After a very long wait, and a somewhat disappointing second season, Heroes has finally returned for Season 3: Villains.
At the end of season 2, Sylar (Zachary Quinto) had just gotten his powers back, Noah Bennet aka “HRG” (Jack Coleman) had just gone back to work for “the company” in order to spare his family, and Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) had been apparently fatally shot just as he was about to reveal his ability to fly to the world.
BTW, full-on spoilers in the review below.
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Heroes is run by folks (led by series creator Tim Kring) who actually listen to the fans, take their complaints to heart, and use that information to improve the show. This season there will be no slow, dragged out story arcs, and Kring says there will not be any new characters introduced (although this episode seems to contradict that). This season will also be comprised of two “volumes.” The first half of the season will be called “Villains,” but there is no title for the second half yet.
Enough of that… on to the season opener!
The episode opens with Claire (Hayden Panettiere, looking all “Matrixed” out in black leather) trying to kill Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), four years after Nathan’s announcement of his powers. Peter goes back in time to change the past, since it seems that things became very bad for super-powered beings after Nathan’s revelation.
So yes, the assassin is Peter Petrelli from the future.
Cut to Japan, where Hiro (Masi Oka) now owns his father’s corporation. He’s quite bored by the whole thing and yearning for a new quest. Of course, the show is happy to oblige. He watches a video left behind by his father stating that he needs to guard the contents of a safe (without ever opening it), the contents of which could lead to the end of the world. It is half of some sort of chemical formula.
Of course, he opens it.
A blonde girl who moves as fast as The Flash promptly steals it. And here lies the first thing that bugged me about this episode: Why didn’t Hiro just go back in time 60 seconds and put that piece of paper back in the damned safe?
Instead he goes to the future, sees his best friend Ando (James Kyson Lee) who is now super-powered kill him, and the destruction of Tokyo.
Nathan was dead for all of five seconds, but came back to life somehow – and claims to have seen God. I’m curious how they develop this and how it comes across to fans as he comes across downright born-again. Linderman is also back despite the fact that he seemed definitively dead during last season. Turns out he healed Nathan and has big plans for him.
Sylar finds Claire, intent on once again trying to take her healing power. He does the skull slice trick on her, sucks her powers… but surprisingly, leaves her alive after a very creepy scene in which he talks to her while he has the top of her skull off. Sylar tells Claire that she is not like the others – she is special and she can never die. And now, neither can he.
Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is with Maya (Dania Ramirez, who unfortunately is still on the show) and she still wants to be cured. He flashes on the idea that the abilities are not based in the blood but in the adrenal gland. Suddenly he shifts his research (and ridiculously quickly creates a serum) from curing super-powers to being able to give them to anyone via an injection.
(”Click here to continue reading Heroes Season 3 Premiere Review“)
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152 Comments
Lol,,,Ergo Proxy…
Anyone that’s into this genre can clearly see that Fringe lifts the cast dynamic from The Lone Gunmen, and uses stories from the X-Files, and Millennium…
(That’s the Abrams mark of quality)
He’s the TV equivalent of “Copy and Paste”.
Btw,,, Lone Gunmen Spoilers,,,
The Lone Gunman were killed off in an X-Files episode called, “Jump The Shark”….
Its included as a bonus episode in the Lone Gunmen dvd set.
@790,
Dude!! IF you say, CHECK THE HOOTERS ON THAT HOT CHICK! And then add… DON’T LOOK!!!
What do you think I’ll do???
Damn so they killed them off? Well like Chris Carter told me and keeps saying to everyone… In X-Files… NOBODY really dies…
I like your comparison… Copy / Paste… That’s JJs next TV hit… Copy/Paste, with a cast and crew from Lost and Fringe…
Anyone seen City of Ember? Going to see it this Friday with my girlfriend…
Sorry bout that Ergo…lol. You gotta catch up with your X-Files dvds.
I guess your right in a sense. We did see their ghosts in the final X-Files episode.
All just put this down here,,,,
Spoilers.
I wish I could ,,,,
Cont/Alt/Delete
JJ Apeman.
@Ergo Proxy
Fringe is beyond stupid… Yet all the Star Trek and Lost (JJA) fanboys are loving it
Hold on thar par’ner! I’m a huge Trek fan (in more ways than one
) and I tried watching Fringe but just can’t get into the show. I don’t know if it’s the crazy genius professor or his son calling him by his first name, but it’s just a show that doesn’t have much appeal to me.
