Carnival of Heroes

I can still remember the first time I saw Heroes. It was back in the day when people watching synchronized television; no fastforwards, no replays, no taped programs, no nothing. Back then, you were constantly pressed for time when you wanted to watch your favourite program, because there were no rewinds or record buttons (sure, there're the good old-fashioned VHR you could've used, but I mean, who does that, right?). So, there I was, I think it must've been about 4 or 5 years ago, when I turned on the tv and saw the first glimps of Heroes. Nigh instantly, I was hooked.

I've always had a thing for superheroes or superpowered movies. Granted, they might not be the most innovating or even well-played movies in existence, but you can't blame me for wanting to see a world filled with superheroes and quietly wishing I'd have superpowers too. Which is precisely the reason why I own movies such as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Iron Man, Catwoman, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, Batman, Spider Man, Watchmen and practically all other movies that include capes, Kryptonite and closeted superheroes.

Back to the matter at hand: Heroes. Since it is a time of intense studying and educational reflection, it's always good to have a proper kind of distraction. Mine is television. How could it not? So naturally, after having seen the first three seasons of Heroes, it was unthinkable of me not to watch the fourth and final season. A couple of days ago, I went to the store and bought myself a little distraction. Ever since, I've been commitedly watching a few episodes per day, limiting my pleasure at three a day, which isn't a bad deal, if you ask me.

I have to say though - and maybe this will break the hearts of fellow Heroes fans - the fourth season is by far the worst in the series. I could give you a million reasons why, but for the sake of this blog and the time you students are wasting on reading all of this, I'll keep it somewhat shorter.

The fourth season revolves around a carnival and its self-proclaimed 'master of the performance' Samuel Sullivan (played by Prison Break's T-Bag). Samuel has gathered all kinds of 'metahumans', people with abilities, at the carnival and created a sort of family there. He insists on attracting more and more people to expand the family. Though seemingly altruistic, Samuel has far more sinister plans with this mass-gathering of superpowered people. That's where the other heroes come in. What follows is a constant push-and-pull of people being drawn to the carnival, leaving the carnival and coming back again to the carnival and so on and so forth.

In my humble opinion, the whole carnival storyline should've been wrapped up in nine episodes, instead of the full 18-episodes long season-run. Already by the fourth or fifth episode, Samuel's masterplan has been completely revealed to (some of) the heroes and to the audience as well. So you can imagine that the next 13 episodes feel kind of redundant. Moreover, since it became clear that it would be the final season, it's even more painful to see that in the final minutes of the last episode, a prelude is made to what would undoubtedly have been the fresh injection of creativity the show needed after this season. 

The thing about Heroes is that the designated heroes of the show are never revealled to the world. There have been several attempts at unveiling their true identity to the world, namely Nathan Petrelli's 'I have the ability to ...'-speech, which was cut short by a mystery assailant shooting him down. But also the dark future-version of Clair Bennet, living in a world where a formula is created which gives people abilities. Both storylines however, were wrapped up and closed off by Hiro Nakamura's ability to alter time.

If you ask me, you cannot be called a superhero if nobody knows who you are or has even seen you. As long as their identity remains in the dark and only revealed to his fellow-superheroes, they are no more than vigilantes or silent saviors. Their intentions are no doubt heroic and their abilities superhuman, but a show cannot carry the name Heroes any longer if the respectable heroes are not out in the open.

In season 1, they're just beginning to come into their hero-heritage, hence the volume name Origins. The second season delves deeper into their lives and a glance at their future, which explains why Tim Kring called it Generations. By the third season we see a gallery of Villains followed by Fugitives, which sees our heroes hunted by the government (though still unbeknownst to the larger public). Season four counts 18 episodes under the Redemption volume and its final two minutes give way to what would've been the most exciting volume yet: Brave New World, with Claire Bennet exposing her abilities to the world.

It's sad that a show as good as this, should meet its end by the hands of Redemption. Yet, it is all us humble fans are given and it is what we'll have to make due with. Already, I'm imagining what would've happened to Claire, Peter, Syler/Gabriel, Matt, Hiro and all of the others, but that's exactly where it'll stay: my imagination. Maybe it's for the best? Maybe that way, the fans can carry on the legacy without a potential feeling of disappointment when it wouldn't've worked out. Sadly, it also means we won't be given a chance to be proven wrong.