Volume 1 (Genesis): Many fans would argue that not only is this the strongest of the volumes, but also a stroke of sheer geek genius. And they'd be right. This set up the world of Heroes without going into too much detail to make mainstream viewers cringe. The concept was cool, the stories were interesting, the characters were involving and every episode felt like it both added to the mystery and solved one or two to keep things from going crazy. It is, truly, a great piece of TV art.
Volume 2 (Generations): And here's where things start to go downhill. Many characters get {{Character Derailment: Derailed}}, most of the newcomers aren't interesting or inviting and the plot didn't build like the last one did to keep up the suspense. It brought a few good ideas to the table, like giving Hiro an acrh enemy in Adam Monroe, but it's mostly just dull and pointless.
Volume 3 (Villains): This, in my opinion, is the absolute worst moment in Heroes history. It goes nowhere. Plots are brought up and dropped everywhere. Characters who could've been helped by some development and closure instead got needlessly killed off. No one is likable. No one is smart. It's just a great big mess. This is Heroes very own {{Countdown To Final Crisis: Countdown}}.
Volume 4 (Fugitives): In the show's defense, this Volume did learn from its predecessor's mistakes. We see a central storyline taking focus and developing on its own rather than several plots being picked up and abandoned. We see some characters regaining their sanity and acting like themselves again. And we even see the rivalry between the Petrelli brothers developing in interesting directions. However, there's a lot of bad too. An old containment camp for specials storyline ends up going nowhere slowly. Sylar's quest to find his dad just adds a lot of Wangst to a character already undergoing serious Badass Decay. And the ending just sucks. It really, really, does.
Volume 5 (Redemption): A very accurate title and enjoyable season. The majority of the characters are finally back on track and well utilized. The multiple stories are juggled nicely and always with a sense of suspense. And the villain is actually very cool and fun to watch. Sure, some plots get dropped and the climax is a bit of a let down, but this is probably the best season since the show's first.
Heroes By Volume
Volume 1 (Genesis): Many fans would argue that not only is this the strongest of the volumes, but also a stroke of sheer geek genius. And they'd be right. This set up the world of Heroes without going into too much detail to make mainstream viewers cringe. The concept was cool, the stories were interesting, the characters were involving and every episode felt like it both added to the mystery and solved one or two to keep things from going crazy. It is, truly, a great piece of TV art.
Volume 2 (Generations): And here's where things start to go downhill. Many characters get {{Character Derailment: Derailed}}, most of the newcomers aren't interesting or inviting and the plot didn't build like the last one did to keep up the suspense. It brought a few good ideas to the table, like giving Hiro an acrh enemy in Adam Monroe, but it's mostly just dull and pointless.
Volume 3 (Villains): This, in my opinion, is the absolute worst moment in Heroes history. It goes nowhere. Plots are brought up and dropped everywhere. Characters who could've been helped by some development and closure instead got needlessly killed off. No one is likable. No one is smart. It's just a great big mess. This is Heroes very own {{Countdown To Final Crisis: Countdown}}.
Volume 4 (Fugitives): In the show's defense, this Volume did learn from its predecessor's mistakes. We see a central storyline taking focus and developing on its own rather than several plots being picked up and abandoned. We see some characters regaining their sanity and acting like themselves again. And we even see the rivalry between the Petrelli brothers developing in interesting directions. However, there's a lot of bad too. An old containment camp for specials storyline ends up going nowhere slowly. Sylar's quest to find his dad just adds a lot of Wangst to a character already undergoing serious Badass Decay. And the ending just sucks. It really, really, does.
Volume 5 (Redemption): A very accurate title and enjoyable season. The majority of the characters are finally back on track and well utilized. The multiple stories are juggled nicely and always with a sense of suspense. And the villain is actually very cool and fun to watch. Sure, some plots get dropped and the climax is a bit of a let down, but this is probably the best season since the show's first.