Axiom's Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy

The best news is that the current season of Heroes does not suck too bad so far.

By John J. Joex

NBC, Mondays 8 PM EST

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars (after 5 episodes)

Even if you do not watch it, most Science Fiction and Fantasy fans have some inkling as to the premise of NBC’s Heroes. It follows a group of people who discover that they have special abilities and who attempt to learn to control these abilities while at the same time several nefarious groups try to control and/or contain these people. And even those who do not tune in to the series on a weekly basis have probably caught wind of the negative buzz surrounding the show as its quality has declined ever since its breakout first season in 2006. Heroes was once the talk of the town, but now it has become the butt of the joke.

So with that in mind, I’m sure you want to know about the suck-factor of Season 4 (aka “Volume 5: Redemption”). Well I’m here to tell you that the current season of Heroes does not suck . . . too much.

After its impressive first season, Heroes has suffered some pretty severe criticism as it has been dinged for its convoluted plotlines, its bloated cast of characters, its overuse and misuse of time travel and future visions, and its penchant for killing off characters only to see them bounce back shortly thereafter. And the more people complain about this, the more the producers insist that they will go back to the basics and simplify the series. They made a couple of false starts in this area last season though both times the series quickly derailed. But now, through five episodes of the current season, they seem to have actually stuck to their word more often than not.

Many of the characters from seasons past have faded into the background, and the focus so far has been mostly on our core group of heroes (Claire, Peter, Hiro, Parkman, HRG, Sylar, etc.). Of course they have expanded the cast some with the traveling carnival comprised of people with abilities and led by Prison Break’s scenery chewing Robert Knepper. They have also added the deaf Emma who sees sound as light. But both of these additions are good so far and have not yet made the cast feel bloated as in seasons past. There is also a rumor that one of the main heroes will die in an upcoming episode so that should trim the cast back down a bit (although death is not always fatal in the Heroes universe).

And most of the storylines that have interwoven their way through the first five episodes have been decent enough. Peter’s obsession with being a “real” hero to redeem himself has been interesting, Parkman’s encounters with the Harvey-Sylar have had their moments, the whole storyline around the Sullivan Brothers carnival shows promise, and HRG’s attempts to rediscover his purpose have expanded his character. Even Claire’s entry into college has started to shape up into an interesting storyline, but only because it links back to the carnival thread (and then there’s that girl-on-girl sub-plot brewing as well). Each of these stories have helped elevate the series out of the murky waters in which it has languished the past couple of years.

Unfortunately, though, not all is well with Heroes and this is where the sucking comes into play. For some reason, since Season 1 ended they just have not been able to figure out what to do with Hiro and Ando. During the first season, Hiro became the heart and soul of the show as the eager young man who always wanted to be a hero then suddenly found out that his deepest desires had come true. His explorations of his powers and attempts to do the right thing, with his friend Ando at his side, really hit a nerve during the early episodes of Heroes. But since then, the writers just can’t figure out what to do with either him or Ando, with the current season providing no exception, and the two have since just become poor excuses for comic relief. Hiro’s time travel abilities often follow no rules other than what the writers need them to follow at any given point in time and every time he uses them I just cringe at the prospects of what’s coming. I wouldn’t say that the answer is to kill him off as many have suggested, because I still see him as a character vital to the show. But they need to figure out how to rediscover the magic from the first season or start moving him to the darker, future Hiro that we previously saw glimpses of. Because currently, both him and Ando just drag down every episode they appear in.

Consider it as a step in the right direction that scenes with Hiro and Ando are the main problems for Heroes (through the first five episodes at least). So many characters have dragged the show down over the past couple of seasons that to narrow it down to two is a sign of progress. Sure, there are a few other areas they could spruce up as well, but for the most part the show has chugged along quite well this far.

The bad news for Heroes is that its ratings have sunk to all-time lows this season. The show that once brought in tens of  millions viewers a week has sunk all the way down to averaging just over 5 million viewers per episode. Part of this attrition stems from the struggles of its network which currently has no scripted shows pulling stellar Nielsen numbers. But the continued ratings decline of Heroes along with the negative buzz that continues to follow it could spell the end of the show. NBC only ordered a partial season this year (13 – 15 episodes), and that could end up acting as the show’s swansong if its numbers do not improve and if NBC goes into panic mode like I predict it will. And that would be a shame because it looks like this show is finally close to getting back on track.

Watch Full Episodes of Heroes Online at Hulu.com

Go to TV.com for more info on Heroes including Episode guides and Cast bios