Heroes: Recapturing the magic

While perusing Youtube, I came across this absolutely awesome HRG tribute, set rather perfectly to Crossfade's "Cold," and I feel like it really exemplifies the essence and magic behind Heroes. Sure, it's a television series centered around once ordinary humans realizing that they have extraordinary abilities -- and from there deciding to either use their powers for good, use their powers for evil, or to deny that they have powers altogether -- but the characters and the relationships between them is the real heart and soul of the show. Arguably, the best example of this is with HRG and Claire.

I will never forget what one of the producers stated in one of the audio commentaries from the season one DVD collection. To paraphrase, he stated that even though the first season didn't have a romance, per se, it still told a romantic story with HRG and Claire's relationship. It started out loving, yet contained its fair share of deceit. Soon enough, it crumbled due to severe trust issues. However, their overwhelming love for one another allowed their relationship to persevere, and in the end both of them realized that everything they have done has been for the well being of the other, and they ended up closer because of it. Their story truly was "romantic," in the literal sense of the word.

So it's perhaps ironic that the strongest, perhaps best written relationship of season one was the "fake" romance, while the most ridiculed relationships of season two were the poorly executed "real" ones (Hiro and the princess, Claire and West, Peter and the Irish chick, etc).

Of course, hindsight is 20/20 and it's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback (any other cliches I can throw out there?) Nevertheless, I can't help but feel like the writers REALLY dropped the ball on the HRG/Claire relationship during the latter half of season two, after they were written with near flawlessly throughout the first season (and I must also note that the on screen chemistry between Jack Coleman and Hayden Panettiere is absolutely extraordinary). After all they had gone through, it was cringe-worthy seeing Claire begin to distrust her father's motives again. I mean, she was fully aware of the terrible things he had done while he was with The Company, yet she was shocked and appalled when West informed her of what had happened to him. While their conflicts during the first season were complex and interesting, their issues became forced and frustrating during the second.

I have frequently said that "Company Man" is the best episode in the entire Heroes collection, and to the show's credit, they really capitalized on the episode's momentum. For the remainder of the season, I thought the Claire/HRG relationship was written phenomenally. But the season two ender, with HRG rejoining The Company to protect Claire? That was lame and a HUGE step backwards. And considering that, in all likelihood, it'll be revealed that HRG shot Nathan (ya' know, his daughter's birth father), I find the whole story arc flawed already.

In the episode "Five Years Gone" we come to discover that HRG and Claire are somewhat estranged, with HRG living a somewhat underground life helping those with abilities. I think this chould have been an interesting story to explore. After Mohinder shot and presumably killed HRG, I think it would have been interesting for the audience to go a few episodes believing that he had died (like Claire had). During the finale, I would have shown that incredibly awesome scene, in which HRG rises from the dead, but I think I would have had Claire continue believing that her father had died. From there, HRG could live under the radar, secretly helping those with abilities, before inevitably being reunited with his daughter.

But then again, I'm just a Monday morning quarterback. I just have little interest in seeing HRG and Claire go through the same old dance again: After a brief moment of happiness, they realize that they can't trust each other, only to discover that their motives are pure (even if their actions aren't), before ultimately accepting that they can't be together.