Catching up with Heroes

For the Heroes faithful, things are going well. This fourth season, which BBC2 is currently showing, is focused on character and a plotline and not just getting characters to certain places in time to use their powers and move on to the next crisis (like some of season 2 and 3). Finally we have Peter Petrelli determining to use his power to help people, Claire is getting a new support cast (albeit a weird one) and Hiro’s family has also developed while he has been able to invest in those lives he has a chance to touch to make some difference.

What’s more, new characters with powers only seem to be included to further an overall plot. For instance, the new carnival characters have created an intriguing alternative lifestyle for those with powers, and a menace which is not easy to define. They are clearly a twisted “family”, taking in the vulnerable, but they are also kept in check by the uncompromising leader Samuel Sullivan - and to what ultimate end?

Another new character to pop up, a young teen who is a “healer”, also reminds us of the need for a strong family, and good guidance for those with powers, which has helped us see Mr Bennet’s new place in the world, and his good instincts for this sort of situation. However how he deals with the boy also reminds us that he doesn’t have all the answers, and highlights his powerlessness when the boy’s confusion and panic leads to disaster. If only he had these powers under control, he could be a force for great good – but even in the real world, bringing our bodies under control for good is not easy, and so sometimes even those used to being in control, like Mrs Petrelli, are faced with their faults and their insufficiency.

I guess there still needs to be something more each character is working towards, which they share – but it is early in the season and Samuel does seem to be drawing most of them together. What kind of web he is weaving I don’t know, and I don’t know if the new “blank slate” Sylar trusts him or not. I can't wait to see more of how this "family" theme plays out. Is redemption possible for those who have been outcast from society? Or will they keep on playing the hate game and make things worse between those with powers and the outsiders who visit them?

(Thankfully, we've had a break from Mohinder's angsty scientist routine as well! The painting of him was good though so I thought I'd add it here. More on films and comics coming soon...)