X-Men knock-off that aint all bad

 

We are two episodes into Heroes (NBC 9/8c) and it looks like it's going to be a good show.  I had been wanting to see the series since early summer when commercials for it started appearing on USA Network, Sci-Fi Channel and NBC. 

 

I wasn't too sure what to expect.  It seemed like it might be an X-Men knock-off with mutant powers and what not.  And that is pretty much what it is.  Except with the wealth and abilities of Patrick Stewart (and no cool leather costumes...yet).

The story thus far; 

 

Claire Bennet, a high school cheerleader from Odessa, Texas has realized she is nigh invulnerable.  She can do just about anything, and her body regenerates and fixes itself almost immediately.  We are introduced to her jumping off an oil rig while the school A/V geek films it.  She stands up from the fall broken and twisted and miraculously heals right away.  Later she runs through the fire of a train wreck to save a man, and doesn't get burned.

 

Peter Petrelli is a male nurse who sits with and cares for dieing people.  He knows what they want and what makes them happy, but he is plagued by dreams of flying.  His brother Nathan Petrelli is a politician running for congress.  Peter tries to talk with Nathan about his dreams but is brushed aside.  Peter calls Nathan to meet him in an alley, and then proceeds to jump off a seven story building.  Nathan flies up to catch him.  We are left with the impression that Nathan has known for quite some time that he has this ability.  Meanwhile, Peter discovers he too can fly, but it seems at this point only in a state of extreme agitation.

 

Nathan Petrelli is Peter's brother, and running for congress (which he'll win if the future Hiro experienced is correct).  He can fly, but doesn't like to admit it.

 

Isaac Mendez is an artist and heroine addict who paints future disasters.  He painted the scene of a suicide bomber in Israel three weeks before it happened.  Down to the number on the bus that was destroyed.  He painted the firey train wreck in Odessa, Texas that Claire Bennet ran into and saved a man (although it would have been cool if he had painted a Claire in the scene - maybe they thought that was alittle too much).  While trying to go clean, Isaac paints a vision of a giant mushroom cloud destroying New York City.

 

Hiro is a japanese working who is a huge anime fan.  He obsesses about heroes and their place in the world.  He discovers he can bend the time-space conitnuum and teleport himself to different locales (like on Star Trek he keeps saying).  While on a train, he teleports himself to New York City where he finds a comic book called "9th Wonders" written by Isaac Mendez - which has his story in it.  He heads to the Isaac's studio only to find Isaac dead with the top half of his head cut off...and his brain missing - that's when the police show up and assume Hiro is the killer.  As he is being questioned by the police, he tells them he just teleported into New York and his friend in Japan can verify that the previous envening they were at a bar having drinks.  The NYPD calls the friend in Japan who claims not to have seen Hiro for five weeks.  Hiro believes it is still 2 October, but the police point out it is 8 November (and Petrelli has won the election by a landslide).  As they are discussing the date, an explosion of what appears to be nuclear proportions occurs.  As the explosion cloud approaches his location, Hiro teleports himself back to Japan in what looks like the same instant that he left.  So not only can he teleport himself to other locations, apperantly he can teleport himself through time as well.

 

Niki Sanders is a web slut single mom in Las Vegas making ends meet by stripping via web cam on the internet.  She's been having the feeling of being watched.  Sometimes, she doesn't believe the reflection she castes in the mirror is really her.  Her son, Micah is some kind of genius, when we first see him he is rebuilding his computer's mainboard, and he's only like 6 or maybe 8.  She took loan for 3 large from a loan shark in order to get Micah into a special private school they could help him with all those smarts.  Only thing is, she couldn't pay it back.  When the shark sends two of his goons to collect, she didn't have the money.  The goons decide she can reduce her debt by servicing them.  As they start to beat on her, she blacks out, and when she wakes up, the goons are dead and her garage/studio is in shambles.  Later, she loses four hours of time, and when she returns home, the garage/studio is all cleaned up, the bodies are gone, and a caddy sits across the street with keys for it hanging in the garage.  In the trunk of the caddy are the bodies of the goons with a map.  She follows the map to a remote location where she finds a shovel. She starts digging, presumeably to bury the bodies, but in the process uncovers another body (I am thinking this is Micah's father).  After all this story, I still can't figure out what Niki's power is.