When “Heroes” blazed on the scene, there was nothing like it and the world responded quickly and it became a phenomenon, reaching across the barriers of age, race and sex. It showed that none of the aforementioned categories matters and banding together is the only way to survive. Heroes made you believe that you could be special. It showed us that even though these people were flawed, they could become bigger than the flaws, bigger than the pettiness of selfish inner desires, and become heroes when called upon. However, the TV landscape changed since the premiere of “Heroes” with heroes on every channel and in the theaters, The “Heroes” tv show is just one depiction, of many, about “super” humans. How could this show compete? Why didn’t”Heroes” captivate the masses like its previous incarnation? Finally, what could it do better if it rises from the dead again? There are so many things wrong with “Heroes Reborn and I'm not sure if I have enough time or words to discuss everything thoroughly.
The first issue to dissect is character development. None of the main characters felt fully fleshed out. All the major characters seemed like children. Meanwhile, the minor/ exposition characters narrated information relevant to the story but lacked a story line of their own to support the story flow. It seems like the writers focused on quantity over quality. Heroes were introduced that added little to nothing to the main arc while the villains had potential but didn’t quite reach the menacing evil that Sylar offered to the original “Heroes” TV show. For example, the character Phoebe Frady, an umbrakinetic, power negator, would have been a better villain alongside with her brother, Quentin Frady, but the writers made her a puppet to the “weaker” human Erica Kravid.
Quentin’s sudden change of teams was initially an annoyance to me as a viewer, but eventually made sense, however, the number of people who had a sudden change of consciousness was excessive, especially within such a short timeframe. Not to mention, the sheer hypocrisy that one of the character’s exhibited that no one seems to call to attention. Specifically, Taylor who was allowed by everyone to ride a high horse of morality that she neither earned nor deserved. Weak characters may have been one problem, but the whole major storyline was horrible. It focused too much on making an unimportant character important. The world was also quite forthcoming with information on Evos in a world that was anti-Evo with extreme prejudice. We can see from our own history that when the majority is against the minority, they tend to want to eliminate all information on the subject. Furthermore, what was the point of making the world anti-Evo if it only affected 3-4 episodes? Why not just continue as an underground organization? It would have made more sense. Especially since Tommy can remove his microchip without any consequences. This whole series could have been downgraded to a few episodes, an extension of the original series, and it would have had the same effect on the world. The characters, as I said in previous reviews of this show, are just carbon copies of the original characters.
The storyline and major plot points were weak at best. The story mainly followed Noah, Tommy and Malina (aka Claire 2.0). None of their storylines were strong enough to be the focal point of 13 episodes. Tommy was weak the first five episodes and was easily misled by a clearly evil person that LITERALLY everyone in his life said was evil. Within the last episode he completely mastered his powers to the point that he could split himself in half and still retain his full power within both versions of himself. Noah’s entire world revolved around Claire and even after her death, he still couldn’t move on. He has just transferred his obsession to his grandchildren, which would have been fine if the sole purpose of this whole season wasn’t to kill him off. Also, he added nothing to the plot, he does very little in this version, and honestly, he had more depth in the original “Heroes” series when he was a villain-esque character. I know I have complained about the World building, but it was a true debauchery of the skill. They added arbitrary rules that weren’t followed through and made situations unrealistic for the characters, for example, the hospital scene. When a group of injured people found out there were no doctors, nurses or staff and just a child, a recently treated woman, and a random guy, they all stayed to be treated. The world was anti-Evo to the point where they microchipped Tommy and gave him strict rules, however no one noticed when the microchip was removed? Or how about when Tommy crosses the ocean with the microchip in? They recorded Claire 2.0 on multiple occasions, but didn’t catch anyone else being an Evo out in the open. They rounded up Evos in large numbers, but no one important enough to make social media and go viral?
At the end of each episode I found that there were too many unanswered questions. I understand that they wanted more time to give us information and hoped to get another season, but basic things like how did Tommy learn to speak Japanese or what happened to Tommy’s small town love interest Emily Duvall and her boyfriend Brad? These questions were never answered or even why he was willing to risk his mother's safety to save Emily? Why didn’t he just leave her behind?
In addition to a lack of story and character development, there is also the issue of the oversaturation of superheroes in the media. The television world is now full of heroes so what would make “Heroes” stand out? “Heroes” shows the audience flawed human beings. Men, woman and children are born with abilities they didn’t understand and sometimes couldn’t control. They didn’t have to be anything but flawed people that came together when it was necessary. They showed the power of humanity at its core and that is our ability to work together for a greater purpose.. These people made you care because their problems were so relatable. They have families, friends, and relationships that matter to them while trying to figure out these powers they may not understand.
After bashing the series for the vast majority of its short-lived season, a friend asked, “Would I watch it if they brought the show back again?” The short answer absolutely. The long answer is I am such a fan of the original series that if they continue the show, I will feel compelled to watch. I’ll complain about how horrible it is but I’ll still watch because the worse it is, the more I can’t rip my eyes away from the carnage that was formerly great. Or it might be a phoenix rising from the ashes to redeem itself and stand out in its own unique way from its predecessors. Either way, I’ll be watching, and hoping for the best.
