| Heroes
Mondays, 8 p.m. NBC
 This Monday
night show follows heavily in the tradition started by Lost.
Namely in the “let’s create as many questions
as humanly possible in the premiere." Now, I’m
not saying that this is a bad thing; leaving the audience
with a few questions we desperately want answered can be a
great way to get viewers to stick around. But just a warning
to TV execs: the premise is starting to wear thin.
Heroes
stars a worldly cast of characters, all of whom are about
to realize that they are a little different from your basic
homo-sapient; they’ve started tapping into the unused
portions of their brain and abilities only imagined previously
are starting to emerge.
In the
pilot episode shown at Comic Con, we are introduced to each
potential superhero just as they are starting to realize
they might not be an average joe. We start seeing glimpses
of abilities as they start to emerge in these ordinary people.
None
of these people would stand out in society otherwise, but
their new skills are starting to affect their lives as they
start to emerge. With Hiro, our Japanese geek, we get a
joyful, ebullient reception to “superhero powers”
of being able to warp time and space (with amusing attempts
to teleport into the ladies bathroom), while in Isaac, a
drug addled artist beset with visions of a terrible future,
we see how traumatically these powers can affect each persons
mind.
 They
showed us the extended cut at the Con, and all I can say
is: SLOW. 72 minutes, while giving lots of little bits and
pieces, and plenty of “Hey look, I’m normal”
scenes, it honestly just drags too much. When the extended
trailer gives you all the information you need as well as
the extended cut of the first episode does, you know you’ve
got a problem. Hopefully, 72 minutes will be cut to an easy
43 minutes, so that we get a much more streamlined premiere.
Otherwise people aren’t going to watch, simply out
of boredom.
Heroes
feels like another representation of the current popular
drama style, given to us by Lost, and continued
in Invasion and in small ways Surface:
Realistic, in reactions to events, playing off the popularity
of reality TV. It’s also very questioning and unrevealing,
meaning you’re left with a slightly confused feeling.
It’s just enough to frustrate you into wanting to
see more, just for some answers, though I have to say it’s
not quite as skillful at it as Lost was in the
beginning.
 This
show does have a great cast: all the actors fit their roles
perfectly, and I like the fact that none of them are huge
names, though you’ve probably seen a few of them around
before. The diversity is also a nice change; I enjoy the
idea that it’s not just people in the U.S. who are
“special," even though they all eventually end
up here.
Now,
yes, this is a little convenient, but at the same time,
that they started in other places makes it feel a little
less like “We’re American and of course we’re
going to mutate special powers first!”, but makes
it more like a global phenomenon; truly involving the species
as a whole. Though I will say I am waiting for an African
gangster turned priest to show up with the ability to make
cocaine appear from the sky.
This show has
an interesting premise, but it’s going to need to
ramp up a little faster. This first episode just dragged,
and while it’s intriguing, the boredom factor is a
bit overwhelming at this point.
Judgement: I’ll
stick around for 3 episodes. If it doesn’t improve
it’s pacing, I’m gone.
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