Heroes Review: It's Finally Over!
For months on end, season four of Heroes has caused us nothing but anger and anguish. It's been an abysmal, illogical, slow-developing series of episodes.
But we were finally able to laugh out loud at the conclusion of this week's episode, which revolved around Claire and HRG fighting. Yes, again. If that doesn't get your heart-racing for another season of this show, nothing will!
Before I get to my review, allow me to ask, in all caps no less: WHY WAS THIS VOLUME TITLED "REDEMPTION?!?" WHO WAS REDEEMED? Or, as is most likely the case, did the writers simply forget this was the title as early as the second half hour of the season?
Overall, "Brave New World" was simply weak and uneventful.
As always, it was filled with utterly random actions - hi, Tracy, thanks for stopping by out of nowhere, slithering through mud and disappearing again! - and storylines with no exciting pay-off. But more than anything, it was simply... there.
There was no suspense and no emotional attachment to anything going on. There was nothing especially awful about the hour, but nothing remotely season finale worthy, either.
Seriously, did anyone think HRG was gonna die? Did anyone feel as though the carnival storyline had a worthy conclusion, when Samuel's people simply walked away because a of couple people said so... and then Samuel squared off with Peter for six seconds, a character that was involved in an entirely separate storyline for the duration of the season?
Nothing could compare with the utter nonsense of Hiro, of course. Let's review his arc from season four:
- He came down with a brain tumor as a result of time traveling.
- It was magically cured because he had a dream.
- His true love was sent away by Samuel, ignored for numerous weeks, and then showed up again on the same hospital floor as Hiro, following his nonsensical cure.
- She's now an old woman with a family because Samuel sent her back to the 1940s, so Hiro said goodbye and... that was it.
We know the economy is poor and we don't wish harm on anyone - but every person associated with Hiro's storyline should be fired immediately.
The show created two supposedly pressing issues for the character (a brain tumor and an abducted girlfriend) and solved each by simply, literally making crap up. We'll have his dead mother kiss him in a fantasy! We'll have Charlie appear in the same hospital as an older woman!
It's legitimately incomprehensible that the show's producers have jobs.
If anyone was inspired by this episode to be psyched for a fifth season, we'd love to hear from you.
Was it Hayden Panettiere's terrible acting that roped you in? Ando's ability, which can seemingly be used for whatever is most convenient at the time? The mystery of Sylar, who was bad, then suddenly wanted to be good, especially after he was stuck in a dream for what felt like five years and is now - as that profound, dynamite quote of his revealed - a hero?
A couple questions about Samuel, meanwhile, are worth asking:
- Why did he ever give Claire a compass to begin with? Or play games with her and HRG's past? If the guy was such a monster, why not just kill HRG?
- If his ex-girlfriend hadn't rejected him... would the show have simply canceled the final few episodes? As noted previously, he never had any actual plan until he got dumped.
Think about how the carnival storyline played out: Samuel told everyone they had to show the world what they could do, and everyone agreed. Edgar and Eli then showed up and told everyone else something different... and they agreed. And that was it. That was actually the way this season's major plot wrapped up.
These carnival folk are more gullible than Sarah Palin supporters.
We scarcely have the energy at this point to go on about all the negative aspects of this show, so let's leave it at this: it's boring. It's painfully, painfully boring.
Please, NBC, you've caused Conan O'Brien and his followers enough pain. We beseech you: don't torture the rest of us by keeping this show on the air.
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
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February 5th, 2013 3:21 PM
even though heroes ended i believe that it has marked great episodeS that we all enjoyed. i was very devastated when i heard that they were not producing episodes anymore. i loved it. i would like to thank Tim Kring for such a wonderful series. i don't know why theY cancelled it. i became addicted to heroes. i still think it would be a good idea to make a movie to blow the ending with a splash. heroes will always have a special place in my heart no matter what anyone says. the actorS and actresses were brilliant. i hope it returns. heroes is the best i hope you dont entirely rest in peace. LOVED IT
January 16th, 2013 11:37 AM
Chelle you couldn't have said it better. Clearly this OLD WHITE MAN had glanced through the series and is angry at life for not getting the marriage or car that he wanted. He clearly has no taste and is attacking an entertaining series at its most vulnerable points. What he fails to realise is that the fact the show is called heroes should suggest unorthodox and unexplanatory things to occur. the fact of the matter is, that heroes was very entertaining, highly addictive but does have its suspensful moments.
I would love to watch another season, as would others who actually follow the series... :-)
R
October 14th, 2012 5:10 AM
Matt i think u r totally wrong. I'm guessing u just glanced through the entire series. It seems u had a problem with every central character. I loved all the characters and the story line. isn't it obvious that sylar was redeemed in the last season, through the season u start realizing that sylar ain't that bad. I was really looking forward to another season, maybe a last one, something to close this amazing show properly.
@VeganoLoco looking forward to your movie/series.
October 11th, 2012 5:00 AM
Matt i think u r totaly wrong. I'm guessing u just glanced through the entire series. It seems u had a problem with every central character. I loved all the characters and the story line. isn't it obvious that sylar was redeemed in the last season, through the season u atart realising that sylar ain't that bad. I was really looking forward to another season, maybe a last one, something to close this amazing show properly.
@VeganoLoco looking forward to your movie/series.
October 7th, 2012 4:53 AM
I still enjoyed the show and think NBC still owes its fans some closure! Until they do I will totally boycott them and no many others who feel the same way!
Rank: Extra
April 27th, 2012 4:15 AM
Matt, obviously you weren't paying attention.
Sylar was redeemed! Come on, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out.
April 1st, 2012 4:05 AM
Matt is 1000% correct on his review about this show, this has to be the worse tv show ever, this is so bad that it make me write a review, something that I have never done. something positive about this show was that I learn that I could be a producer
January 3rd, 2012 11:18 PM
the liberals ruin everything
November 28th, 2011 11:16 PM
My friend bought DVD and got me hooked... I watched all the seassons non-stop. I would love for for them to wrap it up with a movie maybe a part 1(a recap of most important events) and part taking from when claire jumped from the ferris wheel. I would love the main characters to be in the movie( peter (Milo) he's amazing(he's my favorite), Nathan (Adrian) i am still sad from the scene on the roof (right before Nathan dies). They really manage to show the connection, Hiro (Masi) he grew on me, he's exactly that noble,nothing couldn't be same without silar (zachary).
I think this serie was good and for the movie to do well it resides in the actors and their chemistry not easy to bring so many different people for such big part and have great result. The powers were imaginative from Peter as an empath who could absorb anyone's power, to the puppet guy (doyle) now that was hot, and the human lie detector...... We need something else another season or a movie. Figure it out.....
November 5th, 2011 2:05 AM
Its quantum leap and eli stone with a little bionic woman mixed in, people! The beauty of Heroes is in its interpretation, and thats what the satirical writer of this article couldnt comprehend. When Hiro was fighting for his life he was being judged by everybody in his life (judgement day), at the end of the hall was a bright light and his mother (heaven), and his mother saying "science cannot fix everything" (is a miracle) / or by taking his head bandage into account you can assume that his brain bled out and the doctors did an emergency brain surgery. You can see the plot however you want to, you can see the powers as evolutionary feats of mankind, but if god created us to be in his image why wouldnt he want to give us all unique heavenly abilities? Critics need to think outside the box. I loved quantum leap, and it flirted with the idea that space and time jumping and righting wrongs was perpetuated by god. Eli Sone was and alleged "prophet", The bionic woman was scientifically mad