The Show
In the bonus features on Heroes Season Four, much credit is given to the fans, for their very vocal support of and feedback on the show. But was anyone listening? Heroes has been a promising but troubled show since its creation, an eclectic blend of ordinary people suddenly blessed/cursed with extraordinary powers. My twin problems are the ominous riddles in which seemingly every character speaks (sorry guys, LOST used up all my patience for that) and the snail's pace of what could/should be a thrilling adventure.
So now we have a traveling carnival full of supers, but who are they and what do they really want? Hope you're not going anywhere for a while, because you're going to have to stay awake through hours of pointless dialogue to finally get to the truth. My favorite bit to hate? HRG, the now-unemployed "Company" man whose story for the first several weeks of Season Four could be summed up, "Hi, I have nothing to do." Seriously. A more genuine highpoint could be found in a battle between characters played by Zachary Quinto and Ray Park. Yes, it's Mr. Spock versus Darth Maul, with other fun, knowing, genre-friendly casting tweaks along the way.
The Picture
Like most good, recent TV series, Heroes is presented at a screen-filling 1.78:1, in respectable-bitrate VC-1 format. There is some noise in the image, particularly in the shadows, or in scenes with any sort of unusual focus or lighting or smoke. The picture is clear enough that we can see that the special effects aren't always very good, but there are plenty of crisp, sharp faces with generous detail, and strong colors particularly in and around the carnival.
The Sound
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is used in a variety of clever ways. Voices echo on an empty street, gunshots elsewhere. There's a curious, detailed phasing 5.1-channel effect when certain powers are used, and more traditional surround sound to underscore the action or to help establish an environment. The score seems to be mixed across the entire soundstage, a welcome complement to one character's ability to "see" music. Dialogue is almost always strong, but while big moments like the ground opening up and swallowing a trailer have 360-degree presence, there's precious little palpable bass.
The Extras
Deleted and extended scenes are organized by episode, with more than half the season represented, about 45 minutes total, in standard definition. All other content here is in high definition, starting with a cavalcade of featurettes. "Deconstructing Sylar" (21 minutes) sits Zachary Quinto, series creator Tim Kring and executive producer Adam Armus around a table to analyze the central villain. "Behind the Big Top" (nine-and-a-half minutes) invites the new cast members and others to talk about the carnival that figures so prominently in Season Four. "Heroes Revolution" (eleven minutes) explores the ways that the many different tie-in media (comics, the web and more) have really pushed the envelope for a TV show.
"Milo Speaks" (five-and-a-half minutes) allows star Milo Ventimiglia to expound on all sorts of topics, while the Sullivan Brothers Design Gallery (two-and-a-half minutes) reveals much of the varied artwork behind the traveling circus. "Genetics of a Scene" is actually seven different vignettes, each detailing the making of a technically challenging sequence from across the season (42 minutes total). The final episode also begins with an unannounced four-minute farewell and reflection from Kring.
The interactive "Hero Connections - Network" displays all of the characters on screen with virtual cards and text descriptions, linked together according to the nature of their relationship, and updated as the season progresses. Universal also provides their "U-Control" brand of Bonus View. "Hero Connections - Bios" borrows those photo cards/text, displaying them at relevant points during the show itself, on every episode. A so-so "Picture in Picture" video commentary is also supplied for four episodes, one crew-only but the other three featuring one of the lead actors (Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar or Robert Knepper, all seeming quite happy to be there).
Disc One provides BD-Live access, with the "Ticker" datastream on the main menu page. Heroes Season Four also supports pocketBLU portable content and control.
Final Thoughts
By the end of these 19 episodes (18 "chapters," including the double-length season premiere) we witnessed some fairly major breakthroughs, revelations, but no real resolutions, rather a quick setup for a "Volume Six" we'll never see. Season Four/Volume Five was entitled "Redemption," referring to über-villain Sylar's turnaround, too bad the show itself could not be redeemed in the eyes of viewers. But if you missed any of the final episodes, as I did, this Blu-ray set is the ideal way to find closure.
Product Details
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