Heroes season 3 DVD an essential for fans
I admit, I was rather late to NBC’s hit superpower series Heroes. Despite being somewhat intrigued by the “save the cheerleader, save the world” promos that were everywhere a few years back, I hadn’t seen a single episode until this summer when I started watching online through Netflix. Since then, I’ve not only watched all the episodes on Netflix, but even caved and bought the first three seasons on DVD.
The series chronicles the complicated and interconnected lives of a group of regular people who find that they have special abilities. The characters portrayed by series stars Hayden Panettiere, Milo Ventimiglia, Masi Oka, Jack Coleman, Zachary Quinto, and several others, are both heroes and villains, and more than a few straddle the line between the two. With more than 50 episodes under its belt, Heroes has created a comic-book-style mythology that perfectly lends itself to marathon DVD viewing. Seeing three or four episodes in a row really makes you notice complexities in the writing and spectacular performances from the cast.
The third season DVD hits shelves Tuesday, and includes all 25 episodes from both the “Villains” and “Fugitives” volumes of the saga as well as a slew of special features and deleted scenes that are sure to please hardcore fans as well as lightweights.
Featurettes like “The Superpowers of Heroes” or “The Prop Box” provide cool insights into the making of the series from big effects like a plane crash to small, less noticeable stuff like the nametag on a waitress uniform. It’s easy to appreciate the hard work of each department involved in the production when you’re able to take an in-depth look at some of these details that might be barely noticeable on screen.
Also included is “The Writer’s Forum”, a cool little tidbit on the fifth disc in which series creator and executive producer Tim Kring sits down with co-executive producer/writer Adam Armus and supervising producer/writer Ron Eli Coleite to discuss some of the complexities of the series. Together, they talk about themes and character arcs as well as some of the challenges of writing “Villains” like transitioning some of the bad guys into good guys and vice versa. Parts about Sylar’s quest to find his father are particularly interesting.
I’ve always been a fan of DVD commentary tracks and all the Heroes DVD sets have contained some great ones. Season three continues that trend with different members of the cast and crew on each episode providing both insightful and amusing comments about the show. The tracks with star Sendhil Ramamurthy are hilarious and provide you with a fun perspective on some of the more dramatic moments.
If you haven’t seen Heroes, start from the beginning and check it out before you grab season three on DVD. If you’re already a fan, then it’s an essential because of the great features and commentaries.
