A few things have struck me as the show has moved into it's third season. One, is how bad the show is by conventional standards. I've already argued that comic book movies must be judged by their own criteria. Still, the melodrama, the predictable "twists" and the sub-par acting don't make for the best combination. And yet, I find myself enjoying the show, and eager to see what happens next.
Secondly was something I noticed after a conversation with a friend who criticized the spread of Claire's healing power to other characters, essentially making it impossible for anyone important to die. This may be true, but just like the poor overall quality of Heroes relative to "normal" shows, it doesn't matter. In fact, it makes the show stronger in a way, because of one broader point I've decided about the show.
Heroes isn't trying to be the best show on television (at least, I hope it's not). I don't think it's really trying to be a "show" at all in the traditional sense. Really, it's just a comic book made for television. When you think about it, Heroes lines up pretty perfectly with the make-up of an X-Men or Justice League comic. The plot line of a comic, for example, is basically predictable, with just enough surprises thrown in. Furthermore, nobody in a comic book, whether hero or villain, ever stays dead (see Superman, Jean Grey, et al).
Traditional comic books (as opposed to weightier graphic novels like Watchmen) have always indulged in melodramatic plots that require a large degree of faith. If you demanded an answer for every plot hole/loop in a comic book you couldn't ever fully enjoy the reading experience. Heroes demands the same of its viewers. Comic books and Heroes as extension serve mainly as allegories or fables. The plots are flawed, filled with ridiculously beautiful characters doing really awesome stuff, but they're nothing more than a vehicle for a deeper message. Now does Heroes contain such a message? That remains to be seen. But in the mean time I don't mind watching incredibly attractive people run around blowing my mind with special effects-created powers.
