Thanks to the breakthrough series Heroes, NBC executives are definitely smiling more now. The network undoubtedly had the best show to hit the tube this year and has inspired legions of adoring fans throughout all significant demographics. The show captured the magic that got people hooked from other series/movies with characters imbued with special abilities and powers. It does remind you a bit of X-Men due to the undeniable mutant comparisons, but what sets Heroes apart are its more intricate story arcs, lack of cheesy costumes and a diverse cast. Yes, they have powers, but they don’t live in one mansion waiting for the next burglar attempt.
If you’re one of the seven people who have yet to watch this series, the more compelling characters include a 30-year nurse Peter Petrelli who can duplicate the abilities of the people who has come in contact with in the past. Nathan Petrelli – Peter’s brother — has the ability to fly and has aspirations for higher government. Sylar, the chief antagonist, has the ability to mimic abilities just like Peter but he achieves this in a more gruesome manner – say, cracking open skulls. The coolest ability arguably belongs to Hiro Nakamura, a comic book geek who can stop time, time travel and even move through the very fabric of time and space. And we’re only beginning, there are also characters with brute strength, immense mental powers and beyond-human durability and healing.
For twenty-two heart-stopping episodes, the show has featured interesting plot twists, untimely deaths of characters and serendipitous discovery of previously unknown abilities of some characters. This is why Episode 23 was a big let down for a lot of loyal followers of the series. In most Heroes-related sites, the final episode is rated as the worst episode of entire season. Admittedly, the lead up to the finale would surely increase the level of anticipation and expectation of viewers. After all, they did let a lot of major characters die (Linderman and Isaac for instance) and they were slowly showing how the rest of the characters interact with one another.
Episode 23 (How to Stop an Exploding Man) was hardly the type of closure that people would’ve wanted. Yes, they did resolve almost all the story arcs, but somehow, it did rob the next season of the intrigue of what could’ve happened. Here’s to hoping that we’ll all get it next season.