As for Heroes, I hear (well, read) what you and Rob are saying and they are very valid points. Hopefully, the writers will somehow redeem themselves by letting us know what’s really going on with these characters and somehow get away from the time-travel arc.
What did happen to the girl Peter was trying to save? It seems like he has totally forgotten about her. The Nikki/Tracy thingy could be interesting; we’ll just have to see where the writers are going with it. I suppose tonight we’ll see what’s going on with Suresh.
@ Master Kahless,
I never took you for a Fanboy, I always took you to be one of the original Trek fans. Those who understand the philosophy and ideals behind Gene’s concept. You know a real Star Trek fan, not those new ones who roam around for the sake of wearing something retro… etc..
Nah, I know you are not a fanboy.
@Ergo Proxy
I definately know more than Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. Of course, that’s not saying much; a Tribble would know more than those dweebs.
I don’t get into the dressing up thing (I doubt if I could find costumes in my size) but I do know a heck of a lot about all the shows (I still watch Enterprise, the worst of all the shows).
But being a comicbook freak of old, especially X-Men, Heroes sent my geek-o-meter into overdrive. The writers have disappointed me on numerous ocassions but I have high hopes they will get back to the Heroes we all knew from season 1. Fringe….well, they will have to show me something better.
@ Master Kahless,
Indeed it is just how I imagined you… one who’s got the passion for the concepts, stories and ideas based on a universe with tons of potential and you too become sensitive to the poor writing or mutilation of certain otherwise safe universes in which some shows reside in.
I too found Enterprise a kick in the balls, head, back, you name it I was beaten up by Enterprise… Mostly cause of the poor writing. I hear it does pick up in the last two seasons but then that’s not the name of the game now is it?
Also, Enterprise tread on holy grounds with that series and made TONS of errors… mainly because it’s a show that’s got History, Canon, Roots and historic as well as social values of todays modern society. It’s not just another TV show. It’s been a voice of hope and has been meant to strive to take people’s imagination far beyond the mundane. While the TOS had a way of transporting the imaginative kind to other worlds, it did manage to place a seed in a new kind of people, who would seek new challenges in life, trying to go where no man has gone before. They became the inspired ones.
TNG had somewhat a similar effect, in that they allowed HONEST and up to date science to build on fascinating new ideas and build a genuinely interesting show. Naturally it had it’s ups and downs… but still… it did birth DS9, VOY and ENT.
Deep Space Nine allowed to be more rough on the edges, but that’s mainly cause of Babylon 5 being a major competitor. If you know anything about what really went on behind the scenes before DS9 was given the green light you’ll know just how much of JMS’s idea was stolen to build that show. But then Paramount needed a new Trek on TV to keep the wheel going and so that turned into something else. JMS originally went to Paramount to sell his idea. I do like DS9 for it’s multiverse of stories and cast, but it failed for me in the first season and ending which wasn’t very Star Trek like, but they had to try and make something like B5 in Trek.
Voyager was something that lasted only half a season for me.. I had serious issues with the Captain… I thought so many of their characters were regurgitated and used so poorly that I couldn’t bare watching anymore. So I stopped… However I’m watching the reruns now and I find my self to be lightly entertained… though I’m watching random episodes so I don’t know what’s what just yet.
Enterprise on the other hand was to put it diplomatically… unappealing to me… They tried so hard to be Farscape, or everything that had the same new feel to it… Enterprise with it’s horrible opening theme… I’m also watching those on rerun, and every time I hear that theme, I turn off that volume. It’s dreadful and so UN TREK LIKE!!!
Anyway, Enterprise went were few Trek has gone before… in the gutter, at warp speed.
It had the weakest captain, the worst Vulcan, the dumbest Communications officer and the most ornamental characters in the history of Trek… namely the pilot.
If I was brought in on Trek while the actors were already assigned to the show, this is how my Enterprise would look with what I had to work with, (cast wise) :
Captain Charles T. Tucker
(He seemed more than capable to be captain and often showed more captain like skills and presence than Archer EVER DID!)
Second in Command T’Pol
(having NORMAL hair not that Romulan fashion, she’s got going on. Also she’d be more open to humans which will become a major theme in the later episodes. She needed to be more Spock than a cardboard woman. She had ok features but she was boring as HELL!)
Third in Command Archer (Science officer)
(His still in the three amigo’s group but still, better than having him to lead)
Tactical Officer / Security / Weapons : LT. Reed
He’s pretty much where he’s supposed to be in that series.
