Heroes Season 2
Blu Ray Title: Heroes Season 2 Disk Release Date: August 26. 2008 Rated: NR Screen format: 1080P Widescreen 1.78:1 High Defintion Studio: NBC Universal First theatrical release: 2007/2008 Broadcast Television Season Previous releases on disk: DVD day and date on 26 August, 2008 Written & created by: Tim Kring(11 Episodes). Directors: TBD Starring: Hayden Panettiere, Masi Oka, James Kyson Lee, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jack Coleman, Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventimiglia, Ali Larter, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Zachary Quinto, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Nicholas D’Agosto, Dania Ramirez, Kristen Bell, Stephen Tobolowski, Aidair Tishler, Shalim Ortiz, Dana Davis, Eriko Tamura, David Anders Sound Formats: English DTS-HD Master Audio Length: 11 full length TV episodes on 4 mixed BD-50&BD-25 disks Subtitles: English, Spanish and French |
Plot: 4/5
Prior to watching Season Two a number of people warned me that I was in for a big let down as they knew I had been a big fan of the first season but had only ever seen it on HDDVD and was a season behind them in watching the show. Also, they noted, the show was stripped in half because of the writers strike, so there was a lot less of it this season. While this seemingly bizarre combination of complaints (Hey waiter, this soup stinks and the bowl’s too small!) didn’t make sense to me, I am happy to note that neither was a big problem to me in the BluRay version but that may be because I didn’t have the torturous one week wait (or longer) between episodes that they did. This season does take some very big directional changes from season one but I still found a lot to like here, and found that viewed over an extended weekend it all fits together nicely and was the perfect length.
At the conclusion of Season one, Nathan Petrelli (Pasdar) had blasted off with exploding brother Peter (Ventimiglia) in tow, saving NYC but leaving the body of main villain Sylar (Quinto) to crawl away as Hiro Nakamura (Oka) had transported to 1691 in Feudal Japan. Season two takes a very different tack, one that sees most of the heroes returning to their everyday lives and trying to fit their extraordinary talents into normal existence.
It’s not so easy however getting back to normal. Peter and Nathan are miraculously alive after Peter’s apparent explosion, although neither of them knows the fate of the other. Hiro finds his childhood hero, Takezo Kensei (Anders) but discovers that he isn’t all he is cracked up to be, and Hiro falls into forbidden love too, with a Princess (Tamura), the consequences of which will resonate for hundreds of years. And the Bennet Family finds that fitting in really is not their bag, with father Noah (Coleman) struggling to appear content as a Copy Kingdom peon and Claire (Panettiere) juggling the loss of her cheerleading identity and a budding romance with neighbor West (D’Agosto) who we soon learn has a power of his own.
West isn’t the only newcomer by far, as “The Company” has a new face in Bob (Tobolowsky) who replaces Eric Roberts from last season as the new villain role there, plus we get to see Bob’s Daughter Elle (Bell) and they are the mirror image of Noah and Claire. We also meet Maya (Ramirez) and her brother Alejandro (Ortiz), two newcomers who struggle with Maya’s very dangerous power, and this gets even more interesting as they escape to America trying to reach Dr. Suresh (Ramamurthy) but get tangled up with Sylar along the way. Even Matt Parkman (Grunberg) discovers new things about his life, he gets to play father figure to the charming Molly (Tishler) and finds out that his father was a hero in his own right at one time, before his power got the best of him. There’s also some big changes in store for Micah (gray-Cabey) and Nikki (Larter) as Micah goes to stay with some relatives who discover that at least one of them has unexplored powers (Plus another Star Trek cameo to rival that of George Takei’s).
It is this mixing of old and new that keeps Heroes fresh, and while it does not have the depths of suspsense or action that season 1 did, it is a worthy follow up and sets the stage nicely for Season 3 which is sure to feature the Villains a lot more. The smart writing and carefully crafted jumps in time really weave together well and help keep the viewers guessing all along. Even cooler, the careful sequencing of these time jumps allow the writers to peel the onion back and viewers get to see different sides to the same story and characters who were presumed dead (or really are!) get another chance to live again in the spotlight.
The creators of Heroes made a brave choice in taking the series in this direction and for many viewers it was a painful one that did not pay off. Personally however I think it was brilliant and for viewers like me who have the luxury of watching at our leisure I think it pays off in spades. There are a few special features on this set that give sneak peeks at Season three, and I struggled with the decision to give in and see what’s coming up versus remaining spoiler free. Fortunately those story arcs are being completely re-written, but still the decision was tough. It’s truly rare that a TV series can get under your skin like that and for that reason along I consider Season 2 a continuing success.
Sound Quality: 3/5
Sound wise Season 2 is nearly identical to Season 1. Like Season 1, this BluRay version contains a single audio track encoded in DTS-HD MA, but the source material it is working with has to be remembered as originating for broadcast television and not a feature film. While asking for a truly enveloping surround mix for a 10+ hour long dramatic series is probably asking a bit much, it’s hard not to note the very front focused sound stage exists for much of that, with occasional sequences that are more intricate popping up mostly in the action segments.
Like season 1, this set captures the audio content that is present with clarity and punch. In particular, the popular music that is embedded in sounds great, and the synthesizer contributions from Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin plus singer Shenkar are the best sounding parts of the series. For more information on those, be sure to check the Heroes Wiki at:
Soundtrack (disambig) - Heroes Wiki
As I summed up for season 1: “As noted the musical score is sharp and ranges the full gamut of emotions that a typical TV drama would need, and not shockingly a lot of it is used a bit repetitively. Dialogue is crisp and well imaged across the fronts, and there are very occasional effects that bleed into the rears. Overall, it’s quality stuff but the fact that it’s so front heavy is noticeable immediately and throughout the entire season.”
Visual Quality: 4/5
Unlike Season 1 there is no HD DVD for Season 2 which we can compare encodes and I did not ever see it on broadcast TV. Comparing the two seasons on BluRay I find a slight edge to Season 2 but it would be hard to measure that objectively. Otherwise my (slightly edited) comments for the first season are quite appropriate for this season as well:
“As a TV show you would be hard pressed to find a finer video package than Heroes. Heroes was conceived from the start as being an HD ‘killer app’, and the season was broadcast in SD and simulcast in 1080i HD. From what I’m told this 1080P encoded version blows that away.
To start with, Heroes is exceptionally sharp and detailed. Individual fibers and small set content’s details are overflowing in just about every scene. Facial details are also quite clear which is something that is often lacking in movie content. I never noted any instances of over sharpening or other digital artifacts.
The color palette is also quite wide, with some scenes taking on color dramatic casts but for the most part the series mimicked the vibrant hues associated with comic superheroes, and nowhere is this more evident than in the paintings created by Isaac. These are panels that would be welcome in any modern or classic comic book and they are brought through in tremendous detail in this transfer, and the real life scenes that match up with the panels are just as colorful and detailed.”
Sadly with the demise of Isaac in Season 1 there aren’t a whole lot of new storyboards but there ARE a few that get uncovered by Noah and they are just as stunning and perhaps even more shocking in what they show.
“Overall Heroes looks better than any TV show deserves to look, via broadcast or on disk, and it is clear that a lot of love and hard work went into ensuring that these disks capture every bit of detail that was in those broadcasts, and more.”
One thing to note is the grain/noise levels remain similar to Season 1, and this is something I spoke a bit about in that review but edited due to the specific scenes that were called out. If you are sitting close to the screen you will see a pretty good amount of grain and in darker scenes it can be distracting, however this is exactly as shot and is instrumental to the look that the series is going for. It is gritty and real and grounds the visuals in a filmic style that simply cannot be scrubbed out without losing detail. In essence it looks great _because_ it is there.
So there you have it. Season 2 looks just as good as season 1 does, but it wouldn’t be tops on my shelf for demo material although there are a few specific scenes where the CGI is particularly good this season that are pretty remarkable.
Extra Features: 4/5
While Heroes Season 1’s collection of extras was simply off the hook, Season 2’s is pretty good but not quite to that level. Universal includes a handy reference chart that tells you how to get going with both the U-control Features and the box promises BD-Live additions but these did not seem to be available to me during my viewing.
The U-Control feature allows a Picture-in-Picture commentary series and each scene which this is present is menu selectable. I’m not inclined to rewatch most episodes with the commentary but for those who are, it’s there in many of them. There’s also a “connections” U-control that didn’t seem quite as well thought out but it’s kind of neat and doesn’t require rewatching any content to use.
Disk 1 and 4 contain my favorite extras. Disk 1’s “A New Beginning” wraps up the essential changes in direction and introduces the new themes and characters to season 2. Disk 1 also contains the curious ‘mockumentary’ Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint which you can view at Yamagato Fellowship I suspect that website might get more entries as the series progresses. I’m not a big fan of fake featurettes but this one is pretty detailed. Disk 4 has an alternate ending, and this one is truly different. I can’t spoil the changes but the direction this one takes a 180 degree turn around. Fortunately there’s a second featurette that delves into this alternate take in detail and how it completely changes Season 3 and undoes several episodes that were close to being in the can. This is one of the most fascinating extras a fan will ever see. In Untold Stories we get to see those stories as far as they were developed and they will never be broadcast.
Overall it’s a nice feast for fans of the series, and for those who (unlike me) are looking for any scrap of detail they can get about next season, there’s a nice treat in there for them too.
Overall: 4/5 (not an average)
Heroes Season 2 was one of my most anticipated releases on BluRay and I found it extremely satisfying. Neither the story arcs nor the season length were problems for me and I found that the audiovisual qualities were at least as good if not slightly ahead of season 1. The extras were all unique including some scenes that would only have worked if the season ender had gone through an alternate universe and the “Untold Stories” scenes on disk 4 are fascinating from a “what if” scenario. Overall this isn’t the amazing burst-from-the-seams treasure trove that Season 1 is, but it’s enough to tide me over till the next “full” season arrives and it’s surely enough to earn a “Recommended” from me.
