A&E Beat: Heroes Season 3… What happened?

The impression I am getting with this show at the moment is not good. Not good at all.

For those of you who don’t watch, “Heroes” is the ongoing story of a growing group of people who find themselves with superhuman abilities, some good and some not so good. These very different people’s destinies are linked together as they struggle to discover who and what they really are and what shadowy figures are attempting to either destroy them or use them for their own ends.

So think X-Men, but without the requisite colorful costumes.

Altogether, creator Tim Kring had a goldmine of creative opportunity here. While he didn’t necessarily have to break new ground in the whole superhero department — people being able to fly or heal is nothing new — he did manage to create a new and rather captivating universe that keeps you guessing at every turn.

Season 1 had that in spades. Season 2 got a little hairy at times, but it’s forgivable given the writer’s strike at the time.

This time around, I really miss being able to say “Man, I love this show!” Quite honestly, the show is pissing me off.

This season is about “Villains” and how a possible future filled with people with abilities forges a rift between all the characters. There’s this whole “Choose a Side!” and “Who is a Villain?” aspect this time, which I’m sure must be great for marketing. However, in terms of writing and execution, I get the sense that they’re really trying to both undo the last season’s missteps and expand the story with as many jumps and surprises as possible. I suppose that’s fine, but taking into account that the season is only five weeks in and there are maybe six major storylines that only pay lip service to the overarching theme tends to indicate that the writers’ priorities are all over the place.

What’s more, each storyline varies in quality. Without giving too much away, I’ll say that while I respect Hiro’s efforts and development to an extent, Peter is hitting an all-time-low and that is really sad. You don’t take away a character’s credibility like that, even if you want to explore how he or she would act on the wrong side. Meanwhile, Suresh is… I don’t even want to talk about it.

Finally, the dialogue is horrendous and cliched, and there is simply no excuse for that. When the season premiered and Sylar said something to the effect of “It hurt… Like the morning after a bad taco dinner,” I threw my hands up in dismay. That’s just the wrong foot to start on, but they keep hopping forward on that same foot. “Playtime’s over?” I’d say “Seriously?” but Grey’s Anatomy isn’t to my taste.

It can be said that it’s still very early in the season, despite so much having happened. Things could get drastically better in the future. I’d like to see that. At the same time, things could not. Luckily, the show still holds my interest, so I’ll keep watching. Unfortunately, I can see myself pulling my hair out for many weeks to come.

Of course, HRG is consistently badass.

Filed under: A&E Beat, oh fifty seven , A&E Beat, Kwame Opam, Television