Heroes Reborn, the follow-up series to the 2006 show Heroes, premiered last night with a scattered episode. The two-hour premiere had interesting moments, but could’ve used more focus to suck people in. The fact that the first episode was uneven and a little slow isn’t much of a surprise. The original Heroes didn’t really take off until Sylar was introduced in episode three. But, kicking off with a stronger entry point would’ve made me feel better about the fact that I know I’m going to end up watching every episode of this show.
The most compelling hero so far is Tommy Clarke (Once Upon a Time‘s Robbie Kay), a teenage boy with the power to make things disappear. He’s deeply disturbed by his power because he doesn’t know where he makes things go. He figures out by the end of the premiere that they go to whatever place he’s thinking about when he makes them disappear. This pay off made his storyline the most satisfying in the premiere.
I’m also very interested in the villains Luke Collins (Chuck‘s Zachary Levi) and Joanne Collins (EastEnders‘ Judith Shekoni). I’m a huge sucker for villains who are also a solid couple. They’re two regular humans who believe that people with powers are unnatural and need to be wiped out.
Carlos Gutierrez (The Boy Next Door‘s Ryan Guzman) was another main character introduced. He’s a veteran living in southern Los Angeles who considers taking up a vigilante mantel after the death of his brother. Like Tommy, he’s someone who doesn’t want to be a hero but gets sucked in.
The plotline about Miko Otomo (The Yokai King‘s Kiki Sukezane) felt a little confusing and disjointed. While the other plotlines eventually all tied together at least a little, everything happening in Tokyo felt like it was part of a different show. Not only did it not tie into the other storylines, but the rules of her ability (a sword allows her to enter a video game) didn’t feel in line with the Heroes universe.
Overall, Heroes Reborn is pretty much what I expected. A mixed bag with some interesting moments.