Black Dude (Mayweahter?): Pilot
(See how unimportant his role is? I can’t even remember his name)
Hosi… Communications officer
(Use her or leave her… she was so boring that if they didn’t add some real stories to fill her personality it made her look pretty much like a button on the dashboard on the Enterprise)
The Doctor (Same guy)
(Instead of making him act like he’s on happy drugs, give him an agenda, give him a really horrible dark past that is slowly creeping up on him… make him someone you don’t dare to trust, but you’re forced to.)
Am I forgetting someone?
Anyway, you get my drift…
Star Trek is a vast universe today and it could have gone countless of ways… but when it’s the same idiots who keep on writing and making those shows… there’s NEVER going to be change… And as for Fringe…
That’s just a major disaster a complete joke. And yet… THOSE are the writers to the new Star Trek that will revitalize the franchise? Ouch…
Sorry but the writing in Fringe is a complete joke…
Ego Proxy, you couldn’t BARE watching voyager? TMI! TMI!
-Jim the Typo Gestapo
@ JC in Chicago,
The heck is TMI??
@ 790, Ergo Proxy
I kinda agree with you guys about Fringe.
It is not intelligently written by any means and how they solve the cases are so friggin stupid. The episodes don’t seem to be about that at all even – instead, more about wierd characters at the end. It’s like they’re trying to shove in soooo many Lost-style twists into the first 4 episodes.
Each episode involves something crazy happening, then the old guy Walter figuring it out with a throw-away line of dialogue in the next scene. Then the rest of the episode involves them searching for who did it or whatever.
Also, each episode’s case involves some crazy piece of equipment that Walter just so happens to have created and hidden somewhere or that company ‘Massive Dynamic’ having. And these random devices just so happen to work only in the circumstances presented in each episode.
That being said, it is very watchable and somewhat enjoyable. It’s not the best but I’m still going to continue watching.
Oh, but last episode showed off the worst voice-dubbing I’ve ever seen between Josh Jackson’s and Anna Torv’s characters. I should also point out that the dialogue is horrendous.
That’s cool Rob, let us know if it gets any better…
Whoaaa!
What happened to Heroes last night??
The show has totally gone ADD (attention deficit disorder) on us…
What I saw last night was just a mess.
At this point, I’m committing to Prison Break…
@Ergo Proxy
TMI = Too Much Information
I actually thought the ending for DS9 was pretty good; a lot better than Enterprise. The battle between the Dominion and the Federation had lots of sci-fi action, and the story arc between Sisko and Cassidy I felt was very good.
Mayweather was the black dude. I think he would make a perfect Black Panther. The writing became better because of Manny Coto. Of course, the series had already been damaged beyond repair. And that theme music, UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! (borrowing from Charley Brown)
Just saw another episode of Heroes…
It’s now officially laughable how the writers are pulling hairs just to come up with something and it’s clearly NOT WORKING…
Good grief… what are these people doing?
And that super lame company logo placement was just beyond dumb. The new Future Painter black guy was walking around with a UNIVERSAL Studios t-shirt… uughhh how lame,…
I guess it’s not just us who find the show to be a huge disappointment!
http://www.thrfeed.com/2008/10/monday-ratings.html
Thanks for that link Ergo,,,!
There’s a cool link there “Why Stephen King loves Prison Break”,,,,
I think the Family Guy, Manatees are writing Heroes this point. Lol.
Wait, wait… Manatees???
Wasn’t that an episode of South Park?
Or did Family Guy steal that idea too?
Yeah, if the producers of Heroes have a pair, they should rename the show “LOSERS”…
Maybe if it lives to see another season, we can all sign a petition to call the season for : LOSERS or Garbage… Pick one…
Yeah in the South Park Cartoon wars epic 3 parter.
Its reviled that Manatees write the show.
Season 11, I believe….
(Damn funny)
LOSERS, hahaha!!
I smell a South Park Episode !!!!
OMG. First there was Sylar who could steal powers, now there is an old guy who just happened to be the father of Peter Petrelli who can more or less do the same thing except he really steals them. And oh, lets make Sylar more or less a good guy now.
Have they lost the imagination to write good stuff ????
After watching the new episode last night I am still f…ing mad at the show. I understand they want to change good characters to evil and vice versa, but it is done the wrong way. Peter becoming evil, Claire wanting to be a renegade, Sylar turning good and Mohinder wanting power happened so quick, that you(the viewers) don’t believe. And not only the writers are using the same basic plots, but they are making it more confusing. Each episode has so many stories going at the same time, that is it impossible to keep track of all of them( hince the reason you have so many holes in the stories)You would think that Ali Larter’s ice character would care about her sister and her son since she wants to know what happened to her. And What he hell happened to copycat girl from new orleans. I don’t need to see her but at least let me know what happened to her. Man, I hate lose ends. And what the hell is wrong with Hiro? He’s always looking dumb whenever something happens. You would thing that he would grow some pair after leaving feudal Japan, but no, same dumb Hiro. Ando should have his power and he’s smarter. And how did that speed girl get into level 5 facility and past their security? I am just mad because the show could blow every other show out of the water, but the writers are killing it. They really need to bring some badass comic book writers, those guys know what people want to see and can develop superhero characters.
By the way where the hell is Elle? That’s the only character I cared about for the moment, since everybody on Heroes acts so dumb and stupid .
I can just hope that the writers know what they are doing with Heroes
(Sorry for the spelling errors in the previous post)
@thriller
“You would thing that he would grow some pair after leaving feudal Japan”
EXACTLY. I don’t recall the amount of time he was there, but it was quite a while, and the showed that he grew as a person and in maturity. Apparently that’s all gone and he’s back to “goofy Hiro.”
At least they DID explain why sometimes the “going back in time one minute” might not work.
Vic
thriller said,: “They really need to bring some badass comic book writers, those guys know what people want to see and can develop superhero characters.”
Fire the producer and bring this guy on board.. Been reading this rant since September, and the first time this has been suggested here, that I can find.
Hi !!!! I just hope that the screen director from heroes will take a look at this. I think that if he puts it on screen, that will help heroes !! hE SHOULD MAKE Daphne millbrook and Elle bishop be sisters. (bob bishop puts Daphne in an orphanege because he is scared of his daughter)Elle is born 2 years after, he keeps her because now he knows what are abilities, now that he is working for the company. Then Freddie Bishop is born (ability: meteorologique elements(tornados, storms ..+ electricity from his sister and superspeed).And finally, Nick bishop age 12, put into care because the agents at the company tell him to abandonne Nick
(ability:earthquaques)
That would be fantastic, im a huge fan !!
PLEASE DO IT, PLEASE !!!! With the special affects, they would be incredible ! Good luck !!
I thought Season 1 was amazing. Season 2 had a few good episodes but on the hole it was a rehash of season 1 but without the mystery and done in half the time. Season 3 is just wretched. There’s no continuity : what happened to Caitlin/Monica? Peter was missing presumed dead for the whole of series 2 but upon seeing him on the news, Claire just picks up her phone and calls him on his mobile. It took her a whole 11 episodes to think of that?
Characters swing from being bad to good and vice versa within minutes. Sylar/ Mohinder/Claire/Peter have all done u-turns on their characters but there is no progression detailing how they got there. Sylar is now Angela’s son so he is trying to be good. Peter got “The Hunger” (ugh) and is suddenly a psychopath. Mohinder is The Fly (a reference here and there would count as an homage to the Cronenberg movie, this is just an outright ripoff). If this was series 1, Peter’s descent into homicidal maniac would’ve taken 3 episodes at least. We got it in 10 minutes. It’s too fast. Plus “The Hunger” is just a massive backtrack of a retcon of a failed plot device. Sylar was just a puppet all along and he didn’t murder because of his obssession with being special?
Remember when Angela said Matt would be just like his father if he forced the name of that company woman out of her? What happened to him turning villain and abusing his ability? Instead we get a “spirit walk” in Africa with another precognitive painter.
The show seems to be about ability theft now. Sylar/Peter/Arthur all do this in some form or another. It’s just about who can get the most abilites. Having Arthur steal all of Peter’s powers was one of the biggest mistakes the writers ever made. Remember how stupid they had to make Peter look in order to carry on the storyline? Like how he had a gun pointed at him and a child whose life was at risk but he wouldn’t stop time and save him? That’s just one example. Arthur should be unstoppable now but I;m sure he’ll end up dead due to not using the most obvious ability at the right time. All this time travel BS has to end aswell.
@ Fadian,
I couldn’t have said it any better… yet there’s so much more that’s gone rotten in this show that, it’s amazing to see people who actually thinks this is as good as last season. Somehow those people just didn’t get the point of the first season or they’re just able to really pay attention to quality and will watch anything with eye candy.
Having said that I did in fact give up on Heroes, I did that after 5 episodes into season 3. I gave them a full season and 5 episodes to justify why I should keep watching after knowing that season 2 was one horrible mess that simply couldn’t get better even if they pumped it up with adrenalin.
Either way, we’re looking at a show that’s going to be talked about, referenced to and probably laughed at for years to come. The truth about Heroes and Tim Kring or whatever he’s called, will be on E faster than you can find an episode with substance in season 2-3 and 4 if they ever get that long.
Ultimately this show called HEROES, is nothing but LOOSERS and for me is one EPIC FAIL in the history of over confident PR on a show like this.
RIP Heroes.
Fadian,
Great post! This could have been a very dark year for heroes, with some closeups on how powers can be abused and the thirst for power can corrupt. The issue with Peter’s power-rape of Sylar was an example. Also excellent irony: Peter already displayed “hunger” when he ripped this out of Sylar. (And in the ensuing episodes, did he use this power to “fix” time? Wasn’t that the premise of snagging the ability of “knowing how things work”?)
The Peter-turned Sylar is something I imagined from season one, where I thought the twist was that Peter would absorb Sylar’s power (we did hear the “Sylar voice” out of him once or twice) and that it would in fact be Peter, not Sylar, who killed Isaac in Hiro’s future.
Too bad the Dark Peter lasted shorter this year than it did in season 2. I’m assuming his “hunger” is gone into his dad. But because the road to obtain these powers again would be long, I’m sure that Kring’s favorite plot device–the Reset Button–will be called into play and Peter will be just as we knew him, minus The Hunger.
>>Remember when Angela said Matt would be just like his father if he forced the name of that company woman out of her? What happened to him turning villain and abusing his ability?<<
I agree, Fadian. This too would have been a great natural Hero-to-Villian change, but I think Kring is playing to the High School Musical fanbase that doesn’t want anything “really” bad to happen to anyone. Don’t “really” change Peter, don’t “really” change Mohinder. Don’t “really” kill Nikki.
Thanks Ergo Proxy, jc. I’ve seen up to episode 7 and it looks like it’s going to continue screwing up the series. The way it’s going now it seems like they HAVE pumped it full of adrenaline. It’s gone hyper. It’s out of control. There’s just too much happening in each episode. In series 1 you would get a cliffhanger at the end of each episode; series 3 you’re getting cliffhangers every 15 minutes, new characters appearing and being killed off or ‘dealt’ with in the space of a single episode and regular trips to the future to see an event or timeline that has to be stopped. It’s like the show developed ADD and took a sugar overdose at Disneyland.
I really wonder what people saw in the first series that they think they are now seeing in series 3.
“This could have been a very dark year for heroes, with some closeups on how powers can be abused and the thirst for power can corrupt.”
Agreed. Instead they gave us characters doing 180’s on themselves with no hesitation and constant whining about being indestructible and superpowered. Peter and Sylar should’ve slowly changed over the series, perhaps with the two of them facing off at the end, Peter turning villain and Sylar trying to stop him. A reversal of series 1.
As it happens, Kring just needed Peter to lose his powers and the only way he could think of doing that, presumably, was by giving him Sylar’s so he would run headlong into Pinehearst and get vamp’d by his dad. Similarly the only way he could think of making Sylar turn good was by making his murderous tendencies a part of his ability that he could not control. Which is just a cop out, in my opinion.
The show now seems to favour the people with the more flashy abilities. The ones that look good in action sequences. Micah had a really interesting ability which could’ve been used in some great storylines. Monica aswell. But the writers want people that can fly at light speed and shoot lasers out of their eyes. It’s all “INCREDIBLE POWER!!!” and “UNIMAGINABLE DESTRUCTION!!!” as HRG said.
The action is much more exciting when there is something to lose and the main characters in series 3 are just too powerful.
“I think Kring is playing to the High School Musical fanbase that doesn’t want anything “really” bad to happen to anyone. Don’t “really” change Peter, don’t “really” change Mohinder. Don’t “really” kill Nikki.”
Again, I agree, unfortunately. Who honestly thought for a second that Hiro had killed Ando? Was Matt really stupid enough to not use his mind controlling ability on Knox and let him tear out his heart?
Don’t “really” kill anyone. Don’t “really” do something unexpected. Don’t “really” think up an original storyline. Don’t “really” write an interesting script.
Cheers
I am looking forward to fourth season.
Sorry guys, but i’m very dissapointed with season 3. Hope
season 4 will be back with a vengeance!
I was watching first two seasons breathlessly. I haven’t seen something so interesting for a while. I couldn’t wait for a next episode. But when the third season started I was so disappointing. I couldn’t believe that they can make such a big turn to worse. Pity.
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