Heroes, Season Two

Well, it’s not very often I’ll write about TV shows, mainly because I don’t really watch a lot of TV. In an effort to get my expenses down a few months ago, I decided finally to pull the plug on cable, something that I haven’t regretted in the least. The only show I really watched last year was 24, and once that season ended, I just cancelled it all, saving myself $60 a month or whatever.

A while ago, I went out and bought all of Heroes season one on HD-DVD. I thought it was a decent show, but there were a lot of characters I wasn’t interested in at all. The finale was pretty lame too, and I don’t think it really brought to light the potential that some of the characters had.

Bring out season two. While there are multiple new character threads, I primarily find myself interested in Hiro Nakamura and Peter Petrelli. And while Hiro’s character is totally charismatic (which is the main reason I think his thread is so successful), I think Heroes really comes down to Peter Petrelli.

Ever story needs a hero, and Peter fits that role perfectly. He has good morals, powers he doesn’t entirely understand, but he isn’t perfect. Starting season two with Peter having amnesia was fairly brilliant if you ask me, because it brings to the table the sort of wonderment that Spiderman had when Peter Parker was discovering what he could do. Every episode Peter Petrelli is not only rediscovering bits of himself, but also regaining control of some of the powers he once had.

The obvious danger with a character like Peter is that he might become like Neo from the Matrix in that he becomes essentially unstoppable. Audiences don’t identify with characters that have nothing to lose, so having an all powerful character that wins every battle is a recipe for disaster (i.e. Matrix 2 and 3).

Which is why Sylar is absolutely essential to the plot, since in my mind, he is the only counterbalance to Peter. What happens to his character remains a mystery, but I imagine there will be a pivotal moment when he regains his powers, which will ultimately lead to (I hope) a Dark City like battle between the two characters.