Season One

"Save the cheerleader, save the world." If you're smart, that phrase elicited a knowing smile and a nod from you. But if you're like me — or me until a month ago, anyway — you may be left scratching your head. Cheerleader what? Save the world? Huh? If that's the case, then fear not: you're about to get a crash course in Heroes, last season's hottest new show and the latest in a long line of things geeks show their cooler friends while saying, "See?! Something I like is popular! Nyah!"

Not... that we would know anything about that. But, you know. In theory.

When previews for the show appeared last fall, I was skeptical. For one thing, there seemed to be way too many characters and subplots to keep track of. (And that's from a 24 fan.) Plus it looked uncomfortably similar to the comic miniseries Rising Stars in terms of its "superheroes in the real world" concept, cosmic imagery, a villain who kills other "Specials" to gain power, and most of all, the good girl with an evil, superpowered split personality (Niki/Jessica Sanders vs. Stephanie/Critical Maas). I figured I'd wait things out, see how the buzz went, and maybe check it out after a few episodes. Well, I never did get around to watching, so when the DVD was released right around my birthday, I took it as a sign: get your ass in gear like a proper comic nerd and see what all the fuss is about.

Well, I did. And...? Yeah — it rules. So if you're as foolish as I was but would like to be smart someday, you owe it to yourself to give these characters a chance. There's Peter, the hospice worker who can fly… sometimes, maybe, when he's around his brother Nathan (Petrelli powers… activate!), who was that kid in school who'd rather be a congressman than have superpowers. Then there's the artist who can paint the future — when he's doped up on heroin — and Hiro, the most earnest supergeek ever, who I guarantee will evoke a smile from you whether you want to or not when he first discovers his powers. And of course, the aforementioned cheerleader; who, since she's able to heal any wound, begs the question of whether she even needs saving. Plus tons more, enough to keep me talking for days... and since that's never a good idea, let's hear what Justin has to say instead.

Let’s just agree on something right now and get it out of the way: the comic book/superhero genre isn’t just a “fad” that’s merely passing through the mainstream of culture, here for a little while until it’s tapped dry and then sent out to pasture. Similar the recent surge of zombie movies and the resulting backlash, the superhero “thing” has been decried as “overdone”, with some critics stating that, while it was interesting and all well and good, it’s time to get back to Serious Storytelling about Hot Political Issues, and leave the kiddy stuff in the playground.

Poo on you, sir, I say. Poo.

I submit that superhero franchises are just starting to see a massive uptick in public interest, and the success of the 2006-07 first season of Heroes seems to point in that direction. Sure, this is a show that could burn brightly, then stumble and falter later on (see Lost), but people worldwide bumrushed this show in such overwhelming numbers and with such gusto that you have to admit there’s just something about superhero mythos that appeals to us greatly.

It didn’t hurt that they did it in a completely brilliant way. Without being completely explicit about it, the series actually starts in media res, in the thick of the action. Slowly and richly, we’re introduced to a new batch of mutated freaks who have discovered that they possess a unique ability, and have to struggle with what to do with it. What they don’t figure out, at least not until later on, is that this isn’t a new phenomenon – super-powered heroes have been around for decades, at least, and there are shadowy forces in play for them.

Bouncing around the world during the first few episodes, we’re introduced to Suresh, an un-powered scientist whose father figured out a way to track down these new types of humans; Claire, a 16-year-old cheerleader who continually tests why her body is suddenly invincible; Peter and Nathan, brothers who both have powers and significant influence in political circles; Hiro, a Japanese corporate flunkie who’s delighted to discover that he can bend space and time; Sylar, an unflinching serial killer; Nikki, who’s not only super-strong but has multiple personalities; DL, who can phase through walls, and more.

If the show wasn’t as entertaining as it is, and wasn’t giving you some new juicy piece of shocking development to chew on every ten minutes or so, you might become antsy at how little the characters initially use their powers. There isn’t even a clear big bad supervillain at the onset – just a clairvoyant message that NYC would suffer a nuclear explosion in a few weeks, a prophecy that most of the characters doubt or don’t care about.

My theory on why Heroes feels fresher than it has any right to be is because you can't quite see where they're going with it. Most superhero comics follow a very set pattern, and most of the movies know the end result — where the hero has to be, what they have to look like, etc — and have to reverse-engineer it to make it happen. You can dress Batman up in many different ways, but in the end he's still a rich guy who has his parents killed and dons a batsuit to fight crime. Here, the end isn't known, it isn't a given they'll form a team and start wearing suits and doing huge battles with supervillains. So the journey seems more innovative than it actually is, considering how many elements are borrowed (ripped off) from classic superhero tales.

The biggest hook for the series is undoubtedly its ability to keep shocking you with major surprises – the sort that most other shows would hold on to for their season finale. Just when you think you know a character, you don’t; just when you assume a character is good or evil, they aren’t. The first year takes bold, unrestrained steps where others might have been a bit more timid; I was utterly amazed at how much they played around with the format of the show, throwing in time travel and alternate universes as if Heroes had been around for a good half-decade already and was comfortable enough for such twists.

Of course, it’s not perfect, but no show is. I just can’t wipe the goofy geek smile off my face long enough to try to think of what they are. Make no mistake about it – this is the show for any superhero fan, casual or no, to watch.