Heroes Season Two DVD Review

Brief Recap of Heroes Season One

As power mimic Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) is about to inadvertently go nuclear (literally, having absorbed radiation powers from Ted Sprague a few episodes back) in the downtown New York area, becoming the very cause of an explosion he was trying to prevent throughout the first season, his older politician brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) grabs a hold of him, and uses his flying ability to take both of them up into the stratosphere, where a bright explosion lights up the night sky. Peter and Nathan have sacrificed themselves, and saved the world (and the cheerleader, after all). This spares New York City from the much anticipated destruction foreshadowed all season, by precognitive painter Isaac Mendez (Santiago Cabrera)’s prophetic sketches.

As Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) fought Sylar in the aforementioned battle, he was thrown telekinetically towards a nearby wall, at which point he instinctively teleported to safety. Little did he realize that his ill-planned jaunt to safety, has taken him back to feudal Japan, where he drops in unannounced, in the middle of a battle. End Volume One: Genesis, onwards to Volume Two: Generations.

Overview of Heroes Season Two DVD

Season Two picks up the story with a first episode appropriately called “Four Months Later”. Though the current plot is preceded by the aftermath of the Kirby Plaza battle, only a handful of loose ends are tied with this season premiere. For one, Peter and Nathan survived, the former having mimicked the healing factor copied from his niece Claire (Hayden Panettiere), while the latter is barely alive, having flown a certain distance away from the blast, before Peter “exploded”. Peter brings his brother to an intensive care unit, as he is badly burned and disfigured. His status doesn’t get revisited until mid-season, and so the plot switches to Peter’s encounter with the Company, where he meets theenigmatic Adam Monroe (David Anders, perfectly cast here). Their relationship becomes one of the driving points of most of this shortened season.

Meanwhile, the events of the Season One finale have had their toll on Noah Bennet (aka Horn Rimmed Glasses), and his history with the mysterious Company. He moves the family (Claire included) to California, so to disappear off the map, and keeping his family out of danger. There, Claire meets West, a teenager who can fly. They spark off a romance, which they conceal from Mr. Bennet/HRG.

Mohinder Suresh (the one character without powers, also the narrator) is recruited by The Company to work on the Shanti Virus. This virus may very well kill millions in the future, if released. What the Company may do with it isn’t elaborated on.

On another front, Hiro Nakamura spends time in feudal Japan, where he encounters his childhood Hero Takezo Kensei, an unstoppable samurai. While with him, he makes some discoveries which may very well change the course of history.

While all of this is happening, we are treated to sporadic updates from the missing-in-action Sylar, who was secretly relocated by The Company to a remote building deep in the South American jungle. Now seemingly powerless, he opts to make his way back to America, to recover his abilities using a strain of the aforementioned Shanti Virus, concocted by Dr. Suresh (Sendil Ramamurthy). The virus, its implications, and how it is sought after by various characters (both good and bad) throughout this season, is the driving force behind the various subplots of Season Two. Of course, staying true to the comic-book format the show is inspired from, the ending of SeasonTwo gives us a taste of what to expect for Season Three: Villains, currently airing on Monday nights.

Overall Analysis of Heroes Season Two DVD

It must be said that Tim Kring possesses great skill in establishing parallel storylines, and has a natural knack for well prepared cliffhangers at the end of each episode. In this writer’s opinion, that knack for excellent editing and pacing, contributes largely, to the show’s current success. Also, the casting of the various characters, without giving top billing of one actor over another, also helps create an excellent ensemble cast, one of the betters ones in recent television.

The most notable casting addition for season two, was David Anders, who plays the charismatic Adam Monroe, whose power makes him unable to die or age. The background given on his character, allows for an incredible amount of involvement within each storyline, and Anders’ ability to play ambiguous villains (see him as the equally morally ambiguous Mr. Sark, in J.J. Abrams Alias), made for a great substitution in the absence of Sylar. Actor Zachary Quinto, who portrays Sylar on the show, scored the chance to play a young Spock in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek film reboot.

While this show’s run might not be indefinite, viewers can be hopeful that the story arcs will remain as fresh and captivating as Seasons One and Two, with the first few episodes of Season Three already proving to continue in this vein.

Special Features of Heroes Season Two DVD

Look for a sneak preview of Season Three, as well as a very insightful alternate ending to Season Two’s finale, which tells of which direction the storyline may have taken, if the season hadn’t been curtailed by the Writer’s Strike in late 2007. The producers explain how they would have dealt with the release of the Shanti Virus, and how the titular heroes of the show would have done what they could to contain it.

8 out 10, for an action packed season despite being only 11 episodes

Heroes Season Two DVD

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