Almost a year after the disappointing second season, hit NBC show 'Heroes' returned, with a new subtitle: 'Villains'. With Sylar's return at the end of season two, 'Villains' had a lot of promise. All fans could really hope for was that season three wasn't another flop, and that Heroes would hit the heights that the first season achieved.

As usual, a messenger from the future warns the current crop of heroes of an impending apocalypse, and it's down to various ordinary people with extraordinary powers to stop everything going wrong. It's been done before, twice by Heroes alone, but it works. It would be nice to see the writers try something new, but you can hardly blame them for clinging desperately to a proven, successful formula.

Episode one launches itself straight into the action, answering just about every question from the end of season two, while simultaneously providing one of the greatest cop-outs television has ever seen. All of the characters that should be dead miraculously aren't, a plot development which just screams "prolong the series at all costs", and while the lack of consistency isn't surprising in a drama about superheroes, it's now verging on sheer retardation. On the subject of retardation, Peter Petrelli is not the real Peter Petrelli, but is a different Peter Petrelli, who is still Peter Petrelli. I could continue in this fashion for a good couple of paragraphs, but you get the idea. While the plot does show the occasional flicker of promise, for the most part it's either cliché or just plain stupid. It took them a year to come up with this? Seriously?

The slight potential of the plot is greatly overshadowed by the incredibly pretentious demeanour of the episode. Mohinder's lengthy voiceovers have always been pretentious, but now that Nathan and Sylar are getting in on the act, it's borderline nauseating. Admittedly some fans might find something deep and meaningful in the semi-poetic ramblings, but most are going to see it for what it is: inane, stuck up gibberish. It detracts from what makes the show entertaining - seeing people with superpowers in real life situations - and it's high time Heroes got out of it's own ass.

The plot of Heroes: Villains has potential, and that potential is enough for me to recommend watching it if you enjoyed the previous seasons. If you didn't watch seasons one or two, then avoid Villains. It's not as good as it thinks it is, and it's likely that the series is going to suffer as a result. Still, at least there's some lovely effects on show. And Dania Ramírez. Phwoar.

(This is my first TV review, so I think it's far from my best piece of writing. I think I came off more than a little ranty in...pretty much all of it. So any feedback is definitely welcomed)

This review isolates the average person (someone who hasn't watched an episode of Heroes.) It's a quick read, but the use of some words is questionable, for example retardation and the whole Peter Petrelli run-on.

It's not bad, what with being well edited and paced with a bit of personality in the wording department. It's just limited only to fans of the show.

I see what you mean, I think every time I start writing different types of reviews (game, film, television) I tend to limit the audience. But now that you've pointed it out, I can work on it. Thank you!

I always found the voiceovers less pretentious and more in the vein of that one guy at a party who desperately tries to convince you that big foot exists. You just don't have the heart to point out the myriad of half-understood facts and poorly considered claims.

As for the silliness of the show, it has always been an X-men ripoff wrapped in the clothes of a soap opera. It's little suprise their having a problem with verisimilitude in their plots.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've played too much Civ and am having difficulty in keeping myself from trying to type in diagonal

Lemme just say, mohinder will continue to become more bug like through mutations...

As a fellow fan of heroes, I agree with you. The way they are going with Season 3 is very questionable... the worst parts in my opinion are (slight spoilers):

- one thing that everyone tried to prevent in the first two seasons happens in the first episode, after 5 minutes, totally out of the blue, but noone seems to care
-the recycling of old plot elements, as in the whole "we have to prevent the future" thing
-some plots seem to move at the speed of light (Sylar), others take loads of time every episode without going anywhere (matt)
-Hiro, while being one of the most sympathetic characters on the show, still is a complete idiot when it comes to using his power. His story in season 3 is even more annoying as in S2.

If they would just state in the first episode "okay time travel is not possible anymore because yeah" the show would become so much better.

What bothers me is that if Peter Petrelli has the ability of regeneration then why does he have a massive scar down the middle of his face in the future? They really should just kill the whole time travel thing because it doesn't work. At least Hiro promised that he won't go back to the past (thank God).

Hamster at Dawn:
What bothers me is that if Peter Petrelli has the ability of regeneration then why does he have a massive scar down the middle of his face in the future? They really should just kill the whole time travel thing because it doesn't work. At least Hiro promised that he won't go back to the past (thank God).

Because a single physical trait change only works for Superman? It will probably be weakly explained at some point, but it's so that he has some other definable trait to tell the two of them apart then slicked back hair.

I'll continue to watch Heroes. It's kind of like the new Battlestar Galatica in that yes, it can have this great story that explores all these different scenarios, but really I secretly want to see Vipers popping toasters. Keep the super-hero fights coming and I will at least continue to enjoy the series, even if it looses some of it's original luster.

That and the sheer comedy/irony that is locking Noah, a character with no powers, up in level 5.

Slycne:

That and the sheer comedy/irony that is locking Noah, a character with no powers, up in level 5.

I never even thought of that, that's quality!

i really don't think the new season is that bad.

i have yet to see anyone that was supposed to be dead that not and as for the "save the future" type stuff, isn't that what superheroes kinda do? that's really par for the course for them

I got into Heroes a little while back and caught all the day up.

I liked the beginning of this season. Heroes has a great strength in starting, building, and ending story arcs. It has an easy to follow way of telling you how someone gets from point A to point B, and it wows you along the way with all the superpowers and characterization within.

Honestly though, the only nagging thing (made even more apparent by this episode) is what I would call "gamebreaking" powers - the ability not to die, for example, abilities to stop and manipulate time, and of course, Peter and Sylar's ability to get everyone else's abilities - these are things that are really, too powerful for a story like this and even with the existing story, something needs to be done to dampen them in a way that makes things "fair" to the story.

When Peter is stopping time, sending people to other countries, and pushing people into other bodies entirely, even if it's a Future incarnation something is definitely wrong.

The show would be a lot better without Peter. I have said it before and I am saying it now. He is a whiny Deus ex machina who draws attention away from interesting characters, is more powerful than the main villain and because of these two factors is the focus of the show.

I am still annoyed by the fact that they mention the Butterfly Effect, but the future Peter still exists after he changes the past, and the future he takes Peter to is still the same. I think they aren't making the variety of powers that they could, and all of the original powers are either a)usless or b)their characters are killed off in the first couple of minutes after they are introduced.