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Do you ever... get the feeling that you were meant to do something extraordinary?"
That has always been the mission statement of NBC's "Heroes", watching ordinary people do extraordinary things. Whether it is painting the future, traveling through the past, or merely saving a cheerleader, the characters of "Heroes" have accomplished a great deal. But now, after 48 episodes and dwindling ratings, they have one simple mission: Survival.
After fending off their largest threat thus far, this new "Heroes" story arc find these characters trying to return to normal lives. Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) has returned to a life of saving lives as a paramedic. Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), the indestructible cheerleader, now only has to worry about college.
Ando (James Kyson Lee) adjusts to life with powers, while Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) adjusts to life without them. All the while, Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) is working with the United States government to round them all up and imprison them, mirroring the real life threat of foreign terrorism.
Faced with the huge threat of something like the government, the Heroes are going to be working together to fight for something as American as apple pie: Freedom.
The first season of "Heroes" was an adrenaline shot extended over 22 episodes. It was new, fresh and exciting. Yet the subsequent two stories following that first season (known as Volumes in the "Heroes" universe) continually lacked the same punch.
Volume Two, "Generations," had some excuse for its lack of wavering impact, most notably the writer's strike. Many of the plot threads introduced were either never fully developed or completely dropped in order to quickly film the season in lieu of the strike. One character was even totally abandoned in the future and never mentioned again. "Generations" also saw The Company, a clandestine organization that acted as the main threat to the Heroes, completely de-fanged by the end of the arc. The main plot of a killer virus was never fully developed and many of the new characters were one-dimensional or universally hated by fans.
Yet while the character problems of "Generations" were swiftly corrected in preceding "Villains" volume, plot problems began to undercut an over-arching storyline that held no real tension. The problem was never "Are the Heroes going to win?" but "When are the Heroes going to win?" The stakes were never high in any of these episodes, and hardly any character seemed to face the threat of death within the "Villains" arc. Elsewhere, Sylar's (Zachary Quinto) waffling allegiances never seemed authentic. His redemption never really felt necessary or needed and was quickly swept under the rug by the story's end.
Thankfully, Volume Four's "Fugitives" now reboots Sylar's story back its basics, with him just pissed off and acting like the animal he is.
Yet Sylar isn't the only one with a different direction in this volume, the following characters also face new paths in the coming storyline:
Peter- The human anchor of the show, Peter's power has always been based on empathy, his ability to connect and understand those he is around. The majority of the first character connections made in the show were through Peter. So as the Heroes fight for their freedom, Peter will remain the pillar of strength they need. His story will be about him fighting the good fight against his whole family and the aching question will be whether or not he will go down the dark path his family has.
Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman)- Bennet (or Horn-Rimmed Glasses) has always been shades of grey, yet has always been there as an ally for the Heroes.
But, with no Company to fight for/against, this season he establishes himself on the side of humans, acting as the leader of all the round-ups. This is going to be the season with major ramifications for HRG. He has finally taken a stand against all of the Heroes and this will lead him to a reckoning.
Bennett knew how to handle the Heroes of old, but the new generation acts on a different set of rules and HRG might not to be able to keep up.
Hiro- Hiro has always showed the joy of having powers. Even with all the pain he has gone through, Hiro remains an innocent and the one who believes in the Heroes ability to save the world. But now that Hiro is without powers, his joy in the world is now being lived through his friend Ando. Yet oddly enough, the only thing that is really expected from Hiro right now is when he is going to regain his powers.
Luckily, the writers have come up with a good enough gimmick as Hiro current acts as Ando's eye-in-the-sky from the safety of their secret hideout. This will allow for him to remain powerless without losing his interest as a character.
"Fugitives" has the potential to be phenomenal. The stakes established add some much needed tension to the series, and delved into the core of our American beliefs. No one has the right to take someone else's freedom, and Nathan's plot to do so will immediately resonate with viewers.
Successful premieres are able to pull the viewer into the show's world, explaining just enough to center the audience while leaving enough questions keep them coming back. "Heroes" does that in spades with great tension and drama, as well as a gripping cliffhanger.
But while there is a great amount of potential for this volume, "Heroes" still has the specter of its own unevenness hanging over it.
While some of the best sci-fi stories have come from this show, that hasn't stopped some of the worst coming from it too. Luckily "Heroes" won't need super powers to save itself, just good writing.
"Heroes" airs Mondays on NBC at 9 p.m.
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