NBC's Heroes was dubbed a ?surprise? success, but should it have been? In times like this, when we are assaulted with fears of sudden danger everywhere, aren't Heroes exactly what we need? Many folks point to the cinematic qualities of the show, the urban-pasteurization of the super-hero motif, or the hyper-realism of Heroes as its reason for the success.



Heroes is a parable, above all. It's a story that tells us that the ability to avert horrible disaster is sleeping within us; not in our genetics, but in our dormant sense of morality. The characters of heroes must break free of their lives of addiction, low self esteem, and indifference to beat the clock and save the world.

Peter Petrelli is, perhaps, the most metaphorical of the characters. His job on Heroes is as a monitor in a hospice center. He watches people die while his dreams to fly fall flat. It is not until he walks away from his indifference that he becomes one of the shows Heroes.

While the press fumbles to make sense of Heroes success, another thing becomes apparent about this tale. We watch these Heroes come together over a great expanse with a single important cause, to save the world. It is as if Heroes is making a hypnotic, subliminal call for globalization. A cry to the Heroes within us all.

Then again, maybe the media has it right; maybe it's just the evolution of the superhero culture, a paradigm shift in a story-telling venue that is long overdue for a little re-energizing. But when I look at what the media has to say, I still can't help but think that they might be missing the point. Heroes is, like any other superhero story, about our struggle to fly; our dream to find the hero within ourselves.