Reviews by Matt

If you just came out of a yearlong coma, here is what you missed; “Heroes” took the television world by storm. It gave NBC its highest ratings for a series premiere ever. It even took on and beat Jack Bauer and the rest of the cast of “24” in the ratings week after week and it became a television phenomenon. This past Monday, “Heroes” returned for the second season and continued to amaze.

Season two picks up four months after the events of the finale. The indestructible cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and her family have moved from Texas to California to keep Claire safe from the mysterious “company” Mind reading police officer Matt Parkman (Greg Grunburg) has moved to New York City and has adopted Molly Walker (Adair Tishler), the little girl who has the ability to find those with special powers. Everyone’s favorite time-traveling Japanese office worker, Hiro (Masi Oka), is still stuck in 1671 Japan and comes face to face with his childhood hero Takezo Kensei (David Anders) and discovers he is not who the legends say he is. Other character’s fates were reveled while others still remain a mystery.

With great success come high expectations. The sophomore season of a show is very critical, especially one with this much hype. “Lost” got hammered in its second season when it dove too much into the mystery and asked more questions than it answered. I do not foresee the same problem for “Heroes.” They have learned from other shows and are quick to give the viewers what they want.


The second season premiere gave viewers a glimpse at what to expect for the new season. New heroes Maya (Diana Ramirez) and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) were introduced as they made their way from Honduras to America to find a cure for what is happening to Maya. She has the ability to give people a deadly disease that causes a black substance to ooze from their eyes. The new villain was introduced, but not much is known about who they are or what they can do. The new season looks to keep the pace set by the first season. They are quick to give answers as well as set up more for season two.

The key to “Heroes” is the strong storytelling. Yes, it is about people with powers, but it is not just for comic book fans. These are people you can care about and root for. They represent every race, religion, economic background and gender. These characters have a depth that few other shows can even hope to achieve.

“Heroes” returned strong for the second season. If they keep it up they will find the same success they had last year. Time will only tell where this show will go.

“Heroes” airs Monday at 9 p.m. on NBC.