Holding out for their 'Heroes'

Claire: A cheerleader but also a girl who refuses to be afraid

By Matthew Gilbert

Whenever "Heroes" jumps to a Claire segment, I get an extra-special thrill.

All the heroes, except Greg Grunberg's mind-reading chubby-hubby, are a gas. But the invincible cheerleader has a special grace, as she courageously tugs her body back into shape after getting dented, crushed, and once, on an autopsy table, totaled. Our brave girl from Texas holds it together even when her guts are hanging out.

One of the brilliant strokes in creator Tim Kring's "Heroes" concept is that some of the superpowers are extensions of character. Nathan Petrelli is a dodgy person, and so he can literally fly out of bad situations. Niki Sanders is at war with herself, and when she looks in the mirror she actually sees a demon glaring back. Claire is the dearest of them all, though, as an intrepid teenager who adapts and recovers despite the psychological and physical blows the world throws at her, including a brutal attempted rape.

Like Veronica Mars, Claire (Hayden Panettiere) is growing as a result of her hard knocks, even developing a sweet identification with social outsiders. No longer yearning to be part of the jocks clique, she has fostered one of the show's truest bonds, with nebbishy Zach. When he recently said to her, "I like that you're the freak," it was a delicate moment of mutual understanding.

Also, there's something almost campy about the scenes in which Claire, growing accustomed to her regenerating powers, carelessly injures herself. When she grabs a scalding pan of cupcakes from the oven, or sticks her hand down the disposal, it's funny because it doesn't get dramatic at all. Claire just waits a few seconds, until her burnt hands return to their pristine condition, and continues onward without distraction. She enables Kring to bring a bit of droll humor to his show.

Claire is clearly going to be a nexus of the plot, as the adopted daughter of the Man With The Glasses and the subject of Future Hiro's message: "Save the cheerleader . . . save the world." But as a young woman who refuses to be ruled by fear, her character has resonance outside of the show's big fall mystery.

Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. He blogs at www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/.

Hiro: He jumps from Tokyo to New York with an enormous smile on his face

By Suzanne C. Ryan

Hiro Nakamura wants to be special. Like the "Star Trek" characters that he's fond of quoting, Nakamura wants to boldly go where no man has gone before. He's a classic geek. And I can't imagine "Heroes" without him.

Of all the series' complex characters, Hiro is the only one to embrace his power -- he can stop time -- with boundless enthusiasm. He has a childlike wonder about traveling through time and completing his mission in life, whatever it is. That excitement is contagious and a refreshing change in a television landscape cluttered with arrogant doctors and swaggering cops.

Nerds have played big roles in this fall's television season, from "Ugly Betty" to Egan Foote on "The Nine. " But Hiro (portrayed with zest by actor Masi Oka) strikes a real chord, perhaps because he is more like an everyman.

He was working a thankless job in a drab cubicle in Tokyo. He lamented being the last in his class, always the last person chosen to play at sporting events. Calling himself a loser, Hiro -- like millions of other working stiffs -- found himself watching the clock and wishing he could somehow move the hands of time.

When he finally does slow time, who can blame him for running through his office screaming "I did it!"

Teleporting comes next. My favorite scene is when Hiro suddenly finds himself in Times Square. Throwing back his head and raising his hands in the air in victory, he yells "Hello New York!"

Yet we see a more sober side of the character when he transports from the future to deliver a cryptic message to another character: "Save the cheerleader, save the world."

I prefer the giddy version who cheats in a Las Vegas casino by manipulating time and then confessing on his blog on nbc.com: "I just hope Karma strikes back at me quick, so I'll be forgiven for my sins," he says. "Then I can reset and continue with my mission to save the world."

"I need to keep asking myself," he adds, "Would Peter Parker [ a.k.a Spider - Man] do the same?"

Nathan: Superman and Green Lantern have nothing on him

By Joanna Weiss

If Superman were totally, brutally honest, and just a bit more narcissistic, he'd probably look a lot like Nathan Petrelli.

Of all of the "Heroes" characters coming to terms with their "special abilities" -- the unused genes or cosmic traits that help them stop time or see into the future -- it's Nathan, the ambitious political candidate, who carries himself in the most quintessentially superheroish way.

After all, Nathan fancies himself a super-guy already. He's got the charismatic bearing, the desire to help people, the guilt over some trauma from the past, the deep-seated need for praise (you know Superman would have wanted a little ego-stroking, too). If you thought you could lead the masses to a better tomorrow, before you figured out that you could fly, wouldn't you have considered a run for Congress?

And wouldn't you have figured that the magic power of flight would be a liability in the polls?

That's a real way of thinking about fantasy, and it's what makes "Heroes" so much fun: the way it both embraces and skewers the old comic book conventions. These super powers may exist to save humanity, but they're viewed through the lens of psychology. They're managed, for better or worse, by three-dimensional people.

And Nathan, in his quest for a different kind of grandeur, submits to the classic, normal-guy flaws. He succumbs to temptation. He sells out his brother. He wallows a bit in guilt. He only flies when absolutely necessary, to save someone else, or to save his own hide. And he lands in such a telegenic way, kicking up dust as he skids to a stop.

You just know he's going to have a chance to improve his style. There will be more people to save, and Nathan will happen to be around. But before he does, he'll keep voicing what must be a classic superhero insecurity -- those moments of self-doubt before he decides to pull on those tights.

"Flying around, how is that gonna help anybody?" he told his brother indignantly last week. "What am I gonna do when I get there? I don't have a gun, I don't have a badge, I don't know karate. I guess I could put on a costume and fly around and pull cats out of trees. How's that going to make a difference?"

Odds are, he's going to find out soon.

Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com.