned, there are spoilers.
Overall, it's definitely a good show. It's well structured, well thought out, and works as an exploration of the superhero genre while also divesting itself of some of the old conventions. The characters are quite interesting, and I'd definitely enjoy seeing more of them.
General thoughts on the lead cast...
Hiro Nakamura: Easily my favorite character in the entire show. He's a positive and relatable character, and while he's heroic, Hiro is also a very human character. There's good complexity in Hiro... he feels bound by a destiny, but he's also the one in the best position to change it. Great character.
Peter Petrelli: Has the makings of the noble but tragic hero, and I can't really imagine the series without him. He's the strongest, but doesn't really understand his own strength. I also like the idea of empathic mimicry... it's a neat power. I've grown to like him a lot.
Claire Bennet: One of my faves. I'm quite fond of the normal but idealistic heroine trying to find her place in the world.
Nathan Petrelli: Another favorite of mine. He comes across as such a slimy politician... until he does an end run and does something noble in spite of himself. One of the most complex characters in the entire series, IMO.
Mohindir Suresh: I like him better towards the end of the first season than at the beginning. He comes across as the typical hero scientist initially, but his motivations become more complex later on, in large part because of his guilty and vindictive urges. I like him okay, though, and he's a necessary character on several levels.
Sylar: I have to admit, Sylar is a great villain. For once, Hollywood gives us a psychopathic serial killer with an actual thought process behind his murderous insanity. He's thoroughly evil, but we see why. He's got some small shreds of humanity and he kills for a reason, however twisted. We could use more villains like this.
Matt Parkman: I found myself liking him even when I probably shouldn't. The idea of a telepathic cop is a good one, and I like the way he constantly struggles against corruption.
Noah Bennet: Another of the better characters in the show. Complex and intriguing. He comes across as so bland and unassuming, but he's probably one of the most dangerous characters of the entire cast... and he's got no powers whatsoever.
Isaac Mendez: Cool power, and I can see why he's important to the series, but I didn't much like him personally. Did like his sacrifice at the end of the first season, mind.
Niki/Jessica: She annoys me, honestly. On a good day, she's irritating... and on a bad day, she's really bad. I can see where they try to make her sympathetic, but the portrayal makes it difficult.
DL Hawkins: Cool character, and a neat concept. I ended up rooting for him to take Micah away from Niki at least several times.
Micah: He's okay, I guess. Pretty much your typical "child prodigy" character so far.
Ando: A decent foil/supporting character to Hiro, and I like the way he grows up at the end of Season 1. I don't think he's really necessary anymore, but I liked him fine.
The series works for me, overall, at least in what goes of the first season. Generally, it's quite well plotted, strongly character-driven, and there's a lot of good acting talent.
To be fair, however, there are a few poorly executed moments here and there. For instance, Simone's death struck me as a pretty typical Jeph Loeb plot flub. Why in the world would Peter, with the woman he loves dying in front of him, NOT freeze time and fly Simone off to the emergency room? It was meant to be a shock death, but I found it poorly executed and forced. There were other points I found questionable (like why did Future Matt not realize who Future Sylar was?), but that was probably the worst moment I saw.
But for all of that, there are moments that make me want to forgive the problems. "Five Years Gone" was a great episode, and really well done. And there are some great twists and reversals in it.
I'll probably go through Season 2, even though I don't really want to, but only because I do want to see Season 3. The show is so heavily interconnected that it makes you pay if you miss an episode, and I want to see how the story continues.
I'm pretty much a Heroes fan at this point. It's surprisingly good television, and well worth a look if you haven't seen the first season.
Overall, it's definitely a good show. It's well structured, well thought out, and works as an exploration of the superhero genre while also divesting itself of some of the old conventions. The characters are quite interesting, and I'd definitely enjoy seeing more of them.
General thoughts on the lead cast...
Hiro Nakamura: Easily my favorite character in the entire show. He's a positive and relatable character, and while he's heroic, Hiro is also a very human character. There's good complexity in Hiro... he feels bound by a destiny, but he's also the one in the best position to change it. Great character.
Peter Petrelli: Has the makings of the noble but tragic hero, and I can't really imagine the series without him. He's the strongest, but doesn't really understand his own strength. I also like the idea of empathic mimicry... it's a neat power. I've grown to like him a lot.
Claire Bennet: One of my faves. I'm quite fond of the normal but idealistic heroine trying to find her place in the world.
Nathan Petrelli: Another favorite of mine. He comes across as such a slimy politician... until he does an end run and does something noble in spite of himself. One of the most complex characters in the entire series, IMO.
Mohindir Suresh: I like him better towards the end of the first season than at the beginning. He comes across as the typical hero scientist initially, but his motivations become more complex later on, in large part because of his guilty and vindictive urges. I like him okay, though, and he's a necessary character on several levels.
Sylar: I have to admit, Sylar is a great villain. For once, Hollywood gives us a psychopathic serial killer with an actual thought process behind his murderous insanity. He's thoroughly evil, but we see why. He's got some small shreds of humanity and he kills for a reason, however twisted. We could use more villains like this.
Matt Parkman: I found myself liking him even when I probably shouldn't. The idea of a telepathic cop is a good one, and I like the way he constantly struggles against corruption.
Noah Bennet: Another of the better characters in the show. Complex and intriguing. He comes across as so bland and unassuming, but he's probably one of the most dangerous characters of the entire cast... and he's got no powers whatsoever.
Isaac Mendez: Cool power, and I can see why he's important to the series, but I didn't much like him personally. Did like his sacrifice at the end of the first season, mind.
Niki/Jessica: She annoys me, honestly. On a good day, she's irritating... and on a bad day, she's really bad. I can see where they try to make her sympathetic, but the portrayal makes it difficult.
DL Hawkins: Cool character, and a neat concept. I ended up rooting for him to take Micah away from Niki at least several times.
Micah: He's okay, I guess. Pretty much your typical "child prodigy" character so far.
Ando: A decent foil/supporting character to Hiro, and I like the way he grows up at the end of Season 1. I don't think he's really necessary anymore, but I liked him fine.
The series works for me, overall, at least in what goes of the first season. Generally, it's quite well plotted, strongly character-driven, and there's a lot of good acting talent.
To be fair, however, there are a few poorly executed moments here and there. For instance, Simone's death struck me as a pretty typical Jeph Loeb plot flub. Why in the world would Peter, with the woman he loves dying in front of him, NOT freeze time and fly Simone off to the emergency room? It was meant to be a shock death, but I found it poorly executed and forced. There were other points I found questionable (like why did Future Matt not realize who Future Sylar was?), but that was probably the worst moment I saw.
But for all of that, there are moments that make me want to forgive the problems. "Five Years Gone" was a great episode, and really well done. And there are some great twists and reversals in it.
I'll probably go through Season 2, even though I don't really want to, but only because I do want to see Season 3. The show is so heavily interconnected that it makes you pay if you miss an episode, and I want to see how the story continues.
I'm pretty much a Heroes fan at this point. It's surprisingly good television, and well worth a look if you haven't seen the first season.