Heroes: season 1

By Sgt. Jerome Bishop
Multi-Nation Division – Baghdad Public Affairs Office

BAGHDAD – As the world gets seemingly smaller while cities become more and more populous, certain changes could take place to put some seemingly regular people on a path of genetic evolution.

This basic concept, which some scientists believe to be true, is the basis behind the award-winning television series – Heroes.

I know this isn't my regular review in the fact that I'm reviewing a TV show, but after being introduced to the show almost a year ago and neglecting to watch it until just recently, I decided I needed to share with the world what I think could become one of the best science-fiction shows ever aired.

The show follows the lives of several seemingly random people and tells their stories from how they discovered their super-human powers, how they interact with other "heroes" and how their common mission can save the lives of millions.

Learning of abilities reserved for comic book superheroes can have various effects on people; some would like to pretend they have no abilities at all, while others would seek to gain as many new abilities as possible for a much more evil purpose.

The clever thing about the series is its lack of a main character.

While some appear in more episodes than others, and others might have smaller or larger roles to play, the writers did a fantastic job focusing on the efforts of the team – not the individual.

"Save the cheerleader, save the world."

The primary focus of the first season of the series is showing how random people learn of their abilities, ranging from rapid regeneration to flight to time manipulation, even being able to absorb other powers. It isn't long before the "heroes" discover, one-by-one, their mission is to stop a nuclear bomb from destroying New York City.

While none of the characters are really "main" characters in the show, several do stand out as having a much larger role in the story line. Each with their own set of personal problems, they learn to set aside what's less important do take part in helping the greater good.

The cheerleader who can rapidly recover from any injury, Claire, played by Hayden Panettiere, tries to hide her powers from everyone, including her father, Noah, played by Jack Coleman. Jack leads a double life and works for an organization known simply as "The Company," which tracks and monitors advanced humans.

A Japanese office worker, Hiro, played by Masi Oka, learns he has the ability to bend time and space, which allows him to stop time, travel forward, backward and even teleport. He sets off on a mission with his coworker, Ando, played by James Kyson Lee, to prevent the outcome of what he saw while in the future.

The flying congressional candidate Nathan, played by Adrian Pasdar, struggles to win a seat in the House of Representatives while his younger brother Peter, played by Milo Ventimiglia, discovers he can absorb the powers of those around him, which he hopes to use by saving the world.

While the Indian professor, Dr. Mohinder Suresh, played by Sandhil Ramamurthy, has no powers at all, he is responsible for exploiting the work of his deceased father to explain why the changes are taking place in the human genome and doing what he can to aid the heroes in saving New York and the world.

These "heroes" and others do what they can to stop what seems to be the inevitable, while the maniacal Sylar, played by Zachary Quinto, sets off his own mission to murder other unique individuals. Sylar has the ability to understand the complex workings of anything, which he uses to steal the powers of others.

"It was done for the greater good ..."

This show takes an idea that's been put to use for decades and adds a fresh twist to provide a story, which can give hope to anyone.

Moral, personal and professional motives drive these people to do what it is they do, whether it's making the ultimate sacrifice to do something good or to escape a fate believed to be unavoidable. Although it's just a show, it's interesting to see how these actors, all of whom were selected perfectly for their roles, battle the moral decisions to do the right thing.

Season One is available now on DVD and would make an excellent addition to anyone's video library.

I give this one five stars out of five.