Heroic Change

Entertainment Weekly has five problems with Heroes, and ways to fix them. I made my list a few weeks ago.

Here are the EW points:

1. "Too many heroes" I don't know if it's the quantity so much as the quality. They also suggest more single-character episodes, which I generally oppose--let every hour add to the arc.

2. "Absurd plot twists" They say the characters should be smarter. Sure, though part of this is cleaning up their powers, since when they can do too much, they can always get out of trouble.

3. "Overheightened reality" I'm not sure what EW means--this show by very nature has a heightened reality. They're bothered by a character who can create black holes. How is that sillier than a character who can change time and space? On the other hand, I agree that the characters should have one foot in real life, like they did in the first season. But how to go back? (This was actually a problem in the first season, when I complained that the conspiracy kept getting wider and deeper, so that by the end of the season, everyone was involved and everyone had powers.)

4. "Stale Storytelling" This is true--they keep having the same set-ups--knowing a disastrous future--and the same problems--struggling to control a power. It's hard to be original, but even when you get back to your roots, you've got to come up with a new way of using the heroes.

5. "Too disposable" What EW wants is a huge arc and a guaranteed ending for the series. I couldn't disagree more. If a show plans it from the start--Lost, Babylon 5--fine. It's too late for Heroes. Heroes doesn't need stand-alone episodes, but it should have a separate storyline for each season (like the first) and see how far it can go.