Rejoin the epic and suspenseful phenomenon as Heroes: Season 2 arrives on DVD! Experience all the new and exciting twists of the astonishing series in this 4-disc set that includes every gripping Season 2 episode. Plus, see what could have been with exclusive bonus features that reveal the untold stories that never aired and an alternate ending to the season finale, where the fate of humanity takes an ominous turn when Peter fails to catch the vial containing the deadly virus.
Don't believe the hype: though some critics and viewers decried the sophomore season of the hit fantasy series Heroes, the core of the program remained as strong as in its debut network run. To be sure, the 2007-2008 Writers Guild strike hobbled the show, and producers stumbled by stranding two of its most intriguing characters: Super-charged Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) is taken out of the action after being struck with amnesia, while Hiro (Masi Oka) is sent to feudal Japan, where he encounters his own idol, Takezo Kenzei (David Anders). Both are overcomplicated story arcs, even by Heroes standards, and their connection to the rest of the season occasionally requires some mental gymnastics. But the crux of the season--the Company's development of the power-draining Shanti virus and its potentially devastating effects on both average citizens and superhumans like Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), The Haitian (Jimmy Jean-Louis) and primary villain Sylar (Zachary Quinto)--is solid, gripping material. The introduction of new characters like the lethal Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Kristen Bell as the electrically charged (in both the literal and figurative sense) Elle Bishop also up the dramatic stakes, even if their presence may require a scorecard for some viewers. In short, the few kinks in the armor of Heroes: Season 2 ultimately don't detract from the show's drive and vision. Season two spreads its supplemental features across all four of its discs; chief among these are commentary tracks by the cast and crew on all eleven episodes. The participating talent ranges from creator Tim Kring and stars Ventimiglia, Oka, Quinto and Greg Grunberg to composers Lisa Coleman and Wendy Melvoin, which helps to provide a wide variety of information about almost every aspect of the show's production. Featurettes cover everything from the history of Takezo Kenzei to in-depth looks at scenes from the season, while "Untold Stories" explores storylines that were left unfinished due to the writers' strike. The key extras are, of course, the alternate ending to the season finale (which is unfortunately revealed by the rear cover-art text) and an info-heavy sneak peek at Season 3. --Paul Gaita

Beyond Heroes – Season 2 on DVD

Get it on Blu-ray

Before They Were Heroes

More from NBC

Stills from Heroes – Season 2 (Click for larger image)

Customer Rating:
Summary: YAY SEASON TWO IS ON DVD FINALLY! BLEH
Comment: FIND ANY OTHER WAY TO WATCH THIS SEASON THAN BUYING THE DVD SET!!! It's half the price because there are half the episodes. If you have seen season 1 then I know that you are going to want to watch season 2, and by all means do, otherwise when you watch 3 you will be lost because of how bad they ruined this show. Hopefully season 3 can fix the boo-boos and make it more interesting than, as one reviewer put it, "Clothes spining in a Dryer."

I gave this 1 star because that is all it deserved compared to season 1!

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: If you're hooked on Heroes, Season 2 is a MUST HAVE!
Comment: If you're a Heroes fan, nothing more needs to be said...
Season 2 is a MUST HAVE for your collection!

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Heroes fan
Comment: I am a big Heroes fan and I have enjoyed watching this season. As always I received my product in a timely manner and without complications from Amazon.com

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Unhappy
Comment: I never received this order. I have tried to contact the supplier to no avail. Amazon.com is working on my refund.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Half-Season Weirdorama - hope for Season Three
Comment: Shows such as Heroes, Prison Break, Lost are, to a significant degree, reflections of how many of us perceive the world around us during these uncertain and unsettled times:

- larger portions of our lives are influenced or even controlled by high-level entities or organizations who now have the means to implement their agendas
- things are almost never what they seem because hidden forces are at work
- only very few insiders completely understand and control and set the agendas for these all-controlling entities
- we should consider ourselves lucky if we can figure out the who's and the how's that change our world but we may never get to know the why's
- these hidden and mysterious 'powers that be' plot, plan and act globally

Heroes is a near-perfect reflection or expression for our current fears and paranoias and watching it could therapeutically help vindicate and validate them. Heroes reveals that there's a number of humans possessing near-supernatural powers who live secret lives while appearing as normal, ordinary people to the rest of the world. We are 'in the know' now, rigyht? But, wait, these poor gifted souls have no idea where those powers came from and, up until Season One started, they were hardly aware of each other's existence. And this is only the beginning. What we are watching unfold is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma - to borrow someone else's words. Someone or something appears to be working secretly to find all these gifted individuals and 'cure' them of their powers but... there's their parents' generation who seem to have their own agenda and there's some organization or maybe one specific individual up to no good (as we understand 'good') and, apparently, working diligently toward the near-extermination of the human species. Or... will we ever know what that REAL agenda is?

The first season was about getting to know the many 'gifted' characters and preventing a small human nuke from erasing the city of New York. There were lots of stories to be told and, by the time it was over, we learned to know and to care about some of the 'heroes'. Season Two was meant to look one onion-layer deeper into their origins and give us a glimpse of what lays underneath while the human species was about to experience mass near-extinction without realizing it. Sadly, the season had to be cut in half and the makers had to do quite a lot of behind the scenes patching, including a complete 180 of the 'extinction' part to save the plot. What we are left and get to watch is a largely unconvincing picture of our heroes trying to live normal lives and trying to understand their purpose while, of course, making sure that the world doesn't end. What we really get to see, and it is so in part because of the abbreviated season, is a not so compelling story often punctuated with heavy accents of weirdness. Add to this the series makers attempts to introduce AND take sides (and occasionally perform summary artistic justice) on some very specific elements from 'real life' - Katrina, the illegal immigration controversy - and we are presented with a mixture that's compelling enough to watch, even though I did have my occasional and unplanned naps while watching, and makes me want to give Heroes a chance to redeem themselves on Season Three.

I understand the problem the writers' strike posed and we should all be forgiving of some flaws in the plot but, and this may be good advice for the ongoing Season Three, perhaps the makers of this overall good show should be careful not to slip into weirdness for weirdness sake. I noticed a tendency of turning 'the cheerleader' into something that begins to resemble more that old 'bearded lady'. The increasingly frequent killing and 'miraculous' reviving of some of the main characters should be avoided or the overall balance may be disturbed and this entire effort could turn into some form of weirdorama.

Technically speaking, the show continues to be first-class. Clearly, gifted professionals were at work putting Heroes together. The acting is consistently good and the characters we knew from Season One do not disappoint. The jury is still out on the couple of new additions but, it seems, the makers are pretty good at killing those who prove themselves not to be up to the standards.

There are a couple of interesting extras. The story of Takezo Kensei is very well done and is providing some useful background that helps understand what Hiro's quest appears to be about. Another 'news report' on the mysterious inventor of the Internet does not seem to be directly related with the events shown on Season Two so, I assume, it was meant as a Season Three teaser.

Oh, and one more weird detail. There seems to be no good reason for this to be a 4-disk set. The first 8 of 11 episodes AND lots of extra are packaged on the first 2 disks. Then... Disk 3 has only 2 episodes and Disk 4 has one episode plus of few more minutes of 'extras'. Was this done so that it could justify a higher retail price?

Overall, I am granting this show 4 stars because I am rounding up the 3.5 I feel it truly deserves and I am rounding the star count up because I hope for a great Season Three rebound which may be happening as I am writing this review but I won't know it until the next 'season' bundle is released next year because I don't watch these shows on TV.

